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Teen pregnancy rates are down dramatically and American children are more likely to reach adulthood than they were 25 years ago. But more of them are growing up impoverished.
The yearly Kids Count report, produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides a snapshot of what life is like for children in America, based on economic well-being, education, health and community measures. The 25th edition of the report was released Monday night.
A higher percentage of children live in poverty today than in 1990. The rate at first dropped from 18 percent but has since climbed again to 23 percent, said Laura Speer, the foundation's associate director over policy reform and advocacy. Some policies have helped economically fragile families, "but we live in a different economy now than we did in 1990," she said. "What families face now to make ends meet is very different than it was, especially for those without a high level of education and without a highly skilled breadwinner in the household."
Even in homes where two parents work, most families struggle economically, which Speer called "distressing."
"It's good we made as much progress as we did in lots of areas, but in how much American families are struggling, it has not gotten easier for most families in the country over that 25 years," she said.
Today's kids, standing on the brink of adulthood, must "achieve a whole lot more in terms of education and training entering the work force than their parents and certainly their grandparents did to survive and support their families," Speer predicted.
"Looking back a quarter century has been illuminating," said Speer. "We do Kids Count because we believe the well-being of kids is the most important indicator for the well-being of the country. We found a lot of progress. We also saw there are still pretty dramatic inequities."
By the numbers
Education and health are both bright spots, with improvement across both since 2005. The number of children not attending preschool dropped to 54 percent from 56 percent. The number of high school seniors not graduating is down to 19 percent from 27 percent, a big improvement. (The survey compared some of the 2012 numbers reported this year to those from 2005 in order to look at what was happening mid-decade, before the recession, said Kimberly Varner, speaking for the Casey foundation.)
But numbers can improve and still be distressing. The report said two-thirds of fourth graders are not proficient readers and a like number of 8th graders lag in math. Both were higher — above 70 percent — in 2005.
The number of low birth-weight babies is holding fairly steady at 8 percent; just 7 percent of children lack health insurance compared to 10 percent during the early part of the recession; and childhood deaths are 26 per 100,000 compared to 32 percent less than a decade ago. Only 6 percent of teens now abuse alcohol and drugs, a 25-percent improvement from 2005-2008.
When it comes to economic well-being, there's nothing in the report to celebrate. Besides the fact that 23 percent of children live in poverty, more parents lack secure employment and struggle to afford adequate housing. Unchanged is the fact that one in 12 teens neither work nor go to school, a number the recession's end did not improve.
A higher percentage of kids also live in single-parent families and in high-poverty areas than in 2005. But far fewer high school students dropped out, with the figure falling to 19 percent now from 29 percent in the 2005/2006 school year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say kids are most likely to die from motor vehicle accidents, falls, burns and drowning. But the number of children dying from each has decreased significantly — a 19 percent decline for deaths from falls and a 45 percent decline for fires and burns, said Janet Brooks, child advocacy manager at Primary Chidlren's Hospital in Salt Lake City. What has not improved is the suffocation rate of children from improper sleeping and bedding or poison-related deaths, mostly from inappropriate use of prescription and illegal drugs.
Some gains may surprise people.
Speer thinks most adults would say teens are more likely to become pregnant now than 25 years ago. They'd be wrong. Teen pregnancy is at a historic low and has been dropping for years.
"Hyperbole aside, it's one of the nation's real success stories," said Bill Albert, spokesman for National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy. "More teens delay sex, teens have fewer sexual partners and those having sex are using contraceptives more consistently." He said the teen abortion rate has fallen more dramatically than it has for older women.
Real people
Behind the numbers are programs and policies trying to make a difference for kids.
In many cities, programs work to fill the gap in nutrition for low-incomes families during the summertime. On July 18, Liz Guerrero supervised a summer food distribution in South Salt Lake, sponsored by Salt Lake Community Action Program/Head Start. The location is one of several where, rain or shine, staffers pitch an awning and provide a simple meal on weekday evenings. At this location, it's not uncommon to feed 110 or more people, she said. The program targets low-income families, but they feed whoever shows up.
Patrick and Maria Perez brought a little table and chairs. In the shade of a tree, the family of eight ate simple burritos, apples and carrots. It is only the second time they've used the program, he said.
Lilia Llamas was there with her four kids, ages 3 to 14. She said the youngsters thrive in school and she is particularly grateful for teachers who help them figure things out if they struggle.
Many schools have afternoon tutoring programs to help children who struggle, but it takes funding to make that happen. Speer said one of the challenges programs face across a range of services for families is hanging onto what resources they have while figuring out what more is needed.
Families need adequate child care, high-quality preschools and other "base-level" supports to shore them up, she said, adding that it's not all about government programs.
Government programs are, however, part of the equation. Larry Joseph, director of research for Voices for Illinois Children, points to the federal earned income tax credit as "one of the nation's most effective tools for alleviating child poverty." It encourages and rewards work by supplementing wages of low-income working families, said Joseph.
Many states, including Illinois, have established their own version of the EITC. "At the end of 2011, after many years of advocacy by Voices and its coalition partners, the General Assembly enacted legislation that increased the state EITC from its original level — only 5 percent of the federal credit — to 7.5 percent in tax year 2012 and 10 percent in 2013," Joseph said. "In 2012, the state EITC benefited an estimated 1.2 million children. We currently support legislation that would help low-income families, improve tax fairness, and boost local economies by expanding the credit to 20 percent of the federal EITC."
State by state
The Kids Count report includes a snapshot of how each state compares to itself in the past and to other states today. Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire and Minnesota rank highest in terms of child well-being, while Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi come in last.
Iowa, Utah, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee made the biggest improvements compared to last year's report. The biggest drops in ranking were in Wyoming, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Montana and Oklahoma.
State child advocacy programs note various challenges and victories. Jessica Mindnich, director of research for Children Now in California, said they see widening disparities, "like a pileup effect." Some children start from so far behind they have trouble catching up. California, though, has more kids in preschool, reading on grade level and advancing in math than in the past. They have continued to improve access to health insurance and have their own health exchange, she said.
Asked what concrete change would make a difference, she points to preschool. "Preschool would be a really good first step. … Ensuring that all kids have a solid education is important if we want to compete globally. And that's increasingly not a choice, but a necessity."
The entire Kids Count report and state comparisons are online.
firstname.lastname@example.com, Twitter: Loisco
Teen pregnancy rates are down dramatically and American children are more likely to reach adulthood than they were 25 years ago. But more of them are growing up impoverished.


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You can download a printable copy of the complete set of In Light of the Cross Bible Study Guides for free here. You can purchase a copy for your Kindle here
The Punishment of the Wicked
Brief overview: The wicked will be destroyed by fire. The punishment will be everlasting but the punishing will not. The wicked will die instead of being tormented for all eternity. See John 3:16, Romans 6:23, Obadiah 1:16, Matthew 10:28, Ezekiel 18:4, 20.
Why it is important to know the truth about the punishment of the wicked:
I have a friend who is involved in a prison ministry that visits a juvenile detention center. My friend was telling me that they had recently shared the truth about hell with the young men there. My friend said the Chaplin at the jail got very upset with him for letting the young men know that the punishment of the wicked is not an eternity spent in hell but rather death just like the Bible says in John 3:16 and Romans 6:23. The reason the Chaplin did not want them to know the truth about the punishment of the wicked was because he wanted the fear of being tormented for all eternity to motivate them to behave.
The teaching of people being tortured throughout all eternity is the most satanic false doctrine of all! It totally misrepresents the love and character of God making it impossible to love and know Him the way He loves and knows us.
Why it is important to understand the punishment of the wicked in the light of the cross:
Many churches use hell and fear as a motivation for doing good because they do not properly understand the love motivation. They do not understand the depths of Christ's sacrifice in dying the second death. They make the Cross out to be a mere pain endurance marathon instead of seeing a Savior who was actually willing to say goodbye to life forever in order to save the world. When the early church saw the depths of Jesus' love and sacrifice it turned the whole world upside down! Meaning it changed everything! It was God's love that constrained, empowered and motivated them. This love is the only motivation that will actually succeed. Galatians 6 talks of a faith that works by love, not a fear of punishment. In John 14 Jesus says, "If you love Me keep My commandments", not if you don't want to go to hell you better keep my commandments. We must uplift the cross and the truth about the cross like never before. Young men in juvenile centers and people everywhere else need to know that there is a God who did way more than suffer for six hours on a cross. He faced the second death for them. He loved them more than He loved his own life. He loved them so much that when tempted to come down from the cross and go back to heaven He chose to die instead. Simply put, Jesus stayed on that cross for the young men in the juvenile detention center because the thought of heaven without them was hell to Jesus! When the love motivation receives its due power it will accomplish so much more than the fear motivation invented by men. Some people quote John 3:16 all the time while preaching of an eternal torment of sinners while that verse clearly says those who do not believe will "perish" instead of being tortured throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Further study on the punishment of the wicked:
What is the opposite of eternal life?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
What is the wages of sin?
For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
What becomes of the souls that sins?
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18:4
How long does the devil have?
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:12
What will happen to him?
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more. Ezekiel 28:18,19
What happens to both body and soul in hell?
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
What do the wicked become?
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3
What is the lake of fire called?
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Revelation 20:14
What is God's promise?
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:3, 4
Can we trust that promise?
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:5

