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Please, no more Senate campaigns. Massachusetts has suffered enough.
Please, no more Senate campaigns. Massachusetts has suffered enough.
The Brown vs. Coakley campaign of 2010 was exciting. The Warren vs. Brown campaign of 2012 was grueling.
This campaign – Gabriel Gomez vs. Ed Markey – has been mostly annoying.
At the beginning of this special election sprint, the matchup looked promising: the dean of the state's House delegation, a pillar of the Democratic establishment, challenged by a handsome young Republican newcomer with a military background. Republicans hoped they had another Scott Brown. Democrats hoped they had another Ted Kennedy.
But the candidates didn't deliver and the voters never got excited. Some of that, I fear, might be by design.
Gomez made a nice first impression, but didn't show much spark on the campaign trail. He memorably called Markey "pond scum" early in the campaign, but learned his lesson and never said anything memorable the rest of the way.
His campaign in a nutshell: I'm an ex-Navy SEAL. I'm a second generation Hispanic-American. I made a lot of money in business. Ed Markey has been in Washington 37 years and look at the mess we're in.
Gomez wears his Navy flight jacket everywhere and keeps reminding people of the "unique perspective" he has on anything because he used to be a SEAL, but he refuses to say what he did in the War on Terror. Nor will he say what he's done at the investment firm where he works. He's something of a mystery man, with no experience, no record and no coherent ideology.
But 37 years is a long, long time to be in Congress. He's certain on that.
Gomez didn't have his own base in the state Republican Party, and his embrace of Democratic positions on issues like gay marriage and climate change hasn't exactly fired up the tea partiers. The national GOP and the big-money PACS mostly decided to sit this one out, and a lot of local Republicans may have come to the same conclusion.
Markey hasn't had a tough campaign for at least 30 years, and it shows on the trail. As a candidate, he's long on resume and short on charisma.
For some reason, Markey decided to make his campaign more about his opponent than about himself. In debates and in his advertising, he has focused on two national issues – gun control and abortion – that he's been making speeches about since he went to Washington during the Ford administration (when, Gomez likes to mention, he was playing little league baseball).
Markey's campaign in a nutshell: I'm pro-life and Gomez is less so. NRA now stands for "Not Relevant Anymore." Gomez favors millionaires and will vote for Mitch McConnell as Senate leader. I'm a Democrat and true to my team.
It's a cynical campaign I sense is being run by professionals from out-of-state, operating from some poll-driven, hot-button playbook. It largely ignores Markey's long list of legislative accomplishments and fails to highlight the huge gap in experience between him and his opponent. It's negative and it's repetitive.
Markey is an interesting guy who has done important work in Washington. In Congress, there are those who write legislation and those who just vote on legislation. Markey writes laws, ones that are worth campaigning on.
Markey has a story to tell about jobs – and jobs are more on voters' minds than '70s-era culture wars. Most of what Markey has pushed in Congress ties directly to the Massachusetts economy: telecommunications reform, green energy, medical research, the grants and loan guarantees through which government encourages economic development.
Markey is an unabashed proponent of activist government. He's a national leader on telecommunications, on privacy rights, on climate change. But you wouldn't know it from his campaign, or from his opponent's.
The supposedly independent groups that have joined the fray share in Markey's cynical gameplan: My mail this week included four or five glossy mailings from the League of Conservation Voters, which backs Markey because of his climate change advocacy. All blasted Gomez over guns and abortion. None of them mentioned conservation or climate change.
Both the Markey and Gomez campaigns have been criticized for being too low-key. The candidates' private meetings, with donors, volunteers and interest groups, outnumber their public appearances. The outward trappings of a big campaign – rallies, lawn signs, bumper stickers – have been hard to find.
It's part of the new style of campaigning, which is all about social media, voter contacts and micro-targeting constituencies. It's not about changing people's minds; it's all about getting their voters out, and hoping everyone else stays at home.
The political consultants may get their wish. Secretary of State William Galvin reports requests for absentee ballots are running 22 percent below the last special Senate election. People are more focused on the end of the school year, the Whitey Bulger trial and the Stanley Cup, he said.
Yes, there's "voter fatigue," what with all the intense races of the last few years, but instead of blaming the voters, the political insiders ought to look in the mirror. The voters aren't excited because the candidates and their campaigns aren't giving them anything to be excited about. Their cynicism breeds our apathy.
No more Senate elections for awhile, please.
Rick Holmes, opinion editor for the Daily News, blogs at Holmes & Co. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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Like a lot of modern decor, children's rooms are enjoying a rethinking.
No longer restrained by old-school ideals for juvenile decor, these spaces now feature elements that transcend genres and traditional gender themes. Decorators and retailers offer options that fling the design doors wide open -- and how much fun is that for a child? So let's check out what's cool, cozy and clever for kid's rooms.
New York designer Amanda Nisbet uses elements like pop art, '70s modern furniture, and crisp, energetic hues like bright yellow, soda orange and magenta to make bedrooms lively, friendly and fun. (www.amandanisbetdesign.com)
Nancy Twomey of Alexandria, Va., blends neutral hues with dashes of gentle color -- soft coral, sea blue, fresh pea green -- and adds whimsical notes such as mirrored rabbit decals, papier mache safari animal wall art and ceramic tree stump tables to create charming, sophisticated rooms that children could enjoy from crib to college. (www.finniansmoon.com)
In modern families, some kids divide their sleeping time between a couple of households, often in rooms that serve another function when the child isn't there. Providing such spaces requires a little extra thought and ingenuity, says Ikea North America's U.S. design leader, Josee Berlin. The aim is to help children feel at ease in their sleeping area.
"A child's own space can be as simple as a soft, comfortable, cozy bed. Smart options like the old-fashioned, tried and true bunk bed can really transform a space for many children," Berlin says. Ikea's Kritter, Gulliver and Hemnes models would serve well as daybeds. (www.ikea.com)
A curtained rod can divide rooms like offices or large bedrooms into smaller spaces for young visitors. Get something comfy underfoot -- a fluffy, fun shag or a warm, flat-weave rug.
It's best not to make the theme of a child's room too narrow, says Jami Supsic, an editor at Country Living magazine.
"A stumbling block for many when they design their child's rooms is that they make it all about the time period the child's in at that moment. This leaves no room for growth or change," she says. "Use accessories and toys to identify the age of your child, but leave walls, window treatments and furnishings mature."
If your daughter loves princesses, don't buy everything from bedding to wallpaper -- go with an overall look that suggests the theme. Supsic says ruffles, damask and crystals do the job.
