text:
(REUTERS) - THE State Department made a "grievous mistake" in keeping the US mission in Benghazi open despite inadequate security and increasingly alarming threat assessments in the weeks before a deadly attack by militants, a Senate committee said on Monday.
A report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee on the September 11 attacks on the US mission and a nearby CIA annex, in which the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans died, faulted intelligence agencies for not focusing tightly enough on Libyan extremists.
It also faulted the State Department for waiting for specific warnings instead of improving security.
The committee's assessment, "Flashing Red: A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi," follows a scathing report by an independent State Department accountability review board that resulted in a top security official resigning and three others at the department being relieved of their duties.
Joseph Lieberman, an independent senator who chairs the committee, said that in thousands of documents it reviewed, there was no indication that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had personally denied a request for extra funding or security for the Benghazi mission. He said key decisions were made by "midlevel managers" who have since been held accountable.
Republican Senator Susan Collins said it was likely that others needed to be held accountable, but that decision was best made by the Secretary of State, who has the best understanding "of how far up the chain of command the request for additional security went."
The attacks and the death of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens put diplomatic security practices at posts in risky areas under scrutiny and raised questions about whether intelligence on militant activity in the region was adequate.
The Senate report said the lack of specific intelligence of an imminent threat in Benghazi "may reflect a failure" by intelligence agencies to focus closely enough on militant groups with weak or no operational ties to al Qaeda and its affiliates.
"With Osama bin Laden dead and core al Qaeda weakened, a new collection of violent Islamist extremist organizations and cells have emerged in the last two to three years," the report said. That trend has been seen in the "Arab Spring" countries undergoing political transition or military conflict, it said.
The report recommended that US intelligence agencies "broaden and deepen their focus in Libya and beyond, on nascent violent Islamist extremist groups in the region that lack strong operational ties to core al Qaeda or its main affiliate groups."
Neither the Senate report nor the unclassified accountability review board report pinned blame for the Benghazi attack on a specific militant group. The FBI is investigating who was behind the assaults.
President Barack Obama, in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said the United States had "very good leads" about who carried out the attacks. He did not provide details.
The Senate committee said the State Department should not have waited for specific warnings before acting on improving security in Benghazi.
It also said it was widely known that the post-revolution Libyan government was "incapable of performing its duty to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel," but the State Department failed to fill the security gap.
"Despite the inability of the Libyan government to fulfill its duties to secure the facility, the increasingly dangerous threat assessments, and a particularly vulnerable facility, the Department of State officials did not conclude the facility in Benghazi should be closed or temporarily shut down," the report said. "That was a grievous mistake."
The Senate panel reviewed changing comments made by the Obama administration after the attack, which led to a political firestorm in the run-up to the November presidential election and resulted in US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice withdrawing her name from consideration to replace Clinton, who is stepping down early next year.
Rice had said her initial comments that the attack grew out of a spontaneous protest over an anti-Islam film were based on talking points provided by intelligence agencies.
Lieberman said it was not the job of intelligence agencies to formulate unclassified talking points and they should decline such requests in the future.
The report said the original talking points included a line saying "we know" that individuals associated with al Qaeda or its affiliates participated in the attacks. But the final version had been changed to say: "There are indications that extremists participated," and the reference to al Qaeda and its affiliates was deleted.
The report said that while James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, had offered to provide the committee with a detailed chronology of how the talking points were written and evolved, this had still not been delivered to Capitol Hill because the administration had spent weeks "debating internally" whether or not it should turn over information considered "deliberative" to Congress.


text:
America's second favorite sexy doctor (after George Clooney, of course) has a new success on his hands. Also today: Did Steven Spielberg blackball Megan Fox? Plus some important NerdNewz™.
- ER's richboy cutie doctor Noah Wyle hasn't been doing much these past ten years or so. Sure he did those librarian movies, but the less said of those the better. But now, as if dropped from the sky, comes, uh, Falling Skies! The Wylster's new TNT series debuted last night and was the highest-rated cable premiere of the year! It's about aliens and stuff! Noah Wyle shoots guns! The prep school- and Northwestern-educated actor plays all grizzled and bescruffed and shoots aliens and stuff. Who wouldn't want to watch that? It only makes sense that it did so well. So now he's back. Noah Wyle is back. Eriq La Salle, you're next buddy. Or you, Gloria Reuben. Sherry Stringfield? Eh... just hang tight. [The Wrap]
- Who killed Megan Fox's career? Well, OK, while being fired from the Transformers movie series might not have killed Megan Fox's career per se (she has an Apatow movie coming up, after all), it certainly hobbled it. The rumor has always been that she was fired because she refused to sleep with schlock director Michael Bay, which everyone believed because Michael Bay is gross and whatever. But maybe that is not the real story! Bay is now saying that Fox was fired at Transformers producer Steven Spielberg's behest, after Fox made some comments about Bay trying to "be like Hitler" in a magazine interview. Upon reading those remarks, the Schindler's List director told Bay to fire Fox asap. Hm! The plot thickens! Or does it? Does anyone care? Is Megan Fox going to have an acting career in five years? Is Michael Bay just a collection of cold computer parts soldered together by cynicism and ego? No and yes, respectively. I think. [THR]
- Hey nerds! Get your eyes offa those nerd websites of yours, take a big pull from your inhalers, and listen to this nerd news. It's about The Hobbit. The director of the upcoming movie, a little guy you may'a heard of named Peter Jackson, has announced two new castings. Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna, will play the Goblin King. (Marc Anthony declined an offer to play himself.) And, hold onto your scepters, Lost wet T-shirt victim Evangeline Lilly will be playing some sort of wood elf. Haha, I bet you nerd boys have elf wood in your pants right now over that news. Stupid nerds. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to wheezing and weeping as I read Game of Thrones. [Deadline]
- Do you love Glee? Is Glee all you can think about as you drive home from your job in HR and pick up dinner at Applebee's ("Paradise Chicken Salad to go please," is the world's saddest sentence) and watch the sky go from gray dusk to dark, lonely night? Then you will be interested to hear this: Ryan Murphy has confirmed that all of Glee's seniors — meaning Rachel and Finn and all of them — will be graduating at the end of next season and, presumably, moving on from the show. Meaning that, horror of horrors, Lea Michele will soon be returning to New York to terrorize us all. Run! Hide! Blood your doors! The Lea monster slouches back toward Broadway. [EW]
- Hip actresses of the moment Greta Gerwig and Alison Pill have been cast in hip 75-year-old of the moment Woody Allen's next movie. The Italy-set The Bop Decameron (very marketable title) will also feature Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page. Oh and some Italians. Plus some Italians. Gotta have Italians in your Italy movie. [THR]
- Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen, Mark Consuelos. Which of those men do you want to wake up with every morning? Not in your beds, sillyheads. On your TVs! Apparently these are the fellows currently on the "shortlist" of possible replacements for cracker spokesman Regis Philbin. Philbin is leaving Live! With Regis and Shriekmonster in November, so they need to find a new dude soon. Because closet gay and frequent fill-in Anderson Cooper has his own new show coming out (hardee har har) he's out of the running. So instead we get a real gay, a maybe-gay, and the shriekmonster's husband. Dude, really? You're gonna set yourself up to not get cast on your wife's show? Bleak, son. Shit's bleak. Who do I think should replace old Regis? Elaine Stritch, for one weird, glorious episode and then the whole thing burns down and the earth is salted so nothing else may grow there again. [NYDN]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fans of big summer genre movies will already know the name of Alex Kurtzman, probably when paired with his long-time collaborator Bob Orci on movies like Transformers, Star Trek, the television shows "Fringe" and "Hawaii Five-O." This summer, he's making his directorial debut with a terrific character drama called People Like Us, though just four days later, it faces Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man as it slams into theaters. It's somewhat ironic since Alex and Bob recently signed on to write the sequel to that anticipated superhero reboot.
We had been wondering why these guys, who have been writing and producing a lot of their own original ideas and material in recent years, became so interested in joining a licensed franchise character like Spider-Man, which would mean going back to their days of "Transformers" and working with a lot of different cooks.
He responded by paying a great compliment to the upcoming film's director, Marc Webb, who SuperHeroHype recently interviewed:
"We jumped on (it) because we were so impressed with the movie and what Marc Webb has done with the movie," Kurtzman told us in an interview earlier today. "I just adore Matt Tolmach, who is the producer of the movie, and everyone at Sony has been so supportive of us. We felt really good about it and really passionate about it. When you're growing up, if you're a superhero lover, it's like Batman, Spider-Man and Superman are the holy trinity of superheroes, so the opportunity to get involved with any one of those is like you get to let your kid play again."
"We're exec. producing as well and they've been very generous about letting us be involved with the process," he continued. "But certainly what we don't want to do is step on any toes and we're really just there because we love Spider-Man so much."
That sequel is already scheduled for the summer of 2014, but Kurtzman and Orci are also producing two anticipated sci-fi movies coming out in 2013, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel (scheduled for May 17) and a movie based on Orson Scott Card's hugely-popular Ender's Game (scheduled for November).
Many people are wondering why J.J.'s movie isn't being brought to Comic-Con considering that it was the cast's introduction at the annual San Diego geekfest that got fans so excited about the original 2009 movie in the first place. There's no conspiracy though and part of why it's not going to be there is because they just wrapped shooting, as Kurtzman told us:
"Here's the thing about Trek. Part of why we delayed a year was because we didn't want to rush it, just because we feel very beholden to the franchise and we feel very protective of it and the worst thing we can do is to put it out there before we felt like we were ready and we were still working on the story."
There's almost as many eyes and as much interest on what they're planning for Ender's Game, since Card's book is so beloved by sci-fi fans, and Kurtzman helped to alleviate any concerns.
"We're certainly huge fans of the book, too, so I think we felt extremely protective of it," he said. "I know that Gavin Hood, our director, really felt protective of it, and he wrote a beautiful script. Orson came in and gave us his blessing, which I think was a huge, huge thing for all of us."
You can look for more with Kurtzman talking about his new movie People Like Us over on ComingSoon.net sometime before its release on June 29.


