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Animated musical a spectacle of light and sound
Tae Andrews | Sunday, April 1, 2007
This emperor penguin marches to his own tune. “Happy Feet” follows the story of Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), a tap-happy tike in a tuxedo suit. After his father Memphis (Hugh Jackman) drops him as an egg, Mumble emerges from his shell as a bouncing baby penguin with a snazzy spring to his step.
Bitten by the jitterbug at birth, Mumble can dance circles around the other baby penguins. Unfortunately for Mumble, all that fancy footwork is of no use as he searches to find his own Heartsong to express himself and vie for the affections of the lovely Gloria (Brittany Murphy). Not only can young Mumble not carry a tune – his voice sounds like the noise of a dying giraffe. His off-key crooning makes it hard for Mumble to harmonize with the rest of the Emperor penguin clan. As a result, Mumble strikes out on his own in order to make his voice heard.
Basically, “Happy Feet” is a jazzed-up version of “March of the Penguins,” or maybe “March of the Penguins: The Musical.” The film’s many musical numbers combine a modern flair with a showtime sentiment. If you listen carefully, you can catch snippets of songs both old and new from a slew different genres. All the jumping, jiving and wailing of the tuxedo-clad penguins milling around brings to mind the chaotic choreography of a Broadway musical.
The vocal cast of “Happy Feet” is just awesome. Old pro Robin Williams is hilarious in his three narrator roles. He’s also hilarious as Ramon, the leader of a pack of smaller (and apparently Mexican) tail-chasing penguins who befriend young Mumble. He also excels as Lovelace, a wisened penguin guru who doubles as a minister of soul and a penguin pimp, replete with his own brothel of lovely flippered ladies.
Hugh Jackman stars as Memphis, Mumble’s somewhat-less-than proud papa. Much like Donner, the reindeer father of Rudolph, Memphis is ashamed of his son’s unique talents and wants him to blend into the status quo. Delivering his lines with an Elvis drawl, Jackman is perfect at adding flavor to his character.
It should also be mentioned that Brittany Murphy scintillates as Gloria, Mumble’s love interest. At times sexy and sweet, Murphy brings a lot to the role and showcases some genuine pipes during the film’s frequent and endearing musical numbers.
“Happy Feet” has elements of Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth,” only wrapped up in an adorable bunch of baby penguin fur. The message? Stop polluting and warming the globe so you don’t destroy the habitat for these cuddly little creatures. Oh, and do remember to cut the plastic linings of six-packs so you don’t choke any harmless penguins.
Like the best animated films, “Happy Feet” has something for everyone. As fun family fare, the film pairs kid gags with jokes designed to sail clear over the heads of the children in the audience and land squarely on the adults’ sense of humor, such as a series of thinly veiled mating references.
If you haven’t seen “Happy Feet” yet, know this: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In fact, the film’s popularity spawned a popular YouTube video of “Happy Feet,” in which the penguins boogey down and “walk it out” to the bumping beats of DJ Unk’s hip-hop beat by the same name.
Splendidly rendered, the animation of “Happy Feet” is nothing short of breathtaking as the camera leaps, zooms and soars over the gorgeous CGI landscape of Antarctica. The musical numbers and medleys are also some of the best animated pieces done in a while.
“Happy Feet” is a spectacle of light, sound and, most importantly, story. With great characters, comedy and a whole lot of penguins, the movie is a resounding hit. That’s no small feat.


A series of grants is helping the Door County Parks and Facilities Department pay off property purchased to expand the Door Bluff Headlands Park Natural Area. The county recently received a $50,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant for the expansion. The nearly 73-acres adjoining Door Bluff Headlands Park were purchased for $450,000. Parks and Facilities Superintendent Ben Nelson says the grant monies will go to cover short term financing from Door County.
In all, five grants will be used to repay that short term loan. On August 20th, the Parks and Facilities Department will receive a $100,000 grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. The final grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund is expected by years end.


