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2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 First Drive and Video
Forget about "the corkscrew." You might know Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the infamous left/right combo, but despite its fame the corkscrew hardly distinguishes the circuit. Sure, its entry is blind and there's a big drop in the middle of the turn, but it only takes a few laps before it becomes second nature. In the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, it can be dispatched in 3rd gear at about 50 mph.
Get the corkscrew right a few times, however, and one quickly realizes that the defining turn at Laguna, the one which truly characterizes this track, is the next turn, the off-camber, downhill Turn 9, known as the Rainey Curve. Although it's not the most critical bend on the circuit, it is the one most likely to ruin your day.
It's also the turn that most dramatically demonstrates the performance differences between the standard Boss 302 and the track-dedicated Boss 302 Laguna Seca. It's here that the Laguna Seca's aero package, stickier R-compound rubber and more aggressive tuning yield more confidence and more speed and send us charging — fully committed — into Turn 10.
Hammering Laguna
Thanks to downhill runs like the one into Turn 10, Laguna Seca destroys brakes. Its 300 feet of elevation change per lap make up for its lack of ultra high-speed straights. What's more, its technical nature exposes tires that aren't up to the task in only a few laps. We've driven many street cars here that simply can't manage repeated lapping. To that notion, the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 raises a large, American middle finger before it disappears into Rainey Curve at 7,500 rpm.
There is clearly something special going on here. We've driven faster cars, but there's a certain reward that comes from the Boss' sound, the solidity of its shifter and the consistency of its brakes (four-piston Brembos clamping 14-inch rotors up front). Steering feedback is good, despite being electrically assisted, and every input is met with deliberate response from the chassis and engine. On a smooth track like Laguna, you'd never know there's a straight axle holding up the back of the car. Nothing was overlooked. And as a result, this thing simply flies.
"Every time we reached a limiter which kept the car from being able to make repeated laps, we reengineered whatever part was causing the problem," said Dave Pericak, Boss 302 chief engineer. It's an attitude we can appreciate. And it's believable. We watched four Boss 302s lap all afternoon, only stopping for fuel and driver changes.
We saw a consistent 120 mph on Laguna's front straight in both the standard Boss 302 and the Laguna Seca package car. The aero bits on the Laguna Seca package are good for 80 pounds of downforce at that speed. The base cars we drove on the track, however, had the optional Torsen differential, Recaro buckets and brake cooling ducts from Ford Racing, so discerning a difference between the two on a slow track like Laguna meant driving them both very, very hard. Do so and the differences are subtle, but they matter.
On Laguna, the standard Boss is about 1 second quicker per lap than a BMW M3 Coupe. Add the Laguna Seca package and there's another second to be had.
Here's the amazing part about the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: It's completely realistic to drive it on the street. Even the radical Laguna Seca package with its splitter and spoiler rides just fine if you're an enthusiast. In fact, in order to achieve proper balance, its front spring rates are lower than the base car. And the base car is downright livable. Dial back the dampers and you've got a well-controlled coupe that doesn't mind doing date night on Friday and track duty on Saturday.
Sure, get aggressive on an uneven back road and the chassis will still let you know there's an axle out back — but not before you've gone faster than just about everything else. We drove the car hard on one of California's rougher back roads and we're duly impressed with the control available. The Boss won't charge through uneven B-roads like an STI, but it will destroy the Subaru on a racetrack.
At the end of the day, the small compromise in street duty is more than made up in the overall experience. And you're not going to go this quickly in anything else for this kind of money.
Origins of the Boss 302
In case you don't know the original Boss 302's story, here are the CliffsNotes: It was introduced in 1969 as a road racing car for the street. It was developed to win the SCCA Trans Am Series championship, which it did in 1970 at the hands of Parnelli Jones, partially due to a key victory at Laguna Seca Raceway. A total of 8,641 cars were sold over its two-year run.
For 2012, while there's racing involved, it's not the driving force behind the car. This time, it's simply the immodest goal of kicking a lot of ass, according to Ford's Group Vice President Jim Farley. Well, OK, those weren't his exact words, but that's a close translation. It's clear Farley wants the Boss 302 to be a flagship of sorts — a car that tells the world what Ford's engineers and resources can produce. And a car that is unrivaled in the way it accomplishes that task.
The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 arrives with significant upgrades to nearly every system over the standard Mustang. It is more powerful, better handling, louder and quicker. And you can choose two levels of equipment: the standard Boss 302 and the limited-edition Boss 302 Laguna Seca package.
A Real Track Car
The Laguna Seca package is easily identified with Black or Ingot Silver paint, a red C stripe and a red roof. Up front there's a unique splitter developed on the Boss 302R Grand Am racecar and out back there's a larger spoiler than on the standard Boss. Inside there are Recaro front seats and no rear seats — a chassis brace good for 10 percent more torsional rigidity resides in their place.
But the parts that matter are underneath. The Laguna Seca package gets unique damper and spring tuning, a larger rear antiroll bar and a Torsen limited-slip differential (a clutch type is standard). There are also wider rear wheels (by 0.5 inch) and — probably the most critical component in quicker lap times — R-compound Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber sized 255/40ZR19 front and 285/35ZR19 rear. Standard Boss 302s utilize the same size Pirelli P Zero Nero rubber.
All Boss Mustangs come with dampers capable of adjusting compression and rebound over five different settings — a task that is accomplished old-school-style with a screwdriver. Laguna Seca Package-equipped cars offer a streetable base damping setting that's higher than the standard Boss.
Boss Power
Both cars utilize the same tweaked 5.0-liter power plant that spins to a satisfying 7,500 rpm and twists out 444 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque (10 fewer lb-ft than a GT). The horsepower increase over the 412-hp 5.0-liter GT engine is a result of a short-runner intake manifold, CNC-ported cylinder heads, new cams and lightened valvetrain components. Forged pistons and connecting rods are also part of the package, which is completed with an oil cooler and a baffled oil pan.
The only transmission option — a six-speed manual — comes with a heavy-duty clutch and a shorter 3.73:1 final drive rather than the 3.31:1 or 3.55:1 ratios also available in the Mustang GT.
Drive a few laps in the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and it's not the outright speed — although that is impressive — that is its most defining attribute. Rather, it's a combination of its sound and absolute indifference to track abuse that's most arresting. All Boss 302 Mustangs are fitted with quad exhaust outlets, two of which exit in front of the rear wheels and two of which exit under the rear valence. And even with the side pipes largely corked up from the factory (there's a 0.625-inch pass-through inside), the 5.0-liter makes a sound at redline like God's own piston-powered orchestra.
Functional Features
New on the Boss is three-way adjustable steering effort that can be controlled through the instrument cluster menu on the dashboard. Switching among Comfort, Normal and Sport modes increases the effort accordingly. Two-mode stability control (Normal or Sport) is carried over from the GT, and as with the GT it takes a good 10 seconds of pushing the button before it can be fully disabled.
Every Boss 302 comes with two keys — a standard key and a "TracKey" which, once the right software is installed at the dealer, turns on the awesome. Fire the car using the TracKey and Sport mode is enabled in both the steering and stability control systems, the idle gets a classic big-cam lumpiness and the throttle calibration takes on an honesty that replicates an actual connection between the pedal and the throttle body. There's also a programmable two-step launch control.
Inside, things are largely the same. There's an Alcantara suede-wrapped steering wheel and we're told the standard seats offer suede inserts, although we never sat in them (the Recaros are optional and come packaged with the Torsen differential for $1,995). Laguna Seca package cars come with a three-gauge cluster that includes coolant temperature, oil pressure and a dynamic performance gauge. Eleven pounds of sound deadening have also been removed from the interior.
Standard 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 models will cost $40,995 when they hit dealers this spring. Step up to the Laguna Seca package and you're looking at $47,990. The TracKey software is a clever $302 hit at your local dealer.
For this fee you get a car that's an honest all-day track machine that you can drive home without cooked brakes. And you can rightly drive it every day without hating yourself. Although Ford would prefer to avoid performance estimates, we would not. We'll wager that it will run to 60 mph in the low 4-second range (without rollout) and find itself buried deep in the 12-second range in the quarter-mile — probably at 115 mph.
Ford expects to build 4,000 Boss 302 Mustangs for the 2012 model year, 750 of which will be equipped with the Laguna Seca package. If those 750 buyers are smart, they'll find a way to get their cars on the track of the same name. A couple trips around Rainey Curve and they'll be glad they did.
Mustang Sales Rebound Big In March
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Jeep safari in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer Lonely roads scarce life no vegetation where are we Amid deserts where the horizon meets you and only you remain. A camp in the lap of nature so barren yet so subtle. You have all the time in the world to spend on yourself. Precious time which you yearned for A proper camel Safari in the Desert can only experience all these. The thought of finding oneself between the sea of sand is itself mesmerizing.
A large number of travel agents and tour operators in Rajasthan organize camel safaris. Jeep safari is also worth taking in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur if you are a fun loving and adventurous creature. The city of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur additionally goes about as the monitor to western Rajasthan frontier. Perched near the border outskirt and in nearness to the Thar Desert, this city beckons travelers from far and wide.
The city's most unmistakable milestone is the Jaisalmer Fort, likewise called Sonar Qila (Golden Fort). Dissimilar to most different strongholds in India, Jaisalmer Fort isn't only a vacation spot. It houses shops, inns and old havelis (homes) where ages keep on living.
Make your vacation a special one with this exciting overnight jeep and camel safari with camping.
-Explore the amazing beauty of the Thar desert while once you reach the camel point by jeep.


