FUNCTION OF POSITION
Works under supervision of senior engineers, supervision, and works in conjunction with senior lead technician and continues to build-on skills and abilities in LHS. Performs engineering support in the design and development of purge systems for both GSFC lab use and Flight Project use both on-site and off-site. Engineering oversight may occur during any phase of assembly, integration, testing, and launch site campaigns as it relates to Purge Systems.
Will provide LHS support and resolution of technical issues involving purge systems. This support includes review of technical documents such contamination control plans, purge plans or technical requirements from Flight Projects, and any other purge-related technical requirements that exist. Support includes other duties associated within area of assignment and/or as directed by management.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assists leads and lab manager to ensure lab compliance as it relates to helps coordinate maintenance activities inside of cleanroom with maintenance and project(s), and ensures overall lab activities are in-line with government customer requirements.
- May also perform temporary duties in other areas or other duties associated with area of assignment.
- Prepare lab procedures, test procedures, and certification package for purge and/or any other purge related hardware assembly.
- Assists lead technician for oversight for fabrication and testing of flex hoses, pressure vessels, etc.
- Familiarity with ASME SECTION IX BOILER & PRESSURE VESSEL CODE G.T.A.W.
- Responsible for performing pressure vessel calculations per applicable ASME Pressure Vessel Code and/or by customer specifications (i.e. vessels, tanks, piping, valves, etc.)
- Provide technical direction and develop procedures in the monitoring of clean systems during all phases of process system hardware development and operations
- Competency and working knowledge in the operation of leak detectors, gas analysis, particulate analysis, and moisture analysis to help author working procedures
- PVS testing requirements include ability to possess general knowledge of test equipment (i.e. calibration controllers, data acquisition systems, precision pressure indicators, test bench setups, leak test & pressure test, relief valve set point verification testing on facility and project pressure systems, etc.)
- Advanced knowledge and application of fluid and gas systems is a plus
NATURE OF POSITION CHALLENGES
- Selects and adapts plans, techniques, designs or layouts to execute LHS related activities in regards to procedures and control of documentation. Contacts personnel in related activities to resolve problems and coordinate the work with lead technician and management and will attend all meeting required by position.
- Reviews, analyzes and integrates the technical work of others as to procedures and documentation.
- Ability to adapt to weekend and holiday support on short notice and extended hours as required.
- Some travel may be required to support LHS and/or management requirements.
- Will be tasked to evaluate risk, provide risk assessments, and FEMA’s/FEMCA’s.
Works under the direct supervision of the I&T Manager and works in coordination of lead technician.
SUPERVISION OF OTHERS
Does not normally provide supervision to others unless assigned as a task lead. Lead personnel are responsible for providing technical direction and organizing workload.
Assignments must be completed using available allocated resources in a timely manner to meet project cost and schedule requirements.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS
- 5+ years of direct experience required and/or combined with education is acceptable.
- Must have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Fluids Engineering (preferred), chemical engineering, civil engineering, physics engineering, or related field of study.
- Must be capable of directing and assigning tasks to LHS technicians when lead tech is absent or supervision deems necessary.
- Must possess general knowledge and understanding of Purge Systems and Purge Operations.
- Must possess general knowledge and understanding of Pressure Vessel Systems (ASME – Section VIII Division 1 and 2). The following knowledge areas are highly desirable:
- Knowledge/skills in welding codes – ASME, A.W.S., API and AWWA is preferable.
- Knowledge and experience in Welding and Fabrication is helpful.
- Knowledge of piping and pipe schedules, flanges, and fittings is helpful.
- General knowledge of contamination control cleanliness standards as it relates to flight hardware.
- Capable of providing accurate cost estimates for LHS related operations to the I&T Manager.
- Must be able to organize time, assignments and properly prioritize effort for maximum effectiveness.
- Willingness to support other functions such as procurement of hardware by working with the purchasing department.
- Must be capable of passing required physical examinations and successfully completing assigned training, or, other required training, or, certifications as directed by ETIS II management.
- Must be able to obtain Secret Security Clearance when deemed necessary.
- Communicating and interfacing with other departments and project engineers to insure on-time delivery of product.
- Maintaining a positive work atmosphere by acting and communicating in a manner to promote a team approach with a team attitude.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION
- Works from ladders, scaffolding, catwalks, cranes, boatswain chairs, suspended platforms or cages, etc.
- Works while bending, standing, stooping, kneeling or in a prone position for extended times.
- Works in closely confined spaces at times.
- Lifts and carries items up to 35 pounds.
- Ability to use hearing and vision protection and respiratory equipment.
- Ability to work in a full cleanroom garment ensemble when required.
- Work indoors and out in high and low temperatures and in all types of weather conditions.
- Work in dusty, noisy, hot, high humidity, dirty and greasy environment.
- Work in cleanroom(s) wearing appropriate cleanroom ensemble
- Work in areas where there may be materials that are irritating to eyes, nose, throat and skin while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
- Work with other personnel in a group that is team-oriented.
- Accept and work within established policies and procedures pertaining to company rules and regulations.
EQUIPMENT AND MACHINES INVOLVED IN WORK TASK
Desktop computers utilizing Microsoft Office Suite software including Word and Excel. Working knowledge and experience with Pro-E and/or AutoCAD highly desirable.
CRITICALITY OF ATTENDANCE
Regular daily attendance and reporting on time is required to maintain shift effectiveness. Overtime (Holidays, Weekends, Scheduled and Unscheduled) and Shift Work may be required
I am able to perform the duties of this position with or without accommodations.