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to our Foss, Oklahoma Homeless Shelters and Services for the needy page.
Below are all of the homeless shelters and services for the needy that provide help to those in need for Foss, OK and surrounding cities.
We also provide other homeless resources such as transitional resources and services that help the needy.
There are no listing located within the Foss city limits.
High Plains Outreach Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides temporary, safe housing to the homeless. It offers 9 beds for a maximum of 30 days stay.Please contact the of [...]See more details
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Last week's episode of Fox's Fringe — as an ersatz fall finale is wont to do — left viewers with many questions. For one, what's up with the Observer's very dire premonition about Olivia? What is big bad David Robert Jones' endgame? And is Peter's plan still to get out of Dodge? Though everyone was traditionally cryptic, here is what TVLine was able to glean from series bosses J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner and star lead Joshua Jackson.
TVLINE | The Observer warning Olivia that she must die — is that tied to an existing plot point, or is it kicking off a new storyline?
J.H. WYMAN | Not to use the word "recontextualize" as we often do [Laughs], but it will make you look at things that you've seen in a little bit of a different way.
JEFF PINKNER | We have been already laying tracks this season for stuff that will become more and more clear as the season goes on.
TVLINE | Does Olivia's doomed fate have to do with her recent migraines?
PINKNER | It may… perhaps. You knew we were go to say perhaps.
Fringe Bosses Preview This Season's Huge Finale
TVLINE | Will Olivia share this grim forecast with her team?
JOSHUA JACKSON | It… becomes evident. It comes up.
TVLINE | Is this, like, just a way to balance things out and give Anna Torv her own job security "scare," after telling Joshua Jackson last spring that Peter was going to cease to exist?
PINKNER | Oh, all of our actors are pretty comfortable with their job security. We love all of our children equally.
TVLINE | Speaking of Olivia: When will we pick up the Nina Sharpe thread? When last seen, she had some goons inject her "daughter figure" with a drug….
PINKNER | Very soon. We try very hard to plan things and then attend to them, and not just ignore them for weeks and weeks and weeks.
Fringe Bosses Say this Season's Finale Can Work As Series Finale, But Hint at New Home for Saga
TVLINE | What is David Robert Jones' "uberplan"? When will it become evident?
WYMAN | Soon enough. We're well into it now.
PINKNER | For the people who have been watching closely, there are already some hints as to what his plans are.
TVLINE | As the David Robert Jones threat becomes evident, will Peter put a pin in his endeavor to get "home"?
JACKSON | Not as such. He definitely is involved in helping to fight the good fight, but one is really not on hold in service of the other. They're sort of happening on parallel tracks. And I think that Peter is of the opinion that if he could remove himself from this timeline, all of these things that have been unleashed by his being here would be undone. Yeah, he's got a bit of a martyr complex this year. [Laughs]
What are your current theories, Fringe fans? Why "must" Olivia die? Is Nina perhaps a shifty shapeshifter, or could she actually be trying to help Olivia? Pontificate in comments!


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I love Halloween, and I usually spend most of October getting ready for it – can you tell? While Halloween itself is but one day a year, you can still let a little magic into your life this month with this pretty matte navy and gold mani, originally inspired by this Pin I found, which sadly leads nowhere now! The thing I like about this look is that it's smart enough to be worn any time of year, but still has that special spooky something if you want to show some Halloween love without resorting to the obvious green, orange and black.
Creating this look couldn't be easier – you just need a dark blue colour, plus a top coat with gold flecks, and a matte finish. I used OPI's Keeping Suzi At Bay, The Man With The Golden Gun, and Matte Top Coat.
All I did was layer on one coat of Suzi (top), then two of Golden Gun (left), and then one of the Matte (right). I don't know whether I prefer it glossy or matte, because either way I totally love this look! It took me ages to decide which blue to get, because usually I end up with a dark navy that winds up just looking black on my nails. But this colour is deep and beautiful, with a pretty pigment that's perfect for autumn and winter!
So, whether you're celebrating Halloween, Bonfire Night, or any other wintery holiday, I think this is a great look that's opulent, classic and stylish all at the same time. Though, I still fall in love with pretty much any colour topped with The Man With The Golden Gun, so I may be biased!


text: The Associated Press NEW YORK >> Orlando Hernandez and his high socks made it back to Yankee Stadium. There he was back on the mound, across the street from where he helped the Yankees win all those World Series. "I feel great. It's a big day for me after a lot of years," El Duque said. "I come back today after maybe three or four years. I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm excited, you know." He was introduced to a warm welcome at his first Old-Timers' day on Sunday in the Bronx. For the Yankees, it was the 67th time they've welcomed back their former players. This is the one place that can still pull this off, because of the tradition and because of the fans," Paul O'Neill said. "The history of baseball seems to be here. Many members of the most recent multi-championship run were there. O'Neill, now a TV broadcaster for the YES Network, tweeted a photo of his position from the outfield. That was after David Wells clowned for the crowd by throwing a pitch well behind O'Neill's head. On a warm day in the Bronx, former Yankees of every stripe were all introduced. They came out to applause and took their spots on the first and third base lines. From Brian Dorsett, who made 60 plate appearances for New York in 1989 and 1990, to former outfielder and manager Lou Piniella, they came out, waved and soaked up the love, like at a particularly athletic family reunion. Then, with everyone standing on the lines, white pinstriped uniforms gleaming in the sun, out came Yogi. Berra, who is 88 now, was wearing a uniform that looked the same as it did back in his playing days, down to the No. 8 on the back and a Yankees cap.\u00a0 As he was driven onto the field in a golf cart festooned with tiny American flags, the cheers for him grew louder and louder until the cart containing the former Yankees catcher stopped behind home plate. Hernandez, who played for the Yankees from 1998-2004, was making his first appearance at Old-Timers' Day. He got into the spirit of things by playing shortstop in the fifth inning of the Old-Timers' game. When he pitched in the second inning, he faced Jesse Barfield, Steve Balboni, Charlie Hayes and Brian Doyle. Then he yielded to Jeff Nelson. Just like the old days.\u00a0 "It's good to come back to great memories in the past," Hernandez said. "A lot of the teammates in the clubhouse today."


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This entry makes use of Japanese characters and will require Japanese language support to be installed on your computer in order to avoid the characters being replaced by question marks, or blanked out.
polytheistic and animistic religion indigenous to Japan. Shinto has played a large role in shaping of Japanese culture and identity. Shinto, unlike Buddhism or Christianity, has no known founder or any written scriptures. It was not until the late prehistoric Yayoi culture (ca. 300BC - 300AD) that features emerged that are reminiscent of some of the religion's central aspects (for example, the kami). Archaic Shinto seems to have evolved by the beginning of the final phase of Japanese prehistory, the 古墳 (Kofun, or Tumulus) era (ca. 300-550AD). This belief system was locally based, focusing on the spiritual power inherent in nearby topographical features and on the divine ancestors of clans and lineages. As the Yamato (Sun) clan gained influence over the others, its divine ancestor, the sun goddess Amaterasu-o-Mikami (天照大御神) rose to prominence. The Imperial Family of Japan in ancient times claimed familial relationship to the sun goddess.
Polls show that the religion with the most followers in Japan is Shinto, followed by Buddhism and then Christianity. It should be noted, however, that many Japanese do not consider these religions to be mutually exclusive and often practice a combination of two or all three, such that a majority of the Japanese population practices both Shintoism and Buddhism. Funerals most often held according to the Buddhist tradition with births and marriages being celebrated according to the Shinto tradition, but depending on the individual's beliefs and heritage, these may be reversed.[1] Some Japanese may even go through these ceremonies multiple times in each religion (for example, getting married once in a Christian church and then a traditional Shinto or Buddhist ceremony).
Shinto as a religion focuses around the worship and veneration of deities known as Kami (神). The word refers to divinity, or spiritual power, and is used to mean "god" or "spirit." It is believe that every natural thing, from the river to the wood that builds a house has a kami. Through veneration and tradition, a healthy respect for the natural world is cultivated among the observers.
In 1871 Shinto was established as a state religion (during the Meiji Restoration), and was used as a mechanism for fostering nationalism and loyalty to the emperor. This time period is when the name "Shinto" was first used to describe the religion.
"State Shinto" came to an abrupt end with the defeat of Japan in the Second World War in 1945. The emperor (whose worship was used as war propaganda) renounced all claims to divinity, and Japan's post-war constitution of 1947 (which Americans played a role in writing) prohibited the state from having any involvement in religious affairs, thus allowing for freedom of religion.
The sacred space of Shinto are called jinja (神社, or Shrines). Thousands of small shrines exist across Japan, many sharing ground with Buddhist Monasteries, especially in Kyoto and Tokyo. The entry way into a Shinto shrine is always marked by a Torii (gate), which symbolizes the border between normal life and the divine; the spiritual world as separated from the rest.
Shinto mythology
In Shinto mythology, there are many different deities, and kami (spirits), one of the most famous Shinto deities is, Amaterasu, who the Japanese Royal Family used to claim descent from.
Amaterasu is the sun goddess in Shinto. The most famous story about Amaterasu tells of her retreat to a cave when her brother, Susano'o, the storm god ravaged the earth with storms. Without the sun goddess, crops began to die and demons roamed the earth. To lure her out of the cave, another goddess performed a dance outside the cave. Hearing the laughter of the gods, Amaterasu peeked out of the cave and saw herself in a mirror hung on a tree. Awed by her own beauty and brightness, she ventured farther out of the cave, where the other gods caught her and pulled her out.[2] The story is reminiscent of the Greek legend of the abduction of Persephone by the god of the underworld, Hades. As her mother Demeter, the goddess of the Earth, roamed in search of her daughter, crops withered in the fields and people suffered terribly.
Hachiman is the Shinto god of war, and the divine protector of the Japanese people. He is worshipped by the peasants as the god of agriculture, and by the fishermen who hope he will fill their nets.[3]
Hotei is the god of happiness and laughter and the wisdom of being content in Shinto Mythology.[4]
Izanagi is according to Shinto Mythology, the primordial sky, the god of all that is light and heavenly.[5] Izanagi ("the male who invites") and his wife and sister Izanami ("the female who invites") are believed to have been given the task of creating the world. Standing on Ama-no-ukihashi (the floating bridge of the heavens), they are said to have plunged a jewel crested spear into the ocean. When they pulled it free, the water that dripped from the spear coagulated and formed the first island of the Japanese archipelago.