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Current trends and future perspectives of space neuroscience towards preparation for interplanetary missions
Correspondence Address: Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.259124
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
Keywords: Cognition, countermeasure, interplanetary missions, microgravity, space neuroscience
Space neuroscience investigates the physiology of the central nervous system (CNS) in weightlessness and analogue environments. Information processing is a function of the human body interacting with its physical environment. Earth gravity has formulated cerebral functions related with motion, posture and navigation through a two-dimensional representation. However, weightlessness encountered within the International Space Station (ISS) and during space flights forces the brain to evolve in a three-dimensional (3D) environment. Reference points, due to specific gravitational constraints, do not exist anymore. The latter implies differences in posture and sensorimotor coordination. Weightlessness is combined with living within an extreme—both isolated and confined—environment. Crew members should maintain an optimal status of cognitive functioning for performing complex mental tasks with circadian rhythm alterations. These factors may induce stress, sleep disorders and fatigue—which contribute to detrimental effects on cognitive and mental well-being with the risk of jeopardizing inter-crew relationships. Space neuroscience primarily aims at 1) providing a better understanding of how reduced gravity affects brain functions, and 2) exploring countermeasures to ameliorate the detrimental effects of weightlessness to promote the success of space exploration missions.
Ground stations can communicate with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites only when the satellite is in their visibility region. Contact communication time could take 5-15 minutes with an average frequency of 6-8 times a day. A full orbit (24 hours earth time) takes 90-110 minutes. Every satellite carries special instruments and the satellite coverage area is defined as a region of the Earth, where the satellite is seen at a minimum predefined elevation angle. Reduced time delay in communication makes scientific applications and communications networking easier.
In LEO, space crews are exposed to high ionizing radiation levels that can lead to severe cellular damage or even late-occurring cancer. To reduce radiation exposure of astronauts, the composition of radiation fields and particle directions needs to be understood.
Evolving on Earth has made humans perfectly adapted to its gravity and atmospheric conditions. Leaving the Earth results in degradation of a number of human systems. Long duration stays on the International Space Station (ISS) are accompanied by significant effects on crew's cardiovascular, vestibular and musculoskeletal systems. Bone loss and muscle atrophy occur at 1-3% and 5% per month, respectively. Oxygen consumption is reduced by about 25% after a few weeks in space.
Interplanetary missions raise health issues. These are due to long-term exposure to microgravity, and prolonged stay of unpredictable duration on board a spacecraft without direct contact with Earth. Living in a team with a risk of psychological incompatibility and the impossibility of urgent return to Earth add to the issue. A highly-trained medical person within the crew, diagnostic tools and equipment, psychophysiological support, countermeasures, and provisions for urgent, including surgical, treatment on board are necessary.
Manned planetary missions took place between 1969 and 1972, during the Apollo program when 12 astronauts walked on the moon surface. During the initial Apollo-11 lunar landing mission, the crew remained in the one-sixth G environment of the moon for less than one day, and conducted a single excursion of less than 3 hours, during which they ventured only about 50m from the Lunar Module. Scientific experiments carried out on the Apollo missions provided important information about the moon as well as the solar system. NASA and its international partners are currently focusing on extending the human presence beyond earth orbit in support of human exploration and scientific discovery.
When arriving on Mars, considerable biomechanical alterations may occur. Optimum walking speed may be 30% lower. Peak vertical forces may be reduced by 50%, while stride length, stride time and airborne time may increase. On Mars, half as much energy will be required to travel the equivalent distance on Earth and it will be 65% more economical to run than to walk.
A round-trip Mars journey would require nearly 3 years away from Earth. On a Mars trip, most of the time will be spent on a third of Earth's gravity environment, and either intermittent or continuous artificial gravity should be provided for the transit between planets.
Research in the microgravity setting is indispensable to disclose the impact of gravity on biological processes and organisms. At the same time, research in the near-Earth orbit is severely constrained by the limited number of flight opportunities. The term “microgravity” is frequently used as a synonym for “weightlessness” and “zero-G,” which indicates that the G-forces are not actually zero but just “very small”. “True” weightlessness can only be achieved in space.
Ground-based simulators of microgravity are valuable tools for preparing space flight experiments. They also facilitate stand-alone studies and cost-efficient platforms for gravitational research. The main reasons why ground-based analogues are of great importance are as follows:
Space flight analogues as used for human research create a situation that produces physiological and behavioural effects on the human body similar to those experienced in spaceflight. The analogue selection should take into consideration either the current ISS operations (Low Earth Orbit) or the future explorations (Moon, Mars).
The notion of space analogues is not new. NASA has used such sites for a long time.
Facilities are located in remote locations with extreme environments. Travel to these destinations can be difficult with little or no opportunity for emergency evacuation once the crew arrive. The goal of these missions is typically field research such as geological, environmental, or marine science. Human research is an adjunct to these missions. Therefore, crew responses to isolation and stress are studied.
In principle, organisms of all evolutionary levels can be used with ground based facilities: sessile organisms like plants or moving/swimming ones (e.g., small animals, protists, or bacteria) and cell cultures. Earth-based analogues to simulate the effects of the space flight environment include the following:
A rat model has been developed to simulate on earth some aspects of weightlessness alterations experienced in space, i.e., unloading and fluid shifts. Comparison of data collected from space flight and from the head-down rat suspension model suggests that this model system reproduces many of the physiological alterations induced by space flight. The effects of weightlessness on micromechanical properties of bone tissue were investigated using rat tail suspension. Data from various versions of the rat model are virtually identical for the same parameters; thus, modifications of the model for acute, chronic, or metabolic studies do not alter the results as long as the critical components of the model are maintained, i.e., a cephalad shift of fluids and/or unloading of the rear limbs.,
Understanding how space flight affects the human brain is essential to future space exploration. Several studies have reported anatomical and biochemical alterations, deterioration of the astronauts' performance and mental health, as well as disturbances in cortical activity and sleep. Important factors contributing to impairments in alertness and performance during space missions, include sleep disturbances and alterations of circadian rhythms, as one night of sleep deprivation could deteriorate motivation, concentration, and increase cortisol levels.
In space and bed rest simulations, there are a number of factors that may influence circadian rhythms and sleep. These include microgravity (gravitational force of 10−4-10−6 G (Newton), light flashes (light-dark cycles of approximately 90 minutes), light exposure (two-thirds of the time), low light intensity (below the threshold of efficiently entraining the human circadian clock), motion sickness, emotional stress, a high work load, an abnormal work/rest schedule, noise, thermal discomfort, muscle pain and confinement.
Polysomnographic recordings and subjective assessment of sleep quality demonstrated a shorter duration of sleep by 27% of the subjects  with inconstant structural changes occurring due to intra-sleep wakefulness,, more awakenings and decrease in slow wave sleep (SWS), rapid eye movement (REM) sleep by 50% and REM latency, during the flight. Specifically for the N2 sleep in extreme environments, the global networks characteristics and connectivity are impaired. The N2 sleep is referring to the deep sleep stage and is presenting with sleep spindles (frequency range of waves from the electroencephalography signal: 12-14 Hz) and K-complexes (frequency range: 0.5-1.5 Hz). Simultaneous orbital sleep disturbances, with the estimated circadian phase being outside the sleep episode 19% of the time, lead to depression, anxiety, personality changes, and intra-crew conflicts. Returning to earth, sleep latency and REM latency are very short and REM is amplified, particularly during the first sleep recording after landing, although insomnia was reported. Space missions of a short duration demonstrated short sleep patterns and SWS, while the latter increased on long-term missions, with the proportion of REM being within normal intervals.
Reduction in cognitive function is most likely to occur one week before the launch or just prior to leaving space. Deteriorations in performance were often monitored in the transition phases of missions, suggesting a possible impact of stress. A further reduction in flight and a slow recovery after flight were related to circadian and REM sleep disturbances, including decreased response time, increased error, impaired working memory and perception. Use of the emotional Stroop task (presentation of mission-related emotionally loaded stimuli) and the Stroop colour-word task (presentation of emotionally loaded stimuli related to personal concerns) found reductions in executive control of cognitive functions, conflict, clique formation, self- or group-imposed isolation. Supportively, under a simulated long-duration spaceflight environment (SLSE) with rats, their axodendrite and cortical synapses were significantly reduced in number, and the cross-sectional synaptic length and the density of the apoptotic cells were significantly larger.
In humans, diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) that measures white matter components has demonstrated spaceflight-associated increase in periventricular white matter hyper-intensities, responsible for impairment in cognitive and motor performance, declines in balance, locomotion, and manual control, as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) redistribution following global and local gray matter tissue shifts. Other displays of neuroimaging include an increased somatosensory cortex volume, decreases in frontal and temporal gray matter volumes, an upward displacement of the brain within the skull and ventricular volume expansion. Thalamic gray matter volume appeared significantly reduced, with consecutive decrease in visual alertness.
Electroencephalography (EEG) combined with low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) demonstrated an increased cortical activity in the Brodmann area 6 and premotor cortex, a decreased activity in the temporal and occipital cortex utilizing the 2000-2350 ms manoeuvre, and an increase in the Brodmann area 9 of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , after the onset of weightlessness in a parabolic flight. Neural processing in microgravity improved, with reference to the reaction time in answering. Observations on cognitive performance in selected individuals in these environments should not be generalised.
Sensorimotor performance of astronauts appears to worsen during space missions, suggesting disrupted structural connectivity in multiple tracts, expressed as a variety of disorders. A major risk for manned flight is VIIP-Syndrome (visual impairment/intracranial pressure syndrome) due to hypoxic exposure, microgravity and reduced atmospheric pressure. This aggravates the symptoms of hypoxia leading to vision impairment, edema of the visual nerve papilla and increased intracranial pressure. Disruption of the blood brain barrier, upward repositioning of the optic nerves and globe flattening, affect the brain and other neuronal tissues such as the retina and larger nerves such as the optic nerve., Additionally, spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome is a concern that has affected about one-third of long-duration astronauts. This presents a unilateral or bilateral optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal and retinal folds, hyperopic refractive error shifts, and nerve fiber layer infarcts.
More abnormalities include top-down modulation of visual processing, problematic sound localization in binaural hearing and tracking of unpredictable targets. This destruction of the endogenous attentional system implicates sleep deprivation. Processes requiring prefrontal multimodal integration of sensory inputs, such as the visuomotor control and higher-order visuospatial processing, coordination of body posture and body spatial representation with respect to the environment, may be at risk. Sensorimotor areas are activated by non-consciously processed stimuli. The latter integrates interoceptive and exteroceptive signals and is implicated in temporal processing.
A countermeasure is the action that we take to prevent all the changes of the human body induced by the loss of gravity (e.g., fluid loss, loss of muscle tissue, loss of bone mass) when entering the microgravity environment, in order to keep the body healthy with the least of deteriorations.
The main countermeasure types are 1) lower body negative pressure (LBNP), 2) exercise, 3) artificial gravity, and 4) loading suits.
Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) is regarded as a cardiovascular countermeasure, which employs a vacuum tube. It is isolated to the hips and pulls body fluids down to the legs. However, it is extremely uncomfortable.
Exercise countermeasures focus on attenuation of bone and/or muscle loss and at preserving optimal cardiovascular and brain function. They employ resistance or aerobic training. Though successful in maintaining the cardiovascular stability, the results in the musculoskeletal and central nervous system are still not satisfactory.
Artificial gravity, as implemented through human centrifuges, creates a gravitational gradient, which provides loading on the musculoskeletal system at the foot level. This countermeasure may be implemented as a) a short-arm radius, b) centrifugation of a part of the space vehicle, and c) whole vehicle centrifugation, which (i) is the most realistic from an engineering point of view, (ii) is implemented as a rotating module of the spacecraft and thus its negative effect on the vestibular system is minimized, and (iii) implies spinning of the entire vehicle, which involves many unresolved technical issues and a huge energy requirement.
Loading suits are characterized by their low cost and mass. They apply a compressive loading down the body. The “Penguin” allows 70% axial loading during aerobic (treadmill) training and 40 kg loading during walking when combined with specially designed shoes. It results in lower bone mineral density loss at the lumbar vertebrae during space missions. It was also validated in a bed-rest study through a 10 Kg loading for 10 hours and was effective in preserving the size of the soleus muscle. Despite its effectiveness, it is uncomfortable and thermally unviable when worn for the recommended 8 hours. It does not efficiently replicate gravity or provide appropriate body loading. The Gravity Loading Countermeasure Skinsuit (GLCS) utilizes a specialized and tailored material strain for creating gravitational loading, which is not constant at every joint but cumulative.
Although space medicine has studied the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems during the spaceflights and simulated microgravity, there is limited knowledge regarding the physiology of the central nervous system in space. It is mainly focused on quantifying the neuro-vestibular, posture, visual and spatial orientation disorders. However, the neural substrates of these changes, in terms of functional and/or structural connectivity, are largely unknown. These need to be investigated towards the preparation of inter-planetary space missions [Figure 1]a.
Recent advances facilitated the use of electroencephalographic (EEG) data acquisition for providing an unobtrusive and good temporal resolution window of brain functioning [Figure 1]b. Reconstruction of cortical activity overcomes the spatial EEG limitations enabling quantification of the cortical activity during the task performance or resting-state. The latter enables estimation of the cortical functional connectivity during drowsiness and sleep and estimation of neuroplasticity to adapt to novel environments [Figure 1]c (e.g., microgravity).
To sum up, the aforementioned modern neuroscientific tools may boost a better understanding of the microgravity-related disorders and facilitate an evaluation of the countermeasure efficacy. Specifically, the exact quantification of the countermeasure impact on the functional connectivity of cortical resting-state networks would result in development of novel countermeasures (e.g., artificial gravity equipped with aerobic and/or resistance training) for facilitating implementation of long-term interplanetary (e.g., Mars) missions.
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domain: health


