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If pesticides and herbicides worked so well, we should be able to use less of them, not more, right? It just isn't the case, though. On American farms and gardens, we have gone from using around 100 million pounds annually to over 404 million pounds of pesticides each year. That's a whole lot of toxic junk on our foods and in our ecosystem.
Today's genetically engineered crops aren't reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides; they are quadrupling them. The use of 2,4-D alone could drive the use of these toxic chemicals up another 50% in just the next few years, alone. Ever wonder if that might be the reason that Monsanto keeps pushing GMOs? They are already making millions on their best-selling herbicide RoundUp, and by selling 'RoundUp Ready' crops, they are actually ensuring the future need of more of their toxic brew, or brews.
One study abstract entitled "Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the U.S. — the first sixteen years" concludes:
"Contrary to often-repeated claims that today's genetically-engineered crops have, and are reducing pesticide use, the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds in herbicide-resistant weed management systems has brought about substantial increases in the number and volume of herbicides applied. If new genetically engineered forms of corn and soybeans tolerant of 2,4-D are approved, the volume of 2,4-D sprayed could drive herbicide usage upward by another approximate 50%.
The magnitude of increases in herbicide use on herbicide-resistant hectares has dwarfed the reduction in insecticide use on Bt crops over the past 16 years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future."
In fact, reductions in insecticide use in Bt-transgenic corn are now in jeopardy as a result of the emergence of corn rootworm (CRW) populations resistant to the Cry 3Bb1 toxins expressed in several corn hybrids. This is basically a biotech dream-come-true. Glyphosate was developed in the 1970s by Monsanto, along with other toxins like DDT, Agent Orange, and cancer-causing bovine growth hormones (BGH). This company is in the business of selling toxic chemicals. The more toxic chemicals we use, the more they say we need – hence the sale of even more toxic chemicals. It's a round robin that never stops – why killing all the robins!
Why, on God's Green Earth would we ever allow a company in the business of selling toxic chemicals decide to tell us if something is safe or good for us? That's exactly what Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturer's Association expect from the legislature and FDA.
This is serious. It means more testicular cancer, leukemia, and brain cancers with increased used of pesticides. If genetically modified crops take over organic crops through cross pollination, then all of our crops will not only be toxic from the pesticides poured over them, but from the toxic recombinant, transgenic species within the plant itself. These companies are playing with poison, not trying to feed the world. This can only lead to a toxic body, a toxic environment, and mutated plants, animals and people. It has to stop.
You can start making a difference by signing a petition to tell the FDA to stop allowing pesticides that are killing our honey bees, and then refuse to purchase pesticides or Round Up chemicals from your community gardening centers, while also telling them to stop selling them, here.


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HP's new Micro Thin monitor is a simple, straightforward offering without much in the way of exciting features.
LAS VEGAS--Today HP introduced a follow-up to its x2301 Micro Thin monitor, the aptly named x2401 LED Backlit monitor.
The x2401 LED Backlit monitor features a multivertical alignment (MVA) panel, although HP hasn't yet revealed specifically which type of MVA technology the monitor houses.
The monitor features back tilt and L-connectors for cable management. Connections include DisplayPort and HDMI, and support for mounting the display, VESA-style.
Don't expect much more than that, however. The previous entry was fairly simple without much in the way of features.
No price or availability date is currently available.

subset: commoncrawl


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When you discover that band or artist that you finally know is the sole reason why you exist on this planet, you know you've officially become a lifelong member of a fandom. It's a hard, but exhilarating road—and through all the bad tears (why is he dating HER?!) and the good tears (this concert will be the greatest day I've ever lived), you support them with your whole heart. Because they're the sun and the earth and the moon, and they've changed your life for the better. Here are the stages every fangirl goes through when she joins a fandom.
1. One day while scrolling Tumblr, you listen to a random clip your friend posted of a new band that she's ~obsessing~ over.
2. You really like their music, so you start searching the Internet to find everything you can about them.
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3. After thoroughly studying their YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, you realize they're TOTAL babes. YES!
4. You start listening to their music non-stop, adding every album, EP, and cover song they've recorded to your playlist.
5. You stay home on Friday night watching YouTube videos of every performance that has ever been filmed until 4am.
6. Your friends start commenting on your new obsession, but you're in denial like, "Oh, no, I don't like it. I'm just watching out of curiosity," as you get stuck in a YouTube black hole.
7. But then they announce a new tour and you freak the freak out, immediately buy tix, and start figuring out the best way to meet them at that venue. Maybe at the merch table after their performance? Or the buses always park on the left side of the building in the back!
8. After hitting "Track this tag" for the fandom on Tumblr, or stalking the fandom all day on Twitter, you realize you might have a full-blown obsession.
9. But then you meet them for the first time when they come play in your town and take tons of selfies—you're totally BFFs now, basically.
10. You buy anything and everything you can get your hands on that has to do with the fandom—a calendar for your wall, an iPhone case, a shower curtain, a pillow case...
11. At this point, you start to refer to the fandom by JUST their first name, because you're on that level. Harry Styles is just Harry. Selena Gomez is just Selena.
12. So you start getting seriously protective and defending them. Anyone they date is *not* good enough for them, and you start giving them relationship advice on Twitter (aka tweeting at them incessantly hoping they see it).
13. And then you realize the entire world has started talking about them—you start seeing articles about them in your fave magazines, and you freak out. You don't want anyone else to know about them!
14. You get angry when you get crappy seats at their sold-out stadium concert and start to get super possessive, because YOU loved them first and you deserve the tickets!!
15. But then you finally see them play again in all their glory, and you realize it doesn't matter how big they get, or how crappy your seats are, because you're so proud of them, and you love them no matter what. < 3
Are you in a fandom? What other stages have you experienced? Share 'em in the comments!
10 Signs You're A Fangirl And You Don't Care Who Knows It!
7 Life-Changing Finds For Every Fangirl
10 Hilariously Amazing Celeb Fangirling Moments You'll Totally Relate To