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#International Volunteers Week (2 – 8 December): Giving is Believing
LoyarBurok pays tribute to volunteers this week.
LoyarBurok pays tribute to volunteers this week.2 December 2011 / 2 Comments / Read More
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The man Rob Ford defeated for Toronto mayor: 'I'm not surprised by what's happening'
TORONTO – This is the mayor Toronto could have had: George Smitherman, an openly gay liberal who overcame an admitted history of drug use to become Ontario's deputy premier.
Instead, Canada's largest city got Mayor Rob Ford, whose erratic behavior and confessed crack cocaine and alcohol use while in office have embarrassed many fellow citizens and delighted America's late-night TV comedians, leading the city council to strip him of most of his powers this week.
If Toronto is a tale of two cities, the 49-year-old Smitherman represents the one better known to the world, the mainly liberal downtown of Canada's financial capital. Ford hails from the city's vast conservative suburbs, where he won over voters with promises to stop "the gravy train" of government spending and end a so-called "war on cars."
Smitherman, a polished politician, openly told voters during their 2010 campaign that he had beaten a five-year addiction to unspecified "party drugs" back in the 1990s. Ford attacked his opponent on those and other grounds, and won.
Now Ford's own drug history is emerging for the world to see. It turns out Toronto elected a mayor who recently admitted to smoking crack in the past year during one of his "drunken stupors," insists he is not an addict and refuses to resign or take a leave of absence.
Many in the city are shocked. Ford's former opponent is not.
"For anyone who cared to look, all of the mayor's limitations and issues were there from the beginning, before he started campaigning, so I'm not surprised by what's happening at City Hall and with him, just deeply saddened by it all," Smitherman said in an interview from his downtown home that he shares with his husband and two young, adopted children. "He took some dirty shots at me, attacking my sexuality and track record, throwing his weight around to be heard above anyone else. Not much has changed."
How did this happen?
A collective cry of disbelief rang out from Toronto's urbanites on October 25, 2010, at the news that the right-wing, larger-than-life, unscripted Ford had defeated the more moderate, green energy-loving Smitherman for mayor of the traditionally centrist city.
The suburbs had spoken. The nature of Toronto's politics had begun a dramatic shift in the late 1990s, when the city annexed the suburbs and suddenly gained massive numbers of conservative voters who grew resentful of rising taxes and liberal downtown initiatives like expanded arts and culture projects and bike lanes.
The 2010 election for mayor wasn't pretty. The Ford campaign questioned whether Smitherman's past drug use made him unfit for office, though Ford had been charged with marijuana possession and drinking and driving in 1999.
Smitherman didn't heavily attack Ford's past on those grounds.
"I campaigned honorably," Smitherman said. "I'm not a person prone to regret, but I'm reminded of that old adage, 'Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.' I think we were not aggressive enough in exposing his weaknesses that are even more apparent now."
Ford also cast himself as a traditional family man, contrasting his wife with Smitherman's husband — though Ford had been charged with domestic assault in 2008.
Voters saw Smitherman's sexuality as a negative, said University of Toronto political science professor Nelson Wiseman.
"People knew they were electing a mayor with warts ... but Smitherman being gay didn't help him in that election," Wiseman said.
Ford also appealed to the city's conservatives by painting Smitherman as a tool of Toronto's liberal elite and himself as an authentic everyman.
The election wasn't really close: Ford defeated Smitherman by a margin of 47 percent to 36 percent.
And Ford's core of conservative supporters, known as "Ford Nation," was born.
"It was a Tea Party kind of time in Toronto," Smitherman said. "That election was similar to when the Tea Party was at its heights in the U.S. and the guy that never spent a penny was more authentic than the guy who spent $250 million dollars. Experience became a negative rather than a positive. I ended up as the de facto incumbent in the race where incumbency was unhelpful."
Smitherman was first attracted to politics during his working-class boyhood, when his hard-driving father built a trucking business. His father's death when Smitherman was 28 sent him into an emotional decline, triggering his drug use. A series of what he calls "strong Liberal women," including his grandmother, however, helped him find a political career.
Smitherman entered the 2010 mayoral race after years as a member of Parliament for the provincial Liberal Party, where he served as health minister and deputy premier and went on to become then-Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's right-hand man.
That experience was marked by criticism over hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on an electronic health records system, and Toronto's suburban voters were wary of what Smitherman might do in charge.
"Ford's simple and populist message meant it rang very well in the suburbs," Smitherman said. He also attributed his loss to Toronto's political system, where political parties are largely absent. The 2010 mayoral race had about 40 candidates, and Smitherman said he took part in 106 debates.
None of those debates was head-to-head with Ford.
Smitherman could have campaigned differently or attacked Ford's past, but "I'm not sure that would have won over people in Ford Nation," Wiseman, the professor, said.
"He's not in touch with the suburbs," Wiseman said. "He's someone like myself who lives downtown and has a downtown sensibility. Walks to a lot of things, thinks subways are good, who wants to wage a war on the car. ... Someone coming from the suburbs will always beat someone coming from the city because of demographics.
"The old city of Toronto has about 750,000 people, the suburbs have 2 million. Do the math."
These days, Smitherman has moved from politics into a private-sector job as a consultant for startup companies. He and his family are moving into a newly gentrified Toronto neighborhood where they plan to spend six months of the year and the other six months in Costa Rica. He hopes living abroad will give his adopted children a "bicultural experience in one of the richest biospheres anywhere. And in a place where values like sustainability are key."
Smitherman says he has moved on from his loss in the mayoral race, no matter what Ford does.
"I loved politics, but on the other hand, losing opens up pathways that are extraordinary. I stand at this point in my life, months away from my 50th birthday, without regrets and a pretty exciting road that I'm on," he said.


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A ride on your road bike doesn't always require smooth blacktop. In fact, dirt roads can offer blissful, low-traffic route options you never thought to consider. The trick is to know how to handle the array of not-so-silky surfaces you may encounter along the way.
More From Bicycling
THE TERRAIN: Hard ripples that run perpendicular to the road, caused by the stress of cars passing over its surface. Shallow ridges aren't so bad, but deep ones can become too rough to ride.
THE TECHNIQUE: Washboard forms under the tire tracks of vehicles--and then widens across the road as drivers seek a smoother line. If you can't find a precious strip of smooth dirt at the extreme right, you must confront the washboard head-on. Let the bike dance beneath you with a looser (but still secure) grip on the handlebar so that fewer vibrations are transmitted directly to your body. Likewise, keep a light perch on the saddle by letting your legs--rather than your backside--carry most of your body weight.
Smooth Hardpack
THE TERRAIN: Nature's cement--smooth, hard dirt that's almost indistinguishable from pavement.
THE TECHNIQUE: Hardpack so closely resembles blacktop that you might forget what's really beneath your wheels. Even the hardest dirt provides less traction than pavement, particularly in corners--slow down before you lean the bike into a turn. A good basic rule is to corner a few miles per hour slower than you would on a similar paved turn. And keep your eyes pointed ahead: Dirt roads are notoriously variable, so friendly hardpack can suddenly turn into a different kind of dirt that demands more attention.
Chunky Rocks
THE TERRAIN: Loose, pea-size pebbles strewn about, often after a road was recently graded.
THE TECHNIQUE: Skinny tires can fall victim to pinch flats or cut sidewalls on this gravelly terrain. Slowing your speed--a natural effect of pedaling on this high-resistance surface--helps reduce impacts and can save you from punctures. If a favorite route includes frequently graded roads or if you're planning a special route over the chunky stuff, consider swapping to bigger tires, like 700x25--or even wider if your frame provides enough clearance.
THE TERRAIN: Anything from deep, gooey ruts on the road to a ribbon of thin, slick paste along the shoulder.
THE TECHNIQUE: This tacky stuff is a double whammy: It greatly increases rolling resistance while reducing traction (at least you'll be moving slowly as you slip out on corners and hills). Overcome the goop with a smooth, round pedal stroke, which reduces the high-torque spikes that can cause your rear wheel to lose traction. Cycling coaches teach a smooth spin by telling riders to imagine wiping their feet on a doormat as each pedal passes through the 6 o'clock position. Your best bet: Aim for the strip of mud that looks the least deep.
THE TERRAIN: Brethren of the pothole, only there's no pavement to form sharp edges. These shallow indentations pock the road like a lunar landscape, but can go stealth when filled with water.
THE TECHNIQUE: Weave around the craters to stay on the high ground between them. Look ahead and plan your route like Han Solo flying through an asteroid field--you may not be able to avoid all of them, but you'll minimize the number that you have to thunk through. As with washboard, the far edge of the road may have fewer holes than the more heavily traveled part. Be extra cautious of those water-filled bowls, as you never know what lurks beneath.