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I've had a pair for the last two years and so far really love them. I got them with winter camping in mind, but also use them for dog walking.
Pros: as mentioned above they are very warm and comfortable, but also very rather light weight. I feel like I am wearing a pair of slippers out into the cold. I also have a pair of lacrosse iceman pac boots that are warm, but super clunky to walk in. Have not used them since I got my Stegers. If the outers get wet, they do dry fairly easily if near a heat source. They are not waterproof, but can be made water resistant. Last January in the BW I was crossing a swampy area and punched through (and got out quickly) with each foot up to my knee, but got no water inside.
Cons: I'd be cautious about crossing a slushy lake where they would be in water for a long time, and I have been very careful to avoid oily spots in the garage or road given the warning Mocha provided on a past post. I'd also say the traction is not great given the crepe bottom, at least compared to a rigid bottom sole.
I really can't say much about durability yet, but have noticed some strain where one lace is attached. I'm not sure why Marsonite's could not be fixed though - seems like just stitching an inch of moose hide onto the back, but that's just my guess.
Like most gear nothing is perfect for all situations, but I've been very happy with my Stegers so far.

domain: hobby


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There is something about financial challenges and hard times that give folks the desire to become extra self-reliant. It’s recently been evident in every earlier financial downturn.
Even during the World Wars developments like Victory Gardens popped up all over the USA. The basic needs of food, clothing and housing became the priority once again. Our nations current economical crisis has its own Americans going back their focus to these basic needs. An expanding tendency these days is the backyard chicken flock in Laona Wisconsin.
Why is raising poultry helpful? The causes are endless but I’ll list 5 monetary reasons why.
Chickens are affordable.
In the event you are going to farm an animal to supply for you family, hens are among the cheapest. Small chickens usually cost around $2 to $3 each. Next initial cost, the ongoing cost of hen feed and wood bits are also very affordable.
Chickens need very little space.
A lot breeds of chickens need only a couple of square foot of space per chicken to be happy. Small chicken flocks have become more popular even in urban houses as a result of the ease of raising poultry in a tiny space.
Chickens need very little of your energy.
Once your birds are settled in, you need only spend a few mins a day caring for them. I check on my flock twice per day. Each morning before work and at night right before bed, I simply refill the feeders and waterers. The shavings need to be changed once every 1 to three months with regards to the size of your chickens. Do it on a nice day or on the weekend when you have around twenty minutes to put aside.
Chickens make you breakfast.
Consider the satisfaction of understanding that your family will not go famished or lack the health protein that they need so long as you have your own egg production in your yard. After tasting or cooking with fresh eggs you’ll think why you didn’t opt to raise chickens sooner. A lot of chicken breeds will produce upwards of 300 eggs or maybe more per year. Just three chickens will provide you with almost 1000 eggs in a year.
Chickens provide pest control and fertilizer.
While your hens are consuming harmful grubs and menacing mosquitoes, they will also fertilize your lawn and garden. Some might not exactly think this part of raising chickens is fascinating until they observe how helpful it will be. It is possible to get odorless composting in your garden. Fragment the birds’ manure and shavings as well as grass clippings and household veggie scraps. Then use the compost to richen your lawn or patio garden. Raising poultry will help you raise more healthy vegetables for your family.

domain: agronomy


Infrastructure Public Finance 101
You’ll learn about:
- Financial avenues available to cities to pay for critical projects.
- Which public finance instruments are helping cities become more sustainable
- How decisions made in the phases of project planning can impact the avenues and options available projects financing.
- The important strategic linkages between planning and finance, underscoring why it is important for planners to understand basic public finance concepts.
- How public finance is being leveraged to support capital project administration.
To keep pace with the projected growth of urbanization, cities in both the developed and developing world need to invest $3.3 trillion in economic infrastructure annually through 2030, based on a recent McKinsey report. Without a thorough understanding of the full range of public finance instruments used to fund infrastructure, officials and professionals may also lack a true understanding of how planning and financial decisions impact the costs of capital over time. Greater coordination and understanding between the planning and finance arms of local government leads to more fiscally sustainable land use decisions. Gain a “view of the battlefield.” Examine the tools for planning and paying for projects, laying a foundation, building capacities, and establishing a base of knowledge.
Obtain an overview of the scope and magnitude of infrastructure challenges facing cities. Panelists, representing expertise from various disciplines of public finance, will engage in a moderated discussion that elicits an overview of various financing vehicles used by municipalities to pay for capital projects, including: municipal securities; public private partnerships; and other public finance instruments. Next, panelists discuss the challenges municipalities face when leveraging public finance instruments. Topics include, but are not limited to: creditworthiness; presenting “bankable” projects to investors; managing project and deal-based risks to ensure the success over time; and others. See examples of actual projects illustrating these principles. Emerge with a foundation of public finance “basics”, and understand the proper context of the myriad of financing instruments that are available. View the strategic points of intersection between the planning and the public finance function. An introductory session.
, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Confirmed SpeakerLourdes German is Director of International & Institute-Wide Initiatives at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy where she advances the Institute’s global municipal fiscal health campaign and its work as a co-lead organization for the municipal finance policy unit of the United Nations Habitat III effort. An expert in municipal finance, Lourdes began her career as a public finance attorney representing government entities. Following that work, Lourdes co-created the national municipal finance business division at Fidelity Investments, as Vice President of Municipal Finance, and opened and managed Fidelity’s first New York office for public finance. Following Fidelity, Lourdes’ professional experiences included serving as General Counsel and Vice President of a national municipal investment management company; creating and teaching a graduate government finance course at Northeastern University and advising non-profits focused on urban economic growth. Lourdes is also the founder and director of the Civic Innovation Project, an online thought leadership platform that was awarded the 2015 State of Boston Innovation Award for its impact using technology to advance city-to-city learning with respect to the most challenging issues facing governments. Outside of work, Lourdes serves as Governor Baker’s appointed Chair of the Massachusetts State Finance and Governance Board, is an appointee of the Mayor of Boston to the committee focused on the City’s audit and finance
, FirstSouthwest/Hilltop Securities
Confirmed SpeakerSusan serves as lead financial advisor to the City of Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, the Massachusetts School Building Authority and the University of Massachusetts Building Authority. She has participated in over $3 billion in financings since joining FirstSouthwest in 2012. Most recently, Susan served as financial advisor to the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts for its successful $2 million minibond offering, which offered bonds directly to Cambridge residents.
, New York
Confirmed SpeakerGerrard P. Bushell, Ph.D., was appointed President & CEO of DASNY (Dormitory Authority) by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to lead one of the nation’s largest issuers of tax exempt bonds and builders of public infrastructure. He is responsible for executing Governor Cuomo’s aggressive agenda to finance and rebuild infrastructure for state and local governments, universities, hospitals, libraries and not for profit institutions that anchor communities and make New York competitive. Under Dr. Bushell’s leadership, DASNY has been cited as one of the nation’s top issuers of municipal bonds in each of the past two years. Building value added partnerships is central to Dr. Bushell’s core commitment to delivering high quality services to DASNY’s public and private clients across New York State. DASNY is one of the largest purchasers of professional services in banking, legal services, and construction management. Dr. Bushell has made it an institutional priority to put clients first. He has overhauled DASNY’s financing guidelines and policy to speed clients to the market, and provide them with greater certainty and flexibility. The achievement is growing DASNY’s $48.7 billion bond portfolio, and its investment portfolio of $4.5 billion. A similar effort by Dr. Bushell to broaden DASNY’s capacity to to fulfill its construction clients needs is underway. He is building upon DASNY’s almost $6 billion project pipeline by sourcing alternative delivery methods such as public-private partnerships and design-build. With an operational budget of more than $100 million, and a team of 500 construction and public finance professionals, Dr. Bushell has restructured DASNY’s businesses into a simpler and more efficient allocator of capital and construction services. Dr. Bushell comes to DASNY as an accomplished investment advisor in money management who has counseled some of the nation’s leading institutional investors on their private and public investment strategies. He was a Senior Relationship Advisor in BNY Mellon's alternative investment management businesses. Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Gerrard held a number of Senior Advisory roles; they include: Director in the Client and Partner Group at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), Managing Director in Business Development at Arden Asset Management, and the Head of Institutional Sales at the Legg Mason affiliate, ClearBridge Advisors. Before his work in the private sector, Dr. Bushell also served as a Senior Executive in New York State Government. He was a key advisor to the former New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall, a sole trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and a leading institutional investor. At New York State, he worked on investment strategies, debt issuance, local government financings, and government relations. A graduate of Columbia University in both the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Bushell received a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Sciences.


