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by Ted Cleary, ASLA
JULY of 1863: following earlier Confederate victories that spring, Robert E. Lee has pushed northward into Pennsylvania. His Army of Northern Virginia bumps up against Union troops in the small town of Gettysburg, and skirmishes escalate. By the early afternoon of July third, two days of intense fighting has built to a climactic showdown, when Lee sends in a 12,000 troop offensive to cut the North's Army of the Potomac's flanks in half. After launching the largest artillery barrage the western hemisphere has ever seen to soften Union defenses, the cannons' acrid smoke and thunderous noise, heard as far as forty miles away in Harrisburg, ceases from both sides.
Believing they've exhausted the Northern Army's artillery power, a mile-wide swath of Confed-erate troops begins its march across a mile of fields to confront the Union line. Halfway there, they are met by a barrage of Union cannon fire again. The Confederate ranks are heavily mowed down as they advance, stoically and fatalistically, armed only with their rifles. Those whose bodies aren't torn apart by the ferocity of 12-pound iron cannonballs or nearly vaporized by the shrapnel of exploding shells, return musket shots when finally within firing range. Survivors clamber over a low fieldstone wall shielding Union troops to engage in savage hand-to-hand combat lanced with bayonets or their skulls smashed by the butts of rifles, before it becomes clear that the Confederates have been defeated and retreat. The bodies of some 50,000 young Americans lay dead or injured, soaking the landscape with their blood shed over three brutal days.
The connection to these fields south of Gettysburg was now burned into the memory of those survivors. Especially in an age of warfare before airplanes, before any sort of motorized equip-ment, when an army travelled solely on foot (for some Confederates, tenacious but poorly outfit-ted, even barefoot) and for a privileged few officers, by horse, the terrain was an intimate part of the soldier's experience. Both sides were keenly aware of two particular features in this other-wise unremarkable landscape, and used them to advantage: the subtly rolling topography just beyond the Appalachian foothills, and the low Pennsylvania granite stone walls defining farm fields. General George Meade, commanding the Army of the Potomac, was in fact a member of the small but elite Corps of Topographical Engineers, charged with mapping the vast western lands of the young nation; he was as aware as anyone of the strategic importance of "taking the hill". Little Round Top; Cemetery Ridge; Culp's Hill; all would have a pivotal role in the success or failure of Union and Confederate troops over those three days. The ground upon which this tragedy played out had now become a defining chapter in the struggle to keep the young republic intact.
NINETY-five years later, when Richard Neutra received word that his and Robert Alexander's firm had been selected by the National Park Service's Mission 66 planners to create a visitor center, he soon realized the enormity of the design task. This commission would be one of those defining moments in an architect's career, even one as seasoned and accomplished as Neutra's, in which an exceptional design could transcend its utilitarian role to inspire our "greater selves". It should convey the ideals fought and died for on that battlefield among fieldstone and rolling pastures, much as President Lincoln strove to do when he delivered what would become one of the nation's most inspired speeches from that "hallowed ground, consecrated" by those men themselves.
In contrast to this esoteric goal, the NPS's basic programmatic requirements were quite straight-forward. First and foremost, Paul Philippoteaux's historic cyclorama painting, a curiously late-19th-century form of 'infotainment' acquired by the Park Service from private ownership in 1941, needed a secure new home. Additionally, the NPS had long recognized the need for a central gathering place to accommodate Gettysburg's ever-expanding crowds; a visitor center which would direct and welcome them in a logical progression rather than the helter-skelter manner in which private tour guides had previously operated, and through educational displays and artifacts "interpret" the history of those watershed three days. The huge cyclorama painting, at 356 feet in circumference and two stories high, called for a large and simple cylindrical shape. Both its impressive size and its historical importance dictated that this would be the dominant element of the visitor center, with the interpretive displays, services such as gift shop and restrooms, and the adjunct office space for the park's administrative staff, subordinate to it. With the perception perhaps born of his status as an "outsider" from Austria, Neutra reasoned that a memorial highlighting the beginning of the end for the Confederacy might offend a significant part of the country --- particularly as the struggle for racial equality was again heating up in the early 1960s a century after it was supposed to have been resolved --- and thus designed the viewing room for the circular painting upstairs, where it could either be the climax for the park visitor or avoided entirely.
Throughout the 1940s and '50s, the Park Service had given long and deliberate thought to pre-cisely where their eventual visitor center at Gettysburg should be located. With nearly universal agreement, NPS Director Conrad Wirth approved a site on the edge of woods known as Ziegler's Grove. This spot, from a slight rise in the topography, offered a panoramic view, south some 200 yards, over the most significant locations that culminated in Pickett's Charge that third day. Most significantly, it was virtually the same vantage point from which Philippoteaux envisioned the battle that had taken place about fifteen years before he put paint to canvas. With this im-portant decision resolved, the long process of design development, and approval, began.
What emerged from the architect's drawing table was a quintessentially Neutra solution. It did, and didn't, look like a "Neutra building", because its appearance was not a self-conscious "style" but instead uniquely and primarily derived, form following function as had all of Neutra's vast body of work, from the most important considerations the architect was always guided by: the program, the end user, and every bit as importantly, the site and surrounding landscape. When the NPS had kicked off its Mission 66 program a few years before, they intuitively recognized that modern architecture, with its deliberate sense of timelessness and lack of historicist details, could serve as the perfect foil for the memorable settings of its parks and monuments. The visitor center at any park, they felt, should not attempt to be some literal interpretation of a vernacular building style, with historicist details distorted and out-of-scale by the many roles it was tasked with to accommodate crowds of visitors; rather, it should fulfill the promise modernists had held for decades, providing an un-self-conscious, socially inspired locus among its more important site; as timeless in style as the landscapes surrounding it.
Collaboration between architect and clients, particularly when many players are involved, can be a curious thing; oftentimes compromise results in a watered-down final design where all in-spiration and clarity gets lost. But at other times, as this instance, initial design concepts may evolve from such discussion and emerge stronger. Early sketches and models show the cyclo-rama drum as the building's southern end, closest to the battlefield, its mass looming out over the view like the prow of a ship, but written records indicate that the Park Service preferred the drum be reversed so it was more tucked into the tree canopy of Ziegler's Grove. A tall and narrow tower, reminiscent of a future addition to Neutra's Garden Grove Community Church, was wisely removed from the design. If Goethe's observation that the essence of beauty is simplicity, what remained was pure modernist beauty: clear geometries of a large round concrete drum floating above the land, in perfect counterpoint to a long, low, strongly rectilinear and horizontally-emphasized wing sheathed in a rhythm of vertical louvers. The entire simple composition possessed the magically perfect proportions that Neutra always seemed to achieve.
At the south end of this rectilinear structure, reaching out toward the High Water Mark, the building terminated in an overscaled 'spider leg', a signature Neutra architectural device. Many times Neutra employed this post and beam detail that served not only as a structural element, but more so as an expressive gesture to reach out into the surrounding landscape and ground the building to it. Wherever it was applied, the spider leg often created a subtle connection with the site, and here it seemed as though Neutra wanted to subliminally link us from the coolly modern structure to the battlefield itself.
Gently rising ramps were an integral aspect of the building's design, both internally leading to the cyclorama painting and externally to a wide viewing platform overlooking the battlefield. They served to subconsciously echo the rolling fields surrounding it, much more so than their utilitarian role of making the visitor center equally accessible to wheelchair-bound visitors, decades before the Federal ADA laws would dictate such design concerns. As with many other Neutra projects, water was a key element here also: tranquil sheets of water on three levels, spilling down from the roof to the entrance door area, were intended to subtly direct visitors' motion as well as set a tone of dignity befitting this site. The architect felt that an attribute of modern architecture was that it could fade into the landscape. "Our building should play itself into the background, behind a pool reflecting the everlasting sky over all of us — and it will not shout out any novelty or datedness."
The Neutra firm was awarded the contract to oversee actual construction after the design was resolved. His architectural practice was known for meticulous correspondence, and archived records tell a story of a challenging construction process over the next several years. The project was hampered by two, often conflicting, circumstances: the inherent nature of modernist archi-tecture to use unique building materials and methods, forcing contractors to 'step outside their comfort zone'; at the same time, the NPS's mandate to choose the lowest bidder. An optimistic start was tested right from the beginning, when it was discovered that the footings had been dug twenty feet off from where soil testing had determined the building's placement; the footings thus had to be re-designed, and then the quality of concrete that followed was a repeated source of conflict. The resultant problems included sliding doors that were never used for their intended noble purpose of opening the speaker's rostrum to crowds gathered outside on a lawn, one of many excuses used by the cyclorama building's detractors to finally bulldoze the structure some fifty years after it was dedicated.
Dion Neutra, Neutra Sr.'s son and business partner, served as project architect, managing the three-year process with occasional site visits from the other side of the continent, with Thaddeus Longstreth, a former Neutra apprentice now relocated near Princeton, New Jersey, providing fre-quent weekly site visits. Of particular interest to the architects was getting the stonemasonry just so. This aspect of the building's material palette was an important way Neutra referenced the surrounding terrain on which so many men clashed and died a century before, and records show how the architects fought hard for the craftsmanship of the stonework to turn out just as they envisioned. Their painstaking specifications included every conceivable aspect, from its source ("Arcure Pennsylvania Sandstone in the tan, brown or buff color range") to minute details of its pattern and mortar jointing. An initial delivery of 155 ton of Pennsylvania sandstone ultimately proved unsatisfactory, as did the mason's first several mock-up panels; eventually a different quarry was able to provide acceptable stone and an old barn was found near Gettysburg that served as the prototype for the stonemasonry. Nevertheless, project records indicate that Long-streth felt it necessary to continue to closely monitor and guide the work to its last detail. Other Neutra structures --- the concurrent Garden Grove Church design among several other projects --- laid up their stonework in an unusual way: vertically oriented, rather than horizontal as it would be found in nature, to emphasize the non-structural aspect of Neutra's modernist free-floating walls, and simply to celebrate a unique way to display the stone texture. But here at Gettysburg, Neutra wanted his stonework to be married to the surrounding land, in a delicate balance between grounding his building to its site and contrasting it with the clean and timeless simplicity of his concrete and stainless steel. His referential details were, as always, subtle: even the drum's five supporting stone-clad stretched piers on the northeast side, splayed out from the auditorium doors, are reminiscent of the walls all over the Gettysburg countryside, when piers of a more compact shape could probably have supported the same tributary load. Nearby boulders remind us of just how much the visitor center 'grew out of' its site. At the Park Service's urging, some more-literal low fieldstone walls, looking just as they did when Civil War troops used them for cover a century before, were integrated into the surrounding concrete walkways and fieldstone patios.
An architecture as bold as the visitor center, and in a naturalistic setting as simple as the sur-rounding woods and farmfields as at Gettysburg, called for landscape planting that supported, rather than overwhelmed, its visual impact. Part of Neutra's sensitivity to site and landscape is attributed to his employment as a young man in Switzerland with noted landscape architect Gus-tav Ammann. As was often his habit, Neutra provided general guidelines for the visitor center's landscape plantings (e.g. perennials; evergreen shrubs; height ranges), but the specific planting plans were produced by NPS landscape architect Eugene DeSilets to emphasize naturalistic spe-cies choices in keeping with the surrounding land and the simplicity of the building, including a curving colonnade of two dozen Red Oaks along a walkway.
Few if any written memories exist to tell us if Richard Neutra consciously weighed these site is-sues in his design process, along with the multitude of other considerations that were balanced in the final design. Perhaps they were simply folded into the subconscious way he approached eve-ry project and site in his matured career. It would be inaccurate to call his "Shrine to the Nation" at Gettysburg Richard Neutra's magnum opus, as his entire body of work includes many remark-able and defining projects, but we do know that Neutra was greatly honored to be given this op-portunity, and proud of the result his firm produced.
NOW, in spring of 2013 --- after over a decade of passionate attempts led by the original project architect to save it, including legal wins that ultimately proved ineffective --- Neutra's Lincoln Memorial at Gettysburg is no more. Its detractors, who could never accept modernist architec-ture 'infringing' on the hallowed ground of Gettysburg, have finally won. The last concrete rub-ble has been hauled away to the landfill and the site has been regraded in a dubious attempt to "return it to its 1863 appearance", notwithstanding the glaring nearby intrusions of garish fast-food joints and a recent tract home neighborhood erected right over the ground of this same his-toric battle. We're left to wonder why the sight of some-1300 Gothic monuments scattered across the battlefield's landscape is acceptable to Gettysburg's protectors. Perhaps this unique location was simply too controversial to ever satisfy both those who honor that particular July a century-and-a-half ago, and those who see modernism, and the noble goals of the Mission 66 project, as an equally-important chapter in the continuum of our nation's history.
Ted Cleary, ASLA, is principal of Studio Cleary Landscape Architecture. Ted is in the process of launching the weekly MCM blog on garden design www.modernoutside.com.
The following is one of a number of articles collected by Dion Neutra in his upcoming Ebook Commemorative on the 'Loss of the Gettysburg Cyclorama Center', which was destroyed last March by the same agency that commissioned it. Upload the entire 190 page document just now in final stages of production. Check the Neutra.org website for status.


