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New Software Features Enhanced Audio Routing Control for Eclipse to Improve Overall Workflow
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 12 SEPTEMBER, 2010 ─ Clear-Com®, a global leader in mission-critical voice communication systems, will exhibit at IBC 2010 (Stand 13.C26) enhancements to its Eclipse digital matrix intercom system, including the recently released Production Maestro Pro with Clear-Vu, an add-on metering module. By improving the ease of configuration, these upgrades offer users a more efficient, productive communications workflow.
Recognizing that the demands on European broadcast production teams are at an all-time high, Clear-Com upgraded the Eclipse Configuration Software (ECS) with new features that automate the setup of intercom communications, reducing operator engagement and improving workflow. These new advancements allow the system to auto-detect matrices and networks, load or change pre-established configurations and auto-default to a factory setting. The new ECS software also includes assisted on- screen help, which provides instant troubleshooting with rapid results.
Broadcasters can employ the enhanced Eclipse to better manage even the most frenetic of production environments. For example, during live remote news broadcasts, an operator can quickly link reporters and production staff in the field with the swift click of a mouse. He can then save those setting configurations for use in the future. If an operator needs to make any changes, these can easily be accomplished using the ECS.
"Just as production workflows, trends and needs evolve so does Clear-Com's technology. It is the goal of the company to provide its clients with the most up-to-date and relevant products as possible to help fulfill their equipment needs," says Simon Browne, Senior Product Manager, Clear-Com. "These latest enhancements to the Eclipse Configuration Software further reinforce this commitment. Broadcasters will find the real-time solution they need to keep up with the increased demands laid upon them."
In addition, Clear-Com has developed a new audio monitor card for Eclipse, the LMC-64. This card enables Clear-Vu on Production Maestro Pro, an add-on module for Eclipse introduced earlier this year, to display visual levels on screen by using up to 64 real-time graphical meters. Through standard VU or Nordic scaling, customers can easily adjust audio levels by selecting a few icons on a computer monitor.
About Clear-Com
Clear-Com®, an HME company, is the global leader in mission-critical voice communication systems for professional productions. Since 1968, Clear-Com has developed and marketed a comprehensive range of analogue, digital and IP-based wired and wireless intercom technologies for party-line and point-to-point communications. Recognised for our legacy of intercom innovations, production teams around the world have come to depend on Clear-Com for clear, reliable and scalable communication solutions. More information about Clear-Com can be found at www.clearcom.com.
About HM Electronics, Inc. (HME)
A privately held company founded in 1971, HME has continued to be a leading provider of innovative technology focused on enhancing productivity and customer service for multiple markets including pro audio, sports, and restaurants. HME developed the first wireless intercom system for pro audio and continues to introduce exciting, cutting-edge wireless intercoms that enhance communications, increase productivity and facilitate creativity for virtually any application. HME's comprehensive line of wireless intercoms – including the award winning PRO850 UHF and DX Series Digital Intercoms – are designed with the user in mind. In addition to pioneering the first wireless intercom for the pro audio industry, HME was the first to develop the wireless headset system for the drive-thru quick service restaurant market. More information can be found at www.hme.com.
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Motorists strongly urged to stay off roadways in South Central Pa.
HARRISBURG — Due to snowy and icy road conditions associated with the current winter storm beginning at 1 p.m. today the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is temporarily reducing speed limits on several south central roadways.
PennDOT is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel but those who must head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on the following highways:
• Interstate 81in Franklin, Cumberland and Dauphin counties;
• Interstate 83;
• U.S. Route 15 in Adams, York and Cumberland counties; and
• Route 581.
PennDOT may expand highway restrictions if storm conditions warrant.
Although PennDOT recommends not traveling during intense storms, motorists can check road conditions on more than 2,900 miles of state roads by calling 5-1-1 or visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, average traffic speeds on urban interstates and access to more than 670 traffic cameras. Regional Twitter pages and personal alerts are also available on the 511PA website.
Travelers who must be on the roadways should be sure that they have an emergency kit packed in their vehicles. A basic kit should include non-perishable food, water, blanket, small shovel and warm clothes. When preparing an emergency kit, motorists should take into account special needs of passengers such as baby food, pet supplies or medications and pack accordingly.
For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit www.dot.state.pa.us/winter
Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAHarrisburg.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sienna Roofing & Solar, LLC
Quality Roofing & Solar Services for Your Home or Business At Sienna Roofing & Solar, we offer quality craftsmanship and superior service at fair and honest prices.
We specialize in all aspects of roofing. Repairs and replacements. All kinds of roofing from shingles, metal, flat roof, tile, TPO. We are experts in working with insurance companies.
Business Name:
Sienna Roofing & Solar, LLC
14090 Southwest Freeway Suite 300Sugar Land Texas 77479USA
About Sugar Land
Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Located about 19 miles (31 km) southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around the junction of Texas State Highway 6 and Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59. Beginning in the 19th century, the present-day Sugar Land area was home to a large sugar plantation situated in the fertile floodplain of the Brazos River. Following the consolidation of local plantations into Imperial Sugar Company in 1908, Sugar Land grew steadily as a company town and incorporated as a city in 1959. Since then, Sugar Land has grown rapidly alongside other edge cities around Houston, with large-scale development of master-planned communities contributing to population swells since the 1980s.
Neighborhoods in Sugar Land, Texas
Alcorn Bend, Alkire Lake, Ashford Lakes, Austin Meadows, Austin Park, Avalon, Barrington Place, Brazos Landing, Chimneystone, Colony Cove, Colony Grant, Colony Meadows, Colony Park, Commonwealth Park, Covington Woods
Things to do in Sugar Land, Texas
Our Newest Profiles


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Nikon has released new versions of its Capture NX and View NX image editing software programs.
The new Capture NX now includes 64-bit support for Windows, along with a host of other new features. Lens information is now displayed in the Metadata palette for images capture with the Nikon 1 V1 or Nikon 1 J1 using the Mount Adapter FT1.
Space pictures
An Astro Noise Reduction option has also been added to Noise Reduction in the Camera Settings portion of the Develop section in the Edit List palette. This means that the randomly spaced bright pixels that occur in images of stars captured with long exposures can be reduced.
Under White Balance, a new automatic preset, Auto2 has been added. This is available with raw images captured with the recently announced Nikon Coolpix P7100, the company's high-end premium compact camera.
A number of other improvements have also been made to both the Windows and Macintosh versions of the programs.
Meanwhile, Auto 2 has also been added to new features in View NX 2.2.5, for images captured with the Coolpix P7100. An issue that prevented the display of Exposure mode in the Metadata palette for images captured underwater in Easy Auto mode with the Coolpix AW100 has now been resolved. Further compatibility with the Nikon 1 system has again been added.
Both upgrades to the software can be downloaded from the Nikon website for free, where a full list of new features and specifications can also be found.