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Potential benefits of Tamarind
Tamarind is a spice that is mostly used in flavoring. It is used in limited quantities because of the tangy flavor. In this blog “Top health stories about Tamarind,” we will know more about tamarind and its potential benefits. Tamarind pulp also has many benefits and is used for metal polish.
Tamarind improved digestion and is a natural laxative.
It also lowers bad cholesterol and combines bile salts.
The tartaric acid present in Tamarind has anti-oxidant properties. It has the ability to fight cancers.
Tamarind is great for health and overall body. Although it should be consumed in a limited way.
The tangy pulp is great for juices, chutneys, and glazes.
Tamarind is a great appetizer and increases libido. It is also good for menstrual cramps relaxation.
Filled with rich nutrients and essential compounds it also aids the liver and works as a good detox.
It has 0% fat, therefore, aids in weight loss. It also helps in easy digestion.
Healthy Tamarind and Date chutney
- Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera)
- ginger powder (dry)
- Black Salt
Take a pressure cooker and add Dates, tamarind, water. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles.
Blend the tamarind mixture and date mixture to form a coarse mix.
Place the pressure cooker back on the heat and add the chili powder, cumin powder, dry ginger powder, black salt and salt to taste. Add little water to the powder for proper consistency and simmer for 3 mins.
Turn off the stove and cool the Date and Tamarind Chutney.
Store in an airtight jar. You can use this as a spread or in idlys and dosas.
For more updates on immunity follow Agrovatika.

domain: food


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Home » All Services » Medical Services
If your pet needs medical assistance, you can feel confident turning to us. Our knowledgeable staff and modern facilities are equipped to handle a wide variety of medical conditions, including emergencies. Because we can perform many diagnostic procedures in-house, we can often give you immediate answers and start treating your pet faster. In some cases, your pet may require hospitalization and further diagnostic tests. Please take a look at the more detailed descriptions of medical services we offer, or call us to discuss your pet’s needs.
We love to see happy, healthy pets. But when your furry friend is not feeling well, we offer a variety of in-house diagnostics with results the same day. We can run…

domain: pet


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By Paola Totaro
If any further signs are needed that Saturday's poll will go down to the wire, a visit to the Australian High Commission in London should prove it.
The footpath outside Australia House on The Strand has been a hive of party activity for a week and yesterday, British Labour sent a special envoy in an 11th-hour plea for expat votes.
The acting Opposition Leader, Harriet Harman, issued a special message to the estimated 200,000 Australian in Britain who are eligible to vote, urging them to do so and ''give the women of Australia and the world a reason to put a spring in their step''.
''Australians form a fantastic part of UK life,'' she said. ''We are seeing now what the Conservatives are doing to risk the recovery. Vote and make sure this does not occur in Australia.''
The Australian election has sparked few headlines in London, but yesterday all the major papers covered the ''Welsh-born Aussie PM's'' comments that despite ''great affection'' for the Queen, she believes the nation should move towards a republic when there is a change of monarch.
Only 6000 Australians have cast their votes in London despite a queue yesterday that snaked down to Melbourne Place from Australia House. Last year's census found 120,000 Australians living in Britain but the true figure, including travellers, backpackers and students, are said to be much higher. London is the biggest ''electorate'' and 20,000 are expected to vote at Australia House.
The major parties have been wooing Australians, targeting their needs and handling gripes, although Julia Gillard posters outnumbered Tony Abbott's by three to one. Historically, the British vote has closely mirrored results in key marginal seats.
The Greens and Bob Brown have focused on harnessing disappointment over the failure to deliver a carbon emissions scheme and Australia's standing internationally as well as the anti-war vote.
Ms Gillard has acknowledged that many people ''feel frustrated and angry'' on climate change but concentrated on delivery of the national broadband network, and the increasing use of the internet phone service Skype by expats to talk to loved ones.
''Some of you based in the UK will know first-hand how frustrating it is when you're on Skype to your family and friends back home in Australia and the connection drops out or freezes mid-conversation,'' she told the website Australian Times.
Mr Abbott, a Rhodes scholar, sent a more generalist message, describing expats as ''Australia's greatest overseas asset. You sustain the great reputation our country and its people have around the world.''

domain: news


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See your colors on these designs right now!
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domain: artistic


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I am sick of reading news stories like this Time to sort these JW pedos out ?
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Sudbury: Jehovah’s Witness jailed for “catalogue” of sexual offences
By Jane Hunt Friday, January 27, 2012
A JEHOVAH’S Witness has been jailed for three and a half years for “a catalogue” of sexual offences on two schoolgirls more than 15 years ago.
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Sentencing 40-year-old Paul Wood, formerly of Sudbury, Judge David Goodin said that not surprisingly the impact of the offences on his two victims was still affecting them.
During a trial last year Ipswich Crown Court heard that Wood had indecently touched the girls’ breasts while play-fighting with them.
One of the victims also claimed that further incidents had taken place in Wood’s car when he had got her to touch him indecently over his clothing and had touched her over her clothing
The same victim also claimed that Wood had touched her intimately on one occasion under her clothing and said he had bought her underwear he wanted her to wear.
The court heard that Wood had asked the other victim to put on his wife’s underwear after saying she no longer wore it.
The victims made allegations to the police after hearing in 2009 that Wood was taking up a role with Jehovah’s Witnesses in another part of the country that would have brought him into contact with young women.
The court heard that in 2000 the victims told Jehovah’s Witness elders in west Suffolk about what Wood had allegedly done to them but it was left to the girls to decide if they wanted to go to the police.
Andrew Thompson, prosecuting, said that as the girls did not want to go to the police nothing was done then.
Wood, who now lives in Derbyshire, was found guilty by majority verdicts of 10-2 of nine offences of indecent assault on two schoolgirls when they were aged between eight and 15. He was found not guilty of raping a third alleged victim, aged 17.
Wood denied a total of 17 offences of indecent assault, three offences of rape and one of attempted rape.
After returning guilty verdicts on the nine offences of indecent assault and a not-guilty verdict on one rape charge, the jury was discharged from returning verdicts on the remaining charges.
At yesterday’s sentencing hearing Mr Thompson offered no evidence on those charges and Judge Goodin directed not-guilty verdicts should be entered on the court record.
Wood was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order restricting his future contact with children under 18.
Steven Dyble, for Wood,
said his client had not had any previous convictions for sexual offences and had not committed any further offences in the last 14 years.
He said Wood was aged between 20 and 26 at the time of the offences and claimed he had been wrongly convicted


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Charities that received a VAT rebate from HMRC via JustGiving earlier this month may have to repay some of it.
More than 9,000 charities received a payment after HMRC conceded that transaction fees on JustGiving should not be subject to VAT, but charities may have already recovered some of this through annual VAT returns, according to Andrew Norman, VAT manager at Buzzacott.
Norman told civilsociety.co.uk that the proportion of the rebate charities had to pay would “depend on how much if any they had recovered from their VAT”, but added that “I would not expect any charity to have recovered the full amount”.
He said the adjustment should be made “through a correction on the charity’s next VAT return” and that it is something that charities should be aware of for when they are next “visited by Customs for a VAT inspection”.
JustGiving confirmed that some charities would be affected and directed civilsociety.co.uk to HMRC’s public notice which outlines how to report an error.
If the amount is less than £10,000 charities should "include the value of that adjustment on your current VAT return". If the amount is more than £10,000 then organisations need to fill out form VAT 652. Click here for the full notice from HMRC.
Charities not received rebate
Norman added that he was “aware of a couple” of charities who had not received a rebate from JustGivng.
JustGiving said that all charities should have received payment on 13 June. Charities that are still members should have had the rebate paid directly to their accounts and those that are not were sent a cheque.
A spokeswoman said: “If for any reason a charity believes they may be eligible and has not had any communication from us by 30th June 2012, they should email us on [email protected] so we can investigate.”
Charities eligible for a rebate are those that raised money using the platform between 1 September 2004 and 31 December 2010. HMRC agreed that VAT should not be charged on transaction fees for donations in December 2010 and JustGiving stopped charging it in January 2011.