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Aptly named for its location behind a ball field in New York City's Central Park, Umpire Rock may offer a useful vantage point for calling balls and strikes. For scientists, however, it has served as a speed gun for calculating the trajectory and timing of an ancient glacier that once played an active role in global climate change.
"The Laurentide coughs and the climate will change," says Joerg Schaefer, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
Schaefer refers to the Laurentide Ice Sheet that covered the island of Manhattan, along with the northern third of the U.S. and most of Canada, until about 18,000 years ago when the great glacier finally retreated. It had spent more than 70,000 years affecting and reflecting the world's weather through periods of melting and growth. Today, only carved terrain and rocky remnants remain, including the popular leftover that lies a short walk east of West 62nd Street.
Umpire Rock is just one of many enormous boulders—from Antarctica to New Zealand—created under the weight and movement of glacial ice. With increasingly sophisticated techniques, Schaefer and other scientists are more closely studying the chemical footprints on these rocks, thereby gaining valuable insights into climate change.
"Glaciers are great climate indicators," says Richard Alley, a glaciologist at The Pennsylvania State University, in an e-mail. "Although they respond to many things (such as increased snowfall, for example), they are controlled primarily by changes in summer temperatures. Warming melts ice—and it is almost that simple."
A glacier's response to climate can be very sensitive to even the slightest temperature fluctuations: "Just one degree [Celsius] has forced glaciers to move back and forth," Schaefer says. As researchers determine precisely when and where glaciers have advanced and retreated, they can add to a global map of summer temperatures during the Holocene epoch, which spans from 10,000 years ago, after the last ice age, to today. Schaefer thinks a better understanding of variations in this era could fill in missing key predictors for Earth's future climate. "We can only evaluate how dramatic changes will be if we know this natural variability," Schaefer says. "Everything humans do to the climate now is on top of this."
Shedding new light on the climate
Schaefer and other scientists are using a combination of old stonemason tools and cutting-edge machinery, along with some basic geochemistry, to decipher and date this distribution of ancient temperatures.
When a glacier starts its retreat, it exposes the surface it had entombed to daylight. This accumulation of debris, known as a moraine, is often identified when geologists see large boulders that were formed as a result of sediment compacted over thousands of years under a glacier's weight. Cosmic rays zipping through Earth's atmosphere begin bombarding these previously protected rocks at the moment they are coughed out from under the receding ice sheet. The collisions trigger chemical reactions that form a unique radioactive element, beryllium 10. Scientists can then count these newborn nuclides, or isotopes (an element whose atoms have a different number of neutrons, giving it slightly different properties from the common variety), using a technique known as cosmogenic dating, to determine exactly when the glacier pulled back and the bombardment began. "The glory of cosmogenic dating is that you can ask a rock how long it has been sitting there being zapped by cosmic rays," Alley notes.
To get an answer from the rock, the nuclide is isolated from a chiseled sample—about the top centimeter on its surface—and then analyzed via mass spectrometry. With chemists' ability to isolate pure beryllium 10 and spectrometric sophistication growing over the last decade, Schaefer says, "tiny, tiny amounts of these nuclides can now be measured with very high precision."
The total count is then compared with the background rate at which the beryllium 10 is naturally produced in the atmosphere, and a precise age is derived. In the best cases, Schaefer says, a date can now be stamped with an error of plus or minus 10 years. (Only one mass spectrometer accelerator, located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, is currently powerful enough to provide these kinds of estimates.)
Cosmogenic dating has been around since the 1980s, but this improved sensitivity is allowing the possibility of dating much younger rocks that have had less time to accumulate beryllium 10. "The isotope records now overlap our historic record," Schaefer says. "This opens up a climate record that we couldn't read out before."
Tree rings, ice cores and marine life also offer glimpses into climate's past, yet they are not always available, nor always precise. "You could get lucky and run into a tree stump, but most glaciers leave deposits that are always traceable by this technique," says John Stone, a geochemist at the University of Washington in Seattle who uses cosmogenic methods for glaciers in Antarctica. "This allows a wide variety of glacial records to be obtained."
Global data set in stone
Schaefer wants to see the improved dating method taken around the world, and has been chiseling rocks himself from New York to New Zealand. He is the lead author of a study published in the May 7, 2009, issue of Science that investigated the ebbs and flows of glaciers in New Zealand's Southern Alps.
Unlike the majority of the world's glaciers, some in this region are advancing, rather than retreating. But hope that this glacial behavior means a less dire global climate predicament is arrested by Schaefer's findings: Glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere seem to behave independently from those in the south, and these "growing glaciers" have been expanding at an increasingly slower rate over the last several thousand years.
Conventional wisdom has held that climate fluctuations during the Holocene have been fairly stable and consistent around the globe. Previous work by Schaefer, published in Science in 2006, showed that before the end of the last ice age, about 17,000 years ago, most of the world began warming more or less simultaneously, with the exception of the North Atlantic.* His research nearly three years later, however, paints a much more complicated picture: The rates at which the glaciers were retreating in each hemisphere fell out of synch in the past 7,000 years, and underwent rapid periods of growth and decline. Ice sheets in New Zealand appeared to reach their maximum post–ice age advance some 6,500 years ago, whereas in the Swiss Alps glaciers didn't peak until sometime between 700 years and 150 years ago—during the Little Ice Age.
This surprising difference didn't fit with either of the prevailing theories for planetary or hemispheric climate drivers. Cyclical variations in Earth's axial tilt and orbit relative to the sun are thought to control global climate changes, including the advance and retreat of major ice ages. And inverse climatic patterns between the hemispheres are thought to be triggered by ocean currents: As more fresh water is deposited in the north with melting glaciers, the "great ocean conveyor belt" slows down its delivery of warm water to the Southern Ocean. But neither this phasing nor anti-phasing fit the data. "In New Zealand, the influence is from neither an orbit nor the ocean, so we have to come up with something else," Schaefer says. One new theory points to the influence of regional shifts in wind patterns, like those that blow in with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation.
After scientists chiseled into moraines in the northern and southern latitudes, the next obvious site was around Earth's equator. The question there: Do tropical glaciers act like those in northern or southern regions? According to a new study in the tropics led by a team at the University of New Hampshire, past fluctuations of tropical glaciers near Machu Picchu in Peru match up very closely with behavior in the Northern Hemisphere. The Little Ice Age, which was known to have expanded glaciers in North America as well as Europe, appeared to chill the climate at least as far south as Peru. Schaefer is a co-author on this cosmogenic dating paper published in the September 25 issue of Science.
This finding sparks even more questions: What are the mechanisms for this link? Where, between Peru and New Zealand, is the link lost? The research does at least offer hope for finding answers: "These two studies [from New Zealand and Peru] primarily prove that we now have the tools in hand to decipher an almost untapped climate record: glacier moraines," Schaefer says.
Implications from the ice
Penn State's Alley, too, is optimistic that scientists can use these perfected tools to fill in this global puzzle, glacier by glacier. "With enough of this work, we should get a full understanding of the times of warming that forced glacier retreat from the moraines. The pattern of this across the planet will tell us a lot about the mechanisms that caused the warmings of the past," Alley says. "By sorting out the causes of climate changes in the past, we should gain a better understanding of what has happened, a better ability to test our models, and ultimately better and more confident projections of what future climate might hold for us."
Back in Central Park, Schaefer has been working with his team to finish sorting data from remnants of the Laurentide Ice Sheet as well as take more measurements on far-reaching continents; he also continues to think about the consequences for humanity: "This is more than an academic problem, it's a society problem," Schaefer says, highlighting many regions' dependencies on glaciers for agriculture, water and energy.
He would like to see a greater focus on adaptations that prepare societies for the impacts of glacier fluctuations—especially as the growing global map of cosmogenic chronologies more confidently projects severe impacts. "Climate drivers are tiny, tiny, tiny," Schaefer says, also pointing out that even the most conservative warming estimate from the United Nations's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of leading climate scientists, is bigger than anything the Holocene has ever seen. "There's no reason to believe that glaciers aren't going to do the same thing they always do: If you make it warm they are gone."
But with a growing lineup of hard-hitting players in this field, he'll let the rocks make the final call.
*Correction (9/25/09): This sentence has been changed since posting. It originally stated that the warming began about 14,000 years ago.
Greenhouse Rock: Stone-Cold Data from Ancient Glacial Deposits May Help Reveal Future Climate Change
Scientists are developing sophisticated tools to trace the paths of glaciers, unearthing previously unknown pieces of the climate record
Aptly named for its location behind a ball field in New York City's Central Park, Umpire Rock may offer a useful vantage point for calling balls and strikes. For scientists, however, it has served as a speed gun for calculating the trajectory and timing of an ancient glacier that once played an active role in global climate change.


