text:
Learning about ESD
As part of our ESD educational / training programme we have put together a collection of mini ebooks which provide accurate information on protection and prevention. The ESD ebooks range from protecting areas to choosing the correct equipment to keep your devices, components and electronic parts safe.
For further information and advice, please click on the one of our publications below or speak with one of our team for further advice.


text:
- Description
DetailsThe Certified Pre-Owned 95T Inspire™ Commercial Treadmill is from the ground-breaking Elevation™ Series of Cardiovascular equipment from Life Fitness and boasts an innovative and sophisticated design that keeps users inspired, motivated, and challenged. Everything about the 95T Inspire™ treadmill is designed to deliver the ultimate immersive workout experience, from the DX3™ Belt and Deck System and stylish design, to the integrated iPod® and USB compatibility and intuitive Activity Zone that places the most-used controls on a conveniently located Ergo™ bar at the user's fingertips. The integrated 7" LCD Inspire™ Console provides touchscreen access to iPod® music/video lists, utilizes USB connectivity to create, customize, and track workouts, keeps users captivated and engaged with the built-in Virtual Trainer, and offers users the ability to visualize workout progress with Workout Landscape™ Perspectives. With 41 different workouts, including Interval, Custom, Heart Rate Zone Training+™, and Goal workouts, as well as numerous Fitness Tests, all available in (13) languages, the Life Fitness 95T Inspire™ treadmill will set your facility apart and keep users coming back to achieve their fitness goals. The 95T Inspire™ treadmill is also CSAFE-Ready and FitLinxx™ certified and an optional 17" attachable LCD TV offers 1000 available channels on either the NTSC or PAL system.
Life Fitness Virtual Trainer
- Electrical Requirements
- Input voltage: 120V | AC 50-60Hz
- 20 Amps
Technical Specifications
- Dimensions: 80" x 37" x 62.25"
- Weight: 450lbs
- Motor: 4.0 HP AC motor with MagnaDrive™ Motor Controller
- Belt: DX3™ Belt and Deck System with 22" waxless belt
- User Capacity: 400 lbs
- Speed: 0.5 - 14mph
- Incline: 0% - 15%
- Heart Rate: Lifepulse™ Digital Contact HR| Polar® Compatible
- Deck: FlexDeck® Shock Absorption System
- Programs: 41
- TV: 17" LCD TV optional
- Heart Rate: Lifepulse™ Digital Contact HR| Polar® Compatible
- Deck: FlexDeck® Shock Absorption System
- Programs: 41
- Additonal Features: Reading Rack, Accessory Tray, Cup Holders
- Display Readouts: Speed, Incline, Heart Rate, Pace, Elapsed Time, Time Remaining, Time in Zone, Time of Day, Distance, Distance Climbed, Distance Remaining, Calories, Calories per Hour, Watts, METs, Language Choices (13), Custom Messages, Workout Profile
Please note that this is a commercial grade and not a residential piece of equipment. Product does in fact need a 20 amp dedicated line.
- Additional Information:
Additional Information
Name Life Fitness 95T Inspire™ Tread condition used Brand lifefitness Warranty
- Total Body Experts Warranty - One full year warranty on labor and parts. Certain commercial units may be eligible for upgraded extended warranty for units going in to a pure residential setting, please ask for details.
- Lifetime on the Frame
- Extended Warranties available!
No Sales Tax*, Free Shipping, Buy With Confidence! Call 866-203-5770 Now!
- Reviews
Customer Reviews 1 item(s)
- Great Treadmill
Our company had a great experience with Total Body Experts. We are really pleased with the treadmill! In fact, talking about possibly getting another very soon!! Special thanks to Sandy who answered all our questions and made sure our delivery went smooth!
-Columbus OH

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Declining oil prices threaten expansion of Middle East airports has been saved
Press releases
Declining oil prices threaten expansion of Middle East airports
Deloitte: Leading global airport operators eyeing business in the Middle East
26 August 2016 – With the declining oil prices challenging the Middle East government budgets, the continuing expansion of airport infrastructure across the region will require alternative financing solutions. Deloitte's latest report on the construction industry in the region highlights the alternative forms of funding available to deliver the required infrastructure across Middle East airports and to counteract the potential reduction in the ability to raise necessary finance.
"Airport privatization and the appeal of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have long been talked about in the region with varying application of PPPs as a financing solution," explains Dorian Reece, Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited Middle East's Head of Aviation. "However, there is a broad spectrum of differing financing options across the risk, return and control considerations when tapping the PPP market."
"The track record of successful airport PPPs provides a cautionary tale and one that the Middle East region's governments and investors should consider. Some of the challenges witnessed include: lack of regulatory clarity, optimism bias, and weak dispute resolution," he added.
According to the Deloitte report, there are varying models being applied to airports across the spectrum of privatization options. The art and the science of structuring an optimal airport PPP centers around achieving the best value for money, which comes from carefully arriving at the appropriate risk allocation between the public and private sectors. It is also important that the required controls needed to protect the traveling public are in place whilst at the same time putting in place a pricing mechanism which maximizes financial returns.
A strong reflection of the appetite for airport PPP's is the current interest from leading global airport operators seeking to secure airport transactions or management agreements in the region, including Malaysian Airports, the Airport Company of South Africa, and Changi Airport Group's rumored interest in the Operate & Maintain concessions in Saudi Arabia currently in the market.
The Deloitte reports predicts continuing success of the Middle East region's airports, particularly Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, enabling them in the future to seek to leverage their global brand and pursue international opportunities. With declining funding from government for major projects, we are also observing the region's airports increasing their focus on maximizing returns from existing assets as well as leveraging PPPs delivery models of standalone projects such as baggage system upgrades, security and car parks.
"We are increasingly seeing airports within the region seeking to better understand opportunities to generate additional revenue to improve overall profitability. Recent examples of this are a number of airports introducing a transfer charge of c.$8 - 10 for all passengers," said Cynthia Corby, partner and construction leader at Deloitte in the Middle East.
"This likely to see further airports in the region implementing similar charges to enhance the financial returns that airports deliver. We are also seeing the need to drive improvements in performance through airport operators gaining greater insight into the true performance (Return on Investment, Return on Equity) of their assets. This is through airports improving cost allocation and improving the modelling to assess the whole life cost of the assets to ensure the right level of capital investment is being made as efficiently as possible."
Press contact
Nadine El Hassan
Middle East Public Relations Leader
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.)
Tel: +961 (0) 1 748444
Fax: +961 (0) 1 748999
About Deloitte:
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte's more than 220,000 professionals are committed to making an impact that matters.
About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is a leading professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with more than 3,300 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has also received numerous awards in the last few years which include best employer in the Middle East, best consulting firm, the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as the best CSR integrated organization.


text:
$9.99 $17.99
Jill Sprinkles has been awarded over a dozen awards for both Style and Value. Since 2005 our primary focus has been on creating flex time job opportunities in our Internet Showroom and Office for Working Moms. In 2016 we became a job training site for Teens 18 - 21 to learn transferable skills to gain paid employment. Our heart is in every single thing we do.


text:
Buttery, crisp wedges of shortbread that take mere minutes to make? That's right, One Bowl Baking has the recipe for blessedly simple, versatile shortbread dough sweetened with warm brown sugar.
Tips: By the author's estimation, this is the easiest recipe in the book. If you move quickly, you can be pulling shortbread out of the oven in half an hour. The only thing between you and crispy, brown sugar bliss is a tart pan with a removable bottom. Not every kitchen is equipped with one, nor should you purchase one expressly for this recipe. Take sheets of folded aluminum foil to make a ring 9 inches in diameter, then place it on a cookie sheet. Fill it in with dough, and presto, you have quick and easy shortbread.
The dough can also be rolled and cut into the shapes of your choice. With Christmas on its way, stars would be a good place to start.
Tweaks: Shortbread purists, close your ears. I have a suggestion that goes against standard practices: cinnamon. Adding up to a teaspoon of cinnamon goes very well with the buttery crispness of the shortbread, and the crunch of the turbinado sugar.
As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of One Bowl Baking to give away.


