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|Tweets by @PerfectLaw
Previous Events
|February 2015
|PerfectLaw® attends the 2015 ALM LegalTech in New York City We attended the ALM LegalTech for legal PRofessionals on February 3rd-5th.
|September 2013
|PerfectLaw® attends the ALA IP Conference for Legal Professionals in Washington D.C. We attended the ALA IP Conference for Legal Professionals on September 19th.
|April 2013
|PerfectLaw® attends the 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland We attended the 2013 ALA Annual Conference on April 14th.
|August 2012
|PerfectLaw® attends the 2012 ILTA Conference & Exposition in Washington D.C.! We attended the 2012 ILTA Conference & Exposition on August 27th.
|August 2012
|PerfectLaw® attends the 2012 ALA Law Firm Financial Management Conference Chicago, IL! We attended the 2012 ALA Law Firm Financial Management Conference on August 9th.
|April 2012
|PerfectLaw® attends the 2012 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition in Honolulu, HI! We attended the 2012 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition on April 23rd.
|November 2011
|PerfectLaw® attends the ALA Region 2 in Charlotte We attended the 2011 ALA Region 2 Conference in Charlotte North Carolina on November 4th.
|November 2011
|PerfectLaw® Announces the Official Release of iSlips for PerfectLaw® After successfully completing the development, testing, and installation of several early adopters, PerfectLaw® officially announces the formal release of iSlips for PerfectLaw® .
|October 2011
|PerfectLaw® attends the ALA Region 5 in Seattle We attended the 2011 ALA Region 5 Conference in Seattle, Washington on October 28th.
|October 2011
|PerfectLaw® attends the ALA Region 6 in Las Vegas We attended the 2011 ALA Region 6 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 21st.
|August 2011
|PerfectLaw attends the ILTA show in Tennessee PerfectLaw representatives, Marc and Debbie, attended the 2011 ILTA show in Nashville, Tennessee.
|January 2011
|Mawicke & Goisman Selects PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software Mawicke & Goisman a Wisconsin law firm has purchased PerfectLaw® All-in-One® software. After the firm's existing financial management system reached its end-of-life, the firm searched for a replacement offering a quality timekeeping, billing, and accounting system.
|December 2010
|Press Release - Paperless Workflow® Patent Issued PerfectLaw® is pleased to announce that its patent for Paperless Workflow® was formally issued on December 14, 2010. According to senior developers at PerfectLaw® , the invention is the outgrowth of research into two product lines, Paperless Workflow® and 3D Workflow™.
|November 2010
|Technologically Advanced IP Firm Signs with PerfectLaw® The law firm of Zarian Midgley & Johnson, PLLC, of Boise, ID, has purchased PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software to for its IP case and financial management needs.
|May 2010
|Farleigh Wada Witt Attorneys Selects PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software for their Case and Financial Management Needs The law firm of Farleigh Wada Witt Attorneys, founded in Portland, OR, has purchased PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software to fulfill their case and financial needs. PerfectLaw® will be replacing the firm's time, billing, and accounting software as well as adding a full featured case management system.
|January 2010
|Firm with Global Perspective selects PerfectLaw® Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske, P.L., has purchased PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software for their financial and case management needs. For nearly two decades, the firm has provided the highest quality transactional, governmental affairs and litigation services to local, national and international clients.
|December 2009
|New Clients Select PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Suite, Back Office Financial Management, and Case Management Products and Services PerfectLaw® announces the addition of several new clients who have recently selected the PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software Suite of products for their law office automation.
|October 2009
|PerfectLaw® Announces a Release for Microsoft Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 PerfectLaw® announced yesterday its compatibility with Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 including Terminal Services for remote connectivity. Windows 7 will come in several versions and is an upgrade from XP or Vista.
|August 2009
|NASA Langley Research Center has Purchased PerfectLaw® for their Patent Docketing and Case/Document Management NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, VA has purchased PerfectLaw Software for Case and Document Management with Patent Docketing and event tracking. PerfectLaw will consolidate the capabilities of various existing software applications currently in use by LaRC including Prolaw, Worldox, HotDocs and MS Access into one, fully integrated system.
|August 2009
|PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software Selected by Brown & Fortunato, P.C. for case and financial management Brown & Fortunato, P.C., based in Amarillo, TX, has purchased PerfectLaw All-in-One® Software for their financial and case management needs. PerfectLaw Software's exclusive All-in-One® synergy will replace separate systems for the time, billing and accounting, case and document management.
|July 2009
|Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C. purchases PerfectLaw® All-in-One® for their firm's software needs Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C., based in Center Valley, PA, has purchased PerfectLaw® All-in-One® Software for their legal software needs. PerfectLaw® Software's exclusive All-in-One® synergy will replace their existing system for time, billing, accounting, case and document management with full text searching.
|June, 2009
|PerfectLaw® Software Selected by Cooper, Spong & Davis, P.C. for Full Financial and Practice Management Suite Cooper, Spong & Davis, P.C., a law firm based in Portsmouth, VA, recently purchased PerfectLaw® Software for their financial and practice management needs. By implementing PerfectLaw, the firm will streamline its organizational workflow and reduce costs across all aspects of the firm.
|May, 2009
|PerfectLaw® Recently Installed its All-in-One® Software at The Boss Law Firm, APLC The Boss Law Firm, APLC, based in San Diego, CA recently installed PerfectLaw® Software for practice and financial management. The decision process was comprehensive. The primary factor in deciding to go with PerfectLaw® was its exclusive All-in-One® database and synergy among applications - especially when compared with alternative product suites requiring integration between front and back office databases.
|February, 2009
|Melli Law, S.C. streamlines its office software technology into an All-in-One® system Melli Law, S.C. based in Madison, WI, recently installed PerfectLaw® Software for practice and financial management. After evaluating their internal applications, the firm realized its time and billing program was outdated and did not work well with the other two applications currently in place at the firm.
|October, 2008
|PerfectLaw® Software announces the release of PerfectLaw® PLMobile™/Docs PerfectLaw® Software, developed by Executive Data Systems, Inc., releases PerfectLaw® PLMobile™/Docs, a browser-based ActiveX application providing users with the ability to work online and offline with the PerfectLaw® Document Management System (DMS).
|October, 2008
|PerfectLaw® Software announces the release of PerfectLaw® PLMobile™/Time PerfectLaw® Software releases PerfectLaw® PLMobile™/Time, a browser-based ActiveX application providing users with the ability to work online and offline with the PerfectLaw® Time & Billing system.
|August, 2008
|PerfectLaw® Software now works with the iPhone PerfectLaw® just announced the official debut of PLSync for the iPhone. In addition to using Blackberries and other PDA, users can now utilize the PLSync Exchange Synchronizer to synchronize contacts and appointments with the Apple iPhone.
|April, 2008
|PerfectLaw® Software announces the first component release of Back Office 2008 PerfectLaw® Back Office 2008 offers users a streamlined interface for bill processing and cash receipts. With Back Office 2008, users no longer need to open several windows for these types of transactions. Rather, all bill processing information and transactions are contained in one window for easy reference and editing. Cash receipts transaction processing has also been updated to offer the same benefit to users.
|January, 2008
|PerfectLaw® Software debuts a completely new Front Office interface: AIM® 2008 The Attorney's information Manager (AIM® ) is the Front Office interface for all PerfectLaw® Software application. AIM® allows users to access all case management features including calendars and group schedulers, document management, document assembly and more, from a single location. Previously, AIM® utilized a toolbar to launch various areas of program.


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Xtreme OTR Tire Company offers 15.5R25 Coach Master OTR tyres in a variety of tread patterns for OTR trucks and heavy equipment in all types of extreme environments and applications. We know up-time is critical – Coach Master OTR tires deliver unmatched dependability and outstanding durability for any job site, anytime, at any site worldwide. For more detailed information on our 15.5R25 OTR tyres including current stock, fulfillment time frames, or specific price or project quote please contact our team directly.
*All OTR Tires are sold by the container load. Various sizes per order are permitted.*
If you don't see what you need in our online OTR tire inventory please let us know and our custom OTR tire size and tread specialist will work with you to tailor a custom solution for your specific needs. Complete technical specifications for our 15.5R25 tires is available for viewing or download via pdf by selecting the "Technical Specifications" button on any page of our site. We look forward to earning your business – please let us know how we can be of service.

subset: commoncrawl


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print the top-level hypotheses and the current subterm
Major Section: PROOF-CHECKER-COMMANDS
Examples: th -- print all (top-level) hypotheses and the current subterm (th (1 3) (2 4)) -- print hypotheses 1 and 3 and governors 2 and 4, and the current subterm (th (1 3) t) -- print hypotheses 1 and 3 and all governors, and the current subtermPrint hypotheses and the current subterm. The printing of hypotheses (and perhaps governors) are controlled as in the
General Form: (th &optional hyps-indices govs-indices)
command; see its documentation.
Historical note: The name
th is adapted from the Gypsy Verification
Environment, where
th abbreviates the command
theorem, which
says to print information on the current goal.


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we have atleast three types of tanks running............ this is not heavy tank so not justifying adding another type. unless AK2 was not a hit. This is like buying a camry while you already have an accord.
There are many obsolete types(Type-59, Type-69, Type-85 almost 1000 in total) which need to be replaced. A heavy tank cannot replace all these tanks, even the worlds advanced armies like germany,france, Uk etc are operating their heavy tanks in quantities of hundreds only, not thousands. The heavy tank can be opted when all the other tank inventory is filled with formidable AZ,AK versions and VT4.


