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Since Congress has taken off on its annual summer recess, you might assume that nothing is happening on Capitol Hill that could affect the taxes you pay on your home. Quite the reverse.
Staff members of the House and Senate tax-writing committees are busy putting together legislative drafts that may determine the fate of real estate's most prized tax benefits -- first and second home-mortgage interest deductions, property tax write-offs, capital gains exclusions and others.
Both committees' chairmen have promised major tax reform proposals this fall. They've been evaluating deductions, credits and loopholes in terms of revenue costs and economic benefits, including the $70 billion-plus yearly expense of the mortgage interest write-off. The process that's under way represents the most serious effort to simplify and reorganize federal tax law since the Tax Reform Act of 1986.
On the Senate side, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., asked colleagues in both parties to submit recommendations on which tax preferences should be preserved, starting from a "blank slate" where all current benefits are eliminated. To provide senators political cover and deniability, the committee put all recommendations under a 50-year top-secret classification, and restricted access to them to just 10 staff members.
On the House side, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., instructed staff to move ahead with drafts during the recess, allowing the committee to consider a final tax reform bill in October. That would tee up the legislation for a possible full House floor vote.
So what's really on the chopping block? Is there a possibility that as part of a comprehensive tax reform bill, preferences for homeownership could be reduced or phased out?
Here's a quick overview: The House bill under construction seeks to reduce individual and corporate marginal tax rates across the board. Camp has said he wants to clear out deductions, exclusions and other long-time tax code subsidies enough to lower individual taxes to a top marginal rate of 25 percent, down from the current 39.6 percent. He also wants to eliminate the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and slash corporate tax rates.
The problem, though, is that lowering tax rates to these levels would cost trillions of dollars in lost revenues over the coming decade and would only be partially paid for by eliminating or cutting the vast majority of current tax preferences, including for homeowners. Lowering the top marginal rate for individuals to 28 percent -- instead of the proposed 25 percent -- would help, some analysts say, but still might not close the lost-revenue gap.
Another complication: Major tax benefits that have been in existence for decades, such as the mortgage interest and property tax deductions, are so welded into the system that eliminating them, or sharply reducing them, would send shock waves throughout the national economy. The Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank that describes itself as nonpartisan, released a study at the end of July projecting that an elimination of the mortgage interest write-off would cut the gross domestic product (GDP) by $254 billion based on incomes in 2012, and would result in the loss of 659,000 jobs. In a separate study, the Tax Foundation projected that elimination of homeowner property tax deductions would lower GDP by $94 billion and trigger the loss of 216,000 jobs.
Findings such as these lead housing proponents to believe that neither the House nor the Senate bill can afford to make drastic reductions to long-standing homeowner tax benefits.
Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, said in an interview that the Tax Foundation's study "helps drive home the points we've been making (on Capitol Hill) about the value and importance of housing incentives" to the entire economy.
Other industry analysts aren't so sure. Not only did the Ways and Means Committee hear a panel of prominent economists slam the housing write-offs as inefficient and heavily tilted to benefit higher-income taxpayers, they note, but Camp's own make-or-break income-tax cut targets could take precedence over retaining current deductions. On top of that, Democrats in the Senate want to raise revenues through tax reform, not cut them.
If that's the case, something's got to give. And that might require lower write-offs for housing -- unpalatable politically as they may be a year before congressional elections. Whether tax reform legislation that does that could actually pass either house, however -- in a year where Republicans and Democrats can't even pass a budget to fund the government -- is much in doubt.
Ken Harney's email address is email@example.com. Washington Post Writers Group


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Sept. 22, 2008— -- A new medical study finds that acupuncture, an ancient form of healing that has been around for thousands of years, is as good as, or better than modern medicine in helping ease the side effects of breast cancer treatment.
The findings, which were presented today at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's annual meeting in Boston, suggest that this ancient therapy can give cancer patients a wide range of benefits above modern medicine.
Cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, which kills breast cancer cells, can wreak havoc on a woman's body, throwing many into menopause with severe symptoms.
"I got about two hot flashes an hour," said Susan Azar, 43, a breast cancer survivor. "Very intense ones where you would break out in a sweat."
The "conventional" remedy for Azar's chemotherapy-induced hot flashes is a daily anti-depressant. But these pills can produce side effects of their own, including dizziness, nausea and constipation.
In an effort to find a way to alleviate some of chemotherapy's symptoms, Azar enrolled in a clinical trial to receive acupuncture once or twice a week, for 30- to 45-minute sessions.
"Two to three weeks into the study, you start to notice the hot flashes, the intensity and the frequency would decline," Azar said.
Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese therapy, practiced for thousands of years, uses very thin needles to reduce pressure at specific points. Most patients do not feel any pain from the needles.
Most women in the study said they saw the same dramatic effect from the acupuncture treatment as Azar did.
"Acupuncture is equal to drug therapy in decreasing hot flashes," said Dr. Eleanor Walker at the Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of the study. And even better, she said, it has no side effects.
At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, many patients with different types of cancer are now offered acupuncture as a routine part of their care.
While researchers are still discovering exactly how the treatment works, studies have shown that acupuncture can treat the pain, nausea and extreme fatigue common among cancer patients.
Ken Dupuy, a 59-year-old who is currently battling prostate cancer, turned to acupuncture to ease his stress and anxiety. Though Dupuy, himself, was wary of such an unconventional treatment, he said it has worked wonders.
"I'm the greatest skeptic going," Dupuy said. "I'm amazed. I feel extremely, deeply relaxed; every muscle in my body right now is de-stressed."
Barrie Cassileth, chief of integrative medicine services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, said acupuncture can benefit most patients with "an open mind."
"I think many more patients should try acupuncture," Cassileth said. "It is easy. It's pleasant. It's inexpensive. There are no risks involved."
In some studies, as many as three-quarters of cancer patients report being helped by acupuncture.
For more information on acupuncture, see Cassileth's answers to frequently asked questions on acupuncture and cancer.

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Biological Research
versión impresa ISSN 0716-9760
Biol. Res. v.37 n.2 Santiago 2004
Biol Res 37: 225-230, 2004
Diet and Endothelial Function
ADA M CUEVAS1 and ALFREDO M GERMAIN2
1Departments of Nutrition, Diabetes and Metabolism and of 2Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Direccion para Correspondencia
Endothelial dysfunction is one of the earliest events in atherogenesis. A consequence of endothelial damage is a lower availability of nitric oxide (NO), the most potent endogenous vasodilator. NO inhibits platelet aggregation, smooth muscle cell proliferation and adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells. Endothelial dysfunction is present in patients with cardiovascular disease and/or coronary risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking or hyperhomocysteinemia. At present, soluble markers and high resolution ultrasound of the brachial artery, have provided simple tools for the study of endothelial function and the effects of several interventions. It has been demonstrated that dietary factors may induce significant changes on vascular reactivity. Nutrients, such as fish oil, antioxidants, L-arginine, folic acid and soy protein have shown an improvement in endothelial function that can mediate, at least partially, the cardioprotective effects of these substances. Attention has been focused on dietary patterns in populations with lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease. There is some evidence suggesting that Mediterranean diet characterized by high consumption of vegetables, fish, olive oil and moderate wine consumption may have a positive effect on endothelial function. These results give us evidence on the significant role of diet on endothelial function and its impact on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Key words: Diet, endothelial function, nitric oxide, vascular reactivity.
Abbreviations: EDRF: endothelium-derived relaxing factor; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; LDL: low density lipoprotein; MUFA: monounsaturated; NO: nitric oxide; NOS: nitric oxide synthase; SERM: selective estrogen receptor modulators.
The vascular endothelium plays an important role in a number of homeostatic functions including the regulation of blood flow, vascular tone and platelet aggregation. These functions are mediated by the synthesis and release of several substances, mainly nitric oxide (NO) or endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), the most potent endogenous vasodilator known to date (1, 2).