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Home Arts & Culture Council Update & Fall Leaf Collection
Council Update & Fall Leaf Collection
by Doug Martin
Lexington, KY - The warm weather is behind us and the holidays are around the corner. Lexington's Urban County Council has been busy on a range of important issues, and LFUCG is gearing up for its fall leaf collection program to help folks prepare for winter.
The council has finally completed its redistricting process, which happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census has been published. This year, a group of community volunteers appointed by council members examined the populations of each of the council districts, and proposed border adjustments so that each council district would have roughly the same number of people. After many meetings, some political wrangling and one or two adjustments by council, the Redistricting Committee's proposed boundary changes have now been adopted by the Urban County Council. While I am disappointed to lose parts of Garden Springs, and all of the Lafayette and Picadome neighborhoods, I am happy to welcome folks from Rabbit Run, Clemens Heights, Indian Hills and Plantation to the 10th District.
I was recently appointed by Mayor Gray to serve on a task force to examine severe financial challenges posed by the Lexington Police & Fire Pension Fund. Lexington's $537 million liability for pension and retiree medical benefits, which has been growing by about $55 million per year, is one of the most serious financial challenges to face LFUCG in generations. Returning the Police & Fire Pension Fund to a sustainable path is important both to the quality of life of our public safety retirees, but it also is critical to the very financial solvency of Lexington's city government. The new task force, chaired by former Herald-Leader publisher Tim Kelly, includes police and fire leadership, elected officials, union representatives, financial professionals, lawyers, and government representatives. These problems are complex and will be difficult to solve, but I appreciate the willingness of the administration and these government and community leaders to commit their time and expertise to addressing these serious financial challenges.
As has been covered in the local media, Mayor Gray recently proposed dramatic increases in health insurance premiums for LFUCG employees, including a $600 per month increase for the family plan used by most employees. For years, health insurance premiums from LFUCG and its employees have not covered our actual healthcare costs, which are self-funded. Currently, LFUCG will face an estimated $14 million end-of-year shortfall once the city and employees pay their share of the health insurance premiums. While the mayor's proposal was to shift the entire $14 million shortfall to employees, the council has discussed contributing an additional $1.9 million toward this shortfall to preserve some affordability for employees. It is an economic reality that some of our employees who work for low to moderate wages cannot afford to pay an additional $600 per month for family health insurance. I look forward to working with the administration, council members and LFUCG employees to reign in our healthcare costs while also providing moderate and reasonably affordable healthcare coverage for our employees.
With many leaves already on the ground and more falling every day, Lexington is gearing up for its fall leaf collection program. Beginning on Nov. 28 and continuing through Dec. 22, leaf collection will be available to residents in the urban services area who already receive city trash pickup. This year Lexington will only provide one vacuum pickup in each neighborhood, although residents may still dispose of leaves in their yard waste containers. Please visit www.lexingtonky.gov/leaves or call LexCall at (859) 425-2285 for details.
Council Councilmember's Report Southsider Uncategorized Arts & Culture


