text:
To: "Jerry Lobdill" <email@example.com>,
Subject: [money-ethics] Drowning, First-Class Style
IMO, this article is on the mark. A country of haves and have-nots is not what Jefferson and Madison had in mind. A country in which there are only rich and poor is a country doomed to class warfare. And class warfare is the reason for the attack on public education, all social programs including Social Security and Medicare, the huddling of the wealthy in their gated communities and private schools, the bulging ranks of the incarcerated, tax cuts for the wealthy, and many other disturbing trends.
The idiots on the far right don't have the vision to see beyond their own pocketbooks. It is time for a strong counterforce against the damage the right wing has done to this nation.
I am putting all my energies into Howard Dean's campaign. I think he's out last best hope of averting an irreversible disaster.
James K. Galbraith is Chair of Economists Allied for Arms Reduction and a Vice President of Americans for Democratic Action. He teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, and is senior scholar with the Levy Economics Institute.
The following is the text of a speech delivered at the Take Back America conference in Washington, D.C. on June 5.
Youve sung the hymns and heard the readings. This is the sermon. To
begin on a somber note, the bubble and the bust of high technology, the debt
build-up of American households, the obsession with a strong dollar -- all of
this existed before we got George Bush. The late 1990s were a fine time, but
they set the stage for a slump which began in late 2000, from which we have not
recovered, and will not recover soon.
The men in charge talk about growth, but actually they like stagnation.
Today almost nine million are unemployed. Many millions more are underemployed, and most of all, underpaid. That is our economic problem. Bush and company did not entirely create these conditions, but they have done nothing to make them better and much to make them worse. We have lost well over two million jobs since he took office, and almost half a million just since the last election.
Full economic recovery is going to be hard. It is not only a matter of spending more. Excess capacity affects the future of business investment no matter what. The reputation of American financial markets has been damaged by fraud and abuse. American households know they are in financial trouble. If you give them more income they will use it, in large part, to reduce debt. This is not a bad thing, but it does not promote recovery right away. And quite a bit of what households do spend, with extra income, drains away to imports.
In the near term, it is true that new tax cuts and more military spending may bring another false dawn. Alan Greenspan -- does anyone remember him? -- will do his best to keep the housing bubble blown up. Mr. Greenspan knows about blowing bubbles, but not even he can forever prevent them from popping. These measures will not bring us back to full employment.
The men in charge talk about growth, but actually they like stagnation. Do they really want full employment and strong labor unions and rising wages? I doubt it. Stagnation helps to justify more tax cuts. Their goal is plain: that financial wealth should be freed of tax. Two years ago, estate and income taxes were cut. This year it was capital gains, dividends and again the top tax rate. Next year the sunset provisions in these measures will be removed. Quite soon, taxes will fall mainly on real estate, payrolls and current consumption. Which is to say that taxes will be paid mostly by the middle class, by the working class and by the poor.
As financial wealth escapes tax, neither states, nor cities, nor the federal government can provide vital services -- except by taxing sales and property at rates that will provoke tax rebellions. Every public service will fall between the hammer of tax cuts and the anvil of deficits in state, local and federal budgets. The streets will be dirtier; so will the air and the water. Emergency rooms will back up even more than they have; more doctors will refuse public patients. More fire houses and swimming pools and libraries will be closed. Public universities will cost more; the public schools will lose the middle class. Eventually federal budget deficits will collide with Social Security and Medicare, putting privatization back on the agenda. I am from Texas, where you can see this future happening now.
We need to talk about the world outside. To the men in charge, it appears that the world outside is not really a partner or an ally. It is mainly a supplier. Cheap labor and cheap oil. I want to stop short of saying that we went to Iraq for the oil. We dont know that. But we do know that when we got there, we found that the oil was there, and the weapons of mass destruction were not.
The fact is, we are acquiring an empire. But the men in charge do not want to pay for it. They have no serious interest in providing security, infrastructure or civil administration to the territories they have conquered. And indeed none of these things are being provided. Yet the burdens of empire can only grow as time passes. Sooner or later, we will have to choose between leaving our conquered territories or putting in the full force required to control them. One way we lose control, while the other can only add to the miseries of our balance of payments. How can the cost be met, especially, if the coin of our realm, the U.S. dollar, is at the same time losing its position? It wont be easy. The problem of empires, historically, is not military defeat. It is bankruptcy. Empires do not tend to business at home, and they tend to lose out to rivals who do. As once with Britain and America, so now with America and Europe? That could be how it will turn out. Do we want this? Much as we may admire and like our European friends, I dont think we do.
There is irony here for Americas wealthy. While Bush may leave them untaxed, he will not leave them rich as they were. Already their stocks are off by trillions. Soon it will be their houses (and ours). And finally, as the dollar declines, it will be their cash holdings. An economy that fails for working Americans cannot work, in the long run, for the wealthy.
What then is our alternative? This is not a moment for me-too politics. If you accept the Bush administrations agenda on taxes, or on empire, the game is up. You cant escape from the rest. This is a moment for serious alternatives or none at all.
An economy that fails for working Americans cannot work, in the long run, for the wealthy.
Let us therefore start by rejecting the vision of America as the New Rome. Collective security made possible the modern world. Only collective security can maintain it. It is the only security solution that is cheap enough to afford, and solid enough to endure. It is the only kind of security there really is.
Our military knows this. They can win any given battle. But can they provide the secure and stable environment afterward? Of course not. Fantasies of missile defense, of more preventive wars, of small nuclear weapons all presuppose a power and intelligence we do not actually have. In practice, in reality, empire is mainly a matter of garrisons. But how many young Americans do we really want to commit, on a permanent basis, to duty in places where they will be shot at and bombed, day after day, until finally we say, enough?"
We need a new vision of who we are in the world. Let it rest on building up our friends and neighbors. Let us again be committed to building the core capacities -- in education, public health, housing, transport -- that underpin real development and also our own exports. We need, in the end, to pay our way in the world as honest countries do, and as we used to, mainly with the products of our labor and our knowledge. This means in particular that we must affirm the priority of national interest over that of the renegade corporation. No more Enrons -- that global symbol of the corruption of our presence in the wider world.
At home, let us pursue the old goal of full employment -- now using our public capacities as needed, until the private sector is ready to resume the lead. As Keynes said, "There is work to do." There are people to do it. Let us bring them together. If interest rates are low, why shouldnt states and localities borrow -- with a federal guarantee -- and do the work that needs to be done? The principle is simple: Public activity should grow -- not contract -- when people and resources are unemployed.
We need many creative and productive private enterprises. But let us also build on the solid and mostly public foundations of education, health, safety and a clean environment. Let us invest in our science and technology. We need utilities like water, power and basic communications under effective public regulation or in public hands. Let us also diversify our energy sources, begin the conserving transformation of our cities and transportation networks, and reduce -- prudently -- our dependence on oil. And Social Security and Medicare are the pillars of life in this country for the elderly. They must be defended and protected for as long as it takes. The elderly are not going to go away; the only real question is whether we provide and care for them properly or not.
Moving forward, we must finally design a decent system of health care for all. We must raise the minimum wage. We must support collective bargaining and restore a legal climate within which unions can work. We can fight poverty by protecting and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. And to protect those in deepest trouble, lets keep personal bankruptcy safe and legal.
You are better off being prosperous and paying tax than going down in the first-class cabins of a sinking ship.
To meet the state and local fiscal crisis with a concrete proposal, let me return to what was once a Republican idea. Revenue Sharing can prevent the worst cuts in schools and firehouses and basic health services over the next few years. We should make this a flagship program, on a scale large enough -- say 50 billion dollars a year for three years -- to make a serious difference. Id propose twice that if I thought it was realistic. The point is that states and localities should not be cutting services at all. And only federal help can prevent what is socially and economically destructive.
To pay for this, not immediately but over the years ahead, the Bush tax cuts should be almost completely repealed. To our friends among the wealthy of this country, let us say plainly: You are better off being prosperous and paying tax than going down in the first-class cabins of a sinking ship.
Our task is not merely to boost the economy for a year or two. Even Republicans can do that. Our task is to prepare for a different and better world. It is to build an economy that really does work for working people. And for that, we need to be serious about what we think, what we say and what we propose. The times call for substantial departures. They will require that we redefine and restate what we stand for in the country. They will require that we reaffirm what our country ought to stand for in the world. We can begin that task here today.

domain: politics


text:
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domain: medical


text: Bruno Basso & Christopher Brooke are the pioneers of the digital print process in fashion. They made history with their groundbreaking 100% digitally printed collection, earning them the prestigious Fashion Fringe award in 2004. Vogue championed them as ones to watch in their annual ‘Vogue list’, and they won best new designer at the Elle Style Awards. In May 2009, Michelle Obama made headlines by wearing one of the label’s pieces, making them one of the very first UK designers to be worn by the First Lady. Again in 2009, London’s Design Museum short-listed the label’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection for ‘Designs of the Year’. In 2010 they were selected as members of the highly regarded Walpole ‘Brands of Tomorrow’ program. They also have a piece archived in the Metropolitan Museum of New York’s Costume Institute – the first digitally printed piece in their collection. Basso & Brooke have collaborated with high profile brands such as Coca-Cola, Converse, Swarovski, SkyHD, L’Oreal Paris, Turning Leaf Wines, Dorchester Collection and others. Their collections are stocked worldwide.