Endothelial dysfunction, that is, the disruption of these vasoregulatory functions, is considered one of the earliest events in the development of atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperhomocysteinemia are frequently associated with abnormalities in vascular function, characterized by an increased response to specific vasoconstrictor agents and a pronounced attenuation of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation (3, 4).
The clinical characteristics of endothelial dysfunction are enhanced and maintained endothelial activation and impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Endothelial activation is detected by increased plasma concentration of soluble adhesion molecules that are released into the plasma from the activated endothelium (5).Failure in endothelium-dependent vasodilation can be detected in coronary vessels by coronariography post infusion of acetylcholine to measure changes in coronary artery diameter and vessel flow. However, this method is invasive and time-consuming. A non-invasive and reproducible method has been developed that measures the vasodilator response of the brachial artery after the infusion of agonists, such as serotonin or acetylcholine or, more commonly, in response to increased flow induced by reactive hyperemia (6).
Several pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies have been demonstrated to improve endothelial function. Pharmacological interventions include inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins), calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, estrogens and angiotensin-II receptor antagonists (4). Non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical activity, smoking cessation and nutritional factors also play an important role. In recent years, fatty acids, antioxidants, L-arginine, folic acid and soy protein have been the most evaluated substances.
Fatty acids
Several studies have shown that the acute administration of a high-fat meal induces a transitory disruption of endothelial function. This effect has been observed with different types of fats, including saturated, monounsaturated (MUFA) and trans fatty acids (7). Vogel et al. evidenced that a high-fat meal (containing predominantly saturated and trans fatty acids) induced an acute decrease in flow-mediated vasodilation that correlated with a postprandial elevation of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in the plasma (8). Another study showed that a meal containing predominantly MUFA, also produces an impairment in endothelial function when compared to a carbohydrate-rich-meal (9). Similarly, it was observed that a meal rich in olive oil, produces the same decline in flow-mediated vasodilation as did a fast food meal (7).The effect of chronic consumption of a high-fat diet on endothelial function has also been evaluated. One study showed that a Mediterranean-type MUFA diet administered during 28 days to healthy subjects, produces a decrease in plasma markers of endothelial activation, suggesting an improvement in endothelial function (10). Similarly, the chronic consumption of low-fat diets and Mediterranean-style diets improve endothelial function compared to a high-fat Western-type diet (11). However, these studies did not differentiate the benefit attributed to the high consumption of natural antioxidants, characteristic of Mediterranean-style diets, from the effect of fat on endothelial function. We evaluated the effects of two high-fat diets: MUFA and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), both of them exiguous in fruits and vegetables. They were administered to healthy males during three weeks. It was detected that both diets, independent of the type of fat, elicited a significant decline in flow-mediated vasodilation. This negative effect was reverted when the subjects added red wine (two glasses per day) or fruit and vegetables to their diets (12). These data suggest that high-fat diets induce endothelial dysfunction that can be counteracted with the consumption of natural antioxidants.
The effect of n-3 fatty acids on endothelial function has also been evaluated. In vitro studies suggest that n-3 fatty acids decrease the expression of adhesion molecules on endothelium and decrease leukocyte-endothelium interactions (13). In addition, in coronary artery strips, fish oil augments endothelium-dependent relaxation (14). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may induce this effect by increasing the production and release of nitric oxide by an activation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) (15). Human studies have shown that supplementation with n-3 fatty acids improves endothelial function, providing an additional mechanism for the beneficial effects of these fatty acids in coronary heart disease (16). In contrast to other fatty acids, acute administration of fish oil did not induce a deleterious effect on endothelial function (7) and its long-term administration is consistently associated to improved endothelial function (17,18).
In conclusion, with the exception of n-3 fatty acids, acute or chronic high- fat meals induce a negative effect on endothelial function. This function is improved by the simultaneous administration of natural antioxidants, such as red wine, fruits and vegetables. Results of studies with fish oil provide further support to the beneficial effects of these fatty acids on endothelial function and cardiovascular disease prevention.
The oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Dietary antioxidants protect LDL molecules against oxidation and limit experimental atherosclerosis (19-22). Abnormalities in endothelium-dependent vasodilation may in part result from the effects of oxidized LDL on nitric oxide release. Moreover, oxidized LDL is cytotoxic to endothelial cells and chemotactic for monocytes, leading to the accumulation of vascular inflammatory cells and free radicals and to the inactivation of nitric oxide (23, 24). Antioxidants reduce LDL oxidation; early animal studies suggested that the administration of these substances preserves endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation (25). Human studies also support a beneficial role of antioxidants on endothelial function (18, 26). It has been detected that vitamin C, a water soluble antioxidant, vitamin E and probucol, lipid soluble antioxidants, produce beneficial effects on endothelial function by decreasing the down regulation of endothelial NOS expression (27). Moreover, the deleterious effects of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia on endothelial-dependent vasodilation can be counteracted by the simultaneous administration of antioxidants, mainly vitamins C and E (28, 29). Flavonoids and other polyphenols contained in foods such as red wine, tea, onions, apples and others, also have antioxidant properties, and there is evidence that their intake is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk (30, 32). In vitrostudies have shown that wine polyphenols exert vasorelaxing activities in rat and rabbit aortic rings and in human coronary arteries (33, 34). Plant polyphenols from other sources have shown a similar activity. Recently, we observed that moderate red wine consumption counteracts endothelial dysfunction induced by a high-fat, Western-style diet administered to healthy men (35). Similarly, another study suggested that short and long-term black tea consumption reverses endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary heart disease (36).
Taken together, the results of most of the studies support a beneficial role of antioxidants, mainly vitamins C, E and polyphenols on endothelium function. This effect seems to be directly related to a reduction in oxidative stress.
L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid and the substrate for NOS in the production of nitric oxide (37). Animal studies have shown that supplementation with L-arginine improves endothelium-dependent dilation, decreases platelet aggregation and monocyte adhesion and reduces the development of atherosclerosis (18, 38). However, the results on human interventions are more controversial. Some studies detected that L-arginine induces an improvement on endothelium dependent vasodilation, while others report no change. In patients with coronary artery disease, most studies have shown that L-arginine administration improves both endothelium-dependent vasodilation and abnormal interactions of vascular cells, platelets and monocytes (39). Similarly, L-arginine administration exhibits consistent beneficial effects on patients with hypercholesterolemia or cigarette consumption, both of which are well known cardiovascular risk factors that induce endothelial dysfunction (39). However, the benefit is not clear in healthy subjects or patients with diabetes or hypertension. Endothelial dysfunction associated to both of the latter conditions does not seem to be related to NOS substrate deficiency (39), that could explain the lack of effect of L- arginine interventions. Our preliminary (unpublished) data indicate that L-arginine supplementation (0.1 mg/kg by oral route) for 6 weeks in patients with known cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease presenting severe endothelial dysfunction, was associated to a significant improvement in endothelial function.
During the reproductive period, some patients presenting with miscarriage, fetal death, fetal growth restriction or preeclampsia exhibit placental lesions indicating atherosclerotic vascular disease (40). The evaluation of their endothelial function during the non-pregnant period detected the presence of endothelial dysfunction of unknown origin in about 30 % of them (41). In those women, early L-arginine supplementation (0.1 mg/kg by oral route) (from 10 weeks gestation until term) improved maternal endothelial function, decreased uterine vascular resistance indexes (suggesting an improvement in uteroplacental blood flow) and was associated to a lower frequency of pregnancy complications, and a higher rate of live births (41). Additional well-controlled studies are necessary to confirm our results.
