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As it is Muriel spark week ,I decide as she was Scottish I decide to do an expanded song for sunday .To include five of my favourite Scottish bands and singers –
First up is Scottish singer songwriter Ivor Cutler ,I can't remember the exact day I heard Ivor first but I know where I heard it and that was on John Peel ,I 'd been twelve or thirteen under bed covers listening to his radio show .I remember thinking this guy is surreal and still think that his deadpan delivery and odd humour make him a true one-off .
Second up are the Jesus and Mary chain these were a band I discovered via friends at school or the NME I can't remember ,but there fuzzy hazy guitar and dark lyric matter soon made me a fan of them like a bastard child of the velvet underground and sex pistols with a bit of lee Hazelwood thrown in these guys looked like no one else in a time of flowers and fey pop .
In the early nineties Irvine Welsh appeared on the lit scene and just before him the Scottish writer James Kelman won the booker so sottish dialect and tales of the dark side of growing up in Scotland were the order of the day so then step up Arab strap another band lead by a singer with deadpan singing style but much darker and up to date than Ivor Cutler .
Fourth up is King creosote a member of the fence collective ,whose members all hail from the Kingdom of Fife in Scotland Crail King Creosote is only eight miles from my Late Gran's home and near where my Aunt still lives ,also Fife is home to the mighty Rob of Rob around books .
Last I give you the Phantom band a band I ve like for the last few years the debut was in my top ten albums the year it came out ,they seem to embody all the Scottish artists and bands I grew up with in one package .
Who are your favorite Scottish band ?


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Before movie, Titanic was a news story
A listless late shift dragged on that night in the newsroom of The Associated Press and, across town, at The New York Times.
Feet up on the AP city desk, an editor named Charles Crane read an H.G. Wells novel to while away the news-free night. "Telegraph instruments clicked desultorily," he said later, "and occasionally one could hear the heartbeat of the clocks."
At the Times, the managing editor, Carr Van Anda, had returned from his usual late supper to an office where a forgettable story about a political feud was being readied for the front page. A copy boy dozed.
In the midst of this somnolence at a little after midnight on April 15, 1912, no one knew that, 1,000 miles away, the "story of the century" was breaking — news that would change so many things, including news coverage itself.
At that moment, off the coast of Newfoundland, the Titanic was two hours from sinking.
For more than an hour, the great ocean liner had been sending out distress signals. "CQD, CQD," the coded Morse message repeated, then the now more familiar "SOS."
The urgent calls were picked up by other ships — some of which turned toward the Titanic's reported location for rescue — and the signals reached onshore receiving stations of the relatively new Marconi wireless radio system.
There, each scrap of detail was eagerly snatched up, passed on, then passed on again.
In no time, the electrifying words reached New York. In the AP newsroom, Crane's yawn became a gasp when a colleague burst in from an outer office waving a wire message from Canada: "Reported Titanic struck iceberg."
Instantly, editors started contacting coastal receiving stations to glean whatever they knew, phoned the Titanic's owners, cabled London for a list of passengers — who might now be doomed.
"We put out a 'flash' and the bare report of the crash," Crane recalled years later in a recollection now kept in the AP Corporate Archive. That news story, stitching together the unthinkable bits of detail from wireless messages, went everywhere in seconds.
At the Times, the now wide-awake copy boy stood by as Van Anda absorbed the one-paragraph wire dispatch:
"CAPE RACE, Newfoundland, Sunday Night, April 14 (AP) — At 10:25 o'clock tonight the White Star Line steamship Titanic called 'CQD' to the Marconi station here, and reported having struck an iceberg. The steamer said that immediate assistance was required."
The Times presses were already running for an early edition. The managing editor fired off assignments and began composing a new front page, trying to make sense of the silence that, according to wire updates, had followed the repeated distress calls.
Editors of many other papers would respond by "playing the story safe by printing the bulletins and writing stories that indicated that no great harm could come to the 'unsinkable' Titanic. Not Van Anda," wrote Meyer Berger in a history of the Times. "Cold reasoning told him she was gone. Paralyzing as the thought was, he acted on it."
The great ship's fate wouldn't be confirmed for many hours. White Star Line officials cast doubt on the seriousness of the accident when reporters from the AP, the Times and others called. But the Times city edition headlines anticipated the worst:
"New Liner Titanic Hits an Iceberg;
Sinking by the Bow at Midnight;
Women Put Off in Lifeboats;
Last Wireless at 12:27 a.m. Blurred"
"In terms of news dissemination, the Titanic disaster can be seen as the beginning of what media guru Marshall McLuhan called the 'global village,' though he coined that term with 1960s satellite communication in mind," said communications professor Paul Heyer, author of "Titanic Century: Media, Myth and the Making of a Cultural Icon."
Stories poured forth — careful and factual or speculative and wrong.
"NO LIVES LOST," a London headline reassured in the confusing early coverage. In Paris, Le Figaro lamented "La Catastrophe du Titanic." Front pages in Australia echoed the tragedy for days. Reporters everywhere sought to localize the story — one paper even measuring the ship's immensity by imagining it berthed on the town's street grid. A Kentucky headline solemnly summed up: "Millionaire and Peasant, Shoulder to Shoulder, Go to Their Death..."
Errol Somay who oversaw a Library of Virginia exhibit of the universal coverage, said, "The thing that struck me was the news cycle — like 9/11: the coverage of the chaos of the event, then the human interest stories, then the fingerpointing... We have to figure out whom to blame."
The Titanic story established "a full-speed-ahead, all-hands-on-deck kind of coverage," as journalism educator Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute put it, that has been repeated in countless disasters since. "There's evidence that that goes back to this event."
The coverage showcased the benefits — and dangers — of seizing a new, instant-communication technology. It established standards and new standard-bearers.
The story became a turning point for The New York Times. Its coverage would distinguish it among the city's 20 or so dailies, setting it on course to "secure claim to a position of preeminence ... among American newspapers that it would never relinquish," wrote Daniel Allen Butler in his history, "Unsinkable: The Full Story of RMS Titanic."
Broadcast news, too, got a strong push with this story. David Sarnoff, a young Marconi operator, made a name for himself with days of nonstop updates from a storefront window in New York, drawing crowds so large the police had to keep order. It was the start of a pioneering radio career that saw Sarnoff become the long-serving head of NBC.
The Titanic went down at a time when wireless, a technology that would become ubiquitous, was just taking hold — comparable to our adjustment today to Twitter and the like.
As the stricken ship's messages were picked up, sometimes by amateurs with Marconi receivers, "you'd get these wireless operators that knew reporters and editors at newspapers, and they said, 'Here's what's going on,'" historian Butler said in an interview. "This was very much a social network — they were using dots and dashes rather than images over an LCD screen."
And sometimes, the fragments of news, traveling lightning fast, got garbled.
That apparently explains some first-day reports of the ship being towed to Halifax with everyone safe. Amid the wireless chatter crackling across the airwaves, someone asked about the Titanic passengers' safety — and the response somehow got confused with a message that another vessel was safely under tow. Butler traced the mix-up to "two fragments picked up by a wireless station in Massachusetts."
Balancing speed with accuracy is, of course, a reporting lesson that persists, as do others that unfolded with the Titanic coverage — about finagling eyewitness accounts, about debunking dubious official claims, about championing the release of information.
This news story can be divided into three parts, answering three basic questions: At first, reporters simply tried to clarify the "what" — what had happened 400 miles off the Newfoundland coast; when survivors finally arrived in New York on the rescue ship Carpathia, the "how" could be gathered from eyewitnesses; and finally, as official and journalistic investigations examined the disaster, the public would start to learn the "why" that has enthralled us for 100 years.
The Titanic's owners, the White Star Line, contributed to the early, contradictory reporting with their silence or misleading statements. Rumors spread, along with hopeful speculation. Finally, an emotional White Star executive, Phillip A.S. Franklin, addressed the press.
He later described the scene: "I got off the first line and a half, where it said, 'The Titanic sank at 2 o'clock a.m.,' and there was not a reporter left in the room — they were so anxious to get out to telephone the news."
Another information blackout followed: The Carpathia relayed lists of the survivors it had picked up, but didn't respond to the clamor for other news. It turned out that a Marconi company official had advised the ship's telegraph operators not to divulge anything; the news would command greater value on arrival. In fact, a deal between Marconi and the Times for exclusive interviews of the radiomen had been worked out — a news-withholding arrangement that Giuseppe Marconi himself later promised not to repeat.
Editors knew the story would reach a crescendo with the Carpathia's arrival in New York harbor, and they prepared as if for war.
"The Associated Press established headquarters in a hotel facing the dock where the Carpathia landed, with special telegraph and telephone lines reaching the general office at 195 Broadway," a brief history in AP's corporate archive reported. Supplemental staffers arrived from Washington and Albany, and the news service's general manager, Melville Stone, spent the night at the emergency offices.
Other news organizations similarly girded. The Times booked an entire floor of the nearby Strand Hotel, and laid plans for 16 reporters to meet the ship. Van Anda had an ace up his sleeve: He sent reporter Jim Speers to meet Marconi, who was dining with a company official, John Bottomley. The Marconi men would be among the few allowed to board the Carpathia before passengers disembarked. Reporters were strictly forbidden.
When Marconi, Bottomley and Speers arrived together at the Carpathia's gangway, a policeman barked, "Mr. Marconi can come, and his manager." But who was the manager? Without hesitating, reporter Speers bounded aboard with Marconi. He sought out Titanic radioman Harold Bride, and interviewed him for a riveting front page story.
"'Men, you've done your full duty... I release you ... Every man for himself,'" Bride quoted the Titanic's captain as telling him and his fellow radio operator Jack Phillips, as the end neared. "I looked out. The boat deck was awash. Phillips clung on sending and sending (distress calls). He clung on for about 10 minutes, or maybe 15 minutes, after the captain had released him. The water was then coming into our cabin."
On page 3 of that edition of the Times — and on April 19 front pages from San Francisco to Boston — another harrowing eyewitness account appeared. Minute-by-minute, it detailed the unfolding disaster, including a view from the lifeboats just after the Titanic disappeared: "There fell on the ear the most appalling cries that human being ever listened to — the cries of hundreds of our fellow beings struggling in the icy cold water, crying for help with a cry that we knew could not be answered."
Who wrote this widely disseminated story?
It was a rescued passenger named Lawrence Beesley, an English schoolteacher, who later explained: "It was written in odd corners of the deck and saloon of the Carpathia, and fell, it seemed very happily, into the hands of the one reporter who could best deal with it, The Associated Press."
So another forbidden reporter got on the Carpathia? This was Richard Lee, an AP staffer whose unsung duty was to be a sort of journalistic sentry, meeting incoming ships at New York harbor's "quarantine" before they docked.
"The AP office had forgotten him," according to internal reports in the news service's corporate archive. But somehow Lee "boarded the Carpathia down the bay and came up with her to the dock, met Mr. Beasley (Beesley's byline was misspelled) and secured his story."
Yet another journalist evaded the police embargo, though his story involved luck as well as pluck. Carlos F. Hurd of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch happened to be aboard the Carpathia for a vacation with his wife when it rescued the Titanic survivors. En route back to New York, he interviewed many of them, and then, defying the crew's orders, hurled his copy, which he'd tied to a buoy, onto a tug sent alongside in the Hudson River by the paper's fiercely competitive owner, Joseph Pulitzer.
Although Titanic news would remain on many front pages for weeks, it became a different story now.
There was coverage of the return of the dead. From Halifax, Nova Scotia, AP's Frank Elser described the "rough coffins" stacked at the stern of a recovery ship.
Newspapers closely followed a U.S. Senate investigation, at which, among many others, some top editors were called to testify about how well or poorly the public had been informed. AP's Stone spoke against withholding information from the public in a major disaster, calling it a "mistake to make merchandise out of that."
When the Senate inquiry turned to whether aid might have reached the Titanic sooner, it got an explosive assist from a news story.
There were suggestions that the ship Californian, which had stopped for the night because of the ice danger, might have been close enough to make a rescue; its captain waved the notion away. But a crewmember, Ernest Gill, told The Boston American a devastating version of events: The Californian, its wireless turned off for the night, saw the Titanic's repeated distress flares, and the captain was informed but took no action before going back to sleep. In the story, Gill estimated the ships were just 10 miles apart.
Once again, journalism became history's proverbial first draft. On seeing the story, the committee summoned Gill, and his testimony added another colossal what-if to the Titanic narrative that has endured for a century in poems, songs, plays, movies, right down to TV's "Downton Abbey" today.
"It was the unthinkable tragedy," said Heyer, the communications professor. "Every factor that played into the Titanic becoming a myth played into the news coverage."