Over time I have comprised a bulleted list of the insights that resulted from that December day so many years ago. I include them not because I have mastered them, but because they represent the direction in which I like to walk each day.
• My allocation of time and energy must begin by inserting Sabbath pauses into my calendar before work begins … not after work ends. Because ministry work never ends.
• I have come to appreciate the importance of searching events and personal encounters for the embedded messages of wisdom and discernment that God offers.
• I have tried to be sensitive to the various ways God makes his presence felt: in creation's beauty and art, in suffering, in study, in various forms of private and corporate worship, in the wonderful stories of Jesus.
• I have gathered a small cadre of personal friends who know my heart (and I, theirs) and who are not reluctant to either encourage me or rebuke me when necessary.
• I have pursued the discipline of intercessory prayer for my family and friends, for the church in the world, for global leaders, for those who suffer.
• I have come to love the Bible, to draw from its pages the thoughts and purposes of God.
• I have understood the importance of readily repenting when I am wrong and quickly forgiving when others have hurt me.
• I have made it a priority to move toward those who are weak and vulnerable with words of hope … as Jesus did.
• I have sought to discipline my lifestyle: to keep free of clutter, to downsize, to keep simple, to accept the obscurity that comes with the aging life.
• I have heard the call of God in my older years to be a spiritual father to any younger people who want to welcome me into their experience.
• I have determined to daily return to the cross and reaffirm my conversion and call to follow Jesus.
We need to avoid 'empty soul' syndrome and Gordon gives very good advice.
There are many lessons from the Letter to the Church in Philadelphia in the Book of Revelation. Here is one of my sermon on it.
Hey, this just not my phone, this is also my library!
We are very aware that mobile hand phones especially smart phones have become as essential part of life in the last two decades. Nowadays we cannot imagine life before these small portable mobile devices. Pay phone booths, expensive operator assisted calls and land line are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The world has become even more interconnected as never before. With the ever expanding cellular infrastructure development, cellular mobile phones are becoming common in some underdeveloped countries even before the land based telephones. According to the United Nations more than 6 billion of the 7 billion people on earth today has access to a mobile phone!
This is an exciting time for the Church. Most mobile phones not only receive voice phone calls but also books and videos. This means that The Church has a unique opportunity today to make the bible available to almost 85% of the people on earth by means of free downloads of e-bible or audio bible! This is a fantastic opportunity. Not only e-bibles but also books on Christianity, Christian living and theology.
The revolution that resulted from the Guttenberg Press caused not only a revolution in learning and knowledge, but indirectly the Protestant Reformation. The bible became more easily available and was translated into a more readable form in the local languages from Latin or Greek. The limitations to that revolution was printing costs, distribution and point of sales/bookshops. The present e-book revolution bypass the limitations of the printing press (surprisingly this has not really translated to cheaper books). The electronic version is easily distributed and downloaded at the cost of a website and mobile apps.
The e-book revolution has placed the power of publishing and distribution into the hands of the authors and readers. Publishers are gatekeepers of printed books and while it is acknowledged that as corporate companies, they need to make a profit, they however also limit books published to that of a few superstar authors. Authors should make their works free or at a minimal charge on the Internet. This is especially true of sermon transcript, books on Christianity and Christian living. In fact, superstar authors and pastors should be the first to do so. Many do not need these incomes from their books. The call is also to Christian theological publishers. For reasons best known to themselves, most of our theological writings in books and journals are locked up behind walls that demand we pay a high monetary price to have access to these books and articles. Open the doors and allow the knowledge and wisdom to be available to all. Commentaries, theological thesis and writings are valuable resources that should be available to all. Everyone, including the poorest Christian living in the slums should have access to a well-stocked Christian library through his or her phone.
The mobile phones also make easily accessible videos and audio messages. Through Youtube, Godtube and other such services, everyone will be able to access Christian documentaries, attend lectures, participate in conferences, and even attend Church services. The technology for streaming video is always improving as is the technology for uploading and downloading.
The dawn of a new era is here. It is now possible to share the bible and Christian teachings to at least 85% of the whole population, even those who are living at the ends of the earth. This is a tremendous opportunity. It is hoped that the Church will awaken to this opportunity.
I am seeking a missional use of the socialmedia. These two interesting books offers some interesting insights.
Jessie Rice (2009) correctly pointed out the that phenomenal growth of the social media is the human need for connectivity- whether virtual or real face-to-face. Much of the book explains what facebook is all about. However, Rice does not offer much when it come to a discussion a virtual community. He does not answer the question whether such a community may be formed and if so, in what form? Rice however offers some guidelines on using facebook.
I commented on my facebook wall at the end of last Saturday that the Bersih 2.0 march is over. I also raised the question whether Christians should be involved (in the context of Romans 13:1-7) and what would Jesus Do (WWJD) i.e. would Jesus has marched?
A dear brother has answered in a posting to Micah Mandate which he has graciously given me permission to repost here.
Bersih 2.0 – Would Jesus have marched?
In your Facebook reference to Bersih 2.0, you said that you are glad the rally is over and you asked the question, "Is this the Christian approach to do things? What will Jesus do?" I guess the sight of so-called "street battles" in our capital city between protestors and the police are too distasteful to you and unbecoming behaviour for a follower of Christ. Furthermore it looks too much like a revolt against a sitting government in which case it would be against the words of Paul in Romans 13:1 that we must all submit to governing authorities.
In case you were not aware, I was there to support Bersih and what it stands for. Let me try to explain to you why I went.
In doing voters' registration for the past year and a half, I have come across too many irregularities firsthand – people who tried to register over and over again but failed for no reason, people who voted before but deregistered, again for no reason. People in the same house but assigned to different constituencies, people who never registered but found themselves registered in some Felda scheme they have never heard before. I can go on and on.
What about gerry-mandering and malapportionment of constituencies? BN strongholds, fewer voters per seat; opposition strongholds, more voters per seat. E.g. Kapar 112K voters PKR; Putrajaya 6K voters BN. Generally, this has been the pattern nationwide. Boundaries are modified after each election to reflect change in the voting patterns. In fact, the way it is, even if the majority of people voted for opposition by 55% to 45%, BN will still form the government. Is this fair?
What about election fraud? The abuse of postal votes where police and military personnel have to vote under duress of being witnessed by their superiors and their votes are used to shore up key BN losing candidates. The buying of votes is now part of the BN election strategic now, doesn't mind that it is a clear violation of election rules. Remember the famous "You help me, I help you" offer by the PM, not once but over and over again? He promised and delivered that if you vote for his candidate today, he will personally sign the cheque for millions of ringgit tomorrow, if not, don't bother to come and collect. Is this right just because the PM does it? It is a known fact that huge amount of money were used to buy votes at by-elections these past few years. Power outages during crucial counting of ballots so that bags of ballots could be swapped are regular occurrences.
The fact that 4.3 million eligible M'sians are not registered as voters (about 1/3 of total eligible voters) when they could be registered at a click of a mouse like in S'pore where every citizen automatically becomes registered on their 21st birthday, is yet another concern. Yet, M'sians have to find out themselves how to register, find a place to register, fill up a form in duplicate, submit it, crossing their fingers hoping that SPR would not reject them. They won't even be notified if they are registered or not, they have to go online to check on their own. Why should it be so in this day and age of technological advancement? The problem is not the lack of technology or funds but the lack of political will to want to register these unregistered voters. Could it be that these 4.3 million are mainly young voters who are more open to change and are better informed than their parents?
There are many, many more issues as demanded by Bersih 2.0 but I won't go on.
For me, it is an issue of justice. There is a perversion of justice here. And believe me, the people who made up the Bersih 2.0 committee are not thugs or unlearned people. They have tried for years to get the authorities to reform our electoral system but to no avail. Taking to the streets for a peaceful demo is our constitutional right and that only after all other avenues have been exhausted.
I was there. I saw with my own eyes how the PDRM assaulted ordinary men and women without provocation or warning. The protestors were outstanding in their discipline – 50,000 over people and not a single property damage reported, no littering because we picked up our own rubbish and put them in the trash can. There were no street battles or unruly protestors provoking the police as portrayed by the government and the mainstream media. Despite the continuous assault by the police with tear gas and water cannons, the people did not fight back. There was no anger on the faces of the protestors, no fear, no despondency, just a quiet determination to be heard and for our rights to be upheld. I salute these pakciks, makciks, aunties and uncles, the young generation who came out despite the intimidation and unprecedented attempt by the authority to lock down an entire city. I am very proud to counted amongst them.
As we marched together, one elderly Malay gentleman turned to me, looking into my Chinese eyes, he said in Malay "This is the real 1Malaysia", I agreed and said it is. It is not a slogan, not a logo, not a jingle without any reality. It is a walk. When people come together not to defend their own race or religion but to ask for their most fundamental right to be respected, the right to justice and to be heard, we are one, for we are. When every now and then we broke out into singing our national anthem, it was never more meaningful, especially when we came to the part "Rakyat hidup bersatu dan maju" – The People live in unity and in progress. We are Malaysians, we are all God's creation, loved by Him.
For too long our nation has been divided when after fifty-three years of independence we should be more united and integrated. I still remember those times before politicians put their dirty fingers into the cultural pot and muddle it up, we were more 1Malaysia. There was no slogan or logo or PR firms to tell us how to be united but just a human decency to respect and accept each other's differences, be it religion, race or social standing. Most of my best friends in school were people not of my own race and we never thought or talk in term of race or religion. We were Malaysian.
But today, after 30 years of "engineering", we are so polarised that we have formed our own little "ghettos", cut off from people not of our own race. We do not understand each other's cultures, traditions, manners and customs like we used to or we should. In many of us, there is a deep-seated suspicion, resentment, and some, even hatred of the other races. We have forgotten that we are just people, who by divine providence, found ourselves sharing the same homeland. This is OUR home.
That day, as I marched with my fellow Malaysians, it all came back to me – we are as we should be, just honest, decent human beings who care for the future of this nation. I saw elderly pakciks and makciks being rudely spoken to, roughly man-handled and some arrested for simply being there. Have we lost our decency that we have to behave this way even if we are only discharging our duties? The protestors were peaceful but the provocateurs were the police. Have they forgotten who pays for their monthly salaries and who chose the political masters they are now serving? The very people they are now calling and treating as traitors, chasing them around like animals, firing tear gas and water cannons on! We are the rakyat, as you are.
Coming back to your question, [Alex], what would Jesus do? If Jesus were to be living in this country and in this time, what would He have done? If he had known about the injustice done to the people through a flawed and corrupt electoral system, would Jesus have kept quiet and looked away and perhaps plan to migrate to "greener pastures"? If he had wanted to speak up but was told that he needed to apply for a permit and that permit was turned down, would he have just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I tried"? Would Jesus have said, "But the Bible said I have to submit to all governing authority, I can't go against the government"? You know what. If Jesus had turned the other cheek to all the wrongs and evil in his days and submitted to the governing authorities, He would probably have lived to a ripe old age, gotten married and have children and grandchildren. So would all his disciples – Peter, Paul, Stephen, James, and countless others, they would not have been killed by the governing authorities. Jesus was framed by the politicians of his day, the Pharisees, accused of high treason and executed or as we would like to call it, crucified. Most of the early disciples were martyred because they spoke up, that is, became a "security risk" to the governing authorities. They refused to submit to their demands to be silent and they were executed.
But [Alex], you may be saying, "But Jesus didn't hold illegal rallies and go on street marches". Well, he spoke to thousands when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount and when He fed thousands with only two loaves and five fishes. And wherever He went, hundreds, if not thousands followed Him. But He has permit, you say. Well, we don't know if He has permit or not, though I doubt it. What if He needed to apply for permit and was not given? Would He still have delivered the Sermon on the Mount and fed thousands? I've a feeling that Jesus would still have gone ahead. What if in the middle of delivering the sermon, the governing authorities fired tear gas into the crowd and charged at them with batons, turning an otherwise peaceful gathering into a riotous scene. Was Jesus to be blamed though He offered no resistance to the police?
As a man, Jesus was a fire-brand speaker and a radical social reformer and He has asked us to follow in His footsteps. You are right to ask, "What would Jesus do?" I am just not too sure that I would agree with your assumption that Jesus would not be involved in the Bersih 2.0 rally. It was just as well that tear gas and water cannons were not invented during Jesus' time, otherwise the Gospel pages would be rather scant and most of His speeches would have been interrupted by those same governing authorities He was condemning. Providentially for us, He was able to speak freely even though it offended the authority greatly, enough to plot His death.
[Alex], it is my hope that you would realise that it is not easy for us as Christians to live a pluralistic society like ours and to try and figure out what Jesus would do if He was here. One thing for sure, Jesus was not one to avoid controversies or be cowed by those who opposed Him or is one who avoided taking action when the occasion calls for it; I think of Him overturning the money-changers' tables in the Temple.
Let me close with this quote by Jesus when He was asked about John the Baptist. In Mathew 11:12 – And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. By "violent" I am sure Jesus does not mean those who would hurt others just to get what they want but Jesus meant that in order to advance the kingdom of heaven, it must be by people who have an inner character quality of quiet determination and discipline to pursue after that which God has called him to. With that I conclude and hope even if taking to the streets is not your cup of tea, you would at least stand with us for what Jesus stood for – freedom, justice, fairplay and love, for that is what Bersih 2.0 is about.
Another thing that I realised when I marched with fellow Malaysians of all races and religion, I am staking a claim to the future of Malaysian on behalf of my children and their children and on behalf of my race and religion. For now we are still defined by our race and religion but may there come a day when we are not. Maybe I will write to you again to explain further about this. Till then, take care.
Christians are to take care of the Kingdom of Heaven and let God take care of the kingdoms on earth.
I have enjoyed the autobiographic sharing by Richard Rohr in the chapter Necessary Suffering especially in his experience with the Roman Catholic Church. There is much there that is between the lines in what he shares but the final result is that he has developed a great understanding of the catholic church which he named "incarnational mysticism" – "Once you get it, there is no going backward, because nothing is any better" (76).
Basically I agree with him that Christians need a stronger and deeper ecclesiology. I say this as an Evangelical and a Presbyterian. I admit that our ecclesiology is rather thin and shallow. As Rohr notes, our ecclesiology must be linked to the Mystery of God. That is why I am so taken by his term incarnational mysticism. It reminds me of what Karl Rahler said that all Christians are mystics. It also resonates with my reading of Karl Barth which is drawing me more and more to appreciate the Mystery of God.
Sis Caroline Lee sings 'Lord, You Are My Greatest Friend' or '主,你是我最好的朋友' in Hokkien at the Holy Light Church Good Friday Combined Worship Service, April 22, 2011.
HLCE Men's Choir sings 'At The Cross' at the Holy Light Church Good Friday Combined Worship Service, April 22, 2011.