text:
Sweet Potato Pie
Why I Love This Recipe
This Southern classic is a great alternative to pumpkin pie. The custard filling is creamier and less dense, as well as brighter in color. Top with whipped cream.
Ingredients You'll Need
10 graham crackers (or 1 1/3 cups graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups Sweet-Potato Puree
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. with rack on lowest shelf. Make crust: In a food processor, pulse graham crackers, sugar, ginger, and salt until finely ground. Add butter; pulse until mixture forms large, moist crumbs. Press crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until combined. Add sweet-potato purée, half-and-half, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and allspice; whisk until completely smooth. Pour filling into crust; smooth top with a rubber spatula.
Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake until filling is set, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Pie can be prepared up to a day ahead and refrigerated; serve chilled or at room temperature.
Questions, Comments & Reviews
The Official "Burnt" Movie CookbookBy Burnt Movie Cookbook
7 Recipes51222 Downloads


text:
Trick or Treat?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY-FaTuuglo Imagine for a minute that it is Halloween night. Your doorbell sounds, "ding dong," and you open the door to find a rather cute fairy, a menacing pirate, and a giggling baby Ninja Turtle. Smiling, you reach your hand into your candy bowl and pull out their treats: Lifesaver Gummies, Nestle's chocolate bars, and Tootsie Roll Pops. But what are they really eating? High-frutose corn syrup, non-fair trade chocolate, and dye-ridden lollipops. Choosing to pass out natural, organic and fair-trade candy is not only a safe and healthy option for a childs treat, but it also is quite the "trick" for kids. They won't be eating dyes, preservatives or ingredients that are not safe for their bodies. Here are a few wonderful options kids will love: Fair Trade Milk Chocolate Earth Balls by Sunspire Ingredients: Milk chocolate (evaporated cane juice, cocoa butter*, chocolate liquor*, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, vanilla extract). *Fair Trade Certified Invisible Ghost Lollipops by Strawberry Hill Ingredients: Organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup. (USDA Certified) Natural Gummie Worms by Surf Treats Ingredients: Organic tapioca syrup, organic evaporated cane syrup, gelatin, organic grape juice concentrate, citric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, colors added (including black carrot juice concentrate, turmeric, annatto), natural flavors, organic sunflower oil, carnauba wax. (USDA Certified) Organic MMilk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups by Justin's Ingredients: Organic milk chocolate (organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk powder, organic chocolate liquor, organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla), organic peanut butter (organic dry roasted peanuts, organic palm fruit oil), organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla flavor, sea salt. (USDA Certified)


text:
The 83rd Academy Awards are only a few nights away so once again I've allowed myself my yearly indulgence of commenting on the nominations and attempting to second guess how everything will pan out. If you don't want to read all this then you can jump to my ranked list of nominated films or my predictions list. Also, rather than being yet another source to list all the nominations I'll simply point you towards the nominations page on the official Academy Awards website so you can get that information first hand.
I forget where I first heard this theory but apparently while a broad spectrum of films can gain nominations, as they have done this year, the films that win tend to be the more middle-of-the-road films rather than the truly memorable films. This is because films that are genuinely interesting, bold and ahead of their time usually divide opinion. Meanwhile the safe, crowd-pleasing films usually don't ruffle any feathers so while they may not be the absolute best films on offer, they tend to be the films that everybody agrees are pretty good and therefore are able to secure the votes they need to win. So with that theory in mind let's take a look at the various categories:
Best Motion Picture and Best Director
The two widely embraced and safe-bet contenders for both of these awards are The Social Network and The King's Speech. Don't get me wrong; these are both intelligent and immaculately crafted films that I rate extremely highly but they are also inoffensive crowd-pleasers. I'm predicting a win for The Social Network in both categories simply because it's got an American focus rather than a British/Australian one. And who would begrudge David Fincher getting some award glory?
However, the two films that I think would be far more interesting to focus on are Black Swan and Inception. Both have been widely and enthusiastically embraced but both have also attracted strong criticism from their detractors. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground with these films. I'm not a fan of Black Swan although I have been fascinated (and admittedly frustrated) by how well it has been received by so many people I respect, trust and usually agree with. On the other hand I loved Inception and believe it is the film that deserves to win in both categories, which is impossible of course considering Christopher Nolan rather astonishingly didn't even get a director nomination.
For me the differences are that Inception contains the abstraction and complexity of a traditionally art house film while presenting itself as an easy-to-follow heist/action genre film. On the other hand, Black Swan is a shallow and simplistic melodrama/exploitation film with a false veneer of sophistication and depth. Inception allows for the possibility of a variety of critical readings while Black Swan is painfully literal and obvious. Nevertheless, I predict that both films will continue to resonate after the other nominated films (except The Social Network and possibly Toy Story 3) are largely forgotten.
Acting awards
I know Natalie Portman is widely tipped to win the best female actor award for Black Swan and she probably will. I really like Portman and she was one of the elements of the film that sustained my interest. However, from where I was sitting she did very little except appear to be constantly on the verge of tears (with the exception of the scenes where she cried). I think Michelle Williams is far more deserving for her outstanding work in Blue Valentine, but really, any of the other female actors are a more deserving recipient.
Aside from feeling that both Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling unfairly missed out on acting nominations, for The Kids Are All Right and Blue Valentine respectively, I have no strong feelings about the other acting awards. I'd probably prefer to see James Franco honoured for his very fine work in 127 Hours but I suspect Jesse Eisenberg will win the best male actor award for The Social Network and that would hardly be undeserved. At the risk of sounding all patriotic I think it would be marvellous if Jacki Weaver won the female supporting actor award for Animal Kingdom but I suspect newcomer Hailee Steinfeld will get it for True Grit. Male supporting actor will likely come down to Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech and Christian Bale for The Fighter; advantage Bale.
Writing Awards
While I think the writing on display in Toy Story 3 is some of the tightest and cleverest writing seen in years (especially in mainstream cinema) it is very hard to not be seduced by the rhythmic dialogue that propels The Social Network, so I suspect that will win the adapted screenplay award to the delight of writer Aaron Sorkin's very loyal fan base. Christopher Nolan should and is likely to win the original screenplay award for his Inception script, if nothing else as a sort of compensation for not getting a direction nomination.
Technical awards
All of the films nominated are great looking films and while I may lean more towards Inception and True Grit for the cinematography award I think it will go to Black Swan. As well as Franco's performance, a big part of what made 127 Hours work as well as it does is the editing so I'm hopeful it will win the editing award that it deserves. As for the sound awards, I'm tipping Inception for sound editing and True Grit for sound mixing based on a gut reaction with no intelligible justification. Inception should win for visual effects.
Production awards
During last year's awards Best Costume Design award winner Sandy Powell expressed my frustrations that big films about "dead monarchs or glittery musicals" always tend to win production and design awards over films that do things like use setting, costume and makeup to convey important character information. Having said that, I think the two period films The Kings Speech and True Grit will be the main contenders for the art design award with the votes leaning towards True Grit, which I have no problem with. However, I'd really like to think that the outstanding use of fashion in I Am Love will earn it the costume award but that may be wishful thinking rather than a rational prediction. The Way Back should and probably will get the makeup award.
The best music score will be a close tie between Inception and The Social Network but with the later most likely to win, while "If I Rise" from 127 Hours will win the best song. The folks from Pixar will go home once again with the best feature animation award and although I loved both How to Train Your Dragon and The Illusionist, I really adore Toy Story 3 so that's fine by me. I believe that Inside Job is the best nominated feature documentary, however, I strongly suspect that Restrepo will win in that category, which would be more than appropriate considering its subject matter and bold approach. Finally, considering the high profile director and lead actor behind Biutiful, it's almost certain to win the best foreign language film award although of the three nominated films I've seen I prefer In a Better World.
I haven't seen any of the live or documentary short films so I can't comment on those. I've also only seen two of the short animation films, The Lost Thing and Day & Night. I am extremely fond of The Lost Thing, especially as I was part of the jury that gave it one of its first awards, but I thought Day & Night was sublime and I'd be very surprised if it didn't win.
Read my follow-up post on the award winners
Ranked list of all nominated films
I've listed all the nominated films below in the order that I would rank them, although you should probably take my rankings with a rather large grain of salt.
Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) 8 nominations
Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, 2010) 1 nomination
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010) 4 nominations
Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010) 1 nomination
Another Year (Mike Leigh, 2010) 1 nomination
127 Hours (Danny Boyle, 2010) 6 nominations
Inside Job (Charles Ferguson, 2010) 1 nomination
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste, Sylvain Chomet, 2010) 1 nomination
The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010) 9 nominations
Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, 2010) 1 nomination
The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010) 4 nominations
The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) 11 nominations
True Grit (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 2010) 11 nominations
In a Better World (Hævnen, Susanne Bier, 2010) 1 nomination
How to Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, 2010) 2 nominations
Rabbit Hole (John Cameron Mitchell, 2010) 1 nomination
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik, 2010) 4 nominations
Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy, 2010) 1 nomination
I Am Love (Io sono l'amore, Luca Guadagnino, 2009) 1 nomination
Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010) 2 nomination
Tangled (Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, 2010) 1 nomination
GasLand (Josh Fox, 2010) 1 nomination
The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) 7 nominations
Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau, 2010) 1 nomination
The Town (Ben Affleck, 2010) 1 nomination
The Way Back (Peter Weir, 2010) 1 nomination
Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010) 3 nominations
Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, 2010) 1 nomination
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) 2 nominations
Unstoppable (Tony Scott, 2010) 1 nomination
Dogtooth (Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009) 1 nomination
Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) 6 nominations
TRON: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski, 2010), 1 nomination
Salt (Phillip Noyce, 2010) 1 nomination
The Wolfman (Joe Johnston, 2010) 1 nomination
Not seen yet
Barney's Version (Richard J. Lewis, 2010) 1 nomination
Country Song (Shana Feste, 2010) 1 nomination
Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010) 1 nomination
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi, Rachid Bouchareb, 2010) 1 nomination
The Tempest (Julie Taymor, 2010) 1 nomination
Waste Land (Lucy Walker, 2010) 1 nomination
Best Motion Picture: The Social Network (Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin)
Directing: The Social Network (David Fincher)
Actor in a Leading Role: The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg)
Actress in a Leading Role: Black Swan (Natalie Portman)
Actor in a Supporting Role: The Fighter (Christian Bale)
Actress in a Supporting Role: True Grit (Hailee Steinfeld)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Writing (Original Screenplay): Inception (Christopher Nolan)
Cinematography: Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Film Editing: 127 Hours (Jon Harris)
Sound Editing: Inception (Richard King)
Sound Mixing: True Grit (Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F Kurland)
Visual Effects: Inception (Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb)
Art direction: True Grit (Jess Gonchor for Production Design and Nancy Haigh for Set Decoration)
Costume design: I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
Makeup: The Way Back (Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng)
Music (Original Score): The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)
Music (Original Song): 127 Hours ("If I Rise", music by AR Rahman, lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong)
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich)
Documentary Feature: Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger)
Foreign Language Film: Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010)