subset: commoncrawl


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What You Need To Know When Looking For The Best Home Remodeling Company In Plano
To most people, homes are considered a precious asset that needs much care and maintenance from the kitchen, the bedroom, sitting room and many other rooms that are found in the house and that is why you consider remodeling them to give them a new look. Many people get lost in the motivations of do-it-yourself and think that they can make or refurbish their homes to make them look functional and stylish only to end up messing since house remodeling is only for professionals who are well trained to conduct search art.
The first and very important tip to always consider when looking for the best home remodeling company is ensuring that you have a comprehensive knowledge about all the modelling companies that around you and you can do this by checking on the internet or any other advertising platforms such as newspapers and magazines. The best home remodeling company is the one who which posts its finished projects as well as the ongoing project this shows it is confident in its job which will give you a clear hint on which company to choose according to the projects that you will see. Another important tip that you should always consider when looking for the best home remodeling company is by visiting the review section on the websites of each company so that you can see what clients have to say about the kind of services and then pick the one with many recommendations.
It is very important that you consider staying on the right side of the law by ensuring that you are being served by a licensed home remodeling company as this not only assures you of a quality products but also you can have legal grounds if anything undesirable happens. In order to get the best services for your house you should consider getting an experienced company that is capable of handling your house with care and also knows which materials to use given the type of materials used to build a house, and furthermore, they can be able to offer advice on how you should consider remodeling your house. Insurance is a very important factor always to consider when looking for the best home remodeling company, since a company that has insurance should be that way our professionals and a guarantee that the work will not stop if anything undesirable like an accident occurs. It is very important that you consider getting information from people close to you such as your friends, colleagues, relatives, and neighbors as having your best interests at heart, they will automatically give you information which is reliable and correct.
What No One Knows About
Lessons Learned About


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Nectarine, 25% ripe, lots of small fruit, minimal brown rot, splits
Nectarine variety that ripens in mid-July of unknown origin. Tends to be dark in color. Average quality. Is highly susceptible to brown rot.
The description of each variety of peach or nectarine fruit under each group is in different formats as this information is collected from varied sources and hence is not consistent


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If you're a veteran or the spouse of a veteran and are entitled to a VA pension or VA compensation, the Aid and Attendance benefit may be available to you. Contact us to learn more.
Family Resources
Have senior living-related questions? Addington Place of Des Moines is here to help. Look over our senior resources to find the answers you're looking for.
Financial Information
Curious about some of the ways you may be able to cover the costs associated with senior care? These links will help guide your search.
Health Care & More
Explore these links for important information about senior care and memory support.


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Dorothy Height, a prominent civil rights leader for both racial and gender equality has died at the age of 93 of natural causes.
I thought it was appropriate to counterpoint this story with my post earlier today. There are a great many parallels between women's struggle for civil rights and the black struggle. Both of the women mentioned here had feet in both camps. It seems inconceivable to us today that women and non-white racial groups should not be allowed to have a say in how their country is run, or even be considered full citizens of that country. It's important to remember how recently it was inconceivable that they would be allowed these human rights.
Let us never lose our zeal for fighting injustice and prejudice in all its forms.


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Walls in an Austin, Texas, master bedroom are painted Pratt & Lambert's Wolf, a warm gray with a hint of chocolate. "The master bedroom is a very large space with a sleeping area and a sitting area, and the rich charcoal gray walls give it a cozy feeling," designer Sara Scaglione says. "It can be daunting to use a wall color this dark, but the owners really love it." White bedding, curtains, carpet, and slipcovers keep the room from feeling too cavelike. A 19th-century French armchair is covered in Rogers & Goffigon's Olivia stripe in Argent and off-white. Alabaster lamps from Visual Comfort are on Oly Studio Jackson tables in Dark Brown.
Tour the relaxed house in Austin.