domain: design


The Problem Solvers Backstop bolts onto the frame to provide two stops for your cable housing. It's made of light, durable CNC-machined aluminum with a stainless-steel bolt, and the stops are slotted for easy cable installation/removal.
$17.99 - $20.00
The Problem Solvers Braze-On Front Derailleur Adapter simply clamps onto your frame's seat tube and provides a secure place to bolt on your braze-on front derailleur (sold separately). This fine adapter is made of light, durable aluminum and includes a stainless-steel bolt.
The Problem Solvers Cassette Spacers are made of light and durable anodized aluminum and come in different thicknesses for correctly spacing various brand and model cassette cogs. Measure and match your spacers to choose the right width.
$24.99 - $30.25
The Problem Solvers Center Lock Rotor Adapters are CNC-machined aluminum adapters that allow the use of 6-bolt rotors on Shimano's Center Lock hubs.
The Problem Solvers Clamp-On Cable Guides are for clamping on the rear brake cable housing on your frame when the frame doesn't have provisions for holding a full-length brake cable housing. You get 3 stainless-steel clamps and the nuts and bolts for them.
The Problem Solvers Clamp-On Cable Hanger is made of light, durable anodized aluminum and fits on bicycles with 1- and 1 1/8-inch forks. A cable noodle and guide are included.
$5.99 - $12.99
The Problem Solvers Handlebar Clamp Shim allows you to fit almost any handlebars in almost any stem. It's machined of light and durable aluminum and grooved on the inside to hold tightly.
The Problem Solvers Inner Chainring Bolts include 5 of the special threaded chainring bolts that fit into the chainring nuts on your crankset to hold the chainrings in place (chainring nuts sold separately). This type is 8mm long and made of light, durable aluminum.
$7.00 - $12.50
The Problem Solvers Seatpost Shim is what you need when your seatpost is a little too small-diameter to fit tightly into your frame. It's made of light and durable aluminum and has a lip on the top so it won't slide down inside the frame during installation.
$9.99 - $11.99
Switching frames doesn’t mean you have to switch posts! Use your old posts without worry with Problem Solver's wide variety of seatpost shims. -100mm long -3mm lip -Alloy Problem Solvers Seatpost Shims are not intended for use with carbon seatposts
$9.99 - $19.99
The Problem Solvers Single Chainring Bolts include 5 chainring bolts and nuts that are 6mm wide. This is the right size for most single-chainring setups. These chainring bolts are made of either aluminum, stainless steel, or chromoly.
$7.99 - $15.15
The Problem Solvers Standard Top Cap is a light, durable aluminum top cap for threadless headsets. These caps fit all forks.
The Problem Solvers Steerer Tube Shims are for installing 1-1/8-inch diameter threadless stems on 1-inch diameter threadless forks. The shim is made of light, durable anodized aluminum and is chamfered on the ends for easy stem installation.
$3.99 - $20.00
Available in the most common sizes and thicknesses-in small or bulk quantities, Problem Solvers headset spacers help riders get their stack height just right. - Made from Aluminum, anodized or polished finish, without logos - 1-1/8" Diameter - S.H.I.S. Stem Clamp Diameter: 28.6mm
$4.99 - $20.00
Available in the most common sizes and thicknesses-in small or bulk quantities, Problem Solvers headset spacers help riders get their stack height just right. - Made from Aluminum, anodized or polished finish, without logos - S.H.I.S. Stem Clamp Diameter: 25.4mm
Replace old brake barrel adjusters with a fresh pair of Problem Solvers' 10mm Brake Barrel Adjuster. Designed for use with standard brake cables.
Single sided, bottom bracket mounted cable guide, with integrated cable housing stop. - Intended to fit 40mm diameter bottom bracket shells - Includes M5 mounting bolt - Direct replacement for: Salsa Vaya, Salsa Warbird (Alloy), Salsa Journeyman, All-City Cosmic Stallion, - All-City Gorilla Monsoon, All-City Macho King, All-City Space Horse Disc
Problem Solvers' Braze-on Light mount threads into your fork or fender eyelets, allowing you to mount lights or accessories. It's lower position is great for getting your light closer to the ground for better visibility.
The Problem Solvers Cable Pulley is the correct replacement for their Cross Clamp pulley (Cross Clamp sold separately) and it will also work on most frames that have a mount for a pulley. You get the aluminum pulley and the brass bushing.
The Problem Solvers Cantilever Studs screw into the bosses built into bicycle frames to provide the proper mounting studs for brakes. Each brake requires two studs.
Problem Solvers' Chain Spy is a chain retention device that keeps a watchful eye on your chain while you focus on blasting along the path ahead. Choose between the 31.8mm clamp model, or the Direct Mount model, depending on your bike's needs.
The Problem Solvers Chain Tensioner is a handy device when you're building a singlespeed bike and need to remove slack in the chain and keep it running smoothly. It's made of light and durable CNC-machined 6061 aluminum with steel hardware and has efficient, long-lasting nylon pulleys. It simply screws onto your frame's derailleur hanger. It even lets you adjust your chainline, too.
The Problem Solvers Chain Tensioner is a handy device that lets you cleanly install a derailleur on frames without a derailleur hanger. It's made of light and durable CNC-machined 6061 aluminum with steel hardware. It's designed for use with rear-facing horizontal dropouts and 10mm rear axles.
$5.99 - $8.99
The Problem Solvers Clamp-On Water Bottle Cage Mount makes it easy to carry a bottle on your handlebars so you can have even more refreshment on rides. It also comes in useful on frames without room for bottles, like smaller frames and some kid’s bikes.
• Allows the use of downtube shifters on bikes without downtube shifter braze-ons • Compatible with 9/10-speed Shimano shifters • 31.8mm clamp with shims for 28.6mm tubes • Shifters not included
The Problem Solvers Compression Plug for 1 1/8-inch Forks is for threadless aluminum and carbon forks. It fits tightly inside the fork and provides easy headset adjustment and a nice, clean look.
The Problem Solvers Cross Clamp mounts to the seat tube on your frame so that you can make your top-routed shift cables work with a bottom-pull front road derailleurs. This is a common setup on cyclocross bicycles. Choose the diameter that matches your frame.
The Problem Solvers Direct Mount Adapter gives you a place to install direct-mount Shimano and SRAM derailleurs. It was initially developed for standard mountain bike frames with 68/73mm wide bottom bracket shells, and is equally suited to fat/snow bikes, where their 100mm wide bottom brackets make front derailleur applications a little difficult. The adapter is made of light and durable 6061 aluminum.
$9.99 - $17.99
The Problem Solvers Double Chainring Bolts include 5 chainring bolts and nuts that are 8mm wide. This is the right size for most double-chainring setups. These chainring bolts are made of either aluminum, stainless steel, or chromoly.
The Problem Solvers Double Chainring Bolts include 5 chainring bolts and nuts that are 10mm wide. This is the right size for most double-chainring setups with a bashguard. These chainring bolts are made of aluminum and feature dual-hex heads for easy, secure installation.
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text:
Ninjatown Mini Series
When Ninjatown is invaded by the evil Mr. Demon and his hotheaded minions, it’s up to Wee Ninja and his 3-inch friends to save the day! Enter the fray with the first ever vinyl Ninjatown blind-box mini series which is now available in Kidrobot stores, kidrobot.com and select retailers for $7.95 US (£7.25 UK; 8€ Europe).
Buy now![nggallery id=181]

domain: entertainment


text:
- 16 Nov 16
Taylor Swift will certainly be the envy of the music industry with the announcement that she just topped Forbes’ annual rich list for under 30s this year by earning a mind-boggling $170million US dollars.
The 1989 singer pulled in the astronomical sum on the back of her last smash hit album, world tour, as well as a number of highly lucrative endorsement deals.
Swift’s ex-flame and ex-One Direction singer Harry Styles came in second on the rich list with $110.
Meanwhile, other notable names on the top list include Adele at number four with her earnings for this year being calculated at $80.5 million. Rihanna makes number five on the rich list with a whopping $75 million.
The youngest member on the list is 22-year-old Justin Bieber who took home $56 million.