text:
What They're Saying About Gun Control After the Newtown Shooting
Here's a tally of public figures who've called for a change in the wake of the tragedy. Or not.
After a gunman carried a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig-Sauer pistol, and a civilian version of the military's M4 carbine into a Connecticut elementary school and conducted one of the worst mass shootings in history, many voices — big and small, elected and unelected, but all loud — reached out across America Friday, insisting that it's not, in fact, too soon to talk about gun control. And as you might expect, most people talking about more of it. But not everyone. Here's a tally of public figures who've called for a change — or not— in the wake of the tragedy. We've included the parts that explicitly or implicitly address gun policy.
President Obama said this at the White House:
We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.
New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed in a 1993 mass shooting, told Politico she spoke to White House chief of staff Jack Lew before the election and promised to fight for more gun control. On Friday, she explained:
I said, 'Jack, I know the president is going through an election and I'm telling you after the election I'm coming out full force... I was just giving the White House a heads up that the gloves are off on my side and I was going to do everything I possibly could. … If that meant embarrassing everybody, that's what I would do...
I want to talk to the White House. I know that they can't give me an answer tonight, but I want to know what they're going to do. I need to know what they're going to do.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement:
We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Today, many of them were five-year olds. President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership - not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today. This is a national tragedy and it demands a national response. My deepest sympathies are with the families of all those affected, and my determination to stop this madness is stronger than ever.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on his official site:
While we don't have all the facts and our focus must be on the victims, this is yet another senseless and horrific act of violence involving guns. We as a society must unify and once and for all crack down on the guns that have cost the lives of far too many innocent Americans. Let this terrible tragedy finally be the wake-up call for aggressive action and I pledge my full support in that effort.
Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, wrote on his Facebook page:
As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws - and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait.
New Jersey Rep. Rush Holt said:
We can't just keep saying, 'Our hearts ache for the victims and their families.' We have to bring gun violence under control.
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes said:
I hope and pray that the flood of sympathy and condolences offered to the victims and survivors of this unspeakable crime will ignite the dedication and ingenuity of our nation to end this scourge of violence.
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg:
Americans are sick and tired of these attacks on our children and neighbors and they are sick and tired of nothing being done in Washington to stop the bloodshed. If we do not take action to address gun violence, shooting tragedies like this will continue. As President Obama said, we must act now 'regardless of the politics.'
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer:
To senselessly lose so many innocent lives breaks your heart... Perhaps an awful tragedy like this will bring us together so we can do what it takes to prevent this horror from being repeated again.
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler said:
If now is not the time to have a serious discussion about gun control and the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our society, I don't know when is. How many more Columbines and Newtowns must we live through? I am challenging President Obama, the Congress, and the American public to act on our outrage and, finally, do something about this.
New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey:
Our expressions of sympathy must be matched with concrete actions to stop gun violence.
Terrible news today. When will politicians find courage to ban automatic weapons? As in Oz after similar tragedy.
Officials not calling for change:
Ari B. Adler, press secretary for the Michigan state House Republican caucus, said on Facebook that the shooting was not related to the bill passed the night before the shooting that would allow guns in schools:
Regarding the school shooting in Connecticut, our first concern is thinking about the families and the tragedy they have suffered at the hands of a criminal bent on spreading evil.
What happened in Connecticut, however, is not because of nor related in any way to actions taken by the Michigan House yesterday in approving Senate Bill 59.
In response to outreach from media and Michigan citizens, let me provide some background on the bill and why we have caucus members who supported it:
Under the proposed law, Michigan will have the most highly trained concealed carry licensees in the nation. In addition, statistics show that in a mass shooting incident, the average death toll is higher when civilians have to wait for police to arrive. In situations where a citizen with a concealed pistol is involved as a potential victim, the number of deaths is lower on average. Therefore, having well-trained individuals with the freedom to carry a concealed pistol may be considered a public safety asset that could act as a deterrent against such shootings or, if an evil criminal does strike, may prove to serve as protection for innocent bystanders.
It is the belief of many representatives in our caucus that it is criminals who have no intention of following any law that are the perpetrators of such heinous crimes as school shootings. Strict gun-control laws do not stop criminals from committing evil acts, they merely infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens who might be able to take action against evil if given the chance.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said it was not about guns, but about the lack of religious instruction in public schools. The ex-presidential candidate said on Fox News:
We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we have systematically removed God from our schools... Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?...
We've made it a place where we don't want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability - that we're not just going to have be accountable to the police if they catch us, but one day we stand before, you know, a holy God in judgment... If we don't believe that, then we don't fear that.
The National Rifle Association, in a statement:
Until the facts are thoroughly known, NRA will not have any comment.
No matter which side you fall on, it's hard to ignore that this debate is happening, and happening now. A protest Friday outside the White House demanding more gun control started small...
...and grew as the day wore on, with an official protest at 4:30 p.m.:


text:
Uh oh, the event has ended. Don't miss out again, get the latest news via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or RSS feed!
|21 Feb 2018 (Wed) (ONE day only)
Visit any llaollao outlet to enjoy 33% off every purchase of medium, large and Sanum tubs on 21 Feb , 1pm – 7pm!
Discount applies to every purchase of medium, large and Sanum tub
Find your nearest llaollao outlet here


text:
Story highlights
The video shows children and adults trying to fend off the attacker with brooms
Xinhua: Police say the knifeman stabbed an elderly woman and wounded 23 students
Police say he was influenced by "doomsday" rumors and a 2010 kindergarten killing
China suffered a spate of knife and cleaver attacks targeting school children in 2010
The man raced toward the school gate, flailing a knife as terrified youngsters scattered.
A little girl raises her arm to try to defend herself but fails. She falls to the ground, losing her pink backpack near the entrance gate.
After a few minutes of horror, the attacker chases other students as they try to flee the school grounds.
By the end of the man's rampage, at least 23 elementary students were wounded, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The knife attack at Chenpeng Village Primary School in China's Henan province took place on December 14, the same day an American gunman killed 20 student and six educators at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Read more: China attack illustrates U.S. gun law divide
Recently released surveillance video from the front of the Chenpeng school shows children and adults tried to fend off the attacker with brooms.
Authorities say 36-year-old Min Yongjun first stabbed an elderly woman in Chenpeng before breaking into the elementary school, Xinhua said.
Police said Min was driven to commit the attack by "doomsday" rumors, according to Xinhua. Authorities also said Min testified he was inspired by TV reports about a kindergarten killing in 2010.
"He thought he was doomed and hoped to do something to impress his existence upon the world before he died," police said, according to Xinhua.
Initial assessments suggest the attacker is mentally ill, the state-run Chinanews.com said, citing Guangshan county authorities.
China suffered a spate of knife and cleaver attacks targeting school children in 2010.
A number of measures were introduced at the time, including increased security at schools across the country and a regulation requiring people to register with their national ID cards when buying large knives.
But in Chenpeng, the only visible line of defense appeared to be elementary students and nearby adults with brooms.