"They say girly girl, without saying baby girl," she says.
French chateau-inspired furnishings -- chandeliers, mirrors, rugs and furniture -- set the stage. You can add tiara-emblazoned pillows, regal doll houses, and other toys and accessories. Editing over time will honor an early obsession, yet reflect her developing maturity. (www.rhbabyandchild.com ; www.bellini.com)
Kids who love magical-themed stories might like animal- or star-shaped table lamps, moody hues like deep violet or charcoal gray, and inventive and modular furniture that suggests a place of enchantment. Imagine Living has a bear-shaped side table, and another that looks like a mushroom. One can imagine being down Alice's rabbit hole, or on the road to Hogwarts. (www.imagine-living.com)
For boys who love dinosaurs or ships, consider framing the bedroom in colors that evoke that interest -- a palette of greens and grays, perhaps, or oceanic blues and whites. Layer in creative elements that spark imagination. Reptile fans might love some of the photographic nature posters at www.zazzle.com.
Cool dino heads, wall-mounted sculptural art for any age, are at modcloth.com.
Graphic imagery and patterns with a modern vibe can be found in nautical elements like wall-mounted anchors and sail flags, as well as shell shadow boxes and seashore-inspired decals. (www.seasideinspired.com ; www.zazzle.com)
Flexibility in rooms for children
Like a lot of modern decor, children's rooms are enjoying a rethinking.

subset: commoncrawl


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We have many customers who garden in countries with warmer climates like in southern France or even hotter such as South Africa or southern Japan. We are grateful to them for giving us feedback on what does well and what does not in these hotter climatic conditions.
Generally we would suggest the following as a guide to those types that are happier in a warmer climate. However, all individual environments do differ, so we cannot guarantee success in any particular location.
Keeping the clematis moist at the root is key. Ensure that the compost does not dry out, nor become waterlogged from too frequent watering, then most clematis will cope with reasonably high summer temperatures.
Growing them in pots or containers of some sort is often a better way to ensure good soil and moist, yet free-draining conditions. We understand, for example, that the local soil in Madeira and parts of South Africa is not ideal. There is really no need to shade the roots - although it can help to retain moisture, it can also harbour slugs and other pests.
Most general advice is still the same as in England; feed them every two weeks even when they are flowering, and keep pale coloured types that are prone to fading, in shade.
For further advice on growing in Hot Climates see our Care Guide.
Here are some others we recommend:
Available Autumn. Clematis VIENNETTA™ has stunning blooms have cream tepals with a dome-shaped purple centre that is mottled with cream. Requires shelter, free draining soil and winter protection. Unlicensed Propagation Prohibited.Learn More


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Membrane Technology
Membrane system technology has been developed to a point where one or more of its forms can be applied to extract most of the contaminants of concern found in many raw water sources. Recognizing the importance of the latest findings to the drinking water supply community, the International Water Supply Association recently conducted a conference on the subject in Paris, France. The IWSA's choice of this beautiful capital city for the site of the meeting appears to have been a logical one, for if the French are not the outright leaders in applying membranes to water treatment (and to certain wastewater processes too), then certainly they are in the vanguard.
Entitled "International Workshop--Membranes in Drinking Water Production," the gathering was attended by almost 300 experts from 25 countries around the world. As one would expect, the host country registered the largest number of delegates. But strong representation also was evident from Holland, The United Kingdom, and the United States.
Reverse osmosis and electrodialysis, both membrane-based, have been applied for about 40 years in desalination systems to produce drinking water from sea water and brackish water sources. But in the last decade, membrane technology has been developed to new levels of capability. For instance, microfiltration and ultrafiltration have been found suitable for particulate removal. Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are being applied in surface water treatment for softening and polishing steps. And specific contaminants sometimes can be removed efficiently with advanced types of electrodialysis systems.
The conference agenda was designed to review the latest information on the application of membranes, and to ask some important questions about their potential, and their possible problems, as practical components of water treatment facilities in the future. Six consecutive technical sessions over two and a half days addressed the following topics.
- Removal of specific inorganic contaminants by membrane processes.
- Characteristics of and disposal methods for the concentrates.
- Determining the best membrane system for removal of natural organics and micropollutants.
- Efficiency and reliability of membranes as physical disinfectant devices.
- Membrane fouling problems and their solutions.
- Scaling up for application in larger water treatment plants.
Dissolved Inorganics Removal
Introduced as the "godfather" of membrane technology, and known to many of the experts in the field, Professor James Taylor of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, opened the conference with a discussion of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) specifically. But in the course of his presentation he offered a concise review of the five membrane systems, including RO and NF, which have promising application potential for drinking water treatment. The others are ultrafiltration (UF), microfiltration (MF), and electrodialysis reversal (EDR). Table 1 on page 30 illustrates in simple form what each of the five can accomplish in terms of their ability to retain contaminants in different size ranges and with certain characteristics. The table categorizes regulated drinking water solutes as pathogens, organics and inorganics. Associating minimum size of solute rejection (retention) with membrane type and contaminants to be regulated gives a good indication of which application is appropriate for a drinking water treatment installation.
As Professor Taylor explained, the regulatory requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986 have accelerated research, development, and application interest in membrane technology. Similarly, drinking water standards in Europe have become more demanding, and just as in the States, some regulatory decision making is being driven by vastly improved water quality analysis capabilities, health effects research, and membrane manufacturing and materials know-how. What this adds up to is a need in the U.S. and Europe for the development and application of better methods for reducing organic contamination of drinking water. Taylor went on to explain how membranes can be used for total removal of pathogens, and high levels of inorganic and organic compound removal, and consequently contribute to maintaining distribution system integrity and high quality delivered water.
The European community's drinking water standard currently calls for treatment techniques to meet maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of 0.1 µg/l for individual pesticides, and 0.5 µg/l for total pesticides. Anticipated are disinfection byproduct (DBP) MCLs of 10 µg/l for individual THMs (trihalomethanes), 30 µg/l for total THMs, and 25 µg/l for total organic halogens (TOX).
Recent changes sought by the USEPA, said Professor Taylor, include decreasing the DBP MCL for THMs from 100 to 80 µg/l, and adding a 60 µg/l MCL for haloacetic acids (HAA). He also said the agency wants to reduce the MCLs for THMs and HAAs to 40 and 30 µg/l respectively, and that all water treatment plants may have to meet an MCL of 2.0 mg/l for total organic carbon (TOC) by the late '90s. Taylor believes the USEPA's regulations now recognize the relationship between TOC, DBPs, chlorine demand, chlorine residual, and disinfection. He sees a clear-cut regulatory direction in the U.S. whose aim is to reduce disinfectant demand and byproduct formation, yet improve disinfection and disinfectant residuals in water treatment plants and distribution systems.