text:
On a Sunny morning in San Francisco, CA, BSN* met with Richard Brown, CPU Platform Sales and Marketing, VP of Marketing, at VIA Technologies, to discuss their newly announced multi-core processors.
BSN*: What does VIA see on its marketing horizon?
Richard Brown: Digital signage is one of the up-and-coming areas for our product development/marketing focus. For example, we have a nine-screen display server for digital signage. At ESC Silicon Valley in San Jose, VIA showed a four screen digital signage solution.
VIA has moved from a traditionally fabless CPU engineering firm and moved in the direction of a solutions provider. We now look at a market in terms of how we can provide the distributors, VARs, and end-users with an integrated solution.
VIA demonstrated EPIA-M900 Platform featuring their first Quad-Core processor
The Nano dual-core and quad-core are going to show up in the entry-level, office/home PC business and low-end laptop/tablet market places. The quad core will allow multiple windows to be open at the same time speeding up the user input and enhancing the graphics experience. There is proven productivity enhancement with two displays in an office environment for user because of being able to have multiple windows fully open.
In an office environment people are seeing their data represented in multiple formats. Nearly everybody is taking their spreadsheet or database numbers and displaying them in various kinds of graphical representations. Smartphones and tablets complement the desktop PC, they do not replace it. One of their major limitations for those form factors are their limited content creation capabilities. Nobody has claimed to have written the latest Great American novel on their tablet or smart phone. Smartphones are great for texting short messages. Most tablets are much like a smartphone with a larger screen display.
BSN*: What makes VIA's multi-core different than the competition?
Brown: Via's latest multi-core processors are manufactured using 40nm process and have a die size of only 66mm2 (11mm x 6mm). They are the lowest power quad-cores in the marketplace. Plus these new quad-core processors are fully pin compatible with the existing VIA Eden, VIA 7, VIA Nano E-series, and VIA Eden X2 dual-core processors. That will save OEM manufacturers a considerable amount of engineering time and manufacturing cost to upgrade their existing platforms and ship new production models sooner.
BSN*: When will we see quad core platforms?
Brown: There will be multiple dual-core and quad-core platforms for Computex Taipei 2011 exhibition in Taiwan at the end of this month. Because VIA invented the Mini-ITX and the Pico-ITX form factors, we know how to create alternative motherboard designs for the OEMs. At Computex, we will show low-power, multi-core solutions in the traditional low-end PC and traditional laptops, along with some exciting new small-platform ideas including tablets. We will show design wins to go along with the prototypes VIA has developed for OEM evaluation.
BSN*: Give our North American readers an insight into your ARM products mainly sold in Asia.
Brown: VIA has been in the ARM-processor and solutions business for a long time. We have a significant footprint in China and India with our low-cost ARM netbook and ARM tablet solutions. Your North American and European readers will find a large number of design wins for small display tablets using the lower power VIA ARM-based processors. This puts VIA in an advantageous situation with the newly announced Microsoft Windows version that will run on both the x86 architecture and the ARM architecture.
BSN*: Do you think there will be a significant cost saving with ARM-based Windows machines?
Brown: When an OEM/System assembler looks at their BOM (bill of materials) for comparably equipped platforms, there is not a huge spread between the cost of the VIA low-power x86 platform and comparable ARM-based platform. They both require a CPU, system memory, data storage, and graphics capabilities, while display costs are nearly a mirror image of each other. It always depends on whether you are comparing like capability components in your BOM.
Next comes the hypothetical question of what will Microsoft charge the OEM/System assembler for the ARM-based Windows operating system. It would seem reasonable that the recently announced ARM-based version of Windows will end up being competitively priced with the next generation x86 version of Windows. But, we really won't know their pricing until the next generation of Windows is actually shipping to the OEM/System assembler and end-users.
VIA Embedded products feature embedded GPUs i.e. eGPUs as well
We should have an answer to these questions by the time CES 2012 in Las Vegas rolls around.
BSN*: Do you have an opinion about Nvidia buying a communications chipset vendor?
Brown: VIA
telecom has been a leader in the CDMA communications marketplace for a long time. China is mostly CDMA based mobile communications. Therefore, we have been able to have a lot of design wins with our CDMA implementation.
BSN*: Are you ready to make any announcements to our readers?
Brown: Within the past week we've announced a dual-core processor as well as a quad-core processor, both on 40nm fab. We plan to show Computex attendees that VIA is serious about the low-power, multi-core processor solution business.
Thank you for spending time with us today. We look forward to providing BSN* with multi-core evaluation equipment in the near future.
BSN* appreciates the assistance of Pat Meier-Johnson in coordinating the time and location of this exclusive interview.


text:
Galloway scores 24, Garland banks in layup in finals seconds, La Salle beats Ole Miss 76-74
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – If anyone says La Salle is making its first trip to the round of 16 in a very, very long time, don't believe it.
The last time the upstart Explorers got this far, the NCAA tournament didn't even have a round of 16.
But now it does and the little school from Philadelphia is there.
Tyrone Garland banked home a scooping layup with 2 seconds left and the 13th-seeded Explorers beat Mississippi 76-74 on Sunday, making this their deepest run since they advanced to the championship game of the 24-team field in 1955.
"Time was running out, and I felt like I could get the drive," Garland said. "When I cut, I just saw an opening and took the ball up."
By inches, the ball off the hands of the 6-foot-1 Garland cleared the outstretched hands of Reginald Buckner, the Rebels' muscular 6-9 center.
"He blocked my shot a couple times during the game, but I ain't scared of nobody," Garland said. "I went in there and knew if I could get an open shot, I could make it."
In the regional semifinals in Los Angeles on Friday, the Explorers will meet ninth-seeded Wichita State.
Ramon Galloway had 24 points for the last remaining team in the tournament from the Atlantic 10. The Explorers (24-9) were playing their third game in five days after starting the tournament in the First Four on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.
But they showed no fatigue.
"We're pretty young. It just feels like AAU all over again. We play a game, go to sleep, wake up, play another game," said Galloway. "We're pretty excited for the whole trip."
No. 12 Ole Miss (27-9) led 74-72 with 1:58 left but failed to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2001.
"I've always said that winning teams make winning plays, and to La Salle's credit, they made the winning plays down the stretch," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said.
The Rebels had a height advantage over La Salle's four-guard lineup and outrebounded the Explorers 40-30 but failed to make their zone defense work.
"We couldn't contain them off the dribble," Kennedy said. "We couldn't contain them even in a zone."
After Tyreek Duren's two foul shots tied it 74-all at the 1:07 mark, Mississippi star and team lightning rod Marshall Henderson missed an off-balance bank shot that would have given the Rebels the lead.
Henderson had 21 points in a game with 11 lead changes.
Duren had 19 points for La Salle and Garland had 17.
Murphy Holloway had 14 points for Mississippi, which fell one win shy of breaking the school record. Jarvis Summers had 12 and Nick Williams had 10 for the Rebels, who were a miserable 10 for 21 from the foul line.
In the frantic final seconds, Mississippi's LaDarius White missed from the top of the key and the ball scooted out of bounds while everybody went for the rebound.
The Rebels were given possession and Henderson's off-balance shot failed to draw iron. Before he could launch another try, the buzzer sounded, giving La Salle possession with 33.2 seconds left even though Henderson pleaded with an official, saying, "He took my hand off."
"I know I was fouled and the ref knows I was fouled but he said he's not calling a foul with 1 second left (on the shot clock)," Henderson said later. "I drove in, got the rebound and when I went up, he took my whole left hand out and I was like, 'That's a foul.'"
On their last possession, the Explorers brought the ball up court, with most everybody expecting Galloway to take the shot. But Garland worked his way inside and threw up his game-winner over Buckner.
"We didn't finish on a strong note, we finished on a low note," Henderson said. "We're going home and it stinks because I know a lot of people that are around are going to pat us on the back and tell us we did a great job but the way I played there at the end I feel that I was totally a disgrace to my teammates and let them down."
Summers missed a desperation heave for Ole Miss.
Galloway, a 6-3 guard and the Explorers' lone senior on the starting five, played the entire 20 minutes of the first half and drilled 5 of 8 3-pointers while scoring 19 points.
La Salle coach John Giannini rejected any suggestion that this victory represents college hoops parity.
"Parity makes it sound like everyone's average," he said. "Everybody's good."


text:
AHH! Amazing spilled that Emily and Ali's complicated, more-than-friends relationship might not be completely a thing of the past!
E! News sat down with Shay and Sasha Pieterse (Ali) to chat all about their characters' secret past romance, and the girls dished about everything you can expect this season (hint: more Emison!) Shay revealed that they're super excited the relationship is becoming a bigger part of the show. "I think it's kind of amazing," said Shay. "I had a hint of how big it would be when they found out [about their past], but now, I'm even more shocked with everything. You think it's going to be big, but you don't realize how big the reaction is actually going to be."
MORE: The Ultimate Pretty Little Liars Trivia Quiz!
More From Seventeen
But even she doesn't know where Emily's future love life is headed! "Let's just say there are a lot of fans for Emison, and there are also a lot of Paily fans that are like, what's going to happen to Paige and Emily? And to be honest, I don't know," said Mitchell. "But I'm excited to see where Emily and Ali's relationship goes, especially knowing where it left off."
And while some feel like Ali's manipulative ways were once again just playing Emily, Sasha thinks otherwise: "I think Alison is desperate for someone that she can trust, and so she's kind of grabbing at straws at the moment," she said. "But I think she really does love Emily and feels close to her and still feels that connection. And I honestly do feel that Alison had real feelings for her."
MORE: 20 Most Amazing Outfits From Pretty Little Liars
Um, we can't. wait. to see what happens.
Are you Team Emison or Team Paily?! Tell us which pair you're rooting for in the comments!


