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According to an economic analysis of the forecast benefits, the launch site at the bottom of the Eyre Peninsula could also create 568 jobs over a decade for each rocket manufacturer who uses the facility.
The report was prepared by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies, a research unit of the University of Adelaide, which examined the potential financial and employment impacts of the launch facility operating in various modes.
That included operating as a stand-alone entity, as an assembly and testing facility and in conjunction with a launch vehicle manufacturer.
Projected impacts ranged from 60 jobs and a boost of $35.4 million to gross state product over 10 years to 568 jobs and $318.4 million.
The facility has been proposed by Southern Launch, which has already signed its first customer, Korean space start-up Perigee Aerospace, which is planning its first launch for next year.
Southern Launch examined a number of possible locations across Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia before settling on the a 1,190 hectare site at Whalers Way.
That had the advantages of proximity to a nearby town, Port Lincoln, as well as an airport and harbour for delivery of rockets and components.
The site is also clear of major air traffic routes and launching south, rockets pass over ocean. The location is well suited to launches into polar or polar-like orbits.
In September, the South Australian government declared the proposed launch facility a major development, opening the way for acceleration of the development process.
Whalers Way’s rival is the proposed Equatorial Launch Australia launch facility in the Northern Territory. Both are planning their first launches for 2020.
Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp told The Port Lincoln Times the report put solid figures on their plans.
"This report details how our operations can act as a catalyst for wider space investment into the economy," he said.
"There is a great deal of work to be done yet, but we're excited to be part of the development of a vibrant space industry in South Australia."
Damp said the agreement with Perigee Aerospace demonstrated the calibre of partners the facility could attract.
"We believe we can continue to attract significant international partners and to exceed the projections laid out in the SACES report," he said.
Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect here.


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[dropcap type=”circle”]I[/dropcap]f you have a spare £4,250,000 you don’t know what to do with, now’s your chance to own a piece of history in the Heswall-Gayton area.
Gayton Hall on Gayton Farm Road is on the market with prime property estate agents, Jackson Stops, and is described like this: “Occupying a very private position in spectacular grounds, Gayton Hall is undoubtedly one of the finest houses in the Wirral and is best described as a country house in a village setting benefiting from a rural aspect albeit within walking distance of a serviced village.
“The Hall is a handsome manor house listed Grade II, standing in a delightful mature garden setting with views to the Dee Estuary.”
It’s one of 7 listed buildings in the Heswall-Gayton area.
Gayton Hall was the home of the Glegg family and built in the mid to late 17th Century. It was given a substantial overhaul around 1750.
Made from brick with sandstone dressings, the Hall has three storeys standing on a stone base. Two oak trees in the garden were named William and Mary to commemorate the visit of William of Orange who stayed overnight at the Hall as a guest of the Gleggs in 1689 before crossing to Ireland. The next year William and his troops would emerge victorious from the Battle of the Boyne against the forces of James II.
The dovecote to the north of Gayton Hall is notable for an inscribed lintel that is another reminder of the Gleggs’ influence. The initials GEK belong to Edward Glegg and his wife, Katherine Delves of Doddington.
The Hall stands in ground measuring almost 6 acres, and has plenty to offer – as a small selection of photographs reveals.

domain: history


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|Hiking Trail Conditions Report|
||Mt. Starr King, Mt. Waumbek, South Weeks, Middle Weeks, North Weeks, Terrace Mountain, Mt. Cabot, The Bulge, The Horn, NH|
||Starr King Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Unknown Pond Trail, Cohos Trail|
|Date of Hike:
||Sunday, July 8, 2012|
|Parking/Access Road Notes:
||Gate on Mill Brook rd is open in the summer. Gate on South Pond rd only open between 10am and 5pm. Broken glass at Mill Brook trailhead |
||Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
|Water Crossing Notes:
||Tricky crossing at Kilback bog. Log footbridge is partially out and replaced with loose logs that roll underfoot. Little water along Kilkenny Ridge between York Pond trail and Starr King. |
|Trail Maintenance Notes:
||Numerous blowdowns along Kilkenny Ridge, especially between Waumbek and York Pond Trail. Trail overgrown and slippery underfoot. Blazes are sporadic and blowdowns can make the trail difficult to follow in a couple of spots. |
||Saw 1 dog (black lab) doing the Weeks. Could be difficult for dogs because of blowdowns and lack of water. |
||Not bad if you keep moving. Black flies and mosquitoes were only a problem near standing water. |
|Lost and Found:
||Summary: Two-day backpack through the Pliny and Pilot ranges of northern New Hampshire. Started at the Starr King Trailhead on Rt 2 and went up and over Starr King, Waumbek, North and South Weeks, Terrace Mt., and stayed overnight at the cabin on Mt Cabot. Sunday morning I went over Cabot, The Bulge, and the Horn. Dropped down to Unknown Pond and then down to the Mill Brook trailhead to meet some friends. Back up to Unknown Pond and then North on the Kilkenny Ridge trail to the South Ponds and Route 110. 31 miles, 31 bird species. Highlights and full species list below. |
Starr King trail was in good condition. Spring below the summit was low but usable. Kilkenny Ridge trail to Mt. Waumbek in good condition. Kilkenny Ridge trail from Mt. Waumbek over the Weeks to York Pond Trail in poor condition. Much of the trail is overgrown with ferns and other vegetation, which makes the footing tricky on the loose, moss-covered rocks. Numerous blowdowns on this section. All the blowdowns were passable with reasonable effort, but I will be carrying a hatchet next time I hike in the area to help with trail maintenance. The trail is blazed but sporadically in some sections. Be careful on the North side of Middle Weeks. A large blowdown obscures the trail at a bend to the West and there are two recent herd paths leading to the North and East where hikers struck out in the wrong direction. I tried to block the herd paths with available logs and downed branches, but it would be easy to get confused here. Kilkenny Ridge trail between York Pond trail and Bunnell Notch was slightly better, but still little used with some blowdowns. Cabot trail to Cabot Cabin was in good condition. I saw no water sources between the spring below Starr King and the York Pond trail. There is a stream near the York Pond trail junction, but lots of Moose activity in this notch, so make sure you filter and treat it well. No more water until Bunnell Notch where a small spring was flowing out of the North side of the trail before the junction with the Cabot trail. No water at Cabot Cabin, though there was a very small spring off the trail just below Cabot summit 0.2 miles from the Cabin (marked with a sign). Cabin is in reasonable condition, though very musty. Clear night so I slept out on the porch. Very nice! Kilkenny Ridge from Cabot over the Bulge and the Horn to Unknown Pond in OK condition. Evidence of recent trailwork to clear blowdowns. Mill Brook trail in good condition, though wet in some spots. Kilkenny Ridge from Unknown Pond to South Ponds was overgrown in spots, but no trouble following the trail. A few blowdowns, but nothing major. Nice view from Rogerís Ledge. Crossing Kilback bog was a little dicey as the log bridges are partially gone and have been replaced by loose logs that roll underfoot. Use caution!! When I reached the trailhead at South Pond I hiked out along South Pond road. I cut back into the woods on the Cohos Trail just north of the junction of South Pond Road and Normand Road. I actually cut in too soon on a skidder road and wandered around for a few minutes before encountering the broad snowmobile trail that doubles as the Cohos trail on this short segment. Followed this trail to the junction with 110. Did not look like anyone other than moose and deer are using this trail at the moment, though it was well marked with yellow plastic blazes. Great hike through beautiful country. Canít wait to see the rest of the Cohos trail!
Bird highlights: Bicknellís Thrushes between Starr King and Waumbek, several between Waumbek and South Weeks, more on N. Weeks, 3 at Cabot Cabin and one more at The Horn. Female Black-backed woodpecker working the snags in a regenerating fir stand just North of Mt. Waumbek. Family of Gray Jays (2 adults, three hatch-year) on the South side of North Weeks. A male Black-backed Woodpecker flew in and chased one of the adult Gray Jays while I was watching the group. 2 more Gray Jays at Cabot Cabin. Two Boreal chickadees on the North side of Middle Weeks and two pair of Boreal Chickadees fighting on The Horn (North of Mt. Cabot). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on Mt. Cabot. Multiple family groups of Red-breasted Nuthatches (cute!).
Other animals: Lots of moose sign, White-tailed deer, American toads all over the trails, snowshoe hare, white-footed mice, vole sp., weasel scat.
Number of Species 31
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

domain: travel


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Xzibit spoke on today’s hip hop, saying it was a “mockery.”
Now, the rapper and actor has noted he is “sick” of hip-hop, despite having a love for it. Xzibit then talked about the short attention span of audiences, which makes it “impossible” to make an album with songs that are good. “Right now, I think the music itself isn’t a good representation of what we’re supposed to be. Not taking anything away from these kids because they’re feeding their families. They’re not in the street. They’re not doing…some of them aren’t doing anything illegal. But I think there’s a real path right now for somebody to come out with some real content and have that staying power and show that it’s possible,” said the rapper.