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Beyond "Big Data", it is time to think about "iData" has been saved
Press releases
Beyond "Big Data", it is time to think about "iData"
Press release
The digitization of industries points to a future where the consumer is more relevant than ever
29 December 2015 - The rapid pace of digitization means that the world today is markedly different to 20 years ago when only 1% of the global population had an internet connection. Forty percent of people around the world had access to the internet in 2015, and in the majority of the Middle East countries, internet penetration is higher than the global average.
This new technological era means that businesses face a changing landscape where traditional ways of thinking, producing, and consuming data are being revolutionized. In his talk titled "Digitization of Industries" at the inaugural Beirut Digital Space event, Dr. Hassib Jaber, Consulting Leader for Deloitte in Lebanon highlighted new emerging trends, including the move from Big Data to iData.
"In the world of commerce, the fusion of IT with the working environment means a number of emerging trends are transforming "business as usual" across industries, functions, and geographies," explained Dr Jaber. "Today the world is buzzing with all sorts of topics related to "Big Data", based on the context of institutions in the private and public sectors, but for Deloitte there is a firm belief that the individual data, what is known as "iData", should also be front and center. The question is how can this data be sourced, organized, and presented in a secure way that works for the "I" of the individual? This is the challenge of the future."
The Deloitte presentation depicted how the adoption of technology has reached a point where people are no longer considered passive spectators but active players and consumers are increasingly active participants in the industrial process, becoming inseparable from "producers" of content, data, and even physical products. Amid this backdrop, personalization and customization of products has become more readily available, and consumers are increasingly apt to engage in the creation, or at least the conceptualization, of the products they buy. Manufacturers have also reconfigured their own business models in a way that helps them take advantage of the product-as-a-service concept, as seen with globally successful models such as Airbnb and Uber.
In response to more highly engaged customers, retail companies are defying convention, revitalizing stale consumer industries and inventing new ones changing the way people live their lives.
"At the same time the proliferation of digital technology is giving consumers access to an unprecedented amount of product information influencing their buying decisions," concludes Jaber. "Specifically, in the retail industry, not only is more information available, consumers are increasingly accessing this information, and doing their own "homework" before visiting a retailers' venue to make their purchase."
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.


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We always aim to go further for our customers, and our extensive range of aftermarket products is a result of constant development, inspired by customer-driven ideas. So whether you're after tachographs for your fleet, or the latest Optimo² for your workshop, you'll find it all here.
Select either Fleet or Workshop to see the products you want to view.


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Violin Exam Pieces 2020–2023: Grade 8
Trinity College London
Violin Exam Pieces 2020–2023: Grade 8
Trinity College London
Department: Strings
Violin Exams 2020-2023
Publisher: Trinity College London
Catalogue No: TCL019264
$23.25 *
In Stock: Usually despatched within 24-48 hours
* Estimated price converted from UK retail price
This book contains a selection of six pieces for Trinity Violin Grade 8 exams 2020–2023, carefully chosen, graded and edited by a panel of experts. Encompassing a wide range of styles and including accompanied and unaccompanied pieces at every grade and duets up to Grade 3, this progressive series provides a wealth of engaging repertoire for any violin player. CD available separately, or stream or purchase audio from Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Spotify and other platforms.


text: This new series will build on a wide range of sources in areas such as biblical studies, the Christian tradition, popular culture, and the language of Christian worship. Whereas most commentaries emphasize the Bible's ancient meaning, "Belief" concentrates on the living Word relative to the theological and ethical concerns of today. Noted scholars representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives will ensure a fresh and invigorating approach to the Bible. Nearly half of the volumes in the series will be written by women, and almost a third will be written by persons of color. Authors include Michael Battle, Anna Case-Winters, Harvey Cox, Miguel De La Torre, Boyung Lee, Thomas G. Long, Daniel Migliore, Stephanie Paulsell, Marcia Riggs, Donald Saliers, Ronald Sider, Leanne Van Dyk, and Allen Verhey.