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Television's serving up hot zombie nightmares for Halloween. The Walking Dead debuts, but so does British reality TV/zombie epic Dead Set. Watch a clip of Felicia Day as a werewolf-hunter in Red. Plus sex robots, and Glee's Rocky Horror episode!
There's a new Scooby Doo - Mystery Inc. at 7 PM on the Cartoon Network ("When The Cicada Calls"), followed by a new Johnny Test at 7:30 PM ("Johnny Test's Day Off").
And then there's an exciting new Chuck on NBC at 8 PM, in which it looks like Chuck will be reunited at last with his mom (Linda Hamilton). Also, Jeffster are in charge of Halloween decorations at the Buy-More. Be very afraid! That's "Chuck Vs. The Aisle of Terror." Here are a couple of sneak peeks:
There's also no new House on Fox, due to baseball.
At 8 PM, there's Adventure Time on Cartoon Network ("Loyalty to the King"), followed by a new Regular Show at 8:15 ("The Unicorns Have Got to Go"), and a new Mad at 8:30 PM.
Can you handle the truth? The Event will test that readiness, at 9 PM on NBC.
President Martinez (Blair Underwood) and the Director of National Intelligence, Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek), fulfill their agreement with Thomas (Clifton Collins, Jr.), but after their plan goes awry, they suspect that there is a possible mole in their midst. Elsewhere, Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) digs for answers at Leila's home, where he encounters Madeline (guest star Paula Malcomson), a mysterious conspiracy theorist. Meanwhile, Simon's (Ian Anthony Dale) past is illuminated, and his allegiances are tested.
And at 11:59 PM, IFC has the first episode of Dead Set, the absolutely incredible British series in which contestants on the Big Brother reality TV show realize that the outside world has been overrun with zombies. It's possibly the most bizarre, inventive zombie premise ever, and it's airing every night on IFC this week. You can't afford to miss this show.
Syfy is once again showing horror movies all day, including the Saw movies and the Satan's Baby movies. Cloverfield is on FX at 4 PM. And The Craft is on Oxygen at 5 PM and 11 PM. The Thing is on Cinemax at 5:10 PM. TMNT, featuring the voice of Sarah Michelle Gellar, is on ABC Family at 7 PM. Also, the original Halloween is on AMC at 7 PM and 11:15 PM. And The She Creature, in which a woman's prehistoric past is revealed via hypnosis, is on AMC at 3:15 AM.
And now a few words about Tower Prep, showing at 8 PM on the Cartoon Network. This show, which people have been describing as "The Prisoner at a boarding school," is much, much better than it has any right to be — perhaps because of the involvement of Batman: The Animated Series creator Paul Dini. The first episode, which aired last week, was pretty much the perfect blend of young-adult-novel intrigue and dystopian paranoia. This isn't just your average oppressive boarding school, it's surrounded by an impenetrable wall and grounds that are patrolled by deadly cyborgs, and the stars look so unfamiliar that the teens may not even be on Earth any more. (Note that Suki, the Japanese girl, also didn't recognize the stars.) In a fall season that's seen lots and lots of disappointments, Tower Prep is the real thing, and it's not just a teenage guilty pleasure. Check it out!
Or you could watch No Ordinary Family, on ABC at 8 PM, with "No Ordinary Quake."
But there's more! Also at 8 PM, Glee is doing its long-awaited Rocky Horror episode, and I believe half the songs are online already — but fans are still rapt with antici... pation. Watch a slightly crappy camcorder vid of "Touch Me":
Or you could be a crazy rebel and skip all three of those things, choosing instead to watch Weird Freaky & True: Alien Offspring on Animal Planet at 8 PM.
Then there's a new Stargate Universe on Syfy at 9 PM, "Cloverdale," which will delve a bit more into the past of Lt. Scott:
After that, a new Caprica on Syfy at 10 PM, "False Labor." If the sight of a Cylon gunning down lots of mobsters with a machine gun in each hand doesn't get you at least a little bit excited, I despair for you.
Also at 10 PM, Spike has another episode of 1000 Ways to Die.
And at 10:30 PM, Animal Planet has an episode of Freak Encounters focusing on a werewolf.
At 11:59 PM, it's time for the second installment of Dead Set on IFC, with more zombie-reality show carnage. Riq hides from zombies in a petrol station, while Patrick and Pippa are stuck in the Green Room with no means of communication.
Today's Syfy horror movies include the Sometimes They Come Back series, the Stephen King Tommyknockers series and the Boogeyman series. The Gate is on IFC at 9 AM. Also, Bats, in which flesh-eating bats start devouring a small town's people, is on FX at 9 AM. And speaking of echolocation, Daredevil is on FX at 11 AM. Also, Dracula 2000 is on AMC at 10:30 AM. Superman is on Encore at 12:50 PM. Also, Halloween II and III are on FX at 5 PM and 7 PM respectively, while Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is on AMC at 9:15 PM.
The Happening is on FX at 7 PM, and this may actually be the basic cable premiere of this baffling M. Night Shyamalan film. Relive the WTFery all over again. The Happening appears on FX a few more times during the week, so no worries about missing it. Practical Magic is also on ABC Family at 7:30 PM. Also, Maximum Overdrive is on IFC at 11:30 PM.
There's another new Undercovers on NBC at 8 PM, "Xerces."
Also at 8 PM, there's a new MythBusters: Buster's Cut on Discovery, followed by a new MythBusters at 9 PM. In "Table Cloth Chaos," the team tries to figure out if a motorcycle could really pull a tablecloth out from under a dinner setting.
There's also a new Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes at 8:30 PM on Disney XD, "Some Assembly Required."
At 10 PM, there's a new episode of Sci-Fi Science: Physics Of The Impossible on the Science channel, focusing on the possibility of an A.I. uprising.
And at 10:30 PM there's a new episode of Comedy Central's Ugly Americans, "Hell for the Holidays."
And then at 11:59, it's time for day three of Dead Set, in which a policeman nearly shoots Marky, thinking he's been bitten by a zombie. And Riq realizes the Big Brother house is still broadcasting.
Aliens is on AMC at 8 AM. And Children of Men is on USA at 11 AM. Tremors is on AMC at 3 PM. Gremlins is on CMT at 3 PM and 7 PM. The conceptually brilliant but underwhelming Meet Dave is on Cinemax at 5:30 PM. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is on ABC Family at 6 PM. And Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is on AMC at 7 PM. And The Haunted Mansion is on ABC Family at 8 PM. The Messengers is on Lifetime at 8 PM and 11 PM. House on Haunted Hill is on AMC at 9:15 PM. Surrogates is on Starz at 11 PM. And finally, Alien Sex Files 3: She Alien is on Cinemax at 11:30 PM, and it sounds like it's actually a softcore porn spoof of Species. Could it be?
There's a new episode of our favorite guilty pleasure, The Vampire Diaries, on The CW at 8 PM. And once again, the town of Mystic Falls is having yet another fancy party to celebrate its heritage. This is seriously all they ever do in Mystic Falls — it's one historical party after another. This time, it's a masked ball, allowing for even more doppelgangery intrigue than usual.
Also at 8 PM, there's also a new The Big Bang Theory on CBS.
And at 9 PM, Nikita is still trying to take down Division, on The CW.
At 11:59 PM, it's time for day four of Dead Set, in which Riq tries to get back to the Big Brother house, and Patrick comes up with a risky plan to escape from the zombies keeping them under siege.
It's not a toomah! Arnie battles the unborn antichrist in End of Days on AMC at 8:30 AM. Igor is on TMC at 2:10 PM. The Omen is on FX at 2:30 PM. Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo is on Cartoon Network at 4:30 PM, followed by Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster at 7 PM. The original Clash of the Titans is on BBC America twice, at 8 PM and 10:30 PM. Alien Sex Files III: Alien Babes is on Cinemax at 11:20 PM.
I believe that Batman: The Brave and the Bold is now showing episodes that haven't aired elsewhere already, at 7:00 pm on the Cartoon Network. And this time around, the long-retired Batwoman switches bodies with Batman so she can get revenge on the Riddler. Yes, they're already doing their "Turnabout Intruder" episode.
That's followed by a new Ben 10: Ultimate Alien at 7:30 PM, "Where the Magic Happens."
Then there's a new Smallville, on The CW at 8 PM, "Harvest." It looks like they're doing their small-town human-sacrifice cult episode, which is always good for a hoot. Or something.
There's also a new Medium on CBS at 8 PM. ("Where Were You When...?")
At 8 PM, we get another outing of Genndy Tartakovsky's Sym-Bionic Titan on the Cartoon Network ("Showdown at Sherman High"), followed by a new Generator Rex at 8:30 PM ("The Swarm"). But for some reason, there's no new Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
At 9 PM, there's a new Supernatural on The CW, "You Can't Handle The Truth." Someone has unleashed the powers of the Goddess of Truth, and Dean is going to use them to get Sam to tell him what the blazes is going on around here.
At 10 PM, there's a new Sanctuary on Syfy, "Bank Job." And here's a sneak peek:
Also at 10 PM, there's Dean Of Invention on Planet Green, "Wired Brain":
Scientists are working to project human consciousness into the infinite virtual realm of the Internet. Can we give speech back to people rendered mute by illness or trauma? Will it be possible to link our minds directly to vehicles from cars to fighter jets or restore bodily freedom to those who are shackled inside paralyzed bodies? Someday, will we be able to send data from computers back into the brain, giving people a wealth of abilities still unfathomable to humans? In this episode, Dean of Invention explores brain-computer interface (BCI), whereby the intentions and desires of the human mind can be read-and translated into action. BCI has the potential to unlock vast new potential powers for humankind.
At one minute to midnight, there's the final episode of Dead Set on IFC. Who's going to be the winner of this season of Big Brother? And who's going to wind up a ravenous zombie? It's all come down to this.
Today's Syfy horror movies include The Cursed and Silent Hill. The Devil Commands, starring Boris Karloff, is on TCM at 5:15 AM. The Ape, possibly the best movie in which a doctor disguises himself as an ape to steal people's spinal fluid, is on TCM at 9:15 AM. And The Corpse Vanishes is on TCM at noon. Lynch, "an intimate portrait of filmmaker David Lynch," is on the Sundance Channel at 2 PM.
Halloween 6 is on FX at 3 PM, followed by Halloween Resurrection at 6 PM and Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later at 8 PM. I Walked With a Zombie is on TCM at 3:45 PM. The Boy Who Cried Werewolf is on Nickelodeon at 5 PM.
Also at 5 PM, TCM has Curse of the Demon, followed at 7 by another run of Hammer Films classics: The Curse of Frankenstein at 7, The Revenge of Frankenstein at 8:30 and then Frankenstein Created Woman at 10:15 PM. Predator is on AMC at 7 PM followed by Predator 2 at 9:30 PM. Remember when John Travolta was supernatural all the time? Relive those days with Phenomenon, on TBS at 11:06 PM. And at 3:45 AM Saturday, The Brain Eaters is on AMC.
There's really only one thing on television that anybody cares about today: Red: Werewolf Hunter! Felicia Day plays a werewolf hunter who faces a cruel dilemma in this skewed retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story. Behold a sneak peek:
At 10 PM, National Geographic is having a special, The Truth Behind Zombies.
Syfy's showing horror movies all day again, including Dog Soldiers and Underworld. Darkman II: The Return of Durant is on Cinemax at 12:10 PM. District 9 is on Starz at 3 PM and 9:45 PM. Also at 3 PM: The Hills Have Eyes on Spike. God is punishing us — how else do you explain Evan Almighty, showing on E! at 5 PM? Blade: Trinity is rocking your vampire world at 5:30 on Spike. The all-time classic Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood is on BET at 6 PM. The original Alien is on IFC at 7 PM. Hocus Pocus is on ABC Family at 7 PM and 9 PM.
Edward Scissorhands is on Hallmark at 7 PM and 9:30 PM. The surprisingly quite good remake of The Crazies is on Starz at 8 PM, and so is Flatliners on Lifetime and Portal on TMC. And prepare your Harry Belafonte sing-alongs: Beetlejuice is on the Cartoon Network at 9 PM! Evil Dead 2 is on AMC at 9:15 PM.
Starting at 7:30 PM, IFC is having a marathon of Dead Set, in case you missed the midnight airings earlier this week.
Also at 9 PM in most markets, your local PBS station is showing Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss' Sherlock as part of the Masterpiece Theater Mystery series.
And then at 10 PM, there's the program you've all been waiting for: The Walking Dead, a 90-minute premiere on AMC. We already raved about the bloodthirsty, stirring first two episodes, following policeman Rick Grimes as he tries to make sense of a world overrun by undead monsters. But now you can see for yourself.
At 10 PM, Discovery Health has a special called Sex Robot:
Explore the secretive and little understood world of robot fetishists, as we follow three men who dream of sex, love and even marriage with a robot. Plus meet the inventors vying to bring them the world's first sex robot.
And here's a clip!
Sadly, there's no new Venture Bros. for some perverted reason.
It's FX's turn to show scary movies all day, starting with Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem at 8:30 and John Carpenter's Vampires at 11 AM. ABC Family is showing Willy Wonka, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Little Vampire, The Haunted Mansion, The Mask, Practical Magic and Van Helsing, starting off at 7 AM. AMC is having a marathon of the Halloween movies, while Disney is marathoning the Halloweentown movies followed by the Twitches movies. A&E has Ghostbusters at noon. VH1 has The Lost Boys at 1:30 PM. TNT is showing a bunch of the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies during the afternoon/evening, while TCM is showing haunted house movies. Cartoon Network is showing Scooby-Doo movies starting at 3 PM while Comedy Central has Shaun of the Dead at 3 PM. At 6 PM, AMC is showing From Dusk 'Til Dawn, followed by Dawn of the Dead. And G4 is showing the Back To The Future movies starting at 6:30 PM. Superhero Movie is on Comedy Central at 9 PM. And at midnight, G4 is showing The Toxic Avenger: Part II.