domain: sociology


text:
Strategie, warianty, rozpoznania. Omówienie książki "Shakespeare i kino..." Olgi Katafiasz
STRATEGIES, VARIANTS, RECOGNITIONS. REVIEW OF THE BOOK SHAKESPEARE AND CINEMA BY OLGA KATAFIASZ
This text is a review of Olga Katafiasz’s book entitled Shakespeare and the Cinema: Adaptation Strategies and Their Socio-Cultural Contexts PWST, Krakow 2012. Katafiasz arbitrarily selected 28 films that she believes to be crucial in the context of innovative reading of Shakespeare in the cinema. She believes that any attempt at filming Shakespeare’s plays should be a dialogue with the current political band social situation. All of the chosen examples move in one direction. These movies show the dramas of Shakespeare as a way of interpreting the irrational evil — as a tool for reading and diagnosing historical moments under the sign of humanitarian crisis. The last two chapters of the book Shakespeare and Political Correctness and Shakespeare as a Code highlight the main intention of the author: Shakespeare’s words on the screen become a cultural code, showing global communications potential contained in his dramas.
Translated by Tobiasz Papuczys

domain: literature


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domain: hobby


April 11, 2014
J. D. Chaudhry '16
After several weeks of meetings with members of the Student Finance Board and the head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Society of Physics Students and the Department of Physics and Astronomy purchased The MakerBot: Replicator 2, a desktop 3D printer.
The MakerBot is a, microwave size, 3D printer with the capabilities to make professional-quality models using a low-cost consumable, the MakerBot PLA filament. The MakerBot can create models using the easy to use MakerBot MakerWare software along with many 3D design tools such as the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs. Essentially, a design is uploaded into a SD card. The SD card is then put into the MakerBot. The MakerBot then creates the model by melting the PLA filament in ascending layers.
The MakerBot now enables professors and students, conducting lab research, the opportunity to create any parts that they may need for their research. The Society of Physics Students plans to use the printer to create several parts for upcoming projects such as the Electronic Cannon and Plasma Speaker. The printer will be used to create the barrel of the Electronic Cannon and to create the base for the Plasma Speaker. The printer requires little maintenance and the only purchase necessary is the PLA filament, which is also available in several colors. With the MakerBot: Replicator 2 students will be able to create their most imaginative designs for research, projects, or just for fun. The possibilities are endless.


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New solar power subsidies to see the light
Updated: 2013-05-15 21:01
A source from China's top economic planning body said the authority has finished collecting opinions about the feed-in tariff ratings of China's solar industry, which indicates the finalized scheme may be issued soon, China Securities Journal said on Wednesday.
Wang Zhongyin, deputy director of Energy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, said the new policy will allocate subsidies ranging from 0.8 yuan to 1.1 yuan/kWh to grid-integrated solar power plants. For self-use distributed PV projects, the subsidy will be 0.35 yuan/kWh.
Analysts said the scheme will boost installed solar power to 6 GW in 2013.
China has encouraged the construction of solar plants in a bid to tackle the environmental protection issue, but owners of solar plants are suffering from financial strain, partly due to delayed subsidies and policy ambiguity.
Wang Haisheng, an analyst with Mingsheng Securities, said under the new subsidy scheme it would take about 8 years for a self-use 1MV solar plant to cover the cost of construction, and 5 to 6 years for a commercial solar plant.