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How Martin Indyk Went From AIPAC Man To Blaming Israel for Talk's Failure
Entering the downtown Washington ballroom that hosted Israel's Independence Day celebration on May 12, U.S. special envoy Martin Indyk seemed at home, trading handshakes and smiles with Israeli officials just like every year. But Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz delivered a pointed message during his small talk with the American that night.
"I told him," Steinitz recounted, "that he needs to make clear Israel is not at fault for the collapse of the peace talks."
There was a reason Steinitz pressed Indyk on this point. In a rare public speech just four days earlier, Indyk singled out Israel's settlement activity in the occupied West Bank as the key reason for the failure of the U.S. peace effort. The speech followed hard on the heels of a much-noticed article in Yediot Ahranot, one of Israel's major daily newspapers, in which an unnamed U.S. official widely believed to be Indyk made essentially the same point.
Yet from the American point of view, Indyk, a 62-year-old, Jewish, British-born, Australian-raised naturalized American citizen, could hardly be seen as anti-Israel. In fact, his involvement in Washington with Israel-related issues began with the pro-Israel lobby in Washington. From there, it went through various permutations during long years of work in this area — from think tank scholar to presidential advisor, to two stints as U.S. ambassador to Israel and, finally, America's chief peace mediator.
Still, Indyk's winding path through these positions has featured two abiding, and at times competing, characteristics: his support for Israel, and his disdain for Israel's West Bank settlement activity.
"I don't see here an evolution," said Dennis Ross, a former Middle East peace negotiator who was most recently President Obama's special adviser for the region. "He's someone who has always been very committed to seeing a peace agreement achieved, and for a while now he has viewed those in the settler camp as not committed to a two-state outcome."
The administration maintains that Indyk's views — which have irked both Israel and the Palestinians at various times — are a result of his personality, not of political calculation or bias. "Ambassador Indyk calls it as he sees it," said an administration official speaking to the Forward on condition of anonymity. "It's the Australian in him, perhaps. He's more frank than most diplomats, but he is speaking out because he cares about Israel's future."
The nine-month term for Israeli – Palestinian peace talks expired on April 29 with no results, and with both parties unable to agree on extending negotiations. As the prospects for achieving an agreement faded, both parties pointed fingers at the United States, and to Indyk in particular, as the party responsible for the failure.
Yediot's May 2 extensive interview with unnamed American officials by leading Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea, reported that one of those officials put the burden of failure mainly on Israel and on its decision to issue new building tenders for West Bank settlements even as negotiations were ongoing. "People in Israel shouldn't ignore the bitter truth," this official told the columnist. "The primary sabotage came from the settlements."
Indyk was widely seen as one of the sources for Barnea's exclusive because of his well-known close relationship with the columnist over many years. The State Department did not deny any of the accusations in Barnea's story.
Israeli officials grew increasingly angry at Indyk following the publication of Barnea's article even as the special envoy took to the stage at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the think tank he founded nearly three decades ago, to provide an authoritative public account of the failed negotiations.
In his prepared speech, Indyk carefully divided the blame between leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah, stressing that neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas had demonstrated a sense of urgency in dealing with the conflict.
"We have spoken publicly about unhelpful Israeli steps that combined to undermine the negotiations," Indyk said, "But it is important to be clear: We view steps the Palestinians took during the negotiations as unhelpful too."
Still, Indyk maintained his critical approach to Israel's settlement expansion, warning that it "may well drive Israel into an irreversible binational reality." Then, in unscripted answers to questions presented to him following the speech, Indyk ratcheted up his criticism of Israel, accusing proponents of settlements within the government of "sabotaging" the negotiations.
Indyk's prepared remarks were "detailed, impassioned and painstakingly evenhanded," wrote Robert Satloff, the institute's executive director in a later analysis of the speech. But in his off-the-cuff remarks afterward, Satloff said, "the brunt of criticism fell on the architects of Israeli settlement activity."
Ross, who has been in Indyk's shoes himself many times in the past, said that Indyk had "explained away" Abbas' role in "shutting down" the talks by highlighting the role of Israel's settlements in leading Abbas to withdraw.
Ross parted ways with Indyk on this. "I would stress the shutting down" by Abbas, Ross said.
Israelis forcefully rejected the notion that Netanyahu carried most of the blame. "It is simplistic and wrong," said Michael Herzog, a member of the Israeli negotiation team. "The American side has made very significant mistakes during these nine months and it would be wise for them to examine themselves too," he said.
An administration official argued that Indyk "spoke out of genuine commitment" to Israel. Indyk, the official said "has a 35-year record of working toward peace, because peace is the best way to secure Israel's future as a Jewish state and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship is the best way to achieve that peace."
This 35-year record began at the heart of the pro-Israel establishment in Washington. Steve Rosen, a former senior official with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful Washington lobby, had mentored Indyk at the Australian National University, and then invited him to move to Washington and run the lobby's regular publication, Near East Report. Shortly after, Rosen recommended Indyk as the first director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank founded by AIPAC supporters.
"This is a guy who had read every book ever published with the word 'Israel' in its title," Rosen said of his protégé. Indyk, he noted, had both exceptional analytical capabilities, and "great diplomatic skills."
These same skills impressed Bill Clinton when Indyk was among those who briefed him on Israel in the early stages of his 1992 presidential campaign. This led eventually to Clinton choosing the young analyst as his chief Middle East adviser upon taking office.
Indyk's diplomatic skills also helped him avoid clashes at AIPAC and at the Washington Institute. Both organizations have been known for their strongly pro-Israel and at times hawkish boards, which differed from Indyk's own more dovish, anti-settlement views.
"Martin is a politician and understands the institutional context," Rosen said of the envoy's early years with the pro-Israel groups, "so he probably pulled his punches at that time."
During the Clinton administration, in which he served twice as ambassador to Tel-Aviv, Indyk's strong belief in Israeli–Palestinian reconciliation found fertile ground with the new president's interest in the region and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's willingness to move ahead in a historic peace process. Indyk was close to Rabin and was among those waiting at the Tel Aviv hospital the night Rabin was assassinated in 1995.
When Netanyahu took office in 1996 tensions rose, especially after the 1998 Wye River negotiations, in which Indyk thought the Israeli leader was not forthcoming. "I don't think there are many people around who hadn't heard from Martin a tirade about Netanyahu," said Rosen.
Still, Indyk's constant ups and downs with Israeli leaders did not hinder Secretary of State John Kerry's decision to appoint him as chief U.S. mediator for the long running peace process as it reached its final stage.
With negotiations now seemingly terminated, Indyk's future plans are unclear. The State Department has stressed he is not stepping down yet. But his choice to call out those responsible, even at the risk of being painted as unfriendly to Israel, could indicate that Indyk has already made up his mind to leave.
Though unsuccessful in his latest effort, Indyk will not necessarily suffer a blemish on his resume.
"No one ever gets blamed for failure in something that is mission impossible to start with," said Aaron Miller, a former State Department peace negotiator.
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman


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SF District 5
This area is quintessential San Francisco 2.0 living with a mix of trees, parks, cars, tech shuttles, bikes lanes (be careful!) old picturesque & historic buildings next to new condo developments. The area is home to hippie, yuppie and techie alike.
District 5 is the second most-traded districts in the City and one of just three that saw more than $1B worth of sales in 2015; only District 9, with SOMA, Bernal Heights and Dogpatch, has most sales. District 5 encompasses Noe, Eureka and Cole Valleys, the Haight and Lower Haight, Mission Dolores, Dolores Heights, Corona Heights, Buena Vista and Ashbury Heights and more. The area's proximity to BART lines, 101/280, MUNI lines, views, parks and its warmer weather plus a mix of demographics, topographical and architectural assets combine to make this area very attractive to buyers, renters and tourists.


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Regular price $85.00
Unit price
- Turquoise magnesite nuggets
- Fresh water pearls
- Seed beads
- Gold plated stainless steel, metal lobster claw clasp
Length: 16.5 Inches.
If you would like a customized length, please specify an exact length in inches you desire- you can add this while checking out in our 'Add Notes' section.
Made with love, in Los Angeles.
Many factors can influence the condition of your jewelry. Please read the following steps to ensure the longevity of your Tootsie Jewelry. Always protect your jewelry from chemicals and extreme temperatures to minimize damage or wear. We recommend removing your jewelry when sleeping, showering, in the ocean, and in chlorinated water. Avoid spraying perfume or applying creams where they might come into direct contact with your jewelry.


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Ed Sheeran stretches into radio-friendly territory
LOS ANGELES – Promoting an album kills creativity, says Ed Sheeran, preferring to watch a World Cup game rather than talk about "X," the anticipated follow-up to his 2011 debut, "+."
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter is drained and distracted from talking up the new album, out this week, across the country.
"It has to be done," he shrugs, one ear on the U.S.-Ghana game.
The English performer prefers the other parts of his job, writing songs and playing live. He created more than 100 songs to get the 12 tracks on "X," which he pronounces "multiply." He also worked with a handful of hit-making producers — Pharrell, Benny Blanco, Jeff Bhasker and Rick Rubin — to craft a broader, more radio-friendly sound.
"It's weird, because they're more polished producers, but it's a more raw sound," Sheeran said, "so I think they brought an element of rawness to it."
It's also funkier than his folksy debut, which has sold more than 800,000 units and earned him a pair of Grammy nominations. A clear example is the Pharrell-produced Top 15 single, "Sing," which has earned comparisons to Justin Timberlake for its dance beat and falsetto vocals. Sheeran appreciates the association.
"He's a very talented person, and I've listened to 'Justified' a lot," Sheeran said. "I definitely took influence from that."
Suddenly, a cheer erupts from his colleagues who are still watching the game.
"Oh, you won," Sheeran tells an American reporter. "Congratulations."
Though Sheeran presents a sweet, almost cherubic image, with his mussed red hair and low-key fashion sense, a hardness shows through, and not in the form of his sleeves of tattoos.
Success is everything he hoped it would be, and he misses nothing from his pre-fame life. "It wasn't that fun," he said.
He's picky about his process and partners. He wouldn't feature just anyone on his songs, though he has written for One Direction and his BFF, Taylor Swift.
"The people that (I'd) want to collaborate with aren't the type to collaborate," he said. "For instance, if I just decided tomorrow that I wanted to do a song with Jay Z, it's not going to happen just like that. I think he has to have the idea. ... It's like that with me."
Note to potential collaborators: Wait until the World Cup ends.


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Many people new to building apps fall in love the moment they learn about the idea of a Minimum Viable Product. "It's minimal! So there's less risk. And it's viable! So it'll prove something!". Unfortunately, it's easy for the line of "minimum" or "viable" to slip. How can a team stay focused?
Lean Hypothesis are an effective way to help the team connect the problem they're trying to solve to the product they're building. They take the form of
"We believe [TYPE OF USER] has a problem [DOING THING]. We can help them with [OUR SOLUTION]. We'll know we're right if [CHANGE IN METRIC]."
Let's say we've got a problem on Hamazon, our e-commerce platform. Users are clicking around and spending lots of time-on-site, but they're not putting items in their cart and converting. We might start with
"We believe SHOPPERS have a problem CHOOSING FROM THE MASSIVE SELECTION OF PORK PRODUCTS. We can help them by SHOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OTHER SHOPPERS. We'll know we're right if SHOPPERS ADD ITEMS TO CART MORE QUICKLY".
Once we have a hypothesis, an MVP can be defined as the least amount of work we can do to in/validate the hypothesis. We started from the assumption that we need a recommendation engine, but rather than building it out (an expensive proposition), we've honed in on the a more specific problem: shoppers need guidance. For much less effort, we could test this hypothesis by curating and featuring a small selection of recommended products—this "Recommended Products" section is our new MVP! This might fail to impel shoppers to add items to their cart more quickly; if so, we'll try a different hypothesis. (Notice we didn't incur the cost of building a recommendation engine!). But if it succeeds, we'll be able to iterate. Maybe we find that the Recommended Products converts very well for users from the east coast, but not so well for users from the west coast.
"We believe WEST COAST SHOPPERS have a problem WITH THE RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS WE'RE CHOOSING. We can help them by GIVING DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS. We'll know we're right if WEST-COAST SHOPPERS ADD ITEMS TO CART MORE QUICKLY".
So now our MVP would be a feature that lets our in-house curation team target separate Recommendation sets based on geography. We'd continue to iterate, and it's possible our recommendation targeting would get so specific that we'd end up building a recommendation engine, but we'd only do so if the business needs led us there, rather than our intuition. In that way, we'd iterate towards a truly minimal, truly viable product.
About the Author


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October 10, 2011
Quotes used in Chapter 3 – Developing better managers
"In future those who stump up [for the cost of a business education] will do so because they want to learn the skills, not because they think they are buying entry into a cool end exclusive club", Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times.
"A large number of employers use coaching to enhance the value of learning and this may be a growing field for executive education purchasers to maximize the value of individuals learning. Looking ahead, one of the main requirements of purchasers is a greater focus on personalized learning plans", EFMD-Carrington Crisp.