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California student told that not wearing a bra makes 'people assume bad things'
A teenager who attends Beaumont High School in Southern California discovered that her choice of undergarments was actually subject to her teacher's approval.
"BHS is so out of line," Remy Altuna wrote on Twitter last Wednesday. "Now they want to dress code you for not wearing a bra. My underwear is none of there (sic) business."
BHS is so out of line. Now they want to dress code you for not wearing a bra. My underwear is none of there business. pic.twitter.com/HgocMryaGB
— ®emy (@rxmybxtch) August 17, 2017
Altuna had gone most of the day in her black bodysuit and baggy jeans without comment from teachers or the security guards who typically watch for dress code violations, she tells Yahoo Style. But when she went to the school office to get a paper signed, an assistant vice principal pulled her aside and told her to put on a jacket.
"She said that my shirt was low cut; then she asked if I was wearing a bra," Altuna says. "She went on to say that because I wasn't wearing a bra, she didn't want people to think anything bad of me or talk inappropriately or have anything bad to say."
Yahoo Style has reached out to BHS for comment and will update if we hear back.
The Beaumont High School dress code does not specify anything about bras, but says this about shirts: "Tops must cover all parts of undergarments and shall not be low cut or revealing." Altuna said she didn't feel she needed a bra with her top, and if she'd worn one, she would have been dress-coded because it would have shown. While she does not think her outfit was inappropriate, she said what happened to her is part of a pattern.
"This year it just seems like they're really out for blood, looking for anything," Altuna says. It would be one thing if they were dress coding boys and girls equally, but she notes that girls have been the biggest targets, while the boys' violations, such as ripped jeans, are overlooked.
Another student at Altuna's school also took to Twitter to complain that girls were being disciplined for their outfits while boys who made sexual comments about them were not.
so today security heard a guy comment something sexual bc of my leggings & then tried to dress code me for it instead of talking to the him?
— Larissa M (@larissaamedina) August 16, 2017
"So today security heard a guy comment something sexual bc of my leggings & then tried to dress code me for it instead of talking to the him?" Larissa M wrote. "My leggings weren't sheer whatsoever. If our security can't stand up to sexual harassment, they don't need to work at BHS."
Altuna said the vice principal told her: "I don't want people to see you and assume bad things about you. I'm trying to protect you."
A friend responded on Twitter, "What 'bad things' would someone assume? Like oh damn look at that girl being comfy and s***."
What "bad things" would someone assume? Like oh damn look at that girl being comfy and shit https://t.co/iI9lY2aM5S
— JoJo (@jojoohohoo) August 17, 2017
"If my vice principal was so concerned about bullying and people saying bad things about me … then she should focus on the students who are behaving inappropriately," Altuna told Yahoo. "We as women shouldn't be put down because of our bodies."
The notion that wearing a bra or covering up the body is necessary for a girl's protection is a faulty one, setting society up to blame the victims of sexual assault, according to experts.
"At a global scale the rate of violence against women is that one in three girls have experienced violence, whether that be domestic violence or sexual assault," Laura Palumbo, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, told Yahoo Style in an interview last week. "That is something that is clearly happening at a scale across cultures and countries and suggests that it is much more of a complex issue than how a woman dresses and is actually rooted in the very ideas of traditional masculinity and subjugation of women."
Last year, when a school in Montana tried to force girls to wear bras, the students began a school-wide "No Bra, No Problem" protest. Elsewhere in California, boys at San Benito High School in Hollister have taken to wearing off-the-shoulder tops to stand up to their school's restrictions. Altuna seems willing to do the same.
"I'm ready to actually do something to push back against this, because this is ridiculous," she tweeted on Wednesday. She told Yahoo that she's writing a speech to argue her position on the dress code.
"It's really hot in California right now, and we're not going to be wearing burlap sacks to school every day," she said. "Today, I'm wearing a Nasty Woman shirt to school, and we'll see if they have anything to say about that."
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.
Read more from Yahoo Style UK:
Not wearing a bra to work can apparently get you sacked
Boys are wearing off-the-shoulder tops to protest high school's dress code
School student cited for dress code violation for wearing a crewneck T-shirt


text: Christian Science Fiction? Really! I loved, loved, loved science fiction as a teen. I read everything I could get my hands on. I've cautioned our children away from the genre in general, though. Why? Because many, if not most science fiction authors seem motivated by trying to redo Creation in their own image without God's Law or His presence.… Posted by Melanie in Book Review


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lesson plans: plan directory
Want to find the source for great lessons that use the best of public television programs and the Web? It's all right here for you. Choose from hundreds of our technology friendly lessons developed by our master teachers. We make it easy for you by providing everything from the activities, to the materials, to the handouts. Browse through the directory to find the one that suits you best.
For archived lesson plans, click


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Check out our new restaurant list
New! Farmer Interview
There are 4,300 farms in the Metropolitan Washington Region.
Thursday, Apr 17, 2014
More Than 240 Farmers' Markets Now Open in Virginia
April 17, 2014
Va. boasts 240-plus farmers' markets
April 16, 2014
Farmers' Markets Offer Fresh, Virginia Grown Products
April 10, 2014
Gardeners Can Take Simple Actions to Avoid the Spread of Invasive Species
Saturday - 4/5/2014
Asparagus, farm markets making spring debut in Va.
March 6, 2014
Governor McAuliffe Announces Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Exports Reach New Record High
February 24, 2014
USDA 2012 Census: Market Value of Production on Virginia Farms Up Almost $1 Billion
American Farmland Trust's
Love Your Farmers Market Initiative


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A Comprehensive Education Sector Response
EDUCAIDS, The Global Initiative on Education and HIV & AIDS, seeks to promote, develop and support comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS. This means moving away from programming on HIV and AIDS on a project-by-project basis, and toward a holistic, sector-wide view of the impacts and challenges of HIV.
EDUCAIDS has two primary goals:
- To utilise education to help prevent the spread of HIV;
- To protect the core functions of the education system from the worst effects of the epidemic.
Five Key Components
UNESCO and other EDUCAIDS partners support country-level efforts to promote comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS, plan and prioritise actions, and build partnerships and promote coordination. The five essential components are:
- Quality education
- Curricula and learning materials
- Educator training and support
- Policy and management
- Approaches and entry points
EDUCAIDS was launched in 2004 by the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations, and is led by UNESCO as one of the Organization's three core initiatives to achieve the goal of Education for All (EFA).
Contact Information: aids(at)unesco.org


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The only thing I can say about the thirty-eight minutes of hell Hawaiians faced day before yesterday is I am 100% relieved it was a HUGE error! In my heart, I do not believe that the leader of any country with nuclear weapons wants to start a war that could destroy his or her own country.
Have a beloved son, daughter, and granddaughter living in the islands. It must have been terrifying for all residents.
In the late 50's and early 60's citizens of the United States were building bomb shelters and children were practicing "duck and cover" in schools, in case of an attack.
The ONE GOOD thing I think this may have done is make people pay a bit more attention to being at least being somewhat prepared with water, food, and a plan for all family members….
I think being prepared is like having insurance. Hopefully you will never need to make a claim, but if you do – you will be covered.
As far as the President being accused of a "potty-mouth" I feel there is something to consider.
There was only one Democrat at the meeting, and he is the accuser. Two others at the meeting have said they do not remember him saying anything like that! We probably will never know for sure. Go to a liberal site, he did. Go to a conservative site, and he didn't.
I acknowledge our President is often brash and brutally honest, but he is NOT the first president by far to do and say regrettable things while in office! He is human. We are all humans.
Japan had an alert go off inadvertently today – but was corrected in 5 minutes.
Are aliens here?
There came an alien race to earth, intent on conquering all, and the name of the alien race, is alcohol"
These aliens are slowly taking over the entire planet by disguising themselves as alcohol.
Soon almost all will be so addicted they will have no need to worry. Those who protest will be in such few in numbers, their own human race will subdue them.
Then the invaders will turn into the "real" aliens, and will have the earth, and all humans to themselves. The humans will be slaves, bound to alcohol forever ……and they conquered the planet without a fight!
Now that is an interesting little word "ditty". Thought provoking, eh…….


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I alluded to this in my pre-Worlds write-up, but I was so amazed at how the race unfolded that I want to bring it up again.
First off, the Brits rode an incredible race and when Cavendish ended up in a lost position with 250m to go, he found the tiniest of gaps, went through it and became the deserving champion. They rode a great race, so did Ben King and the Belgiums. Unfortunately it's tough to call it a great race when the other teams never participated, let's say it was a great team time trial (maybe the other teams were confused because the team time trial is only a world championships event starting NEXT year).
Were the Brits so good that they kept the tempo high enough for 260k so that nobody could escape? I'll stick with my original statement that that is impossible. If every rider spends 35k in the front, there is no way they can keep a tempo that prevents people from jumping away. Obviously they got some help from the Germans (and from Ben King) and they were able to take their rest during stretches where the pace "slowed", enough so that in the last 60k they could dictate a blistering pace. Still very impressive, but why did the other teams allow that to happen?
For starters we have the first breakaway. Somehow when the first break of non-contenders is up the road, everybody follows the "group up the road" script. They grow their lead, it hovers around 5-8-10-15 minutes (whatever makes sense on that course), then their lead dwindles and when they're almost caught the next adventurers try their luck. But the "group up the road" script gave the Brits a chance to conserve energy as the pace dropped, energy they put to good use in the last lap.
To their credit, the Belgians were the only ones who realized that the "group up the road" script – while standard – would not work be the best script for them and they sent two riders in a second group long before the first group was caught. But both groups were too small to really develop a pace that could rival the British time trial machine, so they never had to go too deep to stay within reach.
The second bit of psychology is the self-confidence abundantly present in sprinters. Ten riders fancy themselves bunch sprinters, and all ten figured they could win on Sunday. It doesn't matter how often they've been beaten by Cavendish, because the selection process from 10 year-old boy to top sprinter ensures that all ten are convinced of their own capabilities. And so any glimmer of hope is used to convince oneself that Copenhagen will be different than the dozen recent losses they may have suffered against Cavendish.
And going forward, the same will continue. Goss will tell himself that if he had kept Haussler's wheel, he would have won. Greipel will convince himself that with a better position, next year's rainbow jersey would be XXL instead of XXS. Heck, Cancellara may have read yesterday's blog comments and realize he would have won had he been in his drops or chopped them off!
Of course, none of this is true. Football used to be a game in which 11 play 11 with a round ball for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans win. Likewise, flat courses give us races of 200 cyclists where 10 fancy their chances and in the end, Cavendish wins.
P.S. If Cavendish flats or he doesn't find the gap, obviously this whole theory goes down the drain. But the reality is, he did find the gap and he rarely flats.
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Hand and Ring Audiobook by Anna Katharine Green.
Read by Richard Kilmer.
Widow Clemmens is struck down in her parlor while the town's legal professionals chat outside the courthouse down the street. An investigation is made and two equally plausible suspects are quickly unearthed. But is either guilty? And what role does the mysterious Miss Imogene Dare play in this drama? A classic Green mystery notable particularly for the extended courtroom scenes in the second half of the book. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)