domain: news


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Multi-Expert Indicators for Monitoring and Decision Support: Biomedical, Personalized Medicine, and Personal Wellness Applications
EKG Time Series Analysis
The majority of diagnostic features used by cardiologists are based on local patterns extracted from electrocardiogram (ECG) waveforms. However, these features may not be effective in the early stage of developing cardiac abnormalities as well as for clinically significant pathologies lacking specific ECG signatures.
Human organism is a complex adaptive system. Signal variability analysis provides a generic non-invasive technology for evaluation of the overall properties of a complex system. The association between altered variability and illness is ubiquitous. One of the most common applications of this principle is heart rate variability (HRV) analysis which is known to play an important role in cardiac diagnostics. HRV indicators calculated from beat-to-beat (RR) time series offer not only a complementary diagnostic modality but also potential detection of subtle dynamical changes in the early stages of emerging pathologies. Analysis of RR data is also significantly more noise-tolerant compared to waveform analysis. This is especially important for data collected by portable and wearable systems.
Traditional diagnostics could typically reveal only the known localized patterns while information from long-range multi-scale correlations in the dynamics of ECG or other physiological time series is ignored. However, measures based on such subtle changes in dynamics may be sensitive indicators of an emerging abnormality or hard-to-detect pathology. HRV analysis offers a set of measures that are sensitive to such changes in heart rate dynamics and can provide complementary and alternative insight in cardiac diagnostics
Although variability analysis combines many desirable characteristics, sensitivity of linear HRV indicators to data artifacts and non-stationarity, as well as long-period requirements for more accurate and stable nonlinear dynamics (NLD) measures lead to many challenges in practice. Nevertheless, in our recent works we have demonstrated that NLD indicators could preserve significant part of their discriminative abilities even for short periods (down to several minutes). More importantly, we have shown that accuracy of normal-abnormal classifiers based on different NLD and advanced linear measures could be significantly increased by boosting-like ensemble learning methods.
We found that it is feasible to discriminate between normal condition and multiple abnormalities using two-class classification framework. Such an approach is tolerant to training data with vaguely specified or non-specific diagnoses, data incompleteness for certain well-known and novel abnormalities, and to complex cases of co-existing pathologies. Our approach allows discovering generic meta-indicators capable of detecting both single abnormalities irrespective of their origin, and conditions specified by complex combination of different pathologies using short RR time series.
Such multi-expert meta-indicators are also effective for detailed and robust quantification of various psycho-physiological states. We found that these state representations could be used as early signals of emerging abnormalities and other negative physiological changes (e.g., overtraining in professional sports) as well as for real-time prediction of acute and critical events.
Discriminative abilities of the normal-abnormal classifiers can be represented by plotting detection rates vs false alarm rates to obtain ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve: the larger is ROC-curve�s shift towards the upper left corner from the diagonal, the better is classifier. In all subsequent illustrations ROC curves are used to compare different HRV indicators.
Arrhythmia is very serious cardiac abnormality that could also accompany other cardiac pathologies. As shown in the figure on the left (click to enlarge), for low false alarm rates (<10-15%), arrhythmia detection rate of the AQSCS multi-expert indicator could be up to 40-50% higher than that of the typical single NLD indicator. Presented indicators are calculated on short, 256-beat, RR time series.
Indicators capable of detecting developing CHF and arrhythmia signatures during regular express diagnostic procedures could be of significant practical importance. For example, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is hard-to-detect cardiac disease that is a leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. Although different in nature, HCM shares common diagnostics features with CHF and is often accompanied by arrhythmias. Therefore, indicators capable of robust detection of CHF and arrhythmias may provide early warning signs of developing HCM and could be very useful for express diagnostics of athletes from short segments of RR data.
AQSCS multi-expert meta-indicators are universal in nature. Such multi-expert indicators are capable of detecting a wide range of different cardiac abnormalities as well as conditions with complex combination of different pathologies. ROC curves for one of such meta-indicators (in the figure on the left) demonstrate such universal capabilities. It is clear that for the acceptable false alarm rates (<20%), detection rates for a number of cardiac pathologies and complex abnormal conditions could be in the range of 80-100%. Presented AQSCS meta-indicator is calculated on short, 256-beat, RR time series.
ROC curves presented above demostrate advantages of AQSCS multi-expert measures over indicators based on single NLD measures. However, ROC curves cannot explicitely show how such advantages would be manifested in the real applications dealing with analysis of EKG time series. These applications include critical real-time analysis of the data collected by intensive care unit (ICU) equipment or portable wearable monitors as well as automated analysis of long time series collected by Holter monitors. Indicators for such critical analysis should demonstrate high detection rate of even short-lived or emerging abnormalities. To provide any practical utility, these indicators should also have low false alarm rate.
In the adjacent figure (click to enlarge), we plot indicator values computed from short consequitive RR segments of a single healthy person. Medians of indicator value distribution for population of normal (healthy) subjects as well as patients with CHF and arrhythmia are plotted as horizontal lines. It is clear that single NLD indicator values (two lower panels) are quite noisy and jumping from normal median to CHF/arrhythmia medians and back. This will result in high false alarm rates which critically diminishes practical utility of such indicators. In contrast, AQSCS multi-expert indicator (upper panel) is much less noisy and demonstrates significant stability by staying in the vicinity of normal median where it should be.
As discussed and illustrated in the above figure, AQSCS multi-expert approach can drastically reduce noise of individual HRV indicators computed from short RR segments. This makes possible detection of even short-lived and/or emerging abnormalities. Real-data illustration is provided in the figure on the left (click to enlarge), where 4 short 512-beat arrhythmia RR segments (labeled by red “A” letter) are inserted in the RR time series of the normal (healthy) subject. We see that both single HRV indicators (two lower panels) generate several false-alarm signals, i.e. distincly low indicator values where no arrhythmia is present. However, AQSCS multi-expert indicator (upper panel) clearly detects all arrhythmia events without any false alarm generation.
Robustness of the AQSCS multi-expert indicator in detecting short lived and intermittent abnormalities is further ilustrated in the figure on the left (click to enlarge). Here 4 short arrhythmia RR segments (labeled by red “A” letter) with decreasing length (from 512-beat down to 128-beat) are inserted in the RR time series of the normal (healthy) subject. AQSCS multi-expert indicator clearly detects even the shortest arrhythmia events without any false alarm generation.
RARE PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL STATES AND PATHOLOGIES:
Diagnostics of complex and rare medical cases lacking clear symptoms of particular abnormalities is a very challenging problem. Case-based reasoning (CBR) is known to provide helpful and generic guidelines for the design of medical expert systems dealing with such non-standard diagnostic problems. Similarly, most practitioners implicitly follow case-based reasoning framework when they try to apply previously encountered cases to similar new situations.
Single-example learning (SEL) algorithms offer more formal machine learning framework for classification of rare and novel classes. SEL is a group of machine learning methods aimed at learning classifiers for novel classes by generalization from just one or a few training examples. Usually they use prior knowledge obtained previously while learning other classes from large databases.
However, both CBR and SEL approaches have serious limitations when applied to biomedical problems, the most important of which is requirement of a large number of examples of well-studied cases. In practice, data sets for well-defined abnormalities suited for quantification with existing indicators are often limited. However, significant amount of valuable clinical information from cases labeled only as normal or abnormal without particular diagnosis remains underutilized.
These coarsely classified data can be effectively employed to produce powerful normal-abnormal multi-expert classifiers. This is achieved by an optimal weighted combination of complementary indicators which are experts in different regimes of the considered biological complex system. Therefore, partial information of wide variety of dynamical regimes becomes implicitly encoded in the obtained ensemble of classifiers. However, only aggregated output is used for normal-abnormal classification, while the rich internal structure of the ensemble is completely ignored.
Extraction of this underutilized knowledge could be formalized in terms of ensemble decomposition learning (EDL)which was recently proposed by AQSCS team. Representation of complex and rare cases by the vector output of the ensemble of classifiers each element of which is an output of an individual classifier multiplied by its weight could prove to be more accurate and robust compared to significantly more coarse-grained representation typical for CBR and SEL approaches.
In the figure above, EDL application to real data is demonstrated. We show arrhythmia-CHF classification ROC curves for classifiers based on EDL, aggregated ensemble (classical ensemble approach), and single indicators. We see that, SEL-based approach in the EDL context is capable to construct quite accurate classifier for the two classes that are almost indistinguishable when standard aggregated ensemble output or single HRV indicators are used. It should be noted that presented SEL classifiers are based on just one reference example which suggests suitability of this approach for diagnostic of complex and rare cases characterized by extreme limitation of the available data.
PROFESSIONAL SPORT AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE APPLICATIONS:
EXPRESS DIAGNOSTICS, OVERTRAINING DETECTION, AND QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTION OF INDIVIDUAL ZONES OF OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING (IZOF)
Importance of systematic and objective psycho-physiological monitoring of athletes in professional sport constantly increases. Express medical diagnostics of emerging cardiac abnormalities, early detection of overtraining and similar negative changes in psycho-physiological state of athletes critically depend on the quality of such monitoring. Related challenging problem without existing universal solution is robust identification of the individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOF). Tuning an athlete into his/her own IZOF could dramatically improve stability of his/her performance and increase probability of the highest achievements. However, it is difficult to quantify such optimal zones.
Modern sport watches with ECG-type sensors and similar sensors working with smart phones can be used not only for programming personalized training sessions but also for simultaneous collection of beat-to-beat (RR) time series with accuracy comparable to clinical ECG equipment. Such personal RR data can be used for systematic heart rate variability (HRV) analysis to provide early indication of developing cardiac abnormalities, overtraining detection and for other purposes.
HRV-based indicators may offer fast and convenient detection of overtraining. This approach could provide an alternative for much less convenient and time-consuming psycho-physiological evaluations of overtraining currently adopted. However, individual HRV measures could often produce ambiguous results in practice. In contrast, quantification based on AQSCS multi-expert indicators could offer much more stable and practical solution. Moreover, AQSCS multi-expert framework can be also used for detection and quantification of optimal psycho-physiological states. The concept of IZOF introduced in sport psychology revealed multi-featured (multi-dimensional) nature of personal psycho-physiological states associated with the best performance.Therefore, while it is difficult to quantify such optimal zones using existing approaches, multi-component representation offered by AQSCS framework could be well-suited for this task.
Ability of AQSCS multi-expert measures to quantify psycho-physiological state changes are illustrated in the figure above. Here we analyzed RR data collected by Polar RS800 sport watch from one of the members of the “Rus’-Sport” rally team (Russian Federation). AQSCS multi-expert indicators (upper panel) and single NLD indicator (lower panel) are computed on short 256-beat RR segments. The analyzed states include: (1) base activity (sitting, standing, slow walk), (2) driving a car (regular home-office driving), (3) real rally training as co-pilot, and (4) running excersise. Distributions of a single indicator values are significantly overlapped which drastically reduces capabilities of discrimination among presented psycho-physiological regimes. On the other hand, AQSCS multi-expert measure provides clear and expected differentiation among these different states. Indeed, the number of stressful external events and associated emotional reactions is expected to be more during driving than in the base state. Even more such events and significant emotional reactions can occur during rally training. In accordance with this intuition, distribution of AQSCS multi-expert measure include more and more samples with lower indicator values and average indicator value shifts down. It is also known, that during physical excercise (e.g., running) mechanisms of HRV regulations are known to be quite different which causes HRV indicator shift towards “abnormal” range even for healthy subjects.
ROBUST QUANTITATIVE MONITORING IN PERSONAL WELLNESS AND PERSONALIZED MEDICINE APPLICATIONS
Unique capabilities of AQSCS multi-expert indicators could be effectively utilized in the emerging field of personalized medicine. Direct optimization of personal treatment based on genotype is not effective for abnormalities related simultaneously to multiple genes and influenced by history of non-genomic factors. Even more challenging is to personalize and objectively evaluate alternative therapies and relaxation techniques. For example, biofeedback have been shown to be effective not only in clinical settings but also in achieving optimal psycho-physiological states in professional sport and other areas. It is difficult to choose an optimal protocol since noticeable effects are hard to detect in early stages without robust quantitative indicators that are sensitive to small changes of psycho-physiological states. In general, early detection of subtle positive or negative changes caused by a particular treatment is a very important and challenging task in personalization and optimization of any medical treatment strategy.
AQSCS multi-expert measures could effectively detect emerging as well as short-lived and intermittent changes of the physiological state. This capability is illustrated in the above figure, where physilogical states before and during Chi meditation are quantified by AQSCS multi-expert indicator (upper panel) and by single NLD measure (lower panel). For each subject, indicators are computed on several 256-beat RR segments. AQSCS meta-measure clearly shows the difference between “before” and “during” meditation states. On the other hand, single indicator values are significantly overlaping, making such distinction between two states much less obvious.
Gait Time Series Analysis
On the other hand, as evident from figure on the left (click to enlarge), aggregated output of the AQSCS multi-complexity ensemble indicator shows clear trend towards gait dynamics of healthy adults as age increases. Remember that the range of probability-like output is between -1 and +1, with healthy state corresponding to positive numbers. Therefore, aggregated output of multicomplexity ensemble measures could be a promising metrics for early detection of subtle and/or slow changes in gait dynamics.
Recently, gait recognition has become a topic of interest within the computer vision applications, due to its growing importance as a biometric modality. Considerable research efforts are being devoted to characterize and extract gait dynamics automatically from video. Biometric systems for human identification at a distance are in increasing demand in various real-life applications. Many biometric modalities such as face recognition, iris, fingerprints, palm prints, and hand geometry suffer from two main disadvantages: (1) high failure rate when only low resolution images and pictures taken at a distance are available, and (2) necessity of subject cooperation for accurate results. For these reasons, innovative biometric recognition methods for human identification at a distance have significant potential and appeal for surveillance and forensic applications.
Most of existing approaches require significant amount of details to be extracted from sequential video images. Unfortunately, in many practical cases the quality of available video may be poor due to insufficient lighting, covering of motion details by cloth, and other reasons. In such circumstances, one of the gait characteristics that could still be extracted is time period between consecutive steps.
Therefore, AQSCS multi-complexity ensemble measures for gait time series analysis could be potentially employed as complementary approach in biometric applications, especially in cases where quality of the video prohibits usage of more traditional techniques. Besides remote gait-based biometrics from video sequences, gait recognition from accelerometer data, that are currently available in all standard smartphones and other wearable devices, becomes comparably important. Indeed, remote acquisition of accelerometer time series could be used to identify the person currently carrying the phone and in related applications. Again, AQSCS multi-complexity measures could be applicable to this set of gait-based biometric problems.
Our initial results indicate that AQSCS multi-complexity ensemble measures could differentiate between different individuals using their stride interval time series. This suggests applicability of our approach to gait-based biometrics problems discussed above. Our conclusions are based on the analysis of gait time series from 10 healthy subjects available at http://www.physionet.org and from our proprietary data sets.
EEG TIME SERIES ANALYSIS
MULTI-TYPE COMPLEXITY INDICATORS FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REAL-TIME PREDICTION
To be done
To be done

domain: medical


text:
Nag Plans Prequel to ‘Soggade Chinni Nayana’
King Nagarjuna had come with a grand successful movie ‘Soggade Chinni Nayana’ for this Sankranti. Especially, the lead character in the film (ghost / Atma) ‘Bangarraju’ became very favourite for Nag and his fans. Moreover, the film had become the career best movie by collecting over Rs 50 crore. So Nag reportedly decided to do a prequel for that movie and registered the title ‘Bangarraju’ in the Film Chamber, it is learnt. The basic story of ‘Soggade Chinni Nayana’ is that Bangarraju returns to the present day after his death and Nag excelled in dual roles as Bangarraju and Ramu. The prequel reveals what is the exact story of Bangarraju before his death. If everything goes well, Kalyan Krishna is likely to wield the megaphone for this prequel. Stay tuned to this space for more details about ‘Bangarraju’.