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An escaped amusement park water ride boat? A crashed, insectoid UFO that's stuck struggling on its back, turtle-style? A conveniently all-powerful plot device in a Hollywood summer action movie? A Roomba grain harvester?
This 15-foot-wide, solar-panel-adorned disc is a floating water purifier, to be plopped into the canals in the Japanese city of Osaka, and into the moat around the city's centerpiece castle. Designed by NTT, these "floating UFOs" can filter about 2400 gallons of water in the 6 hours a day they'll be operational, all the while spewing the newly cleaned and oxygenated water out of a little spout in its back, presumably because these things have the potential to be kind of unsettling, and everything with a blowhole is automatically charming. It's true! Check!
At night they'll just sort of float along, creepily. They've got batteries for when the sun hides out, but only to power a rack of glowing LED lights. [Asahi via Pink Tentacle—Second image from Mainichi Daily]


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Language experts at the University of Washington are studying our pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar to see whether the Pacific Northwest has its own dialect.
A pronunciation study conducted by a UW student of linguistics, Jennifer Ingle, found evidence to suggest residents here do have some characteristic ways of saying things -- an especially emphatic "s" in some words, a higher preponderance of "creaky voicing" among women and the lack of one vowel sound. (Linguists work with 15 vowel sounds to describe spoken American English, and we only use 14 of them.)
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Creaky voicing is easiest to describe as Clintonesque; when Bill Clinton is sounding folksy, that relaxed and scratchy manner of speaking is technically called "creaky."
A Ballard native, Ingle spent a year identifying, taping and analyzing the speech of native speakers in her neighborhood. Ingle's study, presented last week at the Acoustical Society of America's annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., and reported on in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer last Friday, provoked plenty of reaction from readers.
People generally reacted affirmatively to the study, most saying they felt the Northwest does have its own dialect. Others said they believe the region's manner of speech is not distinctive at all. Here's a sampling of readers' responses:
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"I was born in Aberdeen, Washington ... and I lived there until leaving for the UW in 1971. My freshman year of college, a woman in a linguistics class came to me and said, 'You're from Southwest Washington, aren't you -- maybe the Grays Harbor area? I can hear it in your speech.'
"To this day, I'm not certain what she was actually hearing."
-- Anne Whitacre, Seattle
"This person is full of cra-ap. We have no accent other than it sounds different than other areas of the country that do. Ballard is probably the worst place to go to do this kind of research."
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-- John Dolan, Seattle
"I believe our most telling regional sound is our (what I like to call) 'hard' R sound. We most definitely pronounce the r's in our words, not like the Easterners or Southerners who gloss right over them. In fact, many of us stick r's in where they don't belong.
"Other oddities include adding an 'uh' where it does not belong, such as 'Snoqualuhmie' instead of Snoqualmie. Or 'jewlaree' instead of jewelry."
-- Sue Montgomery, Ballard
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"What sets Washingtonians apart linguistically is not a particular dialect; rather, it is the lack of any whatsoever. I grew up in the Seattle area, and have lived in many parts of the U.S. Wherever I go, I hear the same argument ... that I have a weird accent. I have come to understand that my lack of an accent can be mistaken as an accent itself."
-- Scott Westergren, Payson, Utah
"Only 30 years here, so no expert, but, the TV weathermen here often say 'Mount Tins' for mountains. Other regions I have lived in say 'Mountins' with far less separation or emphasis on the 'T.' "
-- Gerard Bentryn, Bainbridge Island
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"I am a third-generation Seattleite and had a lifelong (51 years so far) interest in regional accents. The 'creaky' quality among women is a more recent development -- probably since the mid-'70s and the entrance of women into the professional fields, thus the need for a more assertive tone.
"Among native Northwest males, I have always noticed what I call the "Northwest Mumble" -- a tendency to speak softly and without moving their upper lip."
-- Emily Keene, Seattle
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"I have noticed that young people, particularly women, seem to talk slightly different than they did when I was their age. I can't put my finger on how it seems to differ; sometimes it seems like they are asking a question when they are not."
-- Col. Jay Sullivan, Seattle
"I have long understood that the voice of the Northwest was the voice of Goofy, the Walt Disney character. Pinto Colvig, the creator of Goofy's voice, was once asked where he got the accent, and he said he was just speaking the way people did in his hometown of Gresham, Ore.
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"This is an accent noted for the use of 'r' sounds after long a's or o's -- as in 'Warshington' rather than Washington, and 'gawrsh' instead of gosh. My wife, a fourth-generation Seattleite, does this all the time, and I used to hear it all the time when I was in elementary school in Alderwood Manor."
-- David M. Buerge, Seattle


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ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 3M Co. and Evernote have a new app to put images from Post-it Notes on your phone.
The new Post-it Note Camera app, available from Evernote for Apple devices running iOS 7, allows users to save and organize visual images of their notes to themselves or others.
The collaboration between Maplewood-based 3M and Evernote is about giving 3M customers the ability to search and archive their Post-it Notes as needed, Jesse Singh, 3M's vice president and general manager of stationery and office supplies, said Thursday.
Evernote's app has a 'very sophisticated way of searching those notes,' including technology to identify words in an individual's handwriting that appear on a Post-it Note, Singh said. 'That's one of the reasons we chose this particular company to be our partner.'
Evernote is a California-based app firm that aims to help people remember and organize items. The digitized Post-it Notes can also be organized by color, and have reminders or due dates added.
The new Evernote app is free at the iPhone App Store.
While the use of digital tools is on the rise, sales of 3M's Post-it Notes have remained steady and are growing, Singh said. Some consumer uses of the notes have declined, he said, but others have grown.
'As the digital world gets more cluttered, people use Post-it Notes as reminders because it's a very physical product,' Singh said.
And there's more: Evernote and 3M are also offering a higher version of the app, which you can get by buying physical Post-it Notes in specially branded packages, which then includes a free 30-day subscription — a $5 value — to Evernote Premium. That offers more storage and special features. And new desktop Post-it Note dispensers are being rolled out, too.
This isn't the first incarnation of a Post-it Note in the digital realm.
In 2011, 3M unveiled the Post-it PopNotes app for the iPhone and iPad. That app allows users to draw a PopNote by freehand or type it, and then set it to arrive at a certain time. Users can also set the device's GPS to have notes arrive when the recipient is in a specific location.
3M's iconic Post-it Notes were first sold in 1980 and are now a much-copied consumer product. 3M sells about 50 billion of them per year. The adhesive used on the back of the notes was developed by 3M in the 1960s; 3M employee Art Fry had the idea to use it on the back of small notes.
John Welbes can be reached at 651-228-2175.


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We have a fixed faith to preach, my brethren, and we are sent forth with a definite message from God. We are not left to fabricate the message as we go along. We are not sent forth by our Master with a general commission arranged on this fashion — "As you shall think in your heart and invent in your head, so preach. . . ."
Verily, we read not so. There is something definite in the Bible. It is not quite a lump of wax to be shaped at our will, or a roll of cloth to be cut according to the prevailing fashion. . . .
Believing, therefore, that there is such a thing as truth, and such a thing as falsehood, that there are truths in the Bible, and that the gospel consists in something definite which is to be believed by men, it becomes to us decided as to what we teach, and to teach it in a decided manner. We have to deal with men who will be either lost or saved, and they certainly will not be saved by erroneous doctrine. We have to deal with God, whose servants we are, and he will not be honored by our delivering falsehoods. . .
Neither less nor more than God's Word are we called to state, but that Word we are bound to declare in a spirit which convinces the sons of men that, whatever they may think of it, we believe God, and are not to be shaken in our confidence in him.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Lectures to My Students (Edinburgh, Scotland; The Banner of Truth Trust; 2008) p. 265.


text: Tim Kaeding (formerly of 7 for All Mankind) and Lela Tillem (formerly of Citizens for Humanity) have teamed up to launch Mother. The pair has used their expertise to create a denim collection that features trendy styles from flares to denim leggings with luxurious fabrics and a flattering look. Tim describes his customer as "someone who appreciates the newest things, not a follower."View more from this brand