text:
The University of Oklahoma is the only college or university in the state named as one of the nation's Best Colleges for Veterans, according to 2014 rankings released today by Military Times.
The organization comprising Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times placed a new emphasis on academic rigor this year when conducting and scoring the fourth annual Best for Vets: Colleges survey, a highly respected 150-question analysis of a school's complete offerings for veterans.
"As with all of the Best for Vets rankings, Best for Vets: Colleges is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an institution a good fit for military veterans," said Amanda Miller, editor of Military Times EDGE.
Best for Vets provides service men and women a gauge by which to judge whether a school or degree program will truly benefit them. The rankings factored in service member enrollment, percentage of tuition covered by the GI Bill, and availability of specific programs to help service members.
The extensive evaluation process also factored in statistics commonly used to track student success and academic quality, including student loan default rates, retention rates, graduation rates and student-faculty ratio.
The rankings are published in full in the November issue of Military Times EDGE magazine, the premier publication for military transition, and online at MilitaryTimes.com, as well as ArmyTimes.com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com and MarineCorpsTimes.com.
The Veterans Day release of Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 coincides with several Military Times initiatives to celebrate service members. The #MyVeteran social media/online campaign allows people to post pictures, videos and stories about a veteran in their lives. Editors' picks, along with a Made in the USA holiday gift guide, appear in the issues of the Military Times papers on newsstands the week of November 11.


text:
EPA Outlines Next Steps at the Capital City Plume Site in Montgomery, AL
Release date: 10/11/2011
Contact Information: James Pinkney, 404-562-9183, email@example.com
Next Steps
1. EPA will communicate to building owners and the general public the results of indoor air quality and outside soil vapor sampling that took place in mid-August 2011 as soon as those results are available.
2. If warranted by the results of the sampling data, EPA may undertake additional sampling and/or mitigate exposure to contaminants through indoor air utilizing its emergency response authority.
3. EPA will conduct groundwater sampling and analysis of samples from the existing well network during the week of October 24 th .
4. EPA will hold a public availability meeting on Thursday, November 3, from 5-7 p.m. at the Montgomery Public Library located at 245 High Street to receive public input and answer Site-related questions. According to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report released on September 12, 2011, disposal of industrial wastewater by former printing operations into sumps, floor drains, and sinks that drained into sewer and storm-water systems are the likely cause of widespread groundwater contamination in downtown Montgomery.
The groundwater contamination in the area, dubbed the "Capital City Plume," was discovered in 1991, but the disposal of the contaminated water likely took place from at least the 1940s to 1970s. Previous investigations were unable to identify the source of the contamination.
The current study, conducted by the USGS' Alabama and South Carolina Water Science Centers, in cooperation with Region 4 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collected information from 2008 to 2010 to investigate the potential source area of contaminants detected in groundwater; the pathway of the groundwater contamination; and the timeframe of when the contaminants might have been released. Scientists collected pore water from Cypress Creek using passive-diffusion bag samplers; tissue samples from trees growing in areas in downtown Montgomery characterized by groundwater contamination and from trees growing along the Alabama River and Cypress Creek; and groundwater samples.
Analysis of the samples taken, combined with maps of historical land use since 1842, indicate that the perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated shallow aquifer beneath the Capital City Plume site likely resulted from past use and disposal of wastewater that contained chlorinated solvents into the sewer and stormwater systems by former printing operations that occupied multiple locations in downtown Montgomery.
Results from the study also show that a source of PCE and TCE still exists in the ground near an original release area, providing a continual source of PCE and TCE to the shallow and intermediate parts of the shallow aquifer beneath the city.
For more information about the site, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/nplal/caplumal.htm


text:
Worship Times | Directions | Calendar | Contact
Rocket Camp will have some high-flying action towards the end of the week -- Specifically on Thursday! They are meeting in Rm. 2A between 1-3pm to design and build their rocket creations!
Upload Link: http://fumcr.smugmug.com/upload/K92Pjq/rocket
With open hearts and minds, we WELCOME people for Christ, GROW people in Christ and SERVE people with Christ.
Homepage | liveSite Login
First United Methodist Church Richardson | 503 N. Central Expwy. 75080 | P.O. Box 830877, Richardson, TX 75083 | 972.235.8385 | ©2015 FUMCR
Powered by liveSite


text:
Honda Jazz SRS airbag recallJazz Mk4 front camera recall
The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you.
Please login below or register an account with Clubjazz - Honda Jazz & HR-V Forums.
Forgot your password?
UK based forum since 2007 for all Honda Jazz and Fit owners offering technical and buying advice. Open to all owners worldwide.


text:
Update 11:24 a.m. ET: Obama's campaign events for Wednesday in Ohio have been canceled, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. Obama will "remain in Washington, DC on Wednesday to monitor the response to Hurricane Sandy and ensure that all available federal resources continue to be provided to support ongoing state and local recovery efforts," Carney said in a statement.
(CNN) - President Barack Obama, who canceled a number of campaign stops in critical battlegrounds this week, received updates through the night Monday into Tuesday on the massive storm that devastated many parts of the East Coast.
A White House official said Obama spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as well as mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City, Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City and Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
- Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November.
Later Tuesday Obama will hold a phone call with governors and mayors of all affected regions, the White House official said.
Overnight, Obama signed disaster declarations for the states of New York and New Jersey, allowing federal grants be used for repairing damage to homes, loans to cover property losses and other programs designed to help individuals and businesses recover from the storm.
Romney on storm aftermath: 'People are hurting this morning'
In New York, Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Richmond, Suffolk, and Queens counties were declared disaster areas. In New Jersey, disasters were declared in Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union counties.
Speaking Tuesday morning, Christie praised the response from the federal government, saying Obama had worked swiftly to ensure the disaster relief process wasn't held up. The New Jersey governor, a Republican and top surrogate for Romney, said the upcoming presidential election was not a topic of discussion when he was speaking with the president.
"I spoke to the president three times yesterday," Christie said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien." "He has been incredibly supportive and helpful to our state and not once did he bring up the election. If he's not bringing it up, you can be sure that people in New Jersey are not worried about that primarily if one of the guys running isn't."
The logistics of voting, Christie said, would be sorted out by Election Day.
"Right now I'm much more concerned about preventing any other loss of life, getting people to safe places. Then we'll worry about the election. The election will take care of itself," Christie said.
CNN's Jessica Yellin and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
Well, it is the first time I feel respect for Christie.
As someone who wants to be president, he should come from the hiding and meet the press. Because he
does not want to face press. Let him come out and say something about the situation and through
press releases, Newt and others promoting his lies.
you notice where this storm is hitting......states on the east coast with Republican govenors that hate big goverment so they say and are critics of the president, Atlantic City where Donald Trump has some of his biggest casinos, Wall Street closed for 2 days. Be careful what you wish for when you try to spread right or left wing hate all the time.
Why all the anger coming from the right? Listen, no one is asking you to change your mind. You will vote for who you want to vote for. The President did his job as he always does. If he didn't and acted like GWBush then you'd have more to say. But you can't find anything bad to say so you make up stories. Relax. Woosah. Go vote. Good luck.
Good thing its an election year, otherwise Obama would be trying to figure out who the government should sue rather than who the government can help.
Obama12. Nation needs to FORWARD. Period.
Gotta give it to Christie though, stand up guy on this issue. He actually put his people first rather than his politics. Credit where credit is due. Hats off to you sir.
Obama has shown great leadership.. wake up Americans. Remember Katrina...
Did Obama get briefings during the night of the Benghazi attack?
Obama is a politician NOT a leader. A true leader makes tough decisions for the right reasons not just when it is politically beneficial for himself. Obama has NOT lead this country everything he has done is for his own self interest. The most important job of the presidency is to protect the American people and all who serve it. What did he do when a really difficult decision needed to be made he faltered. It was more important for him not to look like we had taken military action in Libya. Ty Woods did not think of himself, he thought of others first, that is what a TRUE LEADER does! God Bless the men and women who serve our country unselfishly. Remember them on election day.
Wishing everybody in the path of this storm all the best, hope you all come out safe and sound, for those that have lost loved one, my condolences on your loss. As for the topic of the election, if you can't see that this president has led you out of the worst depression in 80 years, then your not realist. Be safe America, god bless.
President is concerned about 100% , while Mitt is concerned about 1 % . He wants to get rid off FEMA and leave upto state and private sector . He ( Mitt ) does not have clue ,no morals ,interested in making money ,shipping job overseas . He has been lying to people. He will say anything ( changing positions multiple time )to become president
@mecambridge – The armed assault on the Benghazi Consulate was over and done within 40 minutes, look at the time stamps on those emails... Benghazi is over 400 miles from Tripoli, scrambled jet fighters would not have gotten there in time to help the falllen. As for these CIA people who heard "gun shots", well you'll have to ask the CIA not the President what was going through their minds at the time, but don't expect and answer, the CIA doesn't like telling any one their business not even Congress.
Why are we even discussing Benghazi?
Any one on here know what we the unaffected by Sandy can do to help those who are affected?
@MNAnonymous-True, our beloved soliders die everyday but they die fighting at each others back...in honor! Your President turned his back on his Seals when they cried for help, our two Seals tried to go into a storm of gun fire to try and save our Ambassador, who happens to be one of your Presidents staff because your President wouldnt send soliders in to help! Denied three times! Tell me, besides helping one state, in the auto bail out what has Obama done in the four years he has been in office?? Please tell me!!!
Cheri, they all are politicians. The only difference is that some folks can do both. And if you don't think this isn't being politicized, then you haven't been paying attention very long.
This is excellent news!! For Romney!!!
Look people, our military doesn't even want Obama in office...because he has done nothing for this country!!!!!
Even Governor Christie likes big government the day after a natural disaster.
Seems that Gov. Christie is a respectable human and cares far more about the safety of the residents of his state than some other folks in his party. Hey Mitt, how's that "hurricane safety" tour of Ohio coming along?
As a New Jerseyan, I think Governor Christie is praising Obama so that the president can win re-election. Since the latter is limited to two terms, Governor Christie would be in a good position to run for President in 2016 after winning re-election as governor in NJ (where he is leading in a potential matchup with popular Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker). If Romney wins, though, Christie's dream of becoming President is over forever.
Big deal – we're supposed to praise him for doing his job??
Yeah, he is doing EXACTLY what Dubya did when Hurricane Katrina hit... oh wait.
Obama has done plenty, but if he had not done but the one thing (hunting down bin ladin and having the SEALS kill him and bury him in the sea) that would be enough for me to vote for him. Remember, bin ladin had two planes flown through the WTC buildings, and two others: one into the Pentagon and the other one, no doubt headed for the White House, but for all the heroes aboard who forced it to crash land in a field. This resulted in the deaths of over 3,000, and two wars later, over 6,000 of our milirary lost. I think only that, in itself, would be worth having this president serve a second term. Think aboout it!
This is bipartisanship and America at its best.