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2014 Corvette Stingray Precision Drive
- Interests:
- Auto Racing
- Place:
- 17047 Beeline Hwy. Florida
Using this unique Wiki Type tool allows you to embrace your dreams and goals of what you want to have, go, become, experience or learn. The information will help guide you in the right direction to accomplishing these dreams and goals. The Key Search Results can easily be saved to your Dream Notepad and ultimately becomes your dream planner and research roadmap towards the success you are searching. A dream and goal accomplishment blueprint is also there to guide you through 11 easy steps.
Share memories enjoyed between you and other family members by making parallel Journal Entries into both theirs and your Alpha Autobiography. This is perfect for digital scrapbooking. Pictures and video of your child can easily be shared to each parent as well as their grandparents personal Relationship Account while being stored chronologically. Or the free online Journal may be used to teach younger children about web etiquette under your supervision.Learn More Here...
Quickly share documents, a video or picture using the 3 sharing levels or quickly post live video and voice messages directly to your favorite social networks with the click of a box or send via SMS gratis to your family across the country or anywhere around the world. They are perfect for sharing inspiration to others, some good news, a baby's first steps or words or to sing happy birthday to a friend. Like Journal Entries, your Alpha-Bits will also be saved neatly and chronologically for easy finding whenever the need arises. You see, dreams do come true!
By using one, two or all three levels of sharing available with our free online Journal, you can preserve and share pictures and video memories with who and how you want, and even spread inspiration and motivation around the world with your thoughts, if you'd like. With our 3 levels of sharing, you can share your important moments and pictures with the whole world on a Global Level, with one or more select friends, with one or multiple groups and family, and/or add a personal note of the event or make it completely private and for your eyes only. The choice is always yours and everything is all saved neatly and chronologically for easy finding whenever the need arises. A life worth living is a life worth journaling.Learn More Here...
Of course you can manage all the other stuff like your profile, pictures and videos. No autobiography would be complete without this information. The cool part is while you are scrapbooking and building your Alpha-Autobiography, all this information can also be managed with our special Privacy and Sharing Levels.Learn More Here...


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International Studies Education
Study Abroad
Australian Catholic University
Melbourne, Australia
For more information on Melbourne
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne has on numerous occasions been voted one of the world's most livable cities. It is well known for its numerous parks and gardens and its cosmopolitan, outdoor cafe lifestyle. This city, dubbed as Australia's 'cultural capital,' is home to 3.8 million residents. More information on Melbourne.
Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Melbourne
ACU Melbourne is a campus of 4600 Australian and international students. The campus is located in the district of Fitzroy, just a few minutes walk from the city center, and includes a library, computer labs, cafeteria, lounge, chapel, and art gallery. Some of Melbourne's finest parks and gardens are located within walking distance to the campus. The university is composed of four Faculties: Arts & Sciences, Theology & Philosophy, Education and Health Sciences. To ensure a smooth transition to ACU and life in Australia, an extensive orientation is provided to study abroad students one week before the start of classes.
Academic Program
ACU offers a well established Study Abroad Program. Visiting students are fully integrated into the student body and follow the same lectures, seminars, and tutorials taking the same assessments as Australian students. At ACU, students take only four courses, called 'units' per semester. An extra tuition fee is incurred for a fifth course. All courses are taught in English and are three or four credits each. Visiting students are encouraged to receive pre-approval for six to eight courses though they will only be taking four courses per semester.
Study abroad students at ACU may select from a broad range of business, education, humanities, and science classes. Current course information is available on the ACU website.
Students who are sophomores, juniors
and seniors at the time of application are eligible to apply. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for admission.
ACU does not offer on-campus accommodations, but the International Student Advisor will arrange appropriate off-campus housing for study abroad students, either in shared apartments or home stays. Rent will be paid in advance, but basic utilities are charged directly to students at the end of each month and are based on consumption. There is no meal plan at ACU, so students can either prepare meals in their kitchen (the most economical approach) or take advantage of the wide variety of restaurants and cafes located nearby.
Terms available: Fall or spring semester
Term Dates: 1st week of February – 3rd week of June (Spring),
2nd week of July – 2nd week of November (Fall)
Application Deadlines: April 15 for Fall semester, November 1 for Spring semester
Program Fees
|Payable to Neumann University
|Tuition (4 courses and housing)
|Neumann Tuition & Fees
If you qualify for financial aid or scholarships at Neumann, you can apply these to the program cost
Included in the above fees: Tuition, housing, some field trips, OSHC insurance, orientation and student support services
|Additional Estimated Expenses - Payable Directly to Vendor
|$1500 - $1800
|Visa Fees (includes permission to work part-time)
|Textbooks & other academic fees
|$200 - $300
|Supplemental Health Insurance
|Groceries and personal expenses - not including extracurricular travel
|$200 - $250/week
Application Procedure – First Steps
Apply for a passport
Speak with your Advisor
Speak with the ISE staff
Complete Neumann University Study Abroad Form
Complete the ACU application on-line. Please stop by the ISE office for detailed information about this on-line application.
Submit all completed documents to the ISE office by the due date listed above


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Scrub Hat
Scrub Hat
- Wide band provides a very comfortable fit
- Rear tie for adjustable fit
- One size fits most
- Made in the USA
Add to Cart
Scrub Hats
Scrub hats for nurses. Decorative scrub hats for nurses and doctors
Onlyanurse.com is the fastest growing nursing community on the internet. The website has nursing jobs, nursing CEUs, nursing articles, nursing forums by specialty, nursing humor, a wide array of nursing products, we have nursing hoodies, nursing t shirts, nursing shoes, stethoscopes, gifts for nurses, games for nurses, mugs and cup for nurses, bags for nurses, jewelry for nurses, Onlyanurse nursing community


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The mission of the Svendsen Laboratory is to study neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease (HD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS) using stem cells as a disease treatment, as well as a tool for modeling these diseases in vitro. Clive Svendsen, PhD has significant experience in studying these diseases over the last twenty years and is merging his experience with the use of leading-edge technologies, such as inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).
Svendsen also pursues many collaborative efforts with other researchers interested in the use of neural progenitor cells for the treatment of stroke and macular degeneration.
The Svendsen Laboratory is affiliated with the Regenerative Medicine Institute and Department of Biomedical Sciences.


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We have always been passionate to find the treasures of this beautiful region of the Languedoc-Roussillon which welcomed us 14 years ago. During our walks, our encounters we have fallen in love with the landscape of vineyards and as lovers of good wine, it has been a real pleasure to plunge into the discovery of different wine terroirs so close to each other geographically but so different and so rich.
Thus we have discovered, appreciated and selected wines issuing from the work of independent vintners. They regularly embellish our table and help us appreciate the rich palette of wine from our region.
And now we propose to give you the pleasure of profiting from all our "work" of tasting that began 14 years ago and continues.
We invite you to discover with our friends winemakers, a tasting of the wines we love, on our web site diVin d'Oc.
Copyright (c) Domaine St Pierre de Trapel / 2009 - 2019


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It happened last summer, when an undercover Graham police detective was sniffing around on his beat.
The objective of undercover officers in Operation Summer Fun was to purchase drugs. But one man targeted in the investigation offered guns as well. It was an unexpected, unsolicited offer.
�We decided to buy as many as we could from him to get them off the street. We hoped we could clean him out,� said Capt. Steve McGilvray, with Graham police. �We took our time. We did it piecemeal. This took weeks and months to do, so it didn�t seem like we were trying to buy them up all at once. We did it that way not to excite the guy and make him suspicious.
The officer bought eight guns for $1,875 and recovered two more firearms � a combination of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reimbursed the department for the money spent on the guns. The man who sold the guns wasn�t identified and is still being investigated on federal gun charges, McGilvray said.
The two-month operation ended in July with 25 people arrested on 114 felonies and six misdemeanors. Most of the charges were drug related.
Though authorities agree it�s easy to find and illegally buy guns on the street � the process might only take a few hours � local undercover operations focused on removing illicit firearms from circulation aren�t routine. Instead, local undercover work often focuses on drugs.
What are the differences between drug buys and gun buys? Why doesn�t local law enforcement spend more time infiltrating and thwarting the routes criminals use to get guns to commit more crimes? The answers are tied up in the covert and decentralized gun trade here and in federal jurisdiction, authorities said.
Unlike the flow of drugs into the area, the local gun trade doesn�t necessarily rely on a widespread black market. Illegal gun sales are more likely to be one-off, one-man operations. Drug dealing is widespread.
�There are known drug dealers but not as many known gun dealers,� Burlington Police Assistant Chief Chris Verdeck said. �It�s hard to go out and solicit that type of thing. When we do hear of someone selling guns, we try to get in that circle. But it doesn�t come to us all that often. And it�s hard to get in that circle.�
Burlington police bought guns in undercover operations or through informants only three or four times in the last several years, Verdeck said.
�It�s probably not quite as easy as getting dope, but you can get them,� said Randy Jones, Alamance County Sheriff�s Office spokesman. �Guns are available if you�ve got the money.�
BY STATE AND FEDERAL law, convicted felons are barred from owning or possessing firearms. Background checks required of legitimate gun dealers generally keep felons from purchasing guns through legal means.
Police believe many of the firearms that end up in the hands of convicted felons are likely stolen. Many of those guns just �go missing� and aren�t reported as stolen.
Guns are also frequently bartered for drugs. Verdeck said it�s not uncommon for people to bargain away their guns or even vehicles to get a fix. Once they�ve gotten what they want, they report the item stolen.
And often, when a felon is charged with possessing a gun, they say they took them from relatives.
As a matter of routine, local law enforcement agencies � from Gibsonville to Mebane � run federal ATF traces and National Crime Information Center searches on all guns recovered in investigations and searches. That process checks a gun�s serial number, make and model with a national database of firearms reported stolen and show a gun�s history of lawful transactions.
In the 2011-12 year, Burlington police ran 223 ATF traces on firearms involved in crimes, seized as evidence or found in searches. Information on how many of those were listed on NCIC as stolen, if any, wasn�t available.
Agencies rarely get a �hit� on a firearm trace indicating that it�s stolen. That�s because gun owners infrequently log the serial numbers and identifying information of their firearms.
�The (ATF) trace shows if that weapon has shown up before from us or another agency. This also shows locations from where weapons come from, as in what area of the country. This helps show trends as it relates to sales of weapons,� Verdeck said.
Most often, the ATF is called in to follow through on possible leads. Jones said that�s done because they have agents focused solely on controlling illicit weapon sales.
It�s also because federal gun laws carry more weight than state laws, Jones said.
�It�s about the best use of your time, money and resources: Do you go out and try to work cases that the ATF already does? Your smarter move is to go ahead and grab the ATF,� Jones said.
A glimpse at local gun thefts, charges:
Gibsonville police charged three people with larceny of a firearm in both 2011 and 2012. One person was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. No one was charged with selling a firearm without a permit.
Graham police charged 13 people with larceny of a firearm between 2009 and 2012. Ten of those were stolen from homes; two were taken from cars.
Between June 2009 and June 2012, Burlington police charged 85 people with possession of a firearm by a felon. There were 85 firearms reported stolen during the same time period.
The Alamance County Sheriff�s Department made 85 arrests on larceny of a firearm between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2012. Deputies charged another 72 people with possession of a firearm by a felon in that time.
Mebane police took 31 reports of stolen firearms between 2009 and 2012. Officers recovered seven in that time. Five felons were charged with possessing firearms in those four years. One person was charged with illegally selling a firearm.
By the numbers:
Firearms charges
Larceny of firearm � 645
Possessing stolen firearm � 545
Possession of a firearm by felon � 2,748
Possess/buy/sell gun with altered serial number � 58
Alamance County:
Larceny of a firearm � 16
Possessing stolen firearm � 7
Possession of a firearm by felon � 35
Possess/buy/sell gun with altered serial number � 1
Larceny of a firearm � 622
Possessing stolen firearm � 586
Possession of a firearm by felon � 2,936
Possess/buy/sell gun with altered serial number � 61
Alamance County:
Larceny of a firearm � 10
Possessing stolen firearm � 5
Possession of a firearm by felon � 42
Possess/buy/sell gun with altered serial number � 1
Source: NCCourts.org