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And Ayyub, when he called out to his Lord: "Great harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful. " (Surat al-Anbiya', 21:83)
As is the case with all other beings, we also exist in a state of need. Our existence depends on many conditions: oxygen to breathe, water and nutrients for our bodies' physical functions, for example. The list is endless, for an infinite number of details are essential for maintaining each person's physical existence.
However, all people can survive without giving much thought to meeting their needs. Everything they need for their bodies and their survival has already been provided and put to use. The first example that comes to mind is breathing. Oxygen is essential for survival, but who provides the right ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere? Or, who places the system that takes in this oxygen and processes it so that it can be conveyed to each cell? None of these can be attributed to anyone, for no one has any part in forming the atmosphere or one's respiration system.
This vital need being the foremost, every detail is designed in its most perfect and feasible form. At this point, we encounter a superior wisdom that designs all details and the infinite compassion that the Owner of this wisdom—Allah, the Most Merciful—shows to us.
Allah's mercy is not limited to meeting people's physical needs. Allah created people, placed them in the most suitable place, and, in return, only asked them to serve Him. He also told people how to do this and sent down books and Prophets for this very purpose. This way, Allah made Himself known and called them to religion and moral excellence. These are obvious signs of our Lord's infinite mercy.2009-10-05 22:10:29


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Browse By PC Games Title:
Cheat Codes:
Submitted by : tanara
Extra Gold Fill your inventory slots full with stuff, leave only one open. Place one
single gold in the slot, have a 10,000 pile on the ground already. Close inventory,
pick up pile and it will automatically make the 1 gold 10,000 gold. Repeat as necessary.
Bonus Song:
For a lovely bonus in the single-player game, toss some coins in the bard's tray (in
the center of town.)
Easter Egg:
When playing as the thief, you can steal from the chickens in town. Your reward is
entirely appropriate.
Extra gold:
Begin a new game and give all money from one character to the other character (money
holder). Start another new game, and select the money holder as one character and create
an entirely new character. Transfer 1500 gold from the new character to the money holder.
Repeat as needed to build your gold total.
Money Trick:
The fastest road to easy money is by starting a new game with two monks.
Transfer both the money and book of resurrection to one monk then quit the
game. Start a new game with that same monk and another new monk, repeating
the process until inventory is full of books and money. Ideally transfer
books to a fighter with a good trade skill and sell all the books bringing
in a total of about 180,000gp. Deposit gold and repeat.
Hint: Avoid player killer problems:
Use the following steps to save your game when playing over a network. Copy
your save files to another directory that is outside of the DarkStone
directory before joining a network game. To restore a save, reload DarkStone
from the CD, then copy the saves from the outside directory.
Note: Make sure all three saves are copied.
Play Music in MP3 Player
Because the music in DarkStone is stored in MP3 format, rename the file
(giving it an [mp3] extension) to hear it in your MP3 player!
The spell of choice for magic users:
The spell of choice for magic users, especially between levels 1 and 20, is
the Magic Bomb. This is a magical contact grenade that you can drop directly
onto your enemy's head, even from around a corner or through a wall. I never
saw a monster resist it, and it does around 30 to 70 points of damage per
Tired of getting killed:
Are you tired of getting killed over and over by spike traps and mines while
you're trying to get to the treasure? The problem often can be solved by one
or two Scrolls of Telekinesis, or a Scroll of Teleport. They cost a few gold
pieces, but can save you a lot of time.
The Time Orb:
The Time Orb, once you have it, still won't do you a lot of good in the battle
against Draak. It has only one charge, and its effect doesn't last long. You
have to do hundreds of points of damage to Draak in about 30 seconds if you
want to win the fight.
Basic tactics:
Hints by Reuben Kee
Eat! If you get too hungry, your characters will start losing hp. Know that
the value of armor or weapons decreases as the max duration and current
duration decrease; always repair if you have the skill before selling
equipment off. Characters can grow old and their stats will start dropping
like mad. You start off at 20 years; you must find ways and means to prolong
their youth. Every monster has its traits, meaning each monster has its own
pattern in attack, movement, etc. Knowing your enemy well will result in
more efficient kills. Use your skills! Each class features its different
skills; use them well. They can really help a lot! To set spells, simply
press the numbers 1-5, bring up your spell book and hold shift while clicking
on the spell you wish to place under the number.
How to be a millionaire:
Different combinations of characters can complement each other very well, take
a Warrior/Amazon, and a Thief/Assassin, and you can get rich really fast.
First, have your thief's steal skill be reasonably good (doesn't fail so
often) and you warrior's repair skill reasonably good (doesn't fail too often)
and proceed to the dungeons below. Since the equipment you steal from the
monsters is usually better than the stuff bought at the blacksmith, all you
have to do is repair the second-hand equipment with your warrior and sell it
off to the blacksmith! Know that the further you progress in the game, the
more money you will be making, but the tougher the enemies. Hence, you will
have to find out ways and tactics to keep alive and steal. Happy hunting!
Note: Stealing from the NPCs will get you nowhere; you need to be daring and
steal from the monsters for the good stuff.
Tell your computer-controlled character what spells to cast: First, temp-
orarily switch to the character you want the computer to use, select the
spell from the spell book. Next click on your blue bar, your mana bar, its
right beside your red bar, or hp bar. Notice a line? The top part of the
line is how much mana you want to allow your computer-controlled character
to cast with, the bottom part is reserved, just in case you have a spell
which consumes HUGE amounts of mana. Thats it, switch back to your character
and let the teamwork begin!
The "croak" tactic:
If heavily overpowered by a ungodly powerful enemy, use a long range offensive
spell or weapon to keep our of harms way. If he has long range offensive
capabilities as well, attack, dodge, attack, dodge, etc. Croaking will get
you through the harder parts of the game.
Infinite food trick:
During the horn of plenty quest, you can right-click on the horn to get some
nice pieces of chicken! Also, the forester skill can get you lots of fish
too, use it on a pond to fish!
New Song:
In a single player game toss coins in the Bard's tray in the center of town.
Playing as Thief:
Steal from the chickens to get a good reward.
3 Cool Tricks
Here's some tricks for Darkstone that I discovered and haven't seen mentioned
anywhere. The first 2 can only be done in single player games, the 3rd can be
done in both single and multi.
1.Surrogate Pool Drinker - If you switch to solo mode and leave the character
you're not using at a mana or health pool, whenever you get low just switch
to the character by the pool, walk a short distance from the pool, then click
on the pool and before the character gets there to take a drink switch back
to the other character and that one will get their health or mana filled
instead of the one by the pool.
2.Permanent Magic Door - If you want to keep your magic doors from crumbling
when you go back through them, when returning through the door from town use
the character who did NOT create the magic door to enter the portal. If you
are in a multi player game, 2 characters can both make a magic door then
return from town using the other guy's door instead of your own. This way
you can keep them open and use them over and over.
3.Earn More Money - Of course you want to use a character with the Trade skill
to do all the buying, selling, and repairing (if you have one). But if you
have the character with Trade skill pay the blacksmith to repair all your
items before you sell them you will actually get MORE money. He gives you a
discount on the repair and pays your more for the fully repaired item than
what he would have paid before + the price he charged you to repair it.
by Scot Linkletter
Even More Money
Create Two New Monk Charaters:
Start am single player game with these charaters. Then sell their copys of
Ressurection for lots of Cash. Then give the money two one charater. Start
a new single player game with a two new monks. Deletee the charater (MONK
that has no money) and repet with the new monks. Then make the charater you
want and start a new game with the really rich monks. Take their money and
start a new single player game with another new charater. I did this 13 times
and ended up with over 100000 gold.
Submitted by: Gwenevere
Here's something my mom found and doesn't want to share: when you go through
the dungeons and find a desk with a spellbook/scroll, switch to the carachter
that doesn't know any magic. Go in solo mode, grab the book, then sell it in
town. We did this, and never got scrolls. We also noticed an increased amount
of desks.
Duplicating items:
Place the object to be duplicated in your inventory and save the game.
Start a new game with two characters. Give the other character the
item to be duplicated. Then, load the game. You and the other character
will still have the item.
Note: This cheat stops working after awhile. After the first one or two times,
you must play to get either a level up or a crystal to get the first persons
items back. After four or five times, you will not be able to get your items
Level up faster:
Create a new character, then begin a new quest. When you are in town, equip
the items you have. After you have done this, exit town and start to fight
enemies. When you level up, save your attribute points. Keep doing this in
Ardyl until you feel comfortable with the level you are at. You should reach
expert level in about one hour. This will work as if you are at level two
the entire time. Doing this trick can turn a warrior into a warrior/wizard.
Note: If you quit the quest, this will no longer work; or if you are leveling
up slowly again (after level 16 or 18) buy learning.
Healing your character:
The best way to heal your character is to go to town (or select "Town" from
the "Places To Go" menu) and talk to Madam Irma. Select "Cure". Not only will
this heal your character and detoxify him/her from poison for free, but also
conserve food for that character.
Unlimited chicken legs:
In the land of Ardyl, the town nearby asks you to recover the Horn Of Plenty
for them. Instead of giving it back immediately, you can keep it and get
unlimited chicken legs. Just keep right clicking on the Horn Of Plenty. At
the end of the game you will need all seven crystals, so go back and give
the horn back to the town for the last crystal.
Extra gold:
To do this trick, you must have at least 10,001 gold in the bank, and a full
inventory, except for one slot. Withdraw 10,000 gold and throw it on the
ground. Then, withdraw 1 gold and try to pick up the 10,000. The game will
not allow you to do so, so throw it on the ground again. Look at the gold
in your inventory to find 10,000 gold. Deposit the 10,000 gold and withdraw
1 gold again. Pick up the 10,000 on the ground, then repeat as needed.
More Gold:
Start a new game as the person you want to be strong and rich as character
one, and a monk as character two. Start in the town, and have your monk give
your other character everything (club, Book Of Resurrection, money, and apple).
Go to the weapon shop and sell the club, then to the magic shop and sell the
book. Take the money back to the weapon shop and choose "Upgrade". Continue
upgrading your weapon, armor, and other items. Then, go to the Land Of Ardyl
and fight. You should level up, or at least gain lots of experience points.
Then, select "Quit" from the menu (do not save game) and answer "Yes". Then,
start a new game, delete the monk, use that same person as character one.
Make a new monk, use him as character two, and repeat the steps.
Defeating Draak:
* Before he transforms, use Magic Door and gather potions and equip the best
fire resistance items then head back out. Let him transform, then equip a
long range weapon (need to have at least 80 in Dex). Use the orb and belt
potions and run back to the entrance until you cannot see Draak. Fire in
the direction Draak was standing. After a short period of time, an inter-
mission sequence will appear and you will have defeated the Dragon. Gather
the key, scale, and hand then open the gate. Gather all the money (900,000
depending on the level of your character) and gate to town.
* Do not use the hammer given to defeat Draak. Instead, buy bows all through
the game. Each time you buy a high power bow after a level or two, a new higher
power bow will appear at Gunther's store. Buy that one, and sell the old one.
Use a bow with 40% to hit or higher. With that bow, you can stand out of Draak's
reach and kill him. First, equip you bow and get to a corner (by the gate of
gold) where Draak cannot reach you. Start hitting him. Make sure the X Draak
appears in your text box. He will groan each time you hit him. Thunder will
sound when he re-energizes. Count the number of times you hit him before he
re-energizes his power. If it is fifty or less, you are in good shape. Put the
Time Orb on your belt. If he re-energizes at forty-nine hits, count up to
forty-eight hits and activate the Time Orb. He will die at the forty-seventh
hit the next time around.
There may be rags in your pack that say 16 to all attributes. If you wear,
it will say Buimia and you cannot take it off.
Free food:
Getting your thief to "pickpocket" one of the chickens in town will result in
you ending up with a handy egg to feed your characters with.
Extra gold:
Start a new game as the person you want to be strong and rich as character one,
and a monk as character two. Start in the town, and have your monk give your
other character everything (club, Book Of Resurrection, money, and apple). Go
to the weapon shop and sell the club, then to the magic shop and sell the book.
Take the money back to the weapon shop and choose "Upgrade". Continue upgrading
your weapon, armor, and other items. Then, go to the Land Of Ardyl and fight.
You should level up, or at least gain lots of experience points. Then, select
"Quit" from the menu (do not save game) and answer "Yes". Then, start a new
game, delete the monk, use that same person as character one. Make a new monk,
use him as character two, and repeat the steps.
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Story highlights
Chinese state media reports Sky City does not have required permits to start construction
Sky City, developed by Broad Group, planned to be world's tallest building at 838 meters
Broad Group to CNN: 'We have not yet started work'
Broad Group will use pre-fabricated steel-concrete blocks to build Sky City by April 2014
The plan to raise what would be the world's tallest building in a dizzyingly fast time is in danger of not getting off the ground at all.
According to reports in Chinese state media, Broad Group, the developers for Sky City, have so far failed to get the proper permits required to proceed with construction. The company put the first spade in the ground in the 202-story project to much fanfare on July 20.
Developers hope it could be built within the year.
The 838-meter construction in Changsha, the capital of China's central Hunan province, would rise ten meters higher than the world's current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
"Broad is still currently in the beginning stages of arranging the construction project," a Changsha Urban Planning Department representative told CNN.
"So far, they've undergone the process to obtain 136 mu [22 acres] of land, but that's it. They're still in the very basic beginning stages. We've been giving a lot of attention to this case, and everything they've done has been according to law."
For its part Broad Group insisted everything was above board. "We have not yet started work on Changsha's Sky City," a Broad Group press officer told CNN. He added that they have evidence to show no laws have been broken.
Penalties for illegal construction vary widely across China between the countryside and cities, as well as between residential and commercial use.
In Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, baseline fines for illegal construction range from 5% to 10% with investigative fees as much as doubling the amount. Additional penalties for various infractions can then double the original fine, according to one official government website.
In the southwest megacity of Chongqing, the fine for the illegal construction of a commercial building is 50% of the cost of construction, according to another government site.
If similar penalties exist in Changsha as for Chongqing, Broad Group could be fined nearly $750 million. Sky City's total construction cost is $1.46 billion.
Construction advocates have touted Sky City's green credentials: It will save on energy and land use, creating an all-in-one home, office, shopping, farming and recreation environment for some 30,000 residents that no one ever needs to leave.
Critics – including architectural experts and the Chinese public – worry about safety because of the use of non-traditional building techniques and the pace of construction. Broad Group pioneered the use of pre-fabricated steel-and-concrete blocks – akin to Lego blocks – that can be quickly hoisted into place. While the Burj Khalifa took five years to build, Broad Group says this "fast-building technology" means it can construct Sky City in just ten months.
Sky City will be completed in April 2014, said Broad Group in earlier statements.
However when questioned by CNN, the company's press officer hesitated to provide a start date for construction. He added that plans will be announced at an as-yet unscheduled future press conference, leaving construction plans for Sky City firmly frozen on the ground.