text:
The advent of anticoagulant treatment for cancer
Beginning in the 1950’s and extending for over a half century thereafter, scores of studies in experimental malignancies documented inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis by manipulation of the coagulation mechanism. The extensive literature on this subject has been reviewed in detail in the past (1,2) and will be highlighted here briefly as background for subsequent translational steps to treatment of human malignancy.
Heterogeneity in responsiveness between experimental tumor types to a variety of coagulation-regulatory interventions was recognized from the outset. However, extensive use of treatment controls had confirmed that benefits were indeed due to drug interference with the coagulation mechanisms (1,2). Reference to these early studies has focused on the concept that intervention was “anti-metastatic”. Certain studies had shown reduction in metastatic takes (typically lung colonies following tumor cell infusion) with treatment. A more faithful interpretation of the pre-clinical evidence shows that the clotting mechanism in broad context regulates cell proliferation, motility and invasion, and tissue remodeling as well as metastasis (1-5). Coagulation laboratory test abnormalities and venous thromboembolism (VTE) that signal adverse cancer outcomes invited translation of experimental results to clinical trials. The blood coagulation mechanism is fundamentally deranged in cancer and, unlike the physiologic response to injury, apparently incapable of self-attenuation (3). Clinical trials were considered feasible because anticoagulation of the blood had long been used to prevent and treatment VTE in malignancy. Such treatment had not yet been studied for effects on cancer outcomes.
Heterogeneity of responses between experimental tumor types signaled the importance of defining mechanisms of the coagulation-cancer interaction in human disease as clinical trials with warfarin commenced. Consistency of responses in given experimental tumors having malignant cells with properties that varied according to tumor type, such as dominant pro-coagulant versus pro-fibrinolytic enzymatic pathways, led to cautious clinical trial design. Mechanisms in human tumor types had to be elucidated individually. Laboratory reagents suited to studies in human tumor tissues disclosed assembly of blood coagulation pathways in situ in various patterns on tumor, vascular endothelial or inflammatory cells (1,2). Probes for the active serine site of thrombin (6) and activated factor X (Xa) (7), and for intact fibrinogen versus exposed thrombin cleavage sites on fibrinogen (8) signified cell-specific coagulation activation micro-anatomically within the tumor bed in intact tumor tissues. Analyses were conducted on tumor types studied in the original clinical trial of warfarin described below (9,10) including colon, head and neck, prostate, non-small cell lung NSCLC) and small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL). Of these, only SCCL showed an intact coagulation mechanism with generation of enzymatically active factor Xa and thrombin, and chemically defined fibrin associated with tumor cells in situ (6-8). Among these tumor types, only SCCL appeared to respond favorably to warfarin anticoagulation (9,10). Combined clinical and laboratory findings in SCCL led to the hypothesis that warfarin may alter human tumor growth by attenuating tumor cell-initiated coagulation activation in SCCL. Benefits of warfarin were not likely due to systemic anticoagulation because such activation is common to many tumor types and anticoagulants treated successfully DVT with various malignancies but failed to alter outcomes in certain other tumor types (3). An “anti-metastatic” mechanism was considered unlikely because all tumor types metastasize, all were apparently comparably anti-coagulated, and survival curves by randomization overlapped for all tumor categories—the exception being SCCL. Conclusion: the occurrence of local coagulation activation may enhance growth and dissemination of established disease in SCCL. Subsequently, two additional tumor type-specific prospective randomized clinical trials were conducted with warfarin (for a total of three trials of warfarin) and four with heparins in SCCL. Although patterns of outcomes varied between clinical trials, evidence suggested that SCCL responded to anticoagulation.
Results from these trials in SCCL are reviewed chronologically in the context of a recently completed trial of the low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), dalteparin, in which no effect on survival was found in either SCCL or NSCLC. Anticoagulant effects on tumor response and survival, salient design characteristics, confounders potentially capable of impacting outcomes differentially and incentives for future translational research are discussed.
Zacharski et al. VA Cooperative Study #75 (9,10). Previously untreated patients were randomized independently into six separate clinical trials conducted concurrently in five different tumor types. Each trial was designed separately according to patient sample size requirement, organ of origin by histology, disease stage, standard therapy and follow-up procedures. Analysis was not of “sub-groups” of a heterogeneous population of cancer patients entered to a single study. At the time this study began (in the mid 1970s) the utility of sorting NSCLC by disease stage and of distinguishing SCCL from NSCLC were recognized but sorting according to limited versus extensive SCCL was not. Each tumor category was assigned appropriate standard treatment and followed separately for outcomes. Survival was the primary endpoint.
A preliminary report (9) described fifty patients with SCCL that received combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy and were randomized to warfarin versus no anticoagulation. Warfarin was discontinued with disease progression. Significantly improved time to disease progression was observed with warfarin treatment (P=0.030) and in survival in patients failing to achieve a complete or partial response (P=0.033). Median overall survival was doubled with warfarin, 50 versus 24 weeks in controls (P=0.02), and in patients with extensive disease at entry (P=0.049). The clinical trial of warfarin in SCCL was terminated by the Data Monitoring Board because results were statistically significant and adriamycin became approved for SCCL treatment the addition of which would require protocol modification. The results were considered interesting and confirmation would be required.
Zacharski et al. VA Cooperative Study #75 (10). This final report described 431 patients with limited or disseminated NSCLC; advanced colon, head and neck, and prostate cancer; and SCCL. Too few patients with limited extent NSCLC were entered for evaluation. No effect of warfarin was observed for any tumor type (survival curves were overlapping) except SCCL. Improvement in SCCL of time to disease progression (P=0.016) and survival with versus without warfarin (49.5 versus 23 weeks, P=0.018) after longer follow-up was confirmed. Survival in patients with extensive disease at randomization also improved with warfarin (P=0.013).
Chahinian et al. Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) protocol 8084 (11). A total of 294 evaluable patients with extensive SCCL stratified for sex and performance status were entered. Randomization was to one of two different advanced combination chemotherapy regimens abbreviated here as MACC and alternating MEPH/MACC. Patients receiving MACC were than randomized to warfarin (MACC + W) versus no warfarin anticoagulation. Complete and partial tumor response rates were significantly increased in the MACC + W regimen (17% and 50% respectively) when compared to MACC alone (8% vs. 43%) or MEPH/MACC, 10% versus 38% respectively (P=0.012). Complete response rates doubled with addition of warfarin to MACC chemotherapy. Two way comparisons showed improved response rates with warfarin compared to MACC alone (P=0.027) and compared to MEPH/MACC (P=0.005). No differences in response rates were observed on comparison of chemotherapy regimens without warfarin. Both failure-free (P=0.054) and overall (P=0.098) survival were increased with MACC+W compared to either combination chemotherapy regimen without warfarin. The complex design of these studies suggested that goals were to improve outcomes with chemotherapy rather than to clarify the role of the coagulation mechanism in SCCL progression.
Lebeau et al. “Petites Cellules Group” protocol 02-PC85 (12). A total of 277 patients with SCCL received combination chemotherapy and were randomized to receive or not receive 500 IU/kg/day of unfractionated heparin (UFH) daily in two or three divided doses for 5 weeks. Compete response rates were 37% with UFH versus 23% without UFH, P=0.004. Median survival with UFH was 317 days versus 261 days without UFH, P=0.01. Survival was also improved at 1, 2 and 3 years of follow-up. Improved survival was observed with UFH in the subgroup of patients with limited extent of disease at randomization, P=0.03.
Maurer et al. CALGB protocol 8532 (13). Favorable results in extensive SCCL in protocol 8084 prompted a randomized clinical trial in previously untreated limited extent SCCL. A total of 369 patients received an aggressive alternating combination chemotherapy regimen with randomization to warfarin versus no anticoagulation. Unacceptable toxicity from combination chemotherapy required modification of standard therapy during the study. Patients treated according to the original protocol plus warfarin experienced marginally improved failure-free survival with warfarin (P=0.07). A landmark analysis in complete responders at 8 months of follow-up showed improved median survival with warfarin compared to no warfarin (33 vs. 13.75 months, P=0.05).
Altinbas et al. (14). Eighty-four previously untreated patients with SCCL were admitted to a clinical trial in which all patients received combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy and then randomized to receive 5,000 U of the LMWH, dalteparin, subcutaneously daily for 18 weeks or standard therapy only. Overall tumor response rates were 42.5% with standard treatment and 69.2% with addition of dalteparin (P=0.07). Median progression-free survival for the entire cohort was 6 months with standard therapy alone versus 10 months with addition of dalteparin (P=0.001). Overall median survival for the entire cohort was 8 months with standard treatment alone versus 13 months with addition of dalteparin (P=0.01). Risk of death in the dalteparin-treated group was 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.00–0.86), compared to standard therapy alone (P=0.012). Overall survival was improved in the dalteparin-treated group in patients with both limited (P=0.007) and extensive disease (P=0.01) at entry.
Green D, and Kwaan HC, editors: Coagulation and Cancer, Springer, NY (15). This book summarized the extensive literature linking coagulation activation to the epidemiology, pathogenesis and course of malignancy. Optimism regarding the prospects of favorable outcomes with anticoagulant, and particularly LMWH, treatment of cancer was reflected in chapter 15 entitled “Effects of anticoagulants on cancer: heparin” by Pineo and Hull. Favorable effects of heparins and related compounds in experimental and human malignancies were reviewed together with the multiplicity of mechanisms by which this class of drugs might exert their effect. Data from a number of prior studies were reviewed, including one meta-analysis, suggesting superior effects of LMWH on cancer outcomes. Data from two large prospective randomized trials comparing UFH with LMWH for VTE treatment were subjected to post hoc multiple logistic regression analysis by Green et al. (16) for comparative effects of heparins on mortality in the subset of patients with malignancy having VTE entered to these studies. Combined cancer mortality was 31% (21 deaths among 67 patients) in UFH-treated patients and 11% (7 deaths among 76 patients) in LMWH-treated patients, P=0.005. While analysis was post hoc, the survival advantage with LMWH was not considered attributable to confounding by tumor stage or possible detrimental effects of UFH. Both groups were comparably anticoagulated suggesting that superior effects of LMWH on the course of malignancy might best be explained by non-anticoagulant mechanisms.
Lecumberri et al. the ABEL study, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00324558 (17). Thirty-eight patients with previously untreated limited disease SCCL were entered. All patients received standard combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Patients were randomized to receive standard therapy alone or the LMWH, bemiparin, 3,500 units once daily for the 26 week duration of standard therapy. Median progression-free survival in the control group was 272 versus 410 days with addition of bemiparin (hazard ratio, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.15–5.80; P=0.022). Median overall survival was 345 days with standard therapy alone and 1,133 days in the bemiparin group (hazard ratio, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.22–7.21; P=0.028). After 1 year of follow-up, 90% of bemiparin-treated versus 41% of control patients were alive (P=0.040). After 2 years of follow-up, 71% of bemiparin-treated versus 35% of control patients were alive (P=0.042). Tumor response rates were similar in both study arms.
Macbeth et al., the FRAGMATIC trial (18,19). A randomized phase III clinical trial was conducted in which 2,202 patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC or SCCL received standard therapy and were randomized to receive either no experimental treatment or the LMWH, dalteparin, 5,000 U once daily subcutaneously, for 24 weeks. Patient randomization was stratified according to cell type, SCCL or NSCLC, sex, performance status, extent of disease and medical center. Analysis of the total cohort showed an anticoagulant effect of treatment with a significant reduction in risk of DVT (P=0.001). No difference in overall or progression-free survival was found. Entry of 150 patients with limited extent SCCL and 242 patients with extensive SCCL permitted analysis of LMWH effects on survival. Post hoc analysis showed no difference in hazard ratios for mortality or in survival on Kaplan Meier analysis for SCCL patients randomized to dalteparin versus control.
Current status of anticoagulant effects on cancer outcomes
In 2011, Lebeau et al. (20) surveyed retrospectively outcomes in 239 patients with SCCL seen between 1990 and 2002 in an oncology practice setting at a single center. Of these, 55% received a form of heparin in addition to standard therapy. Outcomes were sorted for this report according to the combination chemotherapy used, age at diagnosis, sex, smoking status, extent of disease and heparin use. Overall, stage-specific survival was approximately doubled with heparin on univariate (P=0.01) and multivariate (P=0.018) analysis. In 2014, Altinbas et al. (21) reviewed retrospectively data on patients reported previously (14) including 67 patients with SCCL treated with combination chemotherapy plus dalteparin. Circumstantial evidence favoring prolonged dalteparin therapy was presented. Data from a phase II trial of combination chemotherapy plus an infusion of pro-fibrinolytic urokinase plasminogen activator in 27 patients with limited extent SCCL reported an 85% complete response rate. Urokinase infusion in 24 patients with extensive disease resulted in a 71% complete response rate (22). Median survival with urokinase treatment was 26.3 months with limited and 13.3 months with extensive disease SCCL. A randomized trial of standard therapy plus aspirin versus no aspirin showed no effect of this treatment on cancer outcomes in SCCL (23).
The concept that the coagulation mechanism may support cancer progression remains unfamiliar to many. Coagulation activation in malignancy is easily dismissed as an annoying “paraneoplastic” phenomenon of no further consequence. Earlier studies of anticoagulant effects on survival in SCCL have been faulted as “under-powered” owing to the small number of patients entered. This criticism may require reconsideration. Coagulation reactive drugs may not seem like other anti-cancer agents—primarily because they are not like others. The clotting mechanism may mediate malignant progression by multiple mechanisms (1-4) and individual drugs may have a variety of mechanisms of effect (5,15). Blood coagulation is a precariously balanced system that may be tipped toward either too much or too little (coagulation) with seemingly minimal provocation. Persistent elevation of markers of systemic coagulation activation has been shown to be strong predictors of subsequent long-term cancer risk (24). Chemotherapeutic agents induce tumor cell procoagulant activity that may negate attempts to attenuate their reactivity (25). Such effects may account for the apparently reduced efficacy of warfarin in CALGB protocol 8532 (13) compared to 8084 (11). Markers of coagulation activation predict subsequent tumor responsiveness in SCCL (26-28). Regardless of disease stage, elevated levels of fibrinogen and D-dimer before treatment and after two cycles of chemotherapy were independent predictors of unfavorable progression-free and overall survival (28). Markers of systemic thrombin activation are normally counterbalanced by a proportionate increase in markers of compensatory fibrinolysis. The ratio of markers of thrombin to fibrinolysis is disproportionately elevated with SCCL (29). The degree of thrombin relative to fibrinolytic activity predicts subsequent poor tumor response in SCCL. Patients in long-term remission had a near normal ratio.
Tumor stage may also influence outcomes with anticoagulant therapy. In 2000, von Tempelhoff et al. (30) reported long-term pelvic and breast cancer outcomes from a prospective randomized double-blind trial of LMWH (140 evaluable patients) versus UFH (147 evaluable patients) for inter-operative VTE prevention. Evaluation at 650 days showed significant long-term improvement in survival with LMWH compared to UFH (P=0.006) particularly in pelvic cancers but also in breast cancer patients with adverse markers of risk. In 1983, Kohanna et al. (31) reported a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 230 patients with resected Dukes B and C colon cancer seen at a single institution from 1973 through 1977. Of these, 180 received of pre-operative prophylactic UFH for VTE prevention continuing daily until hospital discharge and 50 demographically comparable patients received no anticoagulation. On long-term follow-up overall mortality was 54% in the control group and 35% with UFH. Life table analysis revealed a consistently lower overall mortality in the UFH-treated group throughout the follow-up period, P<0.05, although cause-specific mortality was not different.
Variability in outcomes with anticoagulants in SCCL, and particularly the negative results by Macbeth et al. (19), invite consideration of potentially contributory factors to systemic coagulation activation besides use of chemotherapy (25). Most intriguing is evidence for interactions with elevated levels of body iron that parallel markers of coagulation as indicators of cancer risk (32-35). Iron-catalyzed hydroxyl ion activates coagulation (36) and results in tumor deposition of a modified fibrin that adversely effects cancer outcomes (37) and resists physiologic thrombolysis (38). Notable effects include the ability of iron to trigger tissue procoagulant activity (39) and tumor cell urokinase expression (40). Delivery of an iron load may explain why blood transfusion has a negative impact on malignant growth (41,42). Aberrant tumor cell iron handling is central to its toxicity (43,44). Studies underway should clarify effects of iron in experimental (45-47) and human (48-50) malignancy. Little information is available on effects of iron reduction on blood coagulation.
The potential importance of anticoagulant effects in cancer, while variable, should not be discounted. The challenge may be to consider explanations for findings that may not be obvious at first glance, but nonetheless signal unprecedented opportunities for progress in cancer prevention and treatment. New peptide anticoagulants with specificity for the active serine site of factor Xa and thrombin should gain access readily to the extravascular environment of cancer (51) needed for inhibition of tumor progression (52). Clinical trials may be indicated in tumor types, such as malignant melanoma (6,7,53-56) and renal cell carcinoma (6,7,57), having tumor cell induced coagulation activation similar to that of SCCL. Transition from the dominant “search-and destroy” paradigm to less toxic and expensive translational strategies offer the prospect of improved cancer prevention and treatment and even the possibility of increased self-management (58).
Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
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- Porter JB, de Witte T, Cappellini MD, et al. New insights into transfusion-related iron toxicity: Implications for the oncologist. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2016;99:261-71. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Guo W, Zhang S, Chen Y, et al. An important role of the hepcidin-ferroportin signaling in affecting tumor growth and metastasis. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2015;47:703-15. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Chanvorachote P, Luanpitpong S. Iron induces cancer stem cells and aggressive phenotypes in human lung cancer cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2016;310:C728-39. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Moody TW, Cuttitta F. Growth factor and peptide receptors in small cell lung cancer. Life Sci 1993;52:1161-73. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Vostrejs M, Moran PL, Seligman PA. Transferrin synthesis by small cell lung cancer cells acts as an autocrine regulator of cellular proliferation. J Clin Invest 1988;82:331-9. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Lui GY, Obeidy P, Ford SJ, et al. The iron chelator, deferasirox, as a novel strategy for cancer treatment: oral activity against human lung tumor xenografts and molecular mechanism of action. Mol Pharmacol 2013;83:179-90. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Manz DH, Blanchette NL, Paul BT, et al. Iron and cancer: recent insights. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016;1368:149-61. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Zacharski LR, Chow BK, Howes PS, et al. Decreased cancer risk after iron reduction in patients with peripheral arterial disease: results from a randomized trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008;100:996-1002. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Zeidan AM, Hendrick F, Friedmann E, et al. Deferasirox therapy is associated with reduced mortality risk in a medicare population with myelodysplastic syndromes. J Comp Eff Res 2015;4:327-40. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Short NJ, Connors JM. New oral anticoagulants and the cancer patient. Oncologist 2014;19:82-93. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Rossi C, Hess S, Eckl RW, et al. Effect of MCM09, an active site-directed inhibitor of factor Xa, on B16-BL6 melanoma lung colonies in mice. J Thromb Haemost 2006;4:608-13. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Wojtukiewicz MZ, Zacharski LR, Memoli VA, et al. Malignant melanoma. Interaction with coagulation and fibrinolysis pathways in situ. Am J Clin Pathol 1990;93:516-21. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Ornstein DL, Zacharski LR. Treatment of cancer with anticoagulants: rationale in the treatment of melanoma. Int J Hematol 2001;73:157-61. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Sampsel JW, Macivor M, Barbera-Guillem E. Cure of metastatic melanoma with surgery, low-dose methotrexate and heparin: a case report. Melanoma Res 2004;14:425. [Crossref] [PubMed]
- Wojtukiewicz MZ, Kozlowski L, Ostrowska K, et al. Low molecular weight heparin treatment for malignant melanoma: a pilot clinical trial. Thromb Haemost 2003;89:405-7. [PubMed]
- Wojtukiewicz MZ, Zacharski LR, Memoli VA, et al. Fibrinogen-fibrin transformation in situ in renal cell carcinoma. Anticancer Res 1990;10:579-82. [PubMed]
- Mangan PD, editor. Dumping Iron: how to ditch this secret killer and reclaim your health. Santa Rosa, CA: Phalanx Press, 2016.