domain: economics


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Nowadays, more and more people lead a healthy lifestyle and monitor their nutrition. As a result, the consumption of gluten is decreasing while the demand for gluten-free products is increasing. All You Need To Know About Gluten Free Italian Bread Crumbs Nowadays, more and more people lead a healthy lifestyle and monitor their nutrition. As … Continue reading “All You Need To Know About Gluten Free Italian Bread Crumbs”
This recipe is delicious. As with all copycat recipes, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close. I think that it would be interesting to try to use real tomatoes instead of tomato paste (all I seem to ever have is tomato paste) and see if it gets closer. Until then, this bread is will definitely satisfy your cravings for Panera or Paradise Bakery.
Focaccia is delicious. It’s an Italian bread that’s great for sandwiches and paninis or for dips and spreads. It’s also a really variable bread. You can add almost anything to focaccia and it will still taste amazing.
I love breakfast hashes. I actually love pretty much anything containing potatoes, but breakfast hashes are especially my favorite. I used to buy bags of frozen Potato O’Brien and make them as a special Saturday morning treat for myself.
Sometimes you really need a tomato sauce and you don’t have one. Maybe you made calzones or mozzarella sticks. It’s tempting to just pick some up at the store but if you want to save some money or if you just don’t want to go to the store, it’s easy to make a tasty tomato sauce at home.
Everyone needs a good tomato sauce recipe. This red wine tomato sauce one is my favorite since it can be used for anything from pastas to dips and even on pizza. I think pizza is probably my favorite application of tomato sauce….and cheese…and bread.


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GRANITE CITY, Ill. (KMOX) – The investigation continues at the scene where two police officers opened fire on a suspect, killing him early this morning in Granite City.
Investigators are trying to determine why the 45-year-old St. Charles man called police to a Casey’s General Store at 4:12 this morning, when the store was closed.
Illinois State Police Master Sergeant Mark Doiron says when two Granite City officers approached his vehicle, the man pointed a gun at them from behind his car.
“They gave him several verbal commands to drop the firearm, he did not, fearing for their life, they discharged their service weapons, striking the individual several times,” Doiron says.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene. His name is not being released yet.
It’s not known if he fired any shots at the officers.
Doiron says the weapons will be taken to the lab for processing.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
MORE CRIME NEWS:
- Woman Dead, Man Critically Hurt After St. Louis Shootings
- Ferguson Police Search for U.S. Bank Robbery Suspect
- Local Democrat Wants Fewer Convenience Stores
- Authorities: Girl, 2, Dead After Man Used ‘Wrestling Moves’
- Manchester Bombing Raises Questions of Security in St. Louis
- St. Louis-Area Convenience Stores Raided


Auxiliary equipment mainly includes tre doubling and unpacking machine, steel wire pulling machine, waste tire shredder, plastic crusher, tire sidewall cutter, Auto-feeder. These devices can be used to pretreat raw materials or to speed up pyrolysis projects. They are usually small in size, but very practical... View All
Tyre doubling and unpacking machine
This small tyre doubling and unpacking machine is used to double or undouble waste tyres(unpack tyres). It is powered by compressed air mainly so there is no risk of electrocution. Due to its small dimensions and weight it is ideal for moving from one place to the other.
Steel wire pulling machine
Steel wire pulling machine is also called steel wire drawing machine which is used for pulling out the steel wire from waste tires automatically.
Waste tire shredder
Waste tire shredder is another kind of tire cutting machine, but the biggest advantage of it is that it can directly process the whole tires or big tire blocks into small pieces (usually 3 - 5cm sizes) for rubber powder processing line.
The plastic crusher is more similar to a tire shredder and can be used to crush plastic. It has the characteristics of easy operation, low power consumption, durability and low noise.
Tire sidewall cutter
Tire sidewall cutter is used to separate the tire side from the whole tire. Now the steel wire from tire sides of vacuum tires is thick and hard to curve, so before feeding the waste tires into reactor, it is better to cut the tire sides down. This part of tire has good value, and circle cutting machine can help collect these thick steel wires.
Auto-feeder is an accessory equipment of pyrolysis plant and used to put the waste tires or waste plastics into pyrolysis reactor. Auto-feeder can save time and labor during processing.


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MIT scientists have devised a way to study three-dimensional organization of cell clusters, using electricity to move cells into a specific position. The new technique also allows investigators to organize cells into predefined arrangements, and as such, the method might have future applications for bio-tissue engineering.
“We have shown that the behavior of cartilage cells is affected significantly when they are organized in 3-D,” as is the behavior of other types of cells like stem cells, said MIT Associate Professor Sangeeta Bhatia of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), one author of a paper on the technique due to appear in the May issue of Nature Methods.
“This raises questions about how cells might sense their organization in 3-D and how important this might be in other tissues,” said Dirk Albrecht, a postdoctoral associate in Bhatia’s lab and lead author of the paper. “We now have a method to answer some of these questions in the lab.”
Scientists have until now studied cells in 3-D by placing them randomly into a gel. The cells clump together into “cell spheroids,” but that is a slow process, and the size and shape of the cell clumps vary significantly. In addition, cells that communicate by direct contact can end up too far apart.
The new technique allows for precise control of cell organization, and takes minutes to perform compared to hours or days for the other method.
Albrecht and his colleagues have been using a micropatterning technique to carefully position the cells within about 10 microns of each other. That’s nearly the diameter of a cell and about one-fifth the diameter of a human hair. The technique uses a device made with photolithography, the same process used to create circuit patterns on electronic microchips.
In the paper, the MIT researchers said they have formed more than 20,000 cell clusters with precise sizes and shapes within a single gel. They have since scaled that up several-fold. They also have created layers of different cells, attempting to mimic the structure of tissue inside the body.
MIT’s picture caption: Cells are organized differently in normal and diseased cartilage (left). Now these changes can be made and studied in the lab. Here, 3-D cell clusters are precisely re-created in a tissuelike gel (right). The same cells in a conventional 2-D Petri dish look and behave much differently (inset).
The press release…