text:
The following is the slightly longer English version of a piece that appeared originally in Afrikaans in Rapport, 6 June 2010. Note that the sub-editors of the Afrikaans version changed my original 'vergelyking' to 'teenstelling' in my parenthetical reference to the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners)
Next to 'hotnot', 'gam'* and 'kaffer', the epithet that hurt me most as a child was 'kerrienaat' ('curry-arse'). It conflated religion and stereotyped dietary habits (Muslims eat curry every day) into a label that instantly undermined one's authority and sense of self when playground rivalries turned nasty. It could win any argument by dismissing the rival as a 'kerrienaat'.
As with 'hotnot' or 'kaffer', or any such words of vilification, the word's power over its target comes from unequal social relationships and the history of real and cultural abuse that underlies such unequal relationships (Compare the declamations by the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners over the stereotypes of the 'Afrikaner' during the Eerste Taalbeweging).** 'Kerrienaat' was a powerful label because of the unequal relationships between a largely Christian world (no matter how secularised) and a minority Muslim community fragmented and further embattled following especially the Group Areas Act, which forced a close-knit community apart and into dispersed neighbourhoods. The dominant way of looking at the world was (is) essentially Christian or secularised Christianity, and this dominance allowed that world to define and misrepresent the non-Christian with impunity.


