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Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring
Cardiac computed tomography (CT) for Calcium Scoring uses special x-ray equipment to produce pictures of the coronary arteries to determine if they are blocked or narrowed by the buildup of plaque – an indicator for atherosclerosis or coronary artery disease (CAD). The information obtained can help evaluate whether you are at increased risk for heart attack.
Tell your doctor if there's a possibility you are pregnant and discuss any recent illnesses, medical conditions, medications you're taking, and allergies. You will be instructed not to eat or drink anything and to avoid caffeine and smoking for four hours prior to the exam. Leave jewelry at home and wear loose, comfortable clothing. You may be asked to wear a gown.
- What is Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring?
- What are some common uses of the procedure?
- How should I prepare?
- What does the equipment look like?
- How does the procedure work?
- How is the procedure performed?
- What will I experience during and after the procedure?
- Who interprets the results and how do I get them?
- What are the benefits vs. risks?
- What are the limitations of Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring?
- Which test, procedure or treatment is best for me?
What is Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring?
Computed tomography, more commonly known as a CT or CAT scan, is a diagnostic medical test that, like traditional x-rays, produces multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body.
The cross-sectional images generated during a CT scan can be reformatted in multiple planes, and can even generate three-dimensional images. These images can be viewed on a computer monitor, printed on film or by a 3D printer, or transferred to a CD or DVD.
CT images of internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels provide greater detail than traditional x-rays, particularly of soft tissues and blood vessels.
A cardiac CT scan for coronary calcium is a non-invasive way of obtaining information about the presence, location and extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries—the vessels that supply oxygen-containing blood to the heart muscle. Calcified plaque results when there is a build-up of fat and other substances under the inner layer of the artery. This material can calcify which signals the presence of atherosclerosis, a disease of the vessel wall, also called coronary artery disease (CAD). People with this disease have an increased risk for heart attacks. In addition, over time, progression of plaque build up (CAD) can narrow the arteries or even close off blood flow to the heart. The result may be chest pain, sometimes called "angina," or a heart attack.
Because calcium is a marker of CAD, the amount of calcium detected on a cardiac CT scan is a helpful prognostic tool. The findings on cardiac CT are expressed as a calcium score. Another name for this test is coronary artery calcium scoring.
What are some common uses of the procedure?
The goal of cardiac CT scan for calcium scoring is to determine if CAD is present and to what extent, even if there are no symptoms. It is a screening study that may be recommended by a physician for patients with risk factors for CAD but no clinical symptoms.
The major risk factors for CAD are:
- high blood cholesterol levels
- family history of heart attacks
- diabetes
- high blood pressure
- cigarette smoking
- overweight or obese
- physical inactivity
How should I prepare?
No special preparation is necessary in advance of a cardiac CT examination. You should continue to take your usual medications, but should avoid caffeine and smoking for four hours prior to the exam.
You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to your exam. You may be given a gown to wear during the procedure.
Metal objects, including jewelry, eyeglasses, dentures and hairpins, may affect the CT images and should be left at home or removed prior to your exam. You may also be asked to remove hearing aids and removable dental work. Women will be asked to remove bras containing metal underwire. You may be asked to remove any piercings, if possible.
Women should always inform their physician and the CT technologist if there is any possibility that they may be pregnant. See the Safety page for more information about pregnancy and x-rays.
What does the equipment look like?
The CT scanner is typically a large, box-like machine with a hole, or short tunnel, in the center. You will lie on a narrow examination table that slides into and out of this tunnel. Rotating around you, the x-ray tube and electronic x-ray detectors are located opposite each other in a ring, called a gantry. The computer workstation that processes the imaging information is located in a separate control room, where the technologist operates the scanner and monitors your examination in direct visual contact and usually with the ability to hear and talk to you with the use of a speaker and microphone.
How does the procedure work?
In many ways CT scanning works very much like other x-ray examinations. X-rays are a form of radiation—like light or radio waves—that can be directed at the body. Different body parts absorb the x-rays in varying degrees.
In a conventional x-ray exam, a small burst of radiation is aimed at and passes through the body, recording an image on photographic film or a special image recording plate. Bones appear white on the x-ray; soft tissue shows up in shades of gray and air appears black.
With CT scanning, numerous x-ray beams and a set of electronic x-ray detectors rotate around you, measuring the amount of radiation being absorbed throughout your body. The scanner will take a set of images and then the table will move (axial scan). Sometimes the examination table will move during the scan so that the x-ray beam follows a spiral path (spiral or helical scan). A special computer program processes this large volume of data to create two-dimensional cross-sectional images of your body, which are then displayed on a monitor.
CT imaging is sometimes compared to looking into a loaf of bread by cutting the loaf into thin slices. When the image slices are reassembled by computer software, the result is a very detailed multidimensional view of the body's interior.
Refinements in detector technology allow new CT scanners to obtain multiple slices in a single rotation. These scanners, called multislice CT or multidetector CT, allow thinner slices to be obtained in a shorter period of time, resulting in more detail and additional view capabilities.
Modern CT scanners are so fast that they can scan through large sections of the body in just a few seconds. Such speed is beneficial for all patients but especially children, the elderly and critically ill.
Electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) is an alternative to conventional CT for measuring coronary calcium. In EBCT, an electron beam is sent to a target ring located around the patient. The beam creates x-rays at the target rings, which radiate through the patient to the detector on the opposite end of the scan tube. Because the machine has no moving parts, it can acquire as many as 20 images every second—fast enough so that it avoids any blurring caused by the beating of the heart. While EBCT and CT have been shown to have similar accuracy in determining calcium scores, EBCT is not as commonly available, as it is less versatile than the latest generation of high-speed CT scanners.
How is the procedure performed?
The technologist begins by positioning you on the CT examination table, usually lying flat on your back. Straps and pillows may be used to help you maintain the correct position and to help you remain still during the exam.
Electrodes (small, sticky discs) will be attached to your chest and to an electrocardiograph (ECG) machine that records the electrical activity of the heart. This makes it possible to record CT scans when the heart is not actively contracting.
Next, the table will move quickly through the scanner to determine the correct starting position for the scans. Then, the table will move slowly through the machine as the actual CT scanning is performed. Depending on the type of CT scan, the machine may make several passes.
Patients are asked to hold their breath for a period of 10 to 20 seconds while images are recorded.
When the examination is completed, you will be asked to wait until the technologist verifies that the images are of high enough quality for accurate interpretation.
The entire procedure including the actual CT scanning is usually completed within 10 minutes.
For an EBCT scan, you will lie on a table under an arch-shaped scanner. You may remain clothed and your head will not be enclosed at any time. During the scan, you will be asked to hold your breath at times to help you remain motionless. The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, although the actual scanning time is only a few seconds.
What will I experience during and after the procedure?
This CT exam is painless, fast and easy.
Though the scanning itself causes no pain, there may be some discomfort from having to remain still for several minutes and with placement of an IV. If you have a hard time staying still, are very nervous or anxious or have chronic pain, you may find a CT exam to be stressful. The technologist or nurse, under the direction of a physician, may offer you some medication to help you tolerate the CT scanning procedure.
For exams (excluding head and neck) your head will remain outside the hole in the center of the scanner. The scanner is approximately 24 inches wide, therefore, your entire body will be "inside" the scanner at one time such as with MRI.
When you enter the CT scanner, special light lines may be seen projected onto your body, and are used to ensure that you are properly positioned. With modern CT scanners, you will hear only slight buzzing, clicking and whirring sounds as the CT scanner's internal parts, not usually visible to you, revolve around you during the imaging process.
You will be alone in the exam room during the CT scan, unless there are special circumstances. For example, sometimes a parent wearing a lead shield may stay in the room with their child. However, the technologist will always be able to see, hear and speak with you through a built-in intercom system.