domain: medical


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Jealousy does not typically become associated with cats, but cats do have an emotion center in their brains. If you have observed a cat for some time, you may see behaviors exhibited that do appear to be jealousy. So, do cats get jealous? The short answer is “yes, it is possible.”
Though a cat’s jealousy stems from different stimuli than it might in humans, he still experiences a strong, complex emotion. Consider it a behavior response in the cat, stemming in large part from his being very territorial and trying to cement his social status in your home.
Why Do Cats Get Jealous?
If kitty feels he’s been excluded because you give more time and attention to an object, person, or another pet, he can become jealous. Perhaps this time used to be spent with him, and he feels the lack. Also, if kitty has a past history of deprivation or abandonment, it could cause him to feel jealous.
If you have added a new pet or family member, such as a newborn baby, these could cause kitty to feel deprived of attention that should rightfully belong to him. He may become jealous. He could also react to something as simple as your cell phone, if he feels it’s taking time from him.
Some cats never learned the proper behavior for a pet, because they didn’t become socialized as a kitten. They should learn it from their mother, but that does not always happen. One reference pointed out that a good shelter has the cats interacting with other cats and people every day.
You may not give the cat sufficient time to bond because your job or school takes so many hours. Figure out a way to set aside some one-on-one time with kitty.
Changing the daily routine, including kitty’s feeding schedule, can cause behavioral issues such as jealousy. A cat wants that routine to stay the same every day.
Also, kitty needs to have personal space plus his own toys or supplies. If a cat feels he has lost any of these to another pet, he may feel threatened.
What Are Signs Of Jealousy In The Cat?
There are a number of signs that your cat may be jealous. Look at this list:
- Aggressive behavior: It’s quite common for a cat to have such a reaction if he’s being introduced to something he does not like. Teeth and claws can come into play if his negative feelings are too intense.
- “Forgetting” to use the litter box: Kitty tries to establish that she is in charge with this behavior. She might use just a territorial spray or she may leave “offerings” outside the box.
- Giving you more attention than usual: Kitty gives much more attention to you than usual, as she is hoping you will reward her with extra time spent with her.
- Getting between you and the unwanted item: Perhaps kitty gets between you and your phone, or your book, or sits on your keyboard when you try to work at the computer. At least you know what the cat wants: You, and only you.
- Growling, hissing, or swatting an object or another pet: A little anger on the part of the cat comes into play here. If the anger gets out of hand, the cat may become involved in an escalated altercation. Time for a “time out.”
- Aggressive actions toward strangers: A cat does not care for the unfamiliar, and may feel that this new person will not add to her happiness. Aggressive actions may ensue.
Are There Different Types Of Cat Jealousy?
Yes, there are. Ask a cat specialist, and you will learn that kitty’s jealousy often gets defined as different types of aggression. Here are three types of aggression that could stem from jealousy:
Status-Induced aggression: This one comes up because of anxiety in the cat, because the cat cannot tell if the person actually poses a threat. The cat’s aggression represents his attempt at remaining in control of his environment.
Signs of this type of jealousy include blocking access to furniture or doorways, eyeing a person aggressively, rubbing or spraying on everything touched by a certain person, asking for attention, but biting or scratching when it’s given, or reacting aggressively when someone tries to move them.
Inter-cat aggression: Though usually seen between two male cats, sometimes it can be cats of any gender. It occurs because one cat becomes jealous of the other. This type of aggression is often hormone-related, and can be stopped by spaying or neutering the cat.
Territorial aggression: Any person or animal that invades a cat’s territory, can end up hissed at or even attacked. This action could involve another cat, a new baby, or a stranger.
How To Stop Jealous Cat Behavior
First of all, determine what triggers the behavior. Once you’ve accomplished that, you can then address the problem. Do you have a new housemate, or bring home a new baby or pet? Are you occupied with something new? Has a favorite spot for kitty been disturbed?
Perhaps you need to spend more time with your cat. This method proves the best way to decrease jealous behavior in your cat. Play with him; cuddle together; give treats; in general, give kitty your undivided attention.
Perhaps the new person or animal has taken away an area that your cat thought of as “his.” If such is the case, create a new space that the cat can call his own. Move feeding dishes, favorite toys, and perhaps add a new high perch.
Help your cat to accept the change. Use treats, praise, attention, and petting when the cat comes near the object or person causing the reaction. Get your cat involved. For example, hold the new baby while petting your cat. Feed your jealous cat first, establishing priority and rank in the household.
Techniques For Dealing With A Jealous Cat
- If a cat jumps on your lap and displays aggressive behavior, stand up and let the cat fall off.
- If a cat blocks your way aggressively, walk away, ignoring the cat, until he loses interest.
- Keep a distraction on hand to defuse the situation.
- Avoid situations that can cause aggression.
- Don’t give the cat any catnip.
- Try cat anxiety medication
- If two cats act aggressively towards each other, separate them, then slowly reintroduce them.
- Use treats to reinforce good behavior
- Ask your vet, if you need additional advice
It’s hoped that this information will prove helpful if you have a jealous cat. The problem can be overcome, usually by giving extrahttp://felineliving.net/do-cats-get-jealous/ attention and love. Reassure your cat that he still has an important place in your life. With care, you can solve his problem and reaffirm your love of him.


Part Number: BM0029
eFireplaceStore Item Number: FSD-BM0029
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Imperial accessories and venting pipes are known for their quality and strength. This tee cap is another great Imperial product. The tee cap is made out of 24 gauge steel and would match perfectly with other Imperial pipes. There is 18 inch clearance to combustibles. Sizes available include 6 inch and 8 inch. The tee cap will deduct 1 1/2 inches from the installed length. The Imperial tee cap features a one year manufacturer's warranty.
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BERKELEY, MO – Police are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and 2 others injured.
The shooting happened at 8360 Airport Road in Berkeley Missouri around 11:30 am. St. Louis County Police say officers from the Berkeley Police Department were called to the scene for a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they were unable to find victims or suspects.
A short time later officers were dispatched to an accident in the 6300 block of Jefferson Avenue were a vehicle had struck a parked car. Upon investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had been involved in a shooting.
The vehicle had 3 occupants, 1 person was transported to the hospital with injuries from the accident, a second person suffered gunshot wounds to the lower body and one person was declared dead at the scene. It’s unknown if person died from injuries related to the accident or shooting.
Police tell Fox 2 that it appears the vehicle was involved in a shooting with another vehicle on Airport Road.
If you have any information related to this investigation, please call the St. Louis County Police at 636-529-8210 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477).
An investigation is ongoing.


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In the year 1991, the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves saw the big screen and created quite a wave with young ladies of the time, such as me.
I became captivated by the folktale of Robin Hood and wanted to know more about the medieval time and its beauty and terror.
So here is my review of the first movie that had me fall for medieval times and Gothic history.
Original 1991 Summary
Nobleman crusader, Robin of Locksley, played by the fantastic Kevin Costner, breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem interpreted by the exceptional talent of Morgan Freeman and travels back home to England.
Then, upon arrival, he discovers his dead father in the ruins of his family estate, killed by the vicious sheriff of Nottingham, acted by the late and beloved, Alan…
View original post 1,258 more words


Capital One Transfer Bonus And Does Elite Status Matter?
Welcome to NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea Podcast!
This week Joe Hegedus from Your Mileage May Vary joins host Ed Pizza to chat about some of the top news and posts of the week on BoardingArea. The gents chat about news in the headlines: New Amex Offers from Marriott and for stays in Las Vegas and speaking of Vegas, a new international flight launches service between Sin City and the City of Lights. Tune in to hear a discussion on whether elite status matters anymore and the evolution of the economy class experience. They also chat about yet another Capital One transfer bonus, a possible partnership between JetBlue and Norwegian Air and Marriott’s acquisition of seven all-inclusive Caribbean resorts.
Miles to Go: Travel Tips, News & Reviews You Can’t Afford to Miss
Don’t forget to check out the Miles To Go Podcast where we bring you the latest travel news, tips and tricks each week to help you save money and travel better.
The post Capital One Transfer Bonus And Does Elite Status Matter? was first published on NowBoarding.