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First, we visit restaurateur Jerry Kleiner's restaurant Carnivale to check out the fun and whimsical interior he designed himself; and later, go inside his home to see how he has achieved that "wow factor" in his own space (Watch video below). Next, we tour the only penthouse unit of the Trump Soho with Donald Trump Jr. (Watch video above). Then, we head to L.A. to visit a contemporary treetop home with interior designer Martha Moos (Watch video below). Later, we couldn't get enough Trump, so we visited the Trump Towers Chicago to take in the views from one of the highest residential buildings in the city (Watch video below). Finally, George rescues a family in desperate need of insulation for their home (Watch video below). Watch as George and the crew bring some warmth and love into this couple's home (Watch video here). Tune in!
This episode of Open House was hosted from 135 West 70th Street, New York, NY. For more information about this property, please contact Luke Evans of Corcoran at 212-360-1641 or Susanna Lendrum of Corcoran at 212-360-1654. View the listing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Golden Triangle Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins explains the series of events that led to the collapse of a $600-million project during a meeting with media at the Link offices in Columbus Wednesday. Photo by: Lee Adams/Dispatch Staff
January 3, 2013 10:24:23 AM
After more than two years of wheeling and dealing, an economic development deal once known as "Project Apollo" came to a whimpering halt Monday, bringing the promise of 971 new jobs to the area down with it. But officials connected to the project say it started to burn out almost from the start.
Project Apollo -- known at various times as Calisolar, Silicor Materials, Delta Silicon and Mississippi Silicon -- may or may not be coming to Mississippi, but it will not be coming to Lowndes County, leaving $75 million in state incentives and $19 million in county incentives on the floor.
Golden Triangle Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins confirmed Wednesday that talks with the two-phase silicon metal production plant and a silicon purification plant had completely stalled after Mississippi Silicon, the production plant, ignored a Dec. 31 deadline to place $150,000 in escrow.
Higgins also said he had received a letter from Silicor Materials, the second phase silicon purification plant, stating the company would not be placing a required $50,000 in escrow as it was still finalizing its financing. The escrow deadlines were approved by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Dec. 3 at the recommendation of Higgins. Higgins suggested the financial deadlines after Mississippi Silicon missed a start-up deadline of Sept. 2 and company officials said it would not be able to meet a second start-up date of Dec. 31.
Higgins blamed a lack of funding on Mississippi Silicon investors for the dissolution of the project.
"They did not have the funding," Higgins said. "They told us they had the financing together and they didn't. They hadn't even filled out the loan application. We could no longer hold our resources for them without some refundable escrow money."
Mississippi Silicon officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
The history of the failed project goes back as far as 2010, when Higgins said he was approached about the project by Sen. Terry Brown, R-Columbus, as another Lowndes County project was being discussed during a special session of the state Legislature.
"We have been working on this project since the day KiOR was funded during a special session in Jackson," Higgins said. "I was in the lobby of the capitol when Terry Brown approached me and said he had a new project that would be great for Lowndes County."
Higgins said Brown told him venture capitalist John Correnti and Global Principal Partners were connected to the project and it was going to be an almost billion dollar investment creating more than 1,000 jobs.
"When we were approached about this deal, it was a silicon metal production plant, silicon purification plant and a silicon solar panel plant that would create more than 1,300 jobs," he said. "This is during the time Calisolar was working with Ontario, Ohio, trying to bring a plant there. We started following Calisolar in the news and what was going on in Ohio."
When the Ohio deal went south, literally, Higgins said they were assured the funding was there.
"We were told on July 15 that their finances were fully funded," Higgins said. "We didn't want a repeat of the rebar plant and frankly, Severstal -- both of which had Correnti attached them."
For Higgins, the project started to show signs of being in trouble during the summer of 2012. The project was originally under one memorandum of understanding but then it was brought back before the board with a request for a two-phase MOU with two separate fee-in-lieu agreements. This came after project investors had changed site locations in an attempt to add access to rail service. And although the prospect of bringing additional jobs to the area was certainly enticing, Higgins said holding the property and its services for more than two years was the greatest loss to the county.
"Holding this property for that long took us out of the game with electricity and sewer capacity," Higgins said. "The electricity it required was more wattage than the City of Columbus and it needed 500,000 gallons of sewer a day. This commitment kept us from getting some other prospects. Plus, very few companies want to fall in line behind a place that just hired a huge amount of the workforce with the promise of paying $45,000 a year in salaries."
By November, Higgins said he had enough of Mississippi Silicon and its lack of financing.
"We met with some of the investors and told them we were going to need some earnest money to hold the properties and we needed some monthly updates and we needed them to make some milestones. They told us they could no longer commit to updates. They told us they would just pick up the project and go somewhere else. Then, we even took the milestones out of the deal and told them to give us $150,000 to hold the property until June 30 of this year. Lowndes County gave them the best deal we could which is why they picked the site in the first place."
With the project off the table, Higgins said it is time to move forward.
"We lost about $230,000 on the project, but we also lost a lot of opportunities," Higgins said. "But, we're back to marketing the site and we're glad to have the electricity and sewer available again. It made sense on paper -- it was a good deal for us. But we have four proposals coming in this week and we'll continue to work hard to bring more jobs to Lowndes County."
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1. Demonstrators gather peacefully in front of Leigh Mall in light of Ball decision COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
2. DA: Public should know why AG dropped manslaughter charge in Boykin case COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
3. CPD investigating Sunday homicide COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
4. Monday Profile: Together at Columbus High and MSMS, high-achieving duo goes separate ways for college COLUMBUS & LOWNDES COUNTY
5. Rep. Taylor, local activists plan racial justice march for Saturday STARKVILLE & OKTIBBEHA COUNTY