text:
HORWITZ, ARYEH LÖB BEN ẒEBI HALEVI (otherwise known as R. Löb Zietiler):
Lithuanian Talmudist of the seventeenth century. After having been "rosh yeshibah" in several German towns Horwitz was called in a similar capacity to the yeshibah of Minsk while Jehiel Heilprin was chief rabbi there. Horwitz was the author of "Margenita Ṭaba," a defense of Maimonides' "Sefer ha-Miẓwot" against the strictures of Naḥmanides, published with the "Sefer ha-Miẓwot" at Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1756. According to the preface, added by his son, Horwitz wrote also novellæ on the Talmud, and "Elef ha Magen," defending Maimonides against the attacks of Abraham b. David.
- Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim, No. 533;
- Benjacob, Oẓar ha-Sefarim, p. 362;
- Ben-Zion Eisenstadt, Rabbane Minsk, p. 15.


text:
Atkins diet: A high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate weight-loss diet popularized by Dr. Robert C. Atkins that allows for unrestricted amounts of meat, cheese and eggs while severely restricting carbohydrates, including sugar, bread, pasta, milk, fruits and vegetables. The Atkins diet is based on the theory that eating carbohydrates stimulates the production of insulin, which in turn leads to hunger, eating, and weight gain. The theory is that people on the Atkins diet experience reduced appetite and their bodies use stored fat for energy versus burning glucose from ingested carbohydrate. Burning fat for energy is supposedly lead to weight loss.
On the positive side of the ledger, people on the Atkins diet usually like eating the high amounts of protein foods that may be restricted on other diets. Those who have been unsuccessful on other low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets often lose weight on the Atkins diet. The diet is easy to follow. No point system, calorie counting or complicated meal plans are involved.
On the negative side of the ledger, there is medical concern about the deleterious effects of a high-protein diet on kidney function, cholesterol levels, and the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer. The Atkins diet limits the amounts of fruits, vegetables, milk and other high-fiber foods which naturally provide essential vitamins and minerals. Atkins diet followers may also have difficulty maintaining this diet long term. The problem is taste. The only way to really satisfy taste without carbohydrate is by increasing fat. And this is another concern with the Atkins plan. The weight loss with the Atkins diet occurs predominately through a process called ketosis, and a majority of it (at least initially) is fluid loss. There have been no long-term randomized studies to support the safety of this diet.
Dr. Robert C. Atkins received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1955 and went on to specialize first in internal medicine and then in cardiology. In 1963 he first tried a low-carbohydrate diet after reading about one in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Atkins later recounted that he lost weight so easily on the diet that he converted his fledgling cardiology practice into an weight-loss clinic. Aside from popularizing the diet associated now with his name, Dr. Atkins "championed the natural healing arts as a safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and surgery for many debilitating illnesses." He believed that ozone gas can kill cancer cells and HIV and therefore treated many patients with ozone. Dr. Atkins died accidentally. On his way to work in New York City on April 8, 2003 he slipped on a patch of sidewalk ice and struck his head . He never regained consciousness and died on April 17 at age 72.


text:
Aiyana Stanley Jones (c. 2003-2010) was a seven-year-old girl shot dead by the Detroit police in a military-style raid on her home in the middle of the night. This was at 4054 Lillibridge in east Detroit at 12:40 am on Sunday May 16th 2010. The police were looking for a murder suspect, who it seems they later found in the upstairs flat of the house.
Her father said he put her to bed on his mother's couch, covering her with her favourite blanket and then went to bed. The next thing he knows there is a loud bang and then a gun shot. He ran to the living room to protect his daughter. She was on fire. Before he could reach her the police stopped him and made him lay down on the floor, face down in his daughter's blood.
Her grandmother was in the living room when the flash grenade came through the window and hit Aiyana. It went off with a big flash and a bang. Aiyana caught on fire; the police burst in and the grandmother threw herself across Aiyana. Then:
They blew my granddaughter's brains out. They killed her right before my eyes. I watched the light go out of her eyes. I seen it.
The police say that the grandmother either bumped them or put up a fight which made their gun go off, shooting the girl in the neck or the head. As if we are supposed to believe the police have guns that go off by accident.
People on the street said 20 policemen showed up for the raid and in spite of toys in front of the house and people shouting that there were children inside, the police proceeded with their raid.
A&E, the television channel, has been following the Detroit police for months for their show "The First 48" about the first 48 hours of murder cases. They had at least two cameramen there filming. It was worse than even the family knew: after the policeman threw the grenade through the window he fired his gun into the house, shooting on unarmed men, women and children! Their little story blaming the grandmother was a lie.
Throwing a flash grenade into a house full of people in the middle of the night to storm it with guns drawn to take someone is the kind of thing American soldiers did in Iraq against a military enemy. And now the Detroit police apparently thinks it is all right to use on black people too.
Drive a half hour east of Aiyana's house and you are in Grosse Pointe Park, an upper-middle-class suburb that is 93% white. Somehow I find it hard to imagine the police doing this stuff to the good white people there in their nice houses.
This is more than a tragedy, this is more than a "mistake" – how many times have we heard that! No, someone gave the orders to do it this way with complete disregard for innocent lives.
R.I.P., Aiyana. I know you are with the angels.
– Abagond, 2010.
Update (2015): Unlike many such cases, this went to trial, but after two hung juries, in 2013 and 2014, charges were dropped in 2015 against Officer Joseph Weekly, in the "interest of justice".
See also:


text:
Back in 1999 a quirky cool show came out called ZENON: Girl of the 21st Century and now that we are actually in the 21st century its cool to see they weren't so far off!
We always say the past informs our future, so when speaking on this idea of retro-futurism its so fun to notice visions of the future from the past, and usually in this context we speak often of a retro-future from the 40s, 50s, even 60s . . .but now we are seeing retro-future ideas taken from the 90s.
Jeremy Scott really took it there 100% with this vibe in his Autumn-Winter 2018 collection from the pastel millenial metallic palette with strokes of neon… to some really quirky weird sci-fi silhouettes.
The wigs brought me back to another 90s sci-fi gem which may be a bit more obscure unless you lived in Canada than guaranteed you watched this show if you grew up in the 90s: SPACE CASES!!!
The show first aired back in 1996, and has since stuck in our minds as a really rad adventure series featuring some cool talent. I think the plot was best summed up by Bethany on IMDB:
One day at an academy, 7 people sneak aboard a mysterious spaceship. The people consist of 5 students, who are Harlan, the athletic leader from earth; Catalina, the Saturnian rainbow-head with a sonic scream; Bova, the negative sour-pus Uranian who can generate electricity; Rosie, the happy Mercurian who radiates heat; and Radu, the Andromedan with super strength and hearing; the other two people are Mrs. T.J. Davenport, the principal at the academy and Commander Seth Goddard, who is their teacher/commander. While on-board they meet an android named Thelma who informs them that they are on a spaceship that is half living and called the Christa. Just when they meet up they become aware that they are approaching a hole that if they get sucked into, they will be stuck in space for 7 years. They eventually do and along their journey they encounter many hardships and enemies that they work together to overcome. They also meet some new people like Suzee (Catalina's imaginary friend from another dimension who gets pulled into this dimension during a warp, putting Catalina in her dimension; she can read minds and has gills), Elmira (Sponge daughter of Warlard Shank), Warlard Shank (the arch enemy of them), etc.
Thorough analysis. Thank you Bethany.
{click here to watch the original Pilot plus links to more episodes}
The wigs immediately gave me some serious Jewel Staite as Catalina vibes; although, hers is just that much more with the multi-colored rings representing her home planet Saturn. Am I wrong?
Oh, and sorry about the strange captions in the two photos there. They are entertaining, nonetheless. Since it is a more obscure show, it was hard to find some great images, but I think you get the vibe, and especially with a few of the looks from Jeremy Scott's AW 2018 show sandwiched between- I think the inspirations are undeniable!
Boy, Canadian television in the 90s was wicked…and man, Jeremy Scott's interns must have been binge watching some serious shit, because you can't deny that the painted ladies of Jeremy Scott's Moschino Autumn-Winter 2018 show really give me crazy Rosie comparisons!
Granted, Jeremy Scott's inspiration for this collection was Jackie-O, Aliens, and Conspiracy Theories so its not that far off…
Some other designers you can't deny took a very similar route were Prada:
And, Maison Margiela Couture Autmn-Winter 2018 which was a symphony of hologram! Our jaws were dropethed watching one look after another walk down the runway.
If you have a chance, watch the actual show so you can see how magically these fabrics react to light- its magnificent and really shows the art of textile design and the incredible things being engineered today.
{Watch the Maison Margiela Couture Autumn-Winter 2018 Show}
Since we are on this topic, I wanted to throw in some pics of a few more Canadian 90s aliens from the cult show ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? – episode: "The Thirteenth Floor"!!!
Two kids get lured by stylish 90s aliens to a strange toy company that just happened to open on the 13th floor of their apartment complex where they usually play floor hockey…moral of the story is, if you think its weird a toy company opened overnight on the 13th floor of your apartment complex then just stay away!!! Especially when they're dressed like that!
Never would I have imagined in 20 years I'd be talking about Are You Afraid of the Dark or Space Cases in the context of fashion and style…its actually kind of shocking how many designers landed on this vibe, but nevertheless its really interesting to have this kind of nostalgia prevalent in the scene, and no doubt we will be seeing more and more of this as time goes on.
The {past} repeats itself, even if that {past} is imitating the {future}!
Something about this vibe has always been in us, and we have been tending to lean towards this style many times – from metallic foil shirts, to PVC jackets, and definitely anything hologram! I guess, we like to be ahead of the curve, and it really goes to show the power in staying relevant with the past.
Here are a few pieces in our {SHOP} right now that epitomize the 90s Back to the Future vibe that is taking over!
Details on these and more in the {SHOP}
XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF
Remember, inspiration is everywhere! Keep your eyes open, because what seems mundane now could quite easily be the next big thing!
Did we miss any awesome 90s sci-fi inspirations? Let us know in the COMMENTS below!
Until next time,