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[PMG Note: Some further revisions were made to the Bill on 2 June 2011]
The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development received a short briefing from the State Law Advisors and drafters on the final version of the State Liability Amendment Bill (the Bill). Some technical amendments had been inserted into clauses 3(1); 11(d)(i); 11(f) and the citation of clause 3(3)(b). On page 10 and 11 of the Working Draft Document, the provisions dealing with other institutions were deleted. There were amendments to the Transitional Amendments. Members then discussed some suggestions for further wording. The word ‘given’ was removed from clause 2 on page 3 of the Working Draft Document, as ‘issued’ was the more appropriate word. Under clause 9, the final wording was agreed upon as: 'subject to this Act, the rules of court where applicable shall apply' under clause 9. Members also discussed, but agreed, that they would approve the wording of the Memorandum on the Objects of the Bill. They debated, but did not pursue, a suggestion that it might be wise to insert transitional provisions to cover the situation should a judgment be noted before the Bill came into effect.
The Chief State Law Advisor informed the Committee that he was concerned about provisions in agreements that South African signed when it took foreign loans, and thought that the Bill should contain something about foreign debt. The Committee rejected the recommendation, stating that the State Law Advisors should have raised this at a much earlier stage and it was far too late, given the time constraints, to start making insertions into the Bill at this point.
The Department of Justice and Chief State Law Advisor addressed some concerns about the tagging of the Bill, stating that they believed this Bill had been correctly tagged as a Section 75 Bill, and that although the Bill did concern provincial treasuries it did not affect provincial legislatures. The Committee, save for a DA Member who did not agree with this, was satisfied with the opinion, and noted that it was not part of Members’ duties to tag Bills. The majority of Members adopted the Bill, as amended.
The Committee then tabled its Report on the Bill. An ANC Member suggested the addition of a recommendation that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development should re-consider the municipal regime for attachment of state property. The specific objections of the IFP Member, as raised in earlier meetings, were also noted in the Report. The Report was then adopted
State Liability Amendment Bill: B2B-2011: Adoption
The Chairperson asked the State Law Advisors to take the Committee Members through the documents and alert them of any changes or further amendments to the working drafts of the State Liability Amendment Bill (the Bill).
Mr Johan Labuschagne, Principal State Law Advisor, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) referred the Committee to page 3 of the Working Draft and said that some technical amendments had been made by the Departmental advisors, without referring back to the Committee. He indicated the technical change to clause 3(1) to make it read better. In clause 11(d)(i) the word 'instructions' was substituted with the word 'Act'. In clause 11(f) the word 'or' was substituted with the word 'and'. National Treasury had indicated that it wished to have all the powers simultaneously listed from clause 11(a) to 11(g). On page 10 and 11 the provisions dealing with other institutions had been deleted.
Mr Labuschagne also pointed out some purely technical changes to the clause dealing with Transitional Measures. The last issue was the Memorandum on the Objects, which the Committee could consider. The same wording as appeared in the Bill had been used to explain the objects in the memorandum. The contents of the A list were exactly the same as the contents of the clean document. The only proposal for the A list was on page 11 under the Transitional Measures. This had only been picked up on that morning and it was too late to effect a formal change in writing. However, the proposal was that sub-clause 3 of clause 3 should be stated in brackets - so that it read as follows: “the provisions in sub-section 3(3)(b)”.
Mr J Jeffery (ANC) said that his understanding was that a Portfolio Committee did not ordinarily approve an amended memorandum, because it would be up to the Department concerned whether it wished to keep the wording of the memorandum as originally introduced, for the guidance of the relevant Select Committee when the Bill was referred to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). He thought that this Committee should not be studying the Memorandum of Objects, let alone vote on it.
The Chairperson asked if there were any Members who held a contrary view, but there was no response.
Mr Labuschagne explained that in previous portfolio committees, the Memorandum was considered and approved. That was the reason why he had now attached it for consideration by this Committee.
The Chairperson asked if there were any reservations on the amendments tabled by Mr Labuschagne.
The Chairperson noted that the Memorandum of Objects should be approved by the Committee.
Ms D Schäfer (DA) pointed out that in clause 2, on page 3 of the Working Draft, the word 'given' was used, and she wondered if it should not have remained as ‘issued’. She also thought that clause 4, at the foot of page 4, should be worded to reflect that the court order must be served in accordance with the Rules of Court. In clause 6, on page 5, there was a reference to ‘court order’, although up to then the words ‘judgment debt’ had been used and she wondered if the wording of ‘judgment debt’ should remain, for consistency. She also asked for clarity on the changes in clause 9, on page 6.
Mr Labuschagne answered the first point about clause 2. He thought that notices were ‘given’ rather than ‘issued’, and the word ‘issue’ related to the summons.
Mr S Swart (ACDP) said that application proceedings were done by way of a notice of motion, which was ‘issued’ by the court. He thought that ‘given’ related to the later step of service. He agreed with Ms Schäfer that the word ‘given’ was unnecessary in clause 2.
Mr Jeffery noted that this related to service and was a formal proceeding, and asked what word was used in the Rules of Court.
The Chairperson, noting that Adv B Holomisa (ANC) had confirmed that the word ‘issued’ was used, asked that the word ‘given’ in clause 2 be substituted with ‘issued’.
Mr Jeffery the referred to the second issue raised by Ms Schäfer clearly could give rise to misunderstandings. The verb was ‘serve’ and there was a question as to whether the words ‘in terms of’ or ‘in accordance with’ or ‘in a manner provided for in the rules’ was appropriate. He thought that ‘in terms of’ was neater and preferable to other options. This, however, was his personal preference, and he did not think that it was a major issue.
Mr Labuschagne said that he did not think there could be any confusion as far as the clause was concerned, but the decision on the final wording lay with the Committee.
The Chairperson asked the Members if they had any major reservations. Members did not indicate that they had. The Chairperson therefore told Mr Labuschagne that no change should be made to the wording of clause 4.
Mr Jeffery indicated that he shared Ms Schäfer’s concerns about clause 9.
Mr Swart asked if it would not be more appropriate to say 'the Rules of Court, where applicable'.
The Chairperson said that there was no need to say 'the Rules of Court, as amended from time to time' as this was a given.
Mr Enver Daniels, Chief State Law Advisor, said that the rules of court were always applicable and there was no need to say either ‘where applicable’ or ‘with the necessary changes’.
Mr Jeffery said that it would seem that 'where applicable' should remain, as there may be a conflict between the provisions of this Bill and the Rules of Court.
The Chairperson noted the consensus of the Members that the words ‘where applicable’ should remain, but the words ‘with the necessary changes’ should be removed.
Mr Daniels noted a suggestion from his colleague that more appropriate wording would be: 'Subject to this Act, the Rules of Court, where applicable, shall apply'.
The Chairperson noted general agreement from Members on this wording for clause 9.
Mr Jeffery asked if the Committee should not make a transitional provision that if there was a judgment order given before the Act came into effect, the Executive authority should be informed as soon as the Act became applicable.
Mr Labuschagne said that the reason why he had not mentioned the point raised by Mr Jeffery in a specific clause was that it would not serve much use if the plaintiff gave notice only now to the State Attorney, in respect of judgments handed down a year or two ago. Such a clause would need to be very carefully drafted. If the Committee felt strongly about the provisions in the Transitional Measures being changed, then it would be possible to amend them.
Mr Jeffery noted that the Committee was working within very tight time frames. In view of the complexity of such a provision, he thought that it was not necessary to pursue the point.
Mr Lawrence Bassett, Chief Director: Legislative Drafting, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, then addressed the Committee on the tagging of the Bill. He said that the Department had erred on the side of caution, as Section 76(4)(b) of the Constitution provided that a Bill had to be dealt with in accordance with Section 76(1) if it had provisions affecting the provinces. The State Law Advisors have prepared an opinion on this.
Mr Daniels said he would like to raise a point before the opinion was shared with the Committee. The concern he had was that
Mr Jeffery pointed out that the Committee was working to a very tight deadline and the Executive already had given the Committee little time within which to process this Bill. The fact that this point was being raised only now created great difficulties for the committee, and he believed that it should have been contained in the Bill as introduced, and not raised at this late stage, particularly since the State Law Advisors had been working continuously on the matter. He believed it was out of order to raise the point only when the Committee was about to vote on the Bill.
The Chairperson agreed.
Mr Daniels said that he accepted the point, and would raise it with the Executive.
Ms Carin Booyse, Deputy Chief State Law Advisor, Office of the State Law Advisor, gave the opinion on the tagging. The State Law Advisors had considered the whole Bill and the Nyathi judgment and came to the conclusion that this Bill remained a Section 75 Bill. The Bill dealt with the satisfaction of a judgment and was ultimately about good governance and the rule of law.
Ms Schäfer pointed out that the Bill did affect provinces and it made reference to provincial treasuries.
Mr Jeffery said that the test was provincial legislative competence, and not whether provinces were affected. It was therefore necessary to consider Schedule 4 and how it would be affected by the provisions of the Bill. There was already a procedure in the Bill as introduced that affected provinces, even before the Committee had made any amendments. The Committee's amendments had not made any difference as to whether this Bill fell within a section 76 procedure. His main concern was that if this Bill had to be re-tagged, there would not be sufficient time. He suggested that the Bill should be passed as a section 75 Bill, and if somebody wanted to challenge this then they may do so.
Mr Swart said that he agreed with Mr Jeffery. It was unlikely that it would be contested as it was providing an additional benefit.
Ms Schäfer did not agree. She thought it was possible that the Bill was not correctly tagged right from the start and thought that it was not ideal if the correct procedure was not followed by reason of time constraints.
Mr Daniels said that the opinion of the State Law Advisors was fairly comprehensive, and this should allay the fears of the Committee. The State Law Advisors had also looked at the Hlongwane case as a reference.
Adv Holomisa said that if the Bill was a Section 76 Bill and the NCOP Committee had to obtain the provincial mandates, then surely it would be possible to apply to the
Mr Jeffery said that it did not make a difference to this Committee whether the Bill was a Section 75 or Section 76 Bill as the tagging would affect the NCOP. The question was whether the Bill affected the financial interests of provincial government. However, he did not believe that the Bill was about financial interest, but was concerned with the procedures to settle debt. In addition, he pointed out that the decision on tagging did not rest with this Committee.
The Chairperson read out Rule 249, which dealt with the process in the Committee. The Rule stated that the Committee could not propose an amendment that affected the classification of the Bill, except as provided for in sub-rule 4 and Joint Rule 163. Joint Rule 163 held that “the Joint Tagging Mechanism may change the classification of a Section 75 or a Section 76 Bill to a mixed Section 75/76 Bill, or a Section 75 Bill to a Section 76, or a Section 76 to a Section 75 Bill, only if the Bill was introduced in the National Assembly and the Bill was amended, before a second reading in the Assembly, to become a mixed Section 75/76 or a Section 75 or a Section 76 Bill.” The tagging of Bills was not the Committee’s job and the State Law Advisors had assured the Committee that it was correctly tagged. He thought the matter rested there.
The Chairperson asked Members if the Committee was ready to approve the Bill and Memorandum of Objects.
Ms Schäfer said that she must take the Bill back to her caucus for consideration, and her vote would not be recorded.
The majority of the Committee then approved the Bill, as amended, and Memorandum of Objects.
[PMG Note: Some further revisions were made to the Bill on 2 June 2011]
Committee Report on adoption of the Bill
The Chairperson then tabled the Committee Report on the Bill.
Mr Jeffery said that under point 5 of that Report, an additional point should be added that the Committee wished to recommend to the Minister of Justice that there be an inquiry into the municipal dispensation, with possible amendments.
The Chairperson asked if there were any objections.
Members confirmed that there were no objections to this.
The Chairperson informed Members that Dr M Oriani-Ambrosini (IFP) had tabled his minority views, in terms of Rule 251(3)(e)(ii).
Mr Jeffery asked if it was possible to table a view in absentia.
Mr Vhonani Raamano, Secretary of the Committee, said that Dr Oriani-Ambrosini had indicated that these issues had been raised during previous meetings, and he wanted them to be reflected in the Committee report.
Mr Jeffery said that the correct procedure had to be followed.
The majority of the Committee then indicated that they had no further problems with the Committee’s Report on the State Liability Amendment Bill, and resolved to adopt it.
The meeting was adjourned.
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domain: politics