After the CT exam, you can return to your normal activities.
Who interprets the results and how do I get them?
A radiologist, who is a physician with special skills and expertise in supervising and interpreting radiology examinations, will analyze the images and send an official report to your primary care physician or physician who referred you for the exam, who will discuss the results with you.
A negative cardiac CT scan for calcium scoring shows no calcification within the coronary arteries. This suggests that CAD is absent or so minimal it cannot be seen by this technique. The chance of having a heart attack over the next two to five years is very low under these circumstances.
A positive test means that CAD is present, regardless of whether or not the patient is experiencing any symptoms. The amount of calcification—expressed as the calcium score—may help to predict the likelihood of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the coming years and helps your medical doctor or cardiologist decide whether the patient may need to take preventive medicine or undertake other measures such as diet and exercise to lower the risk for heart attack.
The extent of CAD is graded according to your calcium score:
|Calcium Score
|Presence of CAD
|No evidence of CAD
|Minimal evidence of CAD
|Mild evidence of CAD
|Moderate evidence of CAD
|Over 400
|Extensive evidence of CAD
Follow-up examinations may be necessary. Your doctor will explain the exact reason why another exam is requested. Sometimes a follow-up exam is done because a potential abnormality needs further evaluation with additional views or a special imaging technique. A follow-up examination may also be necessary so that any change in a known abnormality can be monitored over time. Follow-up examinations are sometimes the best way to see if treatment is working or if a finding is stable or changed over time.
What are the benefits vs. risks?
- Cardiac CT for calcium scoring is a convenient and noninvasive way of evaluating whether you may be at increased risk for a heart attack.
- The exam takes little time, causes no pain, and does not require injection of contrast material.
- An EBCT scan takes less than 20 minutes and you can return to normal activities immediately afterward.
- No radiation remains in a patient's body after a CT examination.
- X-rays used in CT scans should have no immediate side effects.
- There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risk.
- The effective radiation dose for this procedure varies. See the Safety page for more information about radiation dose.
- Women should always inform their physician and x-ray or CT technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant. See the Safety page for more information about pregnancy and x-rays.
- CT scanning is, in general, not recommended for pregnant women unless medically necessary because of potential risk to the fetus in the womb.
- A high calcium score may sometimes be followed by other diagnostic tests for heart disease, which may or may not provide results with clinical value and can be associated with side effects.
What are the limitations of Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring?
A person who is very large may not fit into the opening of a conventional CT scanner or may be over the weight limit—usually 450 pounds—for the moving table.
CAD, especially in people below 50 years of age can be present without calcium (non-calcified plaque) and may not be detected by this exam.
Not all health insurance plans cover cardiac CT for calcium scoring.
A high heart rate may interfere with the image quality of the test.
Exactly how your treatment or prevention for heart attacks should be modified according to your calcium score remains uncertain.
EBCT scanners have fewer rows of detectors and lack the spatial resolution of the latest generation CT scanners.
Which test, procedure or treatment is best for me?
This page was reviewed on February 20, 2018


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Students who want to create compelling essays will have to start with finding good topics. A great portion of your assignment is searching out a topic that teems with originality. Finding one will play a huge role in whether your essay is fun to read or not.
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Supply chain change as VF's Tom Glaser departs for Tapestry
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No More "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Sequels
Posted: January 8th, 2007 by
WorstPreviews.com Staff
While attending the screening for the upcoming horror remake "The Hitcher," Bloody-Disgusting spoke to Platinum Dunes producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form about their upcoming projects. When asked about the possibilities of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3," they said that Platinum Dunes has absolutely no plans in the future to continue the franchise, for them it is finished.
They are currently working on a few original ideas, and a remake of an Alfred Hitchcock film "
The Birds
." While original ideas are great, there are plenty of fans that will be greatly disappointed about the fact that there will not be any more "Chainsaw" films.
The 2003 film grossed $107 million on a $9.5 million budget, while the 2006 prequel grossed $49 million on a $16 million budget. Last year's film opened with almost an almost $20 million opening weekend, but had trouble maintaining momentum due to "
Grudge 2
" opening one week later and "
Saw III
" opening two weeks after that. So I guess, Platinum Dunes can bring in more money with a new franchise, rather than keep an old one alive.
Click here to read our review of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning."
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
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Because their versions sucked. They should probably try to think of an original idea. Instead of ripping off others.
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Tabernacle of New Covenant (TNC) is a multicultural Pentecostal Church which rents SPLC. Click here for more information about TNC.
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As with the Karver KF Furling systems the Karver KSF Top Down Furler can be found outfitting boats from a 20 ft. cruiser to 150 ft. mega yachts.The KSF furler is lightweight, compact and offers a unique locking drum mechanism. This locking feature can be controlled from the cockpit and enables you to operate the system with only one hand. In addition to the safety advantages of a locking drum, it also prevents the risk of accidental unfurling and removes the need clutches on the furling line
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|Breaking Load (lbs)
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Volvo's entry level S40 sedan has led the last two full-line Volvo makeovers, each of which has met with critical acclaim. Despite the fact that the S40 and its V50 wagon sibling were last redesigned in late 2003 and are both still looking great, like vain Hollywood 30-somethings they've gone under the knife for a nip-tuck anyway. It's nothing overly…Read More


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About my new blog;
I created this blog to help save, heal, rescue and find forever homes for animals. I will post news stories that will ask readers to take action if they feel so inclined. I will post pictures of animals up for adoption. I will do my best to make sure the sites, organizations, rescues & shelters are legitimate and sincerely committed to the life and love of these animals. I would love to hear from readers that would also like to help save animals.
This is the second blog I've created. My first, Dipsintheroad.wordpress.com dips in the road has been fun, an inspiration and evolution of my soul. It has been and continues to be a journey that brings me back to my true self. The love and concern I have for animals deserves a space of its own.


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|2011-03-11, 00:02
|Link #21
Mystery buff
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Gone Fishin!
|2011-03-11, 00:06
|Link #22
Reading your tale. :)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Just out of sight, eating popcorn. >:D
Well...I do remember AT's ranting about all the stupid shit of the Japanese fanbase(Will=Battler, Where are Rena and Keiichi?, etc). And when Erika's protrait was first released, there was some 'LOL Natsuhitrice' stuff out there(This is from YouTube).
|2011-03-11, 03:36
|Link #23
The Death!
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Purgatorio
I really enjoyed Ryu's Meta-World, it just has limitless possibilities. But as for the story itself...Episode 8 made me want to cry in a bad way. All in all I'm glad I picked up Umineko I just wish it ended better. Also Dlanor got the short end of the stick, a desk job...-shudders-
|2011-03-11, 09:04
|Link #24
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: forever lost inside a logic error
You must be strongly (understatement) underestimating the problem of acquire 900 tons of explosives.
And you are strongly overestimating Kinzo's wealth. As much as he was rich he was still a single man, and there's just no comparison with the kind of wealth a huge worldwide organizations can get, especially if they have hooks with oil magnates and rogue states.
In other words, if what you say was even remotely true, your country would have a lot more problems to face terrorism. Even the 9/11 didn't actually involve explosives at all.
Clearly it's not that easy.
|2011-03-11, 12:08
|Link #25
Slashy Slashy!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Age: 29
The main problem is not the cost of explosives, but the difficulty in transporting them. TNT is not difficult to manufacture, states with enough money could easily produce it themselves. It's not like making nuclear weapons, where the raw materials are rare and closely watched, and you need huge manufacturing facilities, and people with very rare technical skill sets.
Getting 900 tons of explosives into mainland Japan would be really hard... but getting it to Rokkenjima, an abandoned island where you don't have to pass customs? Probably pretty easy, if you know who to bribe.