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Tahoe forest project on hold due to frogs
Lawsuit raises concerns about frog species
The U.S. Forest Service will postpone a tree-thinning project intended to decrease the wildfire risk at Lake Tahoe after a lawsuit raised concern about its effect on an endangered frog species.
The agency had been removing and burning trees and brush on land near Upper Echo Lake, about 8 miles southwest of South Lake Tahoe, that is considered for designation as critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog.
Dennis Murphy, a renowned conservation biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, filed the lawsuit last year. He said the logging threatens the survival of the frog, listed as an endangered species in April.
The Forest Service agreed in a stipulation signed by a federal judge Wednesday to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about potential effects to the frog, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported.
It also said it would halt the project through this year and wait to resume thinning trees until finishing its consultation with wildlife officials.
Forest Service spokeswoman Cheva Gabor declined to comment. "Once the matter is in the courts, we let the legal process unwind," she said.
Murphy's attorney, Paul Weiland, said he was pleased with the outcome.
"Certainly, it is welcome news that they were able to stop the project and address the issue with the project impacts with the Fish and Wildlife Service," he told the newspaper.
The suit says the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to prepare an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment.
"At a minimum, the Forest Service should have conducted surveys of the project area to determine whether its activities would harm the species and its habitat," Murphy, a research professor in biology at UNR, said in a statement. "But instead the agency put on blinders to the impacts of the project hoping no one would notice."
Information from: Tahoe Daily Tribune


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The Mueller Investigation
Season 2019 Episode 5 | 54m 18s | Video has closed captioning.
For two years, special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election has dominated headlines. Drawing from interviews with U.S. officials, Trump advisers, legal experts and journalists, FRONTLINE offers an inside look into the investigation that President Donald Trump has continually deemed a "witch hunt."
Aired: 03/22/19
Buy Now:
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning


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4-year-old mails cake to heaven to celebrate dead mother's 30th birthday
A 4-year-old Florida girl wanted to celebrate her mom's birthday in a special way.
Bella Graham's mom, Jessica, died of a pulmonary embolism two years ago. Jessica would have turned 30 this year, and Bella wanted to make sure she had a memorable birthday.
"She started expressing concern that Mommy wouldn't have a birthday cake in heaven," said Laura Fisher, Jessica's mother and Bella's grandmother.
Laura, a professional baker, helped Bella make a cake.
With the help of the U.S. Postal Service, Bella mailed the cake to heaven.
The post office even made a special line for Bella's delivery.
The 4-year-old was glad her mom could celebrate the special day, even if she's not here on Earth.
"They have no idea how much it meant to her, to be able to do that for her mom," said Laura.