text:
It's easy to criticize users of the influential social-news site Reddit for circulating the photos of random innocent bystanders and fingering them as potential suspects in the Boston bombings. I did it myself just yesterday, deriding Redditors for latching onto marathon spectators like "Blue Robe Guy" on the thinnest of circumstantial evidence. So did several other journalists, some of whom went much further in their denunciations. The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal was particularly outraged by the findbostonbombers subreddit, calling it "plain, old vigilantism with no place in our society."
Today, it's clear Reddit users have heard the complaints—and some are turning them right back onto the media. Here's one of the top posts on the subreddit today:
Here's another:
It's easy to mock Redditors for an abundance of self-righteousness and a shortage of self-awareness. Really, guys? Reddit bills itself as "the front page of the Internet" and ranks as one of the most popular websites in the United States. You're saying that when a popular post on the site goes viral, its users bear no responsibility for that?
On Reddit, "the media" has become a pejorative term. But let's face it: Reddit is the media. The main difference between it and, say, a newspaper, is that Reddit's content is posted and curated by amateurs through upvotes, downvotes, and occasional moderator interventions. Still, the results are similar: a top post on any given subreddit has a chance to reach as many viewers as a popular newspaper story, and in some cases far more. It's disingenuous for the site's users and moderators to disclaim responsibility for any harm caused by those posts—especially since they're more than happy to claim credit when things turn out well.
But here's the thing that many in "the media"—that is, the professional media—are overlooking. The Reddit hive-mind does have a conscience. There's a lot of id to be found on the site, sure, but there's also a superego. As I noted yesterday, one of the top posts on the findbostonbombers thread was titled, "Does anyone remember Richard Jewell?" The post urged Redditors to exercise caution in identifying potential bombing suspects, lest they end up ruining the lives of innocent people like the security guard falsely accused of the 1996 Olympic bombing.
That conscience is in even greater evidence today. The top post as I write this story is a list of "innocent suspects," an earnest attempt to clear the clouds of suspicion that have gathered over some of the people that Redditors (and, yes, a few media outlets) have flagged as suspicious.
Here too, there's a hint of hubris: Can we be any more certain that all of these people are innocent than we were yesterday that they might be guilty? Still, it's a step in the right direction—an acknowledgment that casting suspicion on people, even on an Internet forum, can have real-world consequences. Here's another popular post:
The Facebook post in question asks people to share a picture of Blue Robe Guy as widely as possible in hopes of identifying him. Of course, things like that do happen, and it's to Redditors' credit that some are starting to recognize that, and to acknowledge their own complicity.
Meanwhile, I think they're right to push back against journalists' characterizations of their behavior as "vigilantism." The Atlantic's Madrigal isn't the only one to use the term. In a sensationally headlined column today, Salon's Andrew Leonard attributes to Reddit a "crucify them!" mentality that seems to be mostly the product of his imagination. In fact, the findbostonbombers thread comes with an extensive list of rules, the violation of which can result in users being banned. Here are the top seven:
1) We do not condone vigilante justice
3) Any racism will not be tolerated
4) Theories are welcome, but make sure you fact-check your sources.
5) Remember, we are only a subreddit. We must remember where helping ends and the job of professionals begins.
6) Do not make any images viral. Limit reposting images outside of this sub.
7) Finally keep in mind that most or all of the "suspects" being discussed are, in all likelihood, innocent people and that they should be treated as innocent until they are proven guilty.
Now, merely stating those rules doesn't absolve the site of anything. And some of them, like the one about not making images viral, are hopelessly naïve. As Yahoo's Rob Walker memorably rephrased Rule 6: "We're unleashing the power of the crowd—don't tell anybody!" Still, those edicts are hardly the credo of a mob bent on exacting retribution, as some professional pundits have been too quick to imply. I see them as an earnest attempt to grapple with the tensions inherent in the project of publicly crowdsourcing information about a crime. And for what it's worth, the moderators seem to be serious about deleting posts that include anyone's personal information.
As much as it rankles to see Redditors pin all blame on "the media" for any harmful outcomes, there's no denying that a few professional media outlets have demonstrated far less of a conscience than the users and moderators of findbostonbombers. Yes, I'm looking at you, New York Post. The two young men whose faces appeared on the paper's front page today will forever be linked to a heinous terrorist act—even as Redditors and others have worked to establish their innocence. Now, contrast all of the handwringing and soul-searching on Reddit to the statement that Post editor Col Allen gave to Salon today:
We stand by our story. The image was emailed to law enforcement agencies yesterday afternoon seeking information about these men, as our story reported. We did not identify them as suspects.
Is Reddit more conscientious than the mainstream media? That's too sweeping a claim, given the existence of thousands of professional media outlets that have been careful to base their coverage on facts and refrain from wild speculation. But is it fair to say that the Reddit hive mind has at least shown more self-awareness and more of a conscience than certain tabloids that aren't worth their weight in trash? Absolutely.


text:
Say goodbye to the boring strings of holiday lights you decorated with in the days of yore. The iGlo LED set, which can be fully controlled with an iPhone or iPod in real time, transforms any room into an instant party.
Deadly Mississippi Tornado Kills More Than 2 Dozen | Extreme Earth
The 5 meter strip has 120 lights that can be programmed into elaborate sequences of patterns and colors. It doesn't come cheap at $299, but it's certainly worth the price if you're the type to throw impromptu dance parties (which the bubbly music in the video does a good job of inducing). [iGlo LED Set via Engadget]


text:
In scientific terms, alcohol is the term for any one of a group of organic chemical compounds. Alcohols, specifically ethanol, are what makes fermented beverages intoxicating. The abbreviation ABV (or abv) means '(percent of) alcohol by volume'.
Types of alcohol
There are many known alcohols, but only a few that will ever concern the home fermenter:
Ethyl alcohol
Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is what people almost always mean when they say "alcohol". It's the substance in fermented beverages, created by yeast, that causes intoxication in humans.
Methyl alcohol
Methyl alcohol, or methanol, is similar in chemical composition to ethanol, but very different in effect. While the body breaks down ethyl alcohol into harmless substances, the results of breaking down methyl alcohol are highly toxic formic acid and formaldehyde. Drinking methyl alcohol in significant amounts can cause nervous system damage, including blindness, and eventually death.
Methanol is present in small amounts in most fermented beverages; it is created primarily by the fermentation of pectin in wine production. However, in these amounts it is not a significant health risk, and there is no way a home fermenter can create dangerous levels of methanol during fermentation through contamination or any other means.
Methanol is concentrated along with ethanol during distillation. However, even in distillation the health risks are small and easily dealt with by removing the "distillation head", which contains most of the methanol. Stories about people going blind during Prohibition were common not because home distillation was inherently dangerous, but because unscrupulous illegal producers sometimes "cut" their product with methanol or methylated spirits to increase their profits.
Denatured alcohol
Denatured alcohol refers to ethyl alcohol intended for industrial use that has been treated to make it unsuitable as a beverage; this allows the manufacturer to avoid the tax on alcoholic beverages. Alcohol may be denatured either by adding a strong, unpleasant flavorant, usually a bitterant. It may also be denatured by adding a small but dangerous amount of methanol; the resulting undrinkable alcohol is called methylated spirits.
Other alcohols
There are many other forms of alcohol, but none of them are likely to appear in fermented beverages.
Expressing alcohol content
There are a number of ways of expressing the alcohol content of a fermented beverage.
Alcohol by volume and weight
The most commonly used measure of alcohol among home fermenters is alcohol by volume', abbreviated abv. This reflects the percentage of the volume of liquid that consists of alcohol. Some commercial brewers measure alcohol by weight instead; for the same beverage, the measurement of alcohol by weight will always be slightly lower than the measurement by volume.
Alcoholic proof
For stronger drinks, alcohol is usually measured by proof. A proof is roughly twice the amount of alcohol by volume; thus a 15% Barley Wine would be considered 30 proof.
Calculating alcohol content
Specific gravity
This section is a stub.
The most common method used by home brewers to calculate the alcohol content of a finished beverage is to calculate a likely alcohol level based on the specific gravity before and after fermentation.