But all that is a moot point, because Kinzo merely used the explosives left by the Japanese navy, right? He didn't have to spend a dime.
|2011-03-11, 13:43
|Link #27
Slashy Slashy!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Age: 29
900 tons seems pretty high, especially for a Japan that was running low on supplies near the end of the war. However, it's not an unreasonable number. For instance, the U.S. stored the same number (900 tons) of explosives on Parry Island: http://www.realwarphotos.com/wwii-famous_battles
Probably Ryukishi was just trying to find a big number to write down. He guessed a bit high, but eh, so what. Even 100 tons would have been more than enough to blow the mansion sky high.
|2011-03-11, 16:09
|Link #29
Dea ex Kakera
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sea of Fragments
The whole bit about the explosives was a second-hand rumor Ange heard from Ootsuki about a story someone else allegedly heard from Kinzo, who wasn't above starting crazy rumors about himself to make business rivals afraid of him. So... no, that number isn't trustworthy.
|2011-03-11, 16:19
|Link #30
Senior Member
From the Episode 7 tea party
;「六軒島には、旧日本軍の基地跡がある、という噂話を聞いたことがあるが 。まさか 。」[Krauss]
`"There is that rumor about the remains of an old Japanese military base existing on Rokkenjima... Could it be......"
;「ご賢察の通りです。 この島の地下には、戦時中の旧日本軍の地下基地跡が眠っています。そしてそこに は、900tの爆薬も眠っているのです。」[Beato]
`"Your guess is correct. ......Beneath this island sleep the remains of an underground Japanese military base from the time of the war. Along with 900 tons of explosives."
;「きゅ、 900tやて?! と、とんでもない量や! そない爆発したら、想像もつかん! 屋敷どころ かクレーターが開くっちゅうもんやで!!」[Hideyoshi]
`"N, ......900 tons?! Th, that's unbelievable! If that exploded, the result would be unimaginable! Forget just the mansion blowing up...it'd leave a massive crater!!"
`"I believe an expert's estimate measured it as a hole several dozen meters deep and a kilometer across."
|2011-03-11, 16:22
|Link #31
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Where you're not.
|2011-03-11, 18:50
|Link #33
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
The fact that the only explanation we're given is an over the top handwave at best doesn't explain anything. I mean, Ryuukishi went out of his way in Episode 7 to explain that the Rokkenjimma base was completely unimportant, and it had to have been, or else Kinzo would never have gotten away with hiding the gold, or being the only survivor of the garrison.
Unless Japan was nuked in around that very same month, then there's simply no way that an island base would have been stocked with 900 tons of explosives (which is such a blatantly over the top number by any account) and then forgotten about by the Japanese army. It's stupid.
At least "The Island" was handwaved as being magical, so all the shit on Lost can be summed up as "a wizard did it". The problem with Umineko is that everything is set up in such a way that we're supposed to be able to interpret and at least get a grasp of what happened on Rokkenjimma.
On the other hand, if, from the very beginning, all Ryuukishi was doing was trolling us, or just pulling stuff out of his ass, then he is not just a terrible writer, he is an abominable one. It makes the entire Umineko work disingenuous to a sickening degree.
So let's ignore that worst case scenario for a moment. You say "all the major mysteries of Rokkenjimma are answered." No they're not. Will's explanations don't cover the real doozies of the Question arcs (episode 3's Nanjo murder, for example), nor, for that matter, do we even get a grasp of what the hell actually happened. We have alternative explanations thrown around so much in this series that we have no basis to judge whether or not the explanations given in Episodes 7 and 8 are even the actual truth. How do we not know that Twilight isn't just another forgery, this time written by Ange? There's no reason to assume it isn't, we just do so because we think that there's no way Ryuukishi would be so absurd as to have been trolling us all along, without giving us some kind of basis of the event that isn't entirely 2nd or 3rd-layer fiction.
Spoiler for Agatha Christie:
Ryuukishi has shown he's willing to stoop to such tricks himself already.
The thing is, in a story where all evidence and events are already 2nd or 3rd layer fiction, we have no way of confirming the true course of the narrative. Or even if there ever was one in the first place. The red, ostensibly, was supposed to be our grounding, but that was itself a troll on Ryuukishi's part.
No questions were really answered, each one just had several explanations thrown around to choose from, or patently absurd ones were presented that are frankly impossible to take seriously. 900 tons of explosives is a figure a fool would throw around in the setting Ryuukishi constructed. It's simply impossible for someone who clearly has done as much research as he has to have been serious when presenting that explanation.
There's a lot of little inconsistencies like that which make Ryuukishi's given explanations unreliable. Hell, we're outright told that a great deal of theories presented in the text are incorrect, and even our perspective of events is flat out shown to be unreliable as an objective means of assessing the story.
As a tl;dr, I'll say this: Ryuukishi has given us no reason to take his explanations at face value. the explanations we're given only go so far as we're willing to suspend our disbelief, and the 900 tons of explosive is one of the most glaring examples of that.
|2011-03-11, 19:13
|Link #34
Slashy Slashy!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Age: 29
I don't see why you're so caught up on what "actually" happened. The whole point of Umineko is that there are a bunch of competing theories for what might have happened.
That's not hand-waving or a cop out. A cop out would be providing no explanation, not providing 10 valid interpretations of what might have happened.
I mean, are you really just dying to know exactly what happened in Ange's kakera? Who cares about that particular one?
And yes, 900 tons is a lot, but who cares? It doesn't cause a plot hole, it just means that it's not perfectly historically accurate. Since when does historical accuracy matter in mystery novels!?
|2011-03-11, 19:23
|Link #35
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
It's lazy.
For crying out loud, you're taking way too much for granted. In mystery novels, what matters isn't necessarily historical accuracy (I know all too well that Carr was the exception), but rather logical cohesiveness. Even if the answer is itself ridiculous on it's head, if the narrative doesn't possess, in all the flak and static, a clear line of logic between the mystery and it's solution, then it is simply a failure of a mystery.
The 900 tons of explosives is blatantly absurd. At least the Yasu issue has a good deal of psychology behind it, which justifies it's use. But. The 900 tons thing is a simple, unsubstantiated handwave, which is rendered illogical by an explanation of the situation in that very episode.
In fact, the explanation itself is taken for granted. "There was a base on this island, therefore there was 900 tons of explosives." It's as if the justification of the base there were enough to handwave the number. And this is coming from a writer who took the trouble to research a plausible means of submarine engine failure, and wrote the epitaph.
Either Ryuukishi is horribly inconsistent in his application of effort, or we're not supposed to take that number seriously in the first place.
So, let me just put it to you this way. My problem with the "multiple answers" thing isn't indicative of my own burning desire for answers. My only true appreciation for mystery was sparked less than six months ago, after episode 7 came out.
My problem is the laziness on Ryuukishi's part that he would let the readers explain his narrative rather than provide coherence to it on his own. That is terrible writing.
|2011-03-11, 19:32
|Link #36
Slashy Slashy!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Age: 29
I'm still confused about what you aren't understanding. We don't know the details of what happened to Ange's family. That is the only part of the narrative that wasn't explained. How does that make the narrative incoherent?
Would it make it more coherent, for example, if we knew that the Episode 1 events were the "true" events?
I'm not trying to be belligerent here, I just don't understand what you're saying.
And anyway, are you saying that Ryukishi would suddenly be a much better writer if he replaced "900 tons" with "30 tons"? It's just a number, dude. It doesn't make that much of a difference.
|2011-03-11, 19:32
|Link #37
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Chron, uh... would you mind explaining a way in which Ryukishi could give an "absolutely certain" answer given that the entire point of the series so far has been the lack of certainty surrounding the events? I mean, even if he gave a really, really specific answer that would just be another piece of second order fiction (and one which doesn't make sense because noone's alive to say what happened in many cases).