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Almost 2 million origami made by fans in memory of singer-actor Leslie Cheung are being displayed in Hong Kong at an exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of his death.
The "Miss You Much Leslie Exhibition" at the Times Square shopping mall is one of many memorial events in his hometown.
Many fans discovered Cheung after his passing. "I really miss him, and I regret that I did not get to know him until 2009," said Kang Lizhen, a mainland Chinese who was born in 1990.
Those who discovered him after his death feel like they lost a friend, said one such fan, Marie A. Jost. "There will be no new works, no new events, no news of Leslie ... It really does feel that we've lost a dear, dear friend," said Jost.
Cheung killed himself by jumping off the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in central Hong Kong on April 1, 2003. His death came at a dark time for his hometown as Hong Kong was hit with the SARS epidemic (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Hundreds died in the illness outbreak that also crippled the Hong Kong economy and cast a gloomy pall on the normally vibrant and energetic city.
Cheung, who was 46 when he died, made several hit albums and starred in classic films including 1987's "A Chinese Ghost Story," director John Woo's "A Better Tomorrow" and Chinese director Chen Kaige's "Farewell My Concubine."
A memorial concert was held Sunday, and Cheung's fans mark his death anniversary each year by visiting the hotel where he committed suicide. One wall of the hotel is covered in flowers, candles and posters of the singer and actor.
Fans sent in volumes of crafted paper this year to try to set a Guinness record for most origami made for a cause. Organizers said 1,900,119 were collected.
The memorial origami are displayed in a transparent archway above a large statue of Cheung at the "Miss You Much Leslie Exhibition" entrance, and one large, red origami sits in the statue's open palm. The exhibition showcases costumes from his concerts, and a mini-theater plays films and interview clips.
The fans' effort and the origami display were encouraged by Florence Chan Suk-Fun, the former agent for the performer, said Vernon Ma, promotions manager for Times Square.
"Ms. Chan thought it might be good to gather all the origami together and put them in a nice display, and to showcase to the public that Leslie fans' love is so powerful. After 10 years' time, they still remember Leslie, and they still want to do something for Leslie," Ma said.
Hundreds of fans held a candlelight vigil at a nearby park at 18:41 p.m. marking the time of his death.
The concert in his memory included performances by Cheung's friends like canto pop singer Jacky Cheung, Karen Mok and Leo Ku.