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Thursday, July 19, 2012
Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank
Remarks at Global Women Innovation Network Luncheon
Thank you, Congresswoman Emerson and Congresswoman Schwartz. And thanks to everyone at GlobalWIN. It's great to be with women leaders from some of America's most innovative companies as well as the federal government.
When it comes to decision-making in the boardroom, on Capitol Hill, or anywhere else, the best decisions get made when there is more diversity of perspectives and opinions at the table.
All of you prove that to be true every day, both in the workplace and by being involved in organizations like this.
Innovation is one of the key issues for anyone who is concerned about long-term American competitiveness. That's certainly true for all of us at the Commerce Department and throughout the administration.
In fact, in January, we compiled a report about the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the entire U.S. economy.
In it, we discussed a number of what we called "alarm bells":
- The current federal share of research spending is half what it was in the Eisenhower administration.
- Today, America ranks 14th in the world in terms of the percentage of college graduates we produce. We used to be number one.
- The World Economic Forum now ranks our infrastructure 24th. We used to be in the top 10.
The good news, however, is that none of these trends is inevitable or unchangeable. There are clear policy avenues that we can take to reverse the trendlines.
Today, I'd like to start by highlighting three key areas where the government has a key role to play by making investments that support innovation and long-term competitiveness.
I realize we are facing large government deficits—I'm an economist and strongly believe we need to worry about that. But, the fact is, smart investments now will only help our long-term budget situation as well.
First, we should invest more federal dollars in basic research.
Basic R&D is an area that is under-provided in the private sector. Every major developed country recognizes the need to put public dollars into R&D.
In the U.S., the federal government has played a crucial role in developing key innovations in the 20th century. The Internet, satellite communications, semi-conductors and other job-generating advances would not have been possible without the wise investment of taxpayer dollars.
Unfortunately, since 1980, federal funding for basic research has dropped from 70 percent of all basic research funding to just 57 percent.
To reverse that trend, the President has set of goal of doubling federal funding for basic research and development by 2016.
In the 2011 and 2012 budgets, and in the proposed 2013 budget, there are substantial increases in funding for NSF, for Department of Energy labs, and for the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the Department of Commerce. These all support important core scientific research.
The fact is, governments around the world are increasing their public support at universities and research institutions. So must we.
Second—and to build on our R&D support—we must support the transfer of new technologies to help increase our productivity, especially in areas such as manufacturing.
Production and innovation are inextricably linked. Innovation is an iterative process, where ideas are tested in production, and those lessons feed back into new innovation.
Manufacturing companies in the United States account for 70 percent of private sector R&D and employ the majority of domestic scientists and engineers. Manufacturing R&D is also the dominant source of innovative technologies that are adopted into the service sector.
The government has played an active role in this space. For instance, for nearly 25 Years, our Manufacturing Extension Partnership—MEP—has funded centers around the country that consult with private sector companies facing technological problems. MEP puts them in touch with scientists and engineers who can help solve those problems.
The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership launched last summer and co-chaired by Susan Hockfield of MIT, is another important model to help advance tech transfer. This public-private partnership uses the convening power of the government to bring together top research universities with top U.S. manufacturers.
- As anyone who has spent time at a university knows, we can't simply assume that scientific discoveries will magically find their way into applications.
- If you haven't already, I encourage you to read this Partnership's first report which just came out this week.
Clearly, there is a role for universities, government, and the private sector to collaborate and make the connections that lead to the transfer of technologies from lab to marketplace.
Third, we need to ensure that America's intellectual property protection system remains strong.
Patents are a critical tool to help commercialize game-changing ideas. They're the fuel for innovation.
The Department of Commerce recently released a report on the role of IP in the economy. It shows that nearly 35 percent of our GDP—more than $5 trillion—comes from what we call "IP-intensive industries." These industries support about 40 million jobs.
The report also made clear that IP protections have a ripple effect in the market.
For example, a newly-patented technology in computer manufacturing could increase the demand for products in related industries, such as semiconductors.
For all these reasons, the landmark America Invents Act—signed into law last year by President Obama—is critically important. This new law is playing a crucial role in helping us build a 21st century IP system.
- For example, I was in Detroit last Friday to open the first-ever satellite office of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office—the Elijah McCoy office. It's named after a Michigan inventor who made lubrication systems for steam engines in the 1800s. His high-quality products popularized the expression, "the real McCoy."
- We also announced three more patent office locations to open in the next few years—Dallas, Denver, and Silicon Valley. These offices will allow us to interact with more entrepreneurs and innovators, to learn what they need, and to put patents in their hands more quickly.
And I should note that we're already making great progress to create a more efficient patent system. For example, while patent filing in 2011 grew by 5 percent, our patent backlog actually dropped by about 10 percent.
Overall, whether it's R&D, tech transfer, or patents, this administration strongly believes that government can and must make smart, strategic investments that pay off. These investments are crucial tools for companies like yours to do what you do best—which is create jobs.
But I'd like to spend my remaining time talking about something even more fundamental to strengthening American innovation—and that is education.
A globally competitive economy requires a globally competitive workforce. There are many important policy issues related to providing effective education and skill training to all of our children, but I want to focus on the need to increase the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates – the so-called STEM fields.
As you know, these fields produce many of the inventors and leaders who bring new ideas from the lab to the marketplace. We need these people now more than ever.
- Over the past decade, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as non-STEM jobs.
- These jobs now pay about 25 percent more than others—providing greater economic security for working families.
- And STEM workers help ensure that our businesses can develop the most cutting-edge products – helping us stay competitive in a global economy.
In recent years, however, only about 13 percent of U.S. college graduates got degrees in the STEM fields. That is much lower than in many of our competitor countries like Korea and Germany where 25 percent of their students receive STEM degrees.
One reason we have so few STEM workers is because women are seriously underrepresented in these fields. Women make up nearly half of America's labor force – but less than one-fourth of our STEM workforce.
That has remained fairly constant even though more women than men now attend and graduate college.
As long as more than half of our population can't find a path to science-related fields of study, we will have inadequate numbers of STEM graduates overall.
The good news is that women experience what we call a "STEM premium." Women in STEM jobs earn 22 percent more than women in non-STEM jobs. For men, that jump is only 13 percent.
Because of this, there is a smaller disparity in pay between men and women in STEM fields than elsewhere. This should, in theory, help attract more women to these jobs.
For some young women, this promise of a better, more financially secure life could play a powerful role in their career choice.
So why do so few women enter STEM fields? That's a difficult question with many possible answers.
Some of it is lack of information and lack of role models or lack of mentors. I myself never met a woman with a Ph.D. in economics until I was a Ph.D. student at MIT.
We need to make sure that women who hold science and technical degrees—including those who work in companies like yours—are visible to young girls, so that they can envision themselves in these careers.
And, from the federal government's perspective, we need to implement programs and policies that allow girls to ask questions and explore these exciting fields first-hand.
Thankfully, we have a president who gets it.
- For example, back in 2009, he launched Educate to Innovate. This campaign brings together the federal government with private-sector partners like Time Warner Cable—represented here today. Educate to Innovate has a particular focus on inspiring more girls, women, and minorities to explore science and technology.
- Another example is Race to the Top, made possible by the Recovery Act. With about $4 billion in funding, Race to the Top provides competitive grants that support and reward states with high K-through-12 achievement. I should note that the only extra preference allowed in this competition is for states that focus on STEM.
- A third example of the President's commitment came just yesterday when he dedicated $100 million for a new corps of high-quality STEM teachers at 50 sites around the U.S. These teachers will get up to $20,000 on top of their base salary in exchange for making a multi-year commitment.
On top of that, the Commerce Department itself also has specific STEM education efforts. These range widely. . . .
- from our post-doctoral research opportunities at the National Institute for Standards and Technology—NIST. . .
- to our (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's) Nancy Foster scholarships for women to study areas like oceanography. . .
- to our annual event at NIST headquarters where we bring in 300 girl scouts for an event called "Get Psyched!"
- To earn their patch, these girl scouts learn about lasers, metals, and alloys. . .
- they see first-hand how electric currents work. . .
- and, of course, no trip to our NIST labs would be complete without seeing what happens to a hot dog at negative 195 degrees Celsius. (Who says science can't be fun?)
Looking forward, the administration will continue to make investments to help girls and women enter and succeed in the STEM fields.
But we can't do it alone. I strongly believe that everyone here can help us find answers to the questions that still remain.
- What can we do to introduce and emphasize math and science education at much younger ages?
- How can we ensure that both boys and girls have the chance to be more exposed to high-tech fields?
- How do we raise the visibility of STEM careers throughout our culture, for both boys and girls?
- And, perhaps most importantly: How can we foster greater understanding that gender norms in STEM fields are something that our country simply cannot afford to tolerate nor perpetuate?
America's future competitiveness depends on all of us to take a personal, vested interest in these issues.
To sum it all up, we need more people like you.
- We need more women who understand why we must make key investments in innovation now. . .
- We need more women who have the skill sets to propel our private sector forward to compete and create jobs. . .
- And, yes, we need more women … and men … who have reached the point in their careers where they are able to identify and nurture young people to follow their lead.
In the long run, our ability to innovate and compete as a nation will determine what kind of economy—and what kind of country—we pass along to the next generation.
Thank you for being so committed to issues of innovation and competitiveness. And thank you for working closely with this administration as we move forward together.