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Federal Agency Obtains $50,000 for Black Driver Fired for Objecting to Racism
RENO — Northern Nevada-based Sierra Restroom Solutions, a supplier of onsite portable toilets, has agreed to pay $50,000 to an African-American driver to settle a federal racial harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC, driver Michael Scales endured racist comments, epithets and harassment from his supervisor and his coworker during the one and a half years he worked for Sierra Restroom Solutions. His supervisor used the N-word to refer to Scales in conversation with others, and in another instance, made fun of white employees for performing worse than Scales on a work-related test. In addition, his co-worker flaunted a swastika tattoo and talked about the need to keep the white race "pure." After Scales complained to his supervisor a second time that month about his co-worker's racist behavior, he was fired just two days later.
"People who work expect to be treated with respect," Scales said. "Individuals should not accept discrimination and should exercise their rights. "People should bring companies who discriminate out in the open so people know who they are. I'm glad I reported my case to the EEOC."
Racial harassment is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which also forbids retaliating against an employee who opposes such conduct. After an investigation by EEOC Investigator Eric Darius and after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement through conciliation, the EEOC filed the suit (EEOC v. Sierra Restroom Solutions, LLC., Civ. No. 3:09-CV-00537) in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, Northern Division). During litigation, the company was sold to Sierra Site Solutions which was later acquired by United Site Services, Inc.
EEOC San Francisco Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo said, "The law is clear: all employees have the right to work in an environment free from hostility, intimidation and ridicule. In this case, the company failed to live up to its responsibility to provide a workplace free of racial hostility."
EEOC San Francisco District Director Michael Baldonado added, "We hope this resolution sends a clear message: employers that receive notice of racial harassment should take prompt and effective measures to investigate, stop any unlawful conduct and discipline those found responsible."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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Read the magazine story to find out more.
Soy Set to Withstand Exotic AphidBy Jan Suszkiw
November 7, 2005
A key genetic discovery by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists opens the door to breeding soybeans that can resist Chinese soybean aphids.
Since first being detected in Wisconsin in 2000, the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) has spread across the Midwest and into the Deep South, causing millions of dollars of losses to the legume crop. Growers have fought back with insecticide spraying, a practice that adds $12 to $25 per acre to their production costs.
ARS plant pathologist Glen Hartman and University of Illinois (UI) collaborators at Urbana have worked to find cheaper, longer-term alternatives. In early 2004, their efforts paid off with the discovery of Rag1, a single gene conferring resistance to the exotic aphid in two southern cultivars that are no longer grown.
Normally, the sap-sucking pest causes harm in the form of stunted growth, disfigured leaves, poor pod formation, and the plant's eventual death. But in tests, neither wingless female aphids nor their nymph offspring survived for long when confined to the resistant beans' leaves. Typically, 94 to 100 percent of female aphids died within 10 days--compared to 17 percent on Pana, a nonresistant variety--reports Hartman, at ARS' Soybean/Maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research Unit in Urbana. Nymphs suffered a similar fate, he adds.
Hartman and UI collaborators Curtis Hill, Shawn Carlson, Brian Diers and Yan Li identified the aphid resistance after screening 800 commercial soybean cultivars and 3,000 germplasm accessions managed by ARS in Urbana. Since publishing their finding in Crop Science, the team has mapped Rag1's genetic whereabouts on the resistant beans' DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). They've also identified marker regions and devised technology to detect them so that soybean breeders can rapidly identify resistant plants.
New, high-yielding cultivars bred to express Rag1 could be available by 2008. Meanwhile, the team's search for other resistance genes continues.
Read more about their work in the November 2005 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.


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Versatile. Dependable. Affordable.
Go Anywhere. Catch Anything
Cruising. Fishing. Tubing.
What will you do?
Whether you're looking for a pleasure boat, fishing boat, runabout, or commercial/work boat, Carolina Skiff delivers the most in value, quality and style. With more than 60 models to choose from, you are sure to find a boat that meets your personal recreational or commercial needs.


text:
Another blogger falls
The blogging world remains unimpressed:
"PC Bloggs' identity was revealed months ago to be rally driver Ben Collins, so this is clearly just a stunt to get more readers." (PC Copperfield)
"To be honest, I've always suspected she might have been Schumacher." (Inspector Gadget)
'Diary of an On-Call Girl' is available in some bookstores and online.


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Network management company Quest Software has this week declared its support for the Apache Hive data warehouse infrastructure in its two free NoSQL tools, Toad for Cloud Databases and OraOop. Other noteworthy enhancements also include Eclipse support in Toad for Cloud Databases and full support for Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) in OraOop.
Quest aims to position Toad for Cloud as a developer query tool that will allow programmers to migrate, browse, and edit non-relational data using a SQL interface. By providing this new interface to Hive, the company is hoping to capitalize upon what it judges to be "very strong adoption" of the Hive system in conjunction with Hadoop. Quest believes that the ability to store the output of Hive analytic queries in Oracle will benefit its customers by allowing them to integrate Hadoop data with traditional business intelligence (BI) solutions.
Additional NoSQL platforms already supported by Quest include Apache HBase, Amazon SimpleDB, Microsoft Azure Table Services, Microsoft SQL Azure, Apache Cassandra, and any ODBC-enabled relational database. The company says that more than 1,500 users, many working in Hadoop, have already downloaded its freeware to date.
In line with this announcement, Quest has also unveiled Hive support for OraOop, a connector for high-speed, scalable bi-directional data transfer between Oracle and Hadoop. Users can now export data to compressed Oracle tables and create Oracle tables based on the output of Hive HQL queries.
"The new release of the OraOop freeware download also leverages the full power of Oracle RAC clustered databases, allowing users to import or export from RAC to Hadoop. Users managing unstructured data with Hadoop often use it in conjunction with large Oracle RAC deployments, making the ability to efficiently move data between these two 'big data' solutions critical," said Billy Bosworth, VP and GM of enterprise database, Quest Software. "Working alongside a cutting-edge technology wave, we're adding functionality and additional platform support for Toad for Cloud Databases and OraOop almost in tandem with new demands we see in the market."


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The Authority is pleased to announce the launch of a new book: A Joy Forever - The Story of Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
Aptly named 'A Joy Forever', a fascinating new book on the story of Kings Park was launched 26 February by the Minister for Environment, Donna Faragher.
The 360-page book is written by Western Australian historian Dr Dorothy Erickson and includes many full-colour photographs and illustrations depicting the life of the Perth icon.
'Kings Park holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Western Australia and it is also a major tourist attraction', Minister Faragher said. 'The foresight of the founders of the Swan River colony in setting aside the land for public purposes has proved to be truly remarkable.'
Now, the combination of landscaped gardens and such a large area of native bushland in the centre of a capital city make Kings Park unique in a world sense. The new book details the history of Kings Park, from its early struggle to get established to its current status as the most visited tourist destination in Western Australia, an internationally-respected research facility and the State's symbol of the ultimate sacrifice many of its people made in time of war.
The book also tells of the important place the Kings Park land has held in the history of the Nyoongar people of WA. Produced by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, 'A Joy Forever' will be sold exclusively through Aspects of Kings Park on Fraser Avenue in Kings Park.
Dorothy Erickson, artist, naturalist and historian, brings insights from all three disciplines to bear on her account of the foresight of the founders, the aspirations and dramas of development, the difficulties of the early gardeners, the protests, the victories and finally the achievements of the staff who brought the park to world renown.