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Fresh & light chowder
Nutrition and extra info
- Healthy
- kcal255
- fat3g
- saturates1g
- carbs40g
- sugars15g
- fibre5g
- protein20g
- salt1.09g
- 100g smoked haddock fillets and 100g unsmoked, skin on
A white-fleshed salt water fish often compared with cod in flavour and texture. Found on the…
- 500ml skimmed milk
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 2 thyme sprigs
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 leek, sliced
Like garlic and onion, leeks are a member of the allium family, but have their own distinct…
- 1 large sweet potato, diced
Sweet potatosweet po-tate-toe
Sweet potatoes have a creamy texture and a sweet-spicy flavour that makes them ideal for savoury…
- 200g can sweetcorn in water, drained
Sweetcornsw-eet corn
Also known as corn on the cob, sweetcorn is composed of rows of tightly packed golden yellow…
- 50g red lentils
- small handful parsley, chopped
One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…
- crusty bread, to serve
Place the fish in a deep frying pan, then add the milk, stock and thyme. Bring to the boil and take off the heat; leave until cool enough to handle. Take out the fish (reserving the liquid), peel off the skin and flake the fish onto a plate, to use later.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onion, garlic and leek for 8-10 mins until soft and translucent. Add the sweet potato, sweetcorn and lentils, then pour over the liquid you cooked the fish in. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins. Check the seasoning and semi-blitz with a hand blender – I like to leave it quite rough. Add the flaked fish and chopped parsley. Serve piping hot with some crusty bread.


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FreeSpace 2
From Sabayon Wiki
Revision as of 17:54, 24 November 2012 by Hatalar205 (talk | contribs)
i18n: en tr
Howto install FreeSpace 2
Step 1: Buy the game from GoG.com and download it. Or use your game cd.
Step 2: Install with wine to ~/freespace2
Step 3: Download the java Freespace 2 open installer and run it:
wget http://www.fsoinstaller.com/files/installer/java/FreeSpaceOpenInstaller.jar java -jar FreeSpaceOpenInstaller.jar
Tell it to install to ~/freespace2. If you have an old computer, do the normal install with linux binaries, if you have a decent one I suggest doing "the works" install and select all but the windows and mac binaries so you get all the mods.
Step 4: Now you need the launcher. I suggest YAL (yet another launcher). Download it from http://vega.livecd.pl/~havner/yal/linux/ If you want to compile it, pick the latest package that doesn't have bin in it's name. Copy fs2_launcher to ~/freespace2 and use that to setup and launch your game.


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This site maintains the list of Hewlett-Packard (HP)drivers available for free Download. Just browse our organized database and find a driver that fits your needs. We are adding new drivers daily, so let us know if we don't have a driver you need.
Here is the list of Hewlett-Packard driver we have for you. To download drivers you should find the Operation System, the exact device model and click on the Download button. If you can not find the exact driver for your Hewlett-Packard please send us the driver request and we will try to find it for you
HP-Drivers-Download.com provide you allmost all kinds of HP drivers Download, we add HP drivers daily in order to make sure you can download and update the newest hp drivers for your computer.


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Thank you for visiting the online home of the Westchester County Young Republicans!
The Westchester YRs strive to bring young people into the Republican Party in Westchester. We are a grassroots club whose aim is to help elect Republicans at all levels of government and discuss current political events on the local and national stage. Our age range is 18 to 40. New members are always welcome.


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"Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun" by Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen (Bloomsbury, 352 pages, $25.00)
You are about to make your mother crazy.
That's because you've mastered every video game in the house, watched every movie she rented for you, and clicked through cable several dozen times. You've managed to tease your sister, torment your brother, and Mom is next in line.
You're about to say you're bored, which means you're about to get into big trouble. But before you do that, why not find "Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun" by Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen. It might single-handedly save your whole family from complete craziness.
So you've got a few days off from school. It's a holiday, a weekend, or just some sort of break and you're glad for the time but you don't exactly know what to do with it. That's where this book comes in, because it's filled with pages of excellent ideas.
Let's say, for instance, that you'd like to get rid of your boredom by exploding things. "Unbored" can help, with instructions on safe ways to make a big mess. You'll need a grown-up around, so find one who likes to get dirty.
There are a lot of games in this book, including ones that don't require a board or dice. Learn, for instance, some farting games. Find out how to play different kinds of games with jacks. Learn how to get freaky fit with friends. Or learn pankour, which can be done in your own back yard – even in the snow!
If music is your favorite thing in the world, learn how to rock out with help from "Unbored." Find out what you'll need to build a band, take a quiz to help figure out which instrument is best for you, and watch a few good movies about music.
Speaking of movies, this book has all kinds of great suggestions for films and books you'll definitely want to check out…
Find out how to turn your bathroom into a spa. Redecorate your bedroom, then organize it. Find some new crafts. Learn how to cook, read a food label, and conserve water. Read up on trivia. Take good care of your pets. Tell a politician what you think (they really do care!). Eliminate bullies. Train the grown-ups in your house. Save the planet.
If you're like most parents, the "B" word makes you channel your father by telling your kids you'll give them something to do. Instead, give them "Unbored."
With all kinds of activities for both indoors and out, authors Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen keep children busy with information, ideas, get-outside movement, and down-time that doesn't involve anything electronic. There are pages for quieter readers here, and kids who aren't able for action. Then there are pages for kids with a streak of renegade in their blood and restlessness in their feet.
The nicest part about this book is that it's great for sharing; in fact, you'll almost want your kids to do that. Add what's here to a little down-time, and 9-to-15-year-olds will find "Unbored" to be crazy fun.
Bookworm Sez: Banish boredom with this 'Serious' fun
"Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun" by Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen (Bloomsbury, 352 pages, $25.00)


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Hard to believe
Let's see. Charlie was runner-up for the NL Manager of the Year Award in both 2007 and 2008. This year, his Phillies won back-to-back pennants for the first time in franchise history.
So, how did he do in the voting this time? He finished sixth. Baseball Writers Association of America voters must have been asleep during the season.
Charlie isn't the only Phillies manager to be ignored by the BBWAA voting since the award started in 1983. Only Larry Bowa (2001) has won the BBWAA Award.
The Associated Press has also given similar awards and they have been more Phillie friendly:
Eddie Sawyer, 1950
Gene Mauch, 1962
Gene Mauch, 1964
Danny Ozark, 1976
Jim Fregosi, 1993
MVP Awards
AL will be announced on Monday, NL on Tuesday. Doubt a Phillie will be honored by the BBWAA on Tuesday.
Happy Birthday
Big day for Phillies birthdays Thursday: Bob Boone, Dickie Noles, Clay Condrey and Ryan Howard.
Phillies Insider is on twitter as barons63.


