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Snake Myths And Facts
African rock python mothers are known to protect their offspring up to about four months of age.
Photo Credit: Hannes Steyn/Wikimedia
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As I walked between the table rows of my local bimonthly reptile and amphibian show in Birmingham, Ala., I spotted something I found particularly enjoyable. No, it was neither a tank of Fly River turtles marked "two for $10" nor a three-headed rat snake. In fact, what I saw was not any species of cold-blooded creature. A father had brought his two sons to their first reptile show, or at least that seemed to be the case. The wide-eyed boys' stares and constant stream of phrases were more than enough to suggest they had never been to a herp expo before: "Wow!" "Look at that." "What is that?"
I knew the herp industry always would be alive and well as long as newcomers showed as much enthusiasm for the hobby as I had at their age, so with a warm heart and a smile on my face, I turned my attention to the deli cups and terrariums around me. Then I heard the boys' father say something like the following: "Oh, you wouldn't want one of those, boys. Those are baby copperheads; each one is far more lethal than an adult."
I stopped dead in my tracks, turned and watched in sheer terror as the father fell into a long-winded sermon about the well-known "fact" that baby venomous snakes are always much more dangerous than their adult forebearers. I wanted to rush forward and scream, "Don't believe it!" But I simply turned my back once more and walked away with the quiet reservation that a new generation of potential herp enthusiasts would develop within the hobby believing and undoubtedly teaching misinformation about venomous snakes.
This issue, dear readers, is why I write today. Even some advanced and educated herp enthusiasts invariably subscribe to one falsehood or another about snakes, so I've decided to bust a few of these myths. Included are eight of the most common ones about our legless allies, as well as the truth behind them.
1) Angry Snakes Chase People Who Get Too Close
Like the frightened person, the snake also has a sudden and powerful drive to flee, and it picks the quickest escape route. Sometimes that avenue of escape is the same for both the human and the reptile. Each zigs or zags in unison, which gives the illusion that the snake slithers or darts in pursuit of the person. A similar phenomenon occurs daily in tight office corridors around the world. People going opposing directions are not trying to block another's passage down the hallway. Each just goes for the same path at the same time.
As I said, however, this myth is partly true. Some species of snakes will actively "chase" human beings, such as the Central American bushmaster (Lachesis muta muta). An enormous and lethally venomous serpent, the bushmaster is well-known for this behavior. Panama's tourism department actually warns tourists of the aggressive nature of these rarely encountered yet highly dangerous serpents.
Within the United States, two genera of serpents also will chase humans, but "chase" isn't exactly the correct word for what actually happens. Some members of the genera Pituophis and Agkistrodon seem so aggressive to people whom unexpectedly encounter them in the wild that they appear to chase the interloper away.
Although some snakes vehemently defend themselves when approached, members of these genera take self-defense one step further. They may strike, lunge, hiss or rasp their bodies against themselves even after the intruder has retreated several paces. A frightened hiker or outdoorsman might mistake this sustained display of anger and self-defense as being chased by the snake.
2) Snakes Go Blind During the Heat of Summer
It still surprises me how many people believe this myth. Snakes do not simply go blind based on temperature or time of year. However, snakes close to shedding their skins do experience a temporary loss or inhibition of vision as their old ocular scales, protective scales covering the eyes, begin to separate from new ones developing underneath.
During this time, the eyes appear a milky gray-blue, and the snake's ability to see is minimal. In captivity, this period of temporary blindness may happen anytime before a shed, but snakes in the wild typically do not always eat as much as their captive counterparts, so they often shed old skins less frequently. In nature, especially in the southern United States, a great many snakes slip into a shed cycle in late summer, so perhaps the myth that all snakes "go blind" was born during this time of year.
3) There's No Such Thing as a Mother Snake
I think the world subscribed to this myth until recently. All snake species that lay eggs simply slither off after depositing their broods underground or amid rotting forest debris. They might never again encounter any of their offspring. Even live-bearing species typically give birth to their young only to watch the brood slither away one by one. Baby snakes are born perfectly fit for survival, so parental care is not really necessary.
But a recent discovery in central Africa has blown the lid off this myth — at least so far as one snake species is concerned. To date, the African rock python (Python sebae) is the only snake in the world that actually "cares" for its young. Typically depositing a clutch of 20 to 90 eggs, female rock pythons have long been known to encircle and vigorously defend their egg clutches until they hatch. This is a tactic many boid snake species perform (Mehrtens 64).
Before the early 21st century, it was thought rock python's parental care ended there. But new discoveries suggest females of the species keep their young near them for more than four months after hatching. These young snakes enjoy their mother's protection from potential predators. Few birds of prey or monitor lizards will move upon a 20-inch-long hatchling rock python lying close within the coils of its 17-foot-long mother. Field research herpetologists speculate the warmth absorbed by the mother python during the day helps to sustain the young snakes' high body temperatures as she coils about them at night. Mother snakes might be a rare occurrence, but they exist.
4) Female Snakes Protect Broods Inside Their Mouths
I have argued this myth with my father and great-grandfather. Country folk living within the Appalachian Mountains or south of them have long held the belief that when a live-bearing snake and her brood come under attack, the female opens her mouth wide and the young instinctively rush inside for protection. My great-grandfather on my mother's side of the family insisted he saw this occur on more than one occasion in western Georgia's creek-infested bottomlands. Likewise, my father tells tales of seeing eastern cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorous) perform this motherly duty. To this day, if I bring up the topic, he defends his position.
I couldn't disagree with this myth more. I believe its root cause lies in the fact that the act has only been reported with live-bearing snake species, and many employ a unique self-preservation tactic. Giving birth to young is physically taxing on both the mother and the emerging young. Perhaps 5 percent of young are stillborn as a result, or they die soon after birth because they are too weak to break free of their placental sacs, and subsequently these babies suffocate.
The mother does not overlook these dead babies as a potential food source. In her weakened state, she needs all the nourishment she can get — even if it means cannibalizing her young. North American water snakes (Nerodia ssp.), cottonmouths, copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) and especially the South American anacondas (Eunectes murinus and E. notaeus) are known to eat stillborn young or those otherwise unable to survive soon after birth.
I suspect someone walking through the woods or fishing at the edge of a reedy pond one August afternoon happened upon a female water snake just finishing birth. As young snakes slithered everywhere, the mother may have had one or more tails of dead young hanging from her mouth. The human approached, and the living babies scattered, but the weakened mother resorted to a mouth-gaping and hissing defense display, revealing the tails of the dead baby snakes. This chain of events, or something similar to it, could have led the person to conclude the mother was standing her ground while her young "fled" into her mouth for protection.


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Living with the Robur
Some quick update notes....
1 - switching coffees frequently could get really expensive. The amount of coffee being burned to dial in the grind is not insignificant. I'm guessing I'll probably average out right under 1/4lb for each new coffee.
2 - dialing in the grind is not easy unless you're used to the machine. The way the grind "wanders" after a change unless you do the adjustment while the grinder is running is an issue (and unless you know about it, can be disconcerting). And, of course, adjusting while the grinder is running burns more beans. You have to purge a lot of coffee to get consistent grind sizing. Adjusting through light taps seems best for me. If you don't do all of this carefully, you tend to over-adjust a lot and it becomes like uncontrolled fishtailing on ice.
3 - clarity in the cup is excellent - and so is body and density. This combination is very (very) rare. Usually you sacrifice one for the other. The combination is great. A big win.
4 - my sweet spot for amount of coffee in the hopper seems like it's about 1lb. Dropping below that increases inconsistency from what I'm seeing so far.
5 - I am remembering all the quirks and traits of the grinder. It's all coming back to me. And the coffee is getting really good as I remember. I am starting to understand why for so long I felt this was the best on-bar grinder on the market.
6 - as I remember, I'm also rediscovering how easy the grinder makes things on the barista once you get your act together. I can be a lot more sloppy with my distribution and not suffer the consequences for example.
Tomorrow will be some more coffee for more people and should have some good opinions.
2 comments:
- AndyS said...
You are undoubtedly aware that there are various modifications that can make living with the Robur at home a little easier:
Not that you would ever consider keeping a Robur at home permanently. :-)
- chris said...
Thanks Andy.
I actually don't find the Robur to have messy dosing (comparatively). It's one of its strengths in some ways.
I've thought about doing some sort of "hopper modification" - but the truth is that I think it kind of defeats the purpose of this little exercise. I'm sure I'd do it if I were going to actually keep the Robur - just to allow me to work with coffee is less than 1lb increments.
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ACLU Still Opposing Prayer Amendment after Lawsuit
JEFFERSON CITY - The American Civil Liberties Union says it will keep fighting against Missouri's new constitutional amendment on prayer after a federal judge dismissed its initial lawsuit.
The ACLU sued Missouri's Department of Corrections on behalf of two inmates after voters approved the amendment in August. It argued the measure's ballot summary did not explain how the amendment would impact prisoners. A provision in the amendment says the religious rights of inmates are limited to federal law, which provides fewer protections than Missouri law.
U.S. Judge Howard Sachs dismissed the case in February. An ACLU official says the group hasn't decided whether to appeal this case or wait for another lawsuit.
The amendment is more widely known for protecting public prayer and letting students avoid assignments that violate their religious beliefs.