domain: medical


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Canucks and Beyond
Entries with the tag: darcy hordichuk
Vancouver, April 13, 2009— The Vancouver Canucks surprised many last week, returning to the playoffs after a one year absence, landing in sixth spot, the result of a series of big wins in the final weeks of the season.
“We knew we were in a position to decide our own fate,” said coach Alain Vigneault. “It was a matter of staying focused and getting some big performances from unexpected sources.”
The Canucks certainly got that. After the blockbuster acquisition of Mats Sundin last December, many expected the multi-millionaire late addition to single-handedly be the catalyst that would boost this team to the next level, but instead the Canucks went into a January nosedive that few expected them to pull out of.
“I’m shocked they were able to manage it,” said Scott Burnside in his report filed on the ESPN website over the weekend. “My feeling in January was that they had no chance whatsoever to make the playoffs.”
Rather unexpectedly, Matt Pettinger and Kyle Wellwood have suddenly become guys the Canucks are desperate to hang onto. From Ben Kuzma at Canucks Nation:
The Vancouver Canucks hope to augment their injury-riddled lineup with Matt Pettinger and Kyle Wellwood, should the forwards not be claimed today on recallable waivers from the Manitoba Moose.
Should an NHL club claim either forward, the Canucks would be on the hook for half of their salaries — $500,000 US for Pettinger and $498,750 US for Wellwood — but they have plenty of salary cap space. Money is not the problem for general manager Mike Gillis. Healthy bodies are.
As Kuzma notes, Pavol Demitra, Rick Rypien, and Darcy Hordichuk are all out for Tuesday’s game against Columbus. It’s like a 2007 re-run, except in this year’s edition the team is decimating its forward corps.
(Well, except for Sami Salo—but I think we all had Sami Salo penciled-in for a pulled groin this week anyway…)
The Vancouver Canucks new enforcer Darcy Hordichuk introduces his dogs to the Vancouver Sun:
“They are to protect my wife,” Hordichuk winked Wednesday after a skate at Burnaby 8-Rinks. “They’re two big killers. Twelve pounds each. We named Chandler when we lived in Chandler, Ariz., and Franklin when we lived in Franklin, Tenn. They’re loving it here in Vancouver, walking up and down the streets of Yaletown meeting all the other dogs.”
Meet the Killers:
EA Sports is putting out NHL ‘09 on September 9th, and in anticipation they’ve released their player rankings for every team’s roster. Those rankings use a pile of criteria some of which appear more subjective than those determined by straight statistics.
For the details, you can click here and scroll down to see each player’s rankings on their team page. Sort of entertaining if you use them as a predictor of how the player will perform in real life.
A brief selection of odd news that has almost nothing to do with nation of Sweden.