I dunno, I think he wants it to be as if we're actually living in the Rokkenjima universe, and that we don't have access to any more information than the characters give out.
|2011-03-11, 19:42
|Link #38
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Ryuukishi spends the entirety of Chiru undermining the credibility of the information presented to us. With the exception of Shkanon, all possibilities have doubt thrown on them, deliberately to obfuscate.
So let me repeat why the number is a problem:
Why would a "forgotten, unfinished, and abandoned cave" be invested with an amount like 900 tons of explosives? And in addition to that, if the Imperial Army/Navy/whomever were to use that cave why wasn't Kinzo taken up on treason charges? Why did Kinzo get away with being the only survivor? Why didn't the Japanese government know about the gold?
I find it insulting.
It's like someone got a bunch of blank jigsaw puzzles that were completely different, mixed them together, and then conned us into trying to correctly solve each puzzle from that big, jumbled up pile.
|2011-03-11, 19:50
|Link #39
Slashy Slashy!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Age: 29
They died. Either in an explosion, or because they were murdered by Yasu. Does that clear things up for you?
The Japanese government put the explosives there, then became preoccupied with other problems, like the U.S. government dropping nukes on them. If it helps you out at all, the Japanese didn't have any materials to build more ships at the end of the war, so all the explosives in the world did very little good (hence why huge amounts of explosives were wasted on suicide runs - they had lots of bombs, but very little fuel).
Kinzo wasn't take up on treason because the Japanese government didn't exist anymore. There was a new puppet government set up by the U.S. military. And besides, no one besides Kinzo knew what happened on the island.
The Japanese didn't know about the gold because they were never told about it. The sub from Italy arrived, and the Japanese commander didn't report the gold to HQ because he wanted to keep it for himself.
|2011-03-11, 19:53
|Link #40
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
|Thread Tools


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Horseback riding tours
Rides in
Intro to USA
Trip in
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Central America
Eastern Africa
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North America
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The Black Hills of Wyoming - historic and beautiful. Timbered canyon country where the deer and the antelope still play. Cattle graze and families are raised in the tradition the old west. Neighbors still help each other work, and ranchers care for the land and livestock to sustain themselves and their future generations. Here you find the New Haven Ranch. It is a family-run working cattle ranch on the edge of the Black Hills in Northeastern Wyoming. Since 2003 they have been inviting guests to share their way of life. Four generations live and work on the ranch.
You participate in the daily ranch activities, which include rounding up cattle, branding, riding fence, driving horses between pastures and from late Spring to early September we drive with the horses quite often to South Dakota to help work cattle on the endless grass prairie as depicted in "Dances with Wolves".
The home ranch is situated on the grounds of an old ghost town in Northeastern Wyoming. About 150 years ago the first settlers, called "homesteaders", came to the area. The small farmers were up against the rough climate, down-and-dirty cattle barons, hostile Indian tribes and the depression of the early 20th century. Many gave up and left. Today cattle graze the ranch every year. The old buildings and machinery, though bear witness of times that nowadays we only know from movies.
Driving in you see the home place. Part Ghost Town of New Haven, Wy, since 1910 with the old General Store, Grainery, and School Teachers cabin ...Grandma Jo may be weeding the garden, the critters are being fed~ chickens, dogs, baby goats, lambs and calves. The horses are being run in the corral for the day. There ain't nothin' more beautiful than seeing the remuda run and buck and kick in the cool morning air. The men are working on the old buildings, restoring them to last for another 100 years. And everyone is getting their pony saddled for the days work.
" Ridin' herd on the rim of the canyon. Feels like yer lookin' at most of Wyoming and Montana from up here."
Guest Ranch Working Ranch Suitable for riders over 210 lbs
Riding is in the center of all the activities on the ranch. When we don't move cattle between pastures, we check fences and reservoirs, look for strays or practice "roping" and "cutting". And sometimes we just ride for fun...
For the more experienced riders: From late Spring to early September, we often trailer the horses to South Dakota to help work hundreds of yearling cattle across the endless open grass prairie as depicted in "Dances with Wolves" - weather permitting. The herd of horses need to be moved between pastures, which is always a lot of fun.
The ranch provides timbered canyons, high plateaus and endless sage brush prairie. You can hike and watch the abundant wildlife. Or go swimming, boating or fishing. The trout taste great. Non-riders who like to be away from it all will also be able to enjoy this place.
When time and the season allow we visit rodeos, country dances and horse auctions with our guests. If you want to combine a ranch vacation with traveling though the Wild West, you should plan a trip to Yellowstone National Park in Western Wyoming, the Badlands in South Dakota or the battlefield on the Little Big Horn where in the 19th century General Custer and Chief Sitting Bull fought one last big battle.
Just half an hour away is the US' first National Monument, Devils Tower. The ancient volcanic vent which was exposed by millions of years of erosion is the setting of many movies and a holy place for the Lakota Indians. The old gold digger town of Deadwood, the Harley Davidson mecca Sturgis and the famous presidential heads of Mount Rushmore can be reached in two hours or less.
A typical day at the ranch:
Wake up sleepy heads! Head to the Lodge kitchen for a hearty or light breakfast with sweet rolls, eggs, bacon, fruit, juice, and of course cowboys always need coffee! A good night's sleep was easy to get in the New Haven Lodge. With five rooms, all with private bathrooms, a comfortable living room where everyone gets together to talk about the day and tease the cook while she's in the kitchen. You can eat your breakfast inside or outside on the balcony overlooking the ranch, where you can watch the wild deer and turkeys have their breakfast too!
Then to the barns to saddle up! Catch your horse and get your gear. And we're off to move cows, check fence, roundup strays (yearling cattle~they don't have no home and don't want one), check pairs (Mommas and babies). We intensively manage our grazing which means frequently moving the up to 1000 head of cattle and keeping them in big, tight groups to maintain our healthy, productive landscape of 15,000 acres.
Lunch is often from the saddle bags at one of the many old homestead sites. The old historic barns and cabins provide shade and conversation. You get the feel of what it must have been like to live out on the open range, alone…just you and the cattle, with deer and birds for neighbors.
If we get our work done early we take the horses for a swim in the New Haven Lake! We have pedal boats down there to play and fish for trout on. And of course inner tubes for floating and swimming with! Tramp, one of the ranch horses, is our champion swimmer. We think he's part trout…
The evening meal is an event to look forward to. The ranch cook will spoil us all with steak (raised and chased by us!), home-made bread, potatoes, and veggies from the garden. Oh, and don't forget to save room for deserts!!!
After supper we could enjoy campfire music or play cards and billiards. Before bed don't forget to smooth out those hard working muscles in the hot tub. Get some sleep in beds handmade by Nick (2nd Generation). Rest up to do it all tomorrow!
If you get worn out we can always head to town for fun and sightseeing. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota and Devils Tower, Wy (the first national monument) are nearby. As well as historic Deadwood, SD home of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane. Rodeo's are frequent all summer long in this part of the world and those are usually accompanied by western dances!
Horses: They are the protagonists on our ranch: confident and surefooted Quarter Horses, Paints and mixes that carry our guests safely over rough and smooth. They live outside year round and only get extra feed when they have to work very hard or the snow is too deep. They are healthy - physically as well as mentally. Jack rabbits or turkey chicks that move right under their feet usually don't scare them. They are "cowy" which means they like to chase cattle. Some are beautiful, some not. But they all like people and that's what's most important to us.
We train our horses the Parelli way (natural horsemanship) which allows for a better communication with the horses and makes riding safer for you.
Riders should be able to ride in all three gaits and at least 3 hours at a time. They should be at least advanced beginners.
Hulett area
Average High Temperature (°F)
Average Low Temperature (°F)
Average High Temperature (°C)
Average Low Temperature (°C)
Average Precipitation (days of rain)
Generally speaking, summer visitors can expect summer daytime temperatures to run in the 70s and 80s degrees Fahrenheit. Ninety-degree days are rare anywhere in the state and over 100˚F are almost unheard of. The air cools quickly after sundown. It can get downright cold in the mountain towns. Wyoming folks sleep under blankets most nights and are never far away from a warm jacket.