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The UK is an exciting and unique destination filled with top destination cities, amazing views, and good food and people. It is home to favourite cities full of things to see and do, no matter where you look. No need to worry that you'll run out of activities when you travel the UK.
Visit to some of the best cities in the world right here in UK, like London, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Belfast. You'll fall in love with their gorgeous architecture. From medieval cathedrals, postmodern towers, and royal castles, you'll need more than a day to take in all of the country's beauty. See the sights and history with famous landmarks like the Edinburgh Castle, the Roman Baths, Canterbury Cathedral, Palace of Westminster, and Buckingham Palace.
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Solutions and Winners (2009)
Congratulations to our Winners:
Grand Prize ($500 gift certificate from Educational Innovations and a class set of iPods):
Enmarie De Witt's Physical Science 8-5 of the Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, FL
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Activity One: the wavelength of the laser is about 600nm.
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Gays Surround Elderly Lady And Destroy Her Cross! "The Black People Fought. We Should Fight" At Prop 8 Rally In FL
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Former NFL football player and ESPN sports analyst Craig James says he got the following text message this afternoon from Ted Cruz, who also is seeking the Republican nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. James and Cruz are considered in the top tier of 10 GOP candidates. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst appears to be the one to beat.
Cruz texted James' personal cell phone with the following message:
"Craig–hope you're well. See you Friday. For what it's worth, since you're asking me a Q, it might be worth asking me something about Dew skipping 31 debates (or something else related to his record). Just an idea… Ted"
Craig told Cruz he will not participate in rigging the debate system because he entered the race in the first place to bring an end to politics as usual.
"Today I was put in an awkward position by Ted Cruz, a man I've come to know and respect. Ted sent me a text suggesting I ask him a set-up question for Friday's United States Senate debate. In my mind, this is nothing more than an attempt to rig the system.
"This has challenged me to see if I'll be a man of my word. I've campaigned that I'm going to stand for right and this is simply not right. I leave it now to the press and the public to decide whether this kind of politics is acceptable in 2012 Texas. I hope not," James said in a statement.
Cruz's campaign downplayed suggestions that the former solicitor general tried to rig the debate.
"Newsflash …. Ted has consistently and publically denounced David Dewhurst's record of ducking 30 plus debates across Texas and the suggestion by Ted that another candidate join in shining light on Dewhurst's record of hiding from Texas voters should come as no surprise to anyone," campaign spokseman James Bernsen said. "And by the way, Dewhurst has skipped so many debates that even Ted has lost track – Dewhurst has now skipped 32 debates, not 31."


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Today it's pretty obvious that the Presidential is on everyone's mind. While I don't plan to discuss the details of the election and the specific results, it's worth thinking about what Donald Trump in the white house will mean for healthcare IT.
Let's start off with the easy one: Meaningful Use/MACRA. One doctor tweeted me that now that Trump is President, MACRA will be gone. I don't think that's further from the truth. In fact, I really can't imagine any scenario where the EHR Incentive program (Meaningful Use, which still applies to hospitals and Medicaid) and the MACRA program would be gone. I think they're here to stay and won't be altered at all by this election.
The biggest reason for this belief is that Trump is going to have so many other things on the agenda. Not the least of which is ACA (Obamacare), which we'll get to later in this post, but also a whole suite of other things that he'll make a priority. Why would Trump want to take on a relatively bipartisan thing like healthcare IT, EHR and MACRA? I don't think he'll waste a second on the subject.
Plus, even if Trump wanted to go after the MACRA and EHR incentive legislation, I can't imagine the Senate and House passing something to replace those programs either. Remember that Trump can propose all he wants, but the Senate and House have to pass it too and both of those groups seem to be firmly behind both efforts. Add this to the previous point and why would Trump go after health IT when it's unlikely to pass and isn't a strategic goal of his? Short Answer: He won't.
My opinion: we're unlikely to see any change to MACRA and other healthcare IT initiatives.
The trickier part to assess is the impact a Trump presidency will have on the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare). I live in Vegas and I wouldn't even want to offer odds on what's going to happen there. The rhetoric out there is to "repeal and replace Obamacare." What's not clear to me is if this concept is even practical and possible. There are so many issues with the idea of repealing Obamacare, that I can't imagine it ever happening. I could see parts of it being repealed, but not the whole thing.
I also think it would be seen as very unfavorable for Trump to roll back things like the pre-existing condition exemption that allows those with pre-existing conditions to get insurance. There are probably a dozen other things like this that would likely be hard to take back without some major backlash and so I think they'll have to preserve many of these things in whatever they do with Obamacare. Maybe that means a full repeal, but then rolling back in some of the popular pieces of the legislation so they can say they repealed it.
All of this said, I think that Trump will evaluate all options to undermine many of the things that were implemented by Obamacare including the insurance mandate and the insurance exchanges. Most people don't realize that there's so much more to Obamacare than just the mandate and exchanges. How he'll undermine Obamacare and the impact it will have is anybody's guess. I'm not sure anyone really knows and it's certainly beyond my political punditry.
Long story short on Obamacare, I have no idea. I know that something's going to happen because of the strict "Rip and Replace" rhetoric. I just think it's really hard to predict which parts they'll be able to rip out at this point and what they'll replace it with going forward.
No doubt this will keep many in healthcare on edge. Unknowns are always a challenge. While I think the Trump Presidency will likely have a big impact on healthcare, I don't see it having a big impact for good or bad on healthcare IT. I think the path to healthcare IT is happening and he won't do anything to really stop it.
Side Note: Check out this interesting lessons learned post by Mr. H at Histalk which talks about the challenge of relying on data. As healthcare enters the world of data in a big way, it's important to make sure we have a good understanding of what the data really tells us and what it doesn't.