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Performance Parts Guide - Power In A Box
Open Box, Add Tools, Get Performance
We've said it before and you've read it before: You can't just bolt on a random combination of parts and expect to see serious performance gains. The key to getting a solid increase in torque and horsepower is finding the right combination of parts. Sure, you could buy yourself an assortment of accessories, rent some chassis-dyno time and have fun seeing which parts work best together. But that's a little cost-prohibitive and labor-intensive for most of us.
Fortunately, there are plenty of people who make their living doing this kind of testing. And they've very graciously put together performance-enhancing packages based on the results of their research.
Here we've got the scoop on 18 different parts combinations that will improve the performance of a wide variety of 4x4 vehicles. To be included in this story, the parts had to be sold as a package. This makes your life easy: All you have to do is call up these companies and tell 'em which kit you want.
The convenience factor is a big reason why we love these kits. But the dollar-to-value ratio is the biggest reason. By purchasing parts that were designed to work together in harmony, you'll be spending your money wisely, and you'll be getting the grunt you and your rig deserve.
Package name: SysteMAX II
For which vehicles? Trucks with '67-'86 Chevy small-block engines
Horsepower gain: As much as 150-200 (depending on original engine), with new and improved total power output of as much as 425 hp (on a fresh 355 short-block with 9.8:1 compression, zero deck clearance and 1 5/8-inch headers using a 750-cfm Holley Double Pumper carb)
Torque gain: As much as 150-200 lb-ft, with total torque of more than 400 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A Lunati camshaft (235/240 duration at 0.050-inch lift, 0.490/0.490 lift, 112-degree lobe separation, 107 centerline)
* High-bleed flat tappet hydraulic lifters
* An intake manifold
* A timing set
* Hardened pushrods
* ARP head bolts
* Holley aluminum cylinder heads with provisions to bolt on all engine accessories; they feature heat crossover passages, 68cc combustion chambers and 2.02/1.60-inch exhaust/intake valves
Why would I want it? You'd be getting a seriously torque-oriented setup that's still mild enough to run happily on pump gas. The Lunati cam was designed to provide greater air-charge density, maximize mixture combustion and give constant port velocity. And the double-roller timing chain and gears provide smooth, precise timing for more power production.
How much does it cost? $1,800
Contact: Holley Tech Service, Dept. FW, P.O. Box 10360, Bowling Green, KY 42101, 270/781-9741, for nearest dealer: 800/HOLLEY-1, www.holley.com
Package name: Rat Pack Performance System
For which vehicles? '00-'04 GM trucks and SUVs with the 5.3L Vortec engine (packages are also available for '94-'04 Dodge Rams with gas engines and '97-'04 Ford F-150s and F-250s with gas engines)
Horsepower gain: 40 hp at the rear wheels
Torque gain: 60 lb-ft at the rear wheels
What's in the box?
* Gibson after-cat exhaust system
* Airaid intake
* Airaid throttle-body spacer
* Hypertech computerreprogrammer
Why would I want it? Desert Rat's team has researched a wide combination of parts from various manufacturers and put together this package focusing on performance, price and quality; the team created what it calls the "power-to-price ratio." Plus, the focus is on torque even more than horsepower. And we're talking low-end torque at that, thanks especially to the throttle-body spacer, which increases torque from off-idle to 3,500 rpm. The intake also gives you faster air delivery and more flow, while the exhaust reduces backpressure. The computer tuner brings it all together, and allows you to change shift points and make additional tuning modifications.
How much does it cost? $875
Contact: Desert Rat Truck Centers, Dept. FW, 3705 S. Palo Verde, Tucson, AZ 85713, 866/241-5337, www.desertrat.com
Package name: Truck Super Tune-Up Kits
For which vehicles? Eighteen applications covering most Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC and Jeep late-model six- and eight-cylinder pickups, vans and SUVs from the mid-'80s to current
Horsepower gain: 5 to 10 percent
Torque gain: 5 to 10 percent
What's in the box?
* A matched ACCEL custom-fit wire set
* An ACCEL distributor cap and rotor
* ACCEL U-Groove spark plugs (some kits are available with ACCEL Shorty Header Spark Plugs if you need added clearance because of headers)
Why would I want it? This setup is able to tolerate lots of heat and make more power, plus it dramatically improves driveability. The quality of the parts is much higher than a typical tune-up kit too. The race-proven ACCEL U-Groove copper-core spark plugs maximize burn efficiency for improved performance and reduced emissions. The 8mm custom-fit Extreme 9000 wire set has heat-reflective-coated spark-plug boots rated to 1,200 degrees F., and the double silicone wire has a low-resistance Ferro-Spiral core. The distributor cap and rotors are precision molded of impact-resistant high-dielectric-strength compounds, with brass or copper inserts and stainless steel contact springs.
How much does it cost? Starting at $79.95
Contact: ACCEL, Mr. Gasket Performance Group, Dept. FW, 10601 Memphis Ave., No. 12, Cleveland, OH 44144, 216/688-8300, www.mrgasket.com
Package name: Nissan Super Charged Performance Package
For which vehicles? '01-'04 Nissan Frontier S/C
Horsepower gain: 45 hp
Torque gain: 35 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A stainless steel after-cat exhaust system
* A K&N Air Charger kit and filter
* High performance cams
* A 2.3-inch pulley
* Pulley puller tool kit
Why would I want it? Your engine is a big air pump. This system allows for more airflow going in and out. The pulley swap increases boost. The cams provide an increase in both lift and duration. Overall, the increase in power is tailored to make it easier to turn larger tires and to pull you and all your gear through rugged terrain.
How much does it cost? $1,265
Contact: Automotive Customizers, Dept. FW, 1538 SW 7th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33060, 954/785-4223
Package name: Six-Gun Bundle
For which vehicles? '01-'04 Chevrolet and GMC trucks with the Duramax 6.6L, '03-'04 Ford trucks with the Power Stroke 6.0L, '99-'03 Ford trucks with the 7.3L Power Stroke and '03-'04 Dodge Rams with the Cummins 5.9L
Horsepower gain: Up to 155 hp
Torque gain: Up to 385 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A Banks Six-Gun Diesel Tuner
* A Banks Speed-Loader upgrade
* A Banks 100-percent stainless 4-inch constant-diameter Monster exhaust system
* A polished stainless 4-inch straight-through Monster muffler with Banks' exclusive expansion chamber
* A 5-inch polished stainless double-wall tailpipe tip with rolled edge
* A Banks BigHead wastegate actuator
* A Banks Ram-Air filter assembly
* A turbine outlet pipe
* A DynaFact boost gauge and pyrometer assembly
* Note: Contents vary by application.
Why would I want it? Unbelievable increases in torque from trucks that are already torque monsters. In fact, the wastegate actuator helps your engine produce tremendous torque right off idle. The easy-breathing intake and free-flowing exhaust dramatically increase the volume of air you can move. And you wind up with a rich, rumbly exhaust note too.
How much does it cost? Starting at $1,398
Contact: Gale Banks Engineering, Dept. FW, 546 Duggan Ave., Azusa, CA 91702, 800/277-1991, www.bankspower.com
Package name: Power Package
For which vehicles? '00-'04 Chevy and GMC light-duty trucks with the 4.8L/5.3L/6.0L engine families
Horsepower gain: 46 hp on a 4.8L engine
Torque gain: 40 lb-ft on a 4.8L engine
What's in the box?
* Your choice of two Crane camshafts:
1. Part number 1449555 has 272/280 advertised duration; 210/218 degrees duration at 0.050-inch lift; 0.531/0.531-inch valve lift; 114-degree lobe separation. (This cam is ideal for all-around use, including towing a boat or camper.)
2. Part number 1449565 has 278/286 advertised duration; 216/224 degrees duration at 0.050-inch lift; 0.551/0.551-inch valve lift; 115-degree lobe separation. (This is a "Sport Truck" cam, designed for street performance in a truck that will not be towing.)
* Crane dual-coil valve springs (Their quiet operation prevents false knock readings, which can result in computer-retarded ignition and degrade performance.)
* Titanium valve-spring retainers
* Your choice of two Quick Lift roller rocker kits, either 1.7:1 or 1.8:1. Kits include screw-in studs, pushrod guideplates and special length, thick-wall pushrods. These rockers provide full lash adjustability and fit under the stock valve covers. The 1.8-ratio rockers increase lift approximately 0.030 inch and add approximately 2 degrees duration at 0.050 inch lift to any cam.
* An LS1 valve-spring compressor, which compresses two springs at once and makes changing valve springs on the vehicle a snap.
* A Crane Powermax Power Tuner, which includes three performance-camshaft tuning levels. It's even ready for additional modifications to your truck, including the addition of an aftermarket supercharger, high-flow injectors, headers, an after-cat exhaust system, larger tires, gear changes, a cold-air intake and more.
Why would I want it? It provides an improvement in torque and power from just off idle to 6,000 rpm, thanks to Quick Lift rocker-arm geometry. It accelerates all of the lift events and causes the cams to have power outputs equal to cams 6 degrees larger at 0.050, while still retaining the short seat-to-seat valve timing that allows custom tuning without any degradation of driveability or compromise of the OBD-II engine control system. This provides a total enhancement of the driving experience whether it is off-road or on the highway. Plus, the hand-held tuner enables you to make the most of additional performance modifications down the road.
How much does it cost? About $1,984
Contact: Crane Cams, Dept. FW, 530 Fentress Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114, 386/252-1151, www.cranecams.com
Package name: 435 Horsepower RPM E-Tec Roller Cam Total Power Package
For which vehicles? GMC and Chevrolet pickups and SUVs equipped with a small-block Chevy engine
Horsepower gain: About 125 hp compared with Edelbrock's Performer crate engine, which produces 310 hp-actual gains can be much higher depending on the engine in question
Torque gain: About 53 lb-ft when compared with Edelbrock's Performer crate engine, which produces 382 lb-ft of torque-actual gains can be much higher depending on the engine in question
What's in the box?
* RPM Air-Gap intake manifold
* 64cc RPM E-Tec aluminum cylinder heads
* RPM roller camshaft
* Timing chain and gearset
* Lifters
* Intake gasket set
* Hardened pushrod set
* Hardened head bolt set
* Intake bolt set
** Recommended carburetor (not included): Edelbrock Thunder Series 800-cfm
Why would I want it? Edelbrock has spent thousands of hours designing, testing and refining this recipe. These components were designed and engineered specifically to work with one another, so you get great performance and great durability. This setup produces 435 hp at 5,500 rpm and 435 lb-ft of torque, based on a stock-bore 350ci small-block
How much does it cost? Less than $2,500
Contact: Edelbrock, Dept. FW, 2700 California St., Torrance, CA 90503, 310/781-2222, tech line: 800/416-8628, www.edelbrock.com
Package name: Stage Three Performance Package
For which vehicles? GMC and Chevrolet Duramax, Ford Power Stroke and Dodge Cummins diesel trucks
Horsepower gain: Up to 111 hp
Torque gain: Up to 231 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A MagnaFlow turbo-back or downpipe-back performance exhaust system with 4-inch mandrel-bent stainless steel tubing (even larger 5-inch tubing is available for the Cummins high-output diesel)
* A MagnaFlow mirror-finish performance muffler and a polished 5-inch-diameter tip (or 6-inch tip with 5-inch tubing)
* A K&N Fuel Injection Performance Kit (FIPK)
* MagnaFlow performance tuning for your computer
Why would I want it? The extreme torque gains make it easy to power your truck over obstacles and navigate difficult terrain-not to mention tow or haul heavy loads and pull your friends out of the mud. The extremely easy-to-use hand-held computer programmer comes with an optimal curve to perfectly suit the MagnaFlow exhaust and K&N FIPK for a dramatic but safe increase in power. You also can return to your factory curve at any time or change the performance curve to suit your needs, whether for towing or a change from rockcrawling to desert racing. The K&N intake improves airflow into your engine, while MagnaFlow's mandrel-bent tubing and wide-open muffler design dramatically improve exhaust flow to virtually eliminate backpressure and improve performance.
How much does it cost? Starting at $1,355
Contact: MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, Dept. FW, 22961 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, 949/858-5900, www.magnaflow.com
Package name: 500 Cubic Inch Big Block Chrysler Stroker Crank Kit
For which vehicles? Trucks equipped with a 440ci Mopar engine
Horsepower gain: Depends on your combination, but the folks over at Mopar Performance built an engine with comparable components that had 9:1 compression, Stage V heads and a rather mild 0.505 lift, 292 duration cam and achieved 505 hp
Torque gain: Again, depends on your combination, but the Mopar Performance mill whomped out 590 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A brand-new forged 4340 steel crankshaft with a 4.150-inch stroke
* PAW 4340 H-beam connecting rods with 0.990-diameter bushed pin ends
* Custom-made forged pistons
* Moly rings
* Rod bearings
* Main bearings
Why would I want it? Because stroking your engine is the perfect way to produce gobs of bottom-end and mid-range torque, which is exactly what you need. (The kit turns a 440 into a 500-cube monster when you take the block 0.060 over.)
How much does it cost? $2,095
Contact: Performance Automotive Warehouse, Dept. FW, 21001 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth, CA 91311, 818/678-3000, www.pawengineparts.com
Package name: Torque And Horsepower Performance Package
For which vehicles? '99-'04 Chevy Silverado 1500s with the 4.8L/5.3L/6.0L family of engines
Horsepower gain: Up to 50 hp
Torque gain: Up to 68 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* A Gibson after-cat exhaust system
* An Airaid intake system
* Hypertech Power Programmer
Why would I want it? The combination works well due to the increase in airflow-both on the way into your engine and on the way back out. Plus, the computer tuner makes sure your engine takes best advantage of the increase in air. Because this is a torque-oriented package, it's ideal for most four-wheeling situations.
How much does it cost? Starting at $914.95
Contact: 4Wheel Parts, 800/284-9426, www.4wheelparts.com
Package name: Stage 3 Performance Combo
For which vehicles? Most '88-'04 Chevy, GMC, Ford, Dodge, Jeep and Toyota pickups and SUVs, both gas and diesel
Horsepower gain: From 65 to 80 hp
Torque gain: From 70 to 85 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* An after-cat exhaust system
* Headers
* A computer reprogrammer, chip and/or module
* An intake system
Why would I want it? By improving your engine's efficiency, this easy bolt-on, smog-legal package provides more torque, more horsepower and 15-25 percent better fuel economy. Efficiency gains come from 50 percent better air intake flow, reduced exhaust backpressure and changes to the fuel and timing curves that produce a better burn of the intake charge. This system also does not void your factory warranty, according to Performance Combos.
How much does it cost? Starting from $999
Contact: Performance Combos, 800/875-2112 (ask for performance tech), www.performancecombos.com
Package name: SLP PerformancePac
For which vehicles? '99-'04 Chevrolet and GMC pickups and SUVs
Horsepower gain: 55 hp on a 6.0L
Torque gain: 55 lb-ft on a 6.0L
What's in the box?
* SLP Power-Flo 100 percent stainless-steel after-cat exhaust system
* SLP Power-Flo stainless-steel headers (available with or without an aluminum ceramic coating)
* SLP 1.85:1-ratio rocker arms (which replace 1.7:1 stock rockers)
* SLP custom tuning, installed via a hand-held computer tuner
* SLP cold-air induction system and air filter
Why would I want it? These packages are particularly well suited to four-wheeling and heavy-duty applications, since they increase horsepower and torque throughout the rpm range. This is in dramatic contrast to many power-enhancing modifications, which shift your engine's powerband to a higher rpm range-undesirable for a vehicle that will spend the bulk of its time trundling up hills or slogging through the mud. Also, because it does not degrade driveability, the PerformancePac is perfect for dual-purpose vehicles that split their time between pavement and trail.
How much does it cost? $2,069-$2,369
Contact: Stylin' Concepts, Dept. FW, 7820 E. Pleasant Valley Rd., Independence, OH 44131, 800/434-6648, www.stylinconcepts.com
Package name: Big G Performance Pack
For which vehicles? '99-'03 Ford pickups and SUVs with 4.6L and 5.4L engines
Horsepower gain: 35 hp
Torque gain: 40 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* Granatelli/DiabloSport Predator Flash computer tuner
* Granatelli Cold Air Intake System
* Granatelli Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)
Why would I want it? This setup gives you a solid increase in horsepower and torque at a reasonable price, and with a minimal amount of work. And you don't sacrifice driveability or fuel economy. By swapping the factory airbox for this cold-air intake and changing MAFs, you get a dramatic increase in intake airflow. Simply put, it's harder for your engine to inhale through the factory airbox than it is to inhale through this low-resistance system, so this package enables your engine to breathe more easily and accelerate through the powerband faster. As for the Granatelli/DiabloSport Predator Flash tool, this simple plug-and-play tuner installs into the factory ALDL connector under the dash and reflashes your factory ECM. It doesn't leave a footprint or signature, so it is undetectable by the dealer. But it does allow you to correct for wheel-and-tire changes and gear-ratio changes, as well as change the transmission shifting load, firmness, rpm and line pressure.
How much does it cost? $899
Contact: Granatelli Motor Sports, Dept. FW, 1000 Yarnell Pl., Oxnard, CA 93033, 805/486-6644, www.granatellimotorsports.com
Package name: Stage 3 Performance Upgrade
For which vehicles? Most late-model Chevrolet, GMC, Ford and Dodge pickups and SUVs
Horsepower gain: An average of 40-50 hp
Torque gain: An average of 60-65 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* Volant intake system
* JBA stainless steel exhaust system
* Granatelli Predator computer tuner
Why would I want it? The power gain is the obvious benefit of this package. It also enhances your truck's exhaust tone and reduces weight, thanks to the change in exhaust and intake systems. The stainless exhaust system also stands up well to salted roads and ocean-oriented 'wheeling. Another plus is the reusable air filter, which can be cleaned after dusty trail rides. A cleanable and reusable pre-filter is optional, if you know you're tough on air filters. Plus, the computer tuner eliminates your rig's top-speed governor, recalibrates the speedometer (key if you've changed gears or installed taller tires), changes shifting points, power-tunes your vehicle and provides the ability to read scan codes, in case you're setting some codes with your various modifications.
How much does it cost? From $850 to $1,200
Contact: Stillen, Dept. FW, 3176 Airway, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 866/250-5542, www.stillen.com
Package name: Bully Dog Diesel Tuning Performance Package
For which vehicles? '03-'04 Chevrolet and GMC Duramax trucks, '99-'04 Ford trucks with the 7.3L and 6.0L Power Stroke, '03-'04 Dodge trucks with the Cummins diesel
Horsepower gain: 80-130 hp
Torque gain: 185-302 lb-ft
What's in the box?
* Bully Dog power module, computer chip or downloader
* Bully Dog 4-inch Rapid Flow aluminized-steel exhaust system
* Bully Dog RFI air intake
* Bully Dog exhaust temperature gauge (pyrometer)
* Bully Dog boost gauge
* Gauge pod designed to hold both gauges and mount on your truck's A-pillar
Why would I want it? Bully Dog's kit makes diesel tuning simple and really rewarding. The parts combo was carefully designed to provide good, safe gains in horsepower and torque while maintaining reliability. And it provides more info on what's happening under your truck's hood.
How much does it cost? Prices vary by application; from Jeg's, it's $1,232.99-$1,647.99
Contact: Jeg's, Dept. FW, 101 Jeg's Pl., Delaware, OH 43015, 800/345-4545, www.jegs.com
Package name: Opti-Max Performance Systems
For which vehicles? Most '95-'05 gas and diesel Chevrolet, GMC, Ford and Dodge pickups and SUVs
Horsepower gain: Up to 40 hp for gas-powered trucks, up to 205 hp for diesels
Torque gain: Up to 65 lb-ft for gas-powered trucks, up to 310 lb-ft for diesels
What's in the box?
* Advanced Flow Engineering air intake system
* MBRP performance exhaust system
* Superchips, Predator, VanAaken or Edge performance computer programmer (varies by application)
* Auto Meter transmission temperature gauge
* For diesels only: Auto Meter boost and exhaust temperature gauges
Why would I want it? These systems are dyno matched so you gain the maximum safe horsepower and torque from your specific drivetrain combination. Every Opti-Max Performance System optimizes the fuel delivery, injection pulse width, timing and intake and exhaust flow through electronic and airflow modifications. Not only will you have more grunt for four-wheeling, you'll be able to haul heavier loads and tow far more easily, while getting better gas mileage too.
How much does it cost? $949.99-$2,399.99
Contact: Diesel Performance Parts, Dept. FW, 1136 Fourth Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37210, 866/455-7788, local: 615/251-1252, www.dieselperformanceparts.com
Package name: Power Pak
For which vehicles? Trucks with a small-block Chrysler engine
Horsepower gain: Depends heavily on your air/fuel delivery system and your heads, but expect a 15- to 20-percent gain
Torque gain: About 70 to 80 lb-ft at around 2,900 rpm
What's in the box?
* 4.00-inch stroker crankshaft
* Probe Power forged pistons
* Perfect Circle plasma moly rings
* Stock Chrysler 360 connecting rods (shotpeened and sized) with ARP rod bolts
* Clevite Performance Series engine bearings
* Harmonic balancer (balancing included)
Why would I want it? This affordable rotating assembly provides big-block-style torque for your small-block. Plus, those torque gains are realized at very low rpm-between 2,000 and 2,500. This is perfect for four-wheeling, especially for you rockcrawlers who want to ease off the clutch and climb a boulder. You won't believe the bottom-end torque available from this combo.
How much does it cost? $1,450
Contact: Performance Engine, Dept. FW, 6110 Paramount Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90805, 888/770-4888, www.performancengine.com
Package name: Big-Block Rotating Kit
For which vehicles? For trucks with big-block Chevy engines
Horsepower gain: Varies dramatically depending on your combination, but this kit can produce as much as 1,500 hp-and it will make 500 hp with ease-depending on your cam, cylinder heads and so on.
Torque gain: Varies dramatically depending on your combination, but definitely oriented toward extreme bottom-end torque
What's in the box?
* A 4340 forged-steel crankshaft
* Eagle H-beam connecting rods
* JE or Wiseco forged aluminum pistons
* JE or Speed Pro rings
* Clevite bearings
Why would I want it? The low-compression stroker kit will net you 9.5 to 10:1 compression, depending on your cylinder heads-and it provides gobs of low-end torque. It's also tough to beat the dependability you'll get with this package. If you're not building a super-high-horsepower race engine, these parts will deliver all day long. Each kit comes prepped for final assembly, including high-speed balancing, and buying all the parts at once saves you a bundle. The company also determines the correct pin location and rod length for your application.
How much does it cost? $2,299
Contact: Bill Mitchell Hardcore Racing Products, Dept. FW, 51 Trade Zone Ct., Ronkonkoma, NY 11779, 631/737-0372, www.theengineshop.com
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The modified (beyond recognition) Meringue – the 'Pavlova' – is revealed! Linen really is such a beautiful fabric to work with.
|Not quite sure what I'm doing here…
but it's a good shot of the skirt!
When I went to put on this skirt, I realised after dumping my entire wardrobe on the bed that I have NOTHING to go with this skirt. I had specifically made this top to wear with it, but turns out it looks better out than tucked in…
So I'm going to need to make something to wear with it – something other than this boring grey cotton top. I'm thinking a pale yellow Sorbetto. I haven't jumped on that bandwagon yet, so it's about time. I keep seeing everyone else's and the pale yellow is in line with the original inspiration for this skirt – the Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 RTW collection (via style.com):
As you can probably tell, I ended up making a LOT of changes to the Meringue.
Summed in short, I moved the zip from the side to the centre back, added a vent and a waistband. The straight hemmed Meringue was tapered to make it look more like a pencil skirt, and the scalloped Meringue on top has been hoiked up and adjusted to match the side seams and waistband.
But the biggest challenge by far was matching the scallops to the cut-outs in the white linen. The Colette scallops were about 12cm wide on the size 6 skirt I used, but the repeat of the cut-outs in my fabric was 11cm in width. I wanted to 'match' the linen to the scallops – Calamity Central! The 11cm repeat meant I'd either have a peplum-skirt that was too big or too small (multiples of 11!). In the end I compromised and I have one mini scallop at the back. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this – it does look a wee bit odd!
On the other hand – check out the seam matching at the back:
I'm pleased to say this is yet another garment where I'm as happy with the inside as I am with the outside. I love seeing the insides of other people's garments, so indulge me whilst I show you mine:
To try and reduce the bulk around the hips, I made the top half of the underskirt from silk I had left over from a previous project that just happened to match. Lovely!
Sadly for me, this is where my participation in the 5 month long Colette Sewalong ends… I just have too many other projects on my mind – and then at the end of March, Mr poppykettle and I are heading off to South America! Whoohoo!
It's been a stinking hot weekend here in Melbourne – but perfect beach weather. Shortly after these photo's were done and dusted, Mr. poppykettle & I enjoyed a lavish picnic whilst watching the sun set…