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From Openmoko
|Line 23:
|Line 23:
* Aug.12.2008: GTA03EVB Hardware Verification of the u-blox 5 Antaris
* Aug.12.2008: GTA03EVB Hardware Verification of the u-blox 5 Antaris
* Aug.12.2008: GPS performance tested
* Aug.12.2008: GPS performance tested
== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* http://n2.nabble.com/Weekly-Engineering-News-33-2008-tp729555p729555.html
* http://n2.nabble.com/Weekly-Engineering-News-33-2008-tp729555p729555.html
* http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/MokoForesight
* http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/MokoForesight
Revision as of 14:53, 18 August 2008
GTA03 is the codename of a phone that is going to be developped by Openmoko. For more information about other phones in development, visit Phone Development. The GTA03 will be based on the same system-on-a-chip as the Neo FreeRunner (GTA02). It will presumably differ from it by having a 3.5 mm TRS audio connector (instead of a 2.5 mm connector), EDGE and a camera. GTA03 will not include support for 3G networks.
|Speculations: This article or section documents a device that is not yet confirmed formally and the device (if even released) may differ from the specifications given here. This page is based on well educated guesses, not facts.
GTA03 Specifications
The GTA03 will be a GTA02 but with a major hardware revision
- New case design.
- 3.5mm headset
- New GSM chip (2.75/EDGE)
- Different Battery
- Camera
- Based on the same SoC
- GPS: u-blox ANTARIS 5 instead of ANTARIS 4
- the (compromised) Glamo chip
- AUG.11.2008: the 25 first GTA03EVB arrived in office
- Aug.12.2008: U-boot ported to GTA03EVB (Matt)
- Aug.12.2008: The core can run at 533 MHz with 133MHz SDRAM
- Aug.12.2008: GTA03EVB Hardware Verification of the u-blox 5 Antaris
- Aug.12.2008: GPS performance tested
ps: EVB stands for Evaluation Board


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Solid-state drive maker OCZ this week revealed a slew of upcoming NAND flash products, including 2TB and 4TB drives as well as the first SSD using a Thunderbolt interconnect -- offering twice the throughput as SATA 3.0.
At the CeBIT technology conference this week, OCZ displayed its upcoming Vertex 4 SSD Series , based on the SATA 3.0, 6Gbps Indilinx Everest 2 controller.
OCZ also said its Lightfoot SSD, which will sport a Thunderbolt interface, is on schedule to be available this summer. Thunderbolt, announced earlier this year , offers twice the performance of the latest SuperSpeed USB (3.0), 6Gbps interconnect.
OCZ's Lightfoot SSD with the Thunderbolt port.
Apple has gone all in with Thunderbolt-enabled products, and there are a dozen or so manufacturers ready to ship Thunderbolt-enabled systems this year.
While the Lightfoot was originally designed for high-performance Mac users, the drive will likely be popular among computing users that need to move large files quickly. It is an ideal drive for content creators, for example, OCZ said.
"We are introducing a range of products that leverage our co-developed (OCZ and Marvell) Kilimanjaro platform including the Z-Drive R5, an upcoming 2.5 SATA III, and MiniPCIe, and the Lightfoot which will be our external Thunderbolt version," an OCZ spokesman wrote in response to a Computerworld inquiry.
The Kilimanjaro platform was first announced at CES 2012 . It will sport what OCZ said is the world's first modularly scalable PCIe SSD, which uses OCZ's Virtualized Controller Architecture 3.0. The drive is aimed at enterprise-class applications such as OLTP databases, web servers, virtualization , big-data and collaboration applications.
Kilimanjaro will come in several forms, including a PCIe full height and half height card (the Z-Drive R5) that boasts up to 2.5 million IOPS (I/Os per second) and 7GBps throughput. Another version of the drive will be a 2.5-in. SSD that sports up to 100,000 IOPS and 1GBps throughput. Still a third version of the Kilimanjaro will be a Mini PCIe SSD with up to 50,000 IOPS and 500MBps throughput.
The Kilimanjaro platform in a PCIe card form factor which will be the Z-Drive R5
The Z-Drive R5 will use PCIe Gen 3x16 and it will come with MLC (multilevel cell), eMLC (enterprise MLC) and single-level cell (SLC) flash options. It will have up to 12TB of capacity.
The Z-Drive R5 will be compatible with VMware ESXi and ESX, Linux , Windows Server 2008 and OS X servers.
By comparison, OCZ in February announced the fourth generation in its Z-Drive PCIe flash card line that is aimed at user in servers in cloud computing environments. The Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCI Express SSD was demonstrated at the CeBIT show with VXL Storage Accelerator software from iSCSI SAN company SANRAD. The SANRAD software works with VMware and Citrix Xen server environments to create virtual storage area networks (SANs) for application virtualization and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
The Z-Drive R4 delivers up to to 1.4 million IOPS, and comes in capacities ranging from 300GB to16TB.
OCZ's Vertex 4
Like Vertex 3 , the Vertex 4 is a 2.5-in. drive that uses multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash chips built on 20 nanometer lithography technology. Unlike the Vertex 3, which had a maximum capacity of 480GB, the Vertex 4 uses OCZ's Indilinx controller and is expected to boast 2TB of capacity.
Besides having four times the capacity, Vertex 4 is expected to also have better performance than its predecessor due to the controller changeover. OCZ said using 4K data blocks, the drive will have 90,000 random read IOPS. The Vertex 3 sported a maximum of 40,000 IOPS. The drive also has a slightly better sequential read rate of 550MBps compared to 530MBps in the Vertex 3, while the write rates remain the same.
"This solution is ahead of schedule and originally we planned for a mid-summer release, but it is now looking like we will release it this spring," the spokesman wrote.
OCZ also expects to release a 3.5-in. form factor SSD with a stunning 4TB of capacity.
With that kind of capacity, a 4U (7-in. high) rack-mount server chassis could have as much as 96TB of flash storage capacity.
Like the other SSDs, the upcoming 3.5-in. Chiron Series SSD will use an Indilinx controller, and will have up to 560MBps of throughput and generate up to 100,000 IOPS.
The Indilinx Everest 2 controller is expected to deliver exceptional speed and IOPS but also incorporates some features that set it apart from current controllers. Among these features is performance across all file types, including uncompressible data and special fast boot algorithms. The drive is also expected to sport "NDurance technology," which increases the lifespan of the NAND and minimizes long-term performance degradation, and latency reduction for quicker access across all applications.
OCZ acquired controller maker Indilinx a year ago , and has used its technology to manufacture more embedded NAND flash products as well as put out its first hybrid SSD , which combines spinning disk and NAND flash cache. The OCZ RevoDrive hybrid drive uses a full-height PCIe card form factor.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at @lucasmearian or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed . His e-mail address is email@example.com .
See more by Lucas Mearian on Computerworld.com .
Read more about storage in Computerworld's Storage Topic Center.


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MILAN (AP) — Special effects master and three-time Oscar winner Carlo Rambaldi died Friday in southern Italy after a long illness, Italian news media reported. He was 86.
Rambaldi was known as the father of "E.T." He won visual effects Oscars for Steven Spielberg's 1982 extraterrestrial hit, as well as Ridley Scott's film "Alien" in 1979, and John Guillermin's "King Kong" in 1976.
"Carlo Rambaldi was E.T.'s Geppetto," said Spielberg, referring to the fictional character who created Pinocchio. " All of us who marveled and wondered at his craft and artistry are deeply saddened by the news of his passing."
Rambaldi worked on more than 30 films, but was best known for his work on E.T., for which he created three robots, two costumes worn by actors in the scenes when E.T. walked, and gloves for the hands.
Rambaldi, a wizard of a discipline known as mechatronics — which combines disciplines including mechanical, electronic and system design engineering — did not hide a disdain for computerized effects.
"Digital costs around eight times as much as mechatronics," Rambaldi was quoted by the Rome daily La Repubblica as having once said. "E.T. cost a million dollars and we created it in three months. If we wanted to do the same thing with computers, it would take at least 200 people a minimum of five months."
Rambaldi was born in 1925 in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna in 1951. While he dreamed of becoming an artist, he was drawn into the world of cinema when he was asked to create a dragon for a low-budget science fiction movie in 1956.
He moved to Rome and found work in television before his first big success, the 1975 Italian horror film "Deep Red." He drew the attention of Dino De Laurentiis, who brought him to Hollywood to work on "King Kong."
Italian director Pupi Avati described Rambaldi as "a child who loved to play and make his toys. A child who dreams of making a theme park of all his characters," the news agency ANSA reported. The pair worked together on a 1975 film.
"In those years, Rambaldi was the only craftsman capable of creating, as he did, a fig tree 12 meters high that he carried to the center of Ferrara with a huge truck, a fig tree that was to change color with the seasons, and also shed its leaves."
Rambaldi had been living for about a decade in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme, where he died.