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All sales are FINAL and are AS-IS, WHERE IS.
Family Heritage Estate Sales, LLC will not be held responsible for any mishap, accident or injury to anyone attending the sale for any reason. Please watch your step while attending the sale and take care while handling merchandise.
Please bring help if you are purchasing large items. We do not supply porters.
We accept: CASH, VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS AND DISCOVER
No checks!


text:
Expanding Opportunities for Educational Travel
Our Mission
The Broadreach Foundation seeks to expand opportunities for motivated young adults to travel, volunteer and study abroad during a pivotal time in their lives. In addition to providing direct scholarships for middle, high school, and college students, the Foundation empowers these eager young adults with guidance, support and a path toward greater self-awareness and global citizenship. At this time, Broadreach Foundation scholarships are only available for participation in a Broadreach program.
Who We Are
The Broadreach Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since 1998, the foundation has been providing financial aid to help students expand their horizons through travel and study abroad. All donations made to the Broadreach Foundation are tax deductible and help provide opportunities for worthy students.
"I have been back at school for a couple of months, and every day I realize even more how much my summer trip to Peru has changed my life. A benefit of my trip is a colossal change in my world view and outlook on cultural diversity. My trip to Peru was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it." Vanesa W.Donate Now Contact Us


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Should I invite an life insurance agent into my home, or use an internet life insurance broker?
Life insurance is a difficult subject, it is a decision we all have to make, and a thing we all should have. Whether it be a simple policy that will pay out when we die so that our families are not overly burdened by our passing, or an investment for our retirement. The industry is full of difficult language, clauses, contracts, exceptions and fees. It is a minefield waiting to catch the unwary, and one that some people dread to walk upon.
That's why we have insurance broker, and life insurance agencies. They are there to make the minefield seems a little less perilous, safer to walk through. They are there to make sure that you connect with the policy that suits you best, not one that suits the pockets of the insurance company better. They act as intermediaries between you and the complex facts, forms and figures required by insurance companies before they will agree to cover you.
In the old days it was common to get yourself an insurance agent, and they would come around to your house, partake in a coffee and some biscuits while they laid out their plans and proposals on your dining table. The whole night would be spent going through the facts, and figures, dealing with difficulties and coming up with a plan that you could both afford, and would cover you sufficiently in the event of your death.
More than likely, your insurance agent was a local person. Someone you would see in the local supermarket, who happened to be in the business and only covered the immediate area of their residence, more of a friend or acquaintance than someone trying to sell you something.
Times moved on, and we moved into the internet age.
Today you can have a similar discussion with a life insurance broker on the internet. They will discuss the same things, offer the same facts and figures (probably more now as they have so much more to offer at their fingertips than your neighbourhood agent had in their briefcase) and propose similar services. The only difference is they are not sitting in your home.
Or is that the only difference?
Consider the old scenario again. You would phone up your agent, arrange a time for them to come round and then spend the evening going over things. It wasn't exactly dynamic was it? You had to dedicate an evening to the process, the only facts you were presented with were the ones they brought with them, and you sort of felt under a little pressure to sign something before the evening was out in case you were guilty of wasting their time. (If you didn't sign the contract you would have to avoid them if you saw them in the street in the ensuing weeks).
Today's world doesn't work like that anymore. In today's world we expect someone who is providing us with a service to have the world of technology at their fingertips, to be able to offer us any answer to any question. We expect them to be there when we decide, not at a mutually acceptable time; be it 3:30 in the afternoon, or at 8pm when we get home from work. We have the ability to double check any fact or figure they may quote us, instantly using the same internet technologies that they are using. And, a big and, we have the choice to say yes, or to say no, to move on and find someone else to help us – no hard feelings.
In short, in today's world, we want answers to be fast, efficient and accurate. Forget the social chit-chat, we are discussing business, and when we are finished we want to continue with our normal lives satisfied with a job well done – mission accomplished.
An online broker offers all of that. They are sitting in their office when you speak to them (it can be a chat session, Skype phone call, or just exchanges of emails) so they have all of the facts and figures of their whole company at their fingertips (no more – "let me check with head office" – they are in the office). They are at work, and have lives of their own, so it is not in their interest to try and spend hours talking to you. They will professionally convey the facts and figures, discuss your concerns and worries, make suggestions about policies and terms and let you make the decision. There is no pressure to sign the deal before they leave, they can pick up the conversation tomorrow or the next day.
If you need time to look at the policy, simple, they email it to you and you take your time to read it, no one looking over your shoulder. You can still question any part of it as you would to an agent sitting next to you, or you can end the conversation there and say you will contact them again when you have looked through the documents.
Of course an Internet broker does lack some of the personal touch that a visiting agent used to have. But ask yourself a question; when was the last time you asked the man from the electricity company to come round for dinner when you were deciding which energy plan to use in your house? You didn't did you? It was a service you needed, you handled it like any other service you need in today's world, online or via the phone.