text: No mom or dad ever wishes or hopes for receiving their child confessed in a childrens medical center. But unfortunately, it is an unavoidable encounter. In fact, numerous kids check out medical facilities for in affected individual or out-patient treatment annual. Based on the Heart for Disease Manage, you can find over 22 million medical… Continue reading Children's Hospital


text:
"Net Neutrality" is the official name for an open internet. It means that all internet providers are to be treated the same regardless of whether you are a mom and pop company or a global behemoth. This week's federal appeals court ruling pulled the plug on that concept.
The judges ruled that the Federal Communication Commission's anti-discrimination rules were beyond the scope of its authority when it came to the internet. Congress gave the FCC authority to regulate common carriers, such as telecommunication companies, years ago. The FCC has always ruled that telephone networks cannot discriminate against consumers.
However, back in the Bush administration, the FCC was pressured by phone and cable lobbyists to categorize internet service providers differently. They are considered information services, which we now discover exempts them from common carrier rules. In hindsight, that was a big mistake.
For consumers the fallout could be huge. Fee-free services that we now take for granted may not work as well as before. Internet service providers could now charge fees for the privilege of "service in the fast lane" while the rest of us find we have been consigned to the tortoise lane.
If you're a company that really needs a large amount of bandwidth to provide your services to the consumer in a timely fashion, fees will be going up. Think of companies such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Facebook and others that may have to pay more to ISPs in order to insure that their content remains accessible to their customers. We all know what that means–higher costs will be passed on to us in the form of higher charges for the same service.
Higher fees could also mean less innovation. Much of today's new ideas are internet-related, simply because anyone with a good idea can try it out with little to no cost on the internet. There will be fewer garage start-ups by internet and web-enabled entrepreneurs. Small companies will find it harder to launch new services or compete with existing players that have the resources to pay and keep new players out.
But this is not only about the cost of your next viewing of "House of Cards" or "Orange is the New Black." The internet has become society's great equalizer. Anyone, regardless of background, income, or race can access the web for any number of reasons from education to entertainment. As ISPs begin to resemble cable companies, those who can pay will receive a far different level of service from those that can't.
Society in general will suffer as yet another great divide will be created. Those who can pay will have access and those who don't will see further stratification of society based on incomes and demographics. From the great equalizer, the internet could become the great divider over time.
There is still hope, however. Net neutrality could still survive. There is nothing in the court's ruling that prevents the FCC from reversing their Bush-Era decision. They could simply change the definition and treat the internet providers as part of the telecommunications industry. Of course, that would put them at logger heads with a very powerful lobbying army and a number of politicians who are being paid to represent the interest of the ISPs. That's where you come in. You could always call your elected official and express your opinion.


text:
BOSTON—Shane Victorino homered twice and added a two-run double. He also walked once and got on another time when he was hit by a pitch.
He reached base safely five times in all. Four times he scored. And a career-high seven RBIs in all for Victorino in Boston's 13-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
"I don't think he could do much better," said Red Sox manager John Farrell, whose top three batters had three hits apiece. "That's why they're at the top of the order, to have that kind of on-base (percentage) ahead of our power hitters."
But that wasn't good enough for Victorino, the No. 2 hitter, who drove in most of Boston's runs on his own. It was the second two-homer game of his career, and his most RBIs in a game ever — topping his previous high of five.
"He's been playing great all year," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "And the plays he made in the outfield — I don't remember anything like it."
Felix Doubront pitched 6 2-3 innings of four-hit ball, and Mike Napoli also homered for AL East-leading Boston. Pedroia and leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits apiece for the Red Sox, who improved to 2 ½ games ahead of Tampa Bay in the division when the Rays lost to the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 later Tuesday night.
"Every game is big from here on out," Pedroia said. "We played great tonight, but it doesn't carry over for tomorrow."
J.J. Hardy and Danny Valencia each had two of Baltimore's four hits. Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five and hit a batter and allowed three homers to lose for the fourth time in five starts.
Chen, who has allowed six homers in his last three starts after allowing six for the rest of the season, called it the worst game of his career.
"It's hard to believe we were ahead in this game 2-1," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "You've got a team playing well over there. That's why they are where they are. If you make some mistakes, especially in this park, you're going to pay for it."
Doubront (10-6) had only one bad inning, allowing the first four batters in Baltimore's two-run third to reach. But he retired 14 of the next 16 before leaving to a standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd of 36,226.
In all, Doubront gave up two runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman. He struck out seven and has allowed three or fewer runs in 21 of 24 starts.
"We had one opportunity against him and cashed in two, but there was potential for more," Showalter said. "He pitched well and we did not pitch well."
Victorino started the scoring in the first when he walked, took third on Pedroia's double and scored on David Ortiz's sacrifice fly. After Doubront allowed his only runs in the third to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead, Boston came back in the bottom half with two of their own when Will Middlebrooks singled and scored on Victorino's two-run shot — the 100th homer of his career.
Napoli led off the fourth with a homer to spark a five-run inning and chase Chen. Boston added three more in the fifth on Victorino's second homer.
The Red Sox started a nine game homestand after playing 16 of the previous 19 on the road. They were 4-2 on their most recent trip, to California to play the Giants and Dodgers. In all, the Red Sox will play 18 of their final 30 games at home.
NOTES: Red Sox infield prospect Xander Bogaerts made his Fenway debut as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning. ... To honour their connection with the Jimmy Fund, "God Bless America" was sung during the seventh-inning stretch by a patient at the Dana Farber cancer clinic, 4-year-old Darla Holloway, who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ... Red Sox starters have held opponents to two or fewer runs in seven straight games. ... Pedroia is batting .424 (14-for-33) with 6 doubles, a triple, 4 RBIs, and 7 runs over his current eight-game hit streak. ... It was Chen's fourth loss in five starts. ... Victorino is the first Red Sox player with four runs and seven RBIs in a game since Dwight Evans in 1988. ... Baltimore INF Wilson Betemit made his 2013 debut after sustaining a knee injury in spring training. He grounded out to third for the final out of the game in his only at-bat. To make room for him, the Orioles optioned infielder Ryan Flaherty to Single-A Frederick. ... The Red Sox made a minor-league trade, sending RHP Clayton Mortensen to Kansas City for OF Quintin Berry.Sox player with four runs and seven RBIs in a game since Dwight Evans in 1988.


text:
That right there is Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, fresh off the pancake buffet at a Miami hotel as he rehabs his surgically repaired ankle. Notice anything different? I mean, besides the layer after layer of disgusting subcutaneous fat, just bulging and drooping and oh god I'm going to be ill. Anyway, new cargo shorts, obviously.
The Knicks were off yesterday. There's no hockey. The Yankees are quiet on the free agent market. The Mets re-signed David Wright only after the paper had gone to the presses. So the Post stuck an "EXCLUSIVE PHOTO" on its back page, and ran a story about Jeter's apparent weight gain this offseason. (The picture was so exclusive that the Daily News went and purchased it from the same photo agency, and ran it on their own site.)
This bit was more fun last year, when the Boston Globe ran side-by-side photos of the chicken-and-beer Red Sox, asking rhetorically if they had "packed on the pounds." But yes, athletes tend to eat and train more like regular humans during their off-months, and since Jeter can't put weight on his ankle, he's probably going to be slightly amorphous.
The Yankees were forced to address this, after sighing deeply and rubbing their temples. GM Brian Cashman told the Daily News that "it's probably a wrinkle in the shirt." Then there's this, from ESPN New York, and it's probably the single best paragraph for illustrating how awful baseball's offseason can be for everyone involved.
"I saw that the picture said he was heavy. I can't tell you he is heavy," Cashman said early Friday in Stamford, Conn., where he and former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine were to rappel off a building in preparation for a holiday event.