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Simon Hart joins two key committees
SIMON HART MP has been voted by his fellow MPs on to the parliamentary committee that investigates Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the UK.
He has also been appointed by No 10 to the Committee on Standards for Public Life (CSPL), which advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards among public office holders.
The CSPL looking into intimidation experienced by Parliamentary candidates during elections – a subject raised by Mr Hart after the recent General Election.
"The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee is deciding which areas to investigate but it is likely to be topics surrounding athlete classification in the Paralympics," said Mr Hart.
"I was delighted to be voted on to the committee as it covers a lot of areas in which I am very interested such as rural broadband and mobile coverage as well as topics that I have been campaigning on, such as online bullying.
"It is also an honour to be appointed as the Conservative member on the CSPL, we have already heard some very interesting evidence regarding the bullying and intimidation of candidates during the last election. This was a very real problem and I am pleased that the Prime Minister has acted so swiftly in ordering the investigation."
Local coronavirus restrictions imposed to control outbreaks in South Wales
Coronavirus laws are being tightened in four more Welsh authorities – Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport – following a sharp rise in cases, Health Minister Vaughan Gething today announced.
The new measures will come into force at 6pm on Tuesday 22 September 2020, to protect people's health and control the spread of the virus in the four local authority areas.
The new restrictions will apply to everyone living in Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport:
People will not be allowed to enter or leave these areas without a reasonable excuse, such as travel for work or education;
People will only be able to meet people they don't live with outdoors for the time being. They will not be able to form, or be in, extended households;
All licensed premises will have to close at 11pm;
Everyone over 11 will be required to wear face coverings in indoor public areas – as is the case across Wales.
From 6pm on Tuesday 22 September, the requirement for all licensed premises to close at 11pm will also be extended to Caerphilly borough.
Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, said:
"Following the decision to place additional coronavirus restrictions in place in Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf, we have seen a worrying and rapid rise in cases in four other south Wales council areas – Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport.
"In many cases, this is linked to people socialising indoors without social distancing. We are seeing evidence of coronavirus spreading. We need to take action to control and, ultimately, reduce its spread and protect people's health.
"It's always a difficult decision to introduce restrictions but coronavirus has not gone away – it is still circulating in communities across Wales and, as we are seeing in parts of South Wales, small clusters can quickly cause real issues in local communities.
"We need everyone's help to bring coronavirus under control. We need everyone to pull together and to follow the measures which are there to protect you and your loved ones."
The restrictions are being introduced following a rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in coronavirus, which have been linked to people meeting indoors, not following social distancing guidelines and returning from summer holidays overseas.
The Welsh Government will call an urgent meeting of all local authority, health board and police forces from Bridgend to the English border tomorrow to discuss the wider situation in South Wales and whether further measures are needed across the region to protect people's health.
The new local restrictions measures will be kept under regular review. They will be enforced by local authorities and by the police.
Keep Wales safe by:
Always keeping your distance
Washing your hands regularly
Working from home wherever you can
Following any local restrictions
Following the rules about meeting people
Staying at home if you or anyone in your extended household has symptoms.
Julie James AM attends the launch in Swansea of new research on benefits of Community Led Housing
JULIE JAMES AM, Minister for Housing and Local Government, attended the launch at Down to Earth in Swansea of new research from the Wales Co-operative Centre, with support from the Nationwide Foundation, which found that residents who live in community led housing (CCLH) experience improved mental wellbeing and happiness, as well as improved skills development.
Over 50 residents from 22 community led housing schemes across Wales and England were interviewed. The top benefits that residents highlighted were:
Residents felt less isolated, being surrounded by a supportive network
• Improved mental wellbeing and happiness
• A better quality of life with the potential for skills development and increased levels of confidence, as well as a better financial situation
• Wider benefits to the community including a reduction in antisocial behaviour and greater community collaboration
• Derek Walker, Chief Executive of the Wales Co-operative Centre, said of the research: "We were really pleased with the research findings and the range of softer benefits that residents have seen. As well as the expected financial benefits, there is a much wider impact on mental wellbeing and skills development which is great to see."
Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James AM, said: "I have been overwhelmed in hearing the benefits residents gain from living in community-led housing. The difference tenants feel in terms of improved skills, increased confidence and improved mental wellbeing to name but a few – demonstrates why community-led housing can, and should be part of the solution to the housing crisis we face here in Wales. Building more affordable housing and providing people with safe, warm and secure homes is a key priority for this Welsh Government. I'm looking forward to watching community-led housing grow and flourish – and contribute towards our commitment to building 20,000 affordable homes during this Assembly term."
Lib Dems slam 'botched' scheme
THE WELSH Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for their "hapless treatment" of EU citizens after the Home Office released guidance on the new EU Settlement Scheme.
The Home Office has confirmed that for the duration of the trial period, until 30 March, EU citizens applying to stay in the UK must either use an Android phone or travel to one of 13 'document scanning' centres instead.
For Holyhead, the closest 'document scanning' centre is Trafford.
According to an analysis by the Welsh Liberal Democrats, EU citizens travelling from Holyhead would face costs of £55 on the train for at least a six and a half hour round trip. The drive would be a 224-mile round trip costing around £56 in fuel.
The only document scanning centre in Wales is in Caerphilly. Travelling from Pembroke to Caerphilly and returning the same day by rail would cost £32.10 (the cheapest available fare at the time of enquiry), the cheapest off-peak fare from Aberystwyth would be £77.10 return. By car at an average of 40mpg, the cost of travel would be at least £27 to and from Pembroke, while from Aberystwyth the cost would be at least £25. Both car journeys represent round trips of over 180 miles.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said: "Too many people in Wales are deeply anxious about their right to stay. Many of them fill vital roles in the health service, our schools and the tourism sector. They want to register as soon as possible, but Theresa May's hapless treatment of EU citizens could result in a new Windrush scandal.
"For anyone who doesn't have an android phone, this botched scheme means they will have to travel. For people in Holyhead, that means facing a 224-mile round trip and paying over £50 for the privilege. This postcode lottery is simply unacceptable."
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey MP said: "Following significant pressure, the Prime Minister said there will be no financial barrier for any EU nationals who wish to stay. How long did that commitment last?
"It is Conservative Ministers who have made a mess of Brexit. They should either pay the cost for EU citizens or change the application system and ensure EU citizens are made to feel welcome in the UK.
"Ultimately, the best way to avoid all of this mess is by giving the people the option to remain in the EU with a final say on Brexit."
Recent Posts
- Cavity Wall Insulation Removal – Everything you Need to Know
- The Range's Swansea Store Shortlisted for 'Best Christmas Display'
- Local coronavirus restrictions imposed to control outbreaks in South Wales
- Welsh legislation will restrict those travelling from hotspot areas
- Swansea Building Society unveils bespoke mortgage product for medical professionals


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Further Information on Tasawwuf 8
Imam Ibn Taymiyya Explains Those Who are Speaking about Fana'
In Book 2, volume 2, pages 396-397 of Majmu'a Fatawa, Ibn Taymiyya speaks about subject of fana' also known is Sufism as annihilation.
He said,
"This state of love is the state of many people that are from the people of Love to Allah 'azza wa jall, they are the people of the love of Allah and the People of the Will (al-Irada) of Allah (it is typical of many of the people that love God and seek Him.)Because that person has vanished in his lover, in Allah 'azza wa jall–through the intensity of the love, because He vanished in Allah's love, not his own ego's love. And he will recall Allah, not recalling himself, remember Allah not remembering himself, visualizing Allah [yastashhid], not visualizing himself, existing in Allah, not in the existence of himself. When he reaches that stage, he no longer feels his own existence. And that is why he says in this state, "Ana al-Haqq" (I am the Truth),or "Subhanee. (Glory to Me!)" and he will say "maa fil jubba ill-Allah" (there is nothing in this cloak except Allah), because he is drunk in the love of God and this is a pleasure and happiness that he cannot control."
Further on Ibn Taymiyya says:
"This [matter] has in it Haqq and there is in it Batil. But when someone will enter a state with his fervor intense love ('ishq) to Allah, he will enter a state of absentmindedness, and when he enters the state of absentmindedness, he will find himself as if he is accepting the [concept] ittihad. I do not consider this a sin. Because that person is excused and no one may punish him as he is not aware of what he is doing. Because the pen does not condemn the crazy except when he is restored to sanity. And when that person is in that state and he was wrong in what he did, he will be under Allah's address:
"Rabbana laa tuakhidhna in-nasseeena aw akhtaana"
"O Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes."
(Baqara, 286)
"And Allah says in other verse,
"wa laa junaaha 'alaykum fimaa akhtaatum bihi"
"there is no blame on you if you unintentionally do a mistake."
On page 339, in Volume 10, he says:
"there is a story of two men who were so respectful and loved each other very much. One of them fell in the water [of the sea] and immediately the other threw himself behind him. Then the first one, who was sinking asked, "what made you throw yourself here?" He said,"I vanished in you. and when I vanished in you I thought you were me and I was you."
And further on he continues:
"As long as he is not drunk through something that is prohibited, it is accepted, but if it were prohibited, (the intention was bad) then he is not excused."
And he continues (vol 2., page 397):
"And because of that [situation] many of the saints, like 'Abdul Qadir Jilani, have an excuse, becasue they are in a state of love ('ishq)."
That subject is also mentioned in a whole chapter in detail from page 337-page 343, entitled:
"al-Fana' alladhee yujad fi kalam as-sufiyya yuffassar bi-thalathat umur"
This title means: "the Word of Annihhilation found in Sufism explained in Three Ways." This chapter describes in detail the concept of fana'.


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Sometimes you find examples of big gaps between cultures. (Don't worry, I'm not going into any discussions about political Islam here.) I tend to have a fairly liberal outlook towards beer and beer drinking – if not I would have been blogging about something else. But I have to admit that there are regulations that I find sensible. Age limits for drinking. Regulation of aggressive advertising towards teenagers – usually more connected with alcopops than beer. The best is if the major players in the beer industry promote sensible drinking, and I feel most craft breweries appeal more to adult consumers.
But then there are countries where beer is looked upon as a staple food. It is their liquid bread, brewed in the village and sold next door to the local bakery and butcher's shop. I assume the children are poured a small glass with meals from a rather early age.
I try to respect this view of life and beer, but I feel that the promoters of the Munich Oktoberfest have gone too far this year. Along the other more or lass tasteful souvenirs, they have a baby bottle shaped like a Bierkrug.
Now the little ones finally have their own beer mug. Looking just like a real beer mug, it comes along with teat so that Lederhosen and Dirndl stay clean, while the baby enjoys his "beer", according to their web site.
It is just me being a grumpy old man?