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The Latest: Toledo left out of bowl berths despite 6-6 mark
6:30 p.m.
Toledo is not headed to a bowl despite going 6-6 this season.
With 79 teams bowl eligible and 78 slots available, there was going to be a team left out. The Rockets lost their final three games of the regular season and will have their streak of nine straight winning seasons snapped.
The last time Toledo missed a bowl was when the Rockets went 7-5 in 2013 and still stayed home.
The Mid-American Conference did put seven other teams in bowls this season, matching the league's best mark. The MAC also had seven bowl invitations in 2012 and 2015.
6:15 p.m.
Chris Petersen's last opponent at Washington will be the team that gave him his only other head coaching job.
Las Vegas Bowl organizers had an eye for a good storyline when it invited Petersen's Washington Huskies to square off against Boise State on Dec. 21.
Petersen has been at Washington for six seasons, since ending his eight-year run as the Broncos' head coach. He coached against his old team once before, losing 16-13 in 2015. Petersen coached for Boise State against Washington in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl, with the Broncos winning 28-26.
This year's bowl will be Petersen's last as the Huskies' coach. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake takes over the program after the game. Petersen plans to stay in the Washington athletic department in an advisory role.
5:40 p.m.
Twelve of the 26 first-year coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision are taking their teams to bowl games.
Ohio State's Ryan Day is among six first-year coaches at bowl-bound Power Five schools. His unbeaten Buckeyes are the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and will play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Military Bowl will pit first-year coaches in Temple's Rod Carey and North Carolina's Mack Brown. Brown took off five years from coaching after leaving Texas in 2013. He's in his second go-round at Carolina, where he coached from 1988-97.
Chris Klieman, who jumped from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State to Kansas State, is heading to the Liberty Bowl to face Navy. Louisville's Scott Satterfield, who won bowls his last four years at Appalachian State, leads Louisville into the Music City Bowl against Mississippi State.
Manny Diaz will take Miami to the Independence Bowl to play Louisiana Tech.
Other first-year coaches heading to bowls are Central Michigan's Jim McElwain, Utah State's Gary Andersen, Liberty's Hugh Freeze, Charlotte's Will Healy, Western Kentucky's Tyson Helton and Appalachian State's Eli Drinkwitz.
5:10 p.m.
The College Football Playoff selection committee ranked more Group of Five schools than ever before – but the major bowls only had room for one of them.
Five schools from outside the Power Five showed up in the final playoff rankings. That's the most in a final poll since the system began six years ago.
But a spot in the New Year's Six was assured to only one of them and it went to Memphis (12-1, No. 17 CFP), which will play Penn State in the Cotton Bowl after beating Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference title game.
For the others, they'll have to be content with their lower-level bowl berths.
Mountain West winner Boise State (12-1, No. 19) will face Washington and former coach Chris Petersen in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Sun Belt champion Appalachian State (12-1, No. 20) drew UAB in the New Orleans Bowl. Cincinnati (10-3, No. 21) plays Boston College in the Birmingham Bowl. And Navy (9-2, No. 23) takes on Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
In each of the past four seasons, only three Group of Five schools appeared in the committee's final rankings.
3:50 p.m.
Liberty and Charlotte will be making their first bowl appearances this season.
Liberty completed its two-year Football Bowl Subdivision reclassification process over the summer and qualified for a bowl in its first year of eligibility under first-year coach Hugh Freeze. The Flames (7-5) will play Georgia Southern (7-5) in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 21.
Freeze took over the Liberty job last December after being out of college football for two seasons. He resigned from Mississippi in July 2017 for unbecoming personal conduct and NCAA rules violations.
Charlotte (7-5) went on a school-record, five-game win streak to end the regular season and will play Buffalo (7-5) in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 20. The 49ers also have a first-year coach in Will Healy.
Healy was hired at Charlotte after he turned around Austin Peay in the Football Championship Subdivision.
3:20 p.m.
Memphis is going to the Cotton Bowl to represent the Group of Five teams after winning the American Athletic Conference title.
The Tigers (12-1) will play Big Ten team Penn State (10-2) on Dec. 28 at AT&T Stadium, the home stadium of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
After the best four-year stretch in Tigers history, they are playing in their first New Year's Six game. Their coach, Mike Norvell, is leaving for Florida State but he has indicated that he wants to coach Memphis in the Cotton Bowl.
Penn State is going to its fourth Cotton Bowl, but its first in 45 years: The Nittany Lions' last Cotton Bowl was a 41-20 win over Baylor on New Year's Day 1975.
The Nittany Lions have made it to a bowl in all six seasons under coach James Franklin, who just reached an agreement on a new six-year contract. This will be Penn State's 50th bowl overall.
Memphis is in a bowl for the sixth year in a row, and 12th in school history.
3:10 p.m.
Oregon will face Wisconsin in the 106th edition of the Rose Bowl.
These schools are regular New Year's Day visitors to Pasadena: Wisconsin is in the Rose Bowl for the fourth time in 10 seasons, albeit the first in seven years, while Oregon earned its fourth berth in 11 seasons. This game is a rematch of the 2012 Rose Bowl, in which Oregon beat Wisconsin 45-38 in one of the highest-scoring editions of the game.
Wisconsin edged out Penn State for the Big Ten's berth in the Granddaddy of Them All despite the Badgers' 34-21 loss to Ohio State in the conference title game. The Badgers and the Nittany Lions finished with the same regular-season record, and Wisconsin gave a tough game to the playoff-bound Buckeyes before falling.
Oregon has reached the Rose Bowl four times in 11 years under three coaches, winning two of those first three trips.
The Ducks won the Pac-12 title for the first time in five years, and they are back in Pasadena for the first time since that 2014 season, when Marcus Mariota propelled Oregon to a 59-20 thrashing of Florida State and a subsequent spot in the national championship game.
3:05 p.m.
Virginia and Florida are headed to the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Dec. 30. It's the first matchup in football between the schools since 1959.
Florida earned its way to the game after going 10-2 in the regular season and losing only to Georgia and playoff-bound LSU.
It's the fourth Orange Bowl for the Gators and the fifth time they will play in a game hosted by the Orange Bowl Committee.
Virginia got in as the ACC's representative despite a big loss in the league title game to defending national champion Clemson.
This is the first Orange Bowl for the Cavaliers, who turned down an invitation to play in the 1952 game because of the school's desire at that time to avoid being part of major college football.
The Cavaliers are 9-4 and could tie a school record for wins if they beat the Gators.
3 p.m.
Baylor and Georgia will attempt to bounce back from losses in their respective conference championship games when they face each other in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day in New Orleans.
Both teams watched their hopes for reaching the College Football Playoff end Saturday. Baylor fell 30-23 in overtime to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, while Georgia lost the Southeastern Conference championship game 37-10 to LSU.
Georgia is trying to avoid a repeat of last year's hangover effect. Georgia followed up its 35-28 SEC championship game loss to Alabama last year by falling 28-21 to 12 ½-point underdog Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
Baylor's Sugar Bowl berth continues the program's remarkable resurgence under coach Matt Rhule. Baylor went 1-11 the year before Rhule's arrival and is the first Power Five team to win 11 games within two seasons of losing 11.
1:35 p.m.
Top-ranked LSU (13-0) will return to Atlanta on Dec. 28 to face Jalen Hurts and No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1) at the Peach Bowl semifinal in the College Football Playoff.
The CFP selection committee announced the pairings Sunday, with the only drama surrounding which team would be the top seed: LSU or Ohio State.
The Tigers got the nod after its impressive 37-10 victory over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game, held less than 24 hours earlier in the very same stadium where LSU will return in three weeks for their first appearance in the 6-year-old playoff.
This will be the fourth playoff appearance for the Sooners and they are 0-3.
Last season, they lost to Alabama 45-34 in the Orange Bowl. Hurts guided Alabama to a pair of national championship games in his two seasons as starting quarterback. But he transferred to Oklahoma for a successful senior season after losing his Crimson Tide job to Tua Tagavailoa.
In the Peach Bowl, he'll meet the overwhelming favorite for the Heisman Trophy: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who turned in another dynamic performance while claiming the MVP award of the SEC championship game.
— Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta.
1:15 p.m.
Three of the four starting quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff are transfers.
Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts is back in the playoff for the fourth straight year, this time with Oklahoma, after going three times with the Crimson Tide. Hurts follows Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray as quarterback transfers to find success in coach Lincoln Riley's offense.
LSU, the Sooners' opponent in the Peach Bowl, is led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Joe Burrow. He started his career at Ohio State before transferring to LSU in 2018.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was at Georgia last season. The Buckeyes play in the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson, whose quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, led the Tigers to a national championship as a freshman last season.
12:35 p.m. Reigning national champion Clemson will face Ohio State in the Dec. 28 Fiesta Bowl, one of two College Football Playoff semifinals.
The Buckeyes (13-0) were ranked second in The Associated Press poll and the CFP rankings behind LSU and the Tigers (13-0) were No. 3 in both.
Ohio State claimed an unprecedented third straight Big Ten championship and its first playoff trip in three years with by ralling for a 34-21 win over No. 10 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Clemson crushed No. 22 Virginia 62-17 in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game for its fifth consecutive conference title. The Tigers will be vying for the third national title in four years.
Clemson and Ohio State are both ranked among the national leaders on offense and defense.