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NFL advises teams on signing Aaron Hernandez
League to decide if tight end should be suspended
The NFL told its teams Thursday that any player contract they enter into with Aaron Hernandez before charges against him are resolved won't be approved without a hearing by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The league said the hearing would be to decide if the former New England Patriots tight end should be suspended or face other action before a resolution of the charges is reached. It said no player contract with Hernandez would take effect before a hearing.
Hernandez was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder and weapons counts in the shooting death of a friend, Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was cut by the Patriots after the arrest and before his court appearance and is being held without bail.
Meanwhile, Puma announced Thursday that it has ended its relationship with Hernandez.
The sportswear company ended the two-year contract it agreed to in April with Hernandez, Puma spokesperson Katie Sheptyck said. She did not say how much it was worth.
Hernandez "was going to be involved with our men's training program" but had not started working with Puma and his role wasn't specifically defined, Sheptyck said. The agreement didn't involve product endorsements, she said.
Last Friday, five days before Hernandez was arrested, the company that makes Muscle Milk said it was ending its endorsement deal with him.
CytoSport, based in Benicia, Calif., said in a one-sentence statement that in light of the investigation involving Hernandez, it was terminating its endorsement contract with him effective immediately.
The company, which makes Muscle Milk and other nutritional supplements for athletes, did not disclose the value of the contract or what it called for Hernandez to do.