domain: news


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This colour way is for all the amazing crochet artist. I noticed on my stall at the market that crochet fans love chunky wool. So i thought i make this Limited Edition Colour way in CHUNKY.
Hand dyed exclusively by digglyshireyarns for Heatherlea Black Cheviot.
This set has 5x 100 g skeins in CHUNKY . Each skein has 120m.
a small crochet summer dress for a little princess maybe?

domain: artistic


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Abbott, George. (195) Damn Yankees :a new musical New York : Random House,MLA Citation
Abbott, George. Damn Yankees: A New Musical. New York : Random House, 195. Print.
These citations may not conform precisely to your selected citation style. Please use this display as a guideline and modify as needed.
Damn Yankees : a new musical /
book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop ; music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
|Main Author:||Abbott, George|
|Published:||New York : Random House, c1956|


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While speaking at the Cambridge University in the UK on Sunday, Chief justice of Pakistan, Asif Sayeed Khosa was questioned regarding the removal of Justice Isa who is currently facing charges of misconduct filed by the ruling government with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
Responding to the query, CJP said that the government does not hold the right to remove Supreme Court’s Justice Qazi Faiz Isa and that the Supreme Judicial Council is capable enough and will handle the matter fairly.
“Trust the Judges, they will ensure that justice is served in the matter” he further added. Refusing to comment on the matter any further as it was yet to be heard by the council he spoke on other issues including model courts proving to be promising towards quick justice and that the judiciary is constantly fighting vigorously to enforce proper marital laws and democracy in the country.
Justice Isa’s matter will be handled fairly by SJC says the CJP Lawyers belonging to the Pakistan bar council have decided to come together in support of Justice Isa and protest against the reference filed by the government against him on June 14th. Punjab bar council’s vice chairman while speaking on the matter said that PbBC firmly supports and believes that the reference against Justice Isa was filed with the intent to deceive.


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So you know I like trying out different ways to make a bit of cash. And here’s my latest find. Although I warn you, I can’t imagine how this particular setup will make millions for you.
Here are the basics.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding platform for creators, artists, and writers. I’m a writer now with actual books, so I qualify! Fancy that. In case you didn’t know, you can find my currently available books listed here.
Here’s my Buy Me a Coffee page.
The idea is that instead of buying that overpriced Mocha Cappuccino Caramel Frappe today, you donate $3, $4, or $5 to the creative genius of your choice via Paypal.
You can also “purchase” exclusive material for the cost of the donation. Right now I have one section of the book I am working on available here.
And that’s pretty much it. I know my current writing endeavors aren’t nearly as important as say the Guatemalan volcano survivor assistance project Genesis is doing here, but nothing ventured nothing gained right?


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Hubby and I at at Hamerly's Bistro a couple of weeks ago and we loved it. Looking for another recommendation in the South End with great food but not too stuffy. We like steak, seafood, italian and french. Willing to spend up yo $30.00 per person per entree.
What do you think of Petit Robert Bistro, Gaslight, Franklin Cafe? Any other suggestions for not to be missed restaurants would be greatly appreciated.

domain: food


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Have you ever noticed, which is the most important element that plays an important role in the inner and outer beauty completion of the house? You might be thinking right about the windows and this will provide you with the best solution to decorate them in a better way.
We all have an idea about the use of curtains for the windows of the house. No doubt, this solution is also perfect for the windows but, we all have to focus on different elements which are quite compulsory to make everything perfect in look all around the house. Fortunately, we are living in an era where we have quality solutions available which are quite effective for everyone.
The best support of the internet we cannot ignore in the whole format and it has supported everyone with best solutions always.
It was a time; people prefer to hire professionals for decorating their houses as per modern desire and need. Now, they are taking help from the internet source where everything has available in detail for you to guide you better with effective solutions and techniques. You should take help and support from the internet in this regard and you might not find this option useless by any chance.
If you want to search out the best covering option for the windows, you can check window blinds and shutters in detail. Window blinds and shutters of London are the perfect solutions that will cover your house windows in any size and you can better use them for any type of window. For instance, you cannot use curtains for bathroom and kitchen windows.
Both of these solutions can be used for these windows because they have been manufactured with quality material that has the quality to bear moisture all the way. They will not destroy easily by any chance and they will provide you immense benefits in return. All you need is to get in touch with the quality solution provider around you.
Here we will share with you the smart tips and solutions for getting in touch with professional window blinds and shutters solution providers around you. Follow these points to get to know the easy and reliable procedure.
How to Find Out Professional Blinds and Shutters Solution Providers?
At the start, we have quoted you about the most effective and efficient help and support of the internet in every field of life. This would be a great and impressive solution for everyone to take help and support from the internet if you need to get in touch with the professional and trusted blinds and shutters solution providers.
- Type your query in the search engine about the professional solution provider and you will see different options in front of you on the screen.
- Make sure to get selected multiple options at that time because it will be quite easy for you to decide which option is quite useful and better for you all the way.
- Send a request for the free quote to multiple options and they will respond to you back with their final prize offers.
- On-demand, send accurate measurements of your house windows where you are willing to install these options. They will quote you their final price and it will be on you to select or reject their offer all the way.
All these points are much easy and useful for you to get in touch with the professional window blinds and shutters sellers around you. Here we will give you the smart reasons why you prefer to install window blinds instead of installing old-fashioned curtains for the house windows. Everything will be clear in your mind about using these options.
Durable in Quality
The first and the most important thing you will see in window blinds and shutters is that both of these options are durable in quality. You can better use both of these solutions for a long time and you might not find them useless by any chance. We will recommend you to use them for your house windows and these solutions are a one-time expense and after that, you will enjoy the rest of the time.
Perfect Fitting Option
If you want to get the perfect fitting of shutters and window blinds London, you need to take help and support from professionals in this regard. They will visit your house and they will personally take the measurements of the windows. In this way, you will get the best option to get the right thing for the house windows.
Availability in Different Colors
You are free to select the color combination of window shutters and blinds as per your demand and need. Match other placed items around the window with these to enhance the real-time look by all means.
Affordable in Price
Both of these solutions for the windows are perfect all the way and you should consider them for your house as well.

domain: design


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Welcome to the Thursday Topic! This is a new, experimental feature on the WUD Music Blog where a certain highly opinionated blogger will offer their take on a music-related topic of the week and encourage others to share their views in the comments.
Lyrics have always had a rather uncertain place in music, sometimes holding great importance, as it was in the various eras of folk music revival, and other times less so, like when this guy sings. We appreciate master lyricists, but we also are content to listen to (and make hits out of) thousands of songs where the lyrics can be boiled down to “I love you babe.” Lyrics seem to be important only when we decide to pay attention to them. This selective listening results in a music landscape where Macklemore can win a Grammy for lyrical themes in “Same Love,” while Eminem can toss some anti-gay lyrics into a smash-hit single and few people notice.
So the topic for today is: do lyrics matter?
My answer is: ideally, no.
Great lyrics can unite a generation. They can strike a nerve that music, or any medium, can seldom reach. They can make something mean something.
But great lyrics are rare, and that’s good. Not every song can be “Imagine,” and not every song should be. The greatest lyrics often come with ideological baggage, and that baggage grows heavy in multitudes. Sometimes, a song should be a song. That’s why the best lyrics, in my view, are the ones that have the courtesy to step aside when you only want to hear the music. Not so profound that they demand reflection, but not so vapid that they serve as an annoying distraction.
That’s not as easy as it sounds. As a singer/songwriter (I know, I know, bear with me), I treat lyrics as nothing more than “words to sing to.” That being said, I put a lot of time into writing lyrics, writing and scrapping whole notebooks (or their online equivalents), and agonizing over every word choice. It’s a bit of a paradox, or irony or something: my lyrics matter a great deal to me because I’m trying to make them not matter; to strike that golden mean between poetry and noise. It’s easy to forget that the priority is the music, and lyrics are like the sound crew setting up for the band: they help make the show happen, but they also should know when to get the hell offstage.
Or we could just all scat sing. How about that?
Now I turn it over to you. Do lyrics matter to you? Do uninspired lyrics bother you when you listen to an otherwise-great song? Do great lyrics salvage an otherwise-uninspired song?