domain: artistic


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Latest posts by NYCPLUGGED
- Harlem Haberdashery 2019 Masquerade Ball- Saturday March 9th - February 21, 2019
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Established in 2005, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is New York City’s largest Hip-Hop cultural event that showcases the positive aspects of Hip-Hop culture by highlighting Hip-Hop’s legacy as an agent of artistic progression, community building and social change.
In addition to musical performances, the Festival offers a number of activities for its audience, including: panel discussions, exhibitions, parties, an award show and a family-friendly block party. The Festival is more than a concert or outdoor fair. It is a family reunion for lovers of this great culture.
This year we are featuring the return of Black Star – 20th Anniversary, The Hip-Hop Institute, Family Day, BHF At Night #ForTheCulture Conversations, Juice Hip-Hop Exhibition and more…
JULY 10TH – 12TH: THE HIP-HOP INSTITUTE AT MEC
The Hip-Hop Institute at Medgar Evers College hosted by the Department of English is the opening event for the Festival’s week long celebration of Hip-Hop Music and Culture. This three day-long event will focus on the art of entrepreneurship, music business, mental health, and the continuing need for social justice in our community. We aim to stimulate this dialogue via lectures, panels and workshops. Each day of the institute has a specific theme to tie into our overarching theme of “Speak Up”. The institute takes place in the heart of Brooklyn at the historical Medgar Evers College.
Location: Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Featuring: April Reign, Kameron Mccullough, April Walker, Lorrie Boula, Nadeska Alexis, Ali Bianchi, Dev Smith, Wes & Ebonie Jackson, and more.
JULY 11TH: TOLD IT FIRST HAND WITH ANGELA YEE
“Told It First Hand” is Brooklyn Bodega’s speaker series hosted by Festival Founder Wes Jackson. Wes is joined by Hip-Hop’s ‘do-ers”and makers to hear first hand how the Culture has been and where it’s going. Wednesday July 12th, we are honored to welcome Angela Yee. Best known as a host on the nationally syndicated morning show “The Breakfast Club” alongside DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God, heard locally in NY on Power 105.
Please join us as we discuss the windy road of entrepreneurship and how Angela became one of Hip-Hop’s most prominent voices.
Featuring: Angela Yee and Wes Jackson
Location: Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St, Brooklyn, NY
JULY 13TH: JUICE HIP-HOP EXHIBITION
A night dedicated to showcasing all aspects of the culture. DJ showcases, Dance battles, sneaker exhibit, live art and well as original art installations.
Featuring: Anoyd,Don Mykel, Oswin Benjamin,Chrybaby Cozie, Kerim The DJ, DJ Midnite, Clean Fresh Air, Scott Lauren, and 24:Ours Gallery
Location: Littlefield, 635 Sackett St, Brooklyn, NY
JULY 14TH: THE FINALE CONCERT
The culmination of our programming. The legendary show that has created unforgettable memories for over a decade with reunited groups and surprise performances. The place where old school legends share the stage with next generation’s stars.
Featuring: Black Star, Pharaoh Monch with DJ Boogie Blind, Mister Cee, Skyzoo, Caleborate, LATASHA, Radamiz, Dyme-A-Duzin, and Milo Case
Hosted By: Uncle Ralph McDaniels and Torae.
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park, 11 Water St, Brooklyn, NY
JULY 9TH – 14TH: BHF AT NIGHT
Bier Wax, New York City’s premier vinyl record craft beer bar, will also host “BHF At Night” each night of The Festival where a different DJ will bless the wheels of steel every evening.
Featuring: Large Professor, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, Easy Mo Bee, DJ Rob Swift, and more.
Location: Bier Wax, 556 Vanderbilt Ave Brooklyn, NY