Folic acid
Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is formed during methionine metabolism. Serum homocysteine concentrations are frequently elevated in the elderly, in individuals deficient in folic acid, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) or pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6), and in the presence of some enzyme abnormalities (42). It is now well established that mild to moderate elevations in serum homocysteine plasma levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (43). Homocysteine increases platelet aggregation and thrombosis through enhanced thromboxane synthesis and inactivation of anticoagulant substances (44). In addition, cellular and animal studies suggest that homocysteine reduces the bioavailibility of NO by increasing superoxide production, which inactivates NO (45). There is increasing evidence that folic acid could have a beneficial effect on vascular reactivity. Clinical studies have detected impaired endothelial function in subjects with hyperhomocysteinemia or healthy subjects after oral methionine load. Acute administration of folic acid can restore disrupted endothelial function in those subjects (46). Also, chronic supplementation has shown a positive effect (18). This benefit is probably mediated by the homocysteine lowering effect of folic acid and by other mechanisms such as antioxidant properties and a direct increase of NO production (47, 48).
Soy protein
Dietary soy protein has been shown to have several beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. Its best-documented effect consists of a reduction of cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations (49, 50). In addition, soy protein exhibits potent antioxidant properties (50). These effects have been attributed to soy bean compounds, named isoflavones, mainly genistein, which act as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM). These compounds bind more strongly to estrogen receptor b, present in bone and vascular tissue, and with less affinity, they bind to estrogen receptor a (51). In addition to the antioxidant and lipid lowering effect, in vitro studies had suggested that genistein relaxes rat arteries by a NO-dependent mechanism (52), thus suggesting that these isoflavones could have direct beneficial effect on endothelial function. Furthermore, genistein enhances the vasodilator response of atherosclerotic arteries to acetylcholine (53). In addition, genistein supplementation improves endothelial dysfunction induced by ovariectomy in rats (54). Consistently, we recently demonstrated that supplementation with soy protein to postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women improves flow-mediated dilation, regardless of changes in plasma lipoproteins. We hypothesized that isoflavones are responsible for this beneficial effect (55).
In conclusion, endothelial function can be modulated by some dietary components. The challenge for the future is to address the physiological mechanism of these components, and formulate dietary recommendations for populations at risk of cardiovascular disease.
We acknowledge MEGODUC, Obstetrics and Gynecology group of the Catholic University of Chile for providing access to perform the high resolution vascular ultrasound in the brachial artery using last generation ultrasound equipment.
A research and development grant from Laboratorio Gynopharm, Grupo Recalcine and Grant PUC-PBMEC (Molecular Basis of Chronic Diseases Program), Catholic University of Chile.
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52. SQUADRITO F, ALTAVILLA D, MORABITO N, CRISAFULLI A, D'ANNA R, CORRADO F, RUGGERI P, CAMPO GM, CALAPAI G, CAPUTI AP, SQUADRITO G (2002) The effect of the phytoestrogen genistein on plasma nitric oxide concentrations, endothelin-1 levels and endothelium dependent vasodilation in postmenopausal women. Atherosclerosis 163: 339-347
53. HONORE EK, WILLIAMS JK, ANTHONY MS, CLARKSON TB (1997) Soy isoflavones enhance vascular reactivity in atherosclerotic female macaques. Fertility Sterility 67: 148-54
54. SQUADRITO F, ALTAVILLA D, SQUADRITO G, SAITTA A, CUCINOTTA D, MINUTOLI L, DEODATO B, FERLITO M, CAMPO GM, BOVA A, CAPUTI AP (2000) Genistein supplementation and estrogen replacement therapy improve endothelial dysfunction induced by ovariectomy in rats. Cardiovasc Res 45: 454-462
55. CUEVAS AM, IRRIBARRA VL, CASTILLO OA, YÁÑEZ MD, GERMAIN AM (2003) Isolated soy protein improves endothelial function in postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women. Eur J Clin Nutr 57: 889-894
Corresponding Author: Ada M Cuevas, Lo Fontecilla 441, Santiago, Chile. Phone: 562-2104041.
Received: March 24, 2003. Accepted: April 10, 2003.


text:
CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY, Plff. in Err., v. WILLIAM BOWER.
36 S.Ct. 624
60 L.Ed. 1107
CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY, Plff. in Err.,
No. 301.
Argued March 16 and 17, 1916.
Decided June 5, 1916.
Messrs. A. A. McLaughlin, Wymer Dressler, and William G. Wheeler for plaintiff in error.
Mr. Michael F. Harrington for defendant in error.
Mr. Justice Pitney delivered the opinion of the court:
We have here under review a judgment of the supreme court of Nebraska, affirming a judgment in favor of defendant in error in an action based upon the Federal employers' liability act of April 22, 1908 (chap. 149, 35 Stat. at L. 65, Comp. Stat. 1913, § 8657), for the loss of an eye caused by the breaking of a lubricator glass on a locomotive engine upon which he was at work as engineer in the employ of plaintiff in error. 96 Neb. 419, 148 N. W. 145.
No question is made but that the cause of action arose in interstate commerce so as to bring the case within the Federal act. The facts upon which the question of liability depends are these: The plaintiff in the action (defendant in error) was an experienced locomotive engineer. At the time of his injury, which occurred at night in the month of November, 1910, he had just oiled his engine, taken it from the roundhouse, and placed it upon the outgoing track in readiness for his run. The engine was equipped with a Nathan lubricator, an appliance containing oil for the steam cylinders and the air pump, the oil being conducted to and within the parts where needed under steam pressure from the boiler. In order to give the engineer a view of the interior of the apparatus, and thus enable him to see that the oil was dropping, three cylindrical glass tubes were attached, one carrying the oil for each steam cylinder and one for the air pump. Each of these glasses was surrounded with a shield of perforated metal in two parts, hinged together and lightly clamped upon the glass tube by means of a spring to hold it in place. When the lubricator was in operation, the tubes were required to sustain the same steam pressure as the boiler. These tubular glasses would sometimes break. This was most liable to occur: (1) when a glass was newly installed, and before it had been properly tempered; (2) when it was subjected to a sudden change of temperature, as when steam was admitted to it while cold; and (3) they would, after six or seven weeks' use, sometimes 'wear thin' and break for this reason. The metal shield was designed in part, at least, to prevent injury to the engineer from flying pieces in case the glass should break. This type of lubricator had been in use for over twenty years, and had been used upon all defendant's engines down to a time between three and four years prior to the accident. Then a new type, known as the Bull's Eye, came into use, and was recognized as a better appliance because, being unbreakable, it was safer for the engineer, and at the same time obviated the loss of time and delay of trains attributable to breakage of lubricators of the Nathan type; and defendant began to instal Bull's Eye lubricators in the place of the older type upon engines already in use, and to place them upon all new engines. During the earlier period of the use of the Nathan, and before the construction of locomotives of classes Q and R, the engines carried only 140 to 150 pounds boiler pressure, while engines of the classes mentioned carried 190 pounds. An experienced witness called by defendant testified that, at the time of the trial (about a year after the accident), approximately 25 per cent of the engines were still using the Nathan lubricator and 75 per cent were equipped with the Bull's Eye; that the Bull's Eye was and had been, for three or four years, recognized as 'the proper appliance;' that the Nathan was dangerous to the men, and that the change was being made partly because of this and partly because the breaking of the old style lubricator sometimes delayed trains.
Plaintiff testified that during most of the time for the past twenty years he had operated locomotives equipped with Nathan lubricators having tubular glasses, but not all of these were high-pressure engines. The engine on which he was injured was of class R, and carried a boiler pressure of 190 pounds. He had operated it for about two months prior to the time of his injury. During his experience of twenty years, lubricator glasses had broken with him on three previous occasions, the last being about three weeks before the occurrence in question. At this time he asked that a Bull's Eye be substituted on his engine. He testified that this was not because he considered the old lubricator dangerous, but because he wanted to save time on the road in the event of a breakdown. He also testified that he knew that when a new glass was put into a Nathan lubricator it was liable to burst if the steam was turned on suddenly, or if steam was turned on quickly in cold weather, and that on the occasion in question, following the correct practice, he first partially opened the throttles, admitting the steam to the tubes to warm them, afterwards fully opening the throttles, and that it was about seven minutes after this was done that the explosion occurred.