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My Scattered Love Affair
Published on July 7, 2014
I can NOT just work in one book alone.
Nope, I need variety.
To me, each sketchbook, each journal has a feeling–a Soul all of its own.
And sometimes I’ll see a book through to the finish, and other times we may part ways with pages still undone and empty.
Right now I got five books going at one time.
Sure, sometimes a book may sit collecting dust for awhile until I feel inspired to use it again. But eventually it finds its way back into my heart like an old friend.
So, here’s a little peek into my scattered love affair with keeping an art journal and sketchbook!
#1. My Painting The Feminine Journal
I use this amazing Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook just for Painting the Feminine. I started this practice way back in October of last year and you can see all the paintings I have in it HERE. I most especially use this book to paint under the Full Moon each month.
#2. My Regular Ol’ Art Journal
Strathmore, I love your Visual Journals–but I HATE the gawd ugly brown cover!! With that said, my regular ol’ art journal is what I use every time I sit down to FEARLESS® Paint in my art journal. In the one I have pictured above I’ve done everything in it from “My Healing Journal” series to my new “Many Shades of Grey” series that I’ll be sharing with you here at DFS real soon! I love this journal and have gone through few of them!
#3. My Mandala Book
I started this book of mandalas when I was pregnant with Phoenix. There’s even a mandala in there that I finished the day before Phoenix was born! Plus, just recently I picked her up again as you can see HERE! The book itself is just a cheap sketchbook I picked up at a World Market store one day–I liked it because of the rope it has to close it–and at one time it had a cute little tree design on it in rope too. (That fell off pretty quickly.) Anyways, I only use this book for making mandalas with pen and marker so it does the trick!
#4. My “Official” Sketchbook
Last year in 2013 I was all about my Moleskine! But this year I’m loving on the ol’ Fabriano Venezia series pretty hard!! This little Fabriano Venezia I use for my “official” sketching–meaning I use it to practice drawing stuff! HERE is a little peek into it. And HERE is another!
#5. Watercolor Journal
This last journal I use just for sketching with watercolors. It’s the Travelogue Watercolor Journal and I love it because it feels really delicious in your hands and is quite handsome as well! I’ve only used this baby a few times that you can see HERE and HERE and HERE. It’s one of those books I pull out for special occasions–kind of like Grandma’s silver or my jeans without the holes in the knees!
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Take a trip back in time and see how the South Florida subtropical coastal landscape might have looked in the 1940s! On Sunrise Boulevard, between the Intracoastal Waterway and Fort Lauderdale Beach lies Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.
The 180 acres of beachfront property was a gift from the late Hugh Taylor Birch in 1941. Taylor’s only stipulation when donating the land was that it be kept in the same natural and pristine condition. Thanks to Taylor’s stipulation, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is home to the only remaining Tropical Hardwood Hammock in Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County.
Taylor enjoyed the area so much that, at the age of 90, he had a home built on the land and aptly named the property Terramar or “land to sea.” The Mediterranean-style residence ended up being the last home the Chicago attorney had built, which he maintained until his death. Today the structure is known as the Terramar Visitor Center.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park opened to the public in 1949. Today it is a barrier island of trees and foliage in the middle of bustling Fort Lauderdale and is often compared to Central Park in New York City.
Here are just a few of the many activities you can enjoy at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park:
- Ranger-guided walks
- Full Moon Mangrove Tour
- Bicycling or skating on almost 2 miles of the paved park road
- 20 minute stroll along the nature trail
- Picnicking at a pavilion or in one of many shady locations
- Fishing from the seawall
- Canoeing along a half-mile-long freshwater lagoon
FUN FACT: Hugh Taylor Birch discovered the Fort Lauderdale area in 1893 when he was shipwrecked and brought to the Stranahan camp for 10 days to recover. A couple of years later he returned to South Florida and purchased the land for about $1 an acre. The land today is called the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and Bonnet House Museum & Gardens.

domain: geography


Rules and Regulations
The Maine Endangered Species Act (MESA, MRSA 12§12801) protects fisheries and wildlife that are listed as "endangered" or "threatened" by the state of Maine and their "Essential Wildlife Habitats."
- Deer Wintering Areas
- Inland Waterfowl/Wading bird Habitats
- Seabird Nesting Islands
- Shorebird Areas
- Significant Vernal Pools
- Tidal Waterfowl/Wading bird Habitats
Site Location Law is designed to protect habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered species and unusually important habitats.
Stormwater Rules are designed to reduce adverse impact on protected natural resources (wetlands and waterbodies); additional standards may apply if they are necessary to avoid significantly altering the habitat of an endangered or threatened animal or plant species.


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Cloud Watcher Necklace // Druzy Point with Pearl Mantel Necklace in Sterling Silver
I LOVE this bi-color druzy point! Can you see the transition from green quartz at the point to the grey tone amethyst on top?!
One of my favorite things about these "mantel" piece designs, is that the clasp stays in the back so you don't have to worry about that clasp coming around to the front!
This sweet, one-of-a-kind piece features 2 white freshwater pearls and comes on an 18'' cable chain. All stones are natural and everything else is sterling silver.
As always, if you need additional information, or a different size, don't hesitate to ask! I am happy to make the right fit!
Celebrating a 30 year anniversary? Pearl is the 30th anniversary gift!


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when worlds collide
"The Original edit sees Deekline & Wizard serve up a slice of garage infused break-beat outweighing his branded God Flesh-esque, a*se quake bass with a Virus mutilated, treble loaded, synth" [press release, via world of fiddy]
The reference to Godflesh is surprising in itself. But then to see "arsequake" resurrected, albeit with a coy asterisk and mysterious spacing. Stubbs and I still squabble over who coined that term. Not quite as surprising, though, as the season of MTV's The Real World set in London, when the supercilious blonde English chap who's in a noise-rock group (and who later french-kisses a drunk male heckler in the audience, as part of his confrontational live act, and gets his tongue almost bitten off) described his band as "progressive arsequake". I nearly fell off the sofa.

domain: entertainment


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HUBLOT | CLASSIC FUSION BLACK MAGIC A PVD-COATED CERAMIC WRISTWATCH WTIH DATE, CIRCA 2010
5,000 - 10,000 USD
bidding is closed
- CLASSIC FUSION BLACK MAGIC A PVD-COATED CERAMIC WRISTWATCH WTIH DATE, CIRCA 2010
Dial: blackCalibre: cal. HUB11 automatic, 25 jewelsCase: PVD-coated ceramicCase number: 912'800Closure: black Hublot rubber strap and PVD-coated stainless steel folding claspSize: 45 mm diameterSigned: case, dial and movementAccessories: Hublot presentation box
The All Black concept was first launched in 2006 and has remained one of Hublot's most recognizable collections. The ceramic case is entirely PVD-coated matching its black textured dial. The monochromatic and chic silhouette gives the watch a very masculine appeal.


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What led to Gina Summers a Minnesota mother hanging her five year old son before hanging herself in turn? A bitter custody battle with estranged partner.
Notice of the apparent murder suicide came after Orono police were called to Summers’ home to conduct a welfare check at the behest of the woman’s estranged partner.
It was upon arriving at the home on Bayview Place circa Monday night, 8pm, that responding police officers found the macabre scene of mother and son dead in the basement reported WCCO.
Police say the child’s father, Jeffry Sandberg, called 911 when he couldn’t reach Summers (also identified as Gina Sommers) when he was supposed to pick the boy up as part of a scheduled custody arrangement around 4pm.
An initial welfare check later that afternoon led to police saying no one answering the door.
After calling to say that Summers had yet to respond to the partner’s overtures, police returned to the home, along with a relative who lived nearby with access to house keys. It was then that a report via the Star Tribune told of Gina Summers being found dead along with her 5 year old son, Jude.
Addressing concerns that the mother and son’s deaths could have been preempted, Police Chief Correy Farniok said, ‘It wouldn’t have mattered if we would have [entered] at that 4 o’clock time or that 8 o’clock time,’
Adding, ‘[The deaths] occurred prior to that time.’
A report via the dailymail told of Sandberg and Summers never marrying, with the estranged couple becoming involved in a ‘romantic relationship’ in 2008.
The next year they discussed having a child together through in vitro fertilization. Their son was born in 2012 after several failed pregnancy attempts.
In July 2015, the couple’s relationship soured with Summers filing an order for protection against Sandberg after saying he had been physically abusing her since 2009.
Court records show Summers shared custody of the five-year-old boy with Sandberg and that she also had filed a civil case against him.
Along with a custody dispute over their son, Summers was suing her former partner to fulfill an alleged agreement to cover 50 per cent of their fertility treatment costs incurred while having their son.
Summers, who worked as a realtor for Fazendin Realty, claimed in legal documents that Sandberg refused to pay child support for nine months and that she and her son were living in poverty.
Of note, the estranged couple had both previously accused each other of harming the boy.
They filed court motions against one another over which school district Jude should attend, and on Friday, Hennepin County District Judge Edward Wahl ruled in Sandberg’s favor.
During the course of investigations at the home, police said they didn’t find a suicide note from the mother.
Summers’ employer has since released a statement saying the mother, ‘would be remembered as a happy person and loving mother.’


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In a grand way the mega star studded film ‘Rajneeti’ was promoted in Delhi at the Galaxy Hotel in Gurgaon on Saturday where Katrina Kaif along with other star cast appeared and highlighted it to be a piece inspired from India’s religious myth ‘Mahabharata’.
The entire episode of the event dominated by the magnanimous combination of Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor who were also assisted by other noted figures of the film like Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar and Ronnie Screwwala.
Highlighting it as a family drama, the director Prakash Jha divulged, "as a family drama. It is a story about a family anywhere in India. The characters have been drawn from the epic Mahabharata."
You can relate the story of ‘Rajneeti’ to any family battle you can pick from and associate with relevant factors that it deals with, Prakash adds, "The story is the same kind of familial battle, except it is set in this day and age. The film talks about every possible kind of politics - personal, social, state and national. Also, today, the word 'politics' has become derogatory, the film tries to understand that."