domain: entertainment


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This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2016)
|Publisher||Harper & Brothers|
|Media type||Print (Hardcover and Paperback)|
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1943 semi-autobiographical novel written by Betty Smith.
The book was an immense success. It was also released in an Armed Services Edition, the size of a mass-market paperback, to fit in a uniform pocket. One Marine wrote to Smith, "I can't explain the emotional reaction that took place in this dead heart of mine... A surge of confidence has swept through me, and I feel that maybe a fellow has a fighting chance in this world after all."
The main metaphor of the book is the hardy Tree of Heaven, whose persistent ability to grow and flourish even in the inner city mirrors the protagonist's desire to better herself.
The novel is split into five "books", each covering a different period in the characters' lives.
Book One opens in 1912 and introduces 11-year-old Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg tenement neighborhood of Brooklyn with her 10-year-old brother Cornelius ("Neeley" for short) and their parents, Johnny and Katie. Francie relies on her imagination and her love of reading to provide a temporary escape from the poverty that defines her daily existence. The family subsists on Katie's wages from cleaning apartment buildings, pennies from the children's junk-selling and odd jobs, and Johnny's irregular earnings as a singing waiter. His alcoholism has made it difficult for him to hold a steady job, and he sees himself as a disappointment to his family as a result. Francie admires him because he is handsome, talented, imaginative, and sentimental, as she is. Katie has very little time for sentiment, since she is the breadwinner of the family who has forsaken fantasies and dreams for survival.
Book Two jumps back to 1900 and chronicles the meeting of Johnny and Katie, the American-born teenage children of immigrants from Ireland and Austria, respectively. Although Johnny panics and begins drinking heavily when Katie becomes pregnant with first Francie and then Neeley, Katie resolves to give her children a better life than she has known, remembering her mother's insistence that they receive a good education. Kate resents Francie because the baby is constantly ill, while Neeley is more robust. Katie makes a promise to herself that her daughter must never learn of her preference for Neeley. During the first seven years of their marriage, the Nolans are forced to move twice within Williamsburg, due to public disgraces caused first by Johnny's drunkenness and later by the children's Aunt Sissy's misguided efforts at babysitting them. The Nolans then arrive at the apartment introduced in Book One.
In Book Three, the Nolans settle into their new home, and seven-year-old Francie and six-year-old Neeley begin to attend the squalid, overcrowded public school next door. Francie enjoys learning, even in these dismal surroundings, and gets herself transferred to a better school in a different neighborhood with Johnny's support. Johnny fails in his efforts to improve the children's minds, but Katie helps Francie grow as a person and saves her life by shooting a child-rapist/murderer who tries to attack Francie shortly before her 14th birthday. When Johnny learns that Katie is pregnant once again, he falls into a depression that leads to his death from alcoholism-induced pneumonia on Christmas Day 1915. Katie cashes in the family's life insurance policies on Johnny and the children and uses that money, along with their earnings from after-school jobs, to bury Johnny and keep the family afloat in 1916. The new baby, Annie Laurie, is born that May, and Francie graduates from grade school in June. Graduation allows Francie to finally come to terms with the reality of her father’s death.
At the start of Book Four, Francie and Neeley take jobs because there is no money to send them to high school. Francie works in an artificial flower factory, then gets a better-paying job in a press clipping office after lying about her age. Although she wants to use her salary to start high school in the fall, Katie decides to send Neeley instead, reasoning that he will only continue learning if he is forced into it, while Francie will find a way to do it on her own. Once the United States enters World War I in 1917, the clipping office rapidly declines and closes, leaving Francie out of a job. After she finds work as a teletype operator, she makes a new plan for her education, choosing to skip high school and take summer college-level courses. She passes with the help of Ben Blake, a friendly and determined high school student, but she fails the college's entrance exams. A brief encounter with Lee Rhynor, a soldier preparing to ship out to France, leads to heartbreak after he pretends to be in love with Francie, when he is in fact about to get married. In 1918, Katie accepts a marriage proposal from Michael McShane, a retired police officer who has long admired her and has become a wealthy businessman and politician since leaving the force.
As Book Five begins in the fall of this same year, Francie, now almost 17, quits her teletype job. She is about to start classes at the University of Michigan, having passed the entrance exams with Ben's help, and is considering the possibility of a future relationship with him. The Nolans prepare for Katie's wedding and the move from their Brooklyn apartment to McShane's home. Francie pays one last visit to some of her favorite childhood places and reflects on all the people who have come and gone in her life. She is struck by how much of Johnny's character lives on in Neeley, who has become a talented jazz/ragtime pianist. Before she leaves the apartment, Francie notices the Tree of Heaven that has grown and re-sprouted in the building's yard despite all efforts to destroy it, seeing in it a metaphor for her family's ability to overcome adversity and thrive. In the habits of a neighborhood girl, Florry, Francie sees a version of her young self, sitting on the fire escape with a book and watching the young ladies of the neighborhood prepare for their dates. Francie says, "Hello, Francie", to Florry, and then, "Goodbye, Francie" as she closes the window.
Mary Frances "Francie" Nolan is the protagonist. The novel begins when Francie is 11 years old. The rest of the novel tells of Francie's life until she goes to college at 17. Francie grows up in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century; her family is in constant poverty throughout most of the novel. Francie shares a great admiration for her father, Johnny Nolan, and wishes for an improved relationship with her mother, hardworking Katie Nolan, recognizing similar traits in her mother and herself that she believes are a barrier to true understanding. The story of Francie traces her individual desires, affections, and hostilities while growing up in an aggressive, individualistic, romantic, and ethnic family and neighborhood; more universally it represents the hopes of immigrants in the early twentieth century to rise above poverty through their children, whom they hope will receive "education" and take their place among true Americans. Francie is symbolized by the "Tree of Heaven" that flourishes under the most unlikely urban circumstances.
Katie Rommely Nolan is Francie's mother and the youngest of her parents' four daughters. She is a first-generation immigrant with a despicable father and an angelic mother who emigrated from Austria. She married Johnny Nolan when she was only 17 years old. Katie is a hardworking, practical woman whose youthful romanticism has been replaced by a frigid realism that often prevents her from sympathizing with those who love her most. She runs her home in such a way that her children are able to enjoy their childhood despite their extreme poverty. Because Johnny is an alcoholic and can rarely hold down a job, Katie becomes the family breadwinner by cleaning apartment buildings. Johnny, however, is more attuned to Francie's hopes of graduating from high school and becoming a writer. As Francie matures and develops an inclination toward academia, Katie realizes she is more devoted to Neeley than to Francie. Katie becomes pregnant just before Johnny dies and survives on her own until she agrees to marry Sergeant Michael McShane, a pipe-smoking local policeman-turned-politician.
Sissy Rommely is Katie's oldest sister and one of Francie's three aunts. Because of her parents' immigration and lack of knowledge in their new environment, Sissy never goes to school and is therefore illiterate. Sissy is kind, compassionate and beautiful, and many men fall in love with her. She is first married at 14, but after being unable to have any live children with her husband, Sissy leaves him. She marries two more times without ever getting a divorce. In between marriages, Sissy has a number of lovers. She calls each of her husbands and lovers by the name "John" until her final husband, who insists that she properly divorce her second husband and demands to be called by his own name, Steve. Sissy has ten stillborn children, but adopts an immigrant girl's baby daughter born out of wedlock and eventually gives birth to a healthy son of her own.
Johnny Nolan is Francie's father. He is a first-generation American; his parents immigrated from Ireland. He has a protective mother and had three brothers, all of whom died young. Johnny marries Katie Rommely at nineteen. He is charismatic, a loving husband and father, loved dearly by his family but especially by Francie. He is, however, an alcoholic. When he does hold a job, Johnny works as a singing waiter. He has a beautiful voice, a talent that is greatly admired but that is largely wasted because of his reputation as an alcoholic. After Katie tells him that she is pregnant with their third child, he stops drinking and immediately falls into a deep depression that ends with his death from alcoholism-induced pneumonia. He is a dreamer, in sharp contrast to Katie, whose view of the world is realistic.
Cornelius "Neeley" Nolan is Francie's little brother. He is a year younger than Francie and is favored by his mother, Katie. Neeley is an outgoing child who is more widely accepted by the neighborhood children than Francie. He shows more emotion when his father dies than Francie, who reacts to the loss by becoming even more determined to get an education and rise above her mother's limited vision. Neeley refuses to follow the tradition of Nolan men and determines to never become an alcoholic. Like Francie, he feels that their childhood was pleasant despite their poverty.
Eva "Evy" Rommely Flittman is Katie's youngest sister and Francie's other aunt, playing a role more minor than Sissy's. While considered throughout most of the novel to be in less dire circumstances than Katie, Evy struggles with her lazy husband Willie, a milk-wagon driver. When Willie suffers an injury, Evy drives the route instead and proves surprisingly good at it, treating the horses much more kindly than Willie does. At the end of the novel, he leaves her to travel as a one-man band and she carries on without a husband. When McShane gives Katie $1,000 as a wedding present, she passes $200 on to Evy—the value of Willie's life insurance policy. Unlike Sissy, Evy has had only one marriage and is not assumed to be promiscuous. She has three children, a girl (Blossom), and two boys (Paul Jones and Willie, Jr.).
Eliza Rommely is Francie's third aunt who is only mentioned once. She became a nun because of her mother's love of the Catholic church. Francie only met her once. At first Francie toyed with the idea of being a nun, but when she saw her aunt's mustache-like facial hair, she thought that happened to all nuns, and changed her mind.
Thomas and Mary Rommely are the parents of Sissy, Eliza, Evy, and Katie; they emigrate to America from Austria just before Sissy is born. While Thomas hates America, enjoys tormenting Mary, and forbids the speaking of English at home, Mary patiently endures her hardships and serves as a moral/practical guide for her daughters. Mary cannot read or write English, but she encourages Katie to ensure that her children learn the language, and also to begin saving money so she can buy land someday. The Rommelys' second oldest daughter, Eliza, is mentioned only briefly; she becomes a nun and joins a convent.
Flossie Gaddis is one of the Nolans' neighbors, a single woman who scares men away as she constantly looks for new relationships. She keeps her right arm covered at all times to hide scars from a childhood accident with a tub of scalding water. She has a brother, Henny, who is dying of tuberculosis.
Lee Rhynor is Francie's first love, a soldier on leave who tries to manipulate Francie into sleeping with him after he wins over her heart. When Francie refuses, he goes back to his fiancee.
Ben Blake is a boy Francie befriends during her first summer of college classes. Ben is driven and determined. While he is the object of Francie's affection at first, she feels differently after falling in love with Lee. However, at the end of the novel, Francie goes to college with a promise ring from Ben and hope of a future with him.
Although the book addresses many different issues—poverty, alcoholism, lying, etc.—its main theme is the need for tenacity: the determination to rise above difficult circumstances. Although there are naturalistic elements in the book, it is not fundamentally naturalistic. The Nolans are financially restricted by poverty yet find ways to enjoy life and satisfy their needs and wants. For example, Francie can become intoxicated just by looking at flowers. Like the Tree of Heaven, Brooklyn's inhabitants fight for the sun and air necessary to their survival.
Idealism and pragmatism are weighed and both found necessary to survival in Brooklyn. Johnny lies about his family's address in order to enable Francie to attend a better school, presenting Francie with opportunities that might not have been available to her otherwise. Sissy helps Johnny recover from alcoholic withdrawals by appealing to his libido, helping Katie and Johnny to stay together despite Johnny's disease. Katie explains love and sexuality to Francie from two somewhat clashing points of view: as a mother and as a woman. The book revises traditional notions of right and wrong and suggests pointedly that extreme poverty changes the criteria on which such notions, and those who embrace them, should be judged.
Other issues the book addresses include:
- Humanity vs. its environment
- Coming of age/loss of innocence
- The American Dream
- The book was adapted into a 1945 film directed by Elia Kazan, starring James Dunn, Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, and Peggy Ann Garner, who won a Special Academy Award for Outstanding Child Actress of 1945. James Dunn won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film.
- William Meade Prince adapted the novel into a 1944 comic strip, distributed by King Features.
- George Abbott collaborated with the book's author to produce and direct the story as a 1951 Broadway musical, with music by Arthur Schwartz and choreography by Herbert Ross. The show starred Shirley Booth, Marcia van Dyke, and 12-year-old Nomi Mitty (as Francie). It ran for 267 performances.
- A 1974 "made for television" movie adaptation, based on the film's screenplay, stars Cliff Robertson and Pamelyn Ferdin.
Pop culture references
Cartoons and animated film shorts
- A Hare Grows in Manhattan (1947) is a Merrie Melodies cartoon. At the end, Bugs Bunny shows the book to a pack of menacing dogs, whereupon they turn away from him and run to Brooklyn, presumably to urinate on the tree.
- The Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short film Scent-imental Over You (1947), featuring Pepé Le Pew, shows multiple dogs looking through a bookstore window displaying A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
- The book was one of the most popular Armed Services Edition books shipped to American military service personnel for free during World War II. Smith said that she received ten times more fan mail from soldiers than she did from civilians. The book was originally printed as series D-117 (~50,000 copies). Demand for the novel was so high it was quickly reprinted as K-28.
- The protagonist in Jeannette Walls' 2005 memoir The Glass Castle makes reference to growing up reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and finding inspiration in the character of Francie Nolan.
- Jay-Z makes references to the title of the book in "Some How, Some Way" (from The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse) and "Interlude" (from The Black Album).
- Rapper Talib Kweli refers to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in Blackstar's track "Respiration".
- "A Flower Grows in Brooklyn" is the penultimate track on rapper Positive K's 1992 album, The Skills Dat Pay da Bills.
- The 1997 Lifetime album Jersey's Best Dancers includes a song entitled "Francie Nolan".
- British singer-songwriter Olivia Chaney recorded a song entitled "A Tree grows in Brooklyn" on her 2018 album Shelter.
On October 7, 1947 Studio One on CBS aired A Tree Grows in Brooklyn starring Rosemary Rice as Francie.
- In the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, episode 9 ("Why We Fight"), Frank Perconte is seen reading the book while on guard duty in Germany, during World War II.
- Batman, season 2, episode 13, featuring the villain Egghead, is titled "An Egg Grows in Gotham".
- Daria, season 4, episode 3 is named "A Tree Grows In Lawndale".
- In season 1, episode 17 of I Love Lucy, Lucy schemes to get her husband, Ricky, into a play she wrote called "A Tree Grows in Havana", referring to Ricky's homeland of Cuba.
- A Super Grover segment in Sesame Street, episode #4224 takes place "where two trees grow in Brooklyn."
- Season 24 of The Simpsons has an episode called "A Tree Grows in Springfield".
- Ugly Betty, season 1, episode 22 is named "A Tree Grows in Guadalajara".
- In episode 17 of the documentary series The World at War, a soldier can be seen reading the book in archival footage of soldiers preparing for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
- Will and Grace, Series 1, Episode 2. Will notices a tree outside Grace's new apartment in Brooklyn. Grace - "See, trees really do grow here!"
- Gossip Girl, Season 5, Episode 20. Blair refuses to volunteer at a community garden, telling Dan - “Just because a tree grows in Brooklyn, doesn’t mean I have to be the one planting it”
- Morning Show, Season 1, Episode 7
- In Season 1, Episode 2 of A League of Their Own (2022 TV series), catcher Carson Shaw (Abbi Jacobson) is recommended the book by fellow player Greta (D'Arcy Carden), telling her that she "would like it". In Episode 8, Carson, now the coach, gives an inspirational speech to the team, quoting a passage from the book.
- Spensley, Allie (October 5, 2018). "A Tale of Roots and Resilience". The Wall Street Journal. p. C14. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018.
- "William Meade Prince".
- Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.
- "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1974)". BFI. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- N.P.R. Staff. "WWII By The Books: The Pocket-Size Editions That Kept Soldiers Reading". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- Giaimo, Cara (22 September 2017). "How Books Designed for Soldiers' Pockets Changed Publishing Forever". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- "Armed Services Editions - James M. Dourgarian, Bookman - Collectable & Rare Books". www.jimbooks.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- "Armed Services Editions: A Few Square Inches of Home | HistoryNet". HistoryNet. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.: a history : together with the complete list of 1324 books published for American armed forces overseas. Half-title: Alist of the 1324 books published for American armed forces overseas. New York: Editions for the Armed Services, Inc. 1948. hdl:2027/uc1.b4162609.
- "20th-Century American Bestsellers". unsworth.unet.brandeis.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-04-13.