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By Vicki Robin
Nearly two decades ago, in the proverbial basement of a church and sweating out a 102-degree fever, Joe Dominguez first presented "Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence" as a seminar to several dozen people. Then, as now, the impulse was to help people strip money of its mystery and misery — and to help worthy causes with the proceeds. A decade, numerous seminars and 10,000 attendees after that night, an enterprising agent found us and sold us on writing a book. It is now almost 10 years and hundred of thousands copies later, with foreign editions available in numerous countries. Joe is gone, having died of lymphoma in January of 1997. My day-to-day life has changed from rarely watching television to appearing frequently in the media as a spokesperson for frugal, sustainable lifestyles. Indeed, much is different; yet, in important ways, much has also remained the same.
The body of this new edition is virtually untouched. Readers of the original book need not buy this one. The nine-step program for financial integrity, intelligence and independence set forth here is the very same one Joe followed in the 1960's to extricate himself from the shackles of wage slavery. We haven't found a tenth step or found fault with any of the nine. Because of this I decided to resist the temptation to update the statistics in the book to reflect conditions in 1999. It would only initiate a fruitless uphill battle to keep up with current conditions for a book that has become a classic and teaches a timeless approach to money. The program works in times of inflation and disinflation, in times of bull as well as bear markets, in times of recession and times of economic growth. The statistics cited reflect conditions in the early 1990's, but the financial clarity, integrity and freedom embedded in the program reflect perennial wisdom about money.
The publication of Your Money Or Your Life, though, precipitated a lot of change for us as well as for our readers and in the culture. For us, this book was a watershed event. Both Joe and I had chosen to live very simply — not because we were itching for hair shirts but because we were fascinated with meeting our needs creatively through our own skills and wits. We wanted to understand the fit between our lives and the rest of the natural world. We valued having the time for a rich inner life as well as being of service to others. We wanted life to have meaning, depth and purpose — and not much clutter. Publishing the book was the natural next step in our service, not a bid for our allotted 15 minutes of fame.
Since those early seminar days we have worked as a team with the whole staff of our all-volunteer non-profit organization, the New Road Map Foundation. For the book, my role was publicity; Joe's was using the sixth sense he'd developed as a stock analyst on Wall Street to watch for trends in how Americans were thinking about money so we could speak in interviews to people's real experiences. Other teammates whizzed through correspondence, wrote the three Study Guides for groups now available (see Resources at the end of the book) and built a Speakers' Bureau of over 60 people who are dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of the nine-step program. It was a grand adventure, a big challenge and deeply rewarding for all of us.
As the decade unfolded we came to understand the central role of consumerism in the whole range of seemingly isolated global problems. Scratch the surface of almost any environmental or social justice issue, as well as many psychological ones, and you'll find a distorted relationship with money and stuff exacerbating if not driving the problem. The fact that the nine-step program helps people lower their expenses by, on average, 20 percent without feeling pinched suggested to us that we were serving both individuals and the larger world as well. Intelligent buying increases personal satisfaction and decreases human impact on the biosphere.
We have watched a whole movement grow up in America around the themes advanced in this book. It reflects a widespread, deep rethinking of the material interpretation of the American Dream. Many other books have been published that complement the ideas in Your Money Or Your Life, including Getting A Life by Jacqueline Blix and David Heitmiller, a companion volume to this book that gives more stories and analysis of how people are using this program to transform their relationship with money.
People often refer to the movement as "voluntary simplicity," which Duane Elgin, one of its early proponents, says is a way of life that is "outwardly simple and inwardly rich". You can think of the nine-step program set forth in this book as a core curriculum for simplifying. By facing down financial fears and facing up to financial foibles, thousands of readers have used this program to get out of debt, develop savings and find that place of balance called "enough." For those unfamiliar with the term, the "voluntary" piece reminds us that we are authors of our own lives, no matter how crushed we might feel by the machinery of "modern times." Indeed, for life to be meaningful or moral we must be able to own our actions. "Simplicity" guides us to the heart of the matter — whatever that may be for us. In rescuing the essential from the clutches of the irrelevant, simplicity is a warrior word. In reminding us of how beautiful and free an unadorned existence can be, simplicity is a gentle call to be just plain us. Choosing to simplify, often difficult in a consumer culture, means readying oneself for a life that is truer to one's gifts, passions and sense of purpose. You will find in the text that we have used the term "frugality" to describe this elegant fit between our real needs and how we enjoyably and ethically fill those needs. Whatever you call it (and it has been called "sustainable living" and "downshifting" as well as the "new frugality" and "voluntary simplicity"), it's alive and well in America and is spreading around the world.
As the movement has grown, it has begun to develop the full spectrum of practices and practitioners that movements tend to spawn. A strong environmental ethic links lifestyle to one's impact on the biosphere. A religious response draws on those teachings by Jesus and other masters about the hazard putting money and materialism before God and the stewardship of creation. An urban and suburban perspective focuses on getting rid of clutter and gaining control over time. A more rural interpretation of the ethic encompasses everything from intentional communities and eco-villages to traditional small-town thrift. The growing number of telecommuters is part of the shift, as is the Community Supported Agriculture movement (small farms where consumers buy an annual membership, sharing with the producer the bounty and risk of growing organic vegetables). Sociologists are studying the movement, futurists are measuring its strength (it is very robust), policy makers are looking at how to re-structure taxes, subsidies and laws to temper the squandering of precious natural resources and, predictably, marketing and public relations people are busy peddling products "to simplify your life." Cars, computers and clothes are all touted as ways to simplify and express your authentic self. Rare is the person these days who doesn't respond — deeply or superficially — to the promise of honesty, ease and balance that is at the core of this movement.
This shift has arrived none too soon. Americans need to transform the way they think about, spend and save money — if only for their own security. The savings rate in the United States has dropped from just below 5 percent when the book was first published to below zero at the time of this writing. The sirens of consumerism have put us into a deep sleep. The apparent deep pockets of Uncle Credit Card allow us to indulge in living far beyond our means. According to a 1997 Public Agenda report, nearly 40% of Baby Boomers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. The old norm of increasing savings in the good times to offset the inevitable fallow years has been reversed. Overspending increased during the economic expansion of the 90's. It was this head-in-the-sand attitude about savings that most concerned Joe in the years before he died in 1997. Drenched for decades in information about the national and global economic ups and downs, he found Americans myopic about the long cycles of the markets and economy.
The fact that Joe was living with an illness that was almost certainly fatal didn't alter his focus on service to everything from global ecological survival to the needs of those dear to him. Keeping current on economic and financial trends, he was able to tailor our communications about Your Money Or Your Life to the challenges faced by ordinary Americans who were trying to make ends meet. In hosting, with grace and wit, a steady flow of friends, colleagues and reporters in our home, he was able to cajole, reassure, annoy or inspire — whatever was needed. He was a courageous truth teller and a patient listener. He never stopped being Joe. In fact, he told very few people he was ill, wanting to be seen as himself, not a disease. He was fully alive to the last. Two days before he died, concerned that grief might immobilize those who loved him, he wrote: "Joe Dominguez has been given a clean bill of death. Put your attention on the living and the things that need to be done." Then he was gone.
Those of us who worked with him (some for decades) at the New Road Map Foundation have "put our attention on the living and the things that need to be done" and, at the same time, have allowed ourselves to grieve and be transformed. This process has opened us in new ways to the pain of the world. We feel as never before the plight of hungry, lonely children and of refugees. We feel the losses of health, livelihood and life itself that people everywhere suffer. We feel the helplessness of native cultures that are being cracked open to extract their resources and of ecosystems that can no longer withstand encroaching human populations starving for land. We strain our minds to understand why living systems — exquisite in their design, mysterious in their origin and destiny — are being constrained by human systems that produce poverty, loneliness and dis-ease for so many creatures, human and non-human alike. And we see human creativity and compassion continually restoring life's design. Moved by both these inner and outer processes, we are seeking deeper ways to serve in these times. We invite you to join us in the journey:
This is where it all begins. Whether you are just sick to death of robbing Peter to pay Paul, brimming with love for all of creation or ready to take on the system, use this book to develop a respectful, clear relationship with the material world. Give the program a fair try. Do the steps. Use the Your Money Or Your Life Study Guide for Groups with friends, colleagues or interested strangers if you are so inclined. Read the book through before starting the steps. See if it resonates. You don't have to start with Step 1; many people begin with Step 2 (in Money Ain't What It Used to Be — and Never Was) and don't do Step 1 until much later. Some people find that the questions in Step 4 (in Chapter 4, How Much is Enough?) are their first entry point, with the commitment to doing all the steps coming later. Do not, however, skip to Steps 6 — 9 before giving Steps 1-5 at least 6 months of honest work. Step 6 (The America Dream — on a Shoestring), without the rest, could seem like just one more list of penny-pincher hints and tips. Step 9 in the last chapter might look like simply investment advice, and strange advice at that, without understanding the mechanics of the whole program. Wherever you begin, however, I encourage you to do all the steps. They work together in miraculous ways, reinforcing the insights and the gains. And, if you are one of the many who gets just a few ideas that work for you and then sets the book aside, I honor your choice as well. Many people have used this book to develop the head of steam needed to quit a job or sell a house or take off on an adventure. The great thing is that the book will always be there for the time when you want to do more than scratch the surface of your relationship with money. It can take you as deep and as far as you want to go.
I've come to believe that the consumer culture is like a virus — it enters where the bonds of community have been broken. Needs are perceived as reasons to consume rather than connect with others. Money becomes the glue holding together a society that has lost its integrity. Assumptions of solidarity, equity and cooperation are becoming as quaint as the horse and buggy. Material downshifting, then, can make room for "upshifting" connectedness. Frugality isn't the end goal, it's the means. One by-product of simplifying is having the time to engage in the arts of caring — communication, meals together, touch, having good parties, remembering birthdays, clearing up misunderstandings, empathy, patience, and on and on — and this is the biggest antidote to overspending. So consciously building nourishing relationships, possibly even through study groups for Your Money Or Your Life, is a way to unwind the ropes that entangle you in debt, insecurity, job boredom and fear of the economy.
What do you want for your life? What do you want not just for your future but THE future? The more specific your dreams the more alluring they become. The further out in time you dream, the more likely it is that you'll get outrageous and set your heart on something really beautiful. Forget "I can't." Forget past failures. Don't let others discourage you — ask for their support and their suggestions (everyone loves to put in their two cents). Truly, the more you bond with your dreams, the more likely it is that you will clear up your relationship with money. The lower you set your sights, the more you'll settle for life's table scraps instead of the feast.
Dreaming big throws your arms open wide to the possible. Deepening sends your roots down into the soil of the real. Ask the big questions: What do I hold sacred? What is my purpose? Who am I really? How can I know God (or whatever you call the source of life)? What do the events of my life tell me about my direction? When have I felt the most whole? In the quiet of meditation, in the midst of laughing, in the difficulty of study, in the sorrow of loss or the joy of new love — know that you are becoming more of a human being and less of a consumer.
Sustainable consumption — living today as if there will be many tomorrows and many creatures who need the living systems present now — is essential. We are in a critical moment for the earth. Personal change is the foundation. But it's not the whole picture. Ultimately we will need to restructure the way we go about our collective lives if our earth is to remain a hospitable home. There are so many ways to redirect society's choices. Through civic organizations or outrageous activism. Through party politics or policy development. Through media savvy to broadcast your message. Talking to other people about your passions, fears, hopes and dreams. Send letters to the editor or letters to your friends. Engage in nonviolent demonstrations against abuses to Life. Learn and teach mediation and conflict resolution skills. There is a form of activism to suit every temperament and cause.
I find the times we live in very exciting. If millions of Americans use Your Money Or Your Life to transform their relationship with money, I think we have a shot at changing the mindset that is draining life out of people and the planet. A better future won't happen magically, though. Humanity has made it through previous tight spots because many individuals took responsibility for the conditions around them and did something. I hope Your Money Or Your Life helps you have a better life, and I hope you help life have a better chance of continuing to unfold in all its glory.