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Major Section: ACL2 Documentation
ACL2 allows the user to monitor the application of rewrite rules.
When monitored rules are about to be tried by the rewriter, an
interactive break occurs and the user is allowed to watch and, in a
limited sense, control the attempt to apply the rule. This
interactive loop, which is technically just a call of the standard
top-level ACL2 read-eval-print loop,
ld, on a ``wormhole state''
(see wormhole), is called ``break-rewrite.'' While in
break-rewrite, certain keyword commands are available for accessing
information about the context in which the lemma is being tried.
These keywords are called break-rewrite ``commands.''
To abort from inside break-rewrite at any time, execute
sharpsign-period (
For further information, see the related
doc topics listed below.
monitor, it is possible to
cause the ACL2 rewriter to monitor the attempted application of
selected rules. When such a rule is about to be tried, the rewriter
evaluates its break condition and if the result is non-
break-rewrite is entered.
Break-rewrite permits the user to inspect the current state by
evaluating break-rewrite commands. Type
help in break-rewrite to
see what the break-rewrite commands are. However, break-rewrite is
actually just a call of the general ACL2 read-eval-print loop,
on a certain state and the break-rewrite commands are simply aliases
provided by the
ld-keyword-aliases. See ld for
details about this read-eval-print loop. Thus, with a few
exceptions, anything you can do at the ACL2 top-level can be done
within break-rewrite. For example, you can evaluate arbitrary
expressions, use the keyword command hack, access documentation,
print events, and even define functions and prove theorems.
However, the ``certain state'' upon which
ld was called is a
``wormhole state'' (see wormhole) because break-rewrite is not
allowed to have any effect upon the behavior of rewrite. What this
means, very roughly but understandably, is that break-rewrite
operates on a copy of the state being used by rewrite and when
break-rewrite exits the wormhole closes and the state ``produced''
by break-rewrite disappears. Thus, break-rewrite lets you query the
state of the rewriter and even do experiments involving proofs,
etc., but these experiments have no effect on the ongoing proof
When you first enter break-rewrite a simple herald is printed such as:
(3 Breaking (:rewrite lemma12) on (delta a (+ 1 j)):The integer after the open parenthesis indicates the depth of nested break-rewrite calls. In this discussion we use
consistently for this integer. Unless you abort or somehow enter
unbalanced parentheses into the script, the entire session at a
given depth will be enclosed in balanced parentheses, making it easy
to skip over them in Emacs.
You then will see the break-rewrite prompt:
3 ACL2 !>The leading integer is, again, the depth. Because breaks often occur recursively it is convenient always to know the level with which you are interacting.
You may type arbitrary commands as in the top-level ACL2 loop. For example, you might type:
3 ACL2 !>:helpor
3 ACL2 !>:pe lemma12More likely, upon entering break-rewrite you will determine the context of the attempted application. Here are some useful commands:
3 ACL2 >:target ; the term being rewritten 3 ACL2 >:unify-subst ; the unifying substitution 3 ACL2 >:path ; the stack of goals pursued by the rewriter ; starting at the top-level clause being simplified ; and ending with the current applicationAt this point in the interaction the system has not yet tried to apply the monitored rule. That is, it has not tried to establish the hypotheses, considered the heuristic cost of backchaining, rewritten the right-hand side of the conclusion, etc. When you are ready for it to try the rule you can type one of several different ``proceed'' commands. The basic proceed commands are
:go, and
:okexits break-rewrite without further interaction. When break-rewrite exits it prints ``
3)'', closing the parenthesis that
opened the level
3 interaction.
:goexits break-rewrite without further interaction, but prints out the result of the application attempt, i.e., whether the application succeeded, if so, what the
:target term was rewritten to, and if not
why the rule was not applicable.
:evalcauses break-rewrite to attempt to apply the rule but interaction at this level of break-rewrite resumes when the attempt is complete. When control returns to this level of break-rewrite a message indicating the result of the application attempt (just as in
:go) is
printed, followed by the prompt for additional user input.
Generally speaking,
:ok and
:go are used when the break in question
is routine or uninteresting and
:eval is used when the break is one
that the user anticipates is causing trouble. For example, if you
are trying to determine why a lemma isn't being applied to a given
term and the
:target of the current break-rewrite is the term in
question, you would usually
:eval the rule and if break-rewrite
reports that the rule failed then you are in a position to determine
why, for example by carefully inspecting the
:type-alist of
governing assumptions or why some hypothesis of the rule could not
be established.
It is often the case that when you are in break-rewrite you wish to
change the set of monitored runes. This can be done by using
monitor and
unmonitor as noted above. For example, you might want
to monitor a certain rule, say
hyp-reliever, just when it is being
used while attempting to apply another rule, say
Typically then you would monitor
main-lemma at the ACL2 top-level,
start the proof-attempt, and then in the break-rewrite in which
main-lemma is about to be tried, you would install a monitor on
hyp-reliever. If during the ensuing
hyp-reliever is broken
you will know it is being used under the attempt to apply
However, once
hyp-reliever is being monitored it will be monitored
even after
main-lemma has been tried. That is, if you let the proof
attempt proceed then you may see many other breaks on
breaks that are not ``under'' the attempt to apply
main-lemma. One
way to prevent this is to
:eval the application of
main-lemma and
hyp-reliever before exiting. But this case arises
so often that ACL2 supports several additional ``flavors'' of
proceed commands.
:go!, and
:eval! are just like their counterparts
:go, and
:eval, respectively), except that while
processing the rule that is currently broken no runes are
monitored. When consideration of the current rule is complete,
the set of monitored runes is restored to its original
:go$, and
:eval$ are similar but take an additional argument
which must be a list of runes. An example usage of
:eval$ is
3 ACL2 !>:eval$ ((:rewrite hyp-reliever))These three commands temporarily install unconditional breaks on the runes listed, proceed with the consideration of the currently broken rule, and then restore the set of monitored rules to its original setting.
Thus, there are nine ways to proceed from the initial entry into
break-rewrite although we often speak as though there are two,
:eval, and leave the others implicit. We group
:go with
because in all their flavors they exit break-rewrite without further
interaction (at the current level). All the flavors of
require further interaction after the rule has been tried.
To abort a proof attempt and return to the top-level of ACL2 you may
at any time type
#. (that is, number-sign followed by a period)
followed by a carriage return.
We now address ourselves to the post-
:eval interaction with
break-rewrite. As noted, that interaction begins with
break-rewrite's report on the results of applying the rule: whether
it worked and either what it produced or why it failed. This
information is also printed by certain keyword commands available
:eval, namely
:rewritten-rhs, and
:failure-reason. In
addition, by using
brr@ (see brr@) you can obtain this
information in the form of ACL2 data objects. This allows the
development of more sophisticated ``break conditions'';
see monitor for examples. In this connection we point out the
macro form
(ok-if term). See ok-if. This command exits
break-rewrite if
term evaluates to non-
nil and otherwise does not
exit. Thus it is possible to define macros that provide other kinds
of exits from break-rewrite. The only way to exit break-rewrite
:eval is
:ok (or, equivalently, the use of
ACL2 users who wish to know more about break-rewrite so that they can develop more convenient ways to monitor rules are encouraged to speak to J Moore.
The rest of this documentation discusses a few implementation details of break-rewrite and may not be interesting to the typical user.
There is no ACL2 function named break-rewrite. It is an illusion
created by appropriate calls to two functions named
brkpt1 and
brkpt2. As previously noted, break-rewrite is
ld operating on a
wormhole state. One might therefore wonder how break-rewrite can
apply a rule and then communicate the results back to the rewriter
running in the external state. The answer is that it cannot.
Nothing can be communicated through a wormhole. In fact,
brkpt1 and
brkpt2 are each calls of
ld running on wormhole states.
implements the pre-
:eval break-rewrite and
brkpt2 implements the
:eval break-rewrite. The rewriter actually calls
brkpt1 before
attempting to apply a rule and calls
brkpt2 afterwards. In both
cases, the rewriter passes into the wormhole the relevant
information about the current context. Logically
brkpt1 and
are no-ops and
rewrite ignores the
nil they return. But while
control is in them the execution of
rewrite is suspended and cannot
proceed until the break-rewrite interactions complete.
This design causes a certain anomoly that might be troubling.
Suppose that inside break-rewrite before
:evaling a rule (i.e., in
brkpt1 wormhole state) you define some function,
foo. Suppose
then you
:eval the rule and eventually control returns to
break-rewrite (i.e., to
brkpt2 on a wormhole state with the results
of the application in it). You will discover that
foo is no longer
defined! That is because the wormhole state created during your
pre-:eval interaction is lost when we exit the wormhole to resume
the proof attempt. The post-
:eval wormhole state is in fact
identical to the initial pre-
:eval state (except for the results of
the application) because
rewrite did not change the external state
and both wormhole states are copies of it.
There is a lot more to know about break-rewrite, most of which is
fairly easy to learn from looking at the code, since it is all
expressed in ACL2. Feel free to ask questions of J Moore.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Company Refused to Accommodate Employee's Sabbath and Fired Her for Objecting, Federal Agency Charged
DALLAS – A Fort Worth, Texas CD and DVD manufacturing company has agreed to settle a religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that the company refused to accommodate an employee's Sabbath, which is from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday, and then fired her in retaliation for complaining about the failure to accommodate her religion as a member of Soldiers of the Cross of Christ Church.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit (Civil Action No. 3-09CV1785-F in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas), Cinram Wireless L.L.C. refused to accommodate Eunice Arredondo's Sabbath, although she had previously been allowed to work from Sunday through Thursday. The company changed her shifts, but still could have accommodated Arredondo, according to the EEOC. After Arredondo requested an accommodation, the employer discharged her rather than work out an alternative schedule. The EEOC asserted that the firing was in retaliation for the employee's assertion of her right to seek an accommodation.
Employment discrimination because of religion violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement.
"People should not be placed in the untenable position of having to compromise their religious beliefs for a job, particularly if a schedule adjustment poses no hardship to the employer's business operations, as had already been established in this case," said EEOC Senior Trial Attorney William C. Backhaus.
The consent decree settling the suit was signed by U.S. District Court Judge Royal Ferguson on June 24, 2010. In it, the company agreed to pay $40,000 to the victim and train management and supervisory personnel on equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies and procedures, including topics regarding religious discrimination and the need to assess the need for accommodation of religious beliefs.
"It is a bit perplexing that in a country founded on tolerance and freedom of religion, we still have employers who are unwilling to meet an employee half way when it comes to certain religious observances," said Robert Canino, regional attorney for the EEOC's Dallas Office. "Keeping the Sabbath days holy is a rather well known and accepted custom, practice or belief for many different faiths, so it should come as no surprise to an employer that it might need to consider an accommodation to address that issue of availability."
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


text:
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
If you would please explain the difference in types of radiation machines used specifically for treating anal cancer--the linear accelerator and the IMRT--if there is a difference and whether all cancer treatment centers would utilize the same equipment type.
James M. Metz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of OncoLink and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, responds:
Anal cancer is treated primarily with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. External beam irradiation, otherwise known as x-rays or photons, are generated from a linear accelerator. A linear accelerator can deliver conventional 3-D conformal radiation or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). This really comes down to the type of treatment planning being done at the facility that is delivering the treatment and the experience of the radiation oncologist. There are no reported data that IMRT is superior to 3D conformal radiation in terms of cure rates for anal cancer. However, there appear to be significant reductions in side effects with IMRT. This is due to the ability of IMRT to better spare some of the more sensitive normal tissues in the pelvis from exposure to radiation. Better sparing of normal organs appears to make the treatment more tolerable for many patients. In fact, at our institution we have moved to using IMRT for all treatment of anal cancers in combination with chemotherapy. However, as mentioned before, there has never been a prospective randomized trial comparing the two techniques.


text:
About George Zimmer
I'm George Zimmer, CEO and founder of Men's Warehouse. If you've reached this point on my profile, I commend you for not exploding in your pants.
Hi Tim, I'm George Zimmer, founder and CEO of Men's Wearhouse.
This cellphone recording is definitely bothersome. Why, just the other day I was pulled over for speeding by a lascivious lady officer.
As she was writing my ticket, I offered her a chance to experience the concussion inducing throwback of my white volcano on the grounds she allow me to record it and share the Spankwire profits.
Unfortunately, she took it as a threat to her life and attempted to blind me with mace. The situation worsened as while I was stumbling about, the sway of my angelic hips loosed the voluminous meat trunk from my Kenneth Cole Straight Jeans and into an arc beautiful enough to make Euclid poop his pants, the result however was construed as assault on an officer and I was taken into custody.
When I got my cellphone back, the video had been deleted along with numerous pictures of my photoshopped next to Ryan Gosling.
Hi Mike, I'm George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of Men's Wearhouse.
Mike, I'm here to tell why you both parties enjoy branding our civil liberties with an array of death-dealing mushroom stamps.
Being a businessman, I love to fantasize about the soft touch of paper money. Sometime I collect enough to build a doll, customized to fit the meager profile of a general public member, and then using a number of pre-selected sentences, put the doll into a swoon with the promise of dinner and a movie.
After the small talk, and while the doll is steeped in a love-fueled bliss, I rigorously violate it shaking free the money and satisfying the Michael Douglas-like needs of my non-barbed bear phallus.
So you see, Mike, politicians are much like me, except instead of offering Zimmer-sized programs, which are impossible to quantify, to win the popular favor, they offer "bite-sized" programs, which sound great but fall short in the long-run.
Eventually, the American public is going to start giving some of that violation back to these virgin-holed politicians. I guarantee it.
Hi Niall.
That bit is trademarked as part of The Mens Wearhouse. Any use of it without authorization results in an anal gouging so explosive, it'll makes Kristen Stewart's career look inconsequential. I guarantee it.
Hi Niall.
That bit is trademarked as part of The Mens Wearhouse. Any use of it without authorization results in an anal gouging so explosive, it'll makes Kristen Stewart's career look inconsequential. I guarantee it.
I haven't heard this amount of whining since putting Carly Rae Epsen into a 2 week recuperation coma from her tripping-the-light-fantastic ride on my savage coital tube snake.
I think Mr. Mellencamp and I should meet, so I can explain to him how he needs to educate himself on these matters before writing lengthy hack opinion pieces that make Jon Taplin sound like a legitimate writer.
Hi Lord Binky.
If you want porn that will make you blind, I suggest you join one of my corporate team-building exercises at my cabin dungeon in the Appalachian mountains.
Hi Tim, I'm George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of The Men's Wearhouse.
I just wanted to point out that there's a small error in your story. To explain, I'll regale you with a story while I do my morning exercise routine to insure testicular fortitude of my globular man butter breweries.
Carly, much like Ashless Simpson, became the target of my sensuously dangerous affections. One consequence that seems to affect most starlets who gaze upon the voluptuous trunk of my yogurt gun is the tendency to lose their fame in a fortnight. Unfortunately, the fame erodes even faster if they take a ride on the infamous "Zimmer Baloney Pony."
So, it is most depressing that young Carly has lost her privilege of fame, though maybe the world is beginning to realize that vapid lyrics and a flashy hipster garb are not items conducive with popularity.
I'll tell what is conducive with popularity...A Pronto Uomo vest and a pair of jeans from The Men's Wearhouse. Timberlake wears it, and he likes the way he looks. I guarantee it.
Hi out_of_the_blue, I'm George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of Men's Wearhouse.
I haven't heard this amount of throttled yelping since your sister beheld the Zeus-like glow of my veiny meat ferret.
As the CEO of Men's Wearhouse, I find that an inviting conversation usually begins without assuming things for the other party. For example, during a board meeting, I typically assume everyone wants to see my humungor baby batter boilers. Unfortunately, many have shied away from this visage of perfection and it's lost me much credibility in the way of things.
If you can take this advice to heart, I'm sure many here will listen to your opinion. I guarantee it.
Hi Mike, I'm George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of Men's Wearhouse.
This wireless tapping is a huge problem for me because the sight of my Cthulhu love tentacle during the Men's Wearhouse annual naked twister party causes most people to recite the ramblings of the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, but in a higher octave, and we know what the government thinks of Arabs.
My first solution would be to clean out Obama's ears with my writhing flesh snake, but unfortunately that would kill him. I guarantee it.
Hi Bob, I'm George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of Men's Wearhouse.
I'm going to be honest with you bob, when my interns go off-topic like this, it usually warrants a skull-crushing via my salmon-tinted meat porpoise. I guarantee it.