The world is gradually embracing non-conformity. Fitting in, doing as you’re told, behaving as expected by ‘beige’ people… who wants that? Not us. Freedom is allowing people to live the lives they want, and ride the bikes that suit them.
It stands alone and defies strict categorisation. The L-twin motor has made way for a V4 (the 170bhp, non-Desmo ‘V4 Granturismo’ also at the heart of the Multistrada). The Diavel has been totally redesigned around it – ‘around’ being operative as there is no longer a full frame to hang the motor and chassis parts from.
The crankcases are a key structural element with nearly every assembly attached directly to them. Only a small cast-ali ‘front frame’ takes care of the front-end.
Triumph’s Rocket 3 R sits on the cruiser-like side of the Ducati, without being a chrome ’n’ tassels chugger. Two and a half litres of longitudinal triple dominates the bug-eyed machine visually and dynamically, with 145ftlb of torque to motivate a bike that weighs as much as two MotoGP bikes, but which is also engineered so well it’s not rendered impractical by the excessive spec.
Kawasaki’s Z H2 competes with the Diavel’s sportier side, but brings the force-fed lunacy of supercharging, too. With 184bhp to rip the flat bars from your fingers, it’s almost a supernaked, but with attitude that means it doesn’t directly compete with the Tuono, Super Duke, and the rest.


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Rising power demand and supportive policies are spurring investor interest, with India & Australia leading the activity.
– International players accounted for 57% of the deal activity: Asset-level acquisitions for development projects have emerged as the preferred investment approach in the region. Meanwhile, in India, companies have strategically focused on corporate-level investments in local developers to grow their portfolio organically.
– PE firms/PE-backed companies dominate the buyer group, leading ~37% of all deals: The decline in capital expenditures, primarily attributed to the decreasing cost of equipment, combined with comparatively lower operating expenditures in the region, establishes a favorable environment for private equity (PE) firms to achieve double-digit returns on their investments.
– India accounted for 33% of the region’s activity for solar assets: Availability of subsidies of up to 30% of the project cost under the Central Financial Assistance program and tenders to sell power to state-run utilities at fixed prices under long-term PPAs are the key drivers for deal activity.
– ASEAN countries are emerging as key players in the region’s power market: The region witnessed a 55% y/y rise in deal activity in 2022. While H1 2023 saw a marginal slowdown due to macroeconomic headwinds, deal activity in the region is expected to pick up pace in the coming months as the region experienced economic and demographic growth.

domain: finance


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Sorry for the delay folks… We’ve been having too much fun!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get out of Texas quite as fast as we wanted. We ended up spending nearly two days in Alpine, Texas area trying to get our Big Bend video up. While we finished the video, we didn’t get it online until a bit later after I had a chance to talk to Larry “Coyote” Smith about using his music. After Alpine, we hit Prada Marfa, Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis in Texas. Nothing spectacular to report here except some decent views and interesting history, although Teresa found the restoration of adobe buildings interesting.
During our time in Texas, we spent the nights at some interesting places. Although Texas has plenty of open space, most of it is private ranch land. Thankfully, they allow overnight stays in their rest areas so free camping is still an option. The first rest area we stayed in was the Marfa Lights rest area, where people have seen “unexplained” lights; these lights have supposedly been reported in the area before electricity or cars existed. It was recently explained here, although many people still believe they are something special. We experienced nothing other than headlights on a far-away road and some intense wind. Another rest area was 10-20 miles south of Alpine, TX. About 10pm or so, a cop comes blazing into the rest area and shines his high-beam headlights on our camper. I would have felt better if he had at least said something to us, but after he saw some movement in our camper, he just returned to the highway and left. I guess he just wanted to make sure our vehicle wasn’t abandoned. Finally, we had parked at another roadside park just outside of Davis Mountains State Park. It was a pretty nice pull off, with some picnic benches wedged into some rocks, but it was totally trashed. Tons of broken glass, beer bottles, etc.. Turns out, we ended up camping at some locals’ favorite party spot. At about 10pm, three trucks pull in and apparently have a conversation across their open windows. They left blowing their horns, apparently pissed we had decided to sleep there for the night. It’s nice to now be in New Mexico and Arizona, where there is plenty of open BLM or National Forest land for free camping, or so I thought (see our Southern Arizona entry). 🙂
Finally, we meandered our way up into Carlsbad area of New Mexico and Northwest Texas which includes Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns. The day after we arrived, we had more intense wind. The wind was so intense, we decided to go into the caverns to get out of the wind. When we got up to the top of the ridge where the Carlsbad Caverns visitor center sits we had to fight 60 mph gusts from our car to the visitors center. (Turns out that Guadalupe Mountains was reporting 80mph gusts at Guadalupe Pass, and that’s at the base of their mountains!) The wind was so strong, a piece of weather stripping blew out from under my Thule faring on my roof rack. Yikes! We had a nice walk in the cave, and I got some good photos thanks to a tripod I lugged around. (The flash will not reach most formations!)
The following days were spent doing some fun hikes in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, including a hike up to the “top of Texas”, Guadalupe Peak at 8749 ft with an elevation gain (and loss) of 3100 ft over 8.4 miles of hiking; we decimated a Chinese buffet in Carlsbad after that one! We also walked out to the Devil’s Hall, which is pretty cool box canyon with very high walls on either side of the trail. On the way to the hall, you pass by a “staircase” formation in the rock. Pretty neat stuff.
We headed a little further west and North to spend some time at Three Rivers Petroglyphs. This was another serendipitous discovery, recommended by number of folks we met on the road. While touring the southwest, you can experience a bit of overload on prehistoric dwellings and drawings, but I have to admit, this site should not be missed if you have even a passing interest in petroglyphs. The area has over 20,000 documented Jordana Mogollon petroglyphs scattered over 1-2 miles of terrain. There is still much debate on what they mean. Some theorize that they have deep spiritual meaning, while others think they are simply ancient graffiti.
Heading back south, we stopped for a very brief overnight backpack in White Sands National Monument. Basically, the monument is a huge pile of white sand. It is formed by gypsum mineral deposits that wash into the Tularosa basin, eventually evaporating and crystallizing on the shores of Lake Lucerne. Over time, the gypsum material literally blows apart (remember the aforementioned 60mph winds?), eventually forming sand and blowing into the huge sand pile now known as White Sands National Monument. It’s an incredible place for photography early in the morning or late evening when the shadows play on the dunes and the surrounding mountains. Although we had been to White Sands before on other trips, we had never spent the night among the dunes. As opposed to our Big Bend backpack, this time, we smartened up and did not carry a stove. We just ate dinner before we left and breakfast after we got back to the truck. Camping in this manner, we didn’t have to carry pots, pans, stove, or too much water (to re-hydrate meals). It was a full moon, but unfortunately, the clouds blocked our view much of the night. Still, we got some great photos in the morning at sunrise.
The next stop was Gila Cliff Dwellings and the Gila Wilderness. I have always been “enchanted” by the Gila area, and it is not because New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment“. The Gila is one of the nation’s first Wilderness areas, created in 1924 thanks to Aldo Leopold‘s bold moves to save this area from development and nearby mining abuse. This time, we hit the area on my birthday. Teresa and I celebrated with a trip to Silver City Brewing. Surprisingly, the place had some outstanding brews! We even ordered a growler (0.5 gal jug filled with draught beer) of IPA to go, and devoured a pizza with delicious roasted green chilies (which threw Teresa’s taste buds into a 3 alarm fire). Unfortunately, we couldn’t hang out as long as we wanted because I had made a reservation at the Grey Feathers Lodge. I should have learned from my good friend Gautam… If you are going to enjoy a brewpub, best to stay within stumbling distance. Anyhow, we had to drive for an hour up a very curvy New Mexico Highway 15. But the lodge in the mountains was nice, and Teresa and I thoroughly enjoyed the hot showers and queen sized bed. After relaxing for a day camped by the Gila River, we did a quick 3 mile hike in the Gila, but left enough time for us to catch a guided tour of cliff dwellings where we could learn more about its former Mogollon inhabitants.
Teresa and I planned to explore the Gila more thoroughly by driving in between Gila and Aldo Leopold wilderness areas on FS-150 (forest service road). I built our first campfire with the plentiful downed wood in the area and we enjoyed a nice evening out in the mountains. In the morning, we woke to 20 degree temperatures and a beautiful half inch of snow on our vehicle. Unfortunately, as we started up the truck to head further up the road towards the wilderness areas, I watched in horror as my gas gauge, in as little as a minute, dropped down to below empty, and then bounced back up. With a finicky gas gauge, we decided to abort our trip and head for a Toyota dealer just to make sure everything was functioning (and it was). Unfortunately, we also decided to abort the rest of our Gila plans and head for Arizona as we are already running late on our itinerary. We definitely would like to return, perhaps next winter, and spend a week or two in Gila/Aldo Leopold, enjoying some of its hot springs and beautiful wild country. For now, we are Arizona bound, but do expect a podcast of Carlsbad and Guadalupe very soon.