Familiarity with the following terms will make it easier to understand the labels and symbols in the Lightbend Console.
- Cluster: a group of nodes that run Kubernetes components.
- Controller: creates and manages pods, handles replication and rollout and provides self-healing capabilities for the cluster.
- Container: a running Docker image. A Docker image is a lightweight, standalone, executable package of software that includes everything needed to run an application: code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings. Kubernetes organizes containers in pods, which you can manage manually or with controllers.
- Deployment: a deployment object declares in a
.yamlfile the desired state of a pod, for example how many replicas should be running. When you create a deployment, the deployment controller creates the specified pod(s) and manages their lifecycle and they display in the Console as a workload.
- Namespace: virtual clusters on top of a physical cluster that allow different teams to work with different resources in the same cluster.
- Node: a physical or virtual machine.
- Pod: a unit of deployment, the environment in which a single instance of an application runs. A single container or a small number of containers that are tightly coupled and that share resources can run in a pod.
- Service: an abstraction defining a logical set of Pods and a policy by which to access them - sometimes called a microservice.
- Volume: storage for the applications running as pods.
- Workload: a group of pods which represents a single application. Typically a workload will map one-to-one with the pods managed by a Deployment, DaemonSet, or StatefulSet. Workloads are the main entities visualized by the Lightbend Console.
- Metric: is a value that tells us something. Examples are CPU or memory usage for an application. We rely on Prometheus for scraping and storing metrics.
- Time series: values of a metric stored over time, sampled at periodic intervals (called scrape intervals in Prometheus). The values of a specific metric over time is called a time series.
- Monitor: health criteria for a specific metric. An example would be a monitor on the memory usage of an application that becomes unhealthy when too much memory is used. Monitors are the primary data model in Console and drive most of its functionality.


text:
The Pittsburgh Pirates today recalled pitchers Jeff Locke, Casey Sadler, John Holdzkom and Bobby LaFromboise along with outfielder Gregory Polanco from Triple-A Indianapolis. In addition, the club has also selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Chase d'Arnaud from Indianapolis. To make room for d'Arnaud on the 40-man roster, the club has designated for assignment infielder/outfielder Michael Martinez.
Locke, who will start tonight at St. Louis, has won each of his last four decisions with Pittsburgh.
Sadler, who is in his fourth stint with Pittsburgh this year, went 11-4 with a 3.03 ERA (124.2ip/42er) in 21 starts this year for Indianapolis. He ended the season at Triple-A with the second-lowest WHIP (1.19) among all International League pitchers. He also finished tied for third in the league with 11 wins. Sadler will wear uniform #65.
Holdzkom has no previous big league experience. He began the year pitching independently before signing a minor league contract with the Pirates organization on June 23. The 26-year-old righthander then posted a combined record of 3-0 with two saves, 1.95 ERA (27.2ip/6er) and 37 strikeouts in 22 relief appearances with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Holdzkom will wear uniform #43.
LaFromboise (pronounced lah-frahm-BOYCE) attended Major League spring training with Seattle before being designated for assignment on March 27 and claimed off waivers by San Diego on April 2, where he was then optioned to Triple-A El Paso. He was then claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on August 24 and optioned to Indianapolis, where the southpaw made five scoreless relief appearances (4.0ip).
Polanco in his second stint with the Pirates this season. He began the year with Triple-A Indianapolis before being recalled by Pittsburgh on June 10. He played 64 games with Pittsburgh before being optioned back to Indianapolis on August 25. Polanco will wear uniform #25.
d'Arnaud is making his first trip back to the big leagues since 2012. He hit .250 with 16 doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 23 RBI in 118 games this year with Indianapolis. He finished the season at Triple-A ranked second in the league in triples and tied for third with 30 stolen bases. d'Arnaud will wear uniform #39.


LAST UPDATED : Dec 28, 2018, 05:06 PM IST
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The Sri Lankan duo of Mithun Perera and N Thangaraja go back a long way. It was a friendship that started off around a decade ago with Thangaraja being a caddie for the more experienced Mithun. They then went on to represent their country at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, and continue to be best buddies on tour to this day.


This new partnership enables data scientists and machine learning engineers working in OCI to download and install packages directly from the Anaconda Repository at no cost. Under the current agreement with Oracle, any customer running workloads on OCI can freely access the massive open-source Python and R repositories in Anaconda Distribution without purchasing a separate license.
Anaconda and OCI take security seriously, and together offer a security-minded supported repository. All packages are built on infrastructure meeting state-of-the-art security standards. Anaconda employs robust security practices and provides the Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) for all packages in the default channels of the Anaconda repository. In compliance with the Cybersecurity Executive Order, the Anaconda SBOM allows OCI users to verify the components of all software installed on their systems, including license and provenance, to help secure their open-source pipeline.
How to Get Started
Anaconda Users: Current Anaconda customers can now access the same trusted and secure packages they rely on from within OCI.
OCI users: The easiest way to get started and take advantage of Anaconda’s technology on OCI is through the notebook session feature of the OCI Data Science service. Users can install one of the prebuilt conda environments or build their own conda environment through the odsc and conda CLIs by picking the “main,” “anaconda,” or “r” channels when defining the environment.yaml file – then select from thousands of packages to install.
For more information and details on getting started, watch the webinar How To Seamlessly Leverage Anaconda on OCI.
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New four-cylinder engine for the Jaguar F-TYPE: more agility and efficiencyAutomotive News
It achieves a reduction of 16% of fuel consumption compared to the V6 of 340 hp, with CO2 emissions of only 163 g / km.
Jaguar has expanded the range of the new F-TYPE with the introduction of a new version of Ingenium gasoline engine and four cylinders endowed with the latest technology. The combination of two-seater aluminum made with the 300 hp turbo 2.0 engine maintains Jaguar’s sporty DNA and great agility, adding more efficiency and a tighter price.
The new model can accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 5.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 249 km / h. The maximum torque of the new turbocharged Ingenium engine is 400 Nm, and is available from as little as 1,500 rpm. Together with the eight-speed Quickshift transmission, it gives the vehicle a good response throughout the rev range.
The 300 hp Ingenium engine is the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever produced by Jaguar and also generates the highest specific power of any other F-TYPE engine: 150 hp per liter. This also makes it the most efficient F-TYPE in the range, with an improvement over 16% in fuel economy compared to the V6 of 340 hp. Together with these two engines, the range completes the V8 of 575 hp.
The new F-TYPE is now available for ordering from the Official Jaguar Dealer Network from 71,100 in its Convertible version and 63,500 euros in the Coupé.
EXPANSIÓN.COM – Madrid – @expansioncom – 04/12/2017 (Translation Soft)