text:
Over the last couple of days I've been playing a lot of Paradox Interactive's Stellaris. For those who haven't heard of it, it's a galaxy spanning real-time strategy game that is absolutely loaded with random events and AI interactions. These random events and the scenarios it throws up make the game ripe for making self-created narratives in your head.
I started playing it in May, and had some great laughs with a ruler who became addicted to drugs and in doing so accidentally became immortal (I've generally been assuming that it's Melange.) A few weeks back a patch was released that made a lot of my older games incompatible, so I started a new one. I came back to it this weekend to help take my mind off things happening in the real world. (For those following me on twitter you'll already know that this wasn't exactly a success.) After two days of almost solid gameplay I stopped for the evening and promptly wrote 2,000 words about the crazy nonsense which had been unfolding. I've interspersed the story with some edits of screenshots I took as the game was unfolding. I hope you enjoy it.


text:
While Michael Bay tries to quell the masses of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" fans who are enraged with his big-screen tinkering, Nickelodeon will bring Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo back in a to the small screen in the fall.
Nickelodeon will unleash the latest animated iteration of the TMNT saga on Sept. 29, the network announced Friday.
Also read: Michael Bay: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Fans Need to "Chill"
The CG-animated series, which will be voiced by Jason Biggs, original "TMNT" voice talent Rob Paulsen, "Lord of the Rings" actor Sean Astin and "Teen Titans" star Greg Cipes, will debut with "a one-hour special event" starting at 11 a.m.
The cast is filled out by "Parenthood" actress Mae Whitman, as April O'Neil, a gutsy teenager who befriends the turtles after they save her life; "Royal Pains"' Hoon Lee as the Turtles' sensei Master Splinter; and Kevin Michael Richardson as Shredder, the head of the evil ninja army the Foot Clan.
The Nickelodeon series will mark the third time that the quartet of anthropomorphic, martial arts-trained turtles, who made their initial splash as comic-book characters, have taken animated form on the small screen. The first, syndicated series ran from 1987 to 1996, with a second incarnation airing on Fox and, later, the CW from 2003 to 2009.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is slated for 26 half-hour episodes.


text:
Why Is Twitter More Popular With Black People Than White People?
Nick Saint, Business Insider, April 30, 2010
New data confirms that Twitter's population is disproportionately black.
According to Edison Research's annual report on Twitter, black people represent 25% of Twitter users, roughly twice their share of the population in general.
Why is this? A few ideas:
* Black people (and Hispanics) are much more likely to access the Internet from mobile devices. Twitter is well-suited to mobile use, and its users are more engaged with the mobile Internet than the general population by a wide margin.
* More black than white celebrities are active Twitter users; Shaquille O'Neal, Oprah, 50 Cent, and P Diddy are all among the most followed accounts on Twitter. That's great publicity for Twitter, and could be helping Twitter become more mainstream among black people.
* The median age for black Americans (according to the 2000 census) is 30 years old, a full seven years younger than for white Americans. Black people therefore make up a relatively higher percentage of the population within the most relevant age groups–Twitter is most popular amongst 25-34 year-olds.
Those are the best explanations we can come up with. {snip}


text:
Greetings from an inpatient rehab unit somewhere in the Great American Midwest! I checked in last Wednesday evening after the Hanukkah candles had been lit and dinner (provided by a friend) eaten.
When last heard from, I was frustrated because the in-network home health-care place hadn't managed to get certification from my insurance company to begin therapy. I decided I'd had it and called the medical director for the inpatient place, which hadn't had a bed available when I was discharged from the hospital after surgery for a below-the-knee amputation.
I don't remember if I called him on Monday or Tuesday evening: I just know it didn't take long. I should also probably explain that I know him socially. I even made the challah for his sons' bar mitzvot.
The goal here is to build my upper body strength, to strengthen my legs, and to learn to adapt to my new "normal." I know I am getting stronger, because I no longer slide along my transfer board. Instead, I move along the board by standing up, then sitting back down further along the board. It also keeps the board from invading my underwear. I can also use the knee on my right (whole) leg to bend and straighten to some extent. I also have osteoarthritis in my knees, which complicates matter further.
And, man, do they work you here! I just keep trying to think of goals. A short-term goal is to be able to stand for a certain amount of time and to pivot on my one foot. We're aiming for three minutes of standing. So far, I've made it to 1:08. It's a start.
I need upper body strength and the use of certain muscles in my legs to successfully wear a prosthesis. My goal is to have a prosthesis and be able to use it at least minimally when my friend and I take her 4-year-old grandson to Disney's Animal Kingdom and on a 4-night Disney cruise to the Bahamas in February.
My theory is that we need to set goals and not just do something because it's good for us. Yes, it's good for us, but it's even more fun to have something to look forward to. As far as I'm concerned, you can't get much better than sitting in a comfy recliner at home and taking a trip to Disney with a 4-year-old.
A really short-term goal is to figure out how to stop going low in the middle of the night. I was "blaming" it all on the fact that infection is gone and I'm on antibiotics. I forgot about what activity can do to your blood glucose. Last night, I had to go to the bathroom and called for help. (Somebody has to stand by while you transfer from bed to scooter and from scooter to toilet, etc.)
My continuous glucose monitor said I was 78 mg/dl and dropping. A finger stick said I was 32 mg/dl. I did another finger stick. That one said I was 32 mg/dl. OK, then…
Finished with what I set out to do in the bathroom, I began the slide back to my scooter. Then the sweat began to pour off my body. I moved back over onto the toilet. Where I sat while the nurse and the tech pushed sugar on me. "Soda? Juice? Yogurt or pudding? Cookies? Graham crackers?"
This morning (with a blood glucose of 134 mg/dl), I asked my nurse what she thought about my low.
"I just wish it hadn't happened while you were on the toilet," she said.
All in all, it's been a positive experience. I wish more people recognized the importance of education when your world has been turned upside down, whether with a chronic condition like diabetes, or with a life-altering experience such as having a leg amputated.
One very interesting thing about this place is that the patient is included in the team meetings along with the doctor, nurses, dietitian, therapists, etc. As progress is being discussed and goals set, I can include my input. And I'm listened to! I think it's the way things should be. I "won" the "no concentrated sweets" argument last week. I ordered raisin bran for breakfast and got bran flakes instead. My nurse checked the nutrition information for me and I was able to point out that bran flakes had 20 grams of carbohydrate per serving, while raisin bran had 25 grams of carbohydrate per serving. I got my raisin bran the next morning.
I'm being discharged tomorrow (December 8) and my physical therapist is preparing an exercise list for me to do at home. She's been working with me on bed exercises for the last couple of days to acclimate me to that rather than to doing them on a mat in the gym.
Next up? I don't know. It'll be interesting to find out. I can't wait.


text:
Dear All,
I would like to offer a hearty recommendation to a book that came out last year by Shohaku Okumura (the wonderful teacher/priest/scholar/translator/practitioner who has also been the translator and guiding hand for Uchiyama Roshi's wonderful books such as "Opening the Hand of Thought" and so many others). This new book may be the best "say it straight" introduction to Dogen-think (and non-think) out there ...
Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen's Shobogenzo
I believe that Taigu also has given it a strong "thumbs up" on this Forum a few times, and I have moved it to near the top of our 'Suggested Book List' ...
It certainly continues in much the same style, and with the same clarity, as many of the other Uchiyama-Okumura books such as "Opening the Hand of Thought" and "From The Zen Kitchen To Enlightenment: Refining Your Life (a commentary on Tenzo Kyokun)"
I took my timeless time with it (one reason that I am only getting to this recommendation today!) It certainly is a book to digest in small bits, but written in a way of great ease and clarity in both words and insight. The True Dharma Eye ... yet very gentle on the reader's eyes.
I just found a more detailed review, with which I much concur ...
I give it Five Buddhas (although for some reason the forum only allows me to post 4)!
Gassho, J