text:
By Anthony F.M. Clavier
Perhaps only my fellow gray heads notice what an enormous change has occurred in the American Episcopal Church during the past half-century. In so many ways a Catholic approach to Anglicanism seems to have triumphed. Perhaps the most significant symbol of this triumph is the Book of Common Prayer (1979), one of the most high-church volumes to be adopted by any province of the Anglican Communion. I think this finally came home to me when an English bishop, one of the most vocal members of the Catholic party in the Church of England, told me that he could happily use the American prayer book. I was astonished.
One can point to its bold statement that the Eucharist is the principal form of worship on Sundays. One may cite the various forms of the Greater Thanksgiving contained in its Eucharistic liturgies, or the assumption that the Eucharist should be the setting for baptism, matrimony, and the burial of the dead. The order for the Reconciliation of Penitents clearly affirms the place of what was once termed auricular confession as an appropriate spiritual discipline. Prayers for the departed form a normal part of liturgical texts.
Fifty years ago a majority of parishes observed sung Morning Prayer as the principal form of Sunday worship. In parishes where reconciliation was available recourse had to be made to vague texts in the offices for the sick, or unofficial liturgies borrowed from Roman Catholic texts. Today Eucharistic vestments are used, the sacrament is reserved, bishops gad about wearing copes and chasubles, their heads adorned with miters, pastoral staffs carried — even if some bishops grasp them in the wrong hand. The consecration of bread and wine is accompanied by manual acts and elevations made public by the adoption of the westward position at the altar. These customs, fifty years ago, were normal only in the most "Catholic" dioceses. Today, even in such former bastions of low-church religion as Virginia, albs have become the normal form of clerical worship attire. Fewer and fewer clergy own a cassock and surplice, let alone a hood and tippet.
Yet, despite all this, there's an area in which development of Catholic belief and practice has made no progress, and indeed there has been significant regress. That area is crucial to a Catholic worldview. I refer to the concept of universality, pivotal in a robust proclamation of "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" to which we all refer each time we recite the Creeds and renew our baptismal covenant.
Opposition to the Anglican Covenant continues to be linked, perhaps more vigorously than ever before, to a passionate belief in provincial autonomy and omnicompetence. The motive for this conservative, anti-developmental position is not doctrinal. Rather, it is asserted to protect what are called justice issues, and these are mixed up with a cultural attachment to American exceptionalism, normally espoused by rightwing political platforms, informed by a patriotic commitment to the ideal of Americanism, enshrined in the founding documents of the United States.
Quite remarkably Episcopalians cite Reformation ideas about National Churchism which developed in Tudor days as an apology for the separation of the English Church from the See of Rome. Tudor apologists like Bishop John Jewel were obliged to dredge up or create a national myth to defend the autonomy of the Church of England. The myth ran something like this: England was an empire before the Norman invasion. Imperial entities in ancient times developed national churches. It all looked rather odd in 1560. The empire was just adjusting to the very idea of nationalism, and in comparison with Spain, for instance, it was tiny — England, Wales, and perhaps Ireland.
A closer look at the thoughts of those Divines who attempted to justify the Anglican Reformation shows them to be caught on the horns of a dilemma. They were obliged to affirm the Royal Ascendency in all matters political and religious. Yet they still looked beyond the channel to other Reformed churches, hoping that some further unity might be envisioned, perhaps through a General Council of Protestant Churches. That hope dimmed as time went by. Politically the birth of a new British Empire, the union of the crowns of England and Scotland, the creation of imperial outposts abroad, gave further impulse to imperial justifications for what became known as Anglicanism.
For roughly 200 years after the Reformation, Anglicanism spread to the New World and slender outposts in Africa and India. The problem of justifying the theory of national churches hardly figured. The establishment of a dissenting Episcopal Church in Scotland, and then of a national church for the United States, changed all that. Yet for nearly 70 years after the creation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America little thought was given to what that development meant in terms of ecclesiology, the theology of how area churches relate to each other within the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.
Much of the movement towards a visible expression of worldwide Anglican unity came from the Tractarian Movement. Canadian and American bishops, we should note, pressed for developing robust intercommunion structures. Many worked for elevating the See of Canterbury to patriarchal status. They sought international instruments which would affirm doctrinal, structural and liturgical norms, and international forms of discipline. The first two meetings of pan-Anglican bishops in what would be dubbed Lambeth Conferences adopted resolutions which would have created a structure far more authoritative than the proposals contained in the Anglican Covenant.
It may be justly remarked that this first move toward an Anglican Covenant failed because successive archbishops of Canterbury resisted most of these proposals. Even without formal recognition of the Lambeth Conference as a juridical synod of bishops, the authority of its deliberations was widely accepted. Pan-Anglicanism seemed a logical partner in the growing ecumenical movement. In ecumenical dialogue Anglicanism needed a united voice. Attempts to unite the church on the mission field required Anglican unanimity.
In practice the establishment of what are now called Instruments of Communion was a natural development in the quest not only for Anglican unity but for the eventual reunion of a fragmented Christendom.
The dissolution of the British Empire spurred a similar development of autonomous and more often than not national churches, in a climate of liberation and national aspiration. It was in this context that the ideal of the autonomy of national churches, developed in Tudor England, gained new life. Since the 1960s two impulses have been at cross-purposes. The first was the impulse toward visible expressions of mutual responsibility and accountability between the churches of the Communion. The second was the rise of nationalism and the emergence of the United States as a superpower. This dichotomy is alive and well in the Communion today, lurking behind the policies of the provinces of the Global South in opposing policies in North American provinces, and a formidable presence in the Episcopal Church's self-description as an autonomous worldwide church, accountable to no one but its own governing bodies. Catholicism and nationalism clash, woven together in a manner difficult to untangle.
The Anglican Covenant is a very mild attempt to reassert a vision of the unity of the Church into this context. Perhaps it is inevitable given the times and the seasons that its gentle proposals should be viewed as an attempt to subordinate provinces to an all-powerful, reactionary centralism. No fair and impartial reading of its text would lead one to such a conclusion.
We have the irony of an American church, transformed so remarkably by the triumph of "Catholic" teaching and practice during the past half-century, clinging stubbornly to an ecclesiology at odds with its own development. At the same time the Episcopal Church now seeks to affirm a Catholic sacramentalism and territorial episcopate, while harking back to the Reformation's pragmatic defense of national ecclesiastical autonomy, tinged with denominational aspirations once believed to be antithetical to any genuine belief in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church and the ecumenical vocation of Anglicanism (which has become a notable gift to the contemporary Church).
If "No Covenant," what? How do Anglicans express a sound doctrine of the Church without competent instruments of unity? The foes of the Covenant remain silent about that vital question.
The Rev. Anthony F.M. Clavier is a missioner in the Diocese of Springfield.


text:
Calsonic/Team Impul Fairlady 350Z
Calsonic/Team Impul and Nissan made its first big splash in 1987 when it fielded a Nissan Skyline GTS-R in Japan's Group A racing series. The R31 Skyline was the first Nissan built solely to compete in a specific racing series; it would not be the last. The GTS-R was a baby step as the R32 Skyline GT-R would rewrite the Group A record books, not to mention the rule books shortly after its racing debut in 1990. The R32 GT-R would dominate, winning 29 races out of 29 races. The complete domination over all comers earned the GT-R its nickname--Godzilla. During this run the GT-R won the JTC championship four consecutive years, continuing to win after numerous weight additions. The Calsonic/Team Impul GT-R was right in the thick of it.
Legendary Japanese driver Kazuyoshi Hoshino and his Team Impul were the driving force behind the Calsonic/Team Impul Skyline's success in the early days. The Calsonic/Team Impul GT-R was series champion in 1990, third in 1991, and second in 1994. Subsequent outings in R33- and R34-spec GT-Rs continued the success of Calsonic/Team Impul.
To better understand the legend of Hoshino consider he competed in two Formula 1 races, Mt. Fuji GP Japan in 1976 and 1977. The rain soaked 1976 contest, won by Mario Andretti, saw Hoshino rise as high as third place before falling out of the race. In 1977, Hoshino finished 11th in his Heros Racing Kojima Engineering KE009 Tyrel/Cosworth. He was the All Japan Formula 3000 champion in 1987, '90 and '93. He also competed in endurance racing for Nissan, helping Nissan to its first-ever podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. Nissan put all four of its durable and quick R390 GT1s in the top 10 in '98--quite a feat.
The GT-Rs were eventually cast off into their own series and eventually the JGTC, which has become the pinnacle of circuit racing in Japan. At the end of the road Hoshino made sure the last thing the GT-R saw in front of it in competition was a checkered flag, winning at Suzuka, Nov. 16, 2003.
Michael Krumm and Satoshi Motoyama took the 2003 series title in the NISMO GT-R, ensuring the GT-R left the racing scene the same way it entered, a champion.
In 2004, Nissan stepped up and inserted the Fairlady 350Z as its JGTC warrior of choice and Hoshino became Team Director. The driving duo of Benoit Treluyer and Yuji Ide were inserted and Impul and Tomei got to work sorting out the Fairlady and its VQ30DETT V6 powerplant. The team finished a hard-fought 11th in 2004 but look for bigger things as the team gets in sync for the 2005 JGTC campaign.
|UA-Z33 Nissan Fairlady Z (350Z)
|104.33 in
|2160 lb
|2987 cc
|Bore/Stroke (mm)
|93 x 73.3
|Twin Turbos
|Air Restrictor
|29.6 mm (2)
|Tomei Engine
|465 ps
|72 kg-m


text:
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- Description
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New Laubuca described
Laubuca brahmaputraensis is a new species known only from the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh. No specific type locality is provided in the paper other than 'Brahmaputra River', so the extent of its distribution is unclear, and live colouration is currently unknown.
Category: Ichthyology, News | Tags: Bangladesh, cyprinid, ichthyology, Laubuca, new species | Comment »


text:
This Awesome Map Helps You Find The US Cities With The Best Weather
Bad weather have you bummed? Kelly Norton, a designer and software engineer living in Atlanta, Ga., has created an interactive map that makes it possible to find U.S. cities with the most "pleasant" days in a year.
We first saw Norton's map posted at The Atlantic Cities by John Metcalfe.
Pleasant means different things to different people, but Norton defines it as a place where the mean temperature is between 55 degrees and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum daily temperature doesn't go above 85 degrees or dip below 45 degrees. Norton also considered precipitation. Days with greater than .010 inches of precipitation or greater than .1 inches of snow were not viewed as pleasant, Norton told Business Insider through email.
Norton used 23 years of data collected by NOAA weather stations around the country to create the map shown below. The darker the circles, the greater number of pleasant days.
"I constructed the map by breaking the country up into a grid and then looking at the weather stations that fall within each of the squares in the grid," Norton said. "I use a zip code database to determine which zip codes fall within each region. I name each region by its most populous city." Los Angeles has two circles because it's large enough to be the most populous city in two regions.
To find out exactly how many "pleasant" days a city has, just type in the zip code and it will return a chart that tells you the total number of pleasant days as well as a month-by-month breakdown. For instance, New York City has, on average, 67 pleasant days each year. Most of those nice days occur in September.
For anyone who's planning their winter escape, here's a quick list of the U.S. cities with the best and worst weather:
The 5 most pleasant places:
Los Angeles — 183 days/year
San Diego— 182 days/year
Oxnard — 166 days/year
Simi Valley — 156 days/year
San Francisco — 153 days/year
The 5 least pleasant places:
McAllister, Montana — 14 days/year
Northeast of Reno, Nevada — 15 days/year
Clancy, Montana — 15 days/year
Douglas, Wyoming —15 days/year
East of Cedarville, California — 16 days/year
To see more cities, go play around with the interactive map here »
See Also:
- These California Drought Pictures Are Scary, And It's Only Getting Worse
- 150-Pound Burmese Python Could Be The Largest Ever Caught In Florida
- A 19-Year-Old Yale Sophomore Just Skied To The South Pole Faster Than Anyone In History
- A Fox Was Found Frozen Solid In Ice In Norway
- New York Is About To Get Slammed Again With Up To 10 Inches Of Snow
SEE ALSO: Here's Why Different Weather Apps Give You Different Forecasts