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Ulman Cancer Fund necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 18 diseños de 6 diseñadores freelance.
Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults
This isn't your ordinary triathlon. The Half Full Triathlon is a 70-mile fight for young adult cancer support. We are making a statement about cancer and we need your help. We chose the distance of 70 Miles versus the more well know 70.3 Mile distance for this race for one important reason.
• 70,000 is the estimated # of young adults diagnosed with cancer each year
This is a statistic that needs people's attention. The Half Full Tri will help make the young adult cancer issue a priority and together we can improve the 70,000 statistic. Every Mile you race you're helping support this population of young people battling cancer.
Triathletes ranging in age from 20-50
Anyone affected by cancer!
What do we know about them that will help us?
Triathlon is an individual sport and we are looking to ask these athletes to become a part of something bigger….The Fight against cancer.
What is the main thought we need to communicate?
The Half Full Tri will help make the young adult cancer issue a priority and together we can improve the 70,000 statistic.
Call to action.
1. Register to participate in the inaugural event
2. Empower a few of your friends to participate in a relay to unite in the fight
8-10 different Jpg's/ai files that contain pictures and quotes that surround the overall messaging of the triathlon theme. These files will be placed on the landing page of the registration webpage similar to the rotating objects seen in http://www.nationstriathlon.com/
Quotes to be utilized
•"The most important support I needed after my diagnosis was to simply talk to others who understood."- Doug, 3-time cancer survivor
•"Today I strive to honor my mother's legacy by working hard in pursuit of my dreams."- Lindsay-UCF Scholarship Recipient
•"With the help of my family who gave me the strength to survive, I battled and beat cancer---TWICE". Brandon- cancer survivor
•"Reflection back on hard fought battles against cancer makes me realize how much I have been through, and how much stronger I have become." Brandon- UCF Scholarship Recipient
•"The moment you find out that you may die, you have a choice. You either get ready for a fight, or you get used to the idea of dying." Emily- cancer survivor
•"Struggles-everybody has them, but it's the way you deal with them that sets you apart from the rest." Kristina- UCF Scholarship Recipient
•"The greatest gift I have in life; is live itself." Sean- Cancer Survivor
•"If I can get through six rounds of chemo, I can get through anything." Laurel- cancer survivor


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Cat and Dog Introductions
What is the best way to introduce a cat and dog? Our cat just passed away and the dog seems to be missing her. My cat was four years old when I brought home an eight week old puppy to him. He was so excited to meet her and loved her. My dog thinks she's a cat because she has always been around one. She's two now. I don't know how she would react to another cat. Maybe she only liked her cat because she came home to him as a baby and thought of him as a sibling. Not sure how to do introductions at this point. We haven't decided if we want to get another cat but if we do, want to know ahead of time how to proceed.
Slowly and carefully. Strange cats can trigger prey drive even in dogs that are good with a familiar cat. My dog lives with three cats and is perfectly safe with them, but she reacts to other outside cats the same way she reacts to squirrels.
Start out with the dog on a leash and the cat loose (if you try to hold her she may shred your arms if she gets really scared, and being confined may make her feel like she can't get away if she needs to). Make sure there are plenty of high places the cat can go to feel safe if she needs to. Don't let the dog corner her.
Use treats to reward the dog for staying calm. If both animals are calm, let them sniff each other. Don't leave them alone together right away. Supervise all interactions until you are sure your dog knows that the cat is part of his/her pack and NOT dinner. The age of the cat will also play a big part in whether the two eventually get along. An older cat who is familiar with dogs may learn to get along, an older cat who is unfamiliar with dogs may never be completely comfortable.
Dr. Seuss~DLH (brother's cat)~June 2007-
Misty~DSH (my cat & Mooby's mom)-?- Sept. 15, 2014
MooBoots(Mooby) ~ DMH(Mom's cat)~July 21, 2008-
Sunshine~ Golden retriever X white german sheperd (Dad's dog)~October 24, 2008-
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House Program
The House program is offered for players in grades 2-12, ranging in age from 7 to 18. It provides a structured environment which allows players to develop their skills and enjoy the game of basketball.
Boys house commissioner: Michael Eidelkind
Girls house commissioner: Peter Darke
Playing up a grade:
If you would like your child to "play up" you will need to contact the League Director in the league that your child wants to move up to and the League Director of the league they are slated to play in. They, with input from the League Commissioner, will make a determination of your request. In general, Burke Basketball will allow players to play up a grade if they feel it will not be detrimental to the player or the league.
Team formation:
Teams for grades 3rd grade and below are in general, formed by request or player's school/neighborhood in grades 2-3.
In grades 4 and up, teams are formed by a draft for the winter season. While this is not a perfect system, we have found it to be the best method for overall league balance. Given this situation,
it is very hard to honor individual player requests to be with certain players or coaches. ( We do offer a Spring and Summer league where friends get to play with friends.)
We will work hard to honor conflict days/times your child may have due to other activities, by finding them a team that does not practice on those days.
In order to fairly draft players, attendance at a pre-season evaluation session is mandatory for all players.
Evaluations for grades 4-8 will be held in late October / early November.
Evaluations for the Boys and Girls HS leagues, 9/10th grade and 11/12th grade, will be held in late November or early December, after the local high schools have selected their Freshmen, JV and Varsity teams.
Specific Evaluation schedules for each age group's evaluations will be sent by email to registered players and will be posted on the website.
Playing requirements:
Understanding that this is youth house basketball, we have minimum and maximum playing requirements. In general, each player must play 2 full quarters and no players are allowed to play the entire game. There are some variations/exceptions on these rules and can be found in detail in our winter rules.
Practices are weeknights, normally one practice a week for an hour, with games played on weekends in the Burke / Fairfax / Fairfax Station / West Springfield area.
Practices are scheduled to start mid November
For the Boys High School leagues there will likely be no practices after the start of the season.
Each team in grades 2 - 8 will usually play one game on the weekend, Saturday or Sunday. Games will start the beginning of December.
Each team in the Boys High School league will play one weeknight game and one or two weekend games.
There are no playoffs in grades 2-4.
In grades 5 and above, all teams participate in playoffs.
All-Stars and Turnpike Tournament:
Grades 4 - 8 will have all-star games after the conclusion of the playoffs.
Rules Enforcement Policy
Please remember that this is youth basketball and is meant for the players to learn and enjoy the game of basketball in a safe and positive atmosphere! Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated from parents, players or coaches.
Code of Conduct
League Rules
New Privacy Policy