The trial court submitted the case to the jury with instructions to the effect that the burden of proof was upon plaintiff to show that defendant had carelessly and negligently maintained the shield and spring and glass in the lubricator in a weak and dangerous condition, that the lubricator glass was not of sufficient strength for use upon the engine in question or any other engine carrying 190 pounds of steam, and that this fact was known to defendant, or that its experience with said glass and lubricator had been such that it ought to have known that the same was insufficient and dangerous; and that if they believed from a preponderance of the evidence that defendant was thus negligent, and that plaintiff was injured as a result of it, they should find for the plaintiff, otherwise for the defendant.
The principal controversy is as to whether the evidence was sufficient to go to the jury upon the question of defendant's negligence in furnishing the locomotive in question with a lubricator having tubular glasses as described.
The rule of law is: That the employer is under a duty to exercise ordinary care to supply machinery and appliances reasonably safe and suitable for the use of the employee, but is not required to furnish the latest, best, and safest appliances, or to discard standard appliances upon the discovery of later improvements, provided those in use are reasonably safe and suitable. Washington & G. R. Co. v. McDade, 135 U. S. 554, 570, 34 L. ed. 235, 241, 10 Sup. Ct. Rep. 1044; Patton v. Texas & P. R. Co. 179 U. S. 658, 664, 45 L. ed. 361, 364, 21 Sup. Ct. Rep. 275. In our opinion, a correct application of this rule required the present case to be submitted to the jury. Properly limiting the inquiry (and, as we have seen, the trial court did so limit it), there was no question of attributing negligence to an employer for merely failing to promptly instal the latest, best, and safest appliance; it was a question of keeping an older type of appliance in use after its insufficiency had been demonstrated by experience, and perhaps under conditions materially different from those which had obtained when its use began, in the face of notice that it was not reasonably safe and suitable. It was reasonably inferable from the evidence that defendant's experience had shown that a glass tube capable of withstanding the lower pressures of 140 to 150 pounds could not be relied upon to withstand a pressure of 190 pounds, and that the difficulty could not be obviated, as was attempted, by using thicker glass for the tubes, because its very thickness increased the danger of bursting when steam was first admitted; there being evidence from a witness called by defendant that the older type of lubricater was a dangerous instrument to be used upon a high-pressure boiler, and that they broke rather frequently; that it was for this reason, in part, that defendant had introduced the Bull's Eye, beginning three or four years before the accident, installing them first upon high-pressure engines of the Q and R classes, and having already placed them upon a majority of defendant's engines of all sizes. In this state of the evidence it could not be said, as matter of law, that defendant was free from negligence in delaying so long to instal a Bull's Eye lubricator upon the engine in question.
The only other question relates to whether plaintiff assumed the risk of performing his duty upon a locomotive equipped with the Nathan lubricator. Instructions were given to the jury upon the subject, but they are open to some criticism which perhaps can be obviated only by holding, as the supreme court of Nebraska held, that there was nothing in the evidence that would sustain a finding that plaintiff assumed the risk.
The crucial question is whether he knew or had sufficient notice of the increased danger attributable to the employer's negligence. Plaintiff testified without contradiction that it was his understanding—he had been 'always taught to believe'—that the Nathan lubricator would stand the boiler pressure of 190 pounds. Assuming, as the undisputed evidence shows he had a right to assume, that the glass was being subjected to no greater bursting strain than it was designed to withstand, he still knew that, under special circumstances that have been pointed out, there was danger of a glass bursting unless precautions were taken. Any risk of this character, unaffected by his employer's negligence, he undoubtedly assumed, as a risk ordinarily incident to the occupation he pursued. But this throws no light upon his right to recover, because if he was subjected to no greater risk than that just now indicated, the employer was not negligent and there was no ground of recovery. Under the trial court's instructions, the jury must be presumed to have found that the Nathan lubricator glasses had been shown by experience to be incapable of withstanding a pressure of 190 pounds, that defendant knew of this, and nevertheless negligently maintained such glasses upon plaintiff's engine. There was present, therefore, an extraordinary danger, not normally incident to plaintiff's employment; it was in its nature latent, and not obvious; and there is no evidence in the record that plaintiff had received any notice or warning of the increased hazard attributable to his employer's negligence. In short, while he knew there were certain dangers naturally incident to the use of tubular glasses upon the lubricator, there is nothing to show that he knew or had any ground to believe that his employer had been wanting in the exercise of proper care for his safety, or that because of such want of care the danger to him was greater than it ought to have been. Without this, he could not be held to have assumed the increased risk. Gila Valley, G. & N. R. Co. v. Hall, 232 U. S. 94, 101, 58 L. ed. 521, 524, 34 Sup. Ct. Rep. 229; Seaboard Air Line R. Co. v. Horton, 233 U. S. 492, 504, 58 L. ed. 1062, 1070, L.R.A.1015C, 1, 34 Sup. Ct. Rep. 635, Ann. Cas. 1915B, 475, 8 N. C. C. A. 834.
Judgment affirmed.
The following state regulations pages link to this page.


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Despite confirmation from the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the State Department that they are not releasing Omar Abdel-Rahman, Rep. Peter King wants a statement guaranteeing the blind sheikh will die in a U.S. prison.
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SPM Flex Chemcassette -S-U XP Mineral Acids 2 Weeks 1265-4012
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SPM Flex Chemcassette -S-U XP Mineral Acids
1265-4012 SPM Flex Chemcassette -S-U XP Mineral Acids
Up to 2 weeks of continuous monitoring of Hydrogen Fluoride, Hydrogen Chloride, Hydrogen Bromide, Boron Trifluoride, Nitric Acid, Sulfuric Acid and Hydrogen Iodide.
The field-swappable Chemcassettes for the Honeywell SPM Flex Tape-Based Monitor use advanced tape technology to show the presence of a target gas quickly and definitively with a physical record. Chemcassette technology is highly specific and reacts extremely fast to the presence of parts per billion (ppb) levels of many hazardous gases.
Each Chemcassette is manufactured to traceable ISO 9000 manufacturing standards by a world class team of highly trained chemists and each batch is calibrated with ultra pure gas that is traceable to nationally accepted standards. This means that the end user does not have to provide calibration facilities themselves thereby saving cost and reducing risks to their own staff.
1 Source; ACGIH 2014.
2 A=780248 (disposable), B=1830-005 (filter membrane 0235-1072 must be replaced every 30 days), C=1991-0147 (disposable)
Outside of RH range:
3 Tends to have lower response at higher humidities
4 Tends to increase sensitivity at higher humidities (due to the chemistry of the reaction)
5 Tends to under report at higher humidities (typically >75%RH) due to the gas characteristics to adhere or decompose on contact with water/moisture. The response seems to be lower but the actual gas concentration under these high humidity conditions will be lower than expected.
6 Tends to under report in dry conditions (<25-30% RH).
7 Depending on the combination of temperature and humidity, even within the ranges specified above, a unit's performance efficiency can be influenced due to condensation, physical tape material changes, or optical changes. Consult Honeywell Analytics Service Department.
8 Refer to TechNotes 971131 (
Chemcassette -base Instrument Accuracy and Precision
) and 1998-0219 (
Protocol for Testing Gas Detectors
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text: Based on a UCLA research, 4.9 million people California think that they require aid to get a mental health or psychological health condition. Researchers through the UCLA have learned that about 1 million people in California suffer from signs or symptoms linked to severe mental problems and complicated psychological well being conditions. Intellectual overall health… Continue reading Need For Mental Health Service


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Yellow Book Band - Level 3
Stories are still mostly familiar and straightforward, but some may be more surprising and unusual.
Approximately 110-140 words per story with one story per book.
There is an quiz page at the end of each story.