text:
The Winklevoss twins will have to settle with $160 million from their dispute with Facebook, an appeals court has said. The twins' epic argument with Mark Zuckerberg over the ownership of Facebook — dramatized in the Oscar-winning movie "The Social Network" — has to finally come to an end, the judge said.
Facebook agreed in 2008 to settle the dispute over who came up with the idea for the social network by giving Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss $20 million in cash and partial ownership of Facebook. As Facebook is now valuated at around $50 billion, the settlement is now estimated to be worth more than $160 million.
"The Winklevosses are not the first parties bested by a competitor who then seek to gain through litigation what they were unable to achieve in the marketplace," wrote Chief Judge Alex Kozinski in the decision. "And the courts might have obliged, had the Winklevosses not settled their dispute and signed a release of all claims against Facebook."
If you missed "The Social Network," the original case against Facebook (and Zuckerberg) was brought in 2004 by the Winklevosses, along with their partner Divya Narendra. The twins and Narendra were the founders of ConnectU (originally called Harvard Connection), also a social networking site.
In 2003, ConnectU hired Zuckerberg to write some code for their website, and a few weeks later Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com. The twins claimed Zuckerberg copied their idea and used source code for his own site.
But after a $65 million settlement in 2008, the Winklevoss twins were not satisfied with their payout from Zuckerberg, so in December 2010 the twins filed a new lawsuit seeking further compensation – leading to the judge's ruling.
Follow Daniel Ionescu and Today @ PCWorld on Twitter


text:
March 5th, 2012
Experimental treatment may help food allergies
Food allergies are tricky business. They're on the rise in the United States and no one knows why.
Some children are allergic to many foods, and it's impossible to know based on preventive testing whether someone will have a mild or severe reaction. And so far there's no cure.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Duke University are working on a treatment that may one day allow kids with allergies to safely eat the foods that cause them life-threatening reactions. It's still in the early stages, but Dr. Robert Wood of Johns Hopkins, who has been on the forefront of food allergy research, estimates the treatment could be brought to the public within six to eight years.
Wood and colleagues found promising results from this small experiment with 30 children ages 6 to 18. These kids were severely allergic to cow's milk. Wood presented the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology this weekend.
The results suggested that children who went through a year of sublingual therapy followed by one to two years of oral immunotherapy were less likely to have significant allergic reactions when undergoing the oral immunotherapy. Still, it did not eliminate all symptoms.
This is particularly important, because about 20% of the kids that Wood and colleagues work with have significant reactions during the treatment that make the therapy unfeasible, Wood said.
Some participants have shown they can safely eat milk products up to a year after stopping the therapies, Wood said. But only one-third have longterm protection. Others need regular exposure to milk in order to maintain protection against allergic reactions.
"With milk that's not too hard," Wood says, because one could "eat pizza a couple of times a week."
It's not known yet whether children respond better to this kind of treatment than adults, since there have been so few participants in this research. The big barrier to broadening the scope of the research is funding, Wood said.
This is the first time the sublingual therapy has been studied in terms of its benefit as a precursor to the oral immunotherapy, Wood said.
Other research has shown that immunotherapy techniques may similarly work for children with peanut allergies. But tree nuts may be harder to treat, Wood said, because tree-nut allergic individuals often have multiple kinds of nuts they can't eat.
Researchers are separately looking at a drug called omalizumab (Xolair), approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe asthma, to see if it could help people with food allergies, too.
Do not try the immunotherapy technique at home; these experiments are conducted under medical supervision.
soundoff (395 Responses)
Leave a Reply to RfvbZisse
About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.


text:
Norm KarkosAnchor/Reporter
Norm Karkos anchors WMTW News 8 This Morning on Saturday and Sunday and is a general assignment reporter.
While serving as Sports Director, Norm led the state of Maine's most celebrated department, as he was an 11-time winner of Maine's Best Sporstcast, as voted upon by the Maine Association of Broadcasters and Maine Associated Press.
Norm's assignments ranged from the Boston Red Sox' historic comeback against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series to an even more historic stop in St. Louis for the Red Sox' first World Series championship in 86 years.
He also covered the New England Patriots' "Dynasty" run, was the host of "Pats Game Day," traveled to three Frozen Fours with the University of Maine Hockey Team, covered the Daytona 500 and called play-by-play for the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Pirates.
Aside from covering local and world news, ranging from politics to storm coverage, Norm has already traveled to Los Angeles, which resulted in a month-long series on "Dancing with Stars."
Norm graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Radio-Television. While in Tucson, he "walked-on" to the UofA football team.
In his spare time, Norm enjoys golfing, sailing and cooking.


text:
My daughter asked me when we could expect hoverboards. OK.
In the old film Back to the Future, the hero rides a hoverboard instead of a skateboard. We don't see many of them around yet, but there are a few ways you could do it. One is clumsy and involves using a compressor and air jets to make a small hovercraft that you can ride on.
Another has no moving parts, so would be much more in keeping with the one Michael J Fox modelled.
I wrote a while ago about the future of bicycles:
The basic idea was to add a plate to the front forks of the bike that would be pulled along a linear induction mat.
A highly skilled skateboard user with an excellent sense of balance might be able to dispense with the bike bit. Instead, repulsion between the magnetic forces created by the mat and circuits in the board would keep it afloat. Pulling the board along would be no problem of course, as the filed can propagate down the mat just as for the bikes.
The big question is whether sufficient force could be generated with everyday simple circuits, or even with permanent neodymium magnets. And how easy it would be to balance the board. I suspect it ought to be doable but my EM theory is rather rusty and although I have designed magnetic clutches before, and the principle should be similar, I am no longer up to the job.
It isn't essential to have a linear induction mat cannibalised from bicycle lane use. If there is sufficient demand for hover-skate-board parks, special surfaces with loads of coils could be switched on and off to coordinate with the board circuits to make it far easier. Rather like a Segway manages to stay upright by rapidly adjusting torques, a hoverboard could easily house enough electronics to do the job. It would cost more than an ordinary skateboard of course, but with no wheels, maybe a wider range of tricks might be feasible too. With no wheels, they could slide sideways and spin around easily. That would make them harder in some ways, but also more versatile, so sports could evolve that are even more fun that regular skateboards. As someone who has never managed to stay on a real skateboard more than 25m yet, I feel inadequate to advise on techniques, but the engineering should be feasible.
In terms of timescale, there is nothing here that is beyond current technology. Nobody has bothered yet, as far as I know. But if there was a demand, someone could make hoverboards soon, and they could fly, and you could probably make some pretty fun sports with them too.


text:
What is it?
Homes for Heroes is a national program dedicated to providing extraordinary savings to heroes who provide extraordinary services to our community each and every day, when they buy or sell a home.
What are the savings?
Savings will depend on the sales price of the home. As an example, a $300,000 house would receive over $3,000 in credits and discounts from all the participating affiliates and vendors involved.
What does it cost me?
Nothing because it's FREE. There is no cost to you. All costs are covered by your local participating vendors.
Can I buy any home and in any area?
Yes. This is not a government program with limitations or restrictions. This is the private sector giving back simply as our way to say Thank You for all that you do every day.
Are there any other benefits or savings after my transaction is done?
Yes. Through the "Friends of Heroes" Network participating vendors will offer discounts on various other services such as moving, storage, pest, lawn care, plumbing, electrical, cleaning and remodeling to name a few.
Are there a lot of extra applications, forms or some future obligation?
None. The Homes for Heroes Promise is:
No hidden fees No red tape No catch
How do I find out more?
Go to HOMESFORHEROES.COM or scan the QR code below on your smart phone. Let us know who you are and what you do. A local affiliate will contact you with no obligation.


text:
We Help People
Corboy & Demetrio began in 1952 with one clear vision and focus – to help people. And ever since, we have helped victims injured or killed by the negligence of others whether in an airplane, car or railroad crash, through a failed or defective product, as a result of medical malpractice or any other catastrophic event.
Our Results
That vision and focus has resulted in exceptional results for our clients. We have acquired more than $3 billion in settlements and verdicts of which nearly 600 have been in excess of $1 million. Our Co-Founder Thomas Demetrio, himself, has settled cases totaling $1 billion and has tried cases totaling $130 million.
The Chicago Lawyer Settlement Survey has ranked us first for the highest settlements in Illinois eight out of the past eighteen years, leading all other Illinois law firms. We have ranked in the top four positions for all eighteen years.
We have gone up against some of the most powerful corporations, pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms, manufacturers, hospitals and transportation conglomerates in the nation. And we have been successful in obtaining fair and full compensation for our clients.
Read more about our impressive history in Chicago:


text:
Questions for HAAD
Prometric HAAD License Exam Questions
How to Enroll in Questions for HAAD?
- Click on the " Subscribe Now" or "Add to Cart " button;
- Fill out the billing details and click on "Place Order;
- You will be redirected to Secured PayPal Payment Processing Gateway in order to enter PayPal / Credit Card / Debit Card details to complete the payment.
- You will get access details by email within 24 hours after the payment.