A trove of leaked Islamic State group documents features the names of the three jihadists who carried out the assault on the Bataclan theatre during November's terror attacks in Paris, German media reported on Friday.
Among the thousands of Isis registration papers were those of Samy Amimour, Foued Mohamed-Aggad and Omar Ismail Mostefai, said public broadcasters NDR and WDR and Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The three men, using guns and suicide vests, killed 90 people at the Bataclan during a concert by rock band Eagles of Death Metal in the deadliest attack of the bloody rampage that claimed 130 lives across the French capital on November 13.
The German research team said it had now obtained data on several thousand IS members from a total of 22,000 documents, many of them duplicates, which were earlier also obtained by British broadcaster Sky News.
They contain the names, addresses, phone numbers and family contacts of jihadists who joined IS, as well as their blood type, mother's maiden name, "level of sharia understanding" and previous experience.
The fighters listed in the cache of documents came from across Europe and from the United States, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago, the German media team said.
Germany's federal police said Thursday it had access to the same type of documents and considered them highly likely to be authentic, but some experts have voiced doubts or urged caution.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Friday stressed the need to be "very careful" about the documents.
"We are extremely interested in information which would allow us to... neutralise terrorists but such information has to be authenticated," he said in Washington.
The German report said some papers also made indirect reference to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the organiser of the Paris killings who recruited old friends and other small-time delinquents to help him carry out the attacks.
Omar Mostefai, a 29-year-old French national from a poor Paris suburb, blew himself up at the Bataclan music venue. His identity was confirmed using a severed fingertip found at the scene.
Another Bataclan suicide bomber was 28-year-old Samy Amimour, a former bus driver from the Paris suburb of Drancy, while the third was Foued Mohamed-Aggad, 23, from Strasbourg.
The report said the papers showed that Mohamed-Aggad had arrived in Isis territory on December 18, 2013 with an unusually large group of French jihadists that included 14 men and their families.