TEMPERAMENTAL Hollywood star Russell Crowe is notorious for throwing his weight around, but that’s just what one director wants him to do.
Crowe has revealed how he has allowed his weight to go up and down on the orders of film-maker Sir Ridley Scott to suit the roles offered to him.
So when Ridley told the box office sensation to tone up for his role as Maximus in Gladiator, he toned up.
And when he was told to pile on the pounds in his latest role as fat CIA boss Ed Hoffman in Body of Lies, he piled on the pounds.
Russell revealed it was all part of the job in the pair’s successful collaboration.
He said: “When I first talked to Rid about playing Hoffman, he said, ‘I see him as a big man, really overweight. Do you think you can go there?’
“And I thought ‘Uh oh, here we go again’.”
Russell put on an extra 22.7kg (50lbs) to play the part of the CIA handler.
He said: “You just stop doing anything that might be called exercise, like taking a car instead of walking.
“Forget the gym, no swimming, cycling, nothing. That, and don’t worry too much about a healthy diet.
“I happen to believe it’s part of the job, and it’s better for an audience. If you play an overweight CIA guy, then you should be overweight.”
The pair frequently work together and have grown into friends as well as work colleagues.
Russell said he was in no hurry to get his weight back down.
But there will have to be yet another shift in his weight, this time downwards, for his next Ridley Scott film.
Filming for Nottingham starts in February when Russell plays dual roles as Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Russell said: “You know what, if Rid asks me to do something I’m there, no matter what the pain.
“It’s worth it. He’s one of the greatest filmmakers in the world.”
Ridley, who was born in South Shields, South Tyneside, cut his teeth on adverts before moving to Hollywood where he was responsible for hits such as Alien.


Jul 11, 2013 9:16 AM by AP
GRETNA, La. (AP) - A woman accused of igniting a deadly bakery fire in Gretna last month is facing murder charges after authorities said she torched her business in a scheme to collect insurance proceeds.
Authorities say 41-year-old Lesly Martinez, owner of Lesly's Bakery, was severely burned in a gasoline-fueled explosion that fatally injured her friend, 40-year-old Afi Marta Alvarado-Lopez.
Alvarado-Lopez received burns to 70 percent of her body and died several days after the June 21 fire.
Brant Thompson, deputy chief of the state Fire Marshal's Office, says Martinez is expected to recover and be taken into custody upon her release from the Baton Rouge General Medical Center burn unit.
He says Martinez faces counts of second-degree murder and aggravated arson.
It was unclear whether Martinez has an attorney.


It’s not an easy task for a newcomers to identify any of the Redmi Note 11 series and its variants. Xiaomi has gone beyond its own records to make this lineup confusing. Last year, the company introduced the lineup in China, and now it has introduced a completely different batch of devices in global markets. There are a dozen of smartphones, and we can cite examples such as Redmi Note 11, Note 11S, Note 11 Pro 5G, Note 11T 5G and etc.
Apparently, things will become even more confusing as the company does not seem to be ready with the lineup. As per a new report, Xiaomi is preparing the terrain for a new Redmi Note 11S 5G variant. The information comes from Xiaomiui as they’ve unearthed an entry in the IMEI database.
What gave it away is the model number K16B, which is quite similar to the K16A belonging to the Poco M4 Pro 5G and the Redmi Note 11 5G (for China). After all, the Poco M4 Pro 5G is a re-badge Note 11 5G for the global market.
Currently, the only 5G-capable Redmi Note 11 is the Note 11 Pro 5G so releasing a more affordable version for the global market makes sense. We suspect that since the upcoming Note 11S 5G shares the same platform with the devices mentioned above, the chipset will likely be the Dimensity 810 5G.
We probably won’t need to be guessing much longer, given that the Redmi Note 11S 5G has entered the IMEI database and it’s pretty close to release.
- The Most Beautiful Flagship Smartphone Blackview A95 Launches with Breakthroughs on Design and Photography at $139.99 Limited Early Bird Offer
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It is always important to work in a safe environment and part of a safe environment is being able to breathe clean air and for the temperature to be controlled. However, many of us are working in poorly ventilated offices and factories up and down the UK every day and it is taking its toll on our health. Having the right ventilation in place is necessary and employers should be taking steps to make sure that their employees can breathe and that they are not taking days off work as a result.
There are a number of companies that provide the right ductwork in London and it contributes to a safer working environment. Here are some of the benefits of a well-ventilated home or place of business in the United Kingdom.
- The right duct and ventilation system controls the amount of impurities in the air. Many people think that it is the air outside that is the problem. Frequently, the air inside is worse and we suffer as a consequence.
- Condensation is to be avoided in the home and at your place of work. Condensation leads to dampness which leads to mould. This causes breathing problems and allergies flare up as well.
- Good ventilation reduces temperature and a hot and stuffy workplace can lead to a drop in production. With the right ducts in place, warm air can be removed from the workspace.
With the right ventilation in place, your staff stay healthier and happier and this results in less days off. Less down time is the key for success for any business.


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TEEN Mom fans have mocked Chelsea Houska's husband Cole DeBoer's new YouTube channel for "sounding like porn."
The channel, which has been titled Doin' It With Cole, launched on Wednesday and will feature Cole "doin' some DIY Projects, some goofin', lovin life."
But the name has been ruthlessly mocked by fans, who claimed that it makes them "uncomfortable."
"Might want to rethink that title, Cole," one commented, with another adding: "Not a huge fan of the title.
"Sounds like porn," one fan succinctly wrote, as one bluntly claimed that "this family is HORRIBLE at naming s**t."
Cole has uploaded four videos so far, with the first one him revealing he "had some news."
"I am going to create my own little series here," he shared admitting it would be a mix of workout videos and home DIY projects.
Another video saw him building fencing on their South Dakota farm "for our goats, sheep, pig, and whatever else we end up adding to the mix!"
However, one fan remained optimistic, commenting: "I bet they'll be successful if they can commit to consistently posting videos.
"People love family blog s**t and they already have a social media following. They're already used to self filming now and would have 100% control over what gets posted."
Revealing the birth, Chelsea told her fans: "Walker June. 6lbs 1oz. She decided she wanted to share a birthday with her big brother, Watson and surprised us by coming last night."
Cole shared the same photos and wrote: "Blessed with another little Angel! Our sweet baby girl. Walker June DeBoer. Stole my heart immediately! I love you @chelseahouska."
In December the reality TV star revealed her fourth baby was due in February but she refused to reveal the name they had chosen due to her “sensitivity” of backlash.
Most read in Celebrity
In 2020 the reality star received hate from fans over her homewear aesthetic and the dream farmhouse she has been building with Cole.
Chelsea was forced to clap back and share that her new home "isn't for everybody" while encouraging her followers "not [to] worry about other opinions."
Responding to one fan, she wrote: "The whole point is that it sure isn't going to be for everybody, but it is for US. I encourage people to make bold decisions they love and not worry about other opinions."

domain: celebrity


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Steps for growing your seeded paper.
- Once the wax has gone, clean your Three Suns ceramic vessel.
- Break up your seeded paper and immerse it in a plate filled with a small amount of water for about 15mins.
- Place the wet seeded paper directly onto wet soil, covering it with a thin wall of soil.
- Ensure proper sunlight and moisture, take good care of it & it will flourish in 2-3 weeks.
- Flowering time can vary according to the temperature and humidity
- Fill your ceramic container with soil, plant the seeded label paper and grow some beautiful flowers or herbs!

domain: agronomy


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Boy's mom told police her son was molested
A Monticello man molested a local boy on two occasions, police said.
Monticello police said the mother of the 9-year-old boy reported that Mark Clark, 40, had molested him.
On Sunday, police charged Clark with first-degree sexual abuse, a felony.
Clark was arraigned and sent to Sullivan County Jail, where he was being held without bail pending an appearance in Village Court.