Looking at Table 1 again, EDR-based processes can remove the smallest substances, but an electric charge is needed. They are ineffective for pathogen removal and most organics. UF and MF are sieving controlled, can remove pathogens, and are very effective in removing turbidity and microbiological contaminants. Membrane processes operating under pressure have a significant advantage over conventional coagulation since the membrane is a solid-film barrier to pathogens, which are simply too big to pass through. RO and NF are diffusion and sieving controlled and can remove all pathogens and many organic substances. Some or almost total removal of ionic compounds can be accomplished by diffusion. RO and NF systems have the broadest potential for treatment applications. Professor Taylor summed up this section of his talk by saying that membrane technology eventually may be applied as the surface water treatment of choice throughout the world because of these various properties.
He summarized also the abilities of the membrane systems to meet current and anticipated regulatory requirements in the U.S. (Table 2). Concluding that NF and RO are the most versatile of the membrane systems for these tasks, he pointed out that no process should be seen as universally suitable for removing all contaminants. Pilot studies were strongly recommended before design decisions are made. One thorny issue is the disposal of the unwanted concentrate from the process, which is a site-specific problem. This is seen as a major obstacle to the installation of membrane plants at certain sites, although a later speaker on the program suggested that the problem should be no more difficult to resolve than getting rid of the sludge generated in a conventional treatment facility. RO, NF and EDR systems have more serious concentrate disposal problems than their UF and MF cousins since they operate at higher levels of solute recovery. Also, membrane-treated water may have low pH values, therefore corrosivity problems and steps to recover the alkalinity should be considered.
Other presenters in Session 1 of the conference discussed specific areas in the development of membrane materials and systems. For instance, one paper covered the work being done to produce a nanofiltration membrane which will reject organics effectively, yet not affect the inorganic make-up of the water to any significant degree. The author stated that advanced membranes with such attributes are available, and the major remaining problem is to find an economically viable and efficient product suitable for application in large treatment plants to replace conventional treatment.
Another paper described the promising membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology which has gone through pilot test stages and is now in use in a small rural water treatment plant south of Paris. The combination of biological and physico-chemical processes is effective in reducing nitrates to accepted standard levels. Known as the Biocristal DN process, it uses both powered activated carbon (PAC) and ultrafiltration membranes to achieve simultaneous denitrification, disinfection, pesticide removal, and TOC reduction. The sidebar article on page 26 provides more details on this interesting system.
Membrane Concentrate Disposal
Several presentations on the disposal of concentrate streams from various membrane filtration projects in Europe were given. These concentrates can contain significant quantities of materials which must be disposed of in terms of their possible harmful effects on receiving sites or waters. Disposal options being considered are:
- Direct discharge to surface water (e.g., canal, river, lake, sea)
- Indirect discharge to surface water (e.g., via sewers and wastewater treatment plants)
- Deep well disposal
- Mixing and treating with other wastewater streams
- Land application (e.g., as irrigation water or fertilizer)
- Concentration by evaporation or crystallization
- Specific component removal (e.g., by denitrification or desulfurization)
A report from the Netherlands, which projected that in that small country membrane systems will treat between 40 and 45 mgd of water by the year 2000, concluded that while additional work on the effects of heavy metal and organic micropollutant disposal is needed, no major problems are foreseen.
Similarly, two French reports on studies conducted on a number of membrane plant concentrate disposal practices (one UF plant had a 15 mgd water treatment capacity), also reviewed options and basically came to the same conclusions. Gravity filters, sludge thickeners, and settling lagoons appear to be adequate for smaller plants. A two-stage UF arrangement in a larger plant scenario will reduce the treated water losses and cut the waste flow significantly.
In his paper on concentrate disposal in the United States, Mike Mickley of Mickley Associates, Boulder, Colorado, noted that as membrane technology proliferates, "There is much research, education and communication needed to ensure that appropriate levels of understanding of both technical and non-technical issues are available for the decision makers." He was referring to the fact that the interface between the industry (makers and users of membranes) and regulatory agencies is recent and at an early stage of development.
Mickley's comments amounted to an overview of a two-year feasibility study on membranes and concentrate disposal which was conducted for the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF). An important observation was that while conventional wastes are characterized by additive chemicals, membrane concentrates reflect the make-up of the raw water in treatment. The survey looked at 137 membrane treatment plants in the U.S., all of them more than 25,000 gpd capacity. Combined capacity was 204 mgd, with a site average of 1.49 mgd. Nearly 80 percent of the plants studied, and of the total capacity, are located in Florida, California and Texas.
Dissolved Organics Removal
Norway and other countries in similar northern latitudes tend to have surface water sources that are heavy in dissolved organic matter, which is mostly brown plant residuals or humus, as well as bacteria. A Norwegian speaker described some of the promising membrane work that is going on to solve this problem for drinking water utilities. Fourteen membrane plants are operational in his country, one of them since 1989, and several others are under construction or on order. So far a membrane life of seven years seems achievable, but fouling is a problem and selection of the type of membrane must be considered along with the total plant concept and the cleaning chemicals and procedures.
Other papers in this session addressed the serious problems of natural organic matter (NOM), organohalide (THM) precursers, and the reactivity of these substances with the disinfectant chlorine. One group studied how NF systems behaved when fed with water high in humic content and reported that nanofiltration did remove THM precursers effectively. Another project looked at a combination of ozone, PAC and UF as a means of removing natural and synthetic organic matter. The early pilot work was successful and led to the design and present construction near Paris of what will be a 15 mgd UF treatment plant upon its completion.
Disinfection and Membranes
Several presentations covered the application of membrane filtration systems for the removal of protozoa, bacteria and viruses from water supplies. Work reported by Joseph Jacangelo of Montgomery Watson in the States, carried out with colleague Samer Adham, and with Jean-Michel Laine of Lyonnaise des Eaux in France, showed that polymeric MF and UF systems provide an absolute barrier to protozoa and selected bacteria, probably by physical sieving. Both types can meet current SWTR requirements for Guardia removal, and are expected to handle removal of Cryptosporidium and others, as will be called for in the enhanced rule.