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Cryptocurrency has long been a hot topic with those keeping track of advanced technological development. Since its launch, Bitcoin has reached an all-time high as an alternative to "real money." At this day and age, this particular cyptocurrency price index is being monitored worldwide. This article focuses on how to pick and buy Bitcoins in San marino.
Things you need to know before buying Bitcoin
Taking any serous step requires critical thinking and thorough analysis beforehand. Same applies to buying cryptocurrency. Prior to buying Bitcoin you have to be aware of several important ins and outs, given the current Bitcoin market value.
- Cryptocurrency value has been historically quite volatile. In retrospect, Bitcoin price chart shows both sharp value increase and dramatic downfalls in a relatively short space of time. This reads as a high-risk investment, and you may end up being out of pocket. It is advisable to keep a close watch on market upswings in order to get the best price.
- It is important to take your cybersecurity very seriously. You need to come up with a decent plan for your personal data online protection, and avoid using rogue websites offering cryptocurency discounts.
- Bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed. Once transmitted on the Bitcoin network transactions are not reversible. Please make sure you double-check the recipient's address prior to sending Bitcoin payments.
- Bitcoin does not guarantee anonymity. There is a widespread misconception that cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous. If untraceable transactions are of primary importance to you, you should focus on other cryptocurrency types.
- You are not exempt from tax withholding. In San marino, cryptocurrency is regulated by the federal government. Bitcoin is taxed as an investment, and is treated as a currency. Bitcoin mining is also subject to taxation.
Popular Exchanges to Buy Bitcoin in San marino
CEX.io lets you purchase bitcoin with a credit card, SEPA transfer, ACH bank transfer, cash or AstroPay. Purchases made with a credit card give you access to your bitcoin immediately. CEX.io works in the United States, Europe, and certain countries in South America.
We may receive compensation when you use CEX.io. Please visit CEX.io for its exact pricing terms.
- Support for many countries and regions
- Low 0.2% trading fee
- Established and trusted exchange
- Verification process is extensive, requiring much personal information (including a photo) and incurring a long delay
- GBP market lacks liquidity
Yobit is a cryptocurrency exchange offering more than 100 cryptocurrencies that can be traded directly on their website. Although the trading platform is internationally oriented, only three languages are available: English, Russian and Chinese.
The provider's focus is clearly on illuminating the prices of the individual cryptocurrencies from all sides as far as possible and making them available to customers on the website. The website could be slightly more informative, it's not that easy to prepare a detailed test report on crypto trading platform Yobit. Nevertheless, we have highlighted a few points that might make it easier for you to decide whether you want to give the altcoin broker a try or not.Our first look is at the provider's seriousness.
After all, every user wants to be able to rely on a secure trade that really washes the return into their own wallet. In recent years there have been some dubious offers on the market, but YoBit is clearly not one of them. The provider offers great protection for its users and works reliably and seriously. In our eyes, doubts about the correct way of working are superfluous.
- Good Liquidity
- Many smaller coins tradable
- Bad support
- Transfer fees can be quite high, depending on the coin and amount
EXMO is a UK-based cryptocurrency exchange which launched in 2013 by its parent company, EXMO Finance LLP. It is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in Europe, with an average monthly trading volume of $ 1.5 billion. Even though the EXMO exchange offers lower liquidity than others, such as BitMEX, it is a good choice for inexperienced traders to start their cryptocurrency trading or investment.
- Low user fees
- Several cryptocurrency asset pairs to trade, giving the user the power of choice
- To their credit, Exmo has a good communications outlet. The blog publishes constant updates about what happens with Exmo
- US Clients not accepted
- Many exchange downtimes have been reported
- Deposit and withdrawals come with conditions which keep changing. Traders can never tell what they may wake up to
Established recently in mid-2017, Binance is new cryptocurrency exchange that is geared towards crypto-to-crypto trading. The platform is based in Shanghai China and is headed by Changpeng Zhao. The exchange also recently opened a branch office in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Although just founded a few months ago, Binance is already making waves in the cryptocurrency trading community. The exchange offers an impressive range of Cryptos and Altcoins such as BTC, ETH, LTC, and Binance's own crypto called BNB, for trading at very competitive fees.
- Wide selection of cryptocurrencies
- Advanced trading platforms
- Competitive fees
- IOTA available for trading
- No support for Fiat currencies
- No live chat or phone support


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Tuition & Fees listed here are for new students enrolling in the University for
Fall 2019.
Master of Physician Assistant
Mandatory fees are charged to each student per semester.
Special Fees may be assessed for elective items, such as parking, or for program or course specific fees,
such as those related to labs.
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Having had a couple of surprising experiences with third-party perl modules using signals on windows, I decided to test them to see how extensive support is. As mst points out, it is good to have confidence in your chosen platform.
Here is my test program.
#!/usr/bin/env perl use 5.010; use strict; use warnings; say '#', scalar(keys %SIG), ' signals'; my %skip = map { $_, 1 } qw(STOP TSTP TTIN TTOU); foreach my $sig (sort keys %SIG) { next if (exists $skip{$sig}); my $pid = fork(); if (! $pid) { sleep 1; say "$sig failed!"; exit 0; } say "Testing $sig (on $pid)"; kill $sig, $pid; my $catch = wait(); say "($sig) $catch exited...\n"; }
I fork a new process (presumably this is a pseudo-fork piggy-backing on a thread instead of a process in windows, but it is something people might write if they weren't aiming at portability to windows), and then I try and send it a signal using kill. If the kill fails, then we get a message.
On Linux, this works pretty well as you would expect, signalling both from the parent and from within the child (suiciding?). A few signals unsurprisingly didn't cause the child to abort:
CHLD, CLD, CONT, FPE, NUM32, URG, WINCH and a few needed to be skipped. However, it was consistent from run to run.
The tests on Windows varied from run to run. The first run aborted on the first signal (SIGABRT appropriately enough).
jared@win32 $ ./signal-test.pl #26 signals Testing ABRT (on -3628) Terminating on signal SIGABRT(22)
The next one ran through to SIGFPE.
jared@win32 $ ./tsig2.pl #26 signals Testing ABRT (on -268) ABRT failed! (ABRT) -268 exited... Testing ALRM (on -1440) ALRM failed! (ALRM) -1440 exited... Testing BREAK (on -2596) BREAK failed! (BREAK) -2596 exited... Testing CLD (on -3464) CLD failed! (CLD) -3464 exited... Testing CONT (on -2360) CONT failed! (CONT) -2360 exited... Testing FPE (on -3508) Terminating on signal SIGFPE(8)
And the third ran through to SIGBREAK.
jared@win32 $ ./tsig2.pl #26 signals Testing ABRT ABRT failed! (ABRT) -3548 exited... Testing ALRM ALRM failed! (ALRM) -2800 exited... Testing BREAK Terminating on signal SIGBREAK(21)
*sigh*. Well, that is pretty disappointing. I had a bunch of other signal related tests I was thinking about doing but there seems little point. I always think of Perl as a fairly platform-agnostic wrapper around the underlying OS, but it looks like I was seriously mistaken.


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Physics researchers at Hope College are participating in a NASA-funded collaborative project that is linking multiple teams in an international effort that could result in a giant leap in mankind's understanding a type of star.
Physics researchers at Hope College are participating in a NASA-funded collaborative project that is linking multiple teams in an international effort that could result in a giant leap in mankind's understanding a type of star.
Dr. Peter Gonthier, who is a professor of physics, and his student researchers are part of a NASA-based project that has been seeking to better understand how pulsars, which are highly compact collapsed stars, produce high-energy gamma rays. The team's project, "Particle Acceleration and High Energy Radiation from Pulsar Magnetospheres," has recently received a three-year, $459,043 grant--$76,866 of which will support work at Hope - from the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program.
"This grant is highly significant because it is mainstream and it has to compete with the big guns to get funded by NASA," said Dr. Moses Lee, who is dean for the natural and applied sciences and a professor of chemistry at Hope. "I am extremely proud of Pete and his collaborators."
The latest round of support follows an earlier three-year award to the project from the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program. While the overall focus on pulsars remains the same, recent developments in both the research and its supporting technology make the new phase particularly exciting, according to Gonthier.
"It's an extremely exciting grant because it's bringing two teams together that are experts in pulsar-magnetosphere physics," Gonthier said. "And this proposal, if our research is successful, will really leap us forward in our understanding of how pulsars generate these beams of gamma rays."
One group has been working to understand the acceleration mechanism that generates the gamma rays. Another has recently developed a new understanding of the electrodynamics of the stars' magnetospheres - the magnetized regions that surround all astronomical objects. Through the newest support, they will be merging their specializations together to try to understand the process more fully.
Added into the mix is the new Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, launched into orbit in June 2008 and already contributing significant data. Gonthier noted that the new satellite-based telescope is about 30 times more sensitive than its predecessor, which provided data for nine years beginning in 1991. The previous telescope, for example, discovered seven to eight gamma pulsars during its entire nine-year life; Fermi found about 20 new pulsars in its first four months.
Gonthier noted that pulsars are extremely dense neutron stars which have the mass of one and a half of the earth's sun packed within a ball 16 miles in diameter. They rotate rapidly, completing a revolution in a range between once every 10 seconds and a thousand times a second. Highly magnetized, they shoot out a beam of radiation that, given the spinning, makes the star seem to pulse as the beam passes into view.
Pulsars were discovered in the 1960s, when scientists observed radio waves coming from them. The range of electromagnetic radiation, however, is much broader, covering also microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays and, at the highest end, gamma rays.
The overall research effort is headed by Dr. Alice Harding, who is on the staff of the Astrophysics Space Division of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. In addition to Gonthier, who has been conducting research with Harding since 1992, co-investigators or collaborators on the project include researchers from RiceUniversity, the Universities Space Research Association, the Academy of Athens in Greece and the CEA Saclay research center in France.
Gonthier and his students have been running simulations examining the development and behavior of pulsars, and have also been studying physical processes near the surface of the stars. Each year, they work not only on campus but also for four weeks during the summer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center itself. He is excited to have the opportunity to work with the new Fermi telescope data, which will be used to evaluate the accuracy of the simulations and to help the Hope researchers shape the computer models to even more accurately reflect the way the stars behave.
"It's a very exciting moment because of this new observatory," he said. "And Hope is up there with it, in a sense. We're connected."
Gonthier and his students have presented their work in scholarly journals and at major national and international conferences. For example, then-student Sarah Story participated in about eight conferences with Gonthier, including as the only undergraduate presenter during the first GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope) Symposium in February 2007, and was lead author - writing with Gonthier--of an article published in "Astrophysics Journal." Story, who graduated in 2007, is now a graduate student in physics at Rice and working with Dr. Matthew G. Baring, part of the collaborative team. Gonthier will be among the presenters this summer, in the section on neutron stars, during the 27th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, meeting in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in August.