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The inner courtyard dwelling
10, Marazlievskaya Street
The inner courtyard dwelling at 10 Marazlievskaya Street is a sample of constructivist architecture of the post-revolutionary Odessa. The street is built-up mainly of aristocratic mansions and magnificent apartment houses. In Soviet times construction work was rarely implemented. Since then, only four buildings have survived to the present day. One of the least studied is located in the depth of the Kotlyarevsky's former site.
Type of building: residential apartment house
Style: constructivism
Architect: unknown
Date of construction: the second part of the1920s
Status: object of the background development
Due to the accentuated asymmetry the building looks quite picturesque despite its laconic general appearance.
On the right of the avant-corps of the stairwell the facade plane has three window axes, their quantity is similar on the left, but their piers are much narrower here.
On the second and third floors, the width of the two outermost axes is occupied by a group of three narrow loop windows.
The sidewall on the right is at an obtuse angle relative to the main facade of the building to avoid the deterioration of the premises insolation of the neighbouring outbuilding. An identical group of the narrow vertically prolonged windows is located in the end wall just as it is in the left part of the main facade.
The stairwell is illuminated continuously through an aperture along entire height of the building.
On the facade of the house, the balconies with railings were preserved. The design largely inherits its artistic techniques of the rational Art-Nouveau and modernized Neo-Classicism of the 1910s.
Balconies railings
Their motif is partly replicated in the design of the stair railings, however, most of them consist of a simple geometrical pattern with square profile bars. In the design of handrails there is a number of small decorative elements. Their presence is uncommon to the houses built in Soviet times (even in its early period).
If to discard all ideological barriers that restrain a real evaluation of the Odessa architecture development in the post-revolutionary period, it is possible to speak confidently of Art Nouveau continuation in the 1920s under the conditions of poor city opportunities caused by the Civil War and its lost old cultural ties. Nevertheless, both young architects and some builders, that were constructing the city during the previous decade, proceeded experimenting with enthusiasm on the further Art Nouveau rationalization and mastering the emerging constructivism.
The house at 10 Marazlievskaya Street can be attributed to precisely this transitional period. If to analyze the decorative and plastic solutions in the architecture of the building, the most probable project designers could be N. Kanevsky (tripled loop-windows, compositional solutions in the large objects layout), M. I. Linetsky (decorative techniques) or A. N. Klepinin.
Nameboards of the Soviet time
Unfortunately, this house currently represents an entire mystery, and there is still the question of not only the project authorship but the building departmental affiliation as well.
References and archives
- "Architecture of Odessa. Style and time". V. Pilyavsky
- "Buildings, constructions, monuments of Odessa and their Architects". V. Pilyavsky
- "Along Marazlievskaya Street…". Tatiana Zayarnay's publication
- Old photos from the website of the Odessa photo gallery. User Brassl's archive
- Aleksandr Levitsky, art director, photographer and colorist
- Dmitry Shamatazhi, photographer and complier
- Andrey Mikhailov, photographer
- Marina Tomenko, editor
- Marta Orlovska, translator


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SAN DIEGO – The Bruins were dealt a blow by Baylor in the Holiday Bowl, but it doesn't erase UCLA's season of good.
Baylor drilled UCLA 49-26 in a Holiday Bowl that was supposed to be an exciting shootout. The Bears held up their end of the bargain. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley was pressured the entire game by a defense that couldn't stop anyone all season.
UCLA's defense was on hiatus for this one, and it resulted in an early 21-point deficit. The Bruins allowed 494 yards offensively.
The game was on national television, but it started at 10 p.m. on the East Coast, so there would be no bias in this one. And if no one saw it, did it really happen?
Yes, but UCLA is still on the right path if you look at the big picture.
UCLA missed an opportunity to finish its season with a bang. Instead, it finished with a question mark, but not one that wipes out all the good answers they found this season.
"We've got a long way to go to become the team that we want to be, because the team we want to be is a national champion," UCLA coach Jim Mora said. "Tonight showed us how far we need to go, but we're determined to get there. We're headed in the right direction, and we'll work our tails off to get there."
The Bruins wanted to put an exclamation mark on a season in which they had nine wins, beat USC and played for the Pac-12 championship.
All that doesn't go poof! with one bad bowl game. UCLA finished 9-5 and with three consecutive losses, but two of those were to Pac-12 champions Stanford.
The Bruins have played lousy against the Bears before (remember the Cal debacle?), and they recovered. This time will be no different.
Hundley passed for 329 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers, which was impressive considering he was under duress all game. Johnathan Franklin finished with just 34 yards on 14 carries, but the offensive line was to blame.
Two offensive linemen were injured in the first half and things went from bad to worse.
This was no holiday for UCLA, certainly in the first half. The Bruins punted five times, which was a stark contrast from predictions of an offensive slugfest. Baylor ran out to three consecutive touchdowns and just like that, UCLA was out of the game.
Baylor quarterback Nick Florence is the real deal, having passed for more than 4,000 yards well before UCLA was burned by him.
UCLA looked content to be in a big bowl, just not to play in one. That's a problem Mora will have UCLA work on all offseason.
The Bruins had no turnovers and Baylor had three, and this game still wasn't close.
Baylor had the better offense and defense. The Bruins secondary missed safety Tevin McDonald, who was suspended for the bowl game. Baylor allowed 513 yards and 38 points per game before this one, but UCLA had just 362 Thursday. But the Bears had a solid gameplan executed with constant pressure of Hundley.
Hundley was sacked five times in the first half. He's used to getting out of trouble with his wheels, but there was no time and with two starting offensive linemen injured during the game, the protection wasn't there. He had someone in his face every snap.
UCLA started slow, on offense and defense, and had four penalties for 25 yards in the first quarter. It was the same old Bruins, who've skated by in some games with costly mistakes.
The Bruins finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Hundley found tight end Joseph Fauria for a 22-yard reception with 6:26 left. Fauria walked off the field with tears in his eyes, but he and Franklin helped put the program back on the right track.
"They've been special, they've laid a foundation we hope we can build on and build something truly special," Mora said.
The way UCLA played is troubling, to be sure, but one game doesn't erase a breakthrough season for the Bruins. It won't all be undone with one loss.
The wins over Nebraska and USC, the wins in recruiting wars, nine victories, a change in thinking – all of that doesn't go away.
UCLA was bad, but one bowl loss isn't that bad.


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Comment #1 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 8:15 AM
Comment #2 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 9:35 AM
Comment #3 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 9:55 AM
Comment #4 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:18 AM
Comment #6 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:54 PM
Comment #7 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:21 PM
1. There seems to be a problem with layout. See the screenshot below. I think maybe they are positioned too low? (I am on the required 1024 x 768 resolution.)
2. Password field for e-mail should have hidden characters
3. When asked if I want to delete e-mail account there are a few misspelled words: shure = sure, acconut = account
That's it for now. Everything else seems to be working fine and I'm having a blast with this gadget. It's extremely powerful, functional, and such eye candy!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Comment #8 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:35 PM
Comment #9 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:51 PM
Comment #10 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:13 PM
Big thanks to you for the ScreenShots! �I have already understood what happened with the gadget. And I'm very afraid that this is a small DesktopX bug... �
No problem! I'll write a simple code which will calculate the "zero" position for each of objects and move them on your Screens.
Please give me a little time to Tomorrow... And excuse me please!�
Comment #11 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 9:16 PM
No problem here - keep up the excellent designs!
I believe your work to be amongst the best - thank you!
Comment #13 Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:58 AM
Comment #14 Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:15 PM
Comment #15 Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:31 PM
Comment #16 Sunday, July 1, 2007 12:29 PM
Comment #17 Monday, July 2, 2007 9:53 AM
Thanks for your job.
Comment #19 Monday, July 2, 2007 11:45 AM
Comment #20 Monday, July 2, 2007 12:07 PM
I'm very glad that the gadget finally works. Hope it was the last bugs that you found...
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text:
Story highlights
Apple patents a page turn function this week
It is a feature used in Apple's iBooks application
Apple has been involved in recent patent disputes with Samsung and HTC
Apple is now the proud owner of the page turn.
In a patent approved this week by the United States Patent Office Apple was awarded a design patent for "Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface."
The patent illustration shows three images: One with the corner of a page being turned slightly, the next with it halfway, and a third showing the page almost entirely turned over.
A feature used in Apple's iBooks, and books in general, the patent represents one of 38 different patents granted to Apple this week.
The New York Times points out that this isn't the first "seemingly obvious" patent that Apple has been awarded. Previously the company was granted patents for the musical note icon it uses to represent iTunes and the glass staircase it uses in stores.
Over the past several years Apple has made quite a few headlines for its involvement in patent suits against other device makers.
Earlier this year Apple won a patent lawsuit against Samsung, walking away with $1 billion in restitution, and has recently made moves to go after Samsung products that were released after that court ruling, including the Galaxy Note 10.1.
Earlier this week it settled a different patent case with handset maker HTC with a 10-year licensing agreement of patents held by both companies reportedly requiring HTC to pay Apple $6 to $8 per Android handset it sells.
Should Apple have been awarded a patent for the page turn? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
© 2015 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.