text:
I really liked the no hassles way Biocnoductor has put a cloud AMI loaded with RStudio to help people learn R, and even try using R from within a browser in the cloud.
Not only is the tutorial very easy to use- they also give away 2 hours for free computing!!!
Check it out-
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
and wow! I am using Google Chrome to run R ..and its awesome!
Interesting- check out two hours for free — all you need is a browser and internet connection


text:
When I was a kid, my uncle on my mom's side was a weight lifter. Bear in mind that my uncle was not that much older than me, and so he fulfilled the dual role of uncle and older brother, with all the Indian burns and red bellies such a relationship demands. Having a weight lifter for an uncle meant several things. First, it meant that I was destined to get a pair of Zubaz for Christmas– the classic ones, with the turquoise, black, and white tiger stripes. Second, it meant that I was going to be leafing through bodybuilder and power lifting magazines. My grandparents house was stuffed to the gills with copies of Field and Stream, but as I was neither an avid hunter nor fisher, Field and Stream was even less interesting to me than the marathon sessions spent int he basement listening to records full of nothing but turkey calls. And so when I needed to pass the time doing something other than playing Nintendo, I would leaf through the weight lifter magazines which, for some reason, contained endless amusements for me — the best of which was an ad for some contraption or other probably mean to improve your curl form that boasted the legendary slogan, "It'll kick your butt so you can go out and kick somebody else's!"
Running a close second to that were photos of America's newest female bodybuilding star and one of the focuses of the documentary Pumping Iron II, a woman by the name of Rachel McLish. I was a lad of a certain age, and so the sundry photos of Rachel McLish in skimpy workout wear and bikinis inspired in me a certain… fascination. She was a beautiful, beautiful woman, ripped and built but not huge, bulky, or overly manly — which is probably why she emerged as the poster woman for female fitness and weight lifting in publications that, admittedly, mostly catered to testosterone-heavy men. Or skinny little kids developing a refined taste for brunettes with kick-ass biceps. It's a predilection which, while hardly being the be all of my superficial preferences in physical appearance, remains with me to this day. Nice biceps and a strong pair of shoulders — I can support these things, though probably not half so well as they could support me.
I was a small kid, both in stature and weight, and under my uncle's well-meaning but sort of half-assed guidance (we are alike in many ways, he and I, and he was always more interested in faking a Russian weightlifting coach accent than he was in actually being a weightlifting coach), I would pull on those Zubaz and hit the weight bench. After all, I was going to have to bulk up if I was going to impress Rachel McLish when the Soviets finally nuked America and only she and I, completely unscathed by the destruction, survived. Unfortunately, I had a monstrous metabolism and a tendency to run pretty much endlessly, which kept me underweight well into my adult life. It was only when I got a desk job and discovered the joys of eating a whole box of Ho-Ho's in a single sitting that I finally began to put on a little more bulk — though it turned out it wasn't exactly the sort of bulk for which I'd previously been striving.
Anyway, images of Rachel McLish stayed with me, and it always seemed to me that she would have been a pretty awesome action movie star if only the 80s had been in any way friendly to any sort of action star other than giant white guys. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and women in American action films in that decade were largely relegated to the ranks of wives, girlfriends, and hostages. Only Linda Hamilton was allowed to do anything different. Rachel McLish looked too much like someone who could hand your ass to you without breaking a sweat, and it was an insecure time for action film men. Even though McLish wasn't hyper-bulked or anything, she was still a damn solid human being, and I guess despite the fact that she fulfilled Hollywood's requirement in regards to beauty, she was still just too scary. I mean, who were the leading ladies back then? Who you gonna take in a fight between Rachel McLish and Julia Roberts? Or Rachel McLish and James Spader? Oh, what I would have paid to see that movie. Anyway, the shunning of athletically built, muscular women reminds me of a cartoon somewhere in which a man and a woman are at the gym, and the dude is checking out some buff woman working out with free weights. "That's so unattractive," the man says. "I'd never want to date someone who could beat me up." To which his female friend replies, "Uh, neither would I."
So Rachel was relegated to the ranks of workout videos until the 1990s ushered in the golden era of straight to video action films. This was at a time when a lot of cult film fans were also discovering Hong Kong action movies, where women kicking ass and starring as the lead in action films was pretty common. With much less overhead, and with the musclebound action films of the 80s suddenly out of style, directors influenced perhaps by the fighting ladies of Hong Kong decided to start casting women as action heroes. Some of these had already made names for themselves as fighters and stuntwomen overseas, and many of them were accomplished real-life martial artists — Cynthia Rothrock being the queen. Although not a martial artist (good lord… now I'm dreaming about Rachel McLish vs. Michiko Nishiwaki), in 1992 rachel McLish finally got herself a role in an action movie — Aces: Iron Eagle III. But it was a supporting role, and in a movie that had more to do with jets than outright physical action — though McLish did spend most of the movie looking splendid in an Army green tank top. It wasn't until the next year that she got to stand front and center in a movie that seemed to worship her biceps as much as I did.
Which brings us to director Albert Pyun. Ahh yes, him again. Pyun is a divisive man, to say the least. His films are frequently labeled by many as some of the worst made. I happen not to agree with this assertion. Sure, he's made some pretty terrible films, but so has Steven Spielberg. So has Francis Ford Coppola. So has every filmmaker except maybe the freakishly consistent Martin Scorsese. Seriously, what's up with that guy? Anyway, though Pyun has disappointed me plenty of times, by and large I am a defender of his work. He's made a lot of films I quite enjoy — The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg, Radioactive Dreams, Nemesis, to name some of my favorites — and when his films fail, they often fail in a way I find very interesting (Tales of an Ancient Empire being the most recent example). I know some find his pacing of films to be awkward and boring, but I find it, more times than not, to be awkward and sort of compelling. Different tastes, I guess, but the end result is that I don't go into Albert Pyun movies with the same fear, trepidation, and horror as most people. I actually look forward to them. I even seek them out.
I don't know Pyun personally, but I'm going to guess base don some of his films that he and I share at least some degree of taste when it comes to women with nice biceps. In 1993, he cast kickboxing dynamo Kathy Long (The Stranger) in his post-apocalyptic fight film Knights. The next year, he directed Kickboxer 4 and gave a decent supporting part to diminutive karate spitfite Michele "The Mouse" Krasnoo. In 1995, he made a loosely connected sequel to Nemesis, with the lead role being passed from a muscular guy to an even more muscular woman. Sue Price isn't exactly my style, but it's hard to argue with the fact that she looks like someone who could toss around a giant killer android. And then, in 1996, Pyun reached back into the muscle mags I'd peeked at as a kid and gave Rachel McLish a starring role in Ravenhawk, a movie that probably gets compared to Billie Jack a lot since any movie about Native Americans beating up white people gets compared to Billy Jack — even if, like Ravenhawk, it has a lot more to do with First Blood and, even more so, the Italian action film Thunder Warrior and its two sequels.
As a child, young Rhyia Shadowfeather witnesses her shaman mother and father murdered by a gang of white men who want to remove the Shadowfeathers, opponents to the proposed construction of a shoddy power plant on reservation land. The white guys include Mulder and Scully's X-Files boss (Mitch Pileggi) and the undisputed king of playing smug pricks, William Atherton. They manage to pin the murders onto the little girl, claiming that she went ape shit during some sort of drug-addled ritual gone bad. Because the trauma of seeing her parents murdered has rendered her mute, she can't really offer up much defense, and with the local government bought and paid for, she not only gets convicted but gets tried more or less as an adult, committed for life to the mental institute wing of the local women's correctional facility. There, she doesn't do much but dedicate herself to a psychotic work-out regiment, which eventually results in her growing up to be Rachel McLish. When a van transferring her to a new facility crashes, Rhyia is presumed dead but actually escapes the flames and begins a campaign of tracking down the murderers and getting a little revenge.
Albert Pyun almost always works with a low budget, which means he's really learned how to frame the traditional low-rent settings of cheap films: deserts and old factories. In Ravenhawk, he really makes the most of the sprawling vistas of the American Southwest, including some pretty dramatic work around bridges and cliffs. At these two locations, he actually pulls off some pretty incredible stunts, including a fall off a cliff that seems to go forever — and is an actual stuntman doing an actual fall. It's insane, and like the gigantic fall during the end of Die Hard, I can hardly even conceive of how they did it without killing the guy. The rest of the scenery is usually augmented by the form of Rachel McLish, who while not a great actress when it comes to delivering lines, is fantastic when it comes to looking pissed off and beating the crap out of people. Pyun gives her ample opportunity to engage in all manner of stuntwork and physical feats, and it's little surprise how good she looks in action.
It also helps that she's surrounded by one of the more talented casts Pyun has put together. Even though they're plying their trade in a low budget Pyun action movie, no one seems to be half-assing it. Michael Pileggi is delightfully sleazy, playing very much against type back when his type was a guy in a suit who did little more than say, "Agent Mulder, this sounds crazy." William Atherton is William Atherton, doing his William Athertony best to give the screen another in his long line of condescending pricks. The guy is just so good at it. The rest of the cast is pretty capable, including a gang of killers the white guys call in to kill McLish. John Enos shows up as a sympathetic special agent from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (I think) trying to put an end to all the killing. He's pretty inconsequential, but he looks hot being inconsequential.
In the tradition of the best exploitation films, especially those in the small "pissed off Native Americans" subgenre, Pyun and screenwriter Kevin Elders (who wrote the three Iron Eagles movies) inject a host of social issues into the action, including here political corruption, environmental destruction, and racism against Native Americans. Maybe we can get Rachel McLish to take on the Keystone XL Pipeline. She can team up with Thunder and Keith Cooke's character from China O'Brien. There's very little subtlety in the writing. The evil guys are EVIL, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I don't think you'd want to turn to a movie like Ravenhawk to learn a lot about Native American culture (I'm going to assume since the film was shot in Paige, Arizona and around the Big Rez that Rhyia Shadowfeather is supposed to be Navajo, though I can't remember if it's ever stated outright in the film), but it does try to shine a light on how frequently corporate interests benefit from screwing over the locals and how almost no attention is paid by the rest of the country to the things that go on within the confines of our sundry reservations. Of course, this is also an action exploitation film, so as with Mark Gregory in the Thunder Warrior films, the answer to all problems is to blow shit up, shoot suckers with a bow and arrow, and jump motorcycles over whatever obstacle happens to be convenient. And while Ravenhawk has the same sort of weird pacing that all Pyun films seem to have, it certainly doesn't lag in the important departments of blowing shit up, killing suckers, and jumping motorcycles over things.
I wasn't fearful of watching Ravenhawk they way some people are about tackling an Albert Pyun film, but I'll also expect my expectations weren't that high. I was surprised, then, by just how much I enjoyed the movie. It was great watching McLish in action, but the whole film was a pretty satisfying low-budget adventure. It's a simple, streamlined plot that benefits from not getting hacked and rehacked during production the way some of Pyun's films had to be due to budget and production issues. So it makes sense, and everything is paced pretty well. It's a shame that McLish didn't continue acting. Despite her stilted line delivery, she was built for the world of low-budget action and could have become a pretty impressive staple if she'd pursued it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and while she remained active as an advocate for women's fitness and strength training, Iron Eagles III and Ravenhawk remain her only feature films. Ah well, it is what it is. But good on ya, Rachel, and you too, Albert Pyun. Ravenhawk isn't a movie that is going to convince a Pyun hater that he has talent, but if you are like me and have an easygoing ability to roll with Pyun's peculiarities, Ravenhawk makes for a pretty pleasant tale of violent revenge and punching William Atherton in the face.
Release Year: 1996 | Country: United States | Starring: Rachel McLish, John Enos, William Atherton, Ed Lauter, Matt Clark, Michael Champion, Mitch Pileggi, Mitch Ryan, Nicholas Guest, John de Lancie, Bill Bird, Virginia Capers, John Fleck, Jerry Garcia, Randy Hall, Pato Hoffmann | Screenplay: Kevin Elders | Director: Albert Pyun | Cinematography: George Mooradian | Music: Johnny Harris | Producer: Ron Samuels