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The Periwinkle Princess – By Tish and Rich Riley
We had the pleasure of shooting an amazing restoration this weekend just outside of Sacramento at the Lodi Airport. Tish and Rich were kind enough to drive this beauty out for the shoot…Here is their story!
The truck is a 1950 Chevy 1/2 Ton 5-window pickup and it was a Mother's Day present from my husband. When Rich found it at a swap meet in Turlock , it was a "project" and had to be transported in pieces on a flatbed tow truck to our home in Pleasanton . After 18 months the mechanical rebuild was completed but the exterior was still unfinished. When we drove it to its first car show it was painted black but had dijon mustard colored primer spots on various body parts where the customizations were still in progress. The truck was called ' Holstein ' all weekend as a result.
After all the body mods were done, it finally received its namesake color of periwinkle. This was my favorite color when I was a little girl so I took the Crayola periwinkle crayon to the paint shop and had the color matched to that crayon. I've never regretted choosing that color because it always catches peoples' eyes and generates a lot of interest.
She is now known as the Periwinkle Princess and I'm proud to say she has over 13,000 miles on her and has not been trailered anywhere since she was completed.
Rich started the P-Town PushRods in 1994. He had been looking for car owners that shared our love of cruising around in street rods but didn't want the rules and cliques found in the car clubs he'd checked out. He drove around Pleasanton looking for street rods in driveways and open garages. He would periodically drive by those houses again until he saw the owners working on their cars. He would then stop and talk to them to see if they were interested in getting together for breakfast once in awhile and going on car cruises. We started out with 8 couples and eventually had over 185 people on the roster from places as far away as New Zealand .
The name P-Town PushRods came from Pleasanton 's nickname and the double meaning of pushrod as an engine part what we have to do when there's a breakdown; push 'rod'. If you look closely at the club's logo you will even see 2 hand prints on the trunk of the car. We consider ourselves an 'un-club' since we don't have any rules or official officers. All the men are Vice President because they don't want to have to do anything and all the women, aka: Rodettes, are President because someone has to be in charge to get stuff organized.
The PushRods are the 'host association' for the 4 Good Guys car shows held at the Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton . We volunteer to help out at the entry gates and specialty area parking. In return, our volunteers get free passes into the show and a reserved area for us to park in. At these shows we sell t-shirts with our cars on them as a fundraiser for different causes. Over the years we have donated tens of thousands of dollars to various organizations including the National Cancer Society, the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Center and Hope Hospice. We also adopt families during the holidays and visit patients at the Veterans Hospital in Livermore . During the West Coast Nationals show in August, the PushRods bring veterans from the hospital to the fairgrounds for a bar-b-que lunch in appreciation of their service to our Country.
Since Rich and I moved to Stockton , we aren't as active in the club as we used to be but once a PushRod, always a PushRod. We still love to meet up with our car buddies and hit the road with our street rods whenever we can.
Like our club motto says, "You gotta drive 'em"
(Thanks to Tish and Rich for the great article) www.kerstenbeck.com


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A) You started laughing as soon as you caught baby Stewie's drift, you're still laughing, and you can't wait to pull the same schtick on all your writer friends.
B) You were laughing by the end, but it took a minute, and right now you sorta feel like punching something.
C) You were greatly offended and are now planning to use your writing skills to craft a strongly worded letter to the creator of Family Guy.


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See & Do
Portland Attractions | Willamette River Rides | Nearby Restaurants
Portland Attractions
The Pearl District
Historic industrial buildings have been transformed into unique retail storefronts, restaurants, galleries, lofts and townhouses in Portland's premier shopping district. The Pearl District is the destination for creative cuisine, home furnishings, art and one-of-a-kind boutiques. Take a break from touring and shopping to relax at one of our picturesque sidewalk cafes. Or enjoy the fountains in Jamison Square. More than 100 shops, restaurants and galleries are open seven days a week, year-round. Easily accessible, The Pearl District is only a short walk or streetcar ride from downtown Portland; adjacent to I-405.
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
At OMSI, there's no shortage of fun activities the whole family will enjoy. Explore more than 200 hands-on exhibits and feel the power of an earthquake, uncover a fossil, create a chemical reaction, or enter the world of virtual reality. You can also climb aboard a genuine submarine, travel the globe in the five-story OMINIMAX Dome Theater, journey to the outer reaches of the galaxy at the Kendall Planetarium, dine at the riverside cafe, or shop in the Science Store. Where will your adventure begin? Located downtown on the east bank of the Willamette River (beside the Marquam Bridge).
Portland Saturday Market
It's no wonder Portland Saturday Market is one ot the city's top attractions. Filled with the colors and flavors of more than 300 artisans, you'll find an array of quality arts and crafts being sold by the artists themselves. The Market is open every Saturday and Sunday from March through Christmas Eve. The Market is located in the heart of Portland's Historic Old Town under the west end of the Burnside Bridge.
Portland Classical Chinese Garden
Created to nurture and inspire all who visit this Chinese Garden is little changed from what might have greetd you during the Ming Dynasty in China. This walled Garden encloses a full city block. Serpentine walkways, a bridged lake, and open colonnades set off a meticulously arranged landscape of plants, water, stone, poetry and buildings. It is home to hundreds of rare and unusual plants, nearly 100 specimen trees, water plants, bamboo and orchids.
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum is the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest and, since its founding in 1892, has amassed a diverse collection numbering over 35,000 objects and works of art. This "collection of collections" comprises primarily gifts from generous donors and smaller collections purchased in their entirety. The Museum's collection includes works of European painting and sculpture, American painting and sculpture, silver, Asian art, Native American art, Pre-Columbian art, Cameroon and other African art, contemporary art, sculpture, prints and drawings, and photography.
The Grotto
No visit to Portland is complete without a trip to The Grotto - the internationally renowned Catholic sanctuary that welcomes more than 150,000 guests of all faiths each year. This peaceful 62-acre sanctuary is close to the city center area and would be a delight to visit any time of year. The Grotto is maintained solely through generous public support of its gardens, art works and facilities.
Oregon Zoo
How many O'Reilly animals can you spot at the Oregon Zoo? The Oregon Zoo highlights animals and their habitat and features nine major exhibits, representing various geographic areas of the world. The Zoo is located along the MAX light rail line, five minutes from downtown Portland. The MAX stops at the zoo approximately every ten minutes.
CM2 - Children's Museum 2nd Generation
Known for its hands-on exhibits, Children's Museum 2nd Generation - (CM2) is perfect for kids aged 12 and younger. The museum features a magical forest for babies and toddlers; a huge "Water Works," where kids can send gallons of water splashing through a series of contraptions; drop-in studios for art explorations; and the "Vroom Room," where things really move. Located in Washington Park, CM2 is a rich family-oriented element in one of Portland's richest groupings of attractions. Washington Park is home to the Oregon Zoo, the World Forest Center Discovery Museum, the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Garden and Hoyt Arboretum. Open year-round.
International Rose Test Garden
The largest of three Portland public rose gardens, the International Rose Test Garden was established in 1917, making it the oldest test garden in the United States. The 4.5-acre site features 9,000 rose plantings representing some 590 varieties, including Savoy Hotel, Livin' Easy, New Zealand, Climbing Ophelia, and Sweet Juliet. From its vantage point in Washington Park, this terraced garden offers a spectacular view of downtown Portland, majestic Mount Hood and volatile Mount St. Helens. Best viewing months are May through September. Open year-round. Free.
World Forestry Center Discovery Museum
Located in Portland's beautiful Washington Park, the exhibits in the newly renovated Discovery Museum engage visitors to learn that forests are truly amazing and beautiful places. Come explore the fascinating, complex and dynamic world of trees and forests at the Discovery Museum.
The Japanese Garden
Acclaimed as the most authentic Japanese Garden outside Japan. Step into Japan without having to leave the country. Portland's Japanese Garden offers five, formal garden styles nestled onto 5.5 pristine acres. The Tea Garden, Strolling Pond Garden, Natural Garden, Sand and Stone Garden and Flat Garden combine to provide the visitor breathtaking examples of the ancient art of Japanese gardening. Each garden blends flawlessly into one another providing surprise vistas, restful repose and meditative symbology. Come and experience unsurpassed beauty.
Pittock Mansion
Experience the charm of a romantic time which will never come again, and marvel at the beauty and history of one of the region's great mansions - Pittock Mansion. Learn about Henry and Georgiana Pittock and the estate which symbolizes their contributions to the growth of Portland.
Mount Hood Railroad
Travel though the Hood River Valley to the foothills of Mt. Hood. The fun begins the moment you step aboard the century-old Mt. Hood Railroad. Dating from 1906, the Exursion Train is comprised of enclosed Pullman coaches, a concession car, a red caboose and an open air car. Sit back, enjoy the great views and visit with friends and family as you travel along the river, through forests, meadows and numberous orchards to the town of Parkdale. A live narration along the way covers local history and key points of interest. During the one hour layover, have a picnic in the park, sample local cafes, browse the gift shops, visit the Hutson Museum and take in stunning views of Mt. Hood.
Mount St. Helens National Monument
At 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments. In 1982, the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance. Lessons learned by scientists have improved our understanding of volcanic processes, extended our ability to forecast future eruptions, and provided insight into how ecosystems respond to catastrophic disturbances. Each year thousands of studentss visit Mount St. Helens and are enriched by discoveries from research. State-of-the-art Visitor Centers and engaging ranger programs extend these lessons to millions more visitors. Roads, trails, and viewpoints offer visitors world class opportunities to explore this fascinating living laboratory.
Map of Area Attractions
The Portland Oregon Visitors Association highlights an Attraction Map. This map provides an aerial view of Portland with links and information on major attractions.
Willamette River Rides
The Sternwheeler Rose
For relaxation and stunning views of the Portland area, enjoy a scenic cruise aboard the Sternwheeler Rose, a working paddle-wheeler that runs exclusively on the Willamette River. Cruises depart from the submarine dock at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Sternwheeler Rose offers dinner cruises, brunch cruises and popular one-hour harbor tours. Phone: (503)286-7673.
The Portland Spirit
The Portland Spirit offers luxurious lunch, brunch and dinner cruises while featuring a talented wait staff to entertain guests. Saturday moonlight dance cruises are also available. Phone: (503)224-3900, or (800)224-3901.
Willamette Jetboat Excursions
Promising the "ultimate river adventure," Willamette Jetboats depart from the submarine dock at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and travel upriver past beautiful waterfront homes, a wildlife sanctuary and magnificent Willamette Falls. The return trip includes a close-up look at Portland's skyline and a shipbuilding/repair facility. Scenic tours (morning, afternoon and early evening departures) run either one or two hours; private charters, including meals, are also available. All tours are narrated by Coast Guard-certified pilots. Operates May through mid-October. Phone: (503)231-1532, or (888)538-2628
Nearby Restaurants
A list of restaurants close to the OCC is available on the conference wiki.
O'Reilly Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for the facilities or services provided by the vendors and suppliers. Anyone attending this convention releases O'Reilly from any and all claims that may arise out of attending at this convention.