domain: finance


There are a number of gentrifying neighborhoods in the Bay Area, which is home to some of the highest rents and home prices in the nation. While the reasons behind the inflated housing costs are complicated, gentrification, the influx of wealthier people to an existing urban neighborhood, with a correlated change in the neighborhood’s character and culture and increase in rents and property values, is certainly a factor. (For more, see The Truth About Real Estate Prices.)
Renters are typically the hardest hit by gentrification. When rents increase, tenants are pushed out – through evictions, rent hikes or natural turnover. When landlords “cash out” to take advantage of rising property values, new buyers may evict existing renters to move in themselves, renovate the building and/or bring in new tenants at a higher rate.
The reason that’s pertinent here is that the Bay Area has one of the lowest homeownership rates – and, therefore, the highest rate of renters – in the country. At 62.9%, the portion of U.S. households owning homes has reached its lowest level in 51 years. In the Bay Area it’s even lower: According to an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, the rate of homeownership in the San Francisco metropolitan area is just 53.5%.
The Urban Displacement Project is an initiative of U.C. Berkeley in collaboration with researchers at UCLA, community-based organizations, regional planning agencies and the State of California’s Air Resources Board. The project analyzes regional data on housing, income and other demographics to predict where gentrification and displacement are happening and likely to occur in the future.
Using interactive maps from the Urban Displacement Project, Cory Weinberg, a reporter for the Information and a former reporter for the San Francisco Business Times, identified some of the most-populous census tracts in the Bay Area’s nine counties that are deemed by the project to be at risk of gentrification or displacement. Here they are, along with the median sales price, median rent per month and median household income, according to market overviews on real estate aggregator website Trulia.com (as of Feb. 7, 2017).
As the above-mentioned areas undergo gentrification, now could be the time to buy property in these regions before housing prices increase further.
That said, there are disadvantages to buying in a gentrifying neighborhood. The PBS film “Flag Wars” demonstrates that a gentrified neighborhood can become a “victim of its own success.” Increasing rents and property values, along with the “upward spiral of desirability,” can erode the qualities that attracted new people to the neighborhood in the first place.
It’s important to note that while the gentrification process can lead to positive changes within the community – for example, reduced crime, increased economic activity and new investment in area buildings and infrastructure – the benefits are typically enjoyed most by the new arrivals and least by the established residents, who often end up “economically and socially marginalized.” According to the film, “When success comes to a neighborhood, it does not always come to its established residents, and the displacement of that community is gentrification’s most troubling effect.” (For more, see Why the U.S. Middle Class Is Hit Hardest by Rise in Rent.)


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|Migration of green turtles Chelonia mydas from Tortuguero, Costa Rica|Troëng, S.; Evans, D.R.; Harrison, E.; Lagueux, C.J. (2005). Migration of green turtles Chelonia mydas from Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 148(2): 435-447. hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00227-005-0076-4
In: Marine Biology. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162, more
|Authors|| || Top |
- Troëng, S.
- Evans, D.R.
- Harrison, E.
- Lagueux, C.J.
During 1955–2003, flipper tags were attached to 46,983 green turtles and ten turtles were fitted with satellite transmitters at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Eight satellite-tracked turtles stayed within 135 km of the beach and probably returned to nest after release. The internesting area is more extensive than previously documented. Post-nesting migration routes of satellite-tracked turtles varied. Seven turtles swam close to the coast and three turtles swam through oceanic waters before moving toward nearshore areas. Sea surface height anomaly maps indicate that oceanic movements were consistent with the southwestern Caribbean gyre. Circling and semi-circling turtles could have been disoriented but submergence and surface times suggest they may have been feeding in Sargassum sp. concentrations. Rapid post-nesting migrations (mean 2.2 km hr-1) ended on benthic feeding grounds in shallow waters (<20 m) off Belize (n=1), Honduras (n=1) and Nicaragua (n=8). The spatial distribution of migration end points (n=10) and tag returns (n=4,669) are similar. Fishermen in Nicaragua target green turtles along migratory corridors and on foraging grounds. Management efforts are urgently needed in Nicaragua, particularly in the high-density feeding areas south and east of the Witties (N14°09 W82°45). The proximity of foraging grounds to the nesting beach (mean 512 km) may permit female turtles to invest more energy in reproduction and hence the Tortuguero population may have greater potential for recovery than other green turtle nesting populations. Recovery of the Tortuguero green turtle population will benefit countries and marine ecosystems throughout the Caribbean, especially Nicaragua.

domain: geography


text:
I am climbing a difficult road; but the glory gives me strength.
At a school in Massachusetts where I once worked, we managed early on through consensus. Which sounds wonderful, but it was just a very, very difficult way to sort of manage anything, because convincing everybody to do one particular thing, especially if it was hard, was almost impossible.
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy; in the one case that confidence may not fall asleep, in the other that it may not be dismayed.
In all three cases, and for most human beings, the problem of suffering poses no difficult problem at all: one has a world picture in which suffering has its place, a world picture that takes suffering into account.
If you have problems of conduct that are difficult and hard to settle, I will furnish you with solutions, for I not only know matters of practice and duty, but I even know them beforehand.
It is easy to talk on religion, but difficult to practice it.
Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage. Courage is the most desperate, admirable and noble kind of love.
I’ve done a lot of practical anthropology, living in villages with people and realizing how difficult it is to get out of poverty. When in poverty, people use their skill to avoid hunger. They can’t use it for progress.
Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.

domain: literature


text:
Griffin’s Illuminism Club
We are the Keepers of the brother hood. In so being, we also maintain the sacred text wherein lie the simple truths of illumination etiquette known as The Rules. It is in our trust to maintain and endorse this list.
The Rules lie at the beginning of The Path to Illuminism, not at the end; learning to balance them against one another and to welcome them all into your life as an Illuminist is a never-ending struggle waged between form and function as we continue along The Path towards transcending.


text:
This research explains the concepts of destination competitiveness, and attempts to measure the level of destination competitiveness of three urban destinations in Malaysia. The identification of destination competitiveness attributes was based on a review of tourism literature, and focused on tourist attractions and facilities attributes. The research employed a questionnaire and adopted a mixed-mode technique in data collection. The survey received 359 valid responses, and the data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and correspondence analysis. The results from the descriptive and correspondence analyses indicated that all three destinations are found to differ significantly with respect to destination attractiveness and images.
|Number of pages
|BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development
|Published - 2012
- domestic travellers

domain: library


text:
Emulsion electrospun nanofibers as substrates for cardiomyogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells
- 734 Downloads
The potential of cardiomyogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on emulsion electrospun scaffold containing poly(l-lactic acid)-co-poly-(ε-caprolactone), gelatin and vascular endothelial growth factor (PLCL/GV) was investigated in this study. The characterizations of the scaffold were carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope, water contact angle and porometer. The proliferation of hMSCs showed that 73.4 % higher cell proliferation on PLCL/GV scaffolds than that on PLCL scaffold after 20 days of cell culture. Results of 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate staining and SEM morphology analysis indicated that hMSCs differentiated on PLCL/GV scaffolds showed irregular morphology of cardiomyocyte phenotype compared to the typical long and thin hMSC phenotype. Immunostaining results showed the expression of alpha actinin and myosin heavy chain. Our studies identified emulsion electrospinning as a method for fabrication of core–shell fibers suitable for the differentiation of stem cells to cardiac cells, with potential application in cardiac regeneration.
KeywordsVascular Endothelial Growth Factor Water Contact Angle Electrospun Nanofibers Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Protein Nanofibrous Scaffold
This research is supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation under CREATE programme: The Regenerative Medicine Initiative in Cardiac Restoration Therapy (NRF-Technion R-398-001-065-592). Ms Lingling Tian would also like to acknowledge the China Scholarship Council for granting a scholarship that enabled her to pursue this work at NUS, Singapore.
- 2.Xu WR, Zhang XR, Qian H, Zhu W, Sun XC, Hu J, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells from adult human bone marrow differentiate into a cardiomyocyte phenotype in vitro. Exp Biol Med. 2004;229(7):623–31.Google Scholar
- 5.Fine GC, Liao R, Sohn RL. Cell therapy for cardiac repair. Panminerva Med. 2008;50(2):129–37.Google Scholar
- 7.Prabhakaran MP, Kai D, Ghasemi-Mobarakeh L, Ramakrishna S. Electrospun biocomposite nanofibrous patch for cardiac tissue engineering. Biomed Mater. 2011;6(5).Google Scholar
- 29.Wu LL, Li H, Li S, Li XR, Yuan XY, Li XL, et al. Composite fibrous membranes of PLGA and chitosan prepared by coelectrospinning and coaxial electrospinning. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2010;92A(2):563–74.Google Scholar

domain: health


text:
Roads will be closed and train schedules will be limited, but this charming apartment is in close proximity to everything. From here you will be able to take a bike into the city for the Mass on Monday or, if you were able to get a train pass, take an easy ride to the Chestnut Hill West station. Book before September to lock in the rate of $400/night!
This is a residential neighborhood so no late/loud parties, please.
(Još) nema recenzija
Ovaj smještaj nema recenzija. Odsjednete li u njemu, ovdje će se prikazivati vaša recenzija.

domain: travel


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Boards Of Canada – In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country (12″)
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country is an EP by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was released by Warp and music70 on 27 November 2000, in the period between the duo’s albums Music Has the Right to Children and Geogaddi. Like those albums, it was well received by critics. It peaked at number 15 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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Cat No: wap144r, 80106181441