text: Back COPD: A Quit-Smoking Plan You've probably heard that one of the best ways to manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is to stop smoking. It's no secret that it's a tough habit to break. The average smoker makes about four attempts to quit smoking before breaking the habit for good. To make things easier, you need a plan. Taking these steps can help you quit for good: Choose a quit date and mark it on your calendar. See your health care provider before that date if you think medication might help with symptoms of withdrawal and cravings. One option is nicotine-replacement therapy. Some of these drugs are available without a prescription (such as nicotine gum, lozenges, or one type of patch). Because medications may have side effects or may affect either health conditions or other medications you make be taking, tell your health care provider if you choose to use over-the-counter nicotine replacement. Nicotine nasal spray and inhalers and another type of patch are available with a prescription. In addition to replacement therapy, there are prescription drugs bupropion and varenicline that work on chemicals in the brain to help people resist the urge to smoke. Other prescribed medicines, such as antidepressants, may help. Not all types of insurance may cover these medications, so check with your health plan. Support from your friends and family is critical to your success. Ask for their support and that they don't smoke around you or leave cigarettes lying around. Think through how you'll cope with triggers. Many people light up at certain times of the day, such as when they're reading the newspaper, after drinking coffee or alcohol, or after a meal such as dinner. To counteract that strong connection, you may need to change your routine. For example, chew gum when the urge to smoke happens, or skip the newspaper and take a walk in the morning. Drink water instead of alcohol. Relax with a hot bath. Take advantage of resources in your community. The local office of the American Lung Association (ALA) is a good place to start. You can visit the ALA website to find the office closest to your home. Smoking-cessation programs with support groups may be offered by your health plan, local hospitals, or the health department. The more help you get, the better your chances. And within days of quitting, your health and breathing will improve. So put a plan in place, line up support from family and friends, and commit to quit—you'll feel better and live longer.


text:
I have to credit Dr. Claw for teaching me how good a lobster roll can be. The infamous Brooklyn "lobster pusher"—the guy who won fame and no small degree of notoriety for illegally selling lobster rolls out of his apartment—gave me the first one I ever liked: A warm, garlicky tube of soft, delicate lobster inside a crisp and buttery white hotdog roll. It opened my eyes not just to how good a lobster roll can be, but how good lobster itself could be, even when made by some guy in a Bed-Stuy bachelor pad. Like many of you, I had previously thought of the dish as a monstrosity, a giant heap of lobster-flecked mayonnaise overloaded onto a maimed hot dog bun. Such items are generally tasteless and messy, and so grotesquely top-heavy that are literally unable to stand on their own. The lobster roll Dr. Claw created, and which I have improved upon, is a different arthropod altogether, and I am here to tell you how to make it.
Warm Lobster Rolls with Garlic Tomolley Butter (serves four)
4 1lb. pound lobsters
1 stick salted butter
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh scallions, coarsely chopped
4 white hot dog buns, preferably "New England style" (i.e., top-loading par-split).
1. Read David Foster Wallace's classic essay "Consider the Lobster." If you are still as okay with eating lobster as I am (they are unmistakably a form of bug, and as such are entitled only to death at my hands), go out and buy some. They are cheap these days; my friend Tommy got a box of them in Maine for $4 a pound. Even though these strangely insectoid animals are so alien to us—the second most alien thing a person can eat after an octopus—it remains hard to kill them right there in your kitchen, and handling their newly dead flesh is disturbing indeed. So ask your fishmonger to quickly poach them for you. That will spare you the slaughter, as well as firming up the lobster's flesh and, as a bonus, giving it its familiar red color. If you do have to kill them yourself, I would suggest beheading them; as Wallace says, we don't know enough about how their "brain" works to just assume that stabbing it in the head, a la Trotsky, will send them back to hell. I cut the head off and then cut that in half. Then I throw both away and, if necessary, drop them into simmering water for a few minutes before putting them in the morgue next to the orange juice.
2. Lay out some newspaper (or brown paper bags, or something like them) on your counter, below the cutting board. These things will release a lot of water when you cut them in half, which is your next step. When you look at the resulting cross-section, you'll see a bunch of weird material in the front half and a nice big tail in the back. Remove the tail meat. Next, crack the claws and remove the meat from those, a much harder task but obviously necessary. Chop it all up coarsely and set it aside in a bowl.
3. This is the most important part: you will see a bunch of weird green stuff along the meat in the tail. Do not throw this out. Set it aside. It is called tomolley for some reason, and it is important. If are especially fortunate, you may have a fertile female, whose bright red egg sac (aka, coral) is essentially lobster caviar, and even more precious. These two odd, somewhat revolting substances are the key to your lobster roll.
4. Melt three quarters of a stick of butter. I know this seems like a lot. It is. But so what? Do you eat lobster rolls every day? I didn't think so. Warm the butter (it should bubble but just barely) and add the garlic, finely chopped, and a heaping tablespoon of the tomolley. If you get some coral, put every bit of it in there too. Let it infuse, moving it around from time to time with a wooden spoon. Once the butter tastes good—really good—put the lobster in it and stir it around a fair amount, as if you were scrambling eggs. You aren't really looking to cook it, just to coat and warm it. Set it aside.
5. In another pan, melt the remaining quarter stick of butter. Toast the buns in it. They should be brown and buttery.
6. Put the lobster in the bun. Sprinkle the scallions over the thing. Salt it slightly. Eat. Repeat as necessary.


text:
Thus, what follows is a list of programs, apps, and sites that will better enable you to protect your privacy and anonymity without forcing you to totally "go without." Granted, of paramount importance in going forward is for us (all of us) to develop a more nuanced relationship with our technology and the Internet in which we better understand that just as we use our technology others may make use of it to use us. This list is a work in progress and will be broadened as we learn of new services.
A Resource Guide for Protecting Your Privacy
Filed under Announcements