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See why a railroad crossing malfunction led to a two-hour road closure
Motorists heading along N.C. 11 North got a slight hitch in their travel plans Saturday afternoon, as malfunctioning gates at the highway�s rail crossing forced emergency responders to detour traffic.
The gates where the northbound CSX rail line crosses Ferrell Road and N.C. 11 remained stuck in the down position for more than two hours.
CSX spokeswoman Carla Groleau stated in an email that �system maintenance� was being performed in the area, which could have affected the crossing signals.
�CSX does its very best to minimize impacts to vehicular traffic in the communities in which we operate, and apologizes for any inconvenience to our neighbors,� she wrote.
Traffic heading north on N.C. 11 was detoured onto Grainger Station Road. Southbound traffic was allowed through, but corralled into one lane. Vehicles approaching N.C. 11 from Ferrell snaked through the downed gates to cross the highway.
�It�s fairly tight quarters, especially for semis (trucks),� Hugo Fire-Rescue Chief Johnny Craft said at the scene of the northbound N.C. 11 lanes.
Personnel with Hugo Fire-Rescue, the Lenoir County Sheriff�s Office and the N.C. Highway Patrol directed traffic.
�Everything has actually gone fairly smoothly,� Craft said.
The highway was opened to traffic about 20 minutes after the technician got to the scene.
Highway Patrol Tpr. Gary Ipock said there had not been any incidents, except one in which a man stopped suddenly and tried to switch places with his traveling companion.
The man was checked out, and the LCSO arrested him on an outstanding warrant from Hertford County for failure to appear in court.
Ipock said he also ticketed the driver for driving with a revoked license, and careless and reckless driving.
The trooper urged drivers to �just slow down and be cautious� when approaching an area where emergency responders are directing traffic.
David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at DavidFreePress.


text: Very soon now I will be shipping my beloved Faded FBJ ME1 off to the PTC to have them give it a Glossy Finish and rub Magical Pixie Dust into the BRW neck. I lean very heavily towards leaving the faded color as is. I figure I know I like how it looks now, but there's really no way of knowing how it looked right out of the spray booth. I know the majority of you would leave it alone entirely and not even go the gloss route. Being that I had already begun the process myself, having that completed (in true PTC style) is a given for me. Before Glossing: Glossy Top: I don't have a decent photo that really shows the difference between the Original and the Glossy look. Example of the Fade: I was unaware of the fade until I removed the bridge and knobs to continue the glossing process. I never got around to completing it so I went ahead and put her all back together so I could play her rather than sitting in the case. Therein lies my dilemma. Do I leave the fade as is or have it restored to it's original FBJ? Remember that regardless of which direction I go, it will be glossy. What would you do? Inquiring minds want to know. Please share pics of your NOS FBJ ME1's. I'd love to see some various unfaded versions - old or new.


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Goats Yelling Like Humans
Most pet owners are positive that their animals understand them. They often treat their pets like a member or the family. I own three dogs and I am no different.
When my boys were younger, we got them a puppy and she has grown up with them. She wrestles with them, sleeps with them, follows them everywhere and even eats their dinner for them if they don't pay attention. She has always been more like another child to us than a dog, and when my boys complain about not having a sister, I tell them that she is the only sister they are going to get. They seem to have accepted this quite well. (They are probably the only kids in their school who have a 90 pound Brindle Boxer for a sister.)
Pets can have attributes that makes us humans think they are like we are. They seem to feel shame when they have done something wrong, they get excited when you mention the word "walk," and they are the best at cheering you up when you're down. But, have you ever known a pet, or any animal for that matter, to sound like a human? I have to say that none of the animals I own sound the least bit like a human not my cows, my dogs, my cat or my fish. Apparently there are a few goats out there that break this mold.
I was skeptical at first to watch this video, but it was hilarious. It seems to get funnier every time I watch it. In fact the last time I watched it, I laughed so hard that I cried. If you're looking for something to make your day a little better, or if you just need a good laugh, then try this video.
Joy Larson is a mother of four boys, graduate of The University of Montana, animal lover and writer.