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Enroll for ITIL Intermediate Service Operation (SO) Certification Training Course in Lithuania from Invensis Learning. ITIL Service Operation is an intermediate level certification training course that is ideal for professionals who are looking to gain in-depth understanding of principles, operational activities, functions, and processes that help organisations and individuals to manage the products and services of an organisation.
In this ITIL SO course, participants will learn coordination and execution of activities that help in managing the operation of products or services developed during the Service Strategy, Design, and Transition phases of the IT Service Lifecycle. Upon successfully clearing the ITIL Service Operation exam, a participant receives 3 Credits.
We deliver ITIL Intermediate Service Operation (SO) Training in both classroom and live online virtual modes.
This ITIL Service Operation Training is available across multiple cities in Lithuania.
I would like to thank Invensis Learning for helping me in achieving my learning goals. The trainer was highly-qualified and helped me to understand the subject in a holistic manner. It was a seamless training experience and I highly recommend Invensis Learning for their expertise in the training and certification domain.
Note: The ITIL Service Operation exam will be either paper-based / web-based / web proctored exam. For web proctored exam additional charges applicable.
In today's ever changing economic climate and market place incorporating service management best practices is of paramount importance for enterprise to cater the greater demand of providing holistic IT services. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)® is a globally-recognised service management framework that transforms IT services that are oriented to achieve high levels of business performance.
ITIL Service Operation is an intermediate-level certification that is most sought-after credential across the globe. The main objective of the course is to help you to clear your ITIL SO exam on your first attempt. This ITIL SO training provides knowledge on processes, principles, operational activities and functions that helps in managing the performance of their services and products. Participants will also learn how to coordinate and execute activities that managing the products or services developed during Service Strategy, design, and transition phases of the IT service lifecycle.
After completing your ITIL SO training, you will gain comprehensive understanding of:
Job roles that can benefit from ITIL Service Operation training include, but are not limited to:
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Check showtimes to see when Amanpour is on CNN where you are. Or watch online.
South Korea's Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Sook told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that a war with North Korea is "always possible, but at that moment whether it is practically possible: rather negative."
Ambassador Kim said war is unlikely because South Korea has experienced this very situation many times in the past.
"The high level of rhetoric and this time around invectives – we have seen many times before," Kim said. Though, the ambassador admitted that the level of this language and "slandering" – as Kim put it –is different this time around.
"But people in Seoul and by and large the South Korean people are not in panic, they don't expect a war could happen anytime soon," Kim said.
South Korea just elected a new President, Park Geun-hye, who is also the country's first female president. Ambassador Kim dismissed the fact that she has been characterized as a largely untested leader, saying that new presidents have been tested before with these types of situations upon taking office in South Korea.
North Korea has made personal attacks against President Park, referencing her gender.
"The female president does not necessarily mean she is weak. She is politically very solid," Kim said. Adding, "We leave nothing to chance."
Ambassador Kim also emphasized that talking with their neighbors is still on the table.
"Dialogue is by and large the first and foremost way to engage North Korea," he said.
I enjoyed Christiane Amanpour's 5pm EST North Korea report today, but would note just a few things. She three times referred to North Korea as the 'Hermit Kingdom." But in fact, 'Hermit Kingdom' was a 19th Century term coined for Korea as a whole (long before its division into North and South) by foreigners wishing to open up Korea to trade. Workers in the Kaesong Industrial Complex may get paychecks, but they must promptly turn over all, or just about all, their wages to the state. China prefers Washington negotiate directly with Pyongyang. But absent our willingness to do so, Beijing put forth the idea of the Six-Party talks to give us cover for U.S.-N. Korean bilats that might just happen to occur within the, or on the margins of, the Six-Party talks.
awful awful .
United States and S.Korea is allied countries.
S.Korean grant fully help US when US got bad situation.
I m sure US do other way.
this is not protect matter.
Can U say US protect UK? Can U?
if U say yes by U. U are crazy.
If the shield fails. There will be strikes. Asian population will reduce. Korea will say we did not do it.
why should one country disturb the whole world? if persuasion fails force must be applied .
You have a really great post right here. I loved studying this info because it produced me use my head. I do not get to do that frequently with most on-line content material. seo http://fiverr.com/twnseobacklink


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You can take a break from good eating.
Myth. Just one overindulgent meal can affect your blood glucose levels. The good news: Keeping portions in control and taking advantage of the better-for-you recipes on this site can help you savor special meals without sacrificing enjoyment. If you do have a slipup, forgive yourself and get right back on track!
JELL-O Gelatin is a summer dessert.
Myth. Don't limit your delicious dessert options! JELL-O desserts are quick and easy, making them the perfect go-to treat for busy people like you—whatever the season. For a smart snack in seconds, enjoy a cup of ready-to-eat JELL-O Sugar Free Gelatin topped with COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping. Have 5 or 10 minutes to spare? Make our Gingered Peach Tea Snack or JELL-O 1-2-3 Dessert: They're made in single servings, so portion control is super-easy. Even our extra-special Low-Fat Lemon Souffle Cheesecake takes just 15 minutes to assemble. Some recipes take longer to "set" than others, so plan accordingly if you need a dessert for tonight.
Your hand is about 1/2 cup.
True. This is an easy way to estimate snack food portions. If you cup your hand and fill it with chips or pretzels, you're holding about 1/2 cup, or one serving. Some snack foods like NABISCO 100 Calorie Packs come already portion controlled. Or look at the Nutrition Facts label to find out how many pretzels, chips, crackers, or cheese curls are in a serving and count out one serving (or the portion that you determine is right for you); then put away the rest before you start to nibble. You can also divide portions in small bags in advance to take on the go.
Looking for something a little different for snack time? Browse the Appetizers/Starters featured recipes.
Tomatoes are a fruit.
Botanically, that's true. Fruits contain the seeds of a plant—except in cases where they've been bred to be seedless, such as some grapes and watermelons. The word "vegetable" usually refers to other parts of plants that we eat, including leaves (lettuce), tubers (potatoes), stems (asparagus), bulbs (onions), stalks (celery), and flowers (broccoli).
As far as cooking, however, most people use tomatoes as a vegetable because they're not as sweet as other fruits. The US government also classifies tomatoes as a veggie for trading purposes.
No matter how you classify them, though, tomatoes are a good addition to your meal plan, especially in summer when they're plentiful and inexpensive. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins A and C and an excellent source of potassium. To find new ways to enjoy them, check out the article "Bring on the Tomatoes" and the many tomato recipes available through our Search.
Salads are always a smart choice to order when eating out.
False. A salad may start with the best of intentions. But then come the toppings…full-fat dressings, full-fat cheese, bacon bits.… Some main-dish salads at popular restaurants could have more calories and fat than a burger and fries. Check the nutritional content ahead of time by going to the restaurant's website for a breakdown.
Don't be afraid to ask for a customized version of the salad—"hold" whatever you like and get (reduced fat) dressing on the side. Looking for a restaurant-style salad to enjoy at home? Try Southwestern Ranch Chicken Salad
Sports drinks are the only way to stay hydrated.
Myth: Though it is important to stay hydrated, especially when you're exercising or perspiring a lot, you can usually replenish lost fluids with a few cups of plain water and skip the calories in sports drinks. Want something with more pizzazz? Add in CRYSTAL LIGHT Drink Mix. In studies, it helped women drink 20% more water.* Another great alternative to water is CRYSTAL LIGHT Pure Fitness Drink Mix with electrolytes to aid in hydration .** It contains just 15 calories per 8-fluid ounce serving
*Based on consumption of tap, bottled, flavored water, and prepared powdered beverages from Kantar Worldpanel Beverage Panel data.
**When you consume one packet during light physical activity
True. A study showed that people whose dirty plates weren't quickly cleared away actually ate less than those whose table was kept tidy. Perhaps a physical reminder of all you've eaten helps. Still, this doesn't mean you should leave all the dishes on the table during your meal. Keeping serving dishes within easy reach makes you more likely to go back for seconds. A better answer: Fill your plate in the kitchen and take it to the table. And instead of doing the dishes right after dinner, sit and enjoy some conversation over a cup of MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee.