text:
Sportsmen protest New Mexico antelope hunting system
Program gets poor marks from local hunters
A lifelong resident of the southern New Mexico town of Deming, Ray Trejo has hunted ever since he could walk. It's a family tradition he shares with his wife and both their sons, who are now in their 20s.
But about 15 years ago, Trejo's luck started running out in the pronghorn hunting-license lottery. "I was always led to believe -- from (the New Mexico Department of) Game and Fish -- that that was because of the drought we were under, and that there was less antelope tags being given," says the bowhunter. Then, a few years ago, Trejo learned that private landowners control most opportunities to hunt pronghorn (commonly called antelope) -- even on public lands where they hold grazing allotments. New Mexico's Antelope Private Lands Use System (A-PLUS) gives participating landowners "authorization certificates" that they can then auction, trade or sell to hunters and outfitters, often for thousands of dollars. The buyer can then use the certificate to purchase an actual hunting license for the land from the Department of Game and Fish.
New Mexico landowners received 4,004 antelope certificates in 2009, according to records obtained by the nonprofit New Mexico Wildlife Federation. In contrast, just 1,785 licenses went into the lottery system. Because state law mandates that a certain percentage of those go to out-of-state applicants, some 12,711 New Mexico hunters competed for just 1,432 licenses. "No one here had any idea the degree to which our licenses had really been privatized," says Jeremy Vesbach, the group's executive director. "It has turned into a system where 70 percent are being resold rather than everybody getting an equal chance with the draw." States are supposed to manage wildlife in trust for the public, he adds, with hunters funding it through taxes and fees.
Many New Mexico hunters say the system is unfair. In 2005, sportsmen tried to reform similar rules for elk, but failed when both landowners and the Department of Game and Fish resisted. This fall, they've been asking the agency's seven-member commission to reform the antelope program. Vesbach wants New Mexico to adopt the system other Western states use: distributing tags through a lottery and having hunters pay trespass fees to willing landowners. That method encourages landowners to improve habitat -- those with trophy bucks can charge higher fees -- but they don't profit directly from the public's wildlife. Montana reformers achieved a similar goal in the recent election, passing an initiative that increased big game license fees for out-of-state hunters by about $200. It also abolished outfitter-sponsored licenses, thereby increasing the number of big-game tags available to locals.
At least a few of New Mexico's Game Commission members are in favor of reforming A-PLUS, which has been in place, though not codified, for decades. Commissioner Kent Salazar believes tags should be the property of the state, not something that private citizens can distribute. At the commission's October meeting, he also proposed amending the system so certificates can only be used on a rancher's private land, and not on adjacent public-lands grazing leases. "That passed," he says, "but there was such an uproar at the meeting that we decided to revisit it." Then, at a Dec. 9 meeting in Clovis, N.M., the commission voted 4-3 to codify A-PLUS essentially as is, without amendments.
The existing program works well for landowners, argues Darrel Weybright, New Mexico's big game program supervisor. Ranchers, who own most of the state's antelope habitat, are "happy to participate because meat prices are down, and it's hard to make a living in a semi-arid landscape," he explains. The extra money they earn is a hedge against selling out, subdivision and habitat fragmentation.
"Based on the free market, they can sell to who they want," says Weybright. And New Mexican hunters could also buy the authorization certificates, he adds, although not many do. That may be because most are what Vesbach calls "blue jeans" hunters, who can't afford premium prices.
Weybright admits the situation is difficult, but calls it a "wonderful study of social issues meeting wildlife management." Despite the commission's decision, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation plans to continue trying to reform the system. Any commissioner can request that a rule be reconsidered, says the group's spokesman, Joel Gay, and new commissioners selected by the incoming governor might think less favorably of the program.
Ray Trejo isn't optimistic.
Hunting families are losing their enthusiasm for big game draws, he says, because they don't ever win. "If we're not careful, we'll be extinct, and it'll be a rich man's game."
This story was funded by a grant from the McCune Charitable Foundation.


text:
Abstract: Handwritten presentation copy of the poem 'Flood'.
In collection Irish Poetry Reading Collection Volume 4
Manuscript of Gerard Smyth's 'Flood' is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright of the original resource: Gerard Smyth
To use for commercial purposes, please contact the UCD Digital Library See: https://digital.ucd.ie/terms/


text:
If you're looking to save some money on print books or ebooks, you're in luck today! There are two specials going on — one from O'Reilly and the other from No Starch.
First, O'Reilly is offering a great deal — 50% off selected DIY ebooks! The special expires December 11, 2012 at 11:59pm PT, so get your orders in now! (Of course, with ebooks, there's no risk of running out of stock!) To get the deal, visit here and use the code HDELECT — you'll see ebooks on Lego, electronics, Arduino and much more. They've even got the Best Teach Yourself Electronics Book Ever (IMO) for only $13.99! You know why I like books from O'Reilly? Because they are "DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, and free updates. Now includes Dropbox syncing."
You can read my review of Make: Electronics here.
You can read my review of the Encyclopedia of Electronic Components Volume 1 here. (It's the fourth book down the list)
You can read Dave G's review of the Arduino Cookbook here.
Next, the folks over at No Starch are having their own sale on ebooks and print versions — 40% off ALL of their books for the next 72 hours. All of it. Everything. Get the deal by visiting here and using code TISTHESEASON. They've got way too many books to mention them all, but if you're a fan of Lego, you'll definitely want to check out John Baichtal's Cult of Lego (with his co-author, Joe Meno). Other books that they're offering that we've reviewed include:
Super Scratch Programming Adventure
Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide


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One-on-one: Personal trainers may help you realize your resolution
It happens every year: Gyms and personal trainers get an influx of calls from people striving to get into – or back into — shape for the new year.
Choosing from working out solo, getting to the gym with friends or hiring a personal trainer is a personal preference — all have pros and cons — but there's something out there for every workout level.
Todd Hembrough, who has been a personal trainer for the past five years, said he expects the gyms to be jammed full of people for about six weeks — and then, slowly, the numbers will begin to taper off.
The assistant fitness director at FitClub West in Springfield, Ill., said most people drop their memberships to the gym because of a lack of motivation.
"You need to be reaching a goal when you're in there or it becomes boring," he said. "Personal training is about motivation, education and safely exercising. How could anyone not benefit from those three things?"
Thirty-eight-year old Angie Sidles agrees. She prefers working out with a trainer, one who pushes her toward her goals.
However, her first experience with a trainer was unpleasant. She said that trainer spent "hours watching the clock" and didn't seem to care much about her personal goals.
"It's important to find one that is knowledgeable, educated and passionate about ensuring their clients get the results they are seeking," Sidles said. "Otherwise, it's a complete waste of money."
Sidles has had a better experience working out at CrossFit Instinct in Springfield.
"The trainers immediately learned my name and managed to provide one-on-one training to me as well as every other individual participating in the class," she said.
"Every workout could be scaled to each individual's level of ability, and the trainers made sure that every single person was comfortable with what they were doing before the workouts began."
She is drawn to group classes such as high-impact aerobics, kickboxing and body sculpting.
"With a trainer, I am constantly held accountable for not only my performance, but my attendance and diet as well," Sidles said. "The motivation and positive reinforcement that come along with a good personal trainer is what has allowed me to constantly push myself to the next level and see results."
Meeting goals
Personal attention is vital to some — and that's what personal trainers are supposed to do.
Though they can be costly (most places offer payment plans), some people find that a mix between a personal trainer once a week or even a few times a month coupled with working out on their own can pay off in big ways. They take what they learned from the trainer to adapt it to their own lifestyle and workouts.
"I was personally educated on proper diet and nutrition in order to get the full benefits from my workouts," said Sidles, who works out six days a week.
FitClub's Hembrough said the "main reason for training is accomplishing goals or overcoming plateaus. That's why we educate the client how to do this themselves and not just rely on the trainer but knowing when and how to do these tasks themselves."
Maintaining motivation is a key reason people decide to get a trainer.
Sidles said varying workouts not only prevents boredom but provides "much better and faster results. Muscle confusion works, and the body responds to it. … An hour a day on the elliptical may burn calories. However, research has shown that performing long, slow bouts of cardiovascular exercise is not the best way to turn on your fat-burning mechanism."
That type of workout, she said, quickly becomes boring, and a person will quit.
Hembrough said trainers most often will meet with a potential client one-on-one for an evaluation so the trainer can learn what the person's goals are. If the two mesh well, a good partnership can be formed.
If at first you don't succeed ...
There's a trainer out there for everyone, said Molly Suhadolnik. She is the co-owner of CrossFit Instinct and a personal trainer at Gold's Gym in Springfield.
"Not only does having a personal trainer make you push harder than you would push yourself and give you accountability, but it will help you learn proper form and techniques as well as how to program your fitness regimen. Most people who think it is not for them have not had a trainer before, had a bad experience with a trainer or have too much ego to have someone tell them what to do," she said.
She advised those looking for a personal trainer to do their homework.
"Talk to people who have had trainers to find out what they liked/didn't like. Get online and search for local personal trainers or health clubs with trainers and set up an appointment. Call local gyms and get information on personal trainers," she said.
The initial meeting or trial session should be free from a good trainer, Suhadolnik said — with no strings attached.
"Try it out; if you don't like their style … move on."
State Journal-Register


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Digitized issues of the Sentinel, student newspaper of Kennesaw State University.
Date of Original1966/2015
SubjectCollege student newspapers and periodicals Kennesaw College Kennesaw State University Kennesaw Junior College
LocationUnited States, Georgia, Cobb County, Kennesaw, 34.02343, -84.61549
DescriptionDigitized issues of the Sentinel, student newspaper of Kennesaw State University, from 1966 to 2015.


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The Urbanist
Tall Stories 240: Ciudad Real International Airport
00:00 / 00:00
18 January 2021
04 minutes
Photo: Alamy
We touch down at a white elephant of an airport built in Spain at the height of the financial crisis.
18 January 2021
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