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VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE MKT: CVM), a late-stage oncology company, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 35 million shares of its common stock at a price per share of $0.30 in a registered direct offering to institutional investors, representing gross proceeds of approximately $10.5 million.
The investors will also receive warrants to purchase up to 26.25 million shares of CEL-SCI Corporation's common stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.40 per share, are not exercisable for six months from the close of the transaction and have a term of exercise of 4 years from the date of issuance. The closing of the offering is expected to take place on or before Friday, December 7, 2012, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. CEL-SCI Corporation plans to use the net proceeds for CEL-SCI's general and administrative expenses and for CEL-SCI's Phase III clinical trial involving its investigational product Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection)*.
The shares and warrants are being offered by CEL-SCI Corporation pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 5, 2012.
Chardan Capital Markets, LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for the transaction.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. The securities may only be offered by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus can be obtained from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
About CEL-SCI Corporation
CEL-SCI is dedicated to research and development directed at improving the treatment of cancer and other diseases by utilizing the immune system, the body's natural defense system. Its lead investigational therapy is Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection), currently being studied in a pivotal global Phase III clinical trial. CEL-SCI is also investigating an immunotherapy (LEAPS-H1N1-DC) as a possible treatment for H1N1 hospitalized patients and as a vaccine (CEL-2000) for Rheumatoid Arthritis (currently in preclinical testing) using its LEAPS technology platform. The investigational immunotherapy LEAPS-H1N1-DC treatment involves non-changing regions of H1N1 Pandemic Flu, Avian Flu (H5N1), and the Spanish Flu, as CEL-SCI scientists are very concerned about the possible emergence of a new more virulent hybrid virus through the combination of H1N1 and Avian Flu, or maybe Spanish Flu. The Company has operations in Vienna, Virginia, and in/near Baltimore, Maryland.
For more information, please visit www.cel-sci.com.
* Multikine is the trademark that CEL-SCI has registered for this investigational therapy, and this proprietary name is subject to FDA review in connection with our future anticipated regulatory submission for approval.
When used in this report, the words "intends," "believes," "anticipated" and "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, an inability to duplicate the clinical results demonstrated in clinical studies, timely development of any potential products that can be shown to be safe and effective, receiving necessary regulatory approvals, difficulties in manufacturing any of the Company's potential products, inability to raise the necessary capital and the risk factors set forth from time to time in CEL-SCI Corporation's SEC filings, including but not limited to its report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2011. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect the events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


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Moving deeper inside of herself: a case of Pearl
The patient is a 45 year old woman who has two teenage children. She tells about the situation around the death of her father-in-law; her husband's reaction to the death and his concerns about his mother.
"I am losing myself, losing my feeling of being centered. I realise that I have come a long way and I don't want to lose my centre. I feel I am losing my soul; I am losing what I am! I start to shut down; it feels like the heart centre and the throat closes down. I don't want to be around my husband, I don't know how to deal with this. Do I want to deal with this! I am fearful, running away. I have dreams of being totally alone and homesick for the real home, where you don't have the limitations of Earth. The homesickness is set off by any simple but special experience, for instance seeing someone's grief or feeling great pain, and immersing myself in the feeling."
"I am reminded of a time when I was 14; I was looking forward to a school dance but my ballet teacher wouldn't let me go because I was required to go to a ballet class. I was denied fun and light-heartedness. I was closing down in order to do the right thing; what I wanted wasn't important."
Physical: she complained of a gluggy feeling in her throat, a strong lump in her throat. She has been putting on weight in the last few weeks. She has developed an aversion to vegetables and greens in the last six months, and she desires curries and rice+++, as well as ginger and lemon tea, which helps relieve her indigestion.
Her loss of centre and being true to herself immediately drew me to Pearl as a remedy. This Phosphorus-like sensitivity to another's feeling world is typical of Pearl. The idea was supported by her feelings of being 'totally alone.' The homesickness made me think of Calcium carbonicum and with the spiritual accent, I realised that the higher vibration of the substance of the Pearl was in order. The strong need for security together with the expressed desire to find oneself and be true to it, is an inner conflict typical of Pearl.
Prescription: Pearl immersion 200C for three days.
After eight weeks, she reports that the feeling of shutting down and losing her centre had disappeared. Gone, too, are the feeling of homesickness for the 'real home' and her physical symptoms. "I am more in touch with the real me, operating from my truth rather than reacting." In the course of the following two years, she took the remedy several times, as needed, during periods of tiredness or insecurity. During that time, her relationship with her husband and her needs from him changed. "I stopped one morning and thought 'what do I really want out of this relationship?' I realised that I didn't resent the time he spends with his mother; I admire him for taking such good care of her. I realised that my resentment came from a fear that he would leave me, a deep-seated insecurity. It was because he wasn't meeting all my needs for reassurance, the feeling that I am important to him and him to me." She is increasingly able to voice her feelings and to speak what is truly inside her, even if that means becoming angry and irritable at times. She became able to draw her boundaries and state her expectations with a family member who had been taking advantage of her goodwill and that of her husband, something she would never have done in the past. This is reminiscent of the "irritation" of the pearl, coming into being as a grain of sand that irritates the oyster. Eventually, she began to help others in need, especially those who were depressed.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Pearls being removed from oysters; Keith Pomakis
Pink Akoya pearl; Uwakoya
Keywords: insecurity, fearfulness, homesickness, aloneness, loss of centre
Remedies: Pearl
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Posts: 2
Reply #1 on : Sun April 10, 2011, 00:44:19


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Like all Windows computers, the Surface offers Accessories, Ease of Access, and System applications, and while they may lack the colourful UI of the Start screen and RT apps, they still provide useful functions.
While the Surface RT does not support most Windows legacy applications, the desktop, with its multiple windows and taskbar, is still there, and, as well as Office 2013, there are a number of familiar Windows applications.
You can, of course, use the desktop applications in the normal way with keyboard and mouse, but if you'd like to utilise touch as well, I'd recommend you increase the size of all items by 125 percent and increase the text size of such items as title bars, menus, and message boxes to at least 11pt. This not only separates the UI elements to make them easier to touch, but also increases the visibility of desktop text for those of us with older eyes.
To make these adjustments, select the Desktop from the Start screen, right-click on the desktop, or tap and hold and select Personalise from the menu. When the Personalisation dialog appears, select Display from the bottom-left list and make the appropriate adjustments.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
You can access all of the Windows Accessories and System applications by swiping up from the bottom of the Start screen (or right-clicking at the bottom of the screen) and selecting all apps. All of your Windows RT apps will be displayed first, but scrolling to the right will reveal Office, Windows Accessories, Ease of Access, and System applications.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
The calculator seems unchanged from earlier versions of Windows. It offers a Standard version, as well as Scientific, Programmer, and Statistics, with unit conversion, date calculation, and Worksheets for mortgage, lease, and fuel economy. While it's certainly useful, there are numerous free, ad-supported, and commercial calculators available on the Windows Store that are a lot more touch friendly.
Character Map and Maths Input Panel
The Character Map is a familiar application for programmers or writers wishing to use characters, symbols, and glyphs from the thousands available in today's Unicode fonts. It remains unchanged, but is still extremely useful when you need to insert an unusual character, or need to know the number for HTML code. It's not really needed for Word these days, as Insert Symbol will give you access to the same characters.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
I was unfamiliar with the Maths Input Panel, which appeared in Windows 7. For those who want to enter their mathematics by hand, it will interpret your scrawled equations and insert them in Word. I'd recommend a capacitive pen, as a mouse or finger is a little crude, but it did manage to cope with my index finger.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
Once again, Word has inbuilt tools for mathematics, but if you'd like to hand write them, the tool is there.
Notepad and Paint
There's no new-fangled ribbon UI for Notepad; it's the same basic text editor, and still a handy tool for editing HTML/XML files, and some people even prefer to work with just plain text. Thankfully, the days I had to use text editors for coding are long gone, but it's nice to know that it's still there.
Paint, on the other hand, does use the ribbon UI, but it has the same functions as its predecessors. I've done a lot of graphic design over the years, and I'm used to layers and objects, filters, and image-processing tools, free rotation, and libraries. You won't get any of that with Paint.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
However, if you just need to resize images, crop them, rotate them at 90-degree intervals, add text and symbols, and save as BMP, JPG, GIF, TIFF, or PNG format, then it's a fast and easy-to-use tool.
Remote Desktop Connection
This is a very useful application for accessing remote PCs. It may be your work computer or a friend or relative's PC, and it allows you to use the remote computer as though you were sitting at its keyboard and screen. You need to enable it on the remote PC, but it's an application that has many uses, as you can perform any task on the remote PC.
(Screenshot by Tony McSherry/TechRepublic)
Snipping Tool, Steps Recorder and XPS viewer
The Snipping Tool provides desktop screen capture and cropping, and the Steps recorder will allow you to record your actions on the desktop and save them as a file that might be useful for training or problem solving. The XPS viewer lets you view documents in XPS format — Microsoft's open-source format that is similar to PDF format.
I'm currently trying out the Ease of Access applications, and I'll cover these and the System applications in a subsequent article.