domain: law


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Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank and the servicer of roughly one in five American
The move is also likely to encourage other giant lenders, like
“We announced a temporary suspension of evictions and foreclosure sales in the 23 judicial states several weeks ago so we could commence the appropriate review,” said Gina Proia, a spokeswoman for GMAC. “As cases are being reviewed and, when needed, remediated, the foreclosure process moves forward as appropriate.”Continue reading the main story
Guy Cecala of Inside Mortgage Finance, an industry publication, said: “This draws a line in the sand that the banks expect this problem will be over in relatively short order and it will be back to business as usual. If Bank of America can do it, certainly the smaller ones will follow suit.”
Bank of America plans to begin filing new paperwork for 102,000 foreclosures by Monday.
Consumer advocates and lawyers for homeowners expressed skepticism that Bank of America could complete a review of the paperwork so quickly. But the banking industry has come under increasing pressure from investors to resolve the problem.
Investors have fled bank
Reports of improper procedures at mortgage servicers, like having officials sign thousands of documents a month — so-called robo-signers — also have set off a political furor. On Wednesday, all 50 state attorneys general announced an investigation of mortgage servicing.
Bank of America said it would resume foreclosures in the 23 states where judicial approval was required after an internal review turned up no evidence that cases were filed in error.
However, Bank of America’s suspension will remain in effect in the 27 other states that do not require a judge’s approval to foreclose, as the bank’s paperwork review proceeds state by state. It was the only bank to initiate a nationwide freeze.
“We did a thorough review of the process, and we found the facts underlying the decision to foreclose have been accurate,” said Barbara J. Desoer, president of Bank of America Home
In the other 27 states, Ms. Desoer said, she expects foreclosures to resume within weeks.
Bank of America was careful to note that the major holders of mortgages —
About 30 percent are owned by institutional investors, like hedge funds, pension funds and
“We voluntarily paused our process in the 23 judicial states, not because there was evidence of problems — there was not — but because we wanted to ensure our customers they are being treated fairly,” said Dan Frahm, a bank spokesman.
Even as Bank of America and GMAC signaled their resumption of foreclosures, a
In Bank of America’s case, the foreclosures are resuming in the 23 states where judicial procedure is required because the halt was initiated there first, on Oct. 1. It was extended to the other 27 states on Oct. 8.
From the beginning, Bank of America signaled that it did not expect the review to go on for an extended period. On Oct. 8, its chief executive,
“We haven’t found any problems with the foreclosure process, and what we’re saying is that we’ll go back and check our work one more time,” he said at the time. “We expect to be done in a few weeks’ time.”
Still, it is far from certain that banks will be able to calm the public controversy easily or quickly. Besides the robo-signers, lawyers for homeowners have found evidence that documents were lost or even thrown out. Armed with this information, lawyers are gearing up for protracted court battles.
Peter Ticktin, a lawyer in Deerfield Beach, Fla., questioned how Bank of America could validate the paperwork in its foreclosure cases so quickly, particularly for those loans that were repackaged as mortgage-backed securities.
“This wasn’t just a simple little mistake of forgetting to dot the ‘i,’ ” Mr. Ticktin said. “There was a whole system put in place to make false affidavits. How are they going to erect a new system to do 102,000 affidavits unless they are going to use the same old law firms to make a second generation of bad affidavits?”
Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, also expressed skepticism that Bank of America could clean up its problems with foreclosures so quickly.
“These are lawyers. These are banks going to court and committing fraud,” he said. “For them to say this is a minor technical problem is mind-boggling.”
It was good news for real estate agents, who had watched sales grind to a halt since major banks halted foreclosures late last month and in early October.
Kevin Corasio, a Realtor in
Nicholas Bogos, a
“I don’t see how they could have cleaned up, straightened up the back-office messes,” he said. “I have utmost confidence that it’s a snafu.”Continue reading the main story

domain: finance


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“A Legacy of Spies”: John le Carré’s latest, maybe last, venture
The old masters, John and George, puzzle their watchers
A Legacy of Spies. By John le Carré. Penguin Viking. 264 pages. $28 and £20.
SO GEORGE SMILEY is back at last. That, at any rate, is the marketing come-on for John le Carré’s 24th novel, two decades after the wily old spymaster is generally reckoned to have crept into well-deserved if mysterious retirement. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the defeat of Smiley’s relentless adversary, Karla, Mr le Carré has been exploring other juicy themes, including the arms trade, Islamic jihad, the war on terror, the wickedness of pharmaceutical and mining companies in Africa and skulduggery in Latin America.
The moral ambiguities in the conduct of the cold war and the blurry nature of treachery—the leitmotifs of his earlier novels—have given way to a bristling anger, even rage, over what Mr le Carré sees as the turpitude of the West, especially of America, in a horrid new world order where Smiley has no place. The quizzical mole-catcher and agent-runner, played unforgettably by Alec Guinness in 1979 (pictured), would surely no longer feature in the author’s new cast of characters.
But not quite. In “A Legacy of Spies” the reader is taken back to one of Mr le Carré’s earliest novels of espionage, “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”, in which Alec Leamas, a heroic agent, and his lover, Liz Gold, an idealistic British communist, are murdered as they try to escape westward over the wall after a botched mission into East Berlin. Half a century on, in this new age of litigation which the author plainly deplores, the hapless pair’s hitherto unheralded children have somehow clubbed together to take the British intelligence service to court, demanding an apology, compensation, justice, revenge. Smiley was in charge of that operation. Will he now be hauled back to face the charge of sacrificing innocent people for a supposedly higher cause? Is Smiley, mentioned cryptically like a will-o’-the-wisp as the narrative unfolds, even alive? And if so, will he get his just deserts, whatever they may be?
The protagonist of “A Legacy of Spies” is Peter Guillam, trustiest of Smiley’s operators in the field, who has long since retired to a farm in Brittany. Guillam is called up by his old bosses in London and their lawyers to help them cover their backs. Presumably they want him to take the rap, as the bitter descendants of his fallen colleagues, egged on by a parliamentary committee, demand explanations and vengeance for the sins of the intelligence service committed for a cause that the new generation can barely remember, let alone understand or sanctify.
Flashbacks from Guillam’s memory and documents culled from the dusty archives help to replay the events leading to the deaths of Leamas and Gold. More harrowing still, Guillam is forced to recount the exfiltration of a beautiful East German agent who was forced to leave behind her six-year-old son. Guillam and she had had a brief but passionate affair (which he refuses to disclose to the secret service’s lawyers) before she was found hanged in the wood near a supposed safe house in the English countryside during her debriefing.
The narrative is spasmodically gripping, with Mr le Carré at his old best in full flow. His ear for dialogue is as acute as ever. His wit and humour (qualities of his that are too seldom recognised) are as sharp. No one is better at conveying the wrinkles of British class distinction in speech and manner. The cross-questioning of Guillam by the modern spy service’s supremely ghastly lawyers is hilarious and horrifying. If the tale of double-cross and subterfuge is occasionally confusing and implausible, that is the nature of the beast.
Yet one queries the purpose of this latest yarn. The moral ambiguity can never be better told than in Mr le Carré’s earliest novels. And what of Smiley? Has he truly come in from the cold war? Has he achieved some kind of fulfilment? Of course not. Guillam needs the old man’s succour and support to clear his name. He tracks Smiley down to a library in Freiburg, where the elderly spy seems to be delving into some abstruse historical puzzle, maybe pertaining to the Holy Roman Empire. Reflecting Mr le Carré’s own preferences, he is culturally comfiest in Germany.
Smiley in old age, like Mr le Carré, is angry. Over dinner with Guillam, he asks plaintively what the long game of espionage was all for. “Was it all in the great name of capitalism? God forbid. Christendom? God forbid again…Was it all for England, then? There was a time, of course there was. But whose England? Which England? England all alone, a citizen of nowhere?” he says, in a mocking swipe at a recent phrase of Britain’s current prime minister. “I’m a European, Peter,” says Smiley. “If I had a mission—if I was ever aware of one beyond our business with the enemy, it was to Europe. If I was heartless, I was heartless for Europe.”
But is this really Mr le Carré’s last word, voiced through his fictional alter ego? Perhaps. The author, after all, is 86 next month. Only a year ago he wrote his own beguiling memoir, “The Pigeon Tunnel”, a companion piece—in some respects a riposte—to Adam Sisman’s magisterial biography. If this is truly the denouement of the mystery of George Smiley and indirectly of Mr le Carré himself, there is something odd about it. It does not have the feel of closure.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline "George Smiley returns. Really?"
Culture September 9th 2017
- “A Legacy of Spies”: John le Carré’s latest, maybe last, venture
- The future of Sino-Japanese relations
- Technology and the quest for sporting records
- Why companies don’t want you to take their brand names in vain
- A former England cricket captain explores the question of “form”
- A Joycean novel about illness, suffering and work
From the September 9th 2017 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
Rachel Carson’s book of 1962 helped kickstart the environmental movement in America
A new documentary shows how the ersatz towns—and the tactics honed in them—have endured
Journalists and authors have shaped his reputation as the greatest male tennis player

domain: library


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Today I managed to snap a few pictures for the blog though, so I'll leave my work thoughts on the back burner for a few minutes while I focus on the farm. So, what's been going on around here?
A couple of weeks ago, I hatched a batch of mixed silkie eggs that I bought on eggbid.com. I had an excellent hatch rate and now I have 11 little fluffballs with a surrogate mother. I used an incubator to hatch the eggs, but as soon as they were dry, I gave them to my silkie, Rosebud. She's always had off-and-on wry neck problems, which I treat with vitamin E and selenium. Sometimes it improves for a while as a result, but it never seems entirely fixed. She eats and drinks well, but she often curls her head down and walks backwards as a result. She's a dear little hen so it doesn't matter, but she is inside for now because it's been so cold out and I worry about her not getting into the coop for the night. Anyway, any chick that is given to her is immediately adopted without question, and snuggled gently under her wings. It doesn't matter that she didn't hatch them, she loves them all the same. Here is Rosebud with a few of her current brood poking their heads out!
Then, there's the chicken coop. The indoors one. We finished up and....they don't want to use it. I don't get it. I mean, the temperature in there is higher, there are nice roosts, there is an automatic feeder.... So where do they go? They go into the barn rafters. Here, there and everywhere. I can't get them down from there, so I scoop up the stragglers who are at lower elevations and pop them in the coop. Sigh.
Thanks Mom, we're finished with that tree now! Can we have another one?
Here's the spot on her back that the fleece is shedding.