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A blueprint for high-volume, high-quality lung cancer screening that is detecting cancer earlier—and helping to save lives
Is the Health Care Financing Administration changing its policy on disclosure of medical errors to Medicare beneficiaries? The issue is causing a tremendous amount of confusion among physicians and health plans. To HCFA, however, the fuss is much ado about nothing.
Several recently published reports say that HCFA is reversing its long-standing policy of keeping a lid on medical errors if physicians object to disclosure. One publication suggested the feds were going to finally publish a "list of bad docs." Not true, according to a HCFA spokesman: "We're not changing any rules, no matter what the New York Times says."
The Times and other media, he says, misinterpreted HCFA's intent. "What we are doing is clarifying the existing instructions in the peer review organization [PRO] manuals about disclosure," he says.
Currently, PROs are required to provide beneficiaries with information on the final disposition of a complaint, but they may not explicitly or implicitly identify individual practitioners without their consent.
Yet, change could be in the offing, the HCFA spokesman admits. "Several people are considering proposing regulations that could change that. We're issuing a notice of rule-making later this year." So, while reports of the death of the existing disclosure policy have been greatly exaggerated, one should watch for future developments.
What has happened is that a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against HCFA and the Department of Health and Human Services by Public Citizen and Alan Levine, challenging the federal government's policy of prohibiting PROs from releasing the results of investigations of complaints about the quality of health care services as a violation of federal regulations. Levine wrote to Florida Medical Quality Assurance (FMQA), a PRO, in 1999 to request a review of the quality of care his Medicare-beneficiary mother received while at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.
Mrs. Levine died seven days after being admitted. FMQA replied that it would conduct a complete review, but six months later told Levine that it could not inform him of the results because his mother's physician didn't consent to the disclosure.
Levine's lawyer then requested release of the investigation. FMQA's response: It couldn't, because of existing federal law and regulations. Public Citizen and Levine then filed suit against HHS and HCFA last April.
Amanda Frost, a lawyer with the Public Citizen Litigation Group, says the plaintiffs demanded that HHS change its regulations and policy manual to comply with federal laws, which, she contends, actually provide for release of the information.
Now, Frost reports, at the end of a three-month stay, HHS has told the PRO to release the information to Levine — but still hasn't changed its regulations. "It appears something has changed. HHS has sent a letter" to Levine and proposed changes to its policy manual, she says, but she hasn't been given a copy of the letter or seen the proposed changes.
Medical errors garnered public interest after the release of the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report that argued for a comprehensive approach to improving patient safety, but admitted there is no "magic bullet" that would reduce errors. The fuss has renewed debate about what the goal of disclosing medical errors should be.
Melinda Hatton, chief legal counsel of the American Hospital Association, says the objective has been — and should continue to be — allowing professional health care practitioners to look at what they and their colleagues are doing to improve patient care.
No opposition there. The rub comes when changes in policy could result in additional litigation. Mohit Ghose, of the American Association of Health Plans, explains: "Our board of directors has endorsed the concept of disclosure to help improve patient care. We do not agree with opening the liability system — that doesn't make sense."
Practitioners worry that disclosing too much could make it more difficult to improve patient treatment and safety. "There's not always agreement on treatment matters," one medical professional notes. "You need to be able to talk about what was done, why it was done, what happened, and what might have been done differently. But you don't need to put all that in the hands of some lawyer."
Douglas Hastings, a partner in Epstein, Becker & Green and president-elect of the American Health Lawyers Association, says that the debate points up the need to refine the system for reporting medical errors, so as to prevent misinterpretation of what's been reported.
Hastings says HCFA's change "had to do with a more effective way of disclosing information already required — not changing policy regarding identification of specific physicians in hospitals." He says that the confusion demonstrates the necessity of finding ways "to balance confidentiality with the need for improving quality.
"This is an area where it all comes down to a balance between competing good things," he continues. "One good thing is quality review by professionals in confidential settings that allow for careful review. The other good thing is open information to patients about their care, or a loved one's care. The whole issue of medical errors puts these good goals in conflict."
Hastings says it underscores the problems lawmakers face on patient rights issues.
How quickly Congress and the Bush administration will begin serious work on any health care initiative is still a matter of speculation. One long-time Senate staff member predicts health care issues won't be at the top of the agenda for the new president or the new Congress, but that tax cuts and education will take precedence.
John Stone, press secretary to Republican Rep. Charles Norwood of Georgia, who has been one of the most active members on health care matters in the past several sessions, argues that Bush has the chance to combine cutting taxes with promoting increased health insurance coverage.
"The last thing we heard is that they wanted to move forward in the first 100 days with some health care initiative," Stone says — a patients bill of rights, Medicare prescription drug benefits, or dealing with the problem of the uninsured. Bush officials appeared to be leaning toward dealing with that third issue, Stone says — and that could be done by providing a $2,000 instant tax credit, as Norwood has proposed.
One simple — but extremely significant — change in committee voting procedures may affect the movement of health care issues through this Congress. With Senate committee membership divided evenly among Republicans and Democrats, the change provides that tie votes will be considered a "yes" vote rather than a "no" vote — meaning that bills can move out of committee this year on tie votes.
"One party or the other won't automatically have a veto over legislation," a staff member explains. "Now a tie is a win, whereas before a tie was a loss." That rule change — unlike the medical errors-disclosure brouhaha — seems perfectly clear.
A blueprint for high-volume, high-quality lung cancer screening that is detecting cancer earlier—and helping to save lives
ZULRESSO™ (brexanolone) injection CIV
Multiple Sclerosis: New Perspectives on the Patient Journey–2019 Update
Summary of an Actuarial Analysis and Report


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Coupled Fluid-Structural Analysis of Heart Mitral Valve
The mitral valve apparatus is a complex and refined mechanism located between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart which can manifest various kinds of pathologies.
In order to support identification of potentially critical conditions resulting from some typical cardiosurgery operations, it is important to develop models of the mitral valve that enable prediction of both stress in the leaflets and blood flow pressure gradient and velocity across the valve during the cardiac cycle.
In this paper a modeling approach considering fluid-structure interaction using COMSOL Multiphysics is described. The Multiphysics approach has been found to be useful in evaluating the most important surgical parameters: pressure gradient between left atrium and ventricle during diastolic phase, and maximum fluid velocity and stresses in the valve leaflet.


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text: Be sure to mark your calendar for Friday July 13th and Saturday July 14th. RIP productions is hosting a great line-up of seminars. Some of the topics that will be covered include scare techniques, character development, dialogue building, make-up application and airbrushing. This event will be held in Shirland, IL, which is only about 1/2 hour from Rockford. Not only will there be a great line-up of seminars, but there will also be a haunted house tour, BBQ cookout and more! This two day event will be an experience you won�t soon forget. Attendance is limited and the registration DEADline is July 1st, so sign up now! For more information, click on the banner below.


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by Karen Tracy
After more than a year of planning and input from many members of the community, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy has begun work on an ambitious and transformative campus master plan.
Unanimously approved by the school's board of trustees at its June 1 meeting, the 10-year, three-phase plan will enable the newly merged institution to better utilize and leverage its combined 62-acre campus in a way that advances programmatic goals and provides a more coherent and enriched experience for students.
The plan, which has garnered enthusiastic support from the Chestnut Hill Historical Association, has been overseen by co-chairs of the SCH board of trustees' Building and Grounds Committee and board members Henry O'Reilly and William Smilow – both Chestnut Hill business owners – and designed by architectural consultants Wallace, Roberts & Todd (WRT). The school also has a longstanding relationship with the Philadelphia Water Department, Friends of the Wissahickon, and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society and has sought guidance and approval on all actions relating to water collection, water management and landscaping.
Phase I, which began July 2, represents the most visible and dramatic changes to the campus landscape. The improvements will unify and enhance the campus green space, create new pathways and enable ease of movement between the previously distinct campuses and athletic fields.
Most noticeably, it has required the removal of many trees along Willow Grove Avenue and Cherokee Street to prepare the ground and build the infrastructure needed to correct existing water runoff issues that have been affecting the community for years and, indirectly, the Wissahickon watershed.
This earthwork will create a level and appropriately graded foundation on which to construct two new artificial turf fields and new pathways, which increase students' safety as they move throughout the campus.
Maura McCarthy, executive director of Friends of the Wissahickon, said, "SCH has a good track record of responsible development in the community. This project provides an opportunity to significantly increase environmental value and storm water management."
Tree-lined allées, landscaped sidewalks, and appropriate signage will frame the essential conduits around campus. Plans include the planting of more than100 indigenous trees, 16 to 20 feet tall, to line Willow Grove Avenue in addition to the allées created along the connecting pathways. Phase I has been funded by the school's parent association through a fundraiser called "Common Ground" and by gifts from private supporters raised in the last year.
For the duration of July, site work will include earth moving in advance of the installation of four giant recharge beds, which will accommodate storm water runoff on every field, and a new storm water conduit on Cherokee Street. With the infrastructure work completed, final grading for the new fields will be completed in late August, with sidewalks, two new turf fields, tennis courts, tree replanting, and other landscaping carried out in September and October. The school expects to complete all of Phase I by November, weather permitting.
SCH Academy's commitment to environmental stewardship of the Wissahickon and sustainability were two of the key drivers behind the decision to engage the services of WRT, a Philadelphia-based agency whose "integrated approach to planning and design creates sustainable buildings and landscapes." As part of WRT's planning process, they organized nearly 70 separate focus group meetings with students, parents, alumni, faculty, administrators, and neighbors over a 10-month period.
"Underlying this work," said Dr. Priscilla Sands, SCH president, "is a conscientious and informed plan to enhance our green spaces and improve storm water management throughout our property. Careful, expert planning has gone into this process to ensure responsible stewardship of our land and our water runoff. We look forward to sharing our transformed campus not only with our students but with all the community groups that enjoy our beautiful campus."
Phases II and III, also on the school's docket, involve the construction of new academic buildings and additions and renovations to existing spaces expected to take place over the next 5-10 years. The exact time frame depends on a forthcoming capital campaign, but the earliest start (for Phase II) has been identified as summer 2014. Follow the campus master plan news and weekly updates at www.sch.org/campusmasterplan.
Karen Tracy is Director of Communications and Marketing at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.