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Romney: Never paid less than 13 percent in taxes
GREER, S.C. - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney declared Thursday he has paid at least 13 percent of his income in federal taxes every year for the past decade, offering that new detail while still decrying a "small-minded" fascination over returns he will not release. President Barack Obama's campaign shot back in doubt: "Prove it."
Campaigning separately, Romney and running mate Paul Ryan also scrambled to explain their views on overhauling Medicare, the health care program relied on by millions of seniors.
Romney, the former company CEO, set up a whiteboard to make his case with a marker, while lawmaker Ryan resorted to congressional process language to explain why his budget plan includes the same $700 billion Medicare cut that he and Romney are assailing Obama for endorsing.
Essentially, Ryan said, he had to do it because Obama did it first.
Politically, both topics tie into major elements of the presidential race less than three months before the election: how well the candidates relate to the daily concerns and to the life circumstances of typical voters. Democrats are using the tax issue to raise doubts about Romney's trustworthiness - or, as Republicans contend, to distract from a weak economic recovery under Obama.
Romney's comments in South Carolina - at a news conference designed to focus on Medicare - showed that he remains sensitive to criticism of his tax payments but still is determined to release no more than two years of records despite contrary advice from some prominent Republicans.
The Obama campaign has aired an ad that, without evidence, raises the prospect that Romney paid no taxes some years. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., elevated that suggestion by claiming, also without proof, that an anonymous source told him Romney had not paid taxes for 10 years.
"I did go back and look at my taxes and over the past 10 years I never paid less than 13 percent," Romney told reporters after he landed in South Carolina for a fundraising event. "I think the most recent year is 13.6 or something like that. So I paid taxes every single year."
Aides later said Romney meant to say 13.9 percent, the amount he already disclosed for his 2010 federal return.
On average, middle income families, those making from $50,000 to $75,000 a year, pay 12.8 percent of their income in federal taxes, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. In 2010 and 2011, Romney made about $21 million a year.
Romney is able to keep his tax rate low because most of his income is from investments, which are generally taxed at a lower rate than wages. That type of legal tax figuring is something Obama has proposed changing, although his campaign notably said nothing about Romney's self-described tax rate itself.
Instead, the campaign targeted only Romney's truthfulness, refusing to accept his answer and pressuring him to release years of earlier tax returns.
"Prove it," said Obama spokeswoman Lis Smith. "Given Mitt Romney's secrecy about his returns, coupled with the revelations in just the one return we have seen to date and the inconsistencies between this one return and his other financial disclosures, he has forfeited the right to have us take him just at his word."
Reid's office said much the same. Romney demanded that Reid "put up" the name of his anonymous source.
"Given the challenges that America faces - 23 million people out of work, Iran about to become nuclear, one out of six Americans in poverty - the fascination with taxes I've paid I find to be very small-minded," Romney said.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have released their returns for the years since 2000. The Obamas paid 20.5 percent in federal income taxes in 2011.
Ryan, meanwhile, found himself doing his own explaining.
He and Romney have launched a new strategy this week of criticizing Obama for taking more than $700 billion in Medicare funds to help pay for his health care overhaul. Yet those same cuts are in a House Republican budget blueprint authored by Ryan.
A reporter pressed him on the issue during a stop at a hot dog restaurant in Warren, Ohio.
His explanation was that the Medicare cuts were part of the existing baseline budget, including the Obama health care law he opposes.
"It gets a little wonky, but it was already in the baseline," Ryan said. "We would never have done it in the first place."
Romney hadn't scheduled any public events but put together a last-minute news conference to explain the differences between his Medicare plan and Obama's.
"Which of these two do you think is better?" Romney asked as he stood under a glaring sun at an airport.
Romney says Obama has cut $716 billion from the Medicare trust fund to pay for his national health care overhaul, weakening the program. Those cuts, mostly from health providers and insurance plans instead of directly from beneficiaries, would decrease the cost of the entitlement program over time and extend the life of the trust fund.
Ryan's budget would make those same cuts, though he would use the savings differently.
Romney - and Ryan, since joining the ticket - insist the cuts must be restored. That could make Medicare go bankrupt more quickly. But Romney says other parts of his plan, including giving fewer benefits to wealthier retirees, would keep Medicare solvent in the long term.
Independent groups say he has not supplied enough details to determine whether he would significantly shore up Medicare in years to come.
Democratic strategists and party officials say that while they still expect the race to stay close through the fall, they sense a slight shift in Obama's favor over the past two weeks. However, they expect Romney to get a boost following his party's convention and say a dismal economic report right before the election could pull votes his way.
Obama spent the day in White House meetings save for a stop at Democratic National Committee headquarters. Romney is devoting most of this week, and much of next week, to raising money in non-competitive states including Alabama, South Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.


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Company News Release
SAS Life Science Analytics Framework helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device manufacturers effortlessly gather, standardize, and analyze research data from start to finish
Analytics leader SAS has developed software to help clinical researchers instantly query and analyze data in the cloud. With the new offering, biopharmaceutical organizations can improve the efficiency and productivity of clinical research and speed lifesaving therapies and devices to market.
SAS® Life Science Analytics Framework combines features of SAS Drug Development and SAS Clinical Data Integration to provide a single, integrated analytics foundation for clinical research. The solution delivers three key efficiencies:
"From an information management perspective, the world is becoming an order of magnitude more complex, with highly challenging, diverse data security and regulatory compliance process requirements," said Alan Louie PhD, Research Director, IDC Health Insights. "As a result, R&D is undergoing a significant transformation as companies seek to improve the efficiency of their new drug development. SAS is well poised with its latest software to help customers get the most value from their clinical research data."
For more than a decade, SAS has been securely hosting clinical research solutions for life science companies in the cloud. This offering builds on that track record.
"Data is the rocket fuel for innovation in life sciences," said Graham Hughes, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the SAS Center for Health Analytics and Insights. "Anything that speeds up the process of data analysis is usually rapidly embraced by our customers, and SAS' cloud-based Life Science Analytics Framework does just that by reducing deployment time and technical complexity for customers, while providing reliable access to the most widely adopted analytic tools in the industry."
SAS will demonstrate its life sciences products in Booth 1323 during the DIA 2014 Annual Meeting in San Diego, June 16-18. Learn more about SAS Life Science Analytics Framework and read Deploying an Analytics Foundation for Clinical Research.
SAS for health analytics encompasses the technologies and skills needed to deliver best-in-class solutions for improving medical care, strengthening financial performance, deepening customer relationships and pursuing medical innovations. For more than three decades, leading life sciences companies such as AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and PSKW have relied on SAS Analytics for drug discovery, clinical trials, sales and marketing, and manufacturing. Visit SAS® for Life Sciences for more information.


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CHICO >> A boost of 700 new full-time faculty members for state universities will bolster teaching staff at Chico State by 36 tenure-track faculty in the coming year, university officials said Monday.
The hiring decision came as the system is under pressure to move undergraduates more quickly through the system and reduce reliance on temporary instructors, the Los Angeles Times reported. Money for the new hiring will come primarily from a $125 million increase in state funding last year and the juggling of resources on individual campuses.
"This is a really exciting prospect for the campus and also for the community," said Wenshu Lee, associate vice president for faculty affairs at Chico State.
Until recent years, tenure-track faculty hiring has been in the single digits at Chico State, but in 2012-13, the hirings increased to 17, followed by 35 this year and 36 anticipated for 2014-15. The increases are consistent with University President Paul Zingg's narrative of adding 100 faculty over the next few years, Lee said.
"We are well on track for that target," she said. "Just imagine — 100 good jobs for the local community."
The timing of the recruitment process shifted this year from fall to spring in order to be more competitive in recruiting, "so we can hire early, hire proactively and hire the best crop," she said. Tenure-track professors not only teach courses but also provide services such as advising and committee work that also benefit the campus.
"They are hired because of their research scholarship as well as their prospect of being very good teachers," she said.
The hope is the hiring of premium teachers will also benefit students by speeding up graduation rates and increase quality and quantity of offerings, although specific details are unknown because it will be dictated by the budget, Lee said.
Chico State has already implemented its "Aim 4 Four" initiative, which the reduction of bottleneck classes to provide resources that help students move through the education process in a timely manner. The four-year graduation rate increased this year by 3 percent, a very strong sign, Lee said.
Gov. Jerry Brown's 2014-15 budget proposes an additional $142.2 million for both the California State University and the University of California systems, the Los Angeles Times reported. Cal State schools are looking at record demand in the fall, with the number of undergraduate applications at its 23 campuses expected to exceed 760,000.
In 2010, there were only 108 new hires for the system. Last year, there were just 470.
From 2008 to 2013, the number of full-time, tenured faculty members or those on a tenure track declined from about 10,700 to 9,800, the university system said.
From 1991 to 2013, enrollment grew from about 362,000 to 446,000.
Contact reporter Ashley Gebb at 896-7768. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Blackouts Plague Energy-Rich Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela — This country may be an energy colossus, with the largest conventional oil reserves outside the Middle East and one of the world's mightiest hydroelectric systems, but that has not prevented it from enduring serious electricity and water shortages that seem only to be getting worse.
President Hugo Chávez has been facing a public outcry in recent weeks over power failures that, after six nationwide blackouts in the last two years, are cutting electricity for hours each day in rural areas and in industrial cities like Valencia and Ciudad Guayana. Now, water rationing has been introduced here in the capital.
The deterioration of services is perplexing to many here, especially because the country had grown used to cheap, plentiful electricity and water in recent decades. But even as the oil boom was enriching his government and Mr. Chávez asserted greater control over utilities and other industries in this decade, public services seemed only to decay, adding to residents' frustrations.
With oil revenues declining and the economy slowing, the shortages may have no quick fixes in sight. The government announced some emergency measures this week, including limits on imports of air-conditioning systems, rate increases for consumers of large amounts of power and the building of new gas-fired power plants, which would not be completed until the middle of the next decade.
Skepticism also persists over another plan — to develop a nuclear energy program — because it would require billions of dollars and extensive training of Venezuelan scientists at a time of budget shortfalls and falling oil production. Potential diplomatic resistance to Venezuela's cooperation on nuclear matters with Iran could slow these ambitions further.
"We're paying for the mistakes of this president and his incompetent managers," said Aixa López, 39, president of the Committee of Blackout Victims, which has organized protests in several cities. In some cities, protesters have left household appliances on the steps of state electricity companies.
In response, the president is embarking on his own crusade: pushing Venezuelans to conserve by mocking their consumption habits.
He began his critique last month with the amount of time citizens spent under their shower heads, saying three-minute showers were sufficient. "I've counted and I don't end up stinking," he said. "I guarantee it."
Then he went after the country's ubiquitous love motels and shopping malls, accusing them of waste. "Buy your own generator," he threatened, "or I'll cut off your lights." He similarly laid blame with "oligarchs," a frequently used insult here for the rich, for overconsumption of water in gardens and swimming pools.
Mr. Chávez is even going after his countrymen's expanding waistlines. "Watch out for the fat people," he said last month, citing a study finding a jump in obesity. "Time to lose weight through dieting and exercise."
While Mr. Chávez zeroes in on such issues, Venezuela's declining public services offer what may be a view into the "resource curse": the idea that some countries with abundant natural resources have societies hampered by sometimes sharp political discord, stunted growth and glaring inefficiencies.
On paper, at least, Venezuela should be swimming in surplus power. The country has huge reserves of oil and natural gas and sizable coal deposits. Its Guri dam complex, built with postwar oil riches in the 1960s, ranks as one of the world's largest hydroelectric projects.
Guri provides Venezuela with as much as three-quarters of its electricity and, just as crucial, allows Venezuela to export about 500,000 barrels of oil a day that might otherwise be needed to meet electricity demand.
But energy economists here said a combination of negligence and poor planning pushed Guri to its limit in this decade, while other electricity projects, including several built in recent years to be fueled by natural gas, remain completely or partly idle.
Mr. Chávez's government blames relatively low rainfall this year for low water levels at Guri and for declining water supplies for Caracas. But former officials in Mr. Chávez's government interviewed here said the problems were more daunting than a lack of rain.
They said the president encouraged consumption with a 2002 decree freezing electricity and other utility rates. A time-zone change by Mr. Chávez in 2007 that turned clocks back half an hour also led consumption to climb (the sun sets earlier here than before).
Meanwhile, nationalization effectively halted renewable-energy projects, like a plan by the AES Corporation, which used to control the main electricity company in Caracas, for a wind farm on the Paraguaná Peninsula. Despite Venezuela's large wind and solar potential, renewable energy here remains negligible.
Most significant, though, may be the government's failure to use its immense natural gas reserves, the second largest in the Western Hemisphere after those of the United States, to fuel existing power plants.
Venezuela's gas is technically hard to extract because almost 90 percent of it is associated with oil, but major projects have languished even as Venezuela's neighbor, Trinidad, taps adjacent gas reserves with ease. Venezuela relies on Colombia, with which ties are increasingly tense, for gas imports.
As a result, there is a disconnect between Venezuela's energy potential and its ability to keep the lights on. Billboards here extol a "natural gas revolution" and the prowess demonstrated by a satellite put into orbit last year with China's assistance, while daily blackouts plague poor areas where the satellite was supposed to help provide phone and Internet services.
"The problem isn't a lack of money," said Víctor Poleo, a former Energy Ministry official under Mr. Chávez. "It's the irresponsible and corrupt militarism that has replaced the professionalism of the industry."
Meanwhile, homes and businesses across the country are adapting to the erratic supply of power and, here in Caracas, of water. Sales of small generators, candles and water storage tanks are surging. Reflecting the unease of the already strained industrial base, which developed around access to ample and cheap power, Sidor, a steel maker in Ciudad Guayana, said it was shutting down its furnaces five hours a day because of the cuts.
"If this crisis teaches us something," said Fernando Branger, an energy expert at the Institute of Superior Administration Studies, a Caracas business school, "it is that the immensity of our energy reserves means nothing if we cannot even get them out of the ground."