Policy briefs are shorter reports that supplements the PWR's and include ad-hoc analyses of potentially risky policies, or SAR's point of view on an issue which is high on the public discussion agenda. Though short, these papers receive very good media coverage and often trigger direct reaction from the public institutions concerned.
June 2006 – Early Retirement. The disease of the public pension system?


I made most experiences with a 15 years old boy. He is mentally and physically disabled. We often play cards or go outside. Sometimes I make some snacks for him and bring him to bed. I also spend some time with a 3 years old boy.
I want to work as an Au Pair because I want to learn more about the culture and the way people live in Norway. It's also a good opportunity to learn the language and to get some new experiences for the future. I have chosen Norway because I visited Norway for many times. Some of my relatives are Norwegian.
I dance in a young ballet at the local theater in my hometown. I like sport in principle as skiing or running. I play the flute and like meeting my friends. When I'm at home I often do some creative things or reading books.


text:
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module.exports = concat;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Our purchase options below allow you to easily checkout and select the hosting duration you would like.
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Upon purchase, your website hosting account will be setup usually within 48 hours or less, and a payment receipt sent by email to the address making the payment. By purchasing your website hosting package you are agreeing to our terms & conditions.


text:
Struggling coach goes to the mat for troubled boy
Aug 23, 2011 at 12:01 AM Aug 23, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Paul Giamatti stars in a wrestling picture that reinvigorates the genre with verve, warmth and heart.
R, $29.99
His character, a lawyer named Mike Flaherty, coaches his suburban New Jersey high-school team, whose losing streak parallels Mike�s life.
One day, he makes a sharp ethical turn with a senile client (Burt Young) that leads to the arrival of the client�s grandson, a runaway teenager named Kyle. The two bond in surprising and cheering ways.
The film contains profanity.
Henry�s Crime
Henry�s Crime is a felony of a movie starring Keanu Reeves as a toll collector turned bank robber in Buffalo who discovers that he also has a natural talent as a stage actor. And that�s only the least of many credulity-straining elements in the tedious and improbable comedy-drama.
Henry (Reeves) is sent to prison for a crime he didn�t commit. While in jail, he meets Max (James Caan), a lifer.
Upon being paroled, Henry learns that there is an old tunnel from a theater to a bank vault next door. Henry enlists Max (now also paroled) in a scheme to dig to the bank.
The film contains obscenity, brief drug use, sensuality and some violence.
The Beaver
PG-13, $26.99
The Beaver, directed by Jodie Foster, tells the story of Walter (Mel Gibson), a man living apart from his spouse and two sons, sleepwalking through his job and self-medicating with tequila. He tries to commit suicide twice. He turns to a furry, beady-eyed beaver puppet.
Suddenly, Walter is talking to himself using the beaver as his proxy. He tells Walter to get up and pull himself together. And that�s precisely what the man does.
Weaning himself from the Beaver, though, proves problematic.
The film contains mature thematic material, disturbing content, sexuality and language, including a drug reference.
Picture a Norwegian version of The Blair Witch Project with computer-generated trolls, and that�s what to expect from Trollhunter.
Presented as a barely edited cache of �found� footage, the movie is faintly scary and often ridiculous.
The film, in Norwegian with English subtitles, contains obscenities and some scary sequences.