A typical Wyoming summer day will start out bright and sunny. Clouds will appear on the western horizon about noon and thunderheads will develop in mid-afternoon. Scattered, isolated thundershowers will dot the landscape in late afternoon and early evening. Some can be severe with wind and hail, especially on the eastern plains, but the chances of getting wet in any given location are slim. Wyoming is mostly a fairly dry, low humidity place in any season.
Autumn in Wyoming is a pure delight. Most places will start to see snow in mid-September, but winter weather won't start to stick until late November. For most of the two months in between, the state enjoys a special season called Indian Summer, with warm days, cool nights and spectacular colors. It's a delightful change-of-season experience.
Weather is one of the most pleasant and interesting things about living in Wyoming. Enjoy your trip to the Cowboy State. Bring a jacket.
We can supply saddle bags, helmets, water bottles, and rain coats!
- some kind of hat (best with a wide rim), tight boots with a bit of a heel (no riding in tennis shoes), sturdy clothing (layers are recommended in spring and fall), long denim jeans (beginners might want to bring cycling or long underwear).
- the sun is especially strong in this dry and high altitude. Bring high sun protection!
- we don't have many midges but if you are sensitive, bring protection.
- don't forget a bathing suit for the hot tub and lake.
- riding helmets are not used in this area but if you want to bring one, go ahead; it's certainly smart.
Average ratings
(see details below)
This is a stationary ride, so all nights will be spent at the same location.
The lodge has five comfortable rustic bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and one cabin. Hair dryer, soap, and shower gel are provided as well as bedding and towels. A furnace and a wood stove provide warmth on cooler days. On hot days, the central air conditioning can be turned on. There is the possibility to use a washer and dryer at no additional cost. After returning from their rides the guests can enjoy the jacuzzi or sit on the balcony with a view of the Missouri Buttes, play a round of pool, or relax in the hot tub under stars. There are now 4 TV channels. Currently there is no cell phone reception at the ranch, but there is free WiFi!
Room Options
Room 1 (upper story): 1 Queen and 1 Twin bed with bath
Room 2 (upper story): 1 Queen with bath
Room 3 (upper story): 2 Twin beds with bath
Room 4 (lower story): 1 Full bed and 2 Twin bed with bath
Room 5 (lower story): 1 Queen bed and 1 Twin bed with bath
Cabin: 1 Queen bed and a sofa sleeper (full size) with bath and kitchen
Room Occupancy
There is no single supplement fee if a single room is available.
All meals are included for this trip. There is an open kitchen attached to the dining and living area. Here we serve a full homemade breakfast and supper and - if we don't eat out on the trail - a lighter lunch. Snacks and drinks are available for everyone at all times. We butcher our own cattle, lambs, geese and ducks ... and hopefully will produce pork and chicken soon. Game is shot on the ranch, trout caught in the lake (if they bite). A vegetable garden supplies us with tomatoes, lettuce, squash etc. Home-style cooking, mostly from scratch! Only fruit trees don't do too well in this arid altitude. Alcohol is not included, but you are welcome to bring your own.
Dietary Restrictions
We can cater to all dietary restrictions except for vegans. Please let us know ahead of time.
This trip includes
and can accommodate special dietary requests.
Valid passport required by all nationals referred to in the chart ; validity varies - for most countries the passport must be valid for at least six months from the date on which the holder enters the USA. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport; check with the embassy (see Contact Addresses).
Passport Note
(a) For nationals included in the Visa Waiver Program (see below), passports must be valid for at least 90 days from date of entry.
(b) All travellers entering the USA under the Visa Waiver Program require individual machine-readable passports. Children included on a parent's passport also now require their own machine-readable passport. Travellers not in possession of machine-readable passports will require a valid USA entry visa.
(c) Passports issued on or after 26 October 2005 will need to have a biometric identifier in order for the holder to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Machine-readable passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 25 October 2006 require a digital photograph printed on the data page or an integrated chip with information from the data page. Machine-readable passports issued on or after 26 October 2006 will require an integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport).
The US has announced new measures that require all travellers to provide details online 72 hours prior to travel.
ESTA: The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) came into force on 12 January 2009. It is a fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA applications must be submitted at least 72 hours before travel to the USA. Some websites may charge you for the service but you can apply online for free at www.dhs.gov. The granting of an ESTA does not guarantee entry to the USA.
New Requirements for Travellers: As of 23 January 2007 all persons, including US citizens, travelling by air between the USA and Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport, or other approved document, when entering or re-entering the USA. Similar requirements for those travelling by land or sea will be introduced on 1 June 2009.
For further details about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, visit the website of the US Department of State: (website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html).
Not required by nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days except:
1. nationals of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic, who do require a visa.
Visa Note
(a) Landed Immigrants of Canada and British residents of Bermuda who are citizens of, and have valid passports from, Commonwealth countries or Ireland are not eligible to enter the USA without a visa. (b) All passengers using US airports for transit purposes are required to obtain a transit visa. This does not affect qualified travellers travelling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. (d) To qualify for visa-free travel under the Visa Waiver Program, nationals must travel on a valid passport, for holiday, transit or business purposes only and for a stay not exceeding 90 days. (e) Passengers must have the full address and ZIP code of where they are staying in the USA to be able to fully complete the I-94W form. Note: Airlines are also required to collect passenger details, including the address of their first night's accommodation in the USA, before they board the aircraft. (f) 2. Holders of UK passports with the endorsement British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Protected Person, British Overseas Citizen or British National (Overseas) Citizen do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. A passport which states holder has right of abode or indefinite leave to remain in the UK does not qualify for visa free travel. (g) A visa does not expire with the expiry of the holder's passport. An unexpired, endorsed visa in an expired passport may be presented for entry into the USA, as long as the visa itself has not been cancelled, is undamaged, is less than 10 years old and is presented with a valid non-expired passport, provided that both passports are for the same nationality. (h) Nationals of countries not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist, Business, Transit and Student: US$131.
Visas may be used for travel to the USA until the date it expires. Some visas are valid for multiple entries. The length of stay in the USA is determined by US immigration officials at the time of entry but is generally six months; there is, however, no set time.
Applications to:
Embassy or consulate (see Contact Addresses).
Working Days Required
Usually five after interview. Some cases may take up to 12 weeks – check with embassy/consulate.
Passport Required?
Other EU
Visa Required?
Other EU
Return Ticket Required?
Other EU


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There's no doubt that powered hand tools make our working lives easier. So much so, that they can be easily taken for granted. Despite these advantages, bad work practices, such as rushing, taking short cuts, and a general lack of knowhow, can quickly turn those advantages into disasters. This video will demonstrate how to avoid such mistakes, and is suitable for personnel at all levels who use Powered Hand Tools in their workplace.
Running Time: 25 mins


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VIENNA (AP) — Even in non-prudish Austria, nudity in public places has its price. A woman faces a fine of up to 1,000 euros ($1,340) for repeated outings in nothing but a pair of white tennis shoes.
Police spokesman Johann Baumschlager says the young woman was stopped by police Tuesday after cycling past officers manning a radar trap on a highway in northeastern Austria.
Baumschlager said Wednesday the woman was identified and told to go home and get dressed. She was also informed she had been charged with disturbing public decency — a misdemeanor that carries a maximum 1,000-euro fine.
She had previously been sighted in the buff while shopping in a supermarket and at a gas station, filling up her car.
The woman was not named in keeping with Austrian privacy laws.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


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By Nicola West (Editor/Writer (UK))
Over recent years Jim Carrey's philanthropic and charitable activities have become higher profile, headlined primarily by his own 'Better U Foundation'.