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Bringer of bread
In the dog days of early July, when all cooling breezes resolve to leave the city, the aging screenwriter who [...]
Voices of freedom
At first blush, Walter Pierce Park doesn't look like much of a historic landmark. It's a quarter acre expanse of [...]
When hype mars history
When it comes to exaggeration and hyperbole, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has only moved an emotional world further from critical thinking, writes John Freidlander.
Hubert's weather
In the few years before his death in the mid-1990s, something extraordinary came over my uncle Hubert, who was born [...]
Murals in a fix
The vibrant street murals of Washington, D.C., long a fixture of the capital city's alternative art scene, are now confronted with an uncertain future. Contributor Stewart Lawrence explains why.
Come back, Good Humor Man
Strange times indeed when virus hysteria makes fear fashionable and leads moderns to forget how lucky they really are, argues John Freidlander.
Tale of two daughters
I was born in Italy, where I spent 25 years in and near Rome before I met the American man [...]
Too deep
When Alfredo Rampi was trapped in a well near Rome in June 1981, Italy came to a halt.
Hard times for cool heads
Want a lively verbal tussle with someone who's snappy and smart? Say the word and I'll send you my Aunt [...]
Never mind the malaria
Long before slick travel videos and multi-purpose travel apps, the Baedeker was a traveler's bible, and David Amory found a copy of Rome's 1930 version.
Revisiting magic
Bidding farewell to New Orleans comes with a wish that the city's Voodoo roots receive a fairer approach.


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Jesus Lesus! That's a Mega-Typo
Someone misspelled the name of the Vatican's raison d'etre, Jesus, on a commemorative medallion, striking 6,000 gold, silver and bronze coins with the name Lesus. Several of the medallions were sold before someone noticed the error. The remaining medallions were recalled, making the four that were sold collectors items.
The coins were struck by the Italian Mint to honor the papacy of Francis I and carried a Latin inscription which the Pope said inspired him to join the Catholic priesthood:
Vidit ergo Jesus publicanum et quia miserando antque eligendo vidit, ait illi sequere me (Jesus therefore sees the tax collector, and since he sees by having mercy and by choosing, he says to him, follow me).
I suppose the capital L could be confused with a J if you're looking in a mirror. But more likely "Jesus" was presented as Iesus, since I was J in ancient texts–remember INRI (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum) the Latin reading as "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" — and whoever was doing the inscription for the coin thought I was a lower case L (l) not a J and made a copy-editing decision on their own.
Didn't anyone who speaks Latin check the proofs? Maybe the devil IS in the details–and the Vatican!
Just for fun:
Using Latin gematria, Iesus= 67, and Lesus =70. Running those numbers in the gematria calculator, you can get some interesting results. Using traditional Jewish gematria for 67 produces fap, female, and Im a geek, amongst others; in simple gematria, Elvis, Satanic, and iPhone are some of the meanings. For 70, the traditional is not quite as interesting, resulting in, amongst others, I God, meme, and hidden. In simple gematria 70 is way more fun: robot, Yaweh, women, demons, Adam and Eve, Bernie Mac, cold feet, and zombies are just some of the results.


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Why NYC Drops an 11,875 Pound Ball on New Year's Eve
The tradition dates back to December 31, 1907, though the balls have changed along with technology.
On New Year's Eve, a number of word class cities will harken in 2013 with giant fireworks displays. In New York City, a giant ball suspended above Times Square will slowly descend at midnight.
Until 1903, the largest New Year's Eve gathering of New Yorkers took place at Trinity Church on Wall Street and Broadway. The New York Times described the scene in 1897: "The crowds came from every section of the city, and among the thousands, who cheered or tooted tin horns, as the chimes were rung out on the night, were many from New Jersey, Long Island, and even Staten Island." Things were much the same for another half-dozen years. But as December 31, 1904 approached, many party-goers were persuaded to attend a different celebration far uptown.
Until that time, the area where 7th Avenue, Broadway and 42 Street met was called Long Acre Square. The Detroit Publishing Company sells a print showing what it looked like back in those days:
That narrow building rising all by itself, then the second tallest in New York City, is the just-finished headquarters of The New York Times newspaper. Its publisher, Adolph Ochs, had successfully lobbied city leaders to change Longacre Square's name to Times Square earlier that year. He then resolved to throw a New Year's Eve celebration that would be the talk of the town. "An all-day street festival culminated in a fireworks display set off from the base of the tower," according to an official history published by the Times Square District Management Association, "and at midnight the joyful sound of cheering, rattles and noisemakers from the over 200,000 attendees could be heard, it was said, from as far away as Croton-on-Hudson, thirty miles north."
An annual event was born -- but two years later, the city prohibited the fireworks display. "Ochs was undaunted," the official history continues. "He arranged to have a large, illuminated seven-hundred-pound iron and wood ball lowered from the tower flagpole precisely at midnight to signal the end of 1907 and the beginning of 1908." Thus the origin of today's celebration.
One Times Square has been home to a ball drop ever since, save in 1942 and 1943, when wartime light restrictions caused it to be canceled. The ball itself has changed with technology. The original ball of iron and wood was replaced in 1920 with a 400 pound orb of all iron. In 1955, an aluminum replacement weighed in at a considerably lighter 150 pounds, and was adorned with 180 light bulbs. The New York Times ran a photograph of that ball in 1978, (six years after Dick Clark starting broadcasting in Times Square). It's my favorite of any I've seen:
Though its bulbs were changed in the 1980s to make it look like an apple, that ball more or less survived until 1995, when it was "upgraded" with aluminum skin, rhinestones and computer controls. Are rhinestones ever an upgrade? Perhaps not. The new ball didn't last long. Did Y2K play any part in that first computerized ball's 1999 replacement? Despite some searching I couldn't find a definitive answer. In any case, a new ball of crystal dropped to mark the millennium.
In 2007, "modern LED technology replaced the light bulbs of the past for the 100th anniversary of the New Year's Eve ball." (pdf) And in 2008, today's gaudy orb debuted in its permanent location atop One Times Square (the Times sold the building way back in 1961). The current owner of the building is also the owner of the iconic ball, and can visit it on this roof:
Weighing 11,875 pounds, today's ball is technically a geodesic sphere with a 12 foot diameter, covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles with various designs invisible to the spectators below.
The triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules, each of them containing red, blue, white, and green LEDs ("light-emitting diodes," if you'd started to wonder). Says an official fact sheet (pdf), "The Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square." Most experts put the maximum number of colors distinguishable by the human eye at 10 million. If an 11,875 pound crystal ball is displaying many millions of colors no one can see are they really there?
One wonders what material will form the next replacement ball. A perfectly spherical "Retina Display" sponsored by Apple? A hologram that obviates the need for a physical ball? A giant, genetically engineered peach conceived when the Williamsburg hipsters of today age into leadership positions and meld their ironic brand of throwback nostalgia with a Monsanto sponsorship?
That might look something like the artist Klew's rendering of James and friends atop the Empire State Building*:
Come what may, Dick Clark protege Ryan Seacrest will doubtless be there to update us. But am I alone in thinking that no orb, giant peach very much included, will ever be as spectacular as a modern analog of the fireworks display that NYC had until they were prohibited more than a century ago? As a point of comparison, here's what happened on a recent New Years Eve in Berlin:
Better, isn't it?
*Today's hipsters will compromise on Monsanto long before they'll party in Times Square.


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Staresemore Surname Ancestry Results
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