Two disinfection studies by the research arms of the very large French water companies, Compagnie General des Eaux and Lyonnaise des Eaux, were summarized for the conference. The conclusions were virtually identical-there is a bright future ahead for membrane technology in the water industry. Compared to chemical disinfection systems they offer broad-spectrum removal and the absence of undesirable byproducts. They are not without problems and researchers and manufacturers are looking into such weaknesses as membrane surface defects, leaks arising from not-yet-mature manufacturing techniques, and membrane and seal failures. Post disinfection is recommended to protect the distribution system, and the conditions for carrying this out effectively are going to be excellent, given the performance of the various membranes upstream in removing solids and organics.
Large Scale Applications
First in line in this session was Ron Orach of Metcalf & Eddy in Sunrise, Florida. The subject of his talk was the 37.5 mgd water treatment plant in Hollywood, Florida, which is currently in the midst of an upgrade project. When finished later this year the plant will have three treatment trains-lime softening and filtration (7.5 mgd), NF (16 mgd), and RO (14 mgd). The three treated water streams will be blended for delivery to the distribution system.
Several other talks described current scale-up projects involving micro-, ultra- and nanofiltration, and the design choices made to accommodate source water characteristics and quantity fluctuations caused by, for instance, seasonal changes in climate and population.
AWWARF's Membrane Technology Activities
In his address to the conference, AWWARF Project Manager Roy Martinez explained that the American Water Works Association's Research Foundation is the primary source in North America for planning, managing, and funding cooperative research and development in drinking water. Its first membrane report was published in 1989. Martinez review briefly the topics covered in four studies completed and reported, five ongoing projects, and two funded this year. Covering a range of topics not unlike the conference program, these involved universities, consulting firms, water utilities and research groups.
Future Potential
An appropriate conclusion to this review of the excellent, well-managed IWSA conference is borrowed directly from one of the presentations, which detailed six years of experience in the production and distribution of ultrafiltered water.
"The future of low-pressure membrane technology is assured for drinking water treatment. Large UF plants are under construction in France and elsewhere in the world. Combined with oxidation, activated carbon, or bioreactors, completely new treatment lines are emerging. This recent progress also will soon give membrane unit operations the opportunity for penetrating the wastewater market."


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Posts: 183
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Louisville, KY
Device: HTC EVO View 4G, HTC Wildfire S, Asus T91MT
The Ermine "Tweaks" Thread (Gapps, Ermine Bugs, and More)
I noticed some of the information about tweaking Ermine has started to become splintered and lost in the interwebs. Therefore, I'm consolidating the information to this thread, which I'll update as soon as new information becomes available. In addition, I've added a list about the known bugs in Ermine, so we can work together to come up with some solutions to these problems.
(For those of you who know me, the truth is I'm still procrastinating on my dissertation.)
If you aren't familiar with some of the language on this thread, I recommend checking out emusan's glossary. Also, he offers this helpful piece of advice: "If you don't know what one of the terms means you should likely do some more research about what you are doing before proceeding. When developing on a device like this (especially without warranty or official support), it can be very risky." Finally, if you're not familiar with what "rooting" means, you might want to check out this thread.
VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you backup any sensitive files before messing around with your device. If you completely wreck your system, instructions for restoring it to its factory state can be found here. In some cases, you might have trouble reverting back to Dingo because the update will reboot after only about thirty seconds. If you are having these problems, you might want to try darkgrue's fix.
Installing Ermine and Rooting your Device
Step 1. Download the Ermine update files.
Step 2. Install the Ermine update. Before you get started, just be aware that you are taking some risk, although most users think it's worth it. While this might seem obvious, make sure you install the appropriate update file. You will mess things up if you install the Pocket Edge update on the full-sized Edge.
Step 3. Download z4root and root your device. Most of the tweaks on this thread require you to gain root access, which is a mostly safe procedure that gives you more control over your operating system. After you launch z4root, select the "permanent root" option. The program should do the rest of the work.
Step 4. Invest some money in Titanium Backup and Root Explorer. Trust me: they're worth it.
1. Install the Golden Allmine Update - While installing this update will wipe your device, it will provide you with access to Gapps and the Google Market. Just a warning: do not try to install this on the original, full-sized eDGe. The update is only for the Pocket eDGe and will therefore brick your device.
2. Enabling the Android Market with a Rooted Phone - If you have the larger Entourage eDGe, you might want to try this procedure. It requires that you have a rooted Android phone with Titanium Backup.
3. Enabling Gapps without a Rooted Phone - While you currently can't get the market to work without using one of the above methods, you can at least enable some of the other gapps. Once you get the applications installed, you need to setup your Google account through the YouTube application. If you have some problems syncing your account, try emusan's method on this thread. Finally, if this all seems like too much of a hassle, consider using the built-in Froyo Mail application to skip the entire process.
Build.prop Tweaks
wifi.supplicant_scan_interval = 90
For more information about these changes, check out yugami's posts.
Ermine Bugs
1. Hibernation Issues - Some people have problems with Ermine locking up when coming out of hibernation. This issue doesn't appear to affect all devices. At the moment, we're speculating that the eDGe was built with a variety of different hardware chips, which is a tactic that companies occasionally use to keep down prices. Right now, there is no fix for the problem, although some users have been trying to develop a workaround. If you have any suggestions, jump over to that thread.
2. The White Screen of Death (WSOD) - Many users have reported that the LCD screen will occasionally flash white when they awaken the device from hibernation. In certain rare cases, the white screen never goes away, even after the person does a hard reset. If you have this problem, most likely your device is hosed. My best advice is to let it sit for a few hours and then try it again. The problem appears to be a hardware issue relating to the ribbon cable that goes through the hinge.
3. Low Battery Life - Some people have complained about the battery life in comparison to other tablets. Fortunately, bunodosoma discovered that the phone and telephony applications might have been causing the problem. Seeing how they are not actually used by the eDGe, you can disable them by going to your system/apps folder in Root Explorer and renaming phone.apk and telephony.apk (my recommendation would be changing them to phone.old and telephony.old, just in case you need to restore them for some reason in the future). The device might lock up after you rename the phone.apk, but everything should work find after a hard restart. Currently, users are estimating this tweak might improve battery life by almost 2 hours. I'd be interested in hearing your experiences with it.
4. Moving Apps to SDCard - Not fixed, but you can find a workaround here. In addition, you might have problems installing some apps because they attempt to automatically install the sdcard. If you have such difficulties, you have one of two options. First, you can switch the sdcard and internal memory by following the third step of these instructions. Then, you can simply unplug your sdcard and try to install. Alternatively, you might try manually unmounting your internal memory through the terminal. In order to do this, you need to first root your device. Then, open up the "dev tools" application and select the "terminal emulator." Then, type "su" and hit enter. Afterwards, type "umount /sdcard" and try to install your program. I'm not sure if this will work, but it's worth a shot.