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- Details
- Specs
- Reviews
- What's Included
This yellow LED waterproof strip lighting from Calrad Electronics provides a stunning visual effect wherever it is used. With 300 LED's (60 per meter), you will enjoy clear, bright yellow lighting inside or outside your home. The strips are ideal for home theaters, entertainment systems, rack lighting, water fountains, pools, spas, landscaping and other outdoor accent lighting. Not to mention downlighting, uplighting, lighting art, under cabinet lighting, crown molding, limousines, RV's, boats and cars. The flexible silicon PCB construction can be bent to a maximum radius of 2cm and can even be cut with ordinary scissors between every 3 LEDs to create the perfect size and length for your application. The strip lighting emits little or no heat, and features a solid-state, high shock / vibration resistant design that is built to last.
This LED light strip requires a 12V DC, 1.5A power supply, sold separately.
Specifications Manufacturer Calrad Electronics Manufacturer Product No. 92-300-YL-300 UPC 601520933061 Length 5 Meter Roll (Approx 16 Feet) Color Yellow Power Requirements 12V DC, 1.5A power supply (sold separately) Power Consumption 48 Watts Brightness 45 Lumens Per Foot Number of LEDs 300 1-Chip Color Temperature 585-595nmK Average Lifetime 50,000 hours Rating RoHS
- 1x - 2-Wire Waterproof 300 LED Light Strip, Yellow (5 Meter Roll)


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Forgot Your Password?
The Banner Saga 2 EU Steam CD Key
The award winning and BAFTA nominated saga continues in The Banner Saga 2. Continue your journey soon after the climactic events of The Banner Saga. The choices you made in the first game will affect who is alive and who is dead in this exciting sequel. As the world continues to crumble around you, only one bastion of hope remains, but getting there will require strong leadership, hard sacrifices, influencing new heroes, and, as always, sound strategy in combat.
- The epic Viking saga continues on – beautifully 2D hand drawn combat sequences and animations are further enhanced with special effects, once again accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory
- Player choice that continues to drive your narrative – your story continues based on choices made in the first game as well as hard choices you have to make in this one.
- New Characters and a New Race – continue your epic journey interacting with new characters and a new race, the Horseborn.
- Improved Strategic combat with consequences – improved, more strategic battle boards enhance combat and permanent loss of characters will still weigh heavy on your mind long after the battle is over.
- The journey is as important as battle – your role in building and managing your caravan as you travel the vast landscape is critical to not only your own survival but the survival of an entire civilization.
Go to: http://store.steampowered.com/ and download STEAM client
Click "Install Steam" (from the upper right corner)
Install and start application, login with your Account name and Password (create one if you don't have).
Please follow these instructions to activate a new retail purchase on Steam:
- Launch Steam and log into your Steam account.
- Click the Games Menu.
- Choose Activate a Product on Steam...
- Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
After successful code verification go to the "MY GAMES" tab and start downloading.
If you have any problems regarding activation, please contact us:


text: A liqueur is a combination of a liquor, sugar and added ingredients, usually fruits, nuts, spices or herbs. To make a liqueur, a flavour is dissolved (the word "liqueur" comes from the Latin liquifacere, "to dissolve") in a liquor such as rum or vodka. Sugar is usually added, as a liqueur must be at least 20 percent sugar. The alcohol content of liqueurs ranges from 15 to 50 percent alcohol by volume.