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text:
We are already half-way through February and so far I am not sure 2015 is all that. A good friend had a pretty scary car accident in January and while he is lucky to be alive, various broken bones mean he faces a long road to recovery. And maybe it is an age thing, but suddenly numerous friends are having had to deal with sick parents. Yet while the normal reaction to these kinds of news would be to be grateful for your own good health (which I generally am) and to try and live in the moment a bit more (well, I try), I must admit that I have been in a bit of a funk and generally feeling a bit 'meh' about everything.
But this weekend I decided I had had enough. After three weekends away and with the sun starting to show its face just long enough during the day to remind me that winter is nearing its end, I decided to spring-clean my flat. I also did some yoga and finally got to spend a day in the kitchen again. Grains and beans were cooked for the week ahead, soaked almonds were turned into almond milk, the left over almond pulp was turned into a huge batch of grain-free granola and a financier recipe was re-tested. But the best part about a weekend at home after so many weekends away? Waking up in my own bed on Sunday morning and knowing that one of these blueberry and thyme buckles was waiting for me to have for breakfast.
Ever since making this Blueberry Icecream and smooching a generous scoop between two Momofuku Corn Cookies, I have been a little obsessed with the combination of corn and blueberry. While an unusual pairing where I grew up, after trying it for the first time it just made perfect sense to me. Corn has a natural sweetness that just begs to be incorporated into sweet dishes and the slight tartness and almost herbaceous flavour of blueberries makes it a rather intriguing combination.
While it took me a while to come up with a recipe for the most recent Goes Well With Coffee Post, as soon as I saw that 'berry-like' was one of the aromas on the SCAA's flavour wheel, I knew I wanted to bake something with blueberries. While the SCAA lists apricots and blackberries as examples, the berries I associate the most with coffee are definitely blueberries given they are commonly listed as part of the flavour profile of Ethiopian coffees. So what better coffee to pair with one of these buckles then a cup of Yirgachefe from the Kochere region in Ethiopia?
In other news, my recipe for Dark Chocolate Truffles with Orange and Sichuan Pepper made it into the Telegraph the other day. I also did a little interview which you can read here.
Blueberry and Thyme Buckles
Notes: The recipe below makes 8 individual buckles. You can bake them using 10cm tart rings lined with parchment paper, like I did here, alternatively you can bake the buckles in a muffin tray. However, you could also make one large buckle cake using a 23cm springform or round cake pan (if so, you will want to increase the baking time to ca. 60 minutes).
For the Buckle Batter
120g sugar
100g butter, softened
2 eggs
80g yoghurt
180g masa harina
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
For the Blueberry Thyme Layer
250g blueberries
1/2 tsp thyme
For the Cornmeal Crumble
90g masa harina
90g polenta
90g butter, cold
75g sugar
Pinch of salt
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius. Line eight 10cm tart rings with parchment paper (to do this, I cut out small squares of parchment paper just a little larger than the tartlet rings. I then crunch up the parchment paper into a small ball before unfolding it and lining the tartlet rings with it – this helps to ensure you can press the parchment paper flush against the sides of the tartlet ring). Alternatively, grease 8 holes in a medium size muffin tin.
In a medium bowl beat the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy (this will take ca. 5 minutes). Add the egg and beat to incorporate, followed by the yoghurt, again, beating to incorporate. In a separate bowl briefly whisk the masa harina with the baking powder and salt before folding this into the wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter. The batter should have dropping consistency – if it appears too stiff whisk a couple of tablespoons of milk into the batter to loosen it.
Distribute the batter evenly among the tart rings, smoothing the top of the batter with the back of a spoon.
Add the blueberries to a small bowl and scatter the dried thyme over the berries. Use a spoon to briefly mix the two.
Distribute the blueberries evenly among the tart rings.
To make the crumble topping, add the masa harina, the polenta, sugar and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture appears sandy and there are no large chunks of butter remaining. Scatter the crumble over the blueberries and press ever so slightly so the crumble will better adhere.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the buckles are starting to turn golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the buckles comes out clean.


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SCOTUS Update: La Loi, C'est Moi
The norms that govern political action are changing, perhaps most of all on the Supreme Court.
But confidence in the very idea that the Roberts majority will approach this as a "normal" legal matter, rather than as one more Bush v. Gore front in the political wars, grows ever harder to maintain, especially after the latest labor-rights ruling. It is worth reading carefully this lead editorial in yesterday's New York Times. In short, the same five conservative Justices who in their pre-appointment phase had inveighed against "judicial activism" and "legislating from the bench," while promising to live the gospel of judicial "humility" if confirmed, went out of their way, in a ruling written by Samuel Alito, to decree new law contrary to what Congress had ordered and other courts had long approved.*
Liberal democracies like ours depend on rules but also on norms -- on the assumption that you'll go so far, but no further, to advance your political ends. The norms imply some loyalty to the system as a whole that outweighs your immediate partisan interest. Not red states, nor blue states, but the United States of America. It was out of loyalty to the system that Al Gore stepped aside after Bush v. Gore. Norms have given the Supreme Court its unquestioned legitimacy. The Roberts majority is barreling ahead without regard for the norms, and it is taking the court's legitimacy with it.
Three items for extra reading.
1) On how Democrats in general should react if the Court, as seems likely, announces a plainly partisan ruling about the health care law, see Michael Tomasky's argument.
2) If you want some bitter amusement, look back at Dahlia Lithwick's excellent real-time reports on how Samuel Alito and John Roberts presented themselves, back when they were trying out for their current lifetime roles:
At his hearings, Roberts sounded the notes of "humility" and "modesty" repeatedly. Over and over, he emphasized the need for judicial deference--to precedent, to the other branches of government, and also to his colleagues on the court. He declined to answer dozens more questions than did Alito. But his casting of himself as a modest cog in a vast and complicated machine afforded real comfort even to those of us concerned about his substantive views.
At first blush, Alito's approach appears simply to be a different flavor of judicial modesty: Where Roberts spoke repeatedly of deference to other institutions, Alito persistently defers to the legal process itself. He tells us, over and over again, that he approaches cases with an "open mind." He says he would start analyzing any issue by closely scrutinizing the relevant statute. He insists--time and again--that he hasn't yet fully studied the issue at hand and cannot therefore offer an opinion.
There's a lot more, and all in the same mode that in retrospect was quite plainly 100% cynical.
3) Reflecting the change in norms leading to a change in reality brought by routine abuse of the filibuster, a Congressional reporter tells us that a recent proposal failed in the Senate, because "Sixty votes were needed to pass."
Of course we students of government know that this answer is incomplete. These days, the actual number of votes needed is 60 -- or five.
* Again, read the editorial, but it concerns "opt-out" measures for certain union dues and fees. Previous legislation and court rulings had approved the practice of unions withholding dues unless individual members "opted out." This was part of the larger balance of union and corporate power that has been worked out in legislation and court rulings over the past century. Samuel Alito, for the majority, decreed opt-out an unacceptable part of the balance and said that unions must switch to "opt-in."
** You can try this at home. Pick a country and describe a sequence in which:
- First, the presidential election is decided by five people, who don't even try to explain their choice in normal legal terms.
- Then the beneficiary of that decision appoints the next two members of the court, who present themselves for consideration as restrained, humble figures who care only about law rather than ideology.
- Once on the bench, for life, those two actively second-guess and re-do existing law, to advance the interests of the party that appointed them.
- Meanwhile their party's representatives in the Senate abuse procedural rules to an extent never previously seen to block legislation -- and appointments, especially to the courts.
- And, when a major piece of legislation gets through, the party's majority on the Supreme Court prepares to negate it -- even though the details of the plan were originally Republican proposals and even though the party's presidential nominee endorsed these concepts only a few years ago.
How would you describe a democracy where power was being shifted that way?
Update Underscoring the point, a Bloomberg poll of 21 constitutional scholars found that 19 of them believe the individual mandate is constitutional, but only eight said they expected the Supreme Court to rule that way. The headline nicely conveys the reality of the current Court: "Obama Health Law Seen Valid, Scholars Expect Rejection."