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Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to an infection causes it to attack its own tissues and organs. Sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death especially if not recognised early and treated quickly. Use this guide to find information resources about recognising and caring for adults with presumed sepsis including books, reports and journal articles.
This document describes an operational definition of sepsis and supports the implementation of the NICE guidelines on the identification and treatment of sepsis.
Produced in collaboration with NICE, NHS England and other experts, these tools support excellent sepsis care.
Includes the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score.
Book subject searches
This meeting of Congress discusses how we can further reduce avoidable harm and death from sepsis. This item was originally a Matter for Debate and was changed to a resolution. The resolution was passed.
Quadruple amputee Tom Ray talks about the impact sepsis had on him and how he developed resilience to overcome its devastating effects.
Information aimed at the public.
This subject guide relates to:
Editor of this guide
RCN Library and Archive Service
Page last updated - 06/06/2022

domain: library


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Designed By Andrea Parisio
Bergère with completely removable covers, fixed cover for leather version. wooden frame · non-deformable polyurethane padding · feet in blacklight - almond stained wood · seat cushion in polyurethane and reinforced feathers · back cushion in reinforced feathers.
This product has a delivery estimate of 12-16 weeks.
Starting at $2,820.00

domain: design


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Vibescout, an innovative start-up that provides event listings and city guides, is now listing movies showing on 690 screens in 94 cinemas across South Africa.
Vibescout, a startup that provides event listings and city guides, is now listing movies showing on 690 screens in 94 cinemas across South Africa. Vibescout is now officially the largest movie aggregator in South Africa and continues to take the country’s entertainment scene to new heights.
Co-founded in 2015 by brothers’ Paul and Jonathan Myburgh, Vibescout’s vision is to provide an easy-to-use platform used to smartly curate the best things to do near you. This is done through event listings, comprehensive go-to guides and now, movie listings.
Vibescout officially launched out of beta and started providing event listing in October 2016; by April 2017 they reached over 100 000 users for the month! In 27 June 2017, Vibescout became the largest movie aggregator in South Africa, listing movies showing on 688 screens in 94 cinemas throughout the country.
“It took roughly 6 weeks to get a MVP release and from it we have had amazing user feedback. We are currently getting nearly 10 000 users weekly using our movie section to find the latest movies and locate cinemas around them. We didn’t realise it at the time and such a goal wasn’t even on our radar, but we are now officially the largest movie aggregator in South Africa.”
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Jeffrey Frisch shreds money in a kitchen meat grinder, showing how meaningless money has become. Sandra Jones Campbell comments on Hurricane Katrina and government involvement in The Suits Remain High and Dry. Three men hang stranded from a pole, as Campbell portrays how federal agents kept themselves out of harm’s way during the hurricane’s devastation. Lynn Victoria creates Okey Dokey, a patchwork quilt of her photocopied hand in a variety of gestures expressing acquiescence to rage through sign language.
Fraught with confrontational ideas, the exhibition My Father’s Party is Busted! presents how individual citizens – in this case, artists – express how large government and business organizations affect lives. Where else could you see this high-voltage show but at BC Space Gallery? Be forewarned, the exhibition is not for the timid.
The show began in October to capture the pre-election hoopla, had its reception on Election Day, and ends on Inauguration Day, January 20. A conceptual no-holds-barred exhibition, it is conceived with frankness and daring, a composite of disparate opinions of 40-plus artists, and over 70 works of art. The work represents comments on the “busted” state of American political, social, economic, and philosophical attitudes, without leaning towards any particular party, person or ideology. Everything is fair game when artists confront the “badly broken systems” under which society functions. Passions continue to mount as new art is generated during the course of the show.
Curator Mark Chamberlain conceived the exhibition when elections and candidates were not yet decided. Having a reputation for nearly 36 years of being a voice in the wilderness, Chamberlain sent out invitations to artists who, as concerned citizens, were asked to express through art their thoughts on the state of the nation. No topic was sacred. It turns out, now that the election is over, that the seemingly unanticipated financial meltdown and its domino effect in many sectors of the national and world economy – including the art world – confirms the droll exhibition theme containing words with a double meaning such as “father,” “party” and “busted.”
Ron English makes a provocative statement about our political progress by folding history into one portrait of Barack Obama/Abraham Lincoln. Pat Sparkuhl’s mixed media assemblage of Boy-Toy is meticulously thought out and makes a powerful anti-war statement. One of the piercing anti-war paintings (and there are several) is created by Bradford Salamon, who renders a portrait of three males in which one young man salutes as he proudly wears a Coast Guard uniform. A small boy nearby spoofs his posture while his shadow forms the shape of an ominous gun. A third boy, in the background with a body of water behind him, seems to be on a swing, but he has nothing to hold on to.
21st Century Freedom is a sculpture by Hayley Blatte, who deals with patriotism (an American-flag-turned-jumpsuit) and how it can be as blinding (masking the face and body) as what we purport to defend ourselves against.
Busted is a synergistic experience that weaves together concerns of many, not just the artistic community, and confirms that one of the roles of art is to bring issues to public attention in the most visual and potent way. Busted proves to be a timely and pertinent exhibition, and one that no other art venue thought to mount.
WHAT My Father’s Party is Busted!
WHERE BC Space Gallery, 235 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-1880; bcspace.com
WHEN Through January 20


Project Name: NERP-NAH 1.2: Determining farmers' willingness to provide biodiversity conservation
Project ID: NERP-NAH 1.2
The contributions of farmers (pastoralists and graziers) is required to safeguard the iconic biodiversity of Australia's tropical savannas into the future because the conservation estate is insufficiently large or connected to achieve regional-scale conservation objectives. The primary land use of tropical savannas is extensive beef cattle grazing, which is defined as the north Australian pastoral industry. The purpose of this research is to establish the willingness of pastoralists and graziers to participate in contractual biodiversity conservation and estimate potential area supply for different conservation options. The research explores preferences for contract attributes and heterogeneity of preferences, and other influences on willingness to participate including business, social and psychological factors such as motivations, attitudes and risk perceptions. To that effect, a survey of pastoralists and graziers (n=104, area covered >250,000km2) was conducted, which contained a choice experiment. Methods of analysis included statistical analysis (descriptive, correlation & factor analysis, post-hoc comparisons) and econometric analysis (choice modelling: multinomial logit, random parameter logit, latent class).
Description of Resource: Data file: 6 MB; MS Excel file containing two worksheets: worksheet 1 contains the survey data; worksheet 2 contains the choice experimental data (coded for analysis using NLOGIT software) Copy of questionnaire: 500 KB; PDF file. Note: choice experiment shown is one of four blocks.
Copyright Notice: 2014, Charles Darwin University.
- 0502 Environmental Science and Management
- 0701 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management
- 1402 Applied Economics


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Friday night saw our ‘Rural Reading for Christmas’ event when readers of farming and rural books could meet authors and buy signed copies of the books for their own reading or Christmas gifts. We’d been interviewed on the Farming Show on KCLR Radio the night before so all the authors had met each other and had good fun already.
- Goodbye 2021 and What’s Happening In 2022
- Book Review: The Beasts They Turned Away
- In Memory of Sam
- What Lucy Did Next
- My Tips for a “Bloatless” Calving Season
- Friday Fields: The Letterbox
- Friday Fields: Lynup’s Hill, Where my ashes will be spread
- Friday Fields: What secrets does Taylor’s Field hold?
- Friday Fields: High and Low Shores
- If My Kitchen Table Could Talk ….