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Back to Bible with cantillation marks.
The normal Hebrew fonts supplied by Microsoft with Windows do not support cantillation marks or even some of the standard non-cantillation marks of Hebrew. If you see black blocks between the letters instead of cantillation marks, you need to install a special Unicode font that does support Hebrew fully. Many free Unicode Hebrew fonts seem to be in development and several good ones are already available. At this point, our favorite is the Shlomo Light Bold font, which we find the most satisfying among the five members of the Shlomo family of fonts; the Shlomo fonts were derived from the Ezra SIL SR font with SIL's permission, and they provide more easily distinguished letters, especially for those with limited vision. The original SIL fonts are a close second: the Ezra SIL SR has traditional rounded cantillation marks, and Ezra SIL has square cantillation marks as in the manuscripts. Other fonts you might want to try are those from Sourceforge's Culmus Project Taamey Culmus, the SBL Hebrew font, or the Cardo fonts.
We do not have access to a MAC and do not know what to recommend for MACs.
We ask you to write us your recommendations by clicking on the link below, if you think that another font is better and still reasonably priced or free.
Got a question or comment?
last updated: 1 June 2012


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Most scientific paper retractions due to misconduct: study 02 октября 2012, 15:22
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Photo courtesy of blog.lib.umn.edu
When a biomedical study is retracted, most of the time it is because of misconduct rather than error, AFP says citing a report published Monday.
Two-thirds of all retractions around the world stem from acts like fraud, suspected fraud or plagiarism, it added.
And as a percentage of all scientific articles published, retractions because of fraud or suspected fraud have jumped 10-fold since 1975, said the study.
Its lead author was Arturo Casadevall, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York. The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Biomedical research has become a winner-take-all game, one with perverse incentives that entice scientists to cut corners and, in some instances, falsify data or commit other acts of misconduct," Casadevall wrote.
He said the numbers stand in stark contract to earlier studies which suggested mistakes accounted for the majority of retracted scientific papers.
Casadevall and two other scientists reviewed 2,047 papers that were removed from biomedical literature through May of this year.
The authors consulted secondary sources to determine why the papers were yanked, such as the National Institutes of Health's Office of Research Integrity, and Retractionwatch.com. Both probe scientific misconduct.
They found that 21 percent of the retractions were attributable to error, but 67 percent stemmed from misconduct. Miscellaneous or unknown reasons accounted for the rest.
"What's troubling is that the more skillful the fraud, the less likely that it will be discovered, so there likely are more fraudulent papers out there that haven't yet been detected and retracted," Casadevall wrote.
He said that earlier studies which underestimated the scope of scientific cheating were based just on journals' retraction notices, written by the original authors themselves.
"Many of those notices are wrong," he said.
"Authors commonly write, 'We regret we have to retract our paper because the work is not reproducible,' which is not exactly a lie. The work indeed was not reproducible because it was fraudulent. Researchers try to protect their labs and their reputations, and these retractions are written in such a way that you often don't know what really happened."
Prestigious journals had particularly high rates of retractions.
This reflects a prevailing culture in science in which researchers are disproportionately rewarded for publishing a lot and getting published in top-notch journals, he said.


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NFL fines Quinn for hit on Suggs
Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has been fined by the NFL for his low hit on Baltimore's Terrell Suggs. After throwing an interception in Monday night's 16-0 loss to the Ravens, Quinn dived at Suggs' knees while trying to bring down cornerback Chris Carr, who had picked him off. Suggs had to leave the game and could miss significant playing time. Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis accused Quinn of a cheap shot. Quinn understands why the Ravens were mad and can appreciate them questioning his intentions. "I can see why they'd be upset," he said. "But again, he wasn't even in my vision. I was trying to get to the ball. He cut across my face as I was already try to jump down for the tackle." Quinn dropped his head and threw his body into Suggs' right knee, thinking he would be able to bring down Carr. He was flagged for a low block and the Browns were penalized 15 yards. Quinn received a letter from the league on Wednesday but would not disclose the size of his fine, saying only that it was "a good amount." He maintains he was not trying to hurt Suggs, with whom he has worked out in the off-season. Quinn apologized to him and the Ravens after the game and plans to reach out to Suggs again. "I wasn't trying to go for him," he said. "I was trying to go for the ball carrier. Unfortunately, a thing like that can happen. I'm praying for him. Hopefully he'll be all right." Browns coach Eric Mangini believes Quinn was only trying to tackle Carr. "Knowing Brady, he's a good person," Mangini said. "I don't think he would ever look to hurt someone deliberately."


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Giffords husband: Can have conversations with wife
PHOENIX (AP) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband says he has been able to have simple conversations with his wife, and she continues to be positive and is working very hard at her recovery.
PHOENIX (AP) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband says he has been able to have simple conversations with his wife, and she continues to be positive and is working very hard at her recovery.
Mark Kelly said in an interview broadcast Monday on NBC that he can ask her questions and she can respond.
"The communication is coming back very quickly," he said.
He said she is trying so hard that her speech therapist, who only a few days ago was trying to get her to talk more, is now asking Giffords to slow down and make sure she hears the question before giving an answer.
As an example, Kelly spoke of a time when the therapist had three cards on a table, one with a picture of George W. Bush, one with a picture of President Barack Obama and another with an image of George Washington.
"Before she was asked a question, she'd picked up the card and held it up and said 'George Bush,'" Kelly told NBC's Brian Williams. "She's a hard worker and she's trying. She's speaking a lot and at some level they are asking her to slow down a little bit."
The New York Times reported on its website late Sunday that Giffords' efforts to relearn how to speak have included mouthing song lyrics, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Happy Birthday to You," as friends and family sang along.
Giffords also briefly spoke with her brother-in-law Scott Kelly by telephone Sunday afternoon as he orbited aboard the International Space Station.
"She said, hi, I'm good," her chief of staff, Pia Carusone, told the paper. He is the brother of Giffords' husband, who is also an astronaut.
She has also been receiving bedside briefings from aides on the recent uprising in Egypt and on last week's decision by Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona not to seek re-election,
"We tell her everything that's going on," Carusone said. "Don't get the idea she's speaking in paragraphs, but she definitely understands what we're saying and she's verbalizing."
Giffords was shot in the head Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store. Six people, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge, were killed in the attack, and 13 others, including Giffords, were wounded.
The congresswoman began intensive rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston late last month. The Times reported that an e-mail sent to friends about a week ago by Giffords' mother said that Giffords has been doing squats and repetitive motions to build her muscles and walking through the hospital's halls while holding onto a cart.
The 40-year-old Giffords has beaten one of her nurses at tic-tac-toe and has changed from "kind of a limp noodle" to someone who is "alert, sits up straight with good posture," the e-mail from Gloria Giffords said.
Doctors said in late January that they planned to insert a speaking valve into her tracheostomy -- a tube inserted into Giffords' throat to assist her breathing immediately after the shooting. Her doctors have not said whether that procedure took place or whether the tube was removed since she no longer needs it.
Rehabilitation specialists say brain injury patients who regain speech typically begin to do so about four to six weeks after the incident. Several news organizations reported last week that Giffords asked for toast with her breakfast one recent morning.