Also: from opposite ends of the pedantry spectrum, some people have written to ask what this foreign-language nonsense is doing in the title, and others why it's not capitalized the way "real" French would be. To the first: of course this is derived from the famous L'etat, c'est moi, which you can look up. To the second: this is Atlantic "house style." In our web posts all "significant" words in a title are capitalized, excluding "of" and "and" but including all verbs and any word coming after a colon. Now you know.


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450 years of unbroken history
Display cases for Picasso exhibit used for artifacts at Visitor Information Center
Corrections: A previous version of the story misattributed some information to Paul Williamson, public affairs director for the City of St. Augustine. That information came from Mark Knight, director for the city's Planning and Building Department.
The story also incorrectly stated the date of an event with City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt and volunteer Mischa Johns. They will be on hand to answer questions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at the VIC.
Updated June 30, 2012. 1:23 p.m.
A previous version of the story incorrectly stated the century in which construction began on the Castillo de San Marcos. Construction began in the 17th century.
Updated July 8, 2012. 2:43 p.m.
A new exhibit at the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Visitor Information Center lets viewers enjoy the fruits of an archaeology dig without enduring the dirt or the sweat of the real thing.
"This is what people want to see when they come to St. Augustine," said city department of heritage tourism facilities manager Sharon Langford, nodding toward cases containing 58 artifacts offering a look into the civilian, military and leisure life of St. Augustine residents in the 1700s.
"History is what sets us apart. We have great beaches, great golf courses like other places, but what sets us apart is our history," Langford said.
You can credit serendipity - and city of St. Augustine officials - with the exhibit of artifacts.
Display cases were brought in several weeks ago for an in-the-future exhibit featuring the works of artist Pablo Picasso. VIC and city staffs began talking about putting them the empty cases to use.
"We decided while they're sitting here, let's do something," Teresa Garris, VIC gift shop manager, said. The something turned into the archaeology exhibit.
It's taken only a week and a lot of work by city archaeologist Carl Halbirt, volunteer Mischa Johns and summer staff intern Russell DePratter from South Carolina to pull together the exhibit, which is nearing completion.
Halbirt calls Johns an "integral part … helping in developing and mounting the exhibit."
With the backing of City Manager John Regan and the city's Planning and Building Department Director Mark Knight, the exhibit has become one of the events for the 450th celebration. It ties in with the slogan "450 Years of Unbroken History 1565-2015."
In the 17th century the Castillo de San Marcos was under construction and St. Augustine was becoming a cosmopolitan city, Halbirt said.
"During that time there was the greatest diversity of material cultures entering St. Augustine," he said. The display includes Spanish, English, French and Native American pieces.
On the average about 20,000 people a month come through the VIC, Knight said. He's hoping the exhibit will draw even more plus pull in more local people.
An exhibit hall is part of what the city had in mind when they approved renovating the VIC, Knight said.
VIC staff say the exhibit is already a draw. Usually a dozen or so people are walking around the exhibit and learning about the city they're visiting.
"The kids get really excited," Garris said. Some run screaming across to pull their parents to a particular exhibit box, others studiously peer in and read the labels that explain each of the artifacts.
Just enough is on display that visitors can enjoy the information without being overwhelmed. All but one of the items were uncovered by the city's archaeology program, headed by Halbirt. Many are being seen by public for the first time.
Each piece - whether a copper-pewter shoe buckle, lead shipping seal, good luck charm in the shape of a fist, cast iron pot, battered French tea kettle, pottery pieces, a 1650 bocce ball, ale bottles, musket ball, English bayonet or wood drill - give a look into the life of the people who once lived in St. Augustine.
Each case displays pieces that relate to one another. For example, a small piece of British blue-on-white delftware features an example of 18th century fashion. Next to it are buttons from the period.
"This way people can see what kinds of clothing the buttons would have been on," Halbirt said.
Some of the pieces give information about where they were found including:
* A piece of wood found in the debris field of the Cubo Line, the defense line for the northern part of the city after the British laid siege in 1702. Ax marks are still visible.
* Dice and a domino tile found by the city's customs house.
* A circa 1650 wooden kitchen bowl recovered from the bottom of a log-lined well shaft excavated in 1992.
The one thing you won't find is gold. No pieces of eight, no doubloons. Two silver pieces are included, both one-real silver cobs. One is from the 1700s, the other was manufactured at the Potosi Mint in 1663.
And there is one counterfeit piece from 1720. "It's copper. They poured silver on it. It was manufactured in Spain," Halbirt said. "Then it was recycled, you can see where a hole was drilled and it used as a charm by an African-American. It was just lost in the kitchen, and that's where we found it."
Another piece of 450 year history waiting to be found.
The artifacts
The delicate work on this crucifix was created circa the 1700s. A portion of the Christ figure is missing.
A Spanish Aranamia Polychrome majolica brimmed plate is circa 1720-1764. Broken pottery pieces help archaeologists date the sites.
A brass keg tap dates back to the late 1700s. St. Augustine was filled with taverns. Other remnants of the trade on display are ale bottles and what's known as a case bottle.
The brass spoon mold containing a pewter spoon made in the mold is the only piece not discovered during a local dig. The man who donated it said it had been in his family since the late 1700s
"Sometimes we find fragments of these spoons, now we have an example of how they were actually manufactured," said city archaeologist Carl Halbirt.
The VIC
Where: San Marco Avenue
Hours: Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Cost: Free admission
Meet the Archaeologists
City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt and volunteer Mischa Johns will be on hand to answer questions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at the VIC.
Disarticulated donkey, St. Onofrius medal
One of the unique finds in St. Augustine archaeology was a disarticulated donkey buried in the mid-17th century and found near the old coquina quarry pits on Anastasia Island.
A picture of the bones has become a T-shirt and a tote bag for the city's 450th souvenirs.
Getting the same treatment is a St. Onofrius medal discovered in St. Augustine.
St. Onofrius was the patron saint of weavers and prayers said to him were often recited while searching for missing objects, according to the VIC display.
The medallion was found by Halbirt at the Casa del Hildago in 2005.


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For a conference that has been used to advance Android and Chrome, and introduce Google Glass with users parachuting from a plane, people are expecting to hear about virtual reality and artificial intelligence at this week's Google I/O conference.
"This year's focus will be virtual reality, no doubt," said Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst. "I believe Google wants to be a leader in virtual reality and, in this marketplace where there are no leaders yet, I think they will try and secure their place in the front of the line."
Kagan said Google may even roll out its own early- generation virtual reality device at I/O, the company's annual developer conference, which generally draws more than 6,000 attendees.
The conference is being held from Wednesday through Friday in Mountain View, Calif., the same city where Google is headquartered.
One of the big differences for this year's conference is that it's not at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Google has not given a reason for the change of venue, to the Shoreline Amphitheatre, though many anticipate that the company is looking to use the outdoor fairplex to display advances in its work on autonomous cars, robotics or drones.
"I expect it means Google will be showing off its skills at defining and powering autonomous vehicles -- not just cars but drones and devices of all sorts," said Jack Gold, an analyst with J.Gold Associates. "Cars seem to be getting the headlines but there are a number of autonomous things that Google wants to power."
Gold added that those smart devices could range from autonomous garbage trucks to systems that find an open parking space for your car and autonomous wheelchairs for people with disabilities.
+ MORE ABOUT THE SHOW How to watch Google I/O 2016 +
"Think of this as the same kind of race we went through in trying to power smartphones," he said. "Google won big there against the competition, and it is trying to position itself as the power inside the next wave of autonomous vehicles and robotic gadgets, as well."
Scott Strawn, an analyst with IDC, said he thinks Google is likely to show off driverless cars.
Google had pushed hard into robotics back in 2013, scooping up Boston Dynamics, the maker of the Atlas humanoid robot and the Big Dog, along with a string of other robotics companies. When reports hit that Google is trying to unload Boston Dynamics, it left many observers wondering how committed the company still is to developing its own robotics technology.