The Cardiac Arrhythmia Unit (CAU) at Hamilton General Hospital provides care for patients who have heart rhythm issues. The CAU includes the Electrophysiology (EP) Lab, which provides same-day care and services.
By looking at the electrical system of the heart, an EP study will show if you have a heart rhythm problem and determine the cause. This procedure is done when you have symptoms such as fainting, dizziness, heart palpitations or an abnormal heart beat.
Used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, a special catheter is placed through a sheath in your groin to your heart. This catheter destroys the tissue causing the problem.
Pacemakers are implanted devices that will initiate a heart beat in those with slow heart rates. ICDs are implanted devices that will shock the heart for life threatening rhythm problems.
This lab performs tests where the patient is tilted with their head up for the diagnosis of patients with fainting or syncope.
Performed in the EP lab to assist in the diagnosis of conditions such as Long QT syndrome (LQTS) or Brugada syndrome.


Celebrate 3 days of all things Greek at the oldest Greek festival in Maryland at the first Greek Orthodox church in the state (109 years)! All food is home-cooked. Perennial favorites: fabulous home-cooked Greek foods and pastries, Greek music and dancing, European Marketplace for holiday gifts, Silent Auction with Orioles and Ravens items, Tours of stunning Cathedral (includes Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows), Greek Grocery with imported products such as olive oil, cheeses, olives, etc.; performances by traditional Greek dance troupes and more.


The future of marketing and commerce lies on the internet, there are countless companies gradually shifting to the internet and countless more that are popping into existence on the web every day. The internet provided businesses with a cheaper, and more easily manageable platform from where they can connect to a greater number of people and do business at a lower cost. There are already a lot of platforms out there that exist to provide businesses with a barebones structure on which they can build their own websites, one such being Magento; an ecommerce platform that is designed to provide online merchants and businesses with control over how their website looks and operates and a flexible shopping cart system.
This platform is built on an open source license so anyone with the required expertise can edit it according to their needs. If you wish to incorporate Magento into your website in order to streamline your ecommerce then you should hire a Magento agency; professionals who are well-versed with the platform and can help you utilize it to its fullest extent. One of the most popular Magento agencies in all of London is Bing Digital, this company has a highly creative and highly skilled set of employees who are dedicated to their work and have helped countless businesses come up with great websites.
The company offers services for designing, editing, creating and managing websites, along with providing extensive training programs that can help you get a better understanding of Magento and use it in a more efficient manner. This company believes a lot in customer support and trust building, they provide every client with their undivided attention and make sure to keep them in the loop throughout the entire process, ensuring that they are able to meet their client's needs to the letter.


I can't believe how dry it is outside, my poor flowers are dying, and when I water them I seem to always drown them. So they can't win. We need the rain so bad, and it looks like the weather is going to be getting hotter, so I think the rain is going to be in the near future. It is nice not to have to mow the grass as often.
Tom and Janet said our pond is going down again too. Daggone it! I thought we were done with this up and down of the water level.