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The death of the terrorist mastermind is a plus for the US and the world, while China's manufacturing slowdown means good things for stocks.
Kinder Morgan Energy remains the safest play on domestic fuel shipping, and it stands to gain more if Washington wakes up to the abundance of natural gas in this country.
By allowing David Sokol to frame the Lubrizol discussion, Warren Buffett tacitly endorsed his actions.
People across the country are worried and financially exhausted, and while many have no idea what the Fed chief does, they trust him more than either political party.
The yellow metal needs to be part of any portfolio. But if you already own some, stand pat for now.
The Fed chief may not have everything figured out, but after 2 years of great stewardship, he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
We're in an absurdist moment now as the market swings too far against everything.
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
'We're not exactly in a uniformly strong market,' says the notably pessimistic newsletter publisher.
The Market Dispatches column has been discontinued. Here's where to find the latest stock and business news on MSN Money, and the latest from market writer Charley Blaine.
MONEY & POLITICS
Breaking up big banks is an untested solution to the too big to fail problem that attempts to isolate and dismantle large, troubled institutions while protecting the rest of the economy.
Six weeks later, most Americans have forgotten about the 2014 tax season -- except those who didn't file by the April 15 deadline.
MUST-SEE ON MSN
- Video: Easy DIY smoked meats at home
A charcuterie master shares his process for cold-smoking meat at home.
- Jetpacks about to go mainstream
- Weird things covered by home insurance
- Bing: 70 percent of adults report 'digital eye strain'

domain: news


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You can’t say Walter Hill isn’t original.
After months of remakes and sequels barraging theaters everywhere, the veteran director of pulpy classics like The Warriors and 48 Hrs. has returned to try and save the day with an original action film — and one that’s quite inspired.
It’s called (Re)Assignment and stars Michelle Rodriguez as a hitman who has been turned into a woman. Yes, the Fast and Furious heroine will play a male hitman who is turned into a female one. Confusing? Here’s the official synopsis:
“A revenge tale about an ace assassin who is double-crossed by gangsters and a rogue plastic surgeon operating on the fringes of society. The story becomes a trail of self-discovery and redemption against a criminal mastermind opponent.”
The original working title was Tomboy, but it’s seen been re-named, perhaps as a way to avoid the controversy that could stem from using such an awful word. Though, if they think that’s the end to the social outrage, they’re in for a mighty treat.
Joining Rodriguez on this wild ride are Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia, and a dozen no-names that may or may not ring a bell. There’s no release date yet but Saban Films will distribute across the States.
For a preview, here are two more promotional stills:


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I’m looking for people who are seriously looking for a place to discuss what we should do, especially within speculative fiction. I see this as a holy calling to help with the final harvest. This website is dedicated toward helping Christians, whom God has called to write or read genuinely Christian books.
Welcome to the Writing During the Last Days effort!
This is over my head: The Lord has told me to do this, but I’m seriously ill equipped. I’ve always been a lone wolf, a very asocial man who works best alone with my thoughts and ideas. As I have ventured out into social media, now that I self-publish full-time from my studio office at home, it has been a real joy to “meet” people from all over the world with similar interests and passions. My basic position is simple.
If we are called to write, we must never forget that Jesus is the core of it all. As we are obedient to Him, we learn holiness. As Peter quoted, “You shall be holy, for I am Holy.” He was quoting something the Lord said through Moses centuries earlier. What Moses had not foreseen was the mystery of the Church. Especially the part where we are made holy by His Holiness residing within us, in our spirits. He works His way out through our soul as we allow it and eventually shows us how to purify our flesh.
Your calling as an author may be a subset of your broader calling. But, the call points always to holiness, purity, the strait and narrow path which leads from the narrow gate. You will not be fulfilled as a Christian author until you answer this call to holiness.
Writing during the Last Days, what’s the panic?
It’s not a panic. But Jesus told us “this generation shall not pass away” before all of this came to a conclusion. A generation these days is 70-80 years. The start date was 1948. So, you can see the end is near.
We’re in the time of the end of the church. Once Jesus comes to pick up His Bride, the Lord’s focus shifts to Israel and the final seven years. Praise the Lord, we’ll not be here for that. The church is Messiah’s spouse, limited in size to those ready to go when Yeshua calls us up into the clouds to be with Him forever.
I’m not interested in end times arguments and kvetching. We have a short time in which to move.
As the world falls apart, we need Christian fiction
At least this is true for people like like I used to be, who are addicted to reading. Don’t accept anything less. Share the good stuff with the rest of us. In addition, the world [the kosmos: a Satanic system which seemingly runs this planet] needs Christian fiction. For many people, especially those immersed in the world online, excellent Christian fiction may be the best hope for salvation they ever see. It will quite possibly be the only glimpse they ever get of truly righteous living. Here’s an excerpt of this type of writing, from my latest book.
The production of truly Christian fiction takes place within battle
Writing During the Last Days is a major spiritual battle. The Creep cannot help us. In fact, he will do everything He can to discourage, distract, and/or destroy those of us called by God to write. The more Truth we include in our books, the more desperate the enemy will become. If you do not find conflict in the writing and production of your book you display your consecration [prayed up and committed—backed up by prayers of others]. —OR— You present no real threat and the Creep carefully leaves you alone. Obviously, a large range of positions lie between these extremes.
Mainly, the Holy Spirit provides the power we need to write transformational books. Without His involvement, you waste your time. Don’t get me wrong! I fully understand few are called to this. But those who are called remain the focus of this ministry.
Mainly, we want Christian discussion—not apologetics. For several reasons, authors and readers need a place to share and ask open questions without fear of reprisal or ridicule. In the age of the Great Falling Away, being Christian becomes not politically correct [though we’re not cancelled yet]. We have pledged fealty to another King, in a glorious Kingdom without end. This makes worldly governments a bit queasy, usually resulting in rage. After all, we are expecting the overthrow of the Creep’s worldly system. We may also have members from areas of the globe where Christianity is illegal. We need to be able to keep confidences.
Places to get the book
It’s available online, as a free downloadable reader’s spreads PDF.
You can get it on Gumroad for whatever you want to pay, including free.[It suggests $1,000+, but that’s a joke.] You’ll have your choice of a PDF in Readers’ spreads, an ePUB for the quality ereaders, and an ePUB for Kindle. You can download any or all of them.
I have started a Writing During the Last Days hidden, private Facebook group
If you are interested, read the book and then email me.
Send us this form if you want to become involved with the effort.
[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]


Of course, all that has to do with mobile iOS gaming, where Apple has had considerable success. But when it comes to desktop-based gaming, things haven't as gone well, where the Windows PC is the standard. And Apple doesn't have a console to compete against Microsoft's Xbox, either.
Google's entertainment ecosystem boasts what's arguably the most diverse hardware selection of any single platform. The reason: Android is an open-source platform and that means -- for better and sometimes for worse -- that manufacturers can use the software in any device imaginable and modify it in any way they wish.
While Google itself doesn't have a presence in console gaming, a number of manufacturers offer Android-based devices made explicitly for the purposes of entertainment. Sony's Xperia Play phone, for instance, combines a traditional Android smartphone with a console-like game controller for on-the-go play. Nvidia, meanwhile, is currently working on a portable Android gaming device known as Project Shield -- essentially an Xbox-like controller with a high-definition display. It'll be able to play console-quality games from Google Play as well as PC games from a shared Wi-Fi connection.
The common thread linking these devices and the more traditional Android smartphones and tablets is their access to the Google Play Store, which -- as part of its app collection -- offers a large collection of downloadable games for users. Titles range from puzzle and casino games to sports, arcade, and action experiences. Top-selling titles include games like Minecraft, Need for Speed, Plants vs. Zombies, Fruit Ninja and Sonic the Hedgehog.
In May, Google launched a centralized gaming framework called Google Play Game Services. It allows developers to tap into a universal network in order to provide users with the ability to save their games cross-device and cross-platform, as well take advantage of a multiplayer communication system complete with game play invitations, achievement tracking and leaderboards. The platform had 32 games on board at the time of its launch; Google expects more developers to integrate the framework into their titles.
Microsoft's gaming ecosystem is by far the richest and most comprehensive of its competitors, anchored by the best-selling Xbox 360 game console. The Xbox 360 has been the best-selling gaming console for more than two years, according to research firm NPD, which said that in January 2013, the Xbox had 44 percent of all console sales.
Every single one of the top 10 selling games for that month was available on the Xbox, and one of them, Halo 4 (published by Microsoft Studios), was available only for the Xbox. The Xbox Live service lets you play games online against others, and also lets you watch TV and movies.


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Pros: sleek, modern, attractive, sturdy, portable, good balance, good bass, good sound isolation.
Cons: Band can look goofy if you don't bend the wire a bit.Shiny cans attract fingerprints.
The Bottom Line: These are great headphones for a good price, and I would recommend them to anyone.
Review: I had been eyeing these for a while - my beloved Sennheisers were stolen a few months ago, and due t ...
Read full review