5. E-ink PDF Annotation - Limited underlining capabilities in portrait mode, doesn't work in landscape mode. Currently, best option is to download Repligo or ezPDF Reader.
6. Lack of Lock Code on Startup - For some reason, the Entourage developers decided it would be smart to have a $450 device with no lock code, for they have purposely disabled this feature. Luckily, you can work around this problem. One route is to download MySettings. Once you boot up the application, it has a "PIN" options in the upper-right corner, which allows you to turn on the lock screen. Alternatively, you can simply use the shortcut feature of Launcher Pro. (If you haven't installed Launcher Pro, I highly recommend it. I personally believe it is the best launcher for Android devices). Essentially, what you do is press and hold on a blank space on the homescreen. Then, you will receive an "Add to Home Screen" dialog box, and you should select "Shortcuts" from the menu. Next, you want to go down to "Activities." You will get a massive list of options. You need to open up "Settings" and choose the option that says "com.android.settings.ChooseLockGeneric" in small letters. Finally, you just select this new icon on your screen. While this method is a little more complicated, I think it's the better option, mostly because you'll save $.99 on purchasing the otherwise worthless MySettings app.
Application Problems
1. Netflix doesn't work. If you are interested in playing around with it, check out this thread.
2. Adobe Flash doesn't play video. You can install it, but you need to download version 10.1.61.68.
3. The browser doesn't automatically open *.txt files. Javese has edited the apk file so Android will ask you whether you want to open *.txt files in the browser. This might be useful because you can use the browser's print-to-eink feature to open e-books that come in *.txt format.
4. Unfortunately, most games work slow as molasses. While the community is not exactly sure of the exact problem, it is most likely a combination of poorly written video drivers and a strange processor without the necessary graphics abilities. However, you can get a few games to work. Angry Birds works perfectly fine once you disable the background. In addition, Angry Birds Rio and some other apps seem to work after installing Chainfire 3D. Alas, Fruit Ninja is still too slow to be playable.
5. Limited options for dumping items from the LCD to the e-ink side. The browser allows you to copy over websites, but if you're working in a different application, you're out of luck. Fortunately, javese has written an app that allows you to essentially do a screen capture and send that information over to the e-ink screen. I haven't personally tried it, but other users have given it their seal of approval.
If you have any suggestions about things to add, just let me know, and I'll update the thread.
6/8/2011 to include Mark Rehorst's instructions for enabling your Google account.
6/10/2011 to include yugami's build.prop tweaks.
6/14/2011 to reflect suggested fixes for games and sdcard problems. Also included instructions for rooting the device.
6/30/2011 to includes instructions for initializing lock code.
7/13/2011 to include bunodosoma's battery life tweak.
7/14/2011 to include Ermine update instructions.
7/16/2011 to include darkgrue's Dingo fix and javese's updated browser.apk.
7/19/2011 to include MasterTec's update download links.
7/26/2011 to include javese's lcd2eink application.
7/29/2011 to streamline the Ermine update instructions; also added info on WSOD and hibernation issues.
9/12/2011 to get rid of links to Entourage website.
1/29/2012 to include Allmine update and root explanation.
Last edited by kennyminot; 01-29-2012 at 12:44 PM.
Posts: 472
Karma: 1031
Join Date: May 2011
Device: eDGe
Nice guide!
My fix/workaround doesn't require the youtube work around(at least it didn't for me, other users might have a different experience)... I've kinda taken a break from eDGe stuff for a little while(at least development, I'm still answering questions, hosting stuff, etc.) I'll probably start back up in the next week or so(assuming nothing big comes up)...
You might want to try and add this to the wiki as well, so we can all cross stuff off and add stuff as we complete it. That and a sticky would be nice(need to wait for a mod for that though)...
And on the topic of messing up devices... one time I was trying to gain some more space on my n900 by moving my home partition to another device(or something like that it was awhile ago), so I mounted it to a folder in the root, and then a few days later I for got about that and did an rm -rf on that folder, I noticed it about 30 seconds after starting and quickly hit Ctrl-C many times, it ended up only deleting a lot of the system stuff but my personal files were kept...
Last edited by emusan; 06-08-2011 at 11:36 AM.
was engr, now dentist
Posts: 143
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Location: Riverside, Ca
Device: Kindle DXG
Gmail, google calendar, and contacts all sync just fine without having to load any special software or apps pulled out of an android phone.
The setup procedure is in this thread:
I have two gmail accounts set up on my PE and everything syncs and automatically updates without any screwing around on my part.
Last edited by Mark Rehorst; 06-08-2011 at 11:48 AM.
Posts: 1,041
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Location: Virginia
Device: Pocket Edge X 2 , Edge, gTab, Kindle Fire, Nextbook 7S
I'm convinced Flash will work on the EE or PE. I played around with a browser called Skyfire that will play Flash video but the small preview window won't go away. Skyfire can be downloaded here:
Full flash video demo:
As far as PDFs go, Repligo is a good reader but personally I think ezPDF is better. You can highlight, do web searches, book searches, underline, cross out, add sticky notes etc. to most PDFs.
http://www.forum-bec.com/f244/ezpdf-...android-37856/ FileSonic, select Slow Download.
ezPDF will even read your PDF to you if you have a language pack installed (pretty well I might add):
Android PICO Installer Language Pack (Not an App. Works with other Apps like ezPDF reader).
*** Download using your device ***
Download via PC: http://www.1mobile.com/pico-tts-lang...oid-62221.html Select Samsung S8000 (doesn't matter), Download, Transfer, Install.
Last edited by obsessed2; 06-08-2011 at 12:37 PM.
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sorry if it sounds like I'm nitpicking, but Mark's thread actually doesn't require any gapps be installed, you don't even need to be rooted I think... It just uses the included froyo email. the only problem is that it doesn't technically set up a "google account" so you wont be able to use official gapps... At least if I understand it right.
was engr, now dentist
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Location: Riverside, Ca
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The Froyo Mail app that installs with the ermine update allows you to sync gmail, google calendar, and contacts without rooting or adding any other apps. You do need to have a gmail account first, of course, but you can get one of those by going to the web site.
Posts: 183
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Location: Louisville, KY
Device: HTC EVO View 4G, HTC Wildfire S, Asus T91MT
I updated the thread in a way that reflects all the different options. Thanks for the tip, obsessed - I have some issues with how RepliGo does handwriting support, so maybe I'll prefer ezPDF.