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1. Yale Poison Ivy Rope (120 feet), $120
Unlike rock climbing, tree climbing requires nonstretching, static rope. Poison Ivy, rated to 6500 pounds, is a favorite of arborists—it's flexible and holds knots well.
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It's easy to forget about safety with your head in the clouds. Petzl has you (and your skull) covered. The helmet is lightweight and lets the breeze reach your noggin via ventilation slots that slide open.
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If you slip while climbing a tree and no one is there to hear you, this harness will save your keister. And diamond-grid webbing provides maximum comfort.
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Rope burns, splinters, and vicious squirrels can ruin a good climb. These gloves have you protected; cowhide-reinforced palms provide a sure grip.
5. CMI foot ascender, $66
This boot-mounted foot ascender, crafted out of anodized aluminum, keeps tension on the rope, which makes climbing much easier. But you can do without it. After all, money doesn't grow on tropes.
6. Sherilltree Neo Throw Weights, $15; Big Shot, $120
For lower branches, tie a throwline to the weight and toss it over by hand. If you're aiming higher—say, 100 feet or more—this wicked slingshot, which comes in two 4-foot sections, should do the trick. Secure the butt end against the ground, pull down, and let fly. Just watch out for birds.


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Search more than 3,000 biographies of contemporary and classic poets.
Poet, novelist, and playwright Miguel de Unamuno was born on September 29, 1864, in the Basque city of Bilbao. Unamuno's father, Felix, died when the poet was six, and his mother, Salomé Jugo, provided her children with a deeply Catholic upbringing. (Unamuno at one time wished to become a priest, but his love for a childhood sweetheart, Concepción Lizárraga, kept him from the priesthood. They would marry in 1891.) Unamuno attended the University of Madrid, where he studied languages and philosophy and received a PhD in 1884. He returned to Bilbao after school, and in 1891 he became a professor of Greek at the University of Salamanca. Later that year, he married his childhood sweetheart, Concepción; together they would have ten children. In 1900, Unamuno became the rector at the university. Throughout his life he would publish essays on metaphysics, politics, religion, and travel; he also published over ten novels and a number of plays.
Unamuno did not begin to publish poetry until the age of forty-three. His first book, Poesías (1907), used common Spanish to offer the poet's impressions of nature and travel. Unamuno had translated the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Giacomo Leopoardi, and their influence on his early work is clear. In 1907, he published Rosario de sonetos lícos (Rosary of Sonnets, 1911), which was followed in 1920 by El Cristo de Velasquez (translated as The Christ of Velasquez, 1951). Begun in 1913, The Christ of Velasquez ran 2,538 lines and reflects the poet's desire to define a uniquely Spanish Christ. Many people consider it to be Unamuno's greatest poem.
During the summer of 1920, while El Cristo was in press, Unamuno prepared a volume of travel sketches, Andanza y visions (Spanish Travels and Visions, 1922). Many of the prose poems in this volume were published in daily newspapers, and the book contains some of Unamuno's most anthologized work. This book was followed by Rimas de dentro (Rhymes from Within, 1923), and another book of prose and verse, Rimas de un poeta desconocido presentadas y presentado por Miguel de Unamuno, (Teresa: Rhymes of an Unknown Poet Presented by Miguel de Unamuno, 1924).
Before copies of Teresa reached Unamuno, political events forced a change in his life. On September 13, 1924, General Miguel Primo de Rivera launched a successful military coup in Spain. Unamuno published a number of articles critical of the new government; he was exiled without his family in 1924 to the island of Fuerteventura in the Canaries. His exile brought him international attention and acclaim. He left Fuerteventura for Paris on a private boat, and in 1924 he published De Fuerteventura a París: Diario íntimo de confinamiento y destierro vertido en sonetos (From Fuerteventura to Paris: Intimate Diary of Confinement and Exile Poured Out in Sonnets). While in Paris he completed Romancero del destierro (The Ballads of Exile, 1928), which would be the last book of poetry published in his lifetime.
In 1930, King Alfonso of Spain removed the dictator, Primo de Rivera, and in February Unamuno triumphantly returned home and regained his position as rector at the University of Salamanca. When General Franco took power in 1936, many of Unamno's friends and colleagues were executed. At university convocation, the poet angrily denounced Franco's rebellion. General Franco gave permission to shoot him, but to avoid an international incident, the poet was confined to strict house arrest, where he died on New Year's Eve, 1936.
Born in 1935 in El Salvador, Roque Dalton was the author of several influential poetry...
Agha Shahid Ali was born in New Delhi on February 4, 1949.
Czeslaw Milosz, born in 1911, was awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of...
Poet Mahmoud Darwish is the author of many collections of poetry and was considered...


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American literature
Lafcadio Hearn -- stories
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Democracy: An American Novel [500KB]
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In Defense of Women [250KB]
The Declaration of Independence in American, 1921
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Yekl - try out various formats for e-books
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson [296KB]
One Man's Initiation: 1917, and Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos --WWI fiction
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Great writings of The Great War
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Niels Lyhne and Marie Grubbe [or PDF] by Jens Peter Jacobsen
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Even houses are on diets these days
Lately I've had skinny houses on the brain. My wife's an architect and we're in the process of getting bids for a renovation of a house we're in the process of buying. The prices are just, er, through the roof, which got me thinking, maybe we should find a small plot of land and build our own house. You can see where this is going now, right? About the only land we could afford in L.A. is about the size of my uncle Irv's toupee. But hey, if we want to live slim, it might be do-able.
Helenita in Madre de Deus, Brazil has been inspiring with her 1-meter wide, 10-meter tall 3-story. (To be fair, it's actually 2 meters wide in the back"¦ look out!)


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Review of The Art of Language Invention
Title: The Art of Language Invention
Author: David J. Peterson
Publisher: Penguin
Copyright: 2015
Length: 284
Price: $17.00
Rating: 94%
I purchased a copy of this book for personal use.
During my high school years, I thought it would be fun to invent my own language. Something like English, but heavily influenced by the many related Romance languages popular in Europe. I described this vision to my French teacher and she said, "You mean, like Esperanto?" One encyclopedia article later and I was on to other projects.
Others were not so easily deterred. David J. Peterson parlayed his childhood love of languages into a master's degree in linguistics and a career inventing languages for the HBO series Game of Thrones, SyFy's Defiance, and other projects. In The Art of Language Invention, Peterson shares his experiences as a language developer along with enough background in linguistics to appreciate the decisions and effort that go into creating a new language.
Linguistics as a Discipline
While at Syracuse University in the late 1980s, I had the good fortune to take LING 201 from Professor William Ritchie. That course surveyed the mechanics of linguistic analysis by introducing topics such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, while also describing writing systems, language families, linguistic evolution, and interactions that produce new forms of language such as dialects, creoles, and pidgins. I thought it was fascinating stuff and went on to take several more linguistics classes. I would have taken even more if they'd counted toward my degree program.
In a little over 250 pages, Peterson does an excellent job of covering the topics from LING 201 such that a reader with little or no training in linguistics can appreciate the tools and, perhaps more importantly, the effort that goes into developing a language complete with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Even readers with only a passing interest in language creation but who would like an approachable introduction to linguistics could benefit from Peterson's work.
Constructed Languages in Popular Media
The hook behind The Art of Language Invention, of course, is Peterson's development of Dothraki and Valyrian for the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. Peterson weaves the tale of how he developed Dothraki and Valyrian throughout his coverage of various linguistic topics, supplementing his own insights and results with those of other language creators. As a co-founder of the Language Creation Society, which you can find online at conlang.org, Peterson created a meeting point for language enthusiasts to share their work and their love of language.
What I appreciated most about language development at the professional level is the attention to backstory and evolution. Just as it's impossible to fully appreciate English without knowing how it has changed over the years, developers can't construct a new language without giving significant thought to its proto-language and the cultural, geographic, and political forces that shaped it over time. Peterson's commentary on how those decisions get made, and how they affect the end state of the language, provide terrific insights into his process.
I believe The Art of Language Invention is a terrific book that intertwines the geeky worlds of linguistics and speculative fiction into a satisfying manuscript. Yes, I am in many ways an embodiment of this book's target audience, but if you share even a part of my enthusiasm for the subject, you should read Peterson's work.
Curtis Frye is the editor of Technology and Society Book Reviews. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Improspectives, his look at applying the principles of improv comedy to business and life. His list includes more than 20 books for Microsoft Press and O'Reilly Media; he has also created more than 30 online training courses for lynda.com. In addition to his writing, Curt is a keynote speaker and entertainer. You can find more information about him at www.curtisfrye.com and follow him as @curtisfrye on Twitter.