text:
Breakfast, Crepes, Downtown, Food, Ingredients, Los Angeles, Recipes, Stories, Travel
We went downtown for lunch. I keep thinking of the song from Little Shop of Horrors – "Downtown, where relationships are no go! Down on skid row!" It had been about a year since our last proper visit, and though I've been drawn to downtown since I first started coming here, I've always been a little bit afraid of it. When I first got here I'd take the subway down to the Walt Disney Concert Hall – I'd get off at Civic Center and walk up the steps into this blazing steel sunlight, and make sure I never looked up. Reverse vertigo, that is apparently the term.
Anyway, that part of downtown is all sheer tower blocks, mirrored and panicky, like huge razor blades cutting into the sky. So I would look either down or straight ahead, breathing in until I got to a traffic light and then latching on to someone who was also crossing the road, as if we were friends. I once did this all the way to the Central Library, (looking straight ahead without breathing, latching on) to see Alain de Botton give a talk on why Los Angeles is so badly designed and hostile to walkers. On my way back, now late at night, I felt myself being followed. By the time I got out at Hollywood & Highland I practically rushed head long into the stream of traffic, and found myself face to face with Joe's Jeep into which I clambered, frothing my relief.
So it's progress that now, some years on, I can walk around downtown and look up without my feet slipping around inside my shoes. There's another downtown that's quite different to those corporate mirrored facades that birds crash into, believing it's sky. We were heading towards it – to Spring Street because we wanted to visit The Last Bookstore, now housed in an old bank, and all around us were old banks, dark and gutted it seemed, no lights on, the occasional towel flung out to dry as evidence of a transient life. The banks are in the Beaux Arts style, tall and flat-faced with lots of windows and there were lots of people here too, unlike the rest of LA which is glossily empty of pedestrians (as if we ruin it or something).
The Last Bookstore is definitely worth a visit if you like cavernous rooms bulging with books, a bank vault full of horror (stories), a tunnel made of hardbacks, another tunnel made of knitting yarn and a floor made of pennies. And seriously danceable music and crunchy leather chairs. I went in search of a place to pee and found Creperie Sans Frontiere in a little precinct that connected Spring Street and Broadway, the only place that would let me use their bathroom for free. "It's hard to say yes and it's hard to say no," was the lady's parting shot, as she gave me the key attached to an egg whisk. I took this to mean that she has to decide who she gives the key to and who to deny, and that she probably has this quandary quite often. I went back to tell Joe about it ('Spring Street and 5th, Spring Street and 5th') and found him with his feet up on a cracked leather pouffe in the Lit Crit section.
The crepes ('galettes' here) were huge triangles, rather like elephant's ears. They were 100% buckwheat, which the owner said she edged towards gradually, until finally flinging herself entirely at the buckwheat's mercy. The taste is rich and earthy, nutty, almost sour. It looks like burnt black earth. You imagine it will taste of an old hat, but actually it's lovely with maple syrup and some goat's cheese, maybe a few pecans or a fried egg. The owner had a tower of Nutella; I imagine it would be delicious with that too. We tried to decide where we were: Paris, New York or LA, or none of the above. Or all of the above, and ourselves in amongst it. Downtown is a trip.
When I made the crepes at home I made them smaller, almost like blinis, and found they were much easier to handle. Buckwheat is not wheat or even a grain, but the seed of a plant related to rhubarb (and sorrel), and it absorbs liquid much more than other flours. However, once cooked, it can take on flavours and textures well. Syrup and honey, nuts, soft cheeses, nut butters, jam, ice cream and sorbet. It's also gluten-free and if you don't tolerate cow's milk (like me) then you can add a vast array of 'milks' to the batter. Here I used coconut milk.
Buckwheat crepes
Adapted from Arrowhead Mills & David Lebovitz
18-20 crepes
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) whole milk (or see above)
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
A pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups (175g) of organic buckwheat flour
2 large eggs lightly beaten
Put the buckwheat flour in a mixing bowl with the salt, then make a well in the middle to which you add the milk and the eggs and the honey or maple syrup. Whisk continuously to create a thick batter. Buckwheat is more absorbent than other flours, so you may need to add more milk – aim for the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes – this batter does better if chilled overnight and brought back to room temperature before frying.
Heat a dab of butter or a small glug of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet or frying pan over a medium heat, and brush some of it off with a paper towel (unless you like your crepes swimming, which I profess I do). Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter (about a ladleful) into the middle of the hot pan. The buckwheat batter (in my experience of now having eaten the crepes every day for the last seven days) will not move around much but stay where it is; don't attempt to swirl it as it'll resist. After a minute or two, flip it over and cook for about 30 seconds. Aim for dark, blistered and crispy. Pile them up on a plate and douse with maple syrup or rest some fried eggs on them. Fried eggs go very well, oddly, with buckwheat crepes – perhaps it's the egg's sweetness.


text:
2 Responses to "Kim HyungJun's 'oH! aH!' MV Is Out!"
March 15, 2011 at 12:53 PM
kykny poni baby panjang sebelah..
tp msh binggung kq kaki ceweknya bisa besar sebelah n jam t unt ap..
March 16, 2011 at 5:46 PM
kalo menurtku dia salah nemuin cewek, terus masuk ke kamar lg untuk matiin waktu biar cewek yg dia cari berhenti lari
Leave a Reply
TripleChangjo Indonesia Corner
TripleChangjo indonesia
Triple S Indonesia Fanbase
Dukung Pengadaan Album SS501 di Indonesia
Indonesian Translation (DO NOT TAKE OUT WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!)
Thank You.
[TRANS] FANS magz July 2009 issue
[TRANS] Taiwan Magazine COLOR Interview
[TRANS] PLAY magz Jul 2009 Vol 135
[TRANS] Not just pretty boys – SS501 Exclusive Interview (KKBOX)
[TRANS] COOL magz HongKong [Updated]
[TRANS] SS501 in 7-Watch Taiwan
[TRANS] SS501 in Trendy Magazine Taiwan Aug 2009 [PART 1]
[TRANS] SS501 in Trendy Magazine Taiwan [Part 2]
[TRANS] SS501 in Trendy Magazine Taiwan Aug 2009 [Part 3]
[TRANS] SS501 in Trendy Magazine Taiwan Aug 2009 [Part 4] (last part)
[TRANS] August 09 COLOR Magazine No. 177
[TRANS] A'st1 in Junior Magazine (June 2009)
[TRANS] SS501 in YG Magazine
[TRANS] E Pop Mag No.225, SS501
[TRANS] 'Teens' SG Magazine Oct 2009
[TRANS] 'Teenage' SG Magazine Oct 2009
[TRANS] Yes Magazine Sept 09
[TRANS] FANS Sept 09 Issue
[TRANS] SS501 in Easy Magazine Oct 2009 – SS501 Keywords
[TRANS] Trendy No. 5 [PART 1]
[TRANS] Trendy No. 5 [PART 2]
[TRANS] Trendy No. 5 [PART 3]
[TRANS] Trendy No. 5 [PART 4-1]
[TRANS] Trendy No. 5 [PART 4-2]
[TRANS] Asia Tour Concert in Seoul : Backstage & Rehearsal Story
SS501 : Introduce Your Fellow Members
Kim Hyun Joong Story
Kim Hyun Joong 4D Quotes Collections. *lol…
[TRANS] His and Her Letters by Kim Hyun Joong
[TRANS] SS501's message to Japan Fans
[TRANS] SS501 interview with Monkey3
[TRANS] SS501 interview in '5 Men's 5 Years' album [PART 1]
[TRANS] SS501 interview in '5 Men's 5 Years' album [PART 2]
LOVE for DSP line~~
SS501, KARA, A'ST1 and Rainbow...
Triple S, Eunice and Kamilia... ^^
Fighting guys... i love y'all... ^^
DSP line's Twitter
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
Recent Posts
- heyho :)
- SS501 & Triple S Portion from Kim HyungJun's Thank You Message from 1st Solo Album 'My Girl'
- SS501 Heo YoungSaeng, Kim KyuJong 'Do We Look Like Idols?'
- Kim HyungJun's 'oH! aH!' MV Is Out!
- Kim HyungJun's 'Girl' MV is out!
- Kim HyungJun, 1st in M-countdown, Craze Prior to Album Release?
- SS501's Kim Hyung Jun Completes Debut Album Showcase
- KARA released 'Jet Coaster Love' MV
- SS501 Kim Hyung Jun (Hugh Grant lookalike) Shows Off Model Good Looks
- SS501 Kim KyuJong, Showing Off His Baby Face Sel-Ca 'Joining Pretty Boys Series'
- [TOK Message] KyuJong at TOK
- Notice Regarding Postpone of Heo YoungSaeng, Kim KyuJong Homepage Opening
- Notice from S-Plus + Kim HyungJun's Schedule
- Park JungMin, Heo YoungSaeng, Kim HyunJoong SS501, Acelerates Solo Pace
- SS501's Kim HyungJun reveals his album jacket photo
- SS501's Kim HyungJun releases 'Girl' from solo debut album
- SS501's Park JungMin visits Kim HyungJoon on his MV Film Set
- Kim HyungJun's Diary Entry "Hyungjun's here!!"
- SS501 Member, Kim HyungJun Solo Showcase Tickets, Sold Out Within 5mins, Showing His Popularity
- SS501 Kim KyuJong's Birthday, Greetings From Fellow Artistes
Recent Comments
DSP Thread
DSPlove's faves
Other affiliates
DSPlove's twitter
- new post sejak lama tak terjamah XD http://wp.me/sv6vi-heyho 11 years ago
- SS501 & Triple S Portion from Kim HyungJun's Thank You Message from 1st Solo Album 'My Girl' http://wp.me/pv6vi-1sv 12 years ago
- SS501 Heo YoungSaeng, Kim KyuJong 'Do We Look Like Idols?' http://wp.me/pv6vi-1su 12 years ago
- Kim HyungJun's 'Girl' MV is out! http://wp.me/pv6vi-1so 12 years ago
- Kim HyungJun, 1st in M-countdown, Craze Prior to Album Release? http://wp.me/pv6vi-1sn 12 years ago


text:
"Why," my grandson asked as he observed the sleeves of his short wetsuit flapping around on his toothpick arms, "do they assume that, just because you're tall, you're bigger around?"
"Why," I responded, "do they assume that, if you're bigger around, you're tall?"
Honestly, if I wanted a skirt that came to mid-knee, I'd have to buy a miniskirt.
I have the "typical" Type 2 body shape: big boobs, round belly, no tush, and skinny legs. With the number of people with Type 2 diabetes rising, I assume there are plenty of people out there with similar figures. You think an astute clothing manufacturer could corner the market if it would just cut the clothes to fit us a bit better?
Leafing through clothing catalogues for the "more to love" set, I see descriptions that say something along the lines of "fuller through the hips" and "fuller-cut legs." Some promise spandex "for a perfect fit." I can assure you that if a pair of pants are "fuller through the hips" and have "fuller-cut legs," they ain't gonna fit. Nope. The bottom and legs on those pants are going to flap like a flag on a windy day in March.
There's more than one reason I prefer to wear skirts: They don't have legs to deal with (hips are another matter, but not as obvious on skirts as on pants).
The other problem is that I can't buy top and bottom sets of clothing. (Big boobs, no bottom, remember?) If I get a top that fits around my ta-tas, the bottom piece will fall off. If I get the bottom that fits, I'll be popping the buttons on the top from here to Kansas.
Pockets. Pockets would be nice. Men have pockets in their clothing; why can't women? Pockets for insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) receivers. Pockets for Byetta and Symlin (exenatide and pramilintide) pens. Pockets for a small meter, container of strips, and a finger-poker. It would be nice not to have to carry around a suitcase all of the time to hold diabetes-related supplies and equipment. It would be nice to have a pocket to put my pump and CGM in aside from the one between my, um, protuberances. (You haven't lived until you've "lost" your pump in your bra in a restaurant and looked up to find everyone staring at the woman with the hand groping around under her shirt.)
By the way, guys, what do you carry all your diabetes stuff around in, anyway? Your briefcase? A man-purse? Camera bag? Fishing tackle box? I've always wondered.
Also, speaking of designers, I wish companies would also design medical equipment used by consumers (like those with a chronic condition such as diabetes) so that it doesn't look like medical equipment. We are not a hospital, lab, or clinic.
Some meters and insulin pumps have some color and maybe a tad of pizzazz. For some, there are skins. But then they come with dull, everyday-looking cases. Blech! How about a little bling? Some style? A color or two (which would also help me find that case that's dug its way to the bottom of a giant purse)? I want a flamingo print on my SymlinPen; pink sequins on my meter case; a purple pump.
Clothes that fit and glitz on my diabetes stuff. Is it too much to ask?