No newcomer to charitable work though, Jim's been involved in assorted activities from the early days of his career. One such charity is 'Comic Relief' a UK based charity started up in 1985 to raise money for the starving in Africa, and provide help at home and to those in disaster zones.
Bob Zmuda then brought the event to the USA in 1986 where it has become an irregularly held event, televised on HBO, raising $50 million toward providing health care services to homeless people throughout the United States. Since then Jim has regularly participated in various events organised by the charity and you can see a clip from the 1992 fundraiser featuring Jim, who in his own unique way, managed to bring humour to the painful subjects of poverty and homelessness and shared a method of winding up traffic police.
Video Clip and more info:


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WSO2 has announced its WSO2 Data Services, a tool which lets database administrators expose data via a Web services API without programming. With WSO2 Data Services, DBAs and database programmers can contribute to an organization's Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) by creating WS-* style Web services and REST-style Web resources based on enterprise data. The WSO2 Data Services approach lets users enter queries and map them into services and operations. The UI lets anyone with a knowledge of the SQL create powerful data services. Once the query or stored procedure has been exposed as a service, it can be accessed across the network as a service or Web resource.
In its initial release, WSO2 Data Services supports access to data stored in relational databases such as Oracle, MySQL and IBM DB2 (virtually any database accessible via JDBC), as well as the comma-separated values (CSV) file format, and Excel spreadsheets. Services can be authenticated, encrypted and/or signed using the WS-Security and HTTP security standards, and the console includes a full security management capability. In addition, support for the WS-ReliableMessaging standard provides enterprise-level reliability.
The standalone WSO2 Data Services solution builds on the proven performance of the data services functionality within the WSO2 Web Services Application Server (WSAS) 2.0. WSO2 Data Services is based on the Apache Axis2 toolkit. Key features of the product include:
- Data aggregation: administrators can create services that aggregate data from multiple data sources, in order to offer cleanly defined services to other departments and hide internal database details.
- Wizards for easy configuration: users can create and modify a service using either the graphical Web-based wizard or Eclipse plug-in wizard.
- XML configuration file format: XML is a familiar tool to both DBAs and programmers, and this allows service creation to be automated.
- Try-it tool: with the click of a button, the utility lets users test the data services they have created within the Data Services console.
- Customizable XML output: response data can be tailored as needed.
- Dual REST and WS-* support: REST resources access data using a unique URL for each record; WS-* services use typical Web service access to expose data.
- Built-in connection pooling support: the ability to establish a pool of reusable connections saves time and compute resources.
- Support for stored procedures and functions: it only takes a few mouse clicks to expose the stored procedures and functions that speed database operations as Web services.
- Built-in caching: cached responses to queries eliminate the system overhead of repeatedly returning the same XML response to clients.
- Throttling: IT professionals can prevent databases from being overloaded through rate-based throttling, which limits number of the service calls in a given time period, and concurrency-based throttling, which limits the number of simultaneous calls for a service.
"There is significant demand among enterprises for an efficient and effective way to unlock data from a wide variety of sources, and expose this data as Web services for use within SOAs," said Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, CEO of WSO2. "Our new WSO2 Data Services solution further democratizes SOA by providing a flexible product that anyone with fundamental data management knowledge can use immediately out of the box."


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The picture displayed in front of a group of Thibodaux High School students at BP's training facility in Schriever could have depicted any one of them on a lazy afternoon.
The picture displayed in front of a group of Thibodaux High School students at BP's training facility in Schriever could have depicted any one of them on a lazy afternoon.
It showed a darkened room illuminated only by computer monitors that were attentively watched by two men gripping joystick-like controls.
This could be a kid's average afternoon with shutters drawn and mind inside the screen of a video game.
But the people in the picture were not sitting in their mom's basement. They were likely sitting on a $500 million oil platform some 100 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico.
And though the images on the screen did resemble a fantasy land, they were not conjured from imagination. Rather, they were live video broadcast from some 10,000 feet under the Gulf's surface.
"It's a lot like a video game," said BP instructor Timmy Bourg as he demonstrated to the students the role remote-controlled submersibles play in the Gulf. "We find that young people take to this like fish in water because of the hand-eye coordination involved."
About 330 juniors and seniors from high schools across four parishes took part in a career exploration event hosted by BP and organized by the South Central Industrial Association through its Work It Louisiana grant program.
Organizers said the goal of the event was to give the high school juniors a sense of what options are available in the oilfield and what education is required.
The event is part of an effort to address what industry leaders and local educators describe is a growing shortage of skilled workers to fill a range of local positions working in and around the oilfield.
"The students need to hear (the options and benefits) from the experts in the field," said Nicol Blanchard, who is SCIA's workforce development chairwoman. "I'm no engineer or (remote-controlled submersible) expert. They are seeing people who are in the industry and making a successful life out of it."
Part of the purpose of the event in the training facility for the company trying to put one of the worst oil spills in history behind it is to help defeat negative sentiment toward the industry, Blanchard said.
"There is a stigma that it is a dirty job and that it is not an honorable career," Blanchard said, noting the company hosted this kind of event before the spill in 2010.
The students participated in a handful of quick presentations from industry professionals that focused on the wide range of jobs the oilfield offers.
"We need your generation of engineers to move oil and gas longer distances," said Mike Cortez, BP manager of technology who discussed how the dozens of BP career paths can lead to a high wage close to home or around the world. "The beauty of being an engineer is that you can be the engineer designing a well or an engineer designing a platform. ... There are so many options."
Students were also presented with the various oilfield vocational programs and degrees local community colleges and universities provide.
"If you don't have at least that two-year degree, they won't even talk to you," said Alvin Justelien, head of Fletcher Technical Community College's Integrated Production Technologies Department. "We have people leaving school making $65,000, $70,000 to $80,000 per year."
High salaries seemed an attractive proposition for many students.
"At first I wanted to do architecture, but that area doesn't have as much good jobs (as the oilfield)," said Chase Kraemer, a Thibodaux High junior who now is considering pursing a career designing rigs or platforms. "I like that it is very technical and you have to design everything spot on ... So I'm ready for four or five years of school."
Others said they were attracted to the flexibility some oilfield jobs allow for traveling.
"I want to experience everything but still stay close to home too," said Grant Arnold, another Thibodaux High junior who has his eyes set on a petroleum engineering degree.
Students seemed particularly impressed with the "life on a rig" segment.
"You mean they pick your clothes up for you? ... You are telling me this is like one big man cave?" one laughing student asked before receiving an affirmative answer. "Well, sign me up now. ... My mom is always getting on me for leaving stuff around."


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SKF ConCentra ball bearing units
True concentric locking technologySKF ConCentra ball bearing units are sealed, pre-lubricated bearings in a solid housing that feature a built-in mechanical connector to the shaft.
Two pairs of concentric rings with precision-engineered, multi-tapered, stepped contact surfaces maintain a near-360 degree concentric grip around the entire shaft circumference. The concentric rings respond to axial displacement by expanding radially against the shaft.
Enabling several performance benefitsSKF ConCentra ball bearing units come equipped with contact seals, external flingers and high quality lithium/calcium grease. By combining this true concentric locking solution with a lubricated-for-life design, SKF ConCentra ball bearing units deliver a range of benefits:
- Longer service life
- Reduced vibration and fretting corrosion
- Reduced operating costs
- No more costly, time-consuming shaft repair
- Higher operational reliability


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One of my favorite aspects of art quilts is the artists' use of texture. I love the way you can layer technique over technique to create a dynamic design that begs for closer inspection.
And there are so many ways to create texture! Stamping, stenciling, stitching… I confess, as an indecisive person it can be a struggle for me to figure out how to start.