I just assumed Flash worked after I installed the latest version. But when I go over to that demo, it doesn't work. Can anybody confirm this? I haven't had any luck installing anything beyond 10.1.
Also, when the xda community figures out how to get Netflix working on other devices, I'm assuming it will work on the Pocket Edge. For some reason, it's really important to me that I can watch Netflix.
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Device: Entourage Pocket Edge
Here's my question: WHY won't flash work? I feel like the single greatest achievement in the Entourage Edge world would be enabling flash on this device. The CPU really, really should be able to handle it.
The older version of flash installs fine (so there's audio, just no video, correct?) but the install fails itself. This is the same issue I'm seeing with a lot of Amazon apps (angry birds, stupid zombies, etc...) plus a lot of the root apps that would really help this device (setcpu was the biggie, I was at least hoping to be able to overclock the CPU to its stock 1.2 ghz speed)
I'm just really hoping someone (certainly not me, I can't even get ADB to work properly) who's got those sick development skillz has some idea of what's causing these items to fail, because it genuinely seems like the edge is a total sleeper in terms of potential useability.
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The Edge definitely has the ability to process Flash, even with the processor underclocked at 800 MHz.
Installing Flash 10.1 results in audio with no video. In my case I had to uninstall it because it was interfering with Flash Lite which the Edge uses for other video sources (You Tube). Flash 10.2 will not install.
Skyfire is a web browser that proves the Edge can play Flash content but there is a small pop-up preview window that will not go away.
Last edited by obsessed2; 06-08-2011 at 04:09 PM.
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wrong message
Last edited by ptsenter; 06-09-2011 at 11:51 AM.
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Agentbolt -
You can actually get Angry Birds to work. The problem with the installation has nothing to do with the eDGe's graphic capabilities but is related to the sdcard problem. It attempts to automatically install to the sdcard, but it can't because of some kind of encryption issues. The way around this is to just unmount the sdcard.
Unfortunately, my system is now configured a little strangely because I've been messing around with it. Therefore, I'm not exactly sure how to get it to work with a standard configuration. You might try two things:
A. Just unplug the sdcard and give it a shot.
B. Go into DevTools and start the terminal emulator. Then, type the following commands:
umount /sdcard
Then, install Angry Birds and reboot. You might need to have your system rooted for this to work, but that is a pretty simple process; all you need to do is install and run z4root from the Amazon Marketplace.
Angry Birds runs fine as long as you turn off the background. Otherwise, it's too slow to be playable. I would be extremely interested in figuring out how to overclock this device; however, to get even better performance, my guess is we'd have to play around with the video drivers, which is definitely beyond my ability.
As for Flash, I have no idea why I can't install one of the later versions. The logcat readout is weird, and I can't find any more information about the problem on the interwebs. If you try either of these things, just let me know if they worked, and I'll update the thread.
Last edited by kennyminot; 06-09-2011 at 01:06 PM.
Junior Member
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Device: Entourage Pocket Edge
Angry birds would be a dream come true on this thing, background or no. Unfortunately I don't believe your advice would work for me, as I moved my file system ONTO the SD card, which for whatever reason made the internal 2 gigs of storage simply disappear. With the SD card unmounted I can't even download the APK and put it on my system, and the Amazon Appstore won't even try to install it w/o an SD card installed. Thanks for the heads up on it working for a standard install, though.
I'd have to assume the problems with Flash, SetCPU, and pretty much any of the other headaches we're running into have to do with this Marvel CPU. Googling it shows it simply wasn't used in ANYTHING else. These apps just don't know what to do with it.
Junior Member
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All right, so, I take it back, you can absolutely install angry birds even if you've moved the filesystem to the SD Card. I didn't realize ES File Explorer could move the apk from the external to the internal SD Card.
Did you actually get it working at that point though? Firstly, the game will crash the entire edge if you attempt to play it in portrait, you have to rotate to landscape first (simple enough) However, in either landscape mode the game has the problem of not responding to touch inputs in the right place. If I click the gear (settings) icon, the other side menu will open where I can share via facebook or watch videos. If flipped around to the other side, the opposite problem. Also, the sound, info, and background buttons then don't work.
This is 1.5.3, the latest version, also I DO have my edge flipped to have the reader on the right hand side. If anyone else feels like messing with this further, quick hint, you don't need to root or pop out your SD card, simply go into settings under "device storage" (NOT the app, under settings) and simply unmount the SD card from there.
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text: metallix 1 Posted February 24, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/business...print&position= -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 24, 2004 Forecast of Rising Oil Demand Challenges Tired Saudi Fields By JEFF GERTH hen visitors tour the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's oil empire — a sleek glass building rising from the desert in Dhahran near the Persian Gulf — they are reminded of its mission in a film projected on a giant screen. "We supply what the world demands every day," it declares. For decades, that has largely been true. Ever since its rich reserves were discovered more than a half-century ago, Saudi Arabia has pumped the oil needed to keep pace with rising needs, becoming the mainstay of the global energy markets. But the country's oil fields now are in decline, prompting industry and government officials to raise serious questions about whether the kingdom will be able to satisfy the world's thirst for oil in coming years. Energy forecasts call for Saudi Arabia to almost double its output in the next decade and after. Oil executives and government officials in the United States and Saudi Arabia, however, say capacity will probably stall near current levels, potentially creating a significant gap in the global energy supply. Outsiders have not had access to detailed production data from Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, for more than 20 years. But interviews in recent months with experts on Saudi oil fields provided a rare look inside the business and suggested looming problems. An internal Saudi Aramco plan, the experts said, estimates total production capacity in 2011 at 10.15 million barrels a day, about the current capacity. But to meet expected world demand, the United States Department of Energy's research arm says Saudi Arabia will need to produce 13.6 million barrels a day by 2010 and 19.5 million barrels a day by 2020. "In the past, the world has counted on Saudi Arabia," one senior Saudi oil executive said. "Now I don't see how long it can be maintained." Saudi Arabia, the leading exporter for three decades, is not running out of oil. Industry officials are finding, however, that it is becoming more difficult or expensive to extract it. Today, the country produces about eight million barrels a day, roughly one-tenth of the world's needs. It is the top foreign supplier to the United States, the world's leading energy consumer. Fears of a future energy gap could, of course, turn out to be unfounded. Predictions of oil market behavior have often proved wrong. But if Saudi production falls short, industry experts say the consequences could be significant. Other large producers, like Russia and Iraq, do not have Saudi Aramco's huge reserves or excess oil capacity to export, and promising new fields elsewhere are not expected to deliver enough oil to make up the difference. As a result, supplies could tighten and oil prices could increase. The global economy could feel the ripples; previous spikes in oil prices have helped cause recessions, though high oil prices in the last year or so have not slowed strong growth. Saudi Aramco says its dominance in world oil markets will grow because, "if required," it can expand its capacity