text:
Shareholder to oppose Smithfield sale
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — One of Smithfield Foods Inc.'s largest shareholders said yesterday that it plans to vote against the pork producer's proposed takeover by China's largest meat producer because it wants more time to seek other offers that would provide greater shareholder value.
New York-based investment firm Starboard Value LP, which owns about 5.7 percent of Smithfield's common stock, sent a letter to the Smithfield, Va.-based company's shareholders yesterday saying it intends to vote against the deal struck with Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd. at a scheduled Sept. 24 meeting in Richmond.
Also yesterday, Shuanghui said it has secured about $4 billion in financing for the deal in which Smithfield will sell itself for $34 per share, or $4.7 billion.
The deal, which is expected to close by the end of the year, would be the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm, valued at about $7.1 billion including debt. It still requires approval of the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews overseas transactions for national-security implications. Smithfield's stock will no longer be publicly traded once the deal closes.
Smithfield has promoted the deal as opening the door to substantial increases in exports to China, but critics have voiced worry about persistent problems with food safety in China.
In the letter yesterday, Starboard said it has received written interest from other parties to buy Smithfield's assets at a higher value than being offered under the current proposal. While the firm has come "quite a long way," it needs more time to put the alternative proposal together. Starboard said it hopes its vote will compel Smithfield to delay the shareholder meeting so that it can have more time.
Starboard sent a letter to Smithfield's board of directors in June, saying the proposed deal falls short of what the company would be worth if sold off piece by piece. The investment firm estimated the company's value at $9 billion to $10.8 billion, or about $44 to $55 per share.
Starboard had said that while the deal with Shuanghui does offer some value, shareholders would be better served if the company focused on selling its various divisions, which include fresh pork and hog production businesses as well as an international division. Smithfield, whose brands include Armour, Farmland and its namesake, also has been focusing on its packaged meats business, which sells deli meats, bacon, sausage and hot dogs.
Because Smithfield is contractually prohibited from superior offers or contacting others who might be interested in acquiring parts of the company, the investment firm sought to find other buyers on its own.
Smithfield declined to comment.


text:
I bought some lovely tender stem broccoli from the farmer's market on Sunday. I wanted to elevate it to top billing in a dish rather than the, green vegetable on the side of something else, that it can so often be thoughtlessly demoted to.
One of the most successful recipes on my blog (as in most viewed) is a delicious broccoli as the star dish. It's my version of an Ottolenghi recipe for Chargrilled Broccoli with Garlic, Chilli & Sweet Soy Rice Noodles. It's still one of The Washer Up's favourites, and mine. I don't make it as often as I would like because chargrilling the broccoli on my striped grill pan fills the kitchen (and the rest of the house) with smoke. Our extractor fan is useless. I think it actually blows the smoke into the kitchen rather than extracting it, so I have to leave the front door open to let it all out. It might need cleaning I suppose. *Buries head in sand*.
This is a quick and easy supper or lunch dish that can be thrown together in about half an hour. That is a real 30 minutes by the way, not a Jamie Oliver 30 minutes. Which is more like 60 minutes in human time in case you were wondering.
Indian Spiced Broccoli with Yellow Lentils and Toasted Almonds
Serves 2 as a light lunch/supper with some Indian bread. Easily doubled.
Vegan, Gluten-free
- 2 tsp coconut oil (or any cooking oil)
about 225 g tender stem broccoli or florets
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped (deseed for less heat)
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 125 g dried yellow lentils (or any quick cook lentil)
- 250 g + veg stock
- salt & black pepper
- a handful of chopped fresh coriander
- 1/2 lemon
- a handful of flaked almonds (or cashews) toasted in a dry pan until lightly browned
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium high heat, add the cumin seeds & mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. Add in the onion, garlic, chilli & ginger with a pinch of salt and cook for about 4 minutes until softened. Then add the lentils, turmeric and ground coriander stirring to coat the lentils and pour in 250 ml stock.
Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 12 minutes (depending on the lentils) until they are tender soft. Lay the broccoli on top of the lentils and add a good splash of veg stock, season well with salt & pepper, bring to the boil again then lower the heat and simmer, covered again for about 5 minutes until the broccoli is tender but still crisp.
Add most of the fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice and taste. Adjust seasoning as required.
Serve topped with some toasted flaked almonds, the rest of the fresh coriander and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over.
And no need to use (or clean) the grill pan or the extractor. Result.
Happy Valentine's Day!


text:
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Men with restless legs syndrome now have another health concern: New research has just linked the condition to an increased risk of dying early.
In a study of nearly 20,000 men, Harvard researchers found that men with restless legs syndrome had a 39 percent higher risk of an early death than did men without the condition.
"This study suggests that individuals with restless legs syndrome are more likely to die early than other people," said study author Dr. Xiang Gao, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "This association was independent of other known risk factors."
"[However], this is an observational study," Gao said of the findings, which were published online June 12 in the journal Neurology. "We can only see an association that suggests a possible causal relationship."
Restless legs syndrome is a common condition that causes people to feel an uncomfortable sensation in their legs when lying down, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The feeling may be a throbbing, pulling or creeping sensation. Restless legs syndrome makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.
The exact cause of restless legs syndrome is unknown. It does seem to run in families, suggesting a genetic component to the condition, according to the NINDS. Restless legs syndrome has also been linked to some medical conditions, such as kidney disease and the nerve disorder peripheral neuropathy. It's also associated with the use of certain medications, and may occur during pregnancy.
Gao said many people with restless legs syndrome have low iron levels, and taking iron supplements often can alleviate the symptoms of restless legs syndrome. But, he cautioned, too much iron can be dangerous, so be sure to have your doctor check your iron levels before taking any supplements.
The current study included nearly 18,500 American men who were followed for eight years. At the start of the study, none of the men had diabetes, arthritis or kidney failure. The average age at the start of the study was 67.
Almost 4 percent (690 men) of the study group was diagnosed with restless legs syndrome. Men with restless legs syndrome were more likely to take antidepressant drugs and have high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or Parkinson's disease. Not surprisingly, men with restless legs syndrome had more frequent complaints of insomnia.
During the study follow-up, nearly 2,800 men died.
When the researchers compared those with restless legs syndrome to those without, they found that men who had the condition were 39 percent more likely to die during the study period than men without the condition. When they controlled for factors such as body mass, lifestyle factors, chronic conditions and sleep duration, the mortality risk for men with restless legs syndrome dropped to 30 percent.
After controlling the data for major chronic conditions, the researchers saw a linear relationship between the frequency of restless legs syndrome and the risk of death. The more frequent the symptoms, the higher the risk of death, Gao said.
Gao said the reason restless legs syndrome is associated with an increased risk of death isn't clear. He said it might have something to do with the sleep problems and lack of sleep quality in people with the condition. It could be related to cardiovascular risk factors, even though the researchers tried to control the data for those factors. What is clear, he said, is that more research is needed.
Gao and his team are studying a group of women with restless legs syndrome, but he said he doesn't know if the findings from the study of men will be similar in women.
Dr. Melissa Bernbaum, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, suspects the findings will be similar in women. "I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be," she said.
"I was surprised by these findings," Bernbaum added. "This is a pretty high increased risk."
"I think they did a good job of defining some of the reasons why this association exists, but what they don't mention is who was treated for restless legs and who wasn't," Bernbaum said. "If you could avoid the sleep disruption, would the mortality risk be the same?"
Both experts said the main message from the study is that anyone with symptoms of restless legs syndrome should see their doctor. If you have an iron deficiency, iron supplements can help. There are also other treatments available for people who don't have an iron deficiency.