domain: hobby


An Editorial of Sorts
Bridget Liang, PhD student, in Gender, Feminist and Women's Studies, York University
Catherine Duchastel de Montrouge, PhD Candidate in Science and Technology Studies, York University
The "origins" story
On a rainy Toronto afternoon in September 2012, Cath arrived late to the first years' orientation, dripping water all over the program’s accessible classroom. She was a 2nd year M.A. student in Critical Disability Studies and agreed to introduce incoming students to the graduate students’ association of which she was an executive. .
During the awkward “networking” and buffet portion of any grad program orientation, Cath’s attention was drawn to this person with pink hair, wearing pink flannel, matching skin-tight jeans, Barbie pink lipstick and glittery purple eyeshadow.
Bridget was boisterously talking and cackling about something queer, and Cath thought to herself, “This is one of my people!” Like the cheesiest of fanfic tropes, they gravitated towards one another immediately. Later that same day, they bumped into each other on campus, and animatedly talked about terrible representations of disability, queerness in popular culture, and about fanfiction at the campus bagel shop. Through everyday acts of solidarity and kindness, shared stories and mutual support, Bridget and Cath ended up both living together on campus and becoming each other’s chosen family.
And so began our friendship & kinship, continuously reaffirmed, between two queer and trans, fat, disabled academic fanfic nerds. (Gen fic only please!).
Flash forward a couple years in another shared apartment, off-campus this time: Cath has begun her PhD, and Bridget is finishing their major research project for their MA. There have been many conversations about how ableist academia is, even in Disability Studies, and about how frustrating it is to realize how invisible disability is in Media Studies, including Fanfiction Studies.
While putting together one of her reading list for her comprehensive examination, once again Cath is confronted with the scarcity of published texts on disability and fan fiction. Cath suspects there are many aca-fans (academic fans, identities blur in fanfiction) that are interested in disability and fanfiction, that have presented on it, have written papers about it, have spent the same amount of time talking with their friends about it that she and Bridget have. What would it take to create a space that would bring those texts together? Where could this project of fannish and academic exploration take place?
Crip time and space
This issue took more than two years to put together. Through those years, disability, poverty, job precarity, uncertainty, friendships, and chronic illness are woven in, and so is "crip time". Alison Kafer (2013) describes crip time as a shared experience of stretched temporality for many disabled people and disability communities.
“Crip time emerges here as a wry reference to the disability-related events that always seem to start late or the disabled people who never seem to arrive anywhere on time... Operating on crip time, then, might be not only about a slower speed of movement but also about the ableist barriers over which one has little to no control.” (Kafer, 2013, p.26)
The making of this special issue saw us living in crip time, working through crip time, and reflecting on the pace of academic projects and collaborations with other disabled folks. More than this, we realized crip time made it possible for this special issue and those contributing to it, to develop and grow, in ways only crip time can allow, and to create a crip space of creativity.
Life encroached on our plans for this issue. Cath kept getting sick, and adjusting to living with a new chronic illness, a few years after a first union strike, there was another one, quite long this time. A cat companion passed away, a human companion left. Bridget’s underwent bottom surgery and with it came a slew of issues we could not have foreseen as part of the healing process. Bridget was also trying to balance finding enough work to pay the bills while finishing their MA, because who’d hire a disabled, autistic, mixed race, and fat trans woman? Not many people, in the end. The stress of finding ways to survive economically was a strain on our energy and deeply affected how we could work on this project, but also on how we came to want to work on it, with our contributors, and with each other, to let us all breathe.
Throughout these two plus years we've felt many times that we were failing at "doing this right". We had to learn to work together as co-editors, to value our different ways of working and processing information. We made schedules we couldn’t follow. Made new ones, with tasks, which ended up being intrinsically linked to our authors’ own access needs. We were trying to navigate the essentially ableist processes of much of academic publishing, to instil some of the ideals of fanfiction spaces: working collaboratively with our contributors, supporting them, giving them time and space, respecting their voices, offering critiques. We stumbled at time. We had to backtrack, and change our approaches. We needed rest at others. Sometimes, the process went as it should but mostly it didn’t. Many of our contributors also identify as disabled and we needed to adjust ourselves to their needs and they to ours. It hasn’t been seamless. We lost some contributors because of the ordinary ableism of life and the expectations of production in academia. We got discouraged, and were afraid we were letting people down by taking so much time to do everything. An important aspect of our special issue came from wanting to create a space for fan and disability knowledges in academia, to allow for different experiences to count as knowledge. We initially conceived of it as a creative and welcoming space, flexible enough to encompass different types of contributions, including fanfiction, and multimedia. What we have come to realize was that we were creating a stretched-out temporality, a voyaging bubble, where time was not counted in minutes and hours and days, but in embodied moments, unequally distributed. This is we think a particularly crip temporality, " a strange temporality" (Kafer, 2013, p.35), that reflects how time works in fan communities as well, what De Kosnik (2016) refers to as "fan time", or the time of fannish participation. Fan time is a queering of time, a way for fans to reclaim how and when they consume media and engage with it (p.158). But also how fans engage with each other. Fanfic authors come and go, stories sometimes are left unfinished or disappear. At times a fic doesn't get updated for months, or years. This is also true of reviewers, beta, and readers too (lurkers as well, but less is known of them). Life happens. And yet, fanfiction persists, as do those who love it.
The temporality of this special issue then, has been as intermittent as Cath's symptoms, as lingering and resilient as Bridget's recovery, speeding up during periods of intense editing and planning, slowing down in periods when disability and life conspired to take over. And at times, fracturing with the urgency of personal crises, our own and those of our collaborators. It has pushed us to consider our work, disability, and academia, differently (Kafer, p.20). This project has been an exciting and challenging one for us, and in the end, we managed to bring together some really talented scholars and fans (categories blurring) in this special issue. This special issue also solidifies a focus of interdisciplinary scholarship that engages with disability and fanfiction, that includes multiple fields and areas of interest. Of course, researchers and scholars have already have been doing work about disability and fanfiction, presenting papers at conferences, just as many fans, disabled and abled, have been taking part in similar investigations in online fanfiction spaces. But there haven't been many publications in academic journals or interest in media or fanfiction studies, and disability studies about disability and fanfiction. We hope that the amazing contributions included in this special issue demonstrate the richness of the interdisciplinary field of fanfiction and disability. We are incredibly proud of all who have contributed to this special issue, and humbly thankful of all those who have supported it, with a special thank you to Jay Dolmage who has consistently and patiently cheered us on.
Overview of Disability and/in/through Fanfiction
Disability and/in/through Fanfiction includes a mix of academic articles, based on research and scholarship, reflections on how disability manifest in fannish spaces, a documentary film, and fanfiction narratives. All are imbued with disabled fan sensibilities and perspectives.
Olivia Dreisinger's a documentary film "Disabled!" examines the role of disability in fanfiction, presenting a broad introduction to the subject. Dreisinger also addresses issues of sex and disability, specifically the issue of anxieties abled people feel over the representation of disabled people as "sexual citizens" in popular culture. Through interviews with fans and research, they explore whether fanfiction is a space where non-normative bodies can be desired, and where disabled people can claim desirability?
Cath Duchastel de Montrouge's article" Shipping Disability/Fanfiction: Disrupting Narratives of Fanfiction as Inclusive" also present the characteristics of fanfiction as literary and creative practices, some of thematic threads fanfiction studies have focused on, as well as highlighting how they create tensions with disability and disabled fans. She argues that conceiving of fanfiction as a disruption instead of as subversive or a transgression as it currently tends to be, enables us to focus on both fanfiction's capacity to empower and marginalize.
Chelsea Fay Baumgartner and Adrienne Raw's respective articles continue the exploration of online spaces where fanfiction and disability meet. Adrienne Raw's article, "Normalizing Disability: Tagging and Disability Identity Construction Through Marvel Cinematic Universe Fanfiction" theorizes that medical labels applied to disability and disabled people allow fanfiction tags to function as a normalizing force. She analyzes trend in disability-related trend in the MCU fandom in order to demonstrate this theory.
"Bodies of Knowledge: Politics of Archives, Disability, Fandom" examines how the structure of fanfiction spaces enable fans to resist oppressive ideologies about disability. Baumgartner also highlights the tensions categorizations of disability in these spaces create for fans and in discourse. Baumgartner weaves personal reflections of their relationship with disability and injury to their exploration of it in fandom and society.
Fanfiction offers spaces, communal and imaginative, to consider identities more fully. Jennifer Rogers' article "Authentic Representation and Author Identity: Exploring Mental Illness in The Hobbit Fanfiction" examines the importance of fanfiction authors' relationships to mental health issues to writing fanfiction that is considered authentic by fans. Rogers analyzes two fanfictions from The Hobbit fandom to answer the questions: Are representations of characters with mental health issues accurately represented in fanfiction? And what function does disability play in fanfiction?
Derek Newman-Stille's article "From Slash Fan Fiction to Crip Fan Fiction: What Role Does Disability Have in Fandom?" also addresses issues of identity and explores how subversive representation of male homosexuality in fanfiction deploys disability tropes and stereotypes about disabled people. Newman-Stille's article also imagines what crip fan fiction would look like through a "critical making practice" such as fanfiction.
Hannah Orlove's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fanfiction "Made from Something Different" is one such crip fanfiction, that reimagines Julian Bashir as an autistic character and tells of his encounter with a Deaf Bajoran Minister visiting DS9, and that allows readers to bask in "the shivering delight in recognizing something of yourself where you hadn't expected to find a mirror" (Orlove). Orlove's work brings to the fore the need disabled people have of seeing themselves reflected in pop culture.
Christa Mullis' "Autistic-Coded Characters and Fans in Fandom" explores the practice autistic fans have of reading certain characters as autistic, as "moving like me", as well as the negative reactions of allistic fans to these particular readings. Mullis examines the reasons behind the resistance allistic fans and creators have against autistic fans' feeling of resonance and appropriation to autistic-coded characters in media and fandom.
In "Gimp Sue Gets the Girl: Disability in Twilight Fanfiction" Olivia Dreisinger asks: What does it look like to represent yourself as a disabled character in fanfiction? Dreisinger is exploring one of the most controversial genres in fanfiction, the Mary Sue, a writer self-inserting themselves in a fandom and becoming the main focus of the story. Dreisinger uses the lenses of queerness and disability to insightfully examine these practices by disabled fan authors.
Leetal Dean also examines a fan practice of giving gift fics as an act of care in “Those Crazy Fangirls on the Internet: Activism of Care, Disability and Fan Fiction”. These gift fics are often requests by neurodivergent fans for stories about a beloved character going through something they're going through usually with a positive outcome. Dean uses this concept of Activism of Care to frame this practice of gifting fic as an act that “promotes social change in differently accessible ways from traditional activism”. By writing these stories, it helps support the individual neurodivergent folks who are looking for a little care, but also produces positive narratives of neurodiversity. This activism of care builds communities of support and more understanding of neurodiversity in the face of negative stereotypes.
Bridget Liang's piece, “It's Not Weird Like Werewolves” blends together intersectionality, the concept of the monster, and desirability into fic. They discuss how monsters are often metaphors for marginalized folks and how the monster narrative until very recently needed to end with the monster's death (and thus, the death of the marginalized person). With the recent trend towards monster protagonists such as in Teen Wolf (both the 1984 movie and the 2011 TV show), we see this trend where the monster no longer is associated with the marginalized subject, but is drawn closer to the normate. And in response to this, Liang wrote a short Teen Wolf fic where the protagonist stays disabled when he becomes a werewolf and enters a gay relationship with his best friend.
“Enabling/Disabling: Fanfiction and Disability Discourse” by AmyLea Clemons challenges the practice of adding on disability to fan studies through formulating a disability-centered perspective of reading fan fiction. Through using Stuart Hall's concepts of Encoding/Decoding, Clemons coins the terms Enabling/Disabling to examine how fans enable and disable each other in making disability representation. Fans engage in decoding texts and encode their own texts when producing fan fiction and other fan works. Enabling gives agency to fans to give feedback to creators by creating different (explicitly disability) narratives. Instead of accepting or rejecting the texts given to them, fandom enables disabled fans to tell better, more authentic stories that can enable more people to engage in disability positively. Yet on the flipside, Disabling examines how norms of whose bodies are acceptable to write about are reproduced. Disabling explicitly names this process of reproducing the same bodies as an act that continues to disempower disabled and other marginalized folks.
This special issue is just the beginning of the conversation. And as always, hit the like button, review, subscribe, and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.
Lurkers are people who participate in reading and consuming fanfiction and comments but do not introduce themselves or contributes in writing, commenting or editing. ↑