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I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54
Vintage Books, 1989 - 468 páginas
Considered an idiot because of his physical infirmities, Claudius survived the intrigues and poisonings of the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the Mad Caligula to become emperor in 41 A.D. A masterpiece.
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Masterpiece.Crítica de los usuarios - edwastrivel - Overstock.com
This is a must read especially if you enjoyed the BBC series based on it. Leer comentario completo
LibraryThing ReviewCrítica de los usuarios - harrietbrown - LibraryThing
This follow-up novel to Robert Graves' classic, "I, Claudius" continues the life story of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius. It begins immediately following where the previous novel left off, and ends with his death under mysterious circumstances, and his deification. Leer comentario completo
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I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C ...
Robert Graves
Vista previa limitada - 1989
I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius ... Emperor of the ...
Robert Graves
Vista de fragmentos - 1934
Términos y frases comunes
accused Agrippa Agrippina Agrippinilla asked assegais Athenodorus Augustus Augustus's began believe berius brother Caligula called Cassar Cassius Castor Cato charge child City Claudians Claudius command Consul daughter dead death Drusus Emilia Emperor father favour fellow fight forced friends Gaius Gallus gave Germanicus Germanicus's Germans grandmother Greek Guards gustus hand happened head heard Hermann honour husband Jove Julia killed knew Lars Porsena laughed letter live Livia Livilla Livy Macro Marcellus marriage married mother murder Nero Nerva never night once Palace Piso Planasia Plancina poison Pollio Postumus Postumus's pretended provinces regiments Rhine Roman Rome seemed Sejanus Sejanus's Senate sent shouted slaves soldiers soon sword sword-fighters Tacfarinas tell temple thing thought thousand gold pieces Thrasyllus Tiberius's told took treason uncle Tiberius Urgulania Urgulanilla Varus Vitellius wanted wife woman write wrote young


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It's been an amazing year here at Behance and we're so excited for what we have in store for the coming year. We're constantly in awe of the work that you, the creative world, can turn out. You all help make life more interesting.
For the next few weeks, we'll be taking a look back at 2013 and featuring some of our staff's favorite projects from the past year at facebook.com/Behance while we recount our Top Tweets at twitter.com/Behance, so be sure to follow along!
Here's to making ideas happen!


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S.A. company could help keep lights on
While state energy regulators wrestle with the question of whether Texas has enough reserve power to avoid blackouts next summer, the company that CPS Energy chose to help the utility reduce its energy load at peak times reported some progress Wednesday.
Consert, which moved its headquarters here from Raleigh, N.C., last year as part of a deal to supply CPS with home area network devices that can shave energy use at peak times, still is gathering data from pilot programs with CPS and other Texas utilities.
But CEO Jack Roberts said early results show that the company will be able to deliver on its promise of reducing CPS' demand by 250 megawatts. By comparison, CPS' coal plants produce more than 800 megawatts each. Consert also is working closely with the state grid operator, he said, to become a "controllable load resource." That means the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state's energy grid, would be able to count on reducing energy use by a certain amount when demand is highest.
Known as "demand reduction," it's already followed voluntarily by some large industrial power users. Reducing use by residential customers, which make up almost half the demand during peak times, is so far an untapped resource, Roberts said.
Consert aims to change that by aggregating miniscule amounts of power saved from, for example, raising by a couple degrees the temperature setting on many homeowners' thermostats in the summer or shutting off their pool pumps for brief periods of time on days when electricity demand is high.
Conservation "is the cheapest source of energy," Roberts said Wednesday at a news conference during which he also highlighted the company's hiring and integration into San Antonio.
CPS has installed 341 of Consert's devices as part of a 1,000-home pilot program, a CPS spokeswoman said. CPS has committed to buying 140,000 units and where those are placed will depend on the data the utility collects. But they'll only go to customers who want them, she said.
Rolando Pablos, who was appointed to the Public Utility Commission four months ago, said resource adequacy — whether Texas has enough power to keep the lights on during periods of highest demand — is the single biggest issue facing the commission today.


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Skip Hire Princes End from YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk
If you're looking to hire a skip in Princes End, you've come to the right place. YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk is one of the UK's leading providers of skips for hire, offering a reliable and professional service to business and residential clients.
Make sure you're hiring the skip that meets your requirements by checking our sizing guide before requesting a quote. As a rule of thumb, a home clearance will need a six yard skip, while larger projects will need a skip with a larger capacity.
To request your no-obligation quote and book your skip, just add your postcode in the quote request form above, or call us on 0330 1130 700. We'll get back to you with a competitive price, and you won't have to worry about jumping through hoops to hire the skip you need.


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Ken Block's Gymkhana videos are proof of the amazing tributes to hoonage that can be created when you have a full race team, a professional camera crew and plenty of money from your sponsors to throw around. We're pretty sure this Polish hoon fest was created without any of these things, but it came out pretty cool anyways.
Focused around an E30 drift car, this video is certainly a little weirder than Gymkhanas, but we like it. Instead of Block's brand new drift car hooning in amazing locations, we are treated to an old BMW that has been turned into a drift car hooning in a parking lot filled with 50s cars. Before these Polish genius's are done they manage to include a Ford Torino drag race, a Monster Truck, an attractive Blonde flag girl and a Tank.
Sure the music isn't the best and the black filter gets pretty annoying, but we have little else to complain about from this weird and wonderful video. We'll be anxiously awaiting the next strange installment.


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Use offer code BL72 to get this special pricing.
Each of these four designs features a Bible verse to enrich your day. The paper sculpture art gives a contemporary interpretation of classic Christian symbols: fishes, loaves, doves, and hearts. This design is available in single and duplicate check formats. Also available are matching address labels, a contact card and a coordinating leather cover affixed with a brushed silver-tone, elegant cross pin.
Limited Time Promotion
Use offer code BL72 to receive 30% off when you order 4 boxes of checks. Offer valid for a limited time.
Special Pricing:
If you have an advertisement, you may enter the offer code
during checkout
to see if you are eligible for the special offer.
Check Gallery is America's leading earth-friendly check printer. We produce
personal bank checks,
address labels and
checkbook covers featuring many beautiful, nature-inspired designs for
far less than banks charge. Save money and help the environment!
©2020 Direct Checks Unlimited Sales, Inc. • The Check Gallery Inc. • 8245 N Union Blvd • Colorado Springs, CO 80920-4456 • 1-800-518-5622


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Products Details:
|Product name
For Sony Z1 Z39H/ C6902/ C6903 LCD Screen Assembly With Frame
|Compatible brand
|For Sony
|Each assembly is tested before shipping and are 100% working
|Factory price
|10 Pcs
Payment Details:
T/T, Western Union, MoneyGram, Paypal.
Packaging Details:
Lcd Package A: One lcd in one box, Pvc inner holder + Packaging Box, independent packaging.
Lcd Package B: Ten lcds in one box, anti-static bag + bubble bag for each, 10 in 1 Package box.
Outer packing: Foam box + Carton Box.
Humanized service: Also according to customers' request.
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Goods will be delivered by DHL, UPS, FedEx, EMS, TNT, HKEMS methods.
Send goods 1-2 working days after payment.
3-10 working days can receive the goods.
Taoyuan Advantages:
12 months Warranty.
unlimited easy return policy. If you receive a damaged, defective or Incorrect item, contact a customer service agent within 7 days, we will make every attempt to help resolve this matter for you quickly and efficiently.
All cell phone Brand Parts, we can meet your purchase requirements completely.
Large stock, fast delivery, can meet large purchasing plan.
Taoyuan Electronic Ltd is a professional manufacturer and exporter, and we have over 10 years of exporting experience in LCD screen and other cellphone parts.
All of our complete assembly are fully tested to insure the fused LCD and touchscreen digitizer are working properly.