to 12 million barrels a day or more by "making necessary investments," according to written responses to questions submitted by The New York Times. But some experts are skeptical. Edward O. Price Jr., a former top Saudi Aramco and Chevron executive and a leading United States government adviser, says he believes that Saudi Arabia can pump up to 12 million barrels a day "for a few years." But "the world should not expect more from the Saudis," he said. He expects global oil markets to be in short supply by 2015. Fatih Birol, the chief economist for the International Energy Agency, said the Saudis would not be able to increase production enough for future needs without large-scale foreign investment. The I.E.A., an independent agency founded by energy-consuming nations, and Washington see investment in energy exploration and field maintenance as vital, but such proposals face strong opposition inside Saudi Arabia. Tensions with the West, particularly the United States, make such investment politically difficult for Saudi society. For example, an effort by Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom's de facto ruler, to encourage Western companies to invest $25 billion in his country's natural gas industry essentially collapsed last year. "Access to Persian Gulf oil reserves, especially Saudi Arabia's, is the key question for the whole world," Dr. Birol said. President Bush has said he wants to make the United States less reliant on oil-producing countries that "don't like America" by diversifying suppliers and financing research into hydrogen fuel cells, but achieving that remains far off. His administration backs foreign investment initiatives in the gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, and his energy policies rely on Energy Department projections showing the world even more dependent on Arabian oil in 20 years. That may be enough time for governments to find alternatives, but oil field development requires years of planning and work. Publicly, Saudi oil executives express optimism about the future of their industry. Some economists are equally optimistic that if oil prices rise high enough, advanced recovery techniques will be applied, averting supply problems. But privately, some Saudi oil officials are less sanguine. "We don't see us as the ones making sure the oil is there for the rest of the world," one senior executive said in an interview. A Saudi Aramco official cautioned that even the attempt to get up to 12 million barrels a day would "wreak havoc within a decade," by causing damage to the oil fields. In an unusual public statement, Sadad al-Husseini, Saudi Aramco's second-ranking executive and its leading geologist, warned at an oil conference in Jakarta in 2002 that global "natural declines in existing capacity are real and must be replaced." Dr. al-Husseini, one Western oil expert said, has been "the brains of Saudi Aramco's exploration and production." But he has told associates that he plans to resign soon, and his departure, government oil experts in the United States and Saudi Arabia say, could hinder Saudi efforts to bolster production or entice foreign investment. Saudi Arabia's reported proven reserves, more than 250 billion barrels, are one-fourth of the world's total. The most significant is Ghawar. Discovered in 1948, the 300-mile-long sliver near the Persian Gulf is the world's largest oil field and accounts for more than half of the kingdom's production. The company told The New York Times that its field production practices, including those at Ghawar, were "at optimum levels" and the risk of steep declines was negligible. But Mr. Price, the former vice president for exploration and production at Saudi Aramco, says that North Ghawar, the most valuable section of the field, was pushed too hard in the past. "Instead of spreading the production to other fields or areas," Mr. Price said, the Saudis concentrated on North Ghawar. That "accelerated the depletion rate and the time to uncontrolled decline," or the point where the field's production drops dramatically, he said. In Saudi Arabia, seawater is injected into the giant fields to help move the oil toward the top of the reservoir. But over time, the volume of water that is lifted along with the oil increases, and the volume of oil declines proportionally. Eventually, it becomes uneconomical to extract the oil. There is also a risk that the field can become unstable and collapse. Ghawar is still far too productive to abandon. But because of increasing problems with managing the water, one Saudi oil executive said, "Ghawar is becoming very costly to maintain." The average decline rate in Saudi Aramco's mature fields — Ghawar and a few others — "is in the range of 8 percent per year," without additional remediation, according to the company's statement. This means several hundred thousand barrels of daily oil production would have to be added every year just to make up for the diminished output. Every oil field is unique, and experts cannot predict how long each might last. For its part, Saudi Aramco is counting on Ghawar for years to come. The company projects that Ghawar will continue to produce more than half its oil. One internal company estimate from 2002 puts Ghawar's production at 5.25 million barrels a day in 2011, more than half the total expected crude oil capacity of 10.15 million, according to United States government officials and oil executives. "The big risk in Saudi Arabia is that Ghawar's rate of decline increases to an alarming point," said Ali Morteza Samsam Bakhtiari, a senior official with the National Iranian Oil Company. "That will set bells ringing all over the oil world because Ghawar underpins Saudi output and Saudi undergirds worldwide production." The I.E.A. warned in November that huge investments would be needed to offset the decline rates in mature Middle Eastern oil fields — it put the average at 5 percent — and the increasing costs of oil and gas production. The agency, based in Paris, forecasts that Saudi production will need to reach 20 million barrels a day by 2020. (I.E.A. and other research estimates say that more than 90 percent of that would be crude oil; the rest would be liquid products like natural gas liquids that result from the processing of crude oil.) In his speech in Jakarta, Dr. al-Husseini noted the need for exploration, pointing out that colleagues at Exxon Mobil predict that more than 50 percent of oil and gas consumption in 2010 must come from new fields and reservoirs. Harry A. Longwell, the executive vice president of Exxon Mobil, says finding new sources of oil is crucial. Mr. Longwell, in an interview, said that increasing demand and declining production were not new problems, but they were "much larger now because of the world's demand for energy and the magnitude of the numbers now are much larger." To offset its declines, Saudi Aramco is bringing back into production one idle field, Qatif, and is enhancing production at a nearby offshore field, Abu Safah. The company says that with expert management, these fields will produce about 800,000 barrels a day. But current and former Saudi Aramco executives question those expectations, contending that the goal of 500,000 barrels a day for Qatif is unrealistic and that development costs are higher than anticipated. Qatif poses real difficulties. It is near housing for Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite population and contains high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas. Its development is "particularly challenging," according to a technical paper by Saudi Aramco engineers presented last year in Bahrain, which said that 45 percent of potential drilling sites "were rejected due to safety concerns." At Abu Safah, Saudi Aramco has experienced increasing water problems as it has turned to submersible pumps to extract oil. Experts, including American and Saudi government officials, say the technique is ill advised. Saudi Aramco, in its written response to questions, defended the use of the pumps at Abu Safah and its ability to manage the water after 37 years of production. One United Sates government energy expert noted that "submersible pumps is what the Soviets went to on an indiscriminate basis in West Siberia and it went south." Samotlor, a huge field in Siberia, once produced more than three million barrels a day, but it declined sharply in the 1980's after the Soviets pushed it too hard. Today it produces only a few hundred thousand barrels a day. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | Help | Back to Top Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Eighth Birthday Party Cake Ideas and Inspiration
Baby Cakes: Eighth Birthday Cake Ideas and Inspiration
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One Rook Saves the Day: A World Champion's Favorite Studies
Sergei Tkachenko has written six books on endgame studies. This is the fourth volume.