text:
Ultrasonic probe with an integrated display, tracking and pointing devices
An Ultrasonic probe with integrated devices and functionalities for use in a wide range of medical applications. The present invention supports vascular and arterial access procedures. The apparatus consist of the following: ultrasonic probe, several optional displays, tracking and pointing devices. All devices are integrated together with special probe housing. The probe includes numerous ultrasonic transducers arrays, disposed on the special housing. Display devices, such as LCD, TFT or other, are mounted on the probe housing on either-side, and displays an image or other information (data) from the system. All screens can be integrated together or separately on probe housing. The tracking device provides information about the probe position and the pointing device assists in guiding the needle insertion direction. Beam former hardware is interfaced to transducer elements via cable or wireless. Display, tracking and pointing devices is also interfaced to relative hardware via same cable or other method.
Haim, Ronen (Ramat Gan, IL)
Wischniewski, Esther (Berlin, DE)
Perets, Uri (Beer Sheva, IL)
Safran, Valery (Cfar Saba, IL)
A61B8/14
20030069522 Slotted medical device April, 2003 Jacobsen et al.
20070179348 Biochip scanning device for portable electronic products August, 2007 Shen
20090137920 Breath Sampling Device May, 2009 Colman et al.
20080009714 Endoscope insertion shape detecting device January, 2008 Oda
20090306519 MEASUREMENT WITH MULTIPLEXED DETECTION December, 2009 Bakker
20070276284 SKIN TEST DEVICE November, 2007 Utsugi
20090131788 QUANTIFICATION AND DISPLAY OF CARDIAC CHAMBER WALL THICKENING May, 2009 Settlemier et al.
20040044295 Graphical user interface for computer-assisted surgery March, 2004 Reinert et al.
20080275301 Sigmoidoscope With Integral Obturator November, 2008 Lubowski et al.
20070088214 Implantable physiologic monitoring system April, 2007 Shuros et al.
20040167423 RXc graph and RXc Z-score graph methods August, 2004 Pillon et al.
HOFFA, ANGELA MARIE
RONEN HAIM (21 HERUT ST, RAMAT GAN, null, 52541, IL)
1. An ultrasonic probe, said probe is comprised of: a probe housing; at least two arrays of traducers disposed on said housing, wherein the configuration of said traducers array are parallel or perpendicular; A plurality of cables disposed within a common sheath, said cables are connected to said probe housing; At least one display for providing processed information or image, wherein said information ore image are processed in auxiliary system.
2. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein each array is activated at a time enabling access to each transducer in the activated array;
3. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including a touchpad display;
4. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including a pointing display
5. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including any display
6. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including a tracking device which utilizes optical LED and optical mouse base sensor.
7. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including a pointing device utilizing an optic fiber and a non-convex lens for light projections.
8. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 further including a pointing device which includes an optical fiber and lens mounting;
9. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein the display is situated on the front of the probe housing.
10. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein the display is situated on the sidewall of the probe housing.
11. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 comprising at least two displays wherein the one display is situated on the front of the probe housing and the second on the probe housing sidewall.
12. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 comprising at least two displays wherein both display show the same image.
13. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 comprising at least two displays wherein each display shows different image.
14. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 comprising at least one display wherein each display shows two or more different images.
15. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein the display confirms to industry standard form and size.
16. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein the display confirms to non standard form and size.
17. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1 wherein the display confirms to any or combination of a standard or interactive (such as touchpad or pointing screen) or remotely operated.
This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/647,029 filed 27 Jan. 2005.
The present invention relates to the field of ultrasonic probes and more particularly to an ultrasonic probe with an additional integrated hardware for medical applications such as vascular and arterial access procedures. The method suggested by the present invention exempts the user from handling several procedures simultaneously such as positioning the probe, observing the image on the systems screen and locating an accurate location on the surface.
Diagnosing human organs using ultrasound scanning is a well known procedure. Ultrasonic transducers based probes direct ultrasonic waves, which travel through a selected biological medium.
Reflections are obtained each time the ultrasonic waves encounter impedance variation interfaces in the biological medium, such as fat and muscle. The returned echoes are received and processed by the imaging system that adds up all scanning lines received from the transducer and provides an image. The number of scanning lines and the depth of examination control the scanning rate. Generally speaking, standard ultrasonic probes use a one dimensional (1D) transducer, wherein the transducer elements are linearly arranged. However, in some probe configurations, multi-dimensional probes (1.5D or 2D) are provided, and the transducer elements are arranged in a matrix, so as to provide 3D steering capabilities.
Conventionally, ultrasonic probes are connected to a system, which is responsible for the processing of electrical signals produced by the probe transducer. The system performs an image capture or rendering operation, using data from the region being scanned, and the obtained images are produced by the synthesizing of information based on a number of different parameters, e.g., the transducer geometry, the number of scanning lines, the depth of examination and the transducer frequency.
The scanning process is usually performed manually. While operating a probe on a surface, the user has to use a screen, which is located far from the probe or the desired scanned area. The user must exercise few simultaneous operations such as surface scanning, monitor screening and ultrasound system control. All these operations require both hands to be used as well as multiple and simultaneous equipment operation.
The operations become rather complex for an insertion of catheters into veins or arteries. Multiple attempts at penetration may result in extreme discomfort to the patient, while multiple equipment operation is still required.
There are several patents that disclose related methods and apparatuses for ultrasonic probes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,379 relates to a dual mode handheld ultrasonic device, for guiding a venous access catheter into a patient's peripheral vein. It provides B-mode imaging with a predetermined aperture and operating frequency which locates and displays a gray scale cross-sectional image of the target blood vessel. A single Doppler beam in a separate mode detects the same blood vessel and creates a single scanline image superimposed to such B-mode cross-sectional image. Simultaneously, the intensity of the positive Doppler shift detected by the single Doppler beam as it hits the target blood vessel activates a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) indicator lights with varying voltage requirements mounted in the scanhead. Activated LED indicator lights forms an arrow pointing inferiorly perpendicular to the target vessel which guides a physician or a paramedical professional to the precise catheter insertion spot on a patient's extremity while simultaneously viewing the target blood vessel's cross-section on the display screen/s.
Further more, U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,789 provides an apparatus for cannulation of blood vessels, and comprises a sensor assembly including two linear transducer arrays oriented perpendicularly to each other to form a "T" shape to provide substantially simultaneous ultrasound images of at least one blood vessel in a portion of a patient's body in two perpendicular planes. The apparatus may also include one or more Doppler transducer elements to transmit and receive one or more Doppler beams at an incident angle beneath one of the transducer arrays and in alignment therewith to determine blood flow direction and velocity within the at least one blood vessel. The sensor assembly may be disposed within an elongated, flexible, protective sheath and secured to a graphically marked cover to facilitate orientation of the sensor assembly on the patient and guidance of a needle towards a desired target vessel during the cannulation procedure. The cover may also include associated structure to cooperate with a reference location element to place, align and secure the sensor assembly to the patient's skin at a desired location.
None of the patents mentioned above address the need of integrating a display, a pointing device and a tracking device in the probe housing for simpler and easier usage in medical procedures.
The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for ultrasonic scanning, using displays, a pointing device and a tracking device mounted on the probe, for simple and easy usage, exempting the user from handling several procedures simultaneously.
The object of the invention is to provide an Ultrasonic probe with integrated devices and functionalities for use in wide range of medical application like vascular and arterial access procedures.
The present invention exempts the user from handling several procedures simultaneously such as positioning the probe, observing the image or data on the systems screen and locating an accurate location on the surface and thus allowing the user to practice a more accurate procedure.
These and further features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood in the light of the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein—
FIG. 1 is the general schematic view of the ultrasonic probe with integrated devices.
FIG. 2 is the schematic view of ultrasonic arrays architecture.
FIG. 3 is the block diagram of the ultrasound system and probe.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the tracking and pointing devices location on the probe housing.
FIG. 5 illustrates the pointing device configuration.
Ultrasound equipment has developed rapidly over the past 30 years and is now used routinely for numerous medical applications, for example: assessment of arterial stenosis, venous incompetence and venous thrombosis.
Ultrasound images are obtained by holding a probe on the skin surface. An ultrasonic scanner usually has a range of probes with different characteristics, e.g., a linear array probe. This produces a rectangular image which is displayed with the skin surface at the top, the vertical axis showing depth into the body and the horizontal axis showing position along the probe. When imaging blood vessels, the probe can either be placed along the vessel to produce a longitudinal scan or across the vessel to produce a transverse scan. To produce the images, the probe emits short pulses of ultra-sound, and these travel into the body from the probe. Within the soft tissues or at boundaries between them, a small proportion of the ultrasound is scattered or reflected and arrives back at the probe as an echo. The speed of ultrasound in the body is constant (1540 m/s), so the depth of any scatterer or reflector can be found from the time delay from emitting the pulse to receiving the echo. The main pulse continues deeper into the body to be scattered or reflected from deeper structures. When the echoes from one pulse have died down, the next pulse is emitted from a slightly different position along the probe. In this way, it is possible to build up an image of a plane in the body, with depth into the body as the vertical axis and position along the probe as the horizontal axis.
The probe determines the frequency of the ultrasound within the pulses. Higher frequencies give better resolution and more detailed images, but the higher frequency sound loses energy more quickly as it travels through the body so the depth of penetration is less. The operator usually uses as high a frequency as possible. Ultrasound of these frequencies does not travel through air, so a layer of water-based coupling medium is used between probe and skin.
The present invention is comprised of an ultrasonic probe with integrated displays, tracking and pointing devices. Unlike the conventional probe, wherein the scanning probe and display interface are separate units and the user must manipulate the display-interface, the probe, the location and the image control, the present apparatus provides the user with many integrated options such as free hand scanning, imaging, data positioning and pointing.
FIG. 2 illustrates the multiple transducers arrays, which are composed from standard transducers with different configuration. Multiple arrays configuration enables the receiving of 3D sliced image with minimal probe movements, reduces manual operation overhead and eases the standard probe adjustments process, together with a secured probe position to surface, allowing simultaneous operation.
Integrated displays show the data and images provided by the system, so a user can operate the apparatus in accordance to information or image viewed on display. This operational mode can be very helpful in a vascular access operation. The user can operate the probe immediately and in accordance to information obtained directly from the display. An additional accuracy and a comfortable operational environment for medical personal are achieved.
Integrated tracking device, such as the optical mouse, allows a better navigation and positioning of the probe on the surface. The pointing device enables the marking of the best possible option of entrance to the blood vessel, making an accurate and precise procedure like vascular puncture possible.
FIG. 1 illustrates the prolonged cubical shape of the probe which, helps to mount the probe on a human body. The elastic supported arms (105) which are located on both sides of the probe, secures it to the desired surface.
According to FIG. 1, the present invention is comprised of multiple transducer arrays (101) with changing configuration, which enables an advanced scanning process, resulting in 3D imaging.
The multiple transducer arrays are divided into three regions: first perpendicular array (206), parallel array (208) and second perpendicular array (206). The probe multiple transducer arrays configuration can consist of either both perpendicular arrays (208+205) or only one of them. Each array is built from two or more transducers.
The Ultrasound system beamformer—combiner (In linear diversity combining, the outputs of two coherent receiving systems are linearly combined to generate the overall system output) deals with each array independently, by switching between the arrays. When an array is switched to the beamformer, all the transducers that are on that array are operational and the system can generate a signal to every transducer within that array. When switched to another array, the Transmit/Receive (T/R) switch must be disconnected first from the previous array and all the transducers on that array are not operational. The system will generate signals to the currently connected array. The probe emits short pulses of ultra-sound, and these travel into the body from the probe. Within the soft tissues a small, proportion of the ultrasound is scattered or reflected and arrives back at the probe as an echo. The received signals are sent to the central processing unit following pre processing at the beam former. The processed image is then sent back, again via the same connector (104) to the display (102), which is integrated on the probe. The system provides processed images or other information on the display Such as an image of a scanned vascular location.
According to additional embodiment of the present invention the probe device may include more than one display. In addition to the display (102), several displays (301 and 302) can be integrated on the sidewalls of the probe housing (101). Alternatively the main display can be situated on the probe housing side. All the displays can be integrated together or separately on the probe housing, while each screen can be used forsynthetic, image representation including text, data or graphical symbols or combination. The displays may show the same image or images which provide different viewing angles or partial images when viewed together create complete picture of the scanned vascular location or other data
Integrated tracking system (106) provides the probe positioning and enables sliced indexing, as the location is depended on scanned surfaces. The tracking device, such as an optical mouse, transmits a light beam (401), which is reflected from the surface (402) and received back in the device. The positioning information data is then sent to the ultrasound system via the same connecting cable (103).
A pointing device, based on a semiconductor laser diode with low power output, is placed on the system ultrasound hardware (501) and connected to an optic fiber (502) via ultrasonic probe connecting cable. The optic fiber, integrated inside the probe housing, is connected to non-convex lens (503). The optical ray dispersed by the lens (503) is projected through the condenser to the patients' skin desired area.
In such case, the pointer device provides the blood vessel optional insertion point, which is not visually seen to the naked eye.
Each device can be integrated independently on the probe, however for a complete guided vascular access all devices need to be mounted on the probe.
Although the present invention describes in implementation for vascular and arterial access imaging device, other implementations of the present invention can be used in a variety of medical applications and procedures As well as in non vascular anatomical locations
Previous Patent: Ultrasound probe, particularly for diagnostic imaging
Next Patent: Ultrasonic probe for intra-cavity diagnosis and manufacturing method thereof