text:
Kevin Julian is a senior managing director leading the Life Sciences practice in North America. In this role, he is responsible for growing the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical products, wholesale, CRO and consumer health business sectors. Additionally, Kevin leads Accenture's global Accelerated Research & Development (R&D) Services group, where he is responsible for industry solutions that leverage Accenture's business dimensions in strategy, consulting, technology, digital and operations to help life sciences clients bring products to patients faster.
Since joining Accenture in 1989, Kevin has worked predominantly in the life sciences industry focusing on delivering innovative solutions and complex programs to help clients improve their business performance. Before leading the R&D group, Kevin was responsible for growing Accenture's global life sciences sales portfolio. Under his leadership, the firm established an industry-leading position in technology and business process outsourcing in life sciences.
Kevin has a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and lives in Malvern, PA with his wife and two children.


text:
Harrier GR7
• Multi-role combat aircraft capable of vertical/short take off and landing.
• Part of Joint Force Harrier, operating from land bases or aircraft carriers.
• Comprehensive weapons capability including bombs, rockets or missile.
• Can operate at night, at low level, using night vision goggles.
• Cockpit gives navigation and weapons information on colour displays.
The Harrier GR7 is a single seat, multi-role combat aircraft that is capable of operating in extreme environments and from a wide selection of locations, including deployed air bases and aircraft carriers.
|Rolls Royce Pegasus Mk 105 vectored thrust turbofan. Thrust 21,750 lbs.
|Max STO 14,061 kg
Max VTO 8,595 kg
|9.24 m
|14.12 m
|3.55 m
|Max Speed
|575 kts (661mph)
|The Harrier can carry the following weapons:
Paveway laser guided bombs, CRV-7 rockets, Maverick missiles, 1000 lb bombs, 540 lb bombs, BL755 Cluster bombs, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles
Following the retirement of the Sea Harrier, the Fleet Air Arm commenced operations with the Harrier GR7 and GR9 aircraft, within the framework of Joint Force Harrier (JFH) based at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland. JFH is a robust organisation that provides the necessary support and expertise for the Harrier, and acts as a parent for the UK's three front line Harrier Squadrons: Naval Strike Wing, No1 (F) Sqn RAF and NoIV (AC) Sqn RAF .
The aircraft itself is a very different beast from the Sea Harrier. The GR7 is considerably more advanced in terms of construction, powerplant and avionics. Its cockpit ergonomics are also a vast improvement on the old Sea jet. The GR9 builds on the GR7's strengths, introducing further avionics upgrades that aid the aircrafts overall capability. Of note, the GR7 and GR9 are not fighters! Although more than capable of looking after themselves, the aircraft are optimised for the close air support and strike roles and do not possess either a radar, or an integrated long-range air-to-air capability, they do however retain a high degree of flexibility that lends itself well to the current threat environment within which the Royal Navy is required to operate. The unique performance characteristics of the Harrier allows continued operation from both ashore and afloat utilising existing platforms and infrastructure, and providing a bridge in capability pending the entry into service of the Joint Strike Fighter during the next decade.
Since NSW's formation the programme has been full and diverse. Spring 2007 saw operations from HMS Illustrious in the North Sea and Baltic, while summer witnessed an intense period of UK based training in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan in the autumn.
NSW deployed to Afghanistan in early October 2007, official taking over from IV (AC) Sqn on the 5th October. Working from a fixed (and now well-established) base at Kandahar Airfield (KAF), NSW contributes directly to international air component that supports the operations of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Although capable of supporting tasks throughout the nation, the majority of sorties tend to be within the area of Regional Command South, with many directly supporting British Forces deployed in Helmand Province.
Settling into the routine of Operation HERRICK was helped by a good handover by IV(AC) Sqn, which enabled NSW's personnel adapt quickly to their new environment. KAF provides a well equipped and, given the circumstances, a surprisingly comfortable base for the Wing. Facilities are such that all but the most complex engineering tasks can be undertaken, a factor that is underpinned by a robust and efficient logistics chain. In terms of living conditions, both accommodation and catering are of a high standard, while in addition to the basic provision, welfare facilities are considerably enhanced by the presence of shops (both NAFFI and international variants), and several coffee and fast food outlets which add welcome variety.
The tasking undertaken by NSW is varied and is usually generated by the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC), which oversees the overall air picture within Theatre. In general, NSW are tasked with the provision of aircraft to meet a designated number of sorties per day. Standard tasking consists of mostly Close Air Support, or Tactical Reconnaissance, with a number of aircraft kept at high readiness to respond to events as required – this latter role is simply termed Ground Close Air Support or GCAS.
Since October, the squadron has flown over 200 missions, and has been required to use the complete range of weapons at our disposal in support of ground forces. In addition to kinetic action, where bombs have actually been dropped, they have been used for numerous non-kinetic deterrent activities usually flying very fast and very low.
From the aircrew perspective, the flying environment is stimulating. Afghanistan has a diverse landscape, ranging from barren featureless desert, through to impressive mountain ranges, often dissected by lush green valleys. To this, one has to add the threat posed by the various insurgent elements found throughout the country Then there is the international dimension. NSW is not alone in the provision of air cover to ISAF; there are elements from the United States, the Netherlands and France, organised by multi-national command and control. Through a combination of professionalism and hard work, the system works – but still demands constant presence of mind.
Now three months into the tour, NSW has fully established itself and has continued to promote and build upon the positive reputation earned by the Harrier Force within Afghanistan. A series of high profile operations has ensured the service offered by the aircraft has been very much in demand, as indeed it will be for the foreseeable future. Direct feedback from the ground forces comes in many forms, but one of the most welcome is by visits from the Joint Tactical Air Controllers, the people embedded with the ground forces who call in the air support.
The Future
2008 will bring its own challenges and will be equally as busy as 2007. However, with morale high and a positive approach by all, NSW looks forward to delivering air power both from sea and land, and meeting the unique challenges that both environments present.
An added level to the layered air defence will be provided by the new Type 45 Destroyer equipped with the sophisticated and lethal Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) which is capable of controlling several missiles in the air at any one time, each one of which could engage individual targets, preventing attackers from swamping the fleet's air defences.
It is intended that the Harrier force be completely replaced by the Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) also referred to as the Joint Strike Fighter which is due to enter service in 2012 and be operated from the Royal Navy's Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF).