text:
Many accessibility issues have to do with presenting certain types of content, and these are covered in the chapters on typography, graphics, and multimedia. But you can take measures with your page design to improve access for users with physical disabilities, particularly those who use assistive technologies to access Web pages. There are also basic decisions you'll need to make about your design approach: whether to adopt a no-holds-barred stance and push the boundaries of Web design or create simple, clear designs that will accommodate all users.
The biggest page-design barrier for disabled users is the use of layout tables. In particular, layout tables can make things unpleasant for blind users. Many blind users rely on software that reads Web pages aloud or outputs information to a speech synthesizer or braille display. Current software looks at the HTML code of the pages and reads tables in a cell-by-cell, or linearized, fashion. This means that each cell of the table becomes a line or paragraph of text that is read in sequence (imagine releasing all content from table cells and displaying it down a single-column page). A complex layout containing multiple nested tables will produce a sort of aural cubism, with unrelated bits of information appearing from nowhere and disrupting the natural flow of the content. Worse still is the case with older screen readers, which look not at source code but instead at the rendered page. This software starts at the top left of the page and reads line by line, producing a garbled stream of gibberish for the multicolumn layouts that are so common on the Web.
The best solution is to use CSS instead of layout tables to create columns and to control spacing, but as discussed above, browser support remains too patchy and inconsistent for style sheet positioning to be a real option (see Layout with Style Sheets). Until CSS support improves, keep your use of layout tables simple and clean. Each time you add another nested table, first consider whether it is essential to your design and if the function could be handled some other way. The simpler the table, the better sense it will make when linearized.
Attention to accessibility needn't squelch the creative and experimental nature of Web design. There is room on the Web for designs based on complex tables, large graphics, and technologies such as Flash, but these pages need to come with an equivalent, accessible version. If there is simply no way to design your primary pages for access, provide a link to an alternative page containing the same or equivalent content in a more accessible format.
If you use graphics for navigation, be sure to include redundant text links so that those users who cannot see your graphics have an alternate method for navigating your site. Also be sure to include the ALT attribute for all graphics and imagemaps (see Graphics, ALT-text).
All users benefit from clear and consistent Web site design, but for some users it is critical. With a lack of spatial cues and with radically different approaches to navigation that must be relearned at every site, it is far too easy to get disoriented or lost on the Web. For people with cognitive disabilities such as memory or learning disabilities, this difficulty is magnified manyfold. In the long run, there is really no place on the Web for a clever, quirky, or highfalutin design approach. Stick with a simple language and navigation applied consistently throughout your site, and everyone will benefit.
Visual hierarchy
Page dimensions
Page length
Design grids for Web pages
Page headers and footers
Page layout
Layout tables
Fixed versus flexible
Other uses for tables
General design considerations
Cross-platform issues
Print this page | Print this chapter
Jump to top
Buy Web Style Guide, 2nd edition at Amazon.com
PREVIOUS: Cross-platform issues | NEXT: References
Copyright 2002 Lynch and Horton
Send questions and comments to email@example.com
Last updated 5 March 2004


text:
58 S.Ct. 621
82 L.Ed. 904
HELVERING, Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
No. 446.
Argued Feb. 10, 1938.
Decided March 7, 1938.
Messrs. Homer S. Cummings, Atty. Gen., and Golden W. Bell, Asst. Sol. Gen., of Washington, D.C., for petitioner.
Mr. George T. Altman, of Los Angeles, Cal., for respondent.
Mr. Chief Justice HUGHES delivered the opinion of the Court.
The question is whether certain payments received by respondent in the years 1928 and 1929 constituted 'gross income from the property,' within the meaning of that phrase as used in relation to oil and gas wells in section 114(b)(3) of the Revenue Act of 1928, 45 Stat. 821, 26 U.S.C.A. § 114 note, so as to entitle respondent to the prescribed depletion allowance. The Circuit Court of Appeals, reversing the decision of the Board of Tax Appeals (34 B.T.A. 333), sustained respondent's claim. Elbe Oil Land Development Co. v. Com'r of Internal Revenue, 9 Cir., 91 F.2d 127. Certiorari was granted (302 U.S. 677, 58 S.Ct. 142, 82 L.Ed. -) because of an asserted conflict with the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Commissioner v. Fleming, 82 F.2d 324.
Respondent is a California corporation which acquired certain properties consisting of oil and gas prospecting permits, drilling agreements, leases and equipment. Development work resulted in the discovery of oil. On October 3, 1927, respondent conveyed all its right, title and interest in the described properties to the Honolulu Consolidated Oil Company. The latter agreed to pay to respondent $350,000 upon the execution of the agreement and, if the Honolulu Company should not elect to abandon the purchase (in accordance with one of the stipulations), the additional sums of $400,000 in each of the years 1928, 1929 and 1930, and the further sum of $450,000 in 1931. After the time when the Honolulu Company had been fully reimbursed as provided in the agreement for all its expenditures in the acquisition, development and operation of the properties, respondent was to receive monthly one-third of the net profits resulting from the production and operation. After careful stipulations with respect to such reimbursement and the computation of net profits, the agreement provided:
'Anything in this agreement contained to the contrary notwithstanding, it is the intention of the parties to this agreement that the full ownership, possession and control of all the properties, the subject of this agreement, and of all of the personal property acquired and/or used on and in connection with the operation and development of the properties, the subject of this agreement, shall be vested in Honolulu, and Elbe shall have no interest in or to said properties or in or to any personal property used on or in connection with the operation or development of the said properties or in or to the salvage value of any thereof, except as provided by paragraph 9' (relating to abandonment of the purchase and reconveyance).
The first payment of $350,000 was received by respondent in 1927 and, being greater than the cost of all the properties transferred, respondent reported as taxable income the difference between that cost basis and the amount received. In its income tax returns for the years 1928 and 1929, respondent reported the payments of $400,000 received in each of the years and claimed 27 1/2 per cent. thereof as an allowance for depletion. This is the claim which has been sustained below.
We agree with the conclusion of the Board of Tax Appeals that the contract between the respondent and the Honolulu Company provided for an absolute sale of all the properties in question, including all the oil and gas in place, and that respondent did not retain any interest or investment therein. The aggregate sum of $2,000,000 was paid as an agreed purchase price to which was to be added the one-third of the net profits payable on the conditions specified. We are unable to conclude that the provision for this additional payment qualified in any way the effect of the transaction as an absolute sale or was other than a personal covenant of the Honolulu Company. See Helvering v. O'Donnell, 303 U.S. 370, 58 S.Ct. 619, 82 L.Ed. 903, decided this day In this view, neither the cash payments nor the agreement for a share of subsequent profits constituted an advance royalty, or a 'bonus' in the nature of an advance royalty, within the decisions recognizing a right to the depletion allowance with respect to payments of that sort. Such payments are made to the recipient as a return upon his capital investment in the oil or gas in place. See Burnet v. Harmel, 287 U.S. 103, 111, 112, 53 S.Ct. 74, 77, 77 L.Ed. 119; Murphy Oil Company v. Burnet, 287 U.S. 299, 302, 53 S.Ct. 161, 162, 77 L.Ed. 318. Payments of the purchase price which are received upon a sale of oil and gas properties are in a different category. The words 'gross income from the property,' as used in the statute governing the allowance for depletion, mean gross income received from the operation of the oil and gas wells by one who has a capital investment therein,—not income from the sale of the oil and gas properties themselves. See Darby-Lynde Company v. Alexander, 10 Cir., 51 F.2d 56, 59. We conclude that, as respondent disposed of the properties, retaining no investment therein, it was not entitled to make the deduction claimed for depletion. Palmer v. Bender, 287 U.S. 551, 557, 53 S.Ct. 225, 226, 77 L.Ed. 489; Helvering v. Twin Bell Syndicate, 293 U.S. 312, 321, 55 S.Ct. 174, 178, 79 L.Ed. 383; Thomas v. Perkins, 301 U.S. 655, 661, 57 S.Ct. 911, 913, 81 L.Ed. 1324; Helvering v. Bankline Oil Company, 303 U.S. 362, 58 S.Ct. 616, 82 L.Ed. 897; Helvering v. O'Donnell, supra.
The judgment of the Circuit Court of Appeals is reversed and the cause is remanded for further proceedings in conformity with this opinion. It is so ordered.
Reversed and remanded.
Mr. Justice CARDOZO and Mr. Justice REED took no part in the consideration and decision of this case.