"After Andy Rubin [former head of Google's robotics division] left, it isn't clear how much progress they've made with their robotics program," Strawn said. "But their cars have been in the media quite a bit, which might suggest some kind of unveiling this week."
And with Google's increasing interest in autonomous vehicles and virtual reality, there's a natural push for the company to invest heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning to support those efforts.
Many industry analysts are expecting to hear more about that this week.
"What's most important to me are the efforts Google has around cognitive computing and artificial intelligence," said Gold. "We are seeing major pushes by IBM, with Watson, and Microsoft and others. I'd really like to see how Google plans to counter these efforts."
He added that he's interested to see if Google will talk about or show off an advance to Apple's Siri, or Amazon's Echo.
Strawn, too, thinks Google might focus on a smart personal assistant.
"Google is working hard to create an interactive digital assistant," said Strawn. "If you've ever seen the movie Her, that would give you a good idea of the type of interaction they are trying to create. Mostly it would be to help organize people's lives, kind of like an ever-present assistant that you can have a conversation with."
Of course, it wouldn't be Google I/O without talk of Android and Chrome but most aren't expecting huge news out of those areas this week.
"Google always has some type of updates that will be revealed about the next version of Android, even though this year some Android N features have been announced already," said Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner. "There have been rumors for many years that Android and Chrome OS will be merged or will interoperate to some degree. And while some developers want this merging to happen sooner than later, Google may only look at some interoperability versus a more substantial merging."
Google's cloud efforts also are likely to get some attention. And Project Tango, a technology that enables mobile devices to be aware of their position in the world, is expected to be updated during the conference.
"I believe [Project Tango] was demonstrated at last year's conference, so I expect to see some refinements and further packaging of this intriguing idea," said Brad Shimmin, an analyst with Current Analysis. "Clearly, mobile devices are not just ubiquitous but also heterogeneous in shape, size and purpose. If Google can deliver a set of APIs that engage those devices directly with the physical world around them and with their users, we could be in for something much more momentous than even virtual reality."
This story, "Google I/O: Expect A.I., virtual reality" was originally published by Computerworld.


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The toughest part of blogging is keeping up the urge to blog seven days a week. This post, inspired by Orwell, started out as my quest to find out why I blog, but it kinda evolved into an outline on why you should too.
Trust me on this one: blogging's tough to keep up with, there's no clear end game but it's totally worth it!
So blogging newbies, if you're expecting a quick return on investment with your new hobby I'd say, don't even start. You are likely to shed your blogging interest much like a New Year's resolution:
"Avocational" bloggers are likely to drop off simply because it's hard work to keep up the pace. Writing an insightful 700 word article several times a week, for no or little money, is far more taxing than snapping a photo or sending a 140 character tweet. That's part of the reason a 2010 Pew study showed that the rate of blogging was declining among teens and young adults, who were instead spending their time on social networks.
But if you're willing to stick with it, read on. Here's why blogging matters to every single one of us (yes, every one reading this post):
1. Blogging gives you a voice
Blogs traffic in ideas and as a professional if you've ideas other than what your boss demands of you in a daily job, than a blog is the best way to share it widely. Quora or LinkedIn or Twitter sure help, but you're playing in somebody else's playground. I say build a blog yourself and it's all you. You own your words, your ideas.
Get creative. You're gonna feel the urge to do that someday soon. @dorieclark summed it best:
Writing is still the clearest and most definitive medium for demonstrating expertise on the web. But as thought leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk have shown with video blogging and fellow HBR blogger Mitch Joel with podcasting (i.e., audio blogging), as long as your content is rich and thoughtful, you can still build up a massive following and reputation regardless of your channel. In an information-hungry world, there will always be a need for expert content. And there will always be more readers and "retweeters" than there will be creators.
2. Use that voice with purpose
If you want to have an impact, you might as well be the one setting the agenda by leading with your ideas to influence the world. Reminded me (yes, I think of most things in life as a Steve Jobs quote) of something Steve Jobs said:
When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and you're life is to live your life inside this world; try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.
That's a very limited life.
Life can be much broader. Once you discover one simple fact and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you.
You can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.
This thinking echoes one of Orwell's motives for writing:
Political purpose: Using the word 'political' in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples' idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.
And, I think any good blog or book has a serious purpose. The rest of them blogs are boring as hell; kinda like some of the older posts I wrote in Act II of writing this blog. A mistake I don't plan on making again.
3. Blogging sharpens your mind
Nothing clarifies the mind better than the concerted effort to write a blog post. I learned this from @adamnash who, besides being a prolific blogger himself, also used to be a strong advocate of product managers on his team writing posts for the company blog as an exercise in thinking through product features from a user's perspective.
What's true for product managers is true for any professional across the board. Much like the iPhone's limited mobile real estate forces designers to surface the most important features efficiently, a blank page on a blog forces you to channel your ideas on topics that mean something to your career.
Open an empty word document and try writing down the first thing that comes to mind about your "job" today.
Try it, it's a liberating act.
4. Blogging helps you connect the dots
Facebook may connect you with people you already know, but knowledge networks like Twitter or Quora connect you with people you gotta know. A blog is the epitome of this dynamic.
I'm still good friends with the first group of bloggers I stumbled upon when I started this blog. Folks like Ann Handley, Jeremiah Owyang or Mack Collier among others. As time progresses, your thinking evolves, you focus on areas your mind leads you to (in my case – social networking) and you find other equally insightful bloggers to friend.
Fact is: blogging expands your circle of professional connections but more importantly guides you towards people who are more in line with your professional thinking.
So have I made a persuasive case for blogging? Frankly, this post is more a personal rallying cry to help me sustain my blogging, but rest assured blogging changed my life once and I'm betting on it doing the same again.
As Steve Jobs said:
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.
So blog. Do it if you really love what you do. Heck, do it if you don't love what you currently do.
And the dots will eventually connect.


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(Published in the August 2004 issue)
Learn more about Lance Armstrong's bike and workout regimen.
In summer 2004, Lance Armstrong set out once again to singe the egos of the world's top bike racers by attempting to win an unprecedented sixth consecutive Tour de France. Well, he did it. But while the French media slapped their foreheads exclaiming "mon Dieu!" in exasperation as Armstrong attempted to claim another victory, bike aficionados were taking a close look at the tools that accelerated this historic race.
More From Popular Mechanics
The bikes Armstrong rode had developed over the past few months and continued to evolve during the Tour. Armstrong's bike was the Madone SL, which is basically a different style of Armstrong's 2003 Madone 5.9. The SL's top tube and rear triangle are the same as those on the 5.9, but the downtube and seat tube were borrowed from the Trek 5900 Superlight, perhaps in an effort to trim some weight.
The Madone is the result of a challenge Armstrong put to manufacturer Trek Bikes (www.trekbikes.com) to create the lightest, most streamlined frame ever with an aim to win the Tour. But balancing on the tightrope between performance-oriented and illegal is something both rider and design engineer pay close attention to.
"Too light is when it is out of the rules," explains Armstrong. "There are weight limits in place."
Armstrong's Tour bikes were light enough to speed him to a podium finish but durable enough to withstand a thrashing on muddy cobblestones. By swapping components based on performance objectives and on the day's terrain, Armstrong raced on different versions of the Madone. During the flat stages, the Madone used heavier, more aerodynamic aluminum wheels, while the mountain stages required lighter, carbon-fiber wheels. In addition to the Madone, the ultralightweight and aerodynamic time-trial bike was scheduled for work during the Tour's four time trials.