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Cool Companies
Recent grads bring nerve and verve to their startup ventures.
By Anna Fiorentino
Young alumni are founding companies that offer innovative solutions to a range of challenges, from shrinking utility bills to providing emergency lighting, from recycling carbon dioxide to storing wind and solar energy. They are delivering high-performance electric motorcycles, exposing counterfeit pills, and changing the way we purchase art.
"Too many good ideas that have real potential for helping people end up on a piece of paper in a library," says Ashifi Gogo Th'10, Thayer's first Ph.D. Innovation Program graduate and founder of the drug-authentication company Sproxil.
In the following, Gogo and other alumni tell how they turned their good ideas into great companies.
BRD Motorcycles
Cofounders: Marc Fenigstein '01 Th'04, David Drennan Th'09
Marc Fenigstein '01 Th'04 compares the moment he first rode the BRD motorcycle prototype to the first time he rode shaped skis instead of straight skis, or used an Apple iPod instead of an MP3 player. "I knew on paper that it was extremely capable. What completely surprised me was just how easy it was," he says.
One taste of the bike's combination of performance and design erased his initial concern that riders weren't ready for a high-performance—and quiet—electric motorcycle.
"All great motorsports brands, from Honda to Porsche, were built on high-performance racing first, and eventually they reach beginners," says Fenigstein, BRD's chief executive officer. "There is a $50 billion market of existing riders just waiting to transition to electric motors."
In August 2011, BRD Motorcycles released the RedShift, a second-generation fully functioning prototype, now in field testing. The RedShift's instant throttle response and flat, endless torque curve makes the bike easy to ride and fast—an expected 90 miles per hour, which matches the most powerful of gas equivalents. And at about 250 pounds, this 40-horsepower bike weighs about 150 pounds less than most street legal bikes. "It will have the power and the battery capacity to outperform most of its gas-powered equivalents," says Fenigstein.
Based in San Francisco, BRD Motorcycles has already received more than 700 pre-order inquiries, and plans to be in production by late 2012 with a 2013 model. Several motorcycle dealerships are already lined up to sell the bikes. With a price tag of approximately $15,000, the RedShift MX and SM models cost more upfront than most gas bikes, but less once additional expenses for oil changes, maintenance, and gas are factored into the equation. According to Fenigstein, the bike has piqued the interest of top-tier investors, including Mike Donoughe, formerly of Tesla Motors and now chief operating officer at electric vehicle startup Bright Automotive, and advisors from Ducati motorcycles and Google.
BRD Motorcycles was the brainchild of Jeff Sand and Derek Dorresteyn, who approached Fenigstein in 2009 while he was at frog design in San Francisco. Fenigstein was an established product design consultant, with mechanical engineering and startup experience. "Derek and Jeff were looking for someone to evaluate their design and create a viable business, someone who knew outdoor and action sports as well as design and engineering," says Fenigstein.
By the time Sand, now chief design officer, got the ball rolling with BRD Motorcycles, he'd already invented Switch step-in snowboard bindings, created the Sutro Vision line of eyewear, and designed furniture featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Dorresteyn, chief technology officer and a former professional motorcycle racer, owned and operated a high-end machine shop manufacturing everything from fine architectural pieces to industrial mining equipment. Mechanical engineer David Drennan Th'09, who built hybrid race cars for Dartmouth Formula Racing during his Thayer Master of Engineering Management studies, became the fourth cofounder.
"We expected a backlash because it wasn't a loud, gas bike, but there has been an overwhelming positive response not just to the bike's aesthetic but to the bike itself," says Fenigstein.
With the goal of producing bikes that are faster and more powerful than anything else on the market, Fenigstein eyes a global road. "We're looking to build the next great motorcycle company, to become the Honda of the 21st century," he says.
Cofounder: Anna Stork '08
A student strains to see her schoolwork inside a dim Guatemalan classroom. A hiker runs out of flashlight batteries on the Appalachian Trail. Both scenarios could benefit from an inexpensive, compact, solar solution: a hand-held inflatable, rechargeable LED lamp called LuminAID.
Anna Stork '08 and Andrea Sreshta developed the LuminAID solar light prototype while classmates at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture. Designed in the wake of the Haitian earthquake, LuminAID is the world's first inflatable solar light. Waterproof and easy to ship, it lasts longer than a battery-powered flashlight, is safer than a kerosene lamp, and doesn't require expensive rechargeable batteries.
"At the time there was a lot of clean water, shelter, and food being shipped to Haiti, but most people in informal settlements were without a light source," says Stork. "There were many cases of rape and kidnapping because it was so densely populated. We saw a need for a portable light source to improve safety of people living in tents."
Stork and Sreshta's LuminAID Lab has since received more than 2,000 pledges to donate the solar lights to community partners in Haiti and also Nigeria, Peru, Ghana, India, and Bolivia, and pre-sold about 1,000 additional lights. The simple solar technology earned LuminAID awards and startup cash from business competitions, including the WalMart/Net Impact Better Living Business Plan Challenge and the Global Social Venture Competition.
"It's just a solar panel with a thin rechargeable battery connected to LED lights, with the circuit integrated into the plastic. The innovation is the combination of the solar with the inflatable," says Stork, who filed for a full patent under the offices of Columbia Technology Ventures.
LuminAID produces four to six hours of light and can be recharged in five to six hours. The device can be recharged up to 800 times and has a total shelf life of two to three years, says Stork, who first began thinking about merging sustainability and design while at Thayer.
"I took away a lot from my course in materials science at Thayer. I also learned about solar and renewable energy," says Stork, who incorporated LuminAID Lab in 2011 with the intent of providing an immediate lighting solution for individuals in regions affected by natural disasters and wars. Her goal has since expanded as more and more hikers and campers want the solar lights for outdoor recreational use.
The LuminAID Lab "Give Light, Get Light" campaign on the crowd-funding site IndieGoGo, which was launched in late 2011, combines the two uses. For $25, customers pre-buy one light and send a gift of another light to a partner foundation in a developing country. Another LuminAID Lab partner, Solar Sister, equips budding female entrepreneurs with the marketing and sales skills to sell LuminAID solar lights in Uganda. Elephant Energy follows a similar model in Namibia, and Pencils of Promise is outfitting schools with LuminAID lights in Laos, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
According to Stork, the two-for-one approach makes sense. "We're combining smart design with simple solar technology to provide solutions for developing countries as well as for other markets," she says.
Liquid Light
Cofounder: Kyle Teamey '98
As entrepreneur-in-residence at Redpoint Ventures, Kyle Teamey '98 wanted to find a way to make fuels from renewable energy without relying on biological feedstocks. In 2009 he cofounded Liquid Light, an early-stage startup based on discoveries in the fields of catalysis and artificial photosynthesis stemming from research by Emily Cole in the lab of Professor Andrew Bocarsly at Princeton University. Liquid Light licensed the technology and began research and development in Central New Jersey with Bocarsly, Cole, and nine other scientists from around the world.
Liquid Light uses energy from light or any electric power source to convert waste carbon dioxide into industrial chemicals and transportation fuels, in a process similar to artificial photosynthesis or reverse combustion. While the company won't be doing large-scale production for several years, it has made a handful of key breakthroughs in catalysis that can eventually lead to improving energy security and reducing oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions.
Liquid Light has successfully made 20 household chemicals from carbon dioxide, including butanol, which contains four carbon atoms. According to Teamey, other companies pursuing artificial photosynthetic routes have generally only been able to make single carbon atom products.
"Our catalysts allow us to lower the activation energy for carbon dioxide reduction and initiate it very near the thermodynamically reversible potential. This gives us a huge advantage in energy consumption," says Teamey, who is president of the company. "We've been able to make a lot of basic building blocks for doing industrial chemistry."
As an undergraduate, Teamey broke into lab work at Thayer under Professor Lee Lynd, whose research on cellulosic ethanol launched the renewable fuels company Mascoma Corporation. "Even though I was researching a biological process, I was able to do chemistry and biochemistry that gave me a feel for how labs operate," says Teamey, who also holds a master's in finance and energy policy from Johns Hopkins University. "The hands-on experience I received at Dartmouth was hugely important to my career."
That career includes six years as an active duty officer for the army, with a year in Iraq. He served as director of renewable energy at Dunia Frontier Consultants, cofounded the Switch Renewable Energy company, and became a consultant for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). "My experience with DARPA taught me there are a lot of interesting technologies that have not yet found commercial application for one reason or another," says Teamey.
The DARPA approach helped Teamey create Liquid Light. "Instead of waiting for a startup to come to us like most venture capitalist firms, like DARPA we went looking for scientists to solve a technical challenge," says Teamey. "A great team is often one of the key missing pieces for solving very hard problems in science."
Founder: Ashifi Gogo Th'10
In the United States you might end up with a knock-off bag or a non-organic piece of fruit, but in developing nations, the implications of purchasing a counterfeit product are often much more grave.
"The growing trade in fake pharmaceuticals is of great concern in the developing world because of the large impact it has on human life," says Ashifi Gogo Th'10, the first graduate of Thayer's Ph.D. Innovation Program. More than 700,000 deaths a year result from fake and substandard tuberculosis and malaria drugs alone.
While at Thayer, Gogo says, he was shocked to find out that the most populous city in Africa—Lagos, Nigeria—reported that 80 percent of prescription drugs available in 2003 were fake. He set up Sproxil to combat counterfeiting through a cell phone-based product verification service. Thousands of people are already using this technology to verify the authenticity of their drugs.
"Sproxil empowers consumers to make smart decisions so they don't buy fake pills unknowingly," he says. "Our goal is to reestablish trust between patients and their pharmacists and make counterfeiting more challenging for rogue retailers."
In 2010 Sproxil became the first large-scale, crowd-sourced, anti-counterfeiting text message system deployed in Africa. When people buy medications, they can scratch off a label on the blister pack containing the drug to reveal a unique PIN, which they text to Sproxil's secure short code free of charge. The consumer then receives an instant response from Sproxil's Mobile Product Authentication™ technology confirming or denying a product's genuineness. Sproxil's cloud-based computing service automatically checks the code and provides the right response to the end user. Pharmaceutical companies paying for the medication verification service can then send relevant targeted offers to the consumer, and benefit from brand protection, real-time market insight, and increased sales.