Heriot - Watt has been voted the best university in Scotland for the second year in a row.
The institution, which includes the School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels, was given the honour in the Sunday Times University Guide.
Principal Steve Chapman said:
"At Heriot-Watt, we put great effort into exceptional student experience by striving to consistently deliver excellent facilities, teaching, and support services.
"These positive results represent a real strength of feeling among our students and real professionalism on the part of the staff."
It was also named as being the best for student experience in the UK and ranked fourth best in the UK.
Students have also awarded the university the title of Scotland's best in the National Student Survey.
More top news
The tabloid, launched in June, aimed to give readers a national newspaper with a northern slant. The last edition will be Friday July 29.
Crews use chainsaws and winches to remove fallen trees and debris that are currently clogging the middle of the River Petrill in Carlisle.
The rare 1901 edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit will go under the hammer to mark the 150th anniversary of the author's birth.


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Report of the committee of the Society for carrying into effect His Majesty's proclamation against vice and immorality for the year 1799. Together with a list of the members.
Published for the Society by J. Hatchard, No.173, Piccadilly [and printed by James Bateson],
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domain: artistic


The United States Plastic Waste Agreement: A Positive Step Forward in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
The United States was once known as the world`s leading waste producer, with a staggering 262 million tons of trash produced in 2015 alone. A significant portion of this waste was plastic, with only a fraction being properly recycled or disposed of. This has led to a global plastic pollution crisis with devastating environmental consequences.
Thankfully, the United States government is taking steps to address this issue with the U.S. Plastic Waste Agreement. This groundbreaking agreement was developed in collaboration with over 30 companies and organizations from across the supply chain to reduce plastic waste and promote circularity in the economy.
Under the agreement, participants commit to ambitious targets such as ensuring that 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. Additionally, they pledge to incorporate recycled content into plastic packaging and eliminate any unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025.
This agreement is a significant step forward in addressing plastic pollution as it takes a holistic approach to the issue. Instead of solely focusing on recycling, it aims to reduce the amount of plastic produced in the first place and encourages the development of more sustainable products and practices.
Furthermore, the U.S. Plastic Waste Agreement has the potential to catalyze global change. By setting ambitious targets and encouraging collaboration across the supply chain, it sends a clear message that plastic pollution is a global issue that requires collective action. By leading the charge, the United States can inspire other countries to follow suit and work towards a world free of plastic waste.
While the U.S. Plastic Waste Agreement is undoubtedly a positive step, it`s important to acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. Plastic waste continues to pollute our oceans and harm wildlife, and the agreement alone won`t solve the issue. It`s up to individuals, businesses, and governments to take responsibility and work towards more sustainable solutions.
In conclusion, the U.S. Plastic Waste Agreement is a vital step forward in the fight against plastic pollution. By encouraging collaboration and setting ambitious targets, it has the potential to spark global change and inspire others to take action. As we move towards a more sustainable future, we must continue to prioritize reducing plastic waste and creating a circular economy that benefits both the environment and the economy.


Nvidia wants graphics processors to create avatars with realistic human faces, and power visual searches in which images can be identified to produce matching search results.
Nvidia hopes to make its ambitious break into the portable handheld gaming market in the next few months, the company's CEO said Tuesday.
Nvidia wants to bump up graphics and application performance on tablets and smartphones with the two new Tegra mobile processors.
Handset maker ZTE said it will be the first vendor to launch smartphones using Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, with new models slated to arrive in China before mid-year.
Nvidia on Tuesday announced the GeForce GTX Titan, a GPU designed to handle the most demanding games by harnessing the processing power of 2,668 graphics cores.
Nvidia hopes to power sub-$200 smartphones and tablets under $300 with its latest Tegra 4i processor, which is also the company's first chip with an integrated LTE modem.
It's been a year since the introduction of the first Intel Inside handset, but the company's struggles to break into the smartphone market continue as rivals Nvidia and Qualcomm improved speed and power efficiency of ARM chips, which dominate that ma...
Sony's president says he wasn't completely surprised by Nvidia's announcement that it plans to launch an Android-based portable gaming device.
We game on phones, we game on consoles, we game on networks, but cloud-based gaming has been hobbled by performance issues. Today at CES, Nvidia announced the GRID cloud gaming platform, a server system that aims to solve the power, speed, and scalab...
Perhaps taking a leaf from Apple's book, Nvidia kept its greatest surprise at CES for the end of its news conference: an Android-based portable gaming device based on its new Tegra 4 chip.
Nvidia has unveiled its Tegra 4 processor, a chip that will bring consumers more power in mobile devices and help Nvidia remain competitive in the fast moving mobile market.
NVidia is taking video games into the cloud with a new rack server optimized for computer graphics.
Is HTC going to turn its recent run of strong releases into meaningful, long-term pressure on Android market leader Samsung? It's certainly starting to look that way, thanks to a new burst of rumors about the Taiwanese company's possible M7 flagship ...
Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices on Monday announced high-performance graphics chips for supercomputers.
As the U.S. launched what's expected to be the world's fastest supercomputer at 20 petaflops, China is building a machine that is intended to be five times faster when it is deployed in 2015.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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All schools will be closed on Friday, Dec. 9, due to weather. All activities, sports, performing arts, and building rental activities are canceled. However, most activities taking place in Vancouver Public Schools over the Dec. 10 [...]
Get the details on the latest weather-related schedule changes.
Learners of all ages are invited to attend Vancouver iTech Preparatory’s upcoming Maker Fair!
Building Readers provides the guidance, steps to take, specific direction and concrete recommendations that parents need to help their kids learn to read, and to read more proficiently. In this issue: Six strategies that [...]
November 17, 2016 Dear Families, Recently, Skyview High School was tagged overnight with "hate graffiti" displayed on two exterior walls of the school campus. I want to reassure our families that the role of the [...]
Learn about the bond measure that will appear on the Feb. 14, 2017, special election ballot.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Vancouver Public Schools' board of directors approved a resolution to put a capital facilities bond measure on the ballot in the Feb. 14, 2017, special election.
A secure entrance and Family-Community Resource Center are two of the four upgrades that Roosevelt Elementary will receive with funds from a bond measure.
Did you know that research shows just two missed days of school every month, even in kindergarten, can cause a child to suffer academically and decrease the chances that he or she will graduate? While some absences are unavoidable, they quickly add up.
Every time he pulls up to a school, bus driver John Ringold says the same thing to his young passengers: “I’m proud of you and I care about you. Please be safe, respectful, responsible and cooperative. Thank you and have a wonderful day. You’re awesome.”