The bikes claim their fame through a combination of aerospace technology, proprietary design and a few secrets such as the click-shift system borrowed from mountain bikes. The frame's compressed carbon-fiber/epoxy composite called OCLV (Optimized Compaction, Low Void) allows frame builders to orient carbon fibers to create direction-specific strength in areas where stress loads vary. Areas of high stress require the increased strength of dense, tightly woven fibers, whereas low-stress areas can afford to skimp on materials and thus weight. Tipping the scales slightly over the 6.8-kilogram (14.96-pound) required minimum weight, Armstrong's Madone endured the rigors of a 3-week race without violating the rules set by Union Cycliste International, bike racing's governing body.
Thanks to modern design tools, manufacturing methods and a production plant located down the road from Trek's Waterloo, Wis., headquarters, the design team at Trek was able to quickly turn an October 2003 brainstorming session with Armstrong into a prototype by early spring. The bike rolled to the start line of the Tour de France on July 3, and months of dialogue between athlete and engineer played out over the next 22 days.
Since the Tour ended on July 25, it won't be long before you can walk out of any Trek dealer with the Tour version of the Madone--but first you'll need to peel off enough Ben Franklin bills to equal $5000. (Armstrong's bike and those of the U.S. Postal Service team are the only commercially available frames that were in the Tour.)
When the road took a sharp turn skyward during the Tour's celebrated mountain stages, Armstrong reached for equipment that trimmed his overall weight but could still descend at high speeds without compromising time and safety. Workhorse components that shoulder a rider's pursuit in a sprint or absorb a crash impact don't necessarily remain on the bike when riders head into the mountains.
"For example, the wheels the Postal team uses are chosen for the course and conditions of the day," says Keith Bontrager of Bontrager Wheelworks and Components (www.bontrager.com). "The optimal wheel for one circumstance could be a disadvantage for another, so they need to have what it takes for anything they come up against."
For the 2003 Tour, Bontrager helped shave 300 grams off Armstrong's bike by building the Triple X Lite OCLV carbon wheel, which set a trend in all-weather braking. The old saying "what goes up must come down" can prove a problem on France's serpentine mountain roads, especially if the surface is slick from rain or snow. A 60-mph descent into a hairpin turn can be disastrous--or fatal--if a rider can't slow down. Bontrager's proprietary CarbonStop brake pads, when matched with the smooth, reliable braking surface of the Triple X Lite wheels, create a formidable opponent to treacherous braking conditions. A set of Bontrager Triple X Lite OCLV wheels costs $1500 and includes CarbonStop brake pads.
Shimano (www.shimano.com) was to have supplied at least nine teams, including the U.S. Postal Service team, with Dura-Ace components at this year's Tour. Depending upon the sponsorship arrangement with Shimano, a team might have had the full Dura-Ace system or just a few a la carte parts. Shimano provide the USPS team with cranksets, brakesets, shifters, derailleurs, cassettes and seatposts. Each day at least 81 racers from nine different teams sought to cross the finish line outfitted with some of the same components that Armstrong uses. That means Shimano keeps mum about whether Armstrong's components get special attention, which earns Shimano points for good citizenry in the bike business.
"Shimano has long-term relationships with many, many teams," says Chris DiStefano of Shimano. "Trek has one team, we have 11. Bike riders are bike riders to me."
When Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999, Shimano chalked up the win as a Tour first for its brand. Each consecutive win added a little more applause to the manufacturer, but 2004 was a race in which Shimano could hardly go wrong. Last year Armstrong edged out second-place finisher and five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich by 1.01. This year Ullrich planned to tower above Armstrong on the winners podium in Paris, and for the first time he hoped to get there on a bike with Shimano parts.
The complete Dura-Ace 10-speed system retails for $1700 and is available wherever Shimano parts are sold.
Completing Armstrong's bicycles, some of the finest parts available contributed to the collective Tour-winning goal: a Chris King NoThreadSet headset (www.chrisking.com), Hutchinson tubular tires (www.dedaelementi.com), Bontrager Triple X Lite carbon fork, and a Selle San Marco titanium and leather saddle (www.sellesanmarco.com). In short, the bike was tailored to the idea that the sum of all parts really is greater than the whole.
More than $3.5 million was up for grabs in this year's Tour (400,000 Euros went to the winner) and that doesn't include prizes offered by host towns. And then there's the athlete endorsements and product promotions. Several million people watched the race an average of 2 to 5 hours per day.
On July 25, Armstrong finished the 3395-kilometer (2110-mile) Tour de France in the least amount of time will and made the trip up the podium on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Months of training helped him reach the finish line in Paris, but it may have been the exhaustive testing, tweaking and adjusting applied to his bike before and during the Tour that enabled him to out-perform the competition. A more efficient bike means a faster rider. And, every second counts.


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BeagleBone PRU Notes
The goal of this page is to record information that is pertinent to getting started with the BeagleBone's AM335x Programmable Real-time Unit (PRU).
BeagleBone Programmable Real-time Unit
This is also called the PRU Subsystem (PRUSS) or PRU and Industrial Controller Subsystem (PRU-ICSS). It is optimized to perform embedded tasks that require real-time constraints.
Most important is the purssdrv library to expose functions to the PRU. You can load this library by typing modprobe uio_pruss.
PRU capabilities
- The PRU has dual 32-bit RISC cores, shared data and instruction memories and an interrupt controller (INTC).
- 8KB data memory and 8KB instruction memory
- 12KB shared RAM
- A small, deterministic instruction set
There is no pipelining done on the processor and there are 29 (r1-r30) registers to use.
Data Sheet is located at http://www.ti.com/lit/pdf/spruh73
Software examples
BeagleBoard/TI has provided example C programs that utilize the PRU on github.
These include: PRU_memAccess_DDR_PRUsharedRAM, PRU_memAccessPRUDataRam, PRU_PRUtoPRUInterrupt, and a PRU assembler.
Full assembly guide is located at http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/PRU_Assembly_Reference_Guide
Instruction Set
Nearly all instructions (with exception of accessing memory external to PRU) are single-cycle execute (5 ns when running at 200 MHz)
Four instruction classes
- Arithmetic
- Logical
- Flow Control
- Register Load/Store
Instruction Syntax
- Mnemonic, followed by comma separated parameter list
- Parameters can be a register, label, immediate value, or constant table entry
- Example
- SUB r3, r3, 10
- Subtracts immediate value 10 (decimal) from the value in r3 and then places the result in r3


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皇冠管理端登3网站(www.99cx.vip):Pharmaniaga to ride on high demand for its products
MIDF Research said the group has increased its profitability in the last few months as demand for pharmaceutical products continued to rise well into the second half of the year.博彩平台网址大全(www.99cx.vip)是一个开放皇冠体育网址代理APP下载、皇冠体育网址会员APP下载、皇冠体育网址线路APP下载、皇冠体育网址登录APP下载的官方平台。博彩平台网址大全上博彩平台网址大全登录线路、博彩平台网址大全代理网址更新最快。博彩平台网址大全开放皇冠官方会员注册、皇冠官方代理开户等业务。
KUALA LUMPUR: Pharmaniaga Bhd is expected to post positive earnings in financial years 2022 (FY22) and FY23 as demand for pharmaceutical products continues to increase.
In a note, MIDF Research said the group has increased its profitability in the last few months as demand for pharmaceutical products continued to rise well into the second half of the year.
"Despite having no problems with raw materials, Pharmaniaga has stated that the high demand has caused manufacturing to go beyond 100% capacity, and paracetamol production had increased to more than twice the normal capacity.
"Liquid drugs are also facing a demand and supply imbalance, as such, Pharmaniaga's Indonesian plants have been requested to deliver the syrups," the research house pointed out.,
MIDF Research also added that Pharmaniaga's logistics segment will be renewing its concession agreement with the government in the fourth quarter of 2022, assuring a steady order of drugs for public hospitals in the near term.
Additionally, the group's efforts to push its brands to become household names could reset the public sentiment that only certain brands of drugs would give out the same effect, hence boosting its future income.
"We are also optimistic on its vending machine venture which is part of the pharmaceutical sector's solution to accessibility and digital healthcare," it said. — Bernama


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