domain: pet


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Less than half of the country is providing sufficient sex education to young people attending public schools. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, as of March 1, 2016, there are only 24 states that require their public schools to provide sex education to their students. Of those 24, only 21 are required to teach a combination of sexual health education and HIV education.
It’s unfortunate looking at these numbers and realizing that students in over half of our country are not being provided with an adequate education when it comes to sex.
What’s even more upsetting is that only 13 states require that the instruction be medically accurate.
Sex education has been the topic of many heated debates over content, age-appropriateness and even the right of public schools to educate students about sex at all.
Unfortunately, not all students have a living situation in which they can have discussions surrounding sexual health. This leaves them to do their own research – which can lead to extreme misinformation if they don’t know where to look.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the age demographic of 15-24 year olds account for over half of the new cases involving sexually transmitted diseases.
Generally, the debate surrounding sex education includes whether it should be taught at the grade and middle school levels, and what should be taught. But once we are past our high school years and into the college years, for some reason, the importance of learning about sex seems to diminish at arguably the most important time.
The “hook-up culture” of college is enough reason for us to continue sexual education in college. Most of today’s young adults report some casual sexual experience. According to the American Psychological Association, the most recent data suggests that between 60 percent and 80 percent of North American college students have had some sort of hook-up experience.
The APA also reports that nearly half of college students engaging in hook-ups were not concerned about contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
We aren’t going to sit here and tell you all that sex is bad, or that hook-ups are bad. To each his/her own, you do you. We just want you all to be safe while doing it.
Education about contraceptives, STDs, and sexual anatomy is absolutely needed.
Without proper sex education, students are left at a loss when it comes to fully understanding the scope of sex.
Sex is natural, whether some people want to admit it or not. Sexual activity of any kind, however, does have its consequences, and it’s very important that students–and non-students–understand these consequences in order to prevent them from happening.


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The Aurora AwardsFebruary 5th, 2013 |
Have you heard of the Auroras? The Aurora Awards, sponsored by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, recognizes the best in Canadian SF&F literature, art, and fan works of the previous year. Kinda like the Hugo Awards (which you probably have heard of), but specializing in us folks up north.
If you’re like me, you don’t typically choose your novels based on the author’s nationality, so you may not be sure which, if any, SF&F authors you read may in fact be Canadian. Probably more than you think! Wikipedia has a list.
The categories include Best Novel, Best YA Novel, Best Short Fiction, Best Graphic Novel, Best Related Work, Best Artist, and several Fan-related categories. You can find a list of eligible works (not a complete list, but it’s a great place to start) for stuff published in 2012 maintained at the CanSpec Fic List. You may notice that Galaxion appears in the Graphic Novel category, which encompasses online comics.
What I think is most interesting is the hardest choice for me, this year, will be in the YA Novel category, rather than the straight-up Novel. Possible choices for nomination include Cory Doctorow’s Pirate Cinema, Leah Bobet’s Above, Adrienne Kress’s Friday Society, and– oooh– Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina. (Actually, I think the separation between adult novels and young adult novels may be new for 2012.) Isn’t it amazing how many great books are being published for the youth market now! I suspect this is a publisher thing—in decades past, many of these would have just been marketed as adult fiction, but with the success of such series as Harry Potter and Hunger Games, which draw as many grown-up readers as they do kids, publishers are ready to push this section of the bookstore. Well, I’ve never been ashamed to admit I read YA books.
For a yearly membership fee of $10 to join CSFFA, any Canadian citizen or permanent resident can nominate and vote on the Auroras. For an award representing such a large country (in square metres, anyway) the number of ballots cast is actually pretty small. So in this case, every vote really can make a big difference!
The nomination period lasts from January 1st through April 15th, and the voting begins in early May. The 2013 awards will be presented in October in Ottawa at Can-Con. So if you’re Canadian, please consider showing your support for the great science fiction and fantasy creators in our country!

domain: hobby


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The United States has been dubbed the land of opportunities. For this reason, many people seek to move there in search of better livelihoods. The US has a complex immigration law, which was established to stipulate who are allowed to move into the country, and how long they are allowed to live and work in the US. The immigration law similarly dictates the deportation process of individuals who enter and live in the country illegally.
Immigration to the US is often based on several factors. These include the reunification of family members, the admission of skilled immigrants who might benefit the country’s economy, the protection of refugees fleeing from war torn countries, and the promotion of national diversity. Understanding these provisions can help one to establish how America’s legal immigration system works.
The unification of families is one of the most significant principles that govern the US immigration law. In this regard, the law allows LPR’s and US citizens to bring specific family members into the country. Family based immigrants may either be admitted as immediate relatives of American citizens or via the family preference systems. Those who are allowed into the US via this system include spouses of American citizens, unmarried children of US citizens who are under 21 years old, and parents of American citizens.
The United States allows immigrants who have valuable skills to work in the country on temporary or permanent basis. Temporary employment visas allow foreign nationals to work in the country for limited periods. Their ability to change jobs is equally limited. On the other hand, permanent employment-based immigration visas allow immigrants and their eligible spouses and unmarried children to enter the country.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
The US immigration law is dedicated to protecting refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable persons. Refugees can be allowed to enter the US if it is proven that they face persecution by returning to their home countries. The number of refugees who can be admitted into the US every year is determined by the President and the Congress, which places an admission ceiling.
The Diversity Visa Program
This visa program was created in 1990 and targets countries that have low immigration rates into the US. Each year, 55,000 visas are randomly allocated to citizens from nations with less than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the last five years. To be eligible for this program, one must have attained high school education or its equivalence.

domain: sociology


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Angoon Seaplane Base is a state-owned public-use seaplane base located one nautical mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Angoon, a city on Admiralty Island in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Scheduled airline service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
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Bumpier Plane Flights Predicted as Global Warming Disrupts High-Altitude Air Currents
Passengers should get used to buckling up more on commercial flights in the coming years, because flying may get a lot bumpier.
A new study says that as a result of global warming, air currents at altitudes used by commercial airliners will become less stable, causing more turbulence.
“Our research suggests that we’ll be seeing the ‘fasten seatbelts’ sign turned on more often in the decades ahead,” study co-author Paul Williams of the University of Reading’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science in southeastern England told Agence France-Presse in an email.
Williams and his colleagues studied the North Atlantic jet stream, one of the world’s busiest air corridors, that sees an average of 600 flights a day between Europe and the United States.
They determined that if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles within 40 years, turbulence could become 10%-40% more forceful at altitudes used by jetliners.
“Turbulence strong enough to make walking difficult and to dislodge unsecured objects is likely to become twice as common in transatlantic airspace by the middle of this century,” Williams added.
The study states that aircrafts currently spend about 1% of their flight time weathering strong turbulence, resulting in damaged planes, injuries to hundreds of passengers each year, and $150 million in annual costs to the airline industry.
To Learn More:
Climate Change Predicted to Cause More In-Flight Turbulence for Passengers (by Agence France-Presse)
Climate Change Will Lead to Bumpier Flights, Say Scientists (by Damian Carrington, The Guardian)
Intensification of Winter Transatlantic Aviation Turbulence in Response to Climate Change (by Paul D. Williams and Manoj M. Joshi, Nature Climate Change) (abstract only)
2012 U.S. Heat Record Said to be Due to Climate Change (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Climate Change Deniers Grasping at Clouds (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Insurers Prepare for Climate Change…Except in U.S. (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
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Singer / Songwriter / Musician
After his first-ever tour, and a clutch of well-received singles, Los Angeles-based, San Francisco-born pop singer-songwriter, and producer Francisco Martin realized he had an all-consuming yearning to be his authentic self in his music. To that end, he worked feverishly in his apartment at all hours of the night while facing complaints from the neighbors. He now emerges with his first true artistic statement, the 6-song EP, Manic, a bold collection of emotionally-raw pop-rock.
Francisco first shot to fame with American Idol season 18 in 2020 where he placed Top 5. From there, he quickly released a few singles before embarking on a fall coast-to-coast tour. To date, Francisco has released several hit singles, including “Swollen,” which has amassed close to 8 million streams across all DSPS (6 million on Spotify).
Manic was made during a three-month pause after Francisco was thrust in the public eye. It was created by Francisco and his co-producer/good friend Nick Sarpa in Francisco’s apartment studio setup. The release bursts with dynamic musicality such as stately balladry, cathartic, grungy aggression, catchy EDM, and moments of soulful serenity. Throughout the EP, Francisco bravely shares personal reflections on mental health, relationships, angst, and human disconnection in the age of connection.
Great talk with Francisco Martin on Dystopia Tonight about his new album, life, American Idol, music, social media, art, traveling, friendship, finding yourself, dealing with anxiety, being true to who you are, his career, collaborations, dealing with th...


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Last October marked the release of a new volume in The Cambridge Edition of the Letters of Ernest Hemingway. Spanning three years in the writer's early twenties, the letters in the volume track events including his first bullfight, the birth of his son Jack and the publication of his first collection of stories and poems. In The New York Review of Books, Edward Mendelson reads through the new volume. This might also be a good time to read our own Michael Bourne on A Farewell to Arms.
"Tarzan know, Tarzan know: 'Mood? Me want to write like Warren Buffett. Mood — that for house DJ or Al Green.'" Here is Tarzan's Guide to Elliptical Style For Effective Business Writing from the good people over at McSweeney's.