Prison for father-of-two who helped bag €280k of heroin
By Aoife Nic Ardghail
A Dublin father-of-two who agreed to help bag over €280,000 of heroin for a small sum of money and a “bit of smoke” has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Edward Maher (31) told gardaí he didn’t know what was involved when he got a call about the job and claimed he tried to get out of it when he realised what his role would be.
He said his job would have been to tie up bags of heroin from the 2.04kg cache, but he didn’t get that far as gardaí swooped in with a search warrant.
Maher, of Croftwood Gardens, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing €286,020 of heroin at Orchard Lawns, Ballyfermot on December 19, 2016.
He has 12 previous convictions for minor road traffic offences.
Garda John Morrissey told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that he and colleagues set up a surveillance operation in the Ballyfermot area on December 19, 2016.
The gardaí saw Maher go back and forth between his home and the Orchard Lawns premises with another man in the evening.
They later observed this man approach a third male in a laneway. Gardai stopped the third male afterwards and found drugs on him.
Garda Morrissey said he and colleagues got a warrant to search the Orchard Lawns premises on foot of this transaction.
During the subsequent raid they found Maher in a back shed with a quantity of brown powder, electronic weighing scales, gloves and a blender.
Garda Morrissey told Mr Lawlor that Maher co-operated during the interview and admitted he was helping put the heroin into bags.
He revealed that while he didn’t take heroin or have a drug debt, he did smoke cannabis. He said he had been promised €100 to do the job and that there would also be “a bit of smoke in it”.
Gda Morrissey agreed with Luigi Rea BL, defending, that no drugs or paraphernalia was found at his client’s house during another raid.
He further agreed Maher showed no signs of wealth or spending.
Mr Rea submitted to Judge Martin Nolan that his client had dealt with his cannabis addiction and had family support in court.
He asked the judge to consider a fully suspended sentence given Maher’s lack of serious offending and his minor role in the drugs enterprise.
Judge Nolan said Maher was part of the “chain” in the enterprise even though he was close to the bottom.
He noted Mr Rea’s submission for a wholly suspended sentence but said he couldn’t accede to this as the crime was too serious.
“[Maher] took a chance and committed a grave error of judgement”, the judge said.


GRASYS has recently completed the manufacture of several compact membrane nitrogen plants.
These plants are designed for air to nitrogen production at pressures in excess of 35 atmospheres and are used in both stationary and mobile nitrogen production systems.
GRASYS nitrogen systems can use high-pressure oxygen production while maintaining minimal dimensions at light weight. This is important for use of nitrogen blocks in a mobile nitrogen compressor station.
Previously, mobile systems for nitrogen production were utilizing cryogen and adsorption generators, which significantly yielded to membrane systems in terms of reliability, compactness, and simplicity of operation.


Source: True Pundit
This will be a great test for U.S. Attorney General William Barr who, flanked by President Trump, warned all comers last week that anyone caught hoarding critical medical supplies would be prosecuted by the Justice Department.
Literally days later, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was busted hoarding thousands of ventilators from sick patients while he jockeyed with the federal government to buy and send New York more ventilators because he said the state was experiencing a supposed dire shortage. It turns out, that was a lie and Cuomo was just being a cheap bureaucrat, gambling with the lives of sick patients while trying to haord even more ventilators, this time for free.
Cuomo was sitting on a stockpile of ventilators while some patients in New York City hospitals were actually sharing ventilators — a dangerous yet necessary life-saving endeavor. How many ventilators has Cuomo and friends been hoarding? It is hard to say how many thousands, but that would be a job for a functioning Justice Department to ascertain.
If we had a functioning Justice Department. Will Barr back up his big mouth or allow Cuomo to skate free and clear? Moreover, how much will Cuomo’s illicit actions cost taxpayers when the lawsuits start piling up? And how many patients died while Cuomo lied? — Thomas Paine


Depression must be understood on both a biological and psychological level, says Robert Sapolsky.
We've all felt a little blue, down in the dumps, or just plain sad. But when a serious depression sets in, it could be weeks, months or even years before the feeling lifts.
Provided by Stanford University (news : web)
Explore further: Video: Swine flu health tips


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TRENTON, N.J. – The attorney for one of five suspects accused of gang-raping a 7-year-old New Jersey girl says the child was not raped.
Attorney Robin Lord suggested Thursday in court that the girl was pressured to give a false account of what happened at a party.
Lord is representing 20-year-old Gregory Leary, who was ordered held on half a million dollars' bail.
Leary is also accused of statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child. Trenton police say he also had sex with the girl's 15-year-old stepsister.
Police say the stepsister sold the child to have sex with as many as seven men and boys at a party in a vacant apartment. The stepsister has also been arrested.
A 19-year-old and three juvenile teenagers also are charged with the girl's rape.
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domain: sociology


The Kenwood ISP100BL Steam Iron helps you get your ironing tasks done faster. The iron has uniquely designed steam holes and non-stick soleplate coating that slides smoothly over fabrics. This Kenwood ISP100BL steam iron is available in Cobalt blue color.
The Kenwood steam iron includes an anti-scale device which prevents it from accumulating, thereby increasing the life of your steam generator. The pointed tip makes ironing easy around buttons.
The iron has adjustable steam settings and gives continuous steam output for better crease removal. You can also vertically iron for curtains suit and dresses. The water spray system removes wrinkles from your clothes. The temperature setting knob has settings related to the fabric which is very helpful to iron particular fabric.
The Kenwood ISP100BL steam iron consumes 2200 watts for a quick heating process. It will help you to save you a lot of time and even efforts would be less. Also, this will give a constant high steam output.


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Surya Forum FM7072-23 Hand Tufted Rug, 2' x 3' Rectangle
Supplies and Accessories
Surya Forum FM7072 Hand Tufted Rug, 9' x 12' is a must-have accessory for your home or office space
Replace your worn-out rug with this stylish and attractive "Surya Forum FM7072 Hand Tufted Rug". Bring home the perfection of fine craftsmanship with this contemporary style rug. Its wool material lends a rich textured feel. Enhance the beauty of your room with this gray rug. Specifically designed to coordinate with most decor themes, this attractive color makes a smart choice for modern as well as classic style spaces. It features a rectangle design and measures 2' x 3' for added convenience.
Material: 100% Wool
Country of Origin: India
Dimensions: 2' x 3'
Pile Height: 0.63"
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IBM is launching IBM SmartCloud Docs, a new cloud-based office suite, akin to Google Apps and Microsoft Corp.’s Office 365. Word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation apps — the proverbial pillars of productivity software — are all here, alongside the new Social Business portfolio. This allows users to collaborate, “co-edit” and share documents, chat in real time and extend collaboration outside an IBM SmartCloud user base without limitations.
The IBM SmartCloud Social Business portfolio features the ability for users to develop their own blogs and wikis, deepening the discussion and collaboration capabilities within the platform. IBM promises “business-grade file sharing,” specialized collaboration communities within the cloud, instant online meeting creation, presence, instant messaging and the all-important e-mail and calendar combination.
But why now? Aside from the growing competition from Google and Microsoft, IBM is detecting bigger trends in the cloud world. Pointing to Forrester Research, IBM notes a direct link between cloud growth and the growth of business-based social networking. The cloud is set to hit a $241 billion in business by 2020, and social enterprise apps are set to grow to an estimated $6.4 billion well into 2016. Naturally, IBM wants to “capitalize on this convergence” of technology.
But this move is also part of IBM’s momentum in retiring the Lotus brand and doubling-down on its efforts to reach a broader midmarket audience, a space clamoring for more affordable cloud-based solutions.
Likewise, this solution set better positions IBM to fit into more vertical spaces. IBM cites the University of Texas at El Paso as a client that’s benefiting from this wide scale collaboration on campus — helping the student body and faculty perform greater collaborative efforts with less effort. Similarly, this solution could be ideal for the health care sector, where small and medium practices need enhanced collaborative capabilities.
But cloud isn’t complete without some mobility, and the IBM SmartCloud has been developed with mobile usage in mind. IBM has introduced “new software to help business partners secure cloud-based IBM email on mobile devices [and] extend their current business capabilities to mobile devices.”
IBM SmartCloud Docs is free for those already using IBM SmartCloud Engage Advanced. For $3 per user, IBM Connections and SmartCloud Engage standard customers can add SmartCloud Docs to their existing solution set. IBM has also confirmed “all the SmartCloud for Social Business services are available to the channel partners to sell, deliver and deploy.”
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Methods in Molecular Biology 339Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols [1ed.]9781588292933, 1588292932, 1597450766
Description:Microchip capillary electrophoresis, a new and emerging technology that can rapidly analyze biological compounds as small as or smaller than a single cell, will have a major impact on biological sciences in the next 10 to 20 years. In Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols, leading chemists and engineers concisely explain the principles behind this revolutionary technique and demonstrate its use in a variety of biochemical applications, ranging from the analysis of DNA, proteins, and peptides to single cell analysis and measuring the impact of surface modification on flow in microfluidic channels. The authors describe in detail the detection methods used, including mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, and conductivity. Since surface chemistry must be carefully considered for optimal operation at this scale, they also discuss methods of both adsorbed and covalent surface modification for its control. Fabrication methods for producing microchips with glass, poly(dimethylsiloxane), and other polymers are also provided so that even novices can produce simple devices for standard separations. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Instructive and well-detailed, Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols provides a practical starting point for both initiating research in the field of microchip capillary electrophoresis and understanding the full range of how these new systems can be used successfully in biological research.

domain: chemistry


Vecna Robotics, a leader in intelligent, next-generation, robotic material handling autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs), was awarded first place in the DHL & Dell Robotics Mobile Picking Challenge 2017. The event was held last week at the DHL Innovation Center in Troisdorf, Ge
Zaber's X-LRQ-DE Series of linear stages have high stiffness, load, and lifetime capabilities in a compact size. The integrated linear encoder combined with stage calibration provides high accuracy positioning over the full travel of the device. At 36 mm high, these stages are excellent for applications where a low profile is required. The X-LRQ-DE's innovative design allows speeds up to 205 mm/s and loads up to 100 kg. Like all Zaber products, the X-LRQ-DE Series is designed for easy set-up and operation.