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African swine fever (ASF)
ASF is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). ASFV infects domestic pigs, warthogs, and bushpigs. Transmission occurs through direct contact between healthy and sick animals, or indirect contact through infected feed, as well as through biological vectors (soft ticks).
The disease is endemic in the southern hemisphere of Africa, as well as on the Iberian Peninsula and in Sardinia. Sporadic outbreaks have occurred in other European countries (Belgium in 1985, Netherlands in 1986) and outside of Europe (the Caribbean, Brazil).
Peracute, acute, subacute, and chronic forms of ASF occur, and mortality rates vary from 0 to 100%, depending on the virulence of the virus that pigs are infected with. Acute disease is characterized by a short incubation period of 3–7 days, followed by high fever (up to 42°C) and death in 5–10 days.
The least variable clinical signs are loss of appetite, depression, and recumbency. Other signs include hyperemia of the skin of the ears, abdomen, and legs; respiratory distress; vomiting; bleeding from the nose or rectum; and sometimes diarrhea. Abortion is sometimes the first event seen in an outbreak. Chronic disease is characterized by emaciation, swollen joints, and respiratory problems. This form of the disease is rarely seen in outbreaks.
Human health risk
It does not appear that ASF presents a zoonotic risk.
Economic impact
The effect on a swine herd can vary depending on the strain, from near 100% mortality to cases of low-virulence isolates that can be difficult to diagnose. When an outbreak occurs in any region or country, the financial and physical implications can be devastating to the swine industry and those related to it.
During outbreaks in Malta and the Dominican Republic, for example, the swine herds of the entire countries were completely depopulated.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
Avian influenzaTop
AI, also known as "bird flu," is a highly contagious viral disease that can infect several species of domesticated birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowls, etc.) and wild birds (ducks). It is caused by an A-type influenza virus: a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Orthomyxoviidae family. This virus has also been isolated in different mammals, including humans and pigs (the source of genetic recombinations between avian and human viruses).
Avian influenza can present many signs in birds, from minor disease (with little or no clinical signs) to disease that can quickly become fatal and lead to a serious epidemic. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (A virus belonging to H5, H7, and H9 subtypes) is characterized by serious signs and a fast deterioration towards death. The death rate can then reach 100% in less than 2 days. Strains that are highly pathogenic can lead to serious respiratory disease on humans.
Virus transmission between birds occurs mainly by direct contact (respiratory secretion and fecal material), but can also be indirect (by food or contaminated water, bird droppings carrying the virus, and contaminated materials). Several species of bird are more resistant to the infection than others, such as ducks, which can be infected by pathogenic strains that present unnoticeable clinical signs. The highly pathogenic A/H5N1 strain shows clinical signs in domesticated poultry (chickens and turkeys) and in certain wild birds. The infections caused by highly pathogenic virus strains are rare and must not be confused with the infections caused by less pathogenic strains, which can also belong to the H5, H7, and H9 subtypes.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
Classical swine fever (CSF)Top
CSF is considered the second most serious of all contagious diseases of pigs and wild boars, after aphthous fever. It is a major threat to pig production, with serious socioeconomic consequences.
The disease is caused by an enveloped RNA virus of the genus Pestivirus in the Flaviviridae family. CSF cannot be transmitted to humans and manifests in different ways according to the virulence of the infecting virus and the animal's stage of development.
In all cases, laboratory tests (virology and/or serology) are essential to either confirm or rule out suspected CSF.
A superacute form can cause death within 48 hours with practically no signs, but the more common acute form has an initial phase characterized by high fever (up to 42°C) during which time the animal is lethargic, stops eating, and develops conjunctivitis with a purulent ocular discharge.
The disease also causes gastrointestinal and respiratory problems, hematological imbalance, and neurological disorders. The animal dies within 5–15 days. Some of these signs can be confused with those of many other porcine diseases, which makes CSF difficult to diagnose.
The chronic form of the disease is even more insidious because the signs are mild and infected animals may survive for weeks or months. Moreover, the presence of other concurrent diseases or infections may complicate differential diagnosis.
Human health risk
It does not appear that classical swine fever virus (CSFV) presents a zoonotic risk.
Economic impact
The presence of CSFV in pig herds can have a severe economic impact on the meat production industry as a result of wide-spread animal deaths due to the disease, as well as trade restrictions on meat exports.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD)Top
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals, and is widespread throughout the world. FMD cannot be differentiated clinically from other vesicular diseases such as swine vesicular disease (SVD).
The virus is a member of the genus Apthovirus in the family Picornaviridae. There are seven serotypes of FMD virus: O, A, C, SAT 1, SAT 2, SAT 3, and Asia 1. Infection with any one serotype does not confer immunity against other serotypes.
Of the domesticated species, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats are susceptible to FMD.
Clinical signs of FMD are the appearance of vesicles (small blisters) on the feet, in and around the oral cavity, and on the mammary glands of females. Vesicles can also occur inside the nostrils and at pressure points on the limbs, especially in pigs.
Transmission generally occurs through contact between infected and susceptible animals. The virus can be excreted into the air during the acute phase of infection.
Human health risk
It does not appear that FMD presents a zoonotic risk.
Economic impact
The presence of FMD is a very important economic threat to the livelihood of the livestock industry due to the culling of herds and the restriction on meat exports from affected areas.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
Swine vesicular disease (SVD)Top
SVD is a highly contagious disease of pigs and the virus causing it (SVDV) is part of the Enterovirus genus in the family Picornaviridae. Although symptoms of the disease are often mild, it is an Office International des Epizooties (OIE) list A disease, as it is clinically indistinguishable from foot and mouth disease (FMD). For this reason, outbreaks of SVD are assumed to be FMD until laboratory diagnosis proves otherwise.
The virus may be spread into the environment through excretions from the nose and mouth and may also be found in the feces.
SVD is typically characterized by the presence of vesicles on the coronary bands, heels of the feet, and occasionally on the lips, tongue, snout, and teats of infected animals.
Human health risk
It does not appear that SVDV presents a zoonotic risk.
Economic impact
An outbreak of SVD can have a significant economic impact on the meat production industry as a result of the need to cull infected herds to eliminate the disease. Temporary trade restrictions on meat exports are likely to be imposed.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)Top
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are infectious diseases of the brain that affect animal species in various forms, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, affecting cattle), scrapie (affecting goats and sheep) and chronic wasting disease (CWD, affecting deer). The diseases are caused by altered prion proteins that are resistant to chemicals and heat, and are very difficult to decompose biologically, often surviving in soil for several years.
The diseases are reported worldwide, with BSE found most frequently in Europe and CWD being most prevalent in North America. TSEs cause a slow degeneration of the central nervous system that ultimately leads to the death of an animal, and there is often a significant lapse of time between an animal becoming infected with the disease and displaying the first symptoms. As an example, at the point of infection, cattle may not show clinical symptoms for up to 6 years, and sheep may not show signs for up to 4 years.
Transmission of BSE in cattle occurs through ingestion of feed containing contaminated bone and meat meal. Transmission does not appear to occur naturally between cattle, though some evidence suggests there may be a maternally associated risk for calves born to infected cows. While pathogenesis details are unknown, studies have shown that after the agent enters the animal through oral exposure, it replicates in the Peyer's patches of the ileum and migrates to the central nervous system via peripheral nerves.
Clinical signs of TSEs are often subtle and may include nervousness, aggression, low head carriage, ataxia, tremors and increased sensitivity to touch (hyperesthesia). Animals may also have a reluctance to be milked and experience weight loss and diminished milk production.
Human health risk
Humans can develop a form of TSE known as Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) by consuming food products that have been contaminated with BSE. Initiatives are in place to remove high-risk bovine tissue from the human food chain, and for products containing bovine proteins (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc.), measures have been instituted to help ensure that raw materials are sourced from BSE-free regions.
Economic impact
TSEs can contribute to significant economic losses, whether it be culling of animals linked to BSE or scrapie cases, the destruction of Specified Risk Material (SRM) derived from ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats), or the impact that export restrictions in affected areas may have on the meat industry as a whole.
Regulatory requirements vary by country; products may not be available in your geographic area.
For Veterinary Use Only.


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Oprah Tweets Photos With Rihanna in Barbados
Oprah Winfrey looks like she's thoroughly enjoying her interview with Rihanna. The talk show superstar tweeted photos with the beautiful songbird in Barbados. Must be nice!
Oprah took a break from filming 'The Butler' in New Orleans to visit the Bajan beauty's home country. Rihanna was back in town following a two-week trip in France, where she may or may not have hooked up with her ex, Chris Brown, in St. Tropez.
In one photo, RiRi drives the big O around — did you know in Barbados they drive on the opposite side of the road? Oprah was excited about the excursion, tweeting, "Look who's driving me around Barbados!" Rihanna posted the same photo with the caption, "Look who popped up in my Hometown BARBADOS #topnotch."
Wonder if it's tough for Rih to adjust when she's back in the states. Oprah sports a leaf green blouse and pants ensemble, while Rihanna stuns in a seafoam green maxi dress adorned with pink flowers.
In another shot, Winfrey and RiRi (Winfri?) are spotted leaving the One Sandy Lane resort, which, based on this shot alone, looks super luxurious.
Rihanna's episode of 'Oprah: The Next Chapter' will air Aug. 19.


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The nation's home ownership rate fell to its all-time low, and could drop further in the months to come, NBC News reported.
The rate fell to 62.9 percent, the same as it was in 1965, when the U.S. Census started tracking the metric.
The drop is largely due to a delay in home ownership by millennials, who are burdened by student loan debt and are delaying life choices like marriage and parenthood. They have the lowest ownership rate of their age group in history.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"While the millennial home ownership rate continues to decline, it's important to note that the decrease could be just as likely due to new renter household formation as it is their ability to buy homes," wrote Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at Trulia. "Certainly low inventory and affordability isn't helping their efforts to own, but moving out of their parents' basement and into a rental unit is also a good sign for the housing market."