Sproxil currently operates in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and India, and is already working with pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck's distributor in Nigeria. Merck's Glucophage global sales, which had fallen 75 percent since 2008 due to loss of profits from counterfeit drugs, increased by more than 10 percent in just 100 days of working with Sproxil. "We helped rescue Merck's Glucophage brand in Nigeria, and today four additional Merck products have been added to our service," says Gogo.
The Ghanaian native says that the Ph.D. Innovation Program prepared him for running Sproxil. "Thayer gave me the entrepreneurial training I needed," says Gogo, who in the past started a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company in Ghana. "The program fosters a new pedigree of engineers who are capable of solving global problems through tangible solutions."
By the time Gogo graduated, his enterprise had received global accolades. In 2009 Sproxil won an Outstanding Commitment Award in Global Health—and a $10,000 grant—from the Clinton Global Initiative University, and a year later Gogo shared the stage with Bill Clinton in front of world leaders to highlight the progress Sproxil had made since receiving the grant. In 2010 Sproxil won IBM's SmartCamp competition in Boston and received honorable mention at the IBM Global SmartCamp in Dublin. The company has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe.
Gogo oversees employees across three continents from Sproxil's headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. To date, consumers have sent more than a million messages to Sproxil to verify that they are not buying fake products. With the global pharmaceutical industry losing $200 billion annually to the counterfeiting epidemic, Sproxil has established itself as a healthy antidote.
Cofounders: Luke Fishback '02 Th'03, John Cunningham '02
Luke Fishback '02 Th'03 was looking for a viable business plan after building monitoring systems for missiles and satellites at Lockheed Martin. He had just purchased his first house. "I wanted to save money on my monthly electric bill and coming out of a great lab and engineering environment, I was used to building whatever tools I needed," he says.
So he created a monitoring system that photographed his own electricity meter every 30 seconds over the course of a day, and then converted the pictures into a spreadsheet. By auditing his own electricity use through a real-time lens, he tweaked his appliances and systems to save money.
He knew he was onto something. "Who wouldn't want to reduce their utility bills by as much as 50 percent—especially if it was as simple as turning off the auxiliary heat on your thermostat or cleaning dirty refrigerator coils," he says.
Fishback sent the data from his webcam to his friend and former classmate John Cunningham '02, who was finishing his Ph.D. at Stanford. "I told John there was cool stuff to be gleaned from this crude initial data set," Fishback says.
In 2008 he and Cunningham launched PlotWatt, a company that helps reduce utility bills by analyzing costs for running individual appliances.
"Many companies offer energy monitoring and feedback, but we're the only company out there that figures out appliance usage without having a homeowner put a monitor on every appliance," says Fishback, PlotWatt's chief executive officer. "Instead of just telling you usage in unhelpful units like kilowatts and kilowatt hours, we can tell you exactly how much you can save tomorrow if you turn your thermostat down one degree, for example."
Cunningham, PlotWatt's chief scientist, helped create the algorithms the company uses today. When a customer signs up for PlotWatt online, the company's cloud-based software analyzes data from their energy meter to trace appliance-level energy cost without monitoring individual appliances. The PlotWatt Energy Dashboard has already given feedback and personalized, money-saving recommendations to thousands of customers.
"Once we started to get word out, we had a community of early adopters who gave us a warm reception," says Fishback. The current beta version of PlotWatt is free for residential users who have an enabled smart meter.
With $1 million in seed funding led by Felicis Ventures and $100,000 from General Electric's GE Ecomagination Challenge, PlotWatt is scaling up to serve a larger residential customer base and expand into commercial markets.
"We are solving real problems that don't just apply to geeks like us," says Fishback, who likes to joke that PlotWatt has even saved a life. "Our system once diagnosed a faulty heater on fish tank. A customer was slowly cooking his fish and didn't even know it."
Cofounders: Dax Kepshire Th'06, '09, Ben Bollinger '04 Th'04, '08, Troy McBride Th'01, Professor Charles Hutchinson
Renewable energy struggles to compete with fossil fuels in part because the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine on demand; storing energy for use on demand can improve the economics of renewable energy.
A group of Thayer alumni has created an isothermal compressed air energy storage (ICAES™) system that can do just that.
SustainX is the first to develop a fuel-free compressed air system to efficiently capture and store inexpensive power generated during off-peak hours to use on the electrical grid during peak hours—capable of acting as a sort of renewable energy reserve.
"If we can store excess wind and solar energy, we can allow these resources to become more reliable and predictable," says Dax Kepshire Th'06, '09, who cofounded SustainX in 2007 with fellow engineering Ph.D. graduates Ben Bollinger '04 Th'04, '08, and Troy McBride Th'01, and Thayer Professor Charles Hutchinson.
SustainX is positioned to make a significant market impact over the next decade, according to Cleantech Group, a company that evaluates new approaches to sustainability. By 2013 SustainX, which recently relocated 24 employees from Lebanon, N.H., to a 42,000 square-foot building in Seabrook, N.H., plans to roll out a commercial prototype system for large power producer AES Energy Storage, using $5.4 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Energy. So far SustainX has eight patents protecting its technology.
According to Kepshire, what sets SustainX apart from the few existing traditional compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities is the company's ability to eliminate inefficiency that had been caused from gas heating up when compressed and cooling down when expanded. SustainX controls the temperature in its compression and expansion cylinders through heat transfer by injecting a constant mist of water, which captures and then returns the heat.
SustainX's patented isothermal megawatt-scale storage system has several advantages over other approaches. It doesn't require additional fuel input and is cheaper than large-scale classic systems that require natural gas. It isn't restrictive geographically, whereas traditional air storage options rely on limestone or salt caverns. SustainX's ICAES is also lower maintenance and has a longer lifetime than energy-storing sodium sulfur batteries. "Most people working on this problem are focused on batteries, which don't last long and use toxic substances," says Kepshire. "We're the first company in the world to go after this approach with a system using almost exclusively steel, water, and air."
This technological distinction has helped SustainX gain funding from the National Science Foundation and General Electric's GE Ecomagination Challenge, as well as $24 million in private financing from several investors, including Polaris Venture Partners, RockPort Capital Partners, Cadent Energy Partners, General Catalyst Partners, GE Energy Financial Services, and Angeli Parvi.
"Dax is the one who suggested we actually start a company instead of taking an academic research path. He brought on Ben, an extremely talented engineer, and Charles Hutchinson, a highly successful entrepreneur and invaluable mentor," says cofounder McBride. "Our goal is to develop the best energy storage system out there—and in the process make a difference in the world of renewable energy for generations to come."
Founder: Jason Gracilieri Th'00
Jason Gracilieri Th'00 was 28 when he purchased his first home and felt he had matured past most of the art he owned. "I was done with framed posters, but like many people my age, I didn't have the money, time, or knowledge to buy original artwork," says Gracilieri, now 34.
He responded by founding TurningArt, an art rental service with the option to buy—a business he now refers to as a Netflix for art. In August 2010, Gracilieri became his own first customer.
On turningart.com, Gracilieri rents limited edition quality prints for as little as $10 a month to individuals for their homes and offices. Each dollar spent on this monthly fee earns his customers a dollar in credit toward the purchase of an original work of art.
Today, Boston-area-based TurningArt is experiencing strong growth after raising $750,000 in funding, led by NextView Ventures. Gracilieri's eight-person "dynamic coalition of art-loving geeks and technology-loving artists," as he calls his colleagues, includes chief technology officer Matt Hodgson Th'06 and director of marketing Jason Pavel '04. Gracilieri's wife, Julie, a painter and former gallery owner, helped recruit some 300 artists whose work now constitutes the company's growing collection.
After earning his Master of Engineering Management degree from Thayer, Gracilieri worked for an aerospace startup called SpaceDev, a social network for high school students called Sconex, and a consumer deposit search engine called BankFox before founding TurningArt.
"The ultimate driving mission of TurningArt is to connect people with artwork they love and do it in an innovative way," says Gracilieri. "Like engineering, art is about individuals creating things. I'd rather have the work of today's artists on my wall than mass-produced reproductions."
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Sumatran Tiger
These formidable animals are critically endangered in the wild. Zoos around the world, including Melbourne Zoo, have become part of the battle to prevent the extinction of this species.
The Sumatran Tiger is classed as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (on the IUCN 'red list'), with numbers in the wild falling. The animals remaining in the wild may number in the hundreds. Threats include habitat loss as palm oil plantations are extended through their natural range, hunting for traditional medicine (although this is illegal in all countries), and loss of prey.
Melbourne Zoo is involved in a captive breeding program for these critically endangered animals. Four cubs, born in February 2010, can be seen daily at the zoo. Visiting the Zoo helps to fight extinction. Meeting the Sumatran Tigers at Melbourne Zoo is an opportunity not only to see these rare animals, but also to learn about the threats facing this species, what the international community is doing to try to conserve the species, and how Zoos Victoria is contributing to the fight.
The Sumatran Tiger is found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat ranging from mountainous forests to lowland forests. The Sumatran Tiger is one of nine subspecies of tiger (three of which are already extinct), and it is believed that these animals became isolated to Sumatra when rising sea levels smothered the land, causing the formation of islands in the region.
Sumatran Tigers are the smallest of all tigers, and their size assists them in navigating the dense, tropical forests in which they hunt.
Being solitary animals, they are highly adapted to ambush hunting, using their stripes as camouflage against the dappled light of the forest floor. Sumatran Tigers will lie in wait to prey upon wild boar, birds, tapir, fish and deer.
- Tigers are proficient swimmers and can cross rivers that are 7–8 km wide without any difficulty
- Tigers will attack their prey from the rear; only 1 in 10–20 attempts succeed in a kill
- To seek out prey and defend a home range it is not uncommon for a tiger to travel 10–20 km a day
You can help us label palm oil once and for all. Let Ministers know that you want the choice.
The Sumatran Tiger is critically endangered with around 240 remaining in the wild. Despite hunting being illegal, tigers continue to be killed by poachers. You can help us fight extinction by adopting the Sumatran Tiger.
- Werribee Open Range Zoo
- Healesville Sanctuary
- Melbourne Zoo