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To sign up for a borrower's card, or to renew an existing card, please provide the following information. We will contact you via email when your account has been created or renewed. Cards will be mailed to new borrowers; those renewing cards will keep their original card.
If you have trouble submitting the form, you may email us at email@example.com. Give us your name, address, telephone number, email address, TESU ID number, and let us know that you want borrowing privileges or your existing card renewed.


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Home hunting is quite a complicated task and requires strong vigilance over a number of things. Area of the unit is one such factor that is the base of many complaints lodged against the builders on account of misrepresentation of facts. To stand on the right side, you must be aware of the important guidelines for buying your first home. One such guideline is related to the area of the unit you buy. Carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area are the three terms that will definitely come along your way. They are very different from each other but can make a huge difference in the price you pay for your dream home.
Let us discuss these three terms in some detail:
Carpet Area- In simple terms, it is the area of the house in which you can lay a carpet wall to wall. Hence, this is the distance between the inner walls of the house. It refers to the total usable area of your flat. It will also include the area of the staircase (if any) that is within the house as that also makes usable area. [Read more…]


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HENDERSON COUNTY, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) - A human skull was discovered inside a motorcycle helmet on Burlington Island in Illinois last week. The island is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
The skull was found by loggers in a full-face motorcycle helmet on Aug. 30 around 3 p.m.
The skull was sent to Peoria to be examined by a forensic pathologist, according to the Henderson County coroner.
The Peoria County morgue serves as a regional autopsy hub serving nine counties, according to the Peoria County coroner.
The Henderson County coroner says it may have a lead on the identity of the skull pending dental and DNA tests.


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Saturday, June 18, 2011
Fordham Alum/Bronx Teacher Denounces White House Education Policy
by Jenna Schlosbon on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 9:43pm
Shame on you, Barack Obama. I voted for you. I campaigned for you. I donated to you AND raised money for you. When I heard you speak about the problem of educational inequality in this country at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I felt inspired. This is an issue that has been extraordinarily important to me for some time now, and I believed that you actually intended to do something about it. But instead, you continue to support the high stakes testing agenda and business-like competition among our public schools.
You and your Secretary of Education support tying teacher tenure/hiring/firing to standardized test scores. In so doing, you reduce children, particularly children of color who are living in poverty, to data points, forcing us to reduce our curriculum to incessant test prep for fear of a)having our schools shut down or b)losing our jobs. This is NOT education. This is fear-based. This puts a tremendous amount of stress on teachers and students alike. This is rote. This strips joy, curiosity, and creativity from learning. What about socio-emotional development? What about varied learning needs and learning styles? We need to educate the whole child, which these policies will not allow us to do. (And by the way, President Obama, Sidwell Friends, where you send your daughters, has stated that they do not believe tying teacher pay to student test scores is an effective measure of learning, evaluation, or progress.)
By upholding said policies you are just as bad as Klein, Bloomberg, and all of these other milllionaire/billionaire pro-corporate "education reformers" who are "reforming" (destroying) our public schools in an effort to create something that benefits the corporate structure which controls this country: a mass proletariat who can unquestioningly obey, follow directions, and complete rote tasks INSTEAD of citizens who can question, or dare I say challenge the status quo, formulate an opinion, think critically and creatively, or have any semblance of a moral compass.
We need freedom from high-stakes standardized tests and the freedom to make our curriculum more relevant to our students' lives, not only in an effort to engage them, but to show them how to be active citizens in their own communities, and perhaps even empower them to improve their communities.
President Obama, improving our public schools does not mean ridding schools of tenured, experienced educators and filling them with droves of 22-year-olds (via TFA and other similar programs) as is the trend under current leadership in New York City. This only creates an atmosphere of chaos, confusion, stress, and eventual burnout and teacher turnover as these young teachers do not have the support of older veteran role models to show them the way. Although filling schools with young, un-tenured teachers, burning them out, and then cycling through the next batch may be smart financially (new teachers are the cheapest labor), high teacher-turnover leads to further instability in our urban public schools which does very little to help impoverished students who, very often, already lack stability and structure at home.
Stop scapegoating and punishing teachers who do the best they can with the limited time and resources they have, and address the real reasons why our public school children, particularly urban public school children of color, are behind their wealthier white peers: poverty. Poverty affects students' nutrition and health, supervision and structure at home (which in turn affects attendance and homework completion/studying), living conditions...both inside and outside the home, parental education level, and these are only just a few examples. Our students' families need living wage jobs. Tax policy must be adjusted. No self-respecting, educated, hard-working professional can withstand being blamed day in and day out for the wounds of poverty that directly affect student learning and/or having his or her job threatened year after year due to "numbers" on these innane standardized tests.
Mr. Obama, you need to set the tone for real education reform, not the faux-"reform" that these non-educator millionaires are propagating. End the teacher-blaming. Let teachers teach. Stop supporting privatization, union busting, and charter school takeovers, and start supporting our teachers and students by acknowledging that poverty impedes academic performance and actually discussing ways to address poverty in America. Tax policy and labor policy are two places to start.
Until you remove Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education and/or begin to acknowledge that the high-stakes testing business model is flawed and detrimental to our schools, I don't know that I can give you my vote in 2012, and educators across the country agree.
You will be hearing from me again and thousands upon thousands of educators, students, and other supporters at the Save Our Schools March on July 30th in Washington D.C.
8 comments:
- Susan O said...
Thanks, Jenny,
This is an important statement. I applaud you for placing poverty up front.
My only quarrel is that I was at Obama's closed circuit TV appearance at he AFT convention in Chicago the summer before his nomination. He outlined his program of more "rigor," more tests, and so on. Right out of the billionaires' playbook. And the AFT gave him a standing ovation, along with their endorsement.
I was sitting in the second row. I did not stand.
The unions have a lot to answer for here. The NEA has already endorsed him. Why?
- June 19, 2011 at 7:20 AM
- J^3 said...
You said it all. Why isn't he and others listening? Follow the money? RTT - is it all a fraud?
- June 19, 2011 at 7:38 AM
- the yellow tulips said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 19, 2011 at 3:45 PM
- the yellow tulips said...
@ Susan O, that's a really great point. I didn't recall the details of what he said while writing this, I'll have to see if I can find a transcript of it. I was a senior in high school in 2004 and did not fully understand the intricacies of education policy/politics. As a non-educator at the time, "reform" sounded like a good thing and I didn't realize the negative impact that these types of "reforms" would have. I just knew I was happy to hear Obama acknowledge the problem. Maybe it's not so much that he misled us about his plans for education, but that I didn't fully grasp that these "reforms" are actually detrimental until I became an educator myself.
Perhaps I'll edit that part. Thanks for the critique.
- June 19, 2011 at 3:52 PM
- codyjohk said...
I also do not want to hear Arne Duncan claim again that there is no teacher bashing. I cannot fathom how he or others in the administration can claim that in the midst of the heinous and destructive comments that permeate comment boards.
- June 19, 2011 at 9:04 PM
Great post. Just a correction on Susan Ohanian's comment. While the NEA political committee did vote to recommend an early NEA endorsement, this is something that can only be done by the membership at the Representative Assembly in Chicago June 30-July 5.
While it will be difficult to defeat a proposed endorsement, there are many delegates, myself included, who will oppose an unprecedented early endorsement based on the very facts that were laid out in this post. Recall that the same NEA RA last year voted no confidence on Race to the Top. And many of those same delegates will be back. Wish us luck.
- June 20, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Great post. Just a correction on Susan Ohanian's comment. While the NEA political committee did vote to recommend an early NEA endorsement, this is something that can only be done by the membership at the Representative Assembly in Chicago June 30-July 5.
While it will be difficult to defeat a proposed endorsement, there are many delegates, myself included, who will oppose an unprecedented early endorsement based on the very facts that were laid out in this post. Recall that the same NEA RA last year voted no confidence on Race to the Top. And many of those same delegates will be back. Wish us luck.
- June 20, 2011 at 2:41 PM
- Emily Demmert said...
Amazing! Thank you!
- June 26, 2011 at 12:00 AM