text:
NU32v2: Digital Input and Output
Digital inputs and outputs (DIO) are the simplest of interfaces between the PIC and other electronics, sensors, and actuators. The PIC32 has many DIO pins, each of which can take one of two states: high or low.
The PIC32 offers many digital I/O pins, arranged into "ports" A through G. The pins are labeled Rxy, where x is the port letter and y is the pin number. For example, pin 5 of port B is named RB5. Ports B and D are "full" 16-bit ports, with pins 0-15. (Port B can also be used for analog input.) Other ports have a smaller number of pins, not necessarily sequentially numbered; for example, port C has pins 1-4 and 12-15. All pins labeled Rxy can be used for input or output, except for RG2 and RG3, which are input only. For more details on the available pin numbers, see chapter 1 of the Data Sheet.
Each pin configured as an output can be configured to be a typical 0 or 3.3 V output (since our PIC is powered by 3.3 V), or to be "open drain." An open drain output can take one of two states: 0 V or "floating" (disconnected). An open drain output allows you to attach an external "pull-up" resistor from the output to a positive voltage you choose, e.g., 5 V. Then when the output is left floating by the PIC, the external pull-up resistor will pull the voltage up to 5 V. A reasonable resistance for the pull-up is 1 K to 10 K ohms.
An input pin will read low if the input voltage is close to zero, and it will read high if it is close to 3.3 V. Many input pins will tolerate voltages up to 5 V; see the figure showing the PIC pins near the beginning of the data sheet. Some input pins, those that can also be used for "change notification" (labeled CNy, y = 0..21), can be configured to have an internal pull-up resistor to 3.3 V. If configured this way, the input will read "high" if it is disconnected (left floating). Otherwise, if an input pin is not connected to anything, we can't be certain what the input will read.
The functions of the DIO pins are controlled by special function registers (SFRs). Each of these SFRs has 32 bits on the PIC32, but for many, not all 32 are relevant. Depending on whether these bits are set to 0 or 1, different actions or settings are performed:
- AD1PCFG: This SFR determines which of the 16 pins with an analog input function (port B) is treated as an analog input or a DIO pin. The 16 most significant bits (high bits) AD1PCFG<31:16> are ignored, but AD1PCFG<15:0> determine which of the 16 pins is treated as an analog input. 0 indicates analog input, and 1 indicates DIO. So if the bit AD1PCFG<7> is 0, then the pin with the function AN7 is an analog input; if AD1PCFG<7> is 1, then it is a DIO. AD1PCFG resets to 0x0000, so all 16 pins of port B are treated as analog inputs by default. To make AN15 and AN1 analog inputs and the rest DIO, we can use the C command AD1PCFG = 0x7FFD. To make AN15 and AN1 analog inputs but leave the other settings unchanged, we can use the C command AD1PCFG &= 0x7FFD. Note we only have to specify 16 bits, or 4 hex digits, as the 16 most significant bits have no role. Instead of acting on the entire SFR, we could instead address an individual bit, using AD1PCFGbits.PCFG15 = 1, for example, to set the value of a single bit.
- TRISx: This SFR determines which of the DIO pins of port x are inputs and which are outputs. For example, TRISBbits.TRISB5 = 0 makes RB5 an output (0 = Output), TRISBbits.TRISB5 = 1 makes RB5 an input (1 = Input), TRISB &= FF00 makes RB0..RB7 outputs while leaving the others unchanged, TRISB |= FF00 makes RB8..RB15 inputs while leaving the others unchanged, and TRISB = FF00 makes RB0..RB7 outputs and RB8..RB15 inputs.
- LATx: A write to the latch chooses the output for pins configured as digital outputs. For example, LATB = 0x00FF makes pins RB0..RB7 high and pins RB8..RB15 low. An individual pin can be referenced using LATBbits.LATB13, for example.
- PORTx: val = PORTB, where val is an unsigned int, returns the current digital inputs for DIO pins configured as inputs. PORTBbits.RB6 returns the digital input for RB6.
- ODCx: ODCB = 0x00FF configures RB0..RB7 as open drain, and pins RB8..RB15 as typical buffered output. An individual pin can be referenced as ODCBbits.ODCB8, for example.
- CNPUE: The relevant bits of this SFR are CNPUE<21:0>, and they apply only to the 22 change notification pins CN0..CN21. If CNPUEbits.CNPUE2 = 1, then the pin with CN2 function has the internal pull-up resistor enabled, and if CNPUEbits.CNPUE2 = 0, then it is disabled. The command CNPUE = 0xFFFFF enables the internal pull-up resistors for all CN pins. The default has the pull-ups disabled.
Finally, each SFR (e.g., TRISB, LATD, PORTA, ODCC, etc.) has three more registers associated with it: a SET register, a CLR register, and an INV register. Writing to these registers allows atomic (single cycle) updating of the SFR contents, which is faster than reading the current value of the SFR, modifying it, and writing back to the SFR. SET means that bits are set (made equal to 1), CLR means that bits are cleared (made equal to 0), and INV means that bits are inverted. So TRISBCLR = 0x0110 will clear bits 4 and 8 and TRISBSET = 0x0110 will set bits 4 and 8. All other bits (with a 0 on the right-hand side of the = sign) are unchanged. For example, LATBSET = 0x0001 has the same effect as LATB |= 0x0001, but the former is faster.
Other SFRs and their functions are described in Chapter 12 of the Reference Manual. The C names of the SFRs, and the structures with their bit references, can be found in the file p32mx795f512l.h, which is under pic32-libs/include/proc. The SET, CLR, and INV registers are described in Section 2 of the Reference Manual.
Library Functions
The peripheral library offers a number of function calls to help you use the DIO pins. These functions have names such as PORTRead, PORTSetPinsDigitalIn, PORTSetPinsDigitalOut, etc. C source code can be found in pic32-libs/peripheral/ports/source/*.c, and .h header files can be found in pic32-libs/include/peripheral/ports.h. Documentation can be found in your MPLAB C32's doc directory, in Microchip-PIC32MX-Peripheral-Library.chm. The DIO functions are simple enough, however, that we will usually just set the appropriate SFRs manually, as described above and demonstrated in the samples below.
Sample Code
This example uses two of the PIC32 pins as digital outputs and one pin as digital input. In particular, it uses pins RG12 and RG13 as outputs, since these are connected to LEDs on the NU32v2 board (by the NU32v2 circuit schematic, the associated LED is on when the pin is low). It configures RG6 as an input for a button press. If RG6 is high, the LEDs will be off. If RG6 is low, the LEDs will be on. Let's assume RG6 is low when the button is pressed (as it is with the NU32v2 and your button in the breadboard).
/* * Simple digital input/output. */ #include <plib.h> // No need to configure the configuration bits controlling clock speed, etc.; // these definitions are in the bootloader. // Lines below could go into a separate .h file, since they're the same // for all projects using the NU32v2 and the NU32v2 bootloader. #define LED0 LATGbits.LATG12 #define LED1 LATGbits.LATG13 #define SW PORTGbits.RG6 #define SYS_FREQ 80000000 // 80 MHz int main(void) { // Turn on the pre-fetch cache, choose the maximum possible peripheral // bus frequency, and choose minimum flash wait states. Could be done in // bootloader. See pic32-libs/include/peripheral/system.h. SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_ALL); AD1PCFG = 0xFFFF; // sets all port B to DIO. Only needed if using port B. // Initialize LEDs as output, switch as input. Could be done in bootloader. // Note we don't technically have to set switch as an input, since it's the // default, but let's do it in case someone inserts code before this line. TRISGCLR = 0x3000; TRISGSET = 0x0040; while(1) { while(!SW) { // if button is pressed, turn LEDs on LED0 = 0; LED1 = 0; } LED0 = 1; LED1 = 1; // when button is released turn LEDs off } return 0; }
Now, for fun, let's make a couple of small changes to the code.
/* * Simple digital input/output. */ #include <plib.h> #define LED0 LATGbits.LATG12 #define LED1 LATGbits.LATG13 #define SW PORTGbits.RG6 #define SYS_FREQ 80000000 // 80 MHz int main(void) { int i; SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_ALL); TRISGCLR = 0x3000; TRISGSET = 0x0040; while(1) { while(!SW) { while(!SW) { LED0 = 0; LED1 = 0; // LED is on } for(i=0; i<10000000; i++); // 10 million } LED0 = 1; LED1 = 1; // LED is off } return 0; }
We got rid of most of the comments and the unnecessary AD1PCFG command, defined a counter i, and added another while(!SW) loop inside the original while(!SW) loop. When the button is pressed, we enter this innermost while loop (with the LEDs on) until the button is released. Then we enter a for loop which does nothing but set i to 0 and then increment it 10 million times. This is simply a delay. After we exit the for loop, we turn the LEDs off.
Try running this. When I did it, I got a delay of about 1.5 seconds between the time I released the button until the LEDs turned off. Calculating the number of instructions that must have been calculated during each loop, I get (1.5 seconds)*(80 M machine instructions/sec)/(10 M loops) = 12 machine instructions/loop. (You can see what we get when we disassemble the code and look at the assembly instructions.)
Now let's simply comment out the SYSTEMConfig line
// SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_ALL);
and try running again. This time I got a delay of around 11 seconds! The SYSTEMConfig command, when called with the system clock frequency and SYS_CFG_ALL, does three things: it turns on the pre-fetch cache, it determines the minimum number of instructions the CPU must wait between requesting data or instructions from flash memory and then actually using it, and it sets the peripheral bus frequency to the maximum possible (which is the lesser of 80 MHz and the system clock frequency). We can also try these optimizations individually. Replace the SYSTEMConfig line with
SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_PB_BUS);
SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_WAIT_STATES);
SYSTEMConfig(SYS_FREQ, SYS_CFG_PCACHE);
and try the program again with each. If you got the same results I did, you got a delay of about 11 seconds, 4 seconds, and just under 2 seconds, respectively, for the three cases. This indicates that just configuring the peripheral bus does nothing for us. This makes sense: in our bootloader, we already set both the system clock and the peripheral bus clock to 80 MHz, which is the maximum possible frequency for both. On the other hand, configuring the wait states gave us nearly a three times performance improvement. This means that this optimization reduced (from the default) the number of cycles the CPU waits for information requested from the flash memory. Finally, configuring the pre-fetch cache alone essentially gave us the entire speed-up. The pre-fetch cache stores recent instructions fetched from flash (program) memory and keeps them ready for use without flash wait states, and when possible, "runs ahead" to get future instructions so they are ready for the CPU without the flash wait cycles.
More Information
More information on the I/O ports can be found in Chapter 12 of the Data Sheet and Chapter 12 of the Reference Manual. Some special function registers (SFRs) are listed in Chapter 4 of the Data Sheet. The SET, CLR, and INV registers are described in Section 2 of the Reference Manual.
You can learn more about the system optimizations and pre-fetch cache by looking at the source code in pic32-libs/include/peripheral/{pcache.h,system.h}, the peripheral library documentation, section 9 of the Data Sheet, and Section 4 of the Reference Manual.
To gain a better appreciation of what is happening when you program your PIC32, take a look at NU32v2: A Detailed Look at Programming the PIC32.


text:
New, used, last-gen, next-gen, pre-orders, whatever you want, it's all buy 2 get 1 free, or to put it another way, $40 for new release or pre-order titles. Get shopping. [Target]
Update: Amazon will have Buy 2, Get 1 Free select Playstation 4 Games starting Tuesday 12pm ET. Details here. Target's online selection is limited for their promotion, so this will be a better option for a lot of people. We will post a reminder about this on Tuesday morning. Here are the qualifying games:
- Angry Birds: Star Wars - PlayStation 4
- Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag - PlayStation 4
- Battlefield 4 - PlayStation 4
- Call of Duty: Ghosts - PlayStation 4
- FIFA 14 - PlayStation 4
- Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition
- Just Dance 2014 - PlayStation 4
- Killzone: Shadow Fall (PlayStation 4)
- Knack (PlayStation 4)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - PlayStation 4
- Madden NFL 25 - PlayStation 4
- NBA 2K14 - PlayStation 4
- Skylanders SWAP Force - PlayStation 4
Update 2: Toys R Us has a buy 3 games, get $50 gift card promo, but this is slightly worse than the Target deal and in-store only.
Follow Kotaku Deals on Twitter to never miss a deal. Get in touch with Shane Roberts on Twitter or by e-mailing Shane@Gawker
Every weekday the Commerce Team brings you Gizmodo Deals, Kotaku Deals, and Lifehacker Deals, the very best coverage of deals on consumer technology, video games, apps, and everything else you care about. When you buy, we also make money. We want your feedback.