Trying out different dyeing, printing, and embellishment techniques is a great way to get the creativity flowing. Plus, experimenting allows us to set our expectations aside, giving us the freedom to play and watch relationships develop. Once you've gotten a taste of what a process has to offer, try integrating it into your art quilts.
After reading an article by Ana Buzzalino in Quilting Arts Magazine, the next technique I want to dive into is rubbings. I've stamped up a storm, but I've never thought about putting the stamp underneath the fabric. Here is an excerpt of her article where she explains how to create customized rubbing plates:
Designing with Texture
by Ana Buzzalino
I wanted to change the texture of a quilt I was working on and decided to try rubbings to see what effect I could create. I have a few rubbing plates that I purchased years ago, but since I wanted circles and lettering, I made my own by using readily available materials and applied color with Paintstiks. I was thrilled with the variety of texture and color I could add so simply. It's like appliqué with paint!
1. Cut desired shapes from the craft foam or use precut foam shapes or letters. Arrange as desired.
2. Using a craft knife and a ruler, cut foam core board approximately ½" larger than the arrangement of letters/shapes.
3. Draw a pencil line along the bottom edge for easy alignment of the letters/shapes.
4. If you are using self-adhesive shapes, peel the paper off the back and apply them to the foam core.
5. If your shapes do not have a sticky back, cut a piece of double-sided indoor carpet tape the length of the foam core. Place the sticky side on the foam with the paper side facing up. Trim any extra off of the ends. Remove the paper and arrange the letters or shapes on the tape. Sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch over the shapes and tape. Shake off any powder not sticking to the tape.
1. Place a non-grip mat on your work surface or tape the rubbing plate down with painter's tape.
2. Layer the fabric on top of the plate, taping the corners of the fabric to the work surface.
3. Use your fingers to check where the shapes are and gently rub the Paintstik on the fabric.
4. Let the rubbing dry for 24–48 hours. Heat set it with a dry iron. Use a pressing sheet and iron on both sides.
Once you've decided what shape you want to use, try experimenting with different materials for your rubbings. Foam shapes/letters make excellent rubbing plates, but the grain in wooden shapes can provide additional interest.
For more embellishment and art quilting ideas, check out the Embellished Collage Quilt Collection available for a limited time. This curated collection features a three-pack of mini metallic Paintstiks, Mistyfuse, Lutradur, and the workshop DVD Fabric Embellishment with Color, Surface Design, and More with Susan Purney Mark. Order yours before they're gone!
Happy art quilting!


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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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I been to 108 countries , the rest of the planet is smh on whats going on in USA. If there is mayhem elsewhere on this planet its a good bet USA is somewhat involved .Manufacturing, trafficking , shipping and a blood-thirst culture that is mass spread in the guise of patriotism— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) February 15, 2018
"Seriously, How Can You Be For This?" by @davepell https://t.co/4nDxGakw4P— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) April 3, 2017
[TW: graphic]
In case people STILL don't understand why Columbus was actually just a shit explorer and colonizer... pic.twitter.com/5SvHBnCdvv— Zoé S. (@ztsamudzi) October 12, 2015
A post shared by @soulhornet on
#jerseyblack. forever. yup. pic.twitter.com/mlWuFEMSTx— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) September 1, 2015
To Hasselbeck: Here are a list of hate groups, none of which are #BlackLivesMatter activists http://t.co/WLWL6K2AD2 pic.twitter.com/sj3gYauYuD— The Root (@TheRoot) September 1, 2015
Rioting and looting erupts in Baltimore after the funeral of a man who died in police custody http://t.co/fOFmoBFrhV pic.twitter.com/lzwxHWlXkW— Quartz (@qz) April 28, 2015
#TheRoot interviewed brilliant playwright Katori Hall. http://t.co/YlJ9f6cjvo pic.twitter.com/DKUNq3sBTf— The Root (@TheRoot) April 26, 2015
37 tips for copywriters https://t.co/7OQolosCi9 pic.twitter.com/K7a3gJEQ8R— GrowthHackers (@GrowthHackers) May 3, 2015
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From the grounds up: The future of fair trade
Can fair trade grow beyond just coffee?
Sunday Mass has ended at St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and parishioners are filing out. Deb Caskey stands in waiting, a smile on her face, a mission in her soul, and a table filled with coffee and chocolate at her side.
It's "Fair Trade Sunday" at St. Mary's, and Caskey is in overdrive.
There's a ripple effect to the day's purchases, Caskey explains. The coffee comes from farmer cooperatives in Africa and Latin America, while the chocolate comes from Ghana. The purchase of a fair trade product today, Caskey reminds her fellow parishioners, helps create life-changing opportunities for poor producers and their communities in these nations. Fair trade allows front-line workers to earn a "fair" wage by cutting out the usual mechanisms of trade that divert income from the producers.
"The Holy Spirit churned in me to get more connected," Caskey says of the fair trade sales she runs at St. Mary's at least six times each year. "You feel your work helps build better lives."
Caskey's journey into the fair trade world has been one of reflection and purpose. In November 2008 she and her husband traveled to Costa Rica, one of Central America's purported "wealthier" nations. "But I only saw extreme poverty over and over," she says. "That trip opened my eyes and made me even more committed to fair trade."
Seeing poverty firsthand, she says, opened her eyes to ways in which she could be a more responsible consumer at home. She soon began evangelizing as a Catholic Relief Services fair trade ambassador for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia as well.
"Catholic social teaching tells us the life and dignity of the human being is foremost. We are all called to serve and help, and fair trade is one way to make that happen," Caskey says.
Though few question the goal of fair trade--lifting people out of poverty--the movement's long-term viability stands on wobbly legs even amidst year-over-year growth. As the fair trade movement seeks mainstream acceptance and broader social and economic justice, many wonder if it can become anything more than a niche market.
Economics with altruism
Thanks to fair trade, Fredis Paez, a worker on the El Antojo banana farm in Colombia, and his wife were able to open a local store. This once-unimaginable act for the laborer was made possible by an 80 percent rise in income along with a microloan. Paez's story is typical of fair trade programs, which traditionally have involved agricultural products.
Fair trade organizations approach development as a holistic process, not just a pricing mechanism. They cultivate direct relationships with workers in developing countries, shortening a product's journey from the producer's hands to the store shelf--or church sale--and eliminating the various "middlemen" found in conventional trading. More of a product's purchase price reaches front-line workers, allowing people like Paez to see their incomes rise.
Often, but not always, fair trade products carry an above-market price. Consumers are willing to pay more for the knowledge that proceeds are channeled back into the farmers' hands and communities, creating broader social change.
As core principles of fair trade, worker cooperatives receive a guaranteed floor price for their products, enjoy safe working conditions and living wages, and negotiate direct, long-term contracts with international buyers.
Cooperatives also democratically decide how to invest the trade premiums--a sum of money paid on top of the agreed-upon fair trade price to fund academic, social, or health development projects. At El Antojo banana farm, for instance, the premiums funded the microloan program that helped Paez start his own store. Increased income allows families to meet basic needs, keep children in school, and remain on their land, thereby improving quality of life and allowing them to take greater control of their futures.
The fair trade movement was largely driven by the Mennonite Central Committee in the United States after World War II, but 15 years ago Catholic Relief Services (CRS), noting fair trade's alignment with Catholic social teaching, created an office dedicated to the issue. "Fair trade [is] one avenue to help Catholics live their lives in solidarity and continue the drive for the common good and human dignity," says Jackie DeCarlo, CRS's senior program advisor for economic justice.{C}
Not just church sales
Church folks aren't the only ones in the fair trade marketplace these days. In recent years, fair trade momentum has accelerated. Fair trade-certified coffee constituted little more than 2 million pounds of U.S. imports in 1999; a decade later the United States imported nearly 110 million pounds.