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Britain's Got Talent semi-final of the 2020 series will air this weekend.
The ITV show is making a comeback after the semi-finals and final were pushed back due to the coronavirus crisis.
Britain’s Got Talent semi-final show will kick off on ITV tonight at 8pm.
The contestants on the second line up are dancing duo from London Aaron and Jasmine, comedian from Liverpool Allan Finnegan and school choir Class Dynamix.
They'll be joined by Amanda and Miracle, a magic dog act from Inverness-shire, Scotland and Souparnika Nair, a singer from Bury St Edmunds.
London magician Damien O'Brien will also be performing. Dance act The Coven and Amanda's golden buzzer act, Honey & Sammy, a mother and daughter duo Honey, 14, and Sammy, 43 will also fight for a place in the finals.
Music mogul Simon Cowell, actress Amanda Holden, singer Alesha Dixon, comedian David Walliams were set to be on the BGT judging panel this year.
Simon Cowell has now asked Diversity’s Ashley Banjo to step in for him on the show after the music mogul broke his back on an e-bike.
Amanda Holden, who has been a judge on the show since 2007, reportedly signed a £3 million deal to continue on BGT for another three years at the beginning of this year.
Britain’s favourite double act Ant & Dec are also back to present the show this year.
BGT will trial a virtual audience, according to judge Alesha Dixon.
The semi-finals – which usually go out live, across a week – will now be pre-recorded due to social distancing guidelines.
A source previously told The Sun bosses are prepared to crown a winner without an audience, saying: “If guidelines change and they can get in a crowd using social distancing, they’ll consider it. But for the moment, the only people present will be a small crew and the judges, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.”
There are two parts to the prize on offer for this year's contestants.
First, the cash prize of £250,000 – an amount that has stayed the same in recent series of the show, but in its first series was lower.
Then the winner will get the chance to to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.
Source: Read Full Article


Scientists Uncover Solar Cycle, Stratosphere, and Ocean Connections
Subtle connections between the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere, and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research appearing this week in the journal Science.
NSF TeraGrid helps Hayden Planetarium create the most advanced planetarium show ever produced
High-performance computing systems, visualization resources, and software tools provided by the National Science Foundation TeraGrid helped make the Hayden Planetarium's new space show the most scientifically accurate and advanced planetarium show ever produced, according to many reviewers.
Wyoming Supercomputing Center Reaches Design Milestone
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its managing organization, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), today unveiled design concepts for the Wyoming supercomputing center.
A test run for satellite chemical sensors
A new study led by NCAR scientist David Edwards is the first to apply the concept of Observing System Simulation Experiments to chemical weather (predicting pollution events and variability in the atmosphere’s chemical composition).
- Air Quality
New cause for past global warming revealed by massive modeling project
By simulating 8,000 years of climate, a team led by scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and NCAR has found a new explanation for the last major period of global warming, which occurred about 14,500 years ago.


In the dynamic world of highway and off-highway workspaces, where massive machinery and complex work site components abound, safety is paramount. These environments can pose significant risks, with mobile equipment operating in close proximity to bustling crews, moving traffic, valuable property and vulnerable pedestrians.
The National Safety Council (NSC), citing Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, reports that in 2021 more than 900 people were killed and over 42,000 injured in work zone crashes.1 Of the 954 total fatalities:
- 468 were in construction zones.
- 66 were in maintenance zones.
- 17 were in a utility zone.
- 403 were in work zones of unknown type.
Disturbingly, work zone deaths have surged by 63% since 2010, emphasizing the pressing need for drivers to exercise caution and for innovative technologies and targeted training to be implemented that can significantly reduce the number of accidents occurring in these hazardous work environments.
Safety Gets an Assist
Take a closer look and you will discover a number of product innovations that are making job sites safer for crews and equipment operators. Companies that manage construction activities or that supervise work zones are encouraged to explore the newest apparatuses, tools and instruments that can do more to protect people, property and progress:
- Autonomous flaggers
Better known as AFADs, Automated Flagger Assistance Devices provide an effective alternative to traditional flagging operations. The technology has existed for several years; however, use of AFADs on America’s roadways is just now becoming widespread as more companies come to know the benefits.
AFADs are “smart” traffic control systems that provide temporary measures that indicate to motorists where and when to slow down. Most are composed of a series of sensors installed in the device and/or within the work zone, along with a visual indicator such as a flag or light. The sensors detect a vehicle’s speed and transmit the data back to the indicator. When a vehicle enters the work zone, the indicator warns the motorist to slow down and/or activates the device’s flagging arm.
These systems have proven to be highly effective in reducing crash risks in work zones. A 2017 study by the Missouri DOT found that motorists were more responsive to AFADs and that 78% of drivers prefer AFADs over human flaggers.2
Units are typically controlled by trained and certified flaggers via a roadside tablet and operate on a secure LAN so they can work anytime, anywhere. Some AFADs also make use of onboard Google/Waze technology to divert a certain volume of traffic around the work zone entirely. And should a vehicle breach the work zone, AFADs can instantly sound an alarm to alert people to the danger.
It is believed that with further advances some AFAD systems will even be able to detect and analyze a driver’s behavior as vehicles approach the work zone, then alert crews to any potentially dangerous activity. This could lead to a significant reduction in the number of injuries and fatalities that occur annually in work zones.
- Portable temporary rumble strips (PTRS)
PTRS are an often overlooked solution for managing traffic flow, and the use of rumble strips is now required by many states in work zones. These plastic or polymer strips create a groove-like effect over asphalt or concrete surfaces and are relatively inexpensive compared to traditional traffic control measures.
The relatively small size and light weight of these temporary strips make them ideal for use at road construction sites as a cost-effective alternative to installing traditional rumble strips.
- Cushioned impact attenuators
Cushioned impact attenuators or “crash cushions” are also increasingly used as temporary installations to protect motorists and construction workers. Among these are fully redirective, nongating, bidirectional attenuators that can be attached to most types of roadside barriers to automatically regulate the stopping force exerted on a vehicle as well as lessen the risk of a vehicle rebounding after impact.
National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) crash performance testing shows that crash cushions are breaking new ground in significantly lowering vehicle deceleration rates and reducing impact forces.
Cushioned attenuators allow lighter and slower-moving vehicles to have longer ride-down distances and lower ride-down G-forces. Unlike fixed-resistance attenuators, a cushioned attenuator does not reach maximum stopping resistance unless a vehicle is traveling at the maximum design speed. These may also be designed to create an extremely low angle of exit on side impacts, thus helping to keep vehicles from rebounding back into traffic and causing secondary accidents.
Training That Saves Lives
Ultimately it is training that equips construction crews and vehicle operators with the knowledge and personal duty to practice work zone safety. Traffic control plans should prioritize steps for training and education activities that teach constant alertness and cautious driving habits in work zones.
A variety of focused training programs are available to companies whose employees work in, or otherwise manage, active construction zones. Notable are programs available through organizations like the National Safety Council and National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. Courses can range from designing work zones to project coordination training to using smart traffic control technologies. Employees can take courses to improve their knowledge and understanding in specific construction environments, and supervisors can track the progress of individual students to ensure that they are prepared to carry out their duties safely.
Comprehensive coursework, real-life scenario modeling and peer-to-peer coaching help to achieve a higher safety standard that can often exceed federal and local requirements. Every member of the field team assigned to a work site should have completed work zone safety training including first aid and CPR and in the case of those actually monitoring traffic, certified flagger training as well. The FHWA maintains a robust work zone management program offering nationally available and state-specific training opportunities.
For anyone operating a vehicle in a work zone, state-specific DOT training is required. Safety decision- makers may also consider advanced driver training and tools for their fleets. These programs can help to develop skills such as anticipation, decision-making and vigilance, all of which can help drivers avoid potential accidents.
Work Zone Safety Never Stops
For construction crews and equipment operators, the best defense against dangerous driving habits remains a properly designed and implemented work zone staffed by certified safety professionals. Today’s technologies can elevate job site safety to new levels, and focused training programs can equip personnel with the special skills needed to stay alert and know their route of escape in an emergency.
There are professional traffic control services providers operating in all parts of the country that have the knowledge to ensure work zones are fully compliant with federal and local requirements, so be sure to investigate opportunities in your area. In the pursuit of safer environments, the collaboration between skilled professionals and cutting-edge technology paves the way for work zones that prioritize both efficiency and the protection of lives.


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Medway's Invicta Dynamos won through to the National Ice Hockey League Semi-Final Play Off...
Invicta Dynamos ice hockey news: latest online Invicta Dynamos ice hockey club news from the English National Ice Hockey League team at the Silver Blades Ice Rink Gillingham. Get the latest news, reports, updates, results and transfer news as well as discussions among Invicta Dynamos ice hockey fans about players, replica shirts and other merchandise, tickets and songs.
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013