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This is the fourth book in a series of endgame studies.
Sergei Tkachenko (born in 1963, near Odessa, Ukraine) is a member of the Ukrainian team that won the 5th World Chess Composition Tournament in 1997. Sergei coaches the Ukrainian chess composition team. He is also the press secretary of the Chess Composition Committee of the Ukrainian Chess Federation.
Sergei is an award-winning author who has written 18 chess books (in Russian), including compositions and on historical themes. He is deputy chief editor of a Ukrainian chess composition magazine called Problemist of Ukraine and has a regular studies column on the ChessPro website. Sergei is a member of the Ukrainian Union of Journalists. He is a historian and archivist, a mechanical engineering graduate, and additionally spent five years studying theater production.
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Invasion Of The News Snatchers
Thursday, 16 September 2010
I read a powerful piece in the Columbia Journalism Review yesterday on the continuing impact of severe job and budget cuts on the mainstream media. Nobody likes journalists, I know, but on the odd occasions when they get it right they provide a valuable service that democracy can't do without. The piece also includes a useful analysis of how increasing public relations budgets are also contributing to this dire situation, including a statistic that shows how the number of PR people is increasing as the number of journalists decreases. I'm not a huge fan of Nick Davies, but his popuralisation of the term 'churnalism' has woken the public to the habit of press releases being slightly rewritten and put out as news. This happens a lot in the outdoors. Many outdoor companies now have media teams that put out quasi-editorial material about their sponsored athletes that is hard for cash-strapped outlets to resist. Of course, they tell you they're doing this, and often the material is entertaining, but it doesn't necessarily offer a fair reflection of what's happening in the outdoors and it narrows the gap still further between editorial integrity and commercial interest. It also promotes those climbers who are happy to play those games at the expense of those old-school types who'd rather not. It's been interesting to compare the response of Red Bull to the fiasco last season on Cerro Torre – essentially, we really don't care now sod off – to how Mammut have managed Christian Stangl's confession about not climbing K2 – the guy screwed up, he was big enough to admit it, now we're thinking about it. My guess is that the best outdoor companies are as interested in seeing climbing's integrity maintained and won't object if poor standards are challenged.
Posted by Ed Douglas at 2.45 PM


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They found that if attention was as divided during recall of a motor task as it was during learning the task, people performed as if there were no distractions at either stage.
Brown University
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Maybe distraction is not always the enemy of learning. It turns out in surprising Brown University psychology research that inconsistent distraction is the real problem. As long as our attention is as divided when we have to recall a motor skill as it was when we learned it, we'll do just fine, according to the new study.
Most learned motor tasks — driving, playing sports or music, even walking again after injury — occur with other things going on. Given the messiness of our existence, said lead researcher Joo-Hyun Song, assistant professor of cognitive, linguistic, and psychological sciences, the brain may be able to integrate the division of attention during learning as a cue that allows for better recall when a similar cue is present.
"The underlying assumption people have is that divided attention is bad — if you divide your attention, your performance should get worse," Song said. "But learning has a later, skill-retrieval part. People haven't studied what's the role of divided attention in memory recall later."
Consistent distraction
Now Song and neuroscientist Patrick Bédard have. Their study, published in the journal Psychological Science, involved two main experiments.
In the first, 48 volunteers manipulated a stylus on a touchpad to virtually reach for targets on a computer screen. The trick to learn was that the computer would bend the virtual world by 45 degrees, so the subjects had to compensate. Meanwhile some volunteers also had to perform another task, which was to count symbols that moved by on the screen as they made their awkward reaches. Other volunteers saw the symbols but were told they could ignore them.
Later the subjects would demonstrate their new reaching skills, some with and some without again having to count symbols.
The subjects were therefore split into five groups based on whether they had to endure the symbol distraction either during learning or during recall and to what degree (high or low). For example, the "none-none" group never dealt with the symbols, the "high-none" group were distracted when learning but not during recall and the "high-high" group had their attention equally divided at both times.
When the researchers looked at how well the subjects in each group recalled the task, they found that the high-high group did as well as the none-none group, while the high-none, low-none and none-high groups all struggled. It was as if those who were denied the same degree of distraction during testing as they experienced during learning suffered a disadvantage.
Read more...
Source: Brown University


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Kristen from Whatcha Eatin'? and Kathy from Three on Food bequeathed (my mother-in-law loves this word) to me this "lovely blog award". Thank you so much Kristen and Kathy, I very much appreciate the sentiment.
I'm supposed to pass this award on to 10 other bloggers who I think are just as lovely. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings because I love you all or I wouldn't visit your blogs, so I'm going to pass this along to blogs who I think are fabulous that don't get the recognition I think they deserve and to those that if you don't know about you should!
- Treehouse Kitchen
- Elissa from 17 and Baking
- Debbmarie from Let Them Eat Cake...
- Debby from A Feast For The Eyes
- Erin from Erin Cooks
- Lorelei from Mermaid Sweets
- Kristen from The Kitchen Sink
- Shari from Whisk: A Food Blog
- Julia from Dozen Flours
- Julie from Sporadic Cook
That was tough narrowing down to only 10!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And just for fun because my birthday is tomorrow (woo-hoo!):
Consider yourself invited to my virtual potluck birthday party, what what are you bringing with you to the celebration?


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Ron Silver, a democrat who just fornicating gets it, makes the following observation about Chris Matthews, of Hardball infamy:
I guess the final straw was when Chris, whom I like personally, ridiculed the President for bringing up the junta's crackdown in Burma before the U.N. His panel of experts then went mockingly on its way to make jokes about Burma Shave commercials and basically who cares. The next day the Burmese regime started killing the monks and many others. No apologies yet from MSNBC.
I'm not expecting that apology anytime before the heat death of the Universe.