Fair trade has expanded from its coffee origins to include other goods as well: fruit, tea, cocoa, sugar, cotton, jewelry, sports balls, wine, and flowers. In late 2010, TransFair USA, the nation's leading independent, third-party certifier of fair trade products, welcomed fair trade apparel. The garments, made with Indian and Peruvian cotton, extend fair trade's agricultural objectives into the manufacturing world, a significant milestone for the movement.
Thanks to emerging relationships with leading retailers such as Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, and a host of socially responsible small businesses, U.S. consumers today can choose from more than 6,000 products sourced from 58 nations. In 2009 alone, TransFair USA-certified goods generated $1.2 billion in U.S. sales, a 7 percent rise over 2008, distributing more than $14 million to 865 worker organizations to fund various community development projects, including schools and hospitals.
"When people know the back story, fair trade becomes far more intriguing," TransFair USA spokesperson Stacy Wagner says.
The movement's momentum shows no signs of slowing, particularly as socially conscious consumers surface as a growing and vocal contingent and businesses jump on board.
In 2009 Starbucks purchased 39 million pounds of fair trade coffee, doubled from 2008. Dunkin' Donuts, which had long been using fair trade espresso beans but not marketing its alliance, began sharing its fair trade story on cups, igniting consumer awareness. Ice cream giant Ben and Jerry's, an enthusiastic fair trade advocate, recently announced that 100 percent of its products, from its Cherry Garcia dark chocolate to its Chunky Monkey walnuts, would be certified fair trade by 2013, a decision that will drive conversions with its producers and suppliers.
Despite positive growth, fair trade products still only represent a fraction of available offerings to U.S. consumers. Experts say that fair trade must maintain its push into the mainstream market, collecting ethical consumers and working with brands to educate consumers. "But this all takes time, innovative brands, and retailers," Wagner says. The certification of fair trade coffee has only been aound for 11 years, tea for seven years. "The longer these categories are in existence, the better."
Small is beautiful
In south Florida Jorge Malo runs Fasanis, an upstart Internet business selling handmade soaps. In early 2009 Malo began seeking a way to further distinguish his products and landed upon a fair trade cooperative in Zimbabwe that created handmade paper. Their products, Malo thought, could serve as the packaging for Fasanis' soaps, sharing both the story of his company and fair trade, a movement in which Malo saw virtuous, worthy components.
"My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Zimbabwe, so we've seen the struggles of these people," Malo says. "We thought this partnership could be a win-win for everyone."
The entrepreneurial Malo quickly learned that fair trade had its limits. First, a lack of financing in fair trade communities limited their growth in an independent, sustainable manner. Second, the communities had little practical knowledge of the Western marketing and business process. And finally, communities struggled to increase their productivity to a level at which greater volume could create a more competitive price.
"The community on one side and the buyers on the other don't necessarily work together," Malo says. "It's difficult for us to continue paying for this premium product and then expect the end consumers to absorb the costs as well. We'll keep trying, but I'm seeing some real limitations."
Furthermore, Malo and many others contend, a compelling story alone is not enough in the American "bang-for-the-buck" marketplace, which resists the higher cost for an unseen benefit half a world away.
Then, of course, there is the argument from free trade proponents that fair trade disrupts the very economies it vies to assist. Some critics forecast that fair trade's ignorance of market rates could ratchet up the price of the world's food supply, thereby demanding a larger portion of household income from the workers the movement aims to support. Detractors say free, open trade will better translate into increased national welfare, along with better prices for consumers.
"The fair trade movement has hung its marketing plan on the stories of the people that fair trade helps, but price and quality concerns generally win out in the end," says Christopher Kent, a futurist with Foresight Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm specializing in global consumer issues.
In the midst of a recession, economic pressures threaten to further thwart fair trade's growth, particularly among lower and middle-class consumers, who are unlikely to embrace fair trade's premium prices. TransFair USA acknowledges that ethical buying rises in proportion to discretionary income. As a result, fair trade's momentum relies on those with the means to be premium buyers, a minority of the American population.
"As a culture, we're very interested in getting the best deal, and that's a hurdle for fair trade to climb in any economic climate," DeCarlo says. Still, DeCarlo sees an opportunity with the recession for reflection to prompt solidarity, spurring individuals and families to assess their budgets. "Consumers can consider consumption and how they can be more conscious," she says. "How can we use our income well and form the right relationships so that our dollar has more impact?"
Brand confusion
Working with TransFair USA, San Francisco-based marketer Mortar Agency took a group of self-identified ethical consumers to Whole Foods and asked the shoppers to pull fair trade products. The result: confusion.
"There's been a lot of time devoted to talking about the farmers who are thousands of miles away, but there was really no push to connect directly with the consumer, and that's been a limiting factor," Mortar's Mark Williams says. If fair trade is to accomplish its ambitious objectives, Williams argues, the fair trade community at large needs to concentrate on the consumer experience.
"These are the people who will spread the word about fair trade, but even they were a bit in the dark. This has to change, allowing the consumer to discern what's real and what's marketing jargon," Williams says.
Recognition of the fair trade label in the United States hovers near 30 percent. Even fair trade ambassador Caskey, however, worries that fair trade might become more slogan than substance as it goes mainstream.
"The more I learn the more I want to question: Are the farmers getting the money? Are they being treated fairly?" Caskey says. "Hopefully we're helping farmers stay afloat and providing the dignity of work that is so central to the human existence. That's the root of fair trade and, hopefully where it will remain."
While aggressive efforts from TransFair USA and other credible organizations are being made to unify fair trade messaging, the term's adoption by corporate marketing mavens threatens to derail the progress. "In trying to enter the mainstream," DeCarlo contends, "companies that have embraced the certification might not always embrace fair trade standards, while consumers have likewise struggled to understand the standards reflected through the label."
With ethical consumerism on the rise, fair trade can be seen as a corporate ploy into one's wallet. In 2009 a study commissioned by TransFair USA found that 93 percent of so-called ethical consumers reported a positive perception of the host brand when the fair trade-certified label was present. Such a high number offers fuel to corporations seeking inroads to a growing demographic willing to pay above-market prices for the promises-albeit unseen, in the vast majority of cases-of fair trade.
As an example, Wagner of TransFair USA cites Starbucks, which only reluctantly entered the fair trade movement in 2000. Though the Seattle-based coffee giant now purchases more fair trade coffee than anyone, fair trade-certified blends represent a fraction of the company's total volume. Most of its coffee--81 percent in 2009--is certified by another process called C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices. Even so, Starbucks enjoys the benefit from aligning itself with the fair trade movement.
"In this way, perception becomes reality," DeCarlo says. She believes the large-scale corporate outlook runs counter to fair trade's small-scale production model.
Insincerity from retailers, if even in perception alone, could sidetrack the movement.
Fast forwarding fair trade
With room to grow in both market penetration and products, the fair trade system can benefit from consistent scrutiny and a holistic outlook.
"Catholic Relief Services is clear that fair trade is but one part of people leading more fair and full lives, but we shouldn't overstate it," DeCarlo says. "Sound governance and infrastructure are of central importance."
In a decade, fair trade skeptic Kent believes, fair trade will have increased its market share a few points but will flatline thereafter.
"In spite of the evangelicalism of the fair trade movement, there's nothing to indicate it will ever be more than a niche market," Kent says. "It's not for lack of effort, but simply that the entire Western mercantile system works against it."
Fair trade products, as Malo's story shows, are limited to a specific scale simply by the way cooperatives produce their goods. "There's only so much these workers can produce in a year," Kent says.
Ultimately, fair trade's mainstream success resides in a balance between capitalist business objectives and activist outreach tied to the ethical concerns that inspired its creation. Such is the only way, its loudest proponents argue, that fair trade can ensure a better, more ethical, and human future.
This article appeared in the November 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 75, No. 11, pages 12-16).
Image: Tom Wright