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Should he stay or should he go?
John Terry faces a big decision over his future this summer.
Terry has been a success story for Aston Villa since ending his trophy-laden spell with Chelsea at the end of last season.
Here we look at the dilemma JT must resolve and what the future might have in store for the former England captain.
WHAT'S HIS CONTRACT SITUATION?
Terry's contract expires at the end of June 2018 as he arrived on a one-year deal.
WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS OPEN TO HIM?
Villa would love to keep him, regardless of the division they are in.
If they are in the Premier League, that would help them afford his wages, but would present the potential problem of him not wanting to play against his beloved Chelsea.
If they are in the Championship, money would obviously be tighter and Terry would have to weigh up whether he wants a second year in the second tier.
Overseas opportunities including China and the United States are likely to be available for him again.
A return to Chelsea in a coaching capacity could pull at his heartstrings if he decides to hang up his boots and the Stamford Bridge club make an approach.
MirrorSport reports that veteran Terry also has more lucrative offers to keep playing in China and MLS.
They also claim that Terry intends to take a family holiday in Portugal after the play-off final where he will consider all options on the table.
These include potential coaching options as he has publicly stated his ambitions to be a boss in future.
Only after his holiday, once all options have been considered, will Terry sign on the dotted line.
WHAT THE VILLA BOARD HAS SAID
Steve Round says captain John Terry has indicated he would be happy to continue at Villa if the club is promoted to the Premier League.
In March, the club's director of football told fans at a Supporters' Trust meeting that the skipper has ‘indicated’ he wants to stay on.
Round added Terry is the ‘ultimate pro’ and that he inspires Villa’s other players and the youngsters climbing the ranks at Bodymoor Heath.
WHAT STEVE BRUCE HAS SAID
“First and foremost the big decision is with John.
“It’s all in John’s hands and we have to respect that.
“All of us want him to stay but it’s John’s decision. Once he makes the decision we’ll abide by it and go with it.
"It would be wonderful if he takes us back into the Premier League and then plays a part in trying to keep us there - and that’s what I’ve said to him.
“If we’re in the Championship then it’s John’s call to see what he wants to do playing-wise.
“That will be a conversation we have further down the line. I’ve said to him that if we get in the Premier League we would want him to stay and be part of it because his experience would be invaluable.”
WHAT JOHN TERRY HAS SAID
"I still have the appetite and hunger for sure. I just want to get this season finished.
"My aim at the start of the season was to get us up, whether that was automatic or via the play-offs.
"One last push and hopefully we can go out with a bang and make it an easy decision at the end.
"Chelsea will always be my club for sure but since I have been at Aston Villa, I have given my all and the fans have been superb with me. They have welcomed me with open arms and I like to think I have given back on the pitch and on the training field.
"It has been a good combination and worked well for both, I feel.
"It's been an incredible journey so far. It is one I have thoroughly enjoyed. I certainly the made the right decision in the summer
"I have really enjoyed it - they are a great bunch of lads, the manager has been superb with me, and the fans as well have been excellent.
"This football club deserves to be in the Premier League - the support it has got, how big it is, the players, everyone deserves it. It is huge.
"The travelling support is incredible. We are equipped to go up. We need a little bit of luck and hopefully we will get that."
WHAT HIS TEAM-MATES HAVE SAID
Robert Snodgrass has summed up the mutual appreciation society Terry and Villa have formed.
"You don’t win what he’s won by being a bad pro, you don’t get lucky.
"The guy’s been at the top his whole life and the lads would be the first to admit, you see why he’s at the top.
"He leads by example, he’s a great fella first and foremost. He’s a proper family man, he’s great to have about the place because his never say die attitude.
"Even if it’s a gym session, a game of two touch or head tennis you see that he’s a winner. He wants to win.
"When he was out injured he was racing the physios and things like that, he wanted to win and I think it’s great when you’ve got somebody like that.
"Chelsea’s his club, but he’s almost inherited Aston Villa as a club.
"Obviously all the lads respect him but they give him a bit here, whereas people at Chelsea maybe didn’t want to say anything to him. But we’re on him, having banter with it and he’s loved it. He says it, it’s a great changing room. He’s almost fell in love with the boys, he loves being part of it.
"I think that’s the way we all are. He’s superb to have about the place, he’s a top guy and a great person."
HOW MUCH DOES JOHN TERRY EARN AT VILLA?
Villa beat several Premier League teams and a host of others abroad to lure John Terry to Villa Park.
The former England and Chelsea captain is understood to have agreed a deal that could see him net in excess of £4 million-a-year when bonuses and incentives are added in.
It's a sizeable sum to say the least, but nothing compared to the wages he would have picked up had he rejected Villa in favour of a move to MLS or Chinese Super League.
HOW HAS HIS SEASON GONE?
Terry's inclusion in the Championship team of the year says it all about his impact at Villa.
He will be pleased that his body has stood up to the Saturday-Tuesday rigours of the Championship, save for brief lay offs with a broken foot and an ankle problem.
Terry will be just as pleased that he has maintained a consistent level of performance alongside James Chester in one of the division's meanest defences.
While we all knew he was a great player on the pitch, his success at Villa can also be measured in the influence he has had around the dressing room.
In previous years, the Villa squad has been flakier than an icecream van full of 99s - now Terry has brought a winning mentality to Bodymoor Heath.
His high standards of training and preparation have rubbed off on team-mates, including Jack Grealish.
"Me and him are always in the training ground chatting and doing whatever," explained Grealish. "I do get on so well with him.
"I think everyone knows how much of a good player he has been and what he has done in the game. Even when he first signed I had to pinch myself a little bit.
"He is so professional in everything he does and that rubs off on us young players.
"I will be thinking, ‘do I need to be doing that?, he is doing it and look where he has got. Ice baths, massages, not going home after training straight away.
"He is always the last person there doing everything properly, eating properly."

domain: sports


text:
Principal Financial reported first quarter operating earnings increased 36% to $317.1 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, compared to $223.3 million, or 79 cents EPS from the same quarter in 2013.
Net income increased 65% to $293.7 million, or 95 cents per diluted share, versus the $178.3 million, or 61 cents per diluted share reported in the first quarter 2013.
The company also announced a 12% increase in revenue, of $2,499.3 million, compared to $2,238.3 million from quarter one 2013.
TheStreet Ratings team rates PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GRP INC as a Buy with a ratings score of B+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:
"We rate PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GRP INC (PFG) a BUY. This is driven by multiple strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, growth in earnings per share, solid stock price performance and good cash flow from operations. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins."


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EARRINGS WITH LONG PALM PENDANT WITH RHINESTONES
palm-shaped dangle earrings are original and lively for a bolder look. Finished with beads and rows of crystals and chains, they are completed with a butterfly clasp.
Please note earrings cannot be returned due to hygiene reasons.
Please note, we are unable to offer Paypal as a payment option at the moment
Please Select your Size


If they haven’t already, statistics show that most of your BlackBerry-wielding friends will soon be dumping their devices in favor of Android or iOS. When that time comes, you’ll be left with an empty BlackBerry Messenger contacts list and no one to talk to. Thankfully, Samsung’s new ChatON service will let you keep in touch, because it’s now available on your BlackBerry.
In its bid to become a true multi-platform messenger, ChatON for BlackBerry has joined the existing ChatON apps for Android, iOS, and bada apps. The service, which launched last August on Samsung’s own Android devices, allows users to send text, images, and videos between each other, regardless of their platform.
The only major platform that ChatON hasn’t yet reached is Microsoft’s Windows Phone. However, Samsung has already promised that a Windows Phone app is part of its plans, though it hasn’t mentioned a release date just yet.
The best thing about ChatON — apart from its cross-platform capabilities — is that, unlike BBM and traditional text messaging, it’s completely free. There’s no charge to download the app, and as long as you have a data connection, you can send and receive as many messages as you like at no extra cost.
While it is positioned as a direct competitor to services like BBM and Apple’s iMessage, ChatON hasn’t quite had the same success yet. The Next Web reports that since it hit Google Play last October, the app has only seen between 500,000 and 1 million downloads. And if that BlackBerry Messenger app for Android that we’ve hearing about does come to fruition, the service will have even bigger competition to contend with.
Will you be using ChatON on your BlackBerry?