Online support - a comprehensive website with practical information and useful guides.
A programme of fully funded local workshops and events held throughout Scotland.
Advice to suit specific business needs through a network of experienced business advisers.
Business information - a dedicated team providing information and support on all aspects of starting and growing a business.
Who they are, Business Gateway is delivered by local authorities. They also have strong partnerships with a wide variety of organisations such as Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to help deliver the best advice and support to Scottish businesses.


Vent System There are 11 products.
Deflector Webasto D=60mm Rotatable Closable Air Outlet for ducting.
High temperature threaded Black Grille with 45 degree angled louvers for use with all hot air heating systems.


Orange has resurrected its OMEC brand with the Teleport, an audio interface for gigging and for the studio.
Orange Amplification has resurrected its Seventies-era OMEC brand with the Teleport, an audio interface for the studio and for gigging.
The OMEC Teleport is a universal connection device compatible with iOS, Android, MacOS or Windows devices, without the need for any specific drivers or software requirements. It converts analogue audio signals to digital, enabling them to be processed with one of a number of available applications, including AmpliTube CS Orange Edition from IK Multimedia, which the Teleport is supplied with.
The Mono IN and Stereo OUT are delivered by a low-noise buffer, giving unlimited scope for stereo signal experimentation. Designed to fit alongside guitar and bass pedals when playing live, the OMEC Teleport allows external DSP effects to be used anywhere in a pedalboard signal chain, such as those from a mobile phone. It also allows digital signals to be reproduced as analogue and played through mixers, D.I. boxes and amplifiers.
You can watch a demo of the product below.
For more on the OMEC Teleport, head on over to orangeamps.com.


TransPosition's paper "Modeling Autonomous Vehicles - Challenges and Results" that was presented at the TRB ITM Conference is now available for reading!
TransPosition's paper "Modeling Autonomous Vehicles - Challenges and Results" that was presented at the TRB ITM Conference in May this year is now available at the following link below. The paper builds on work presented at the AITPM National Conference in Austalia last year.


On 6 April, Italian company Cellino Srl opened the production of fuel tanks for SMK trucks in Kaluga.
The automated production line was set up on premises rented from Kaluzhsky Dvigatel and boasts the most up-to-date high-tech equipment. Finished products will be delivered to Volvo Vostok truck manufacturing plant in Kaluga. The investor plans to expand the range of products to meet the needs of the automotive industry and eventually build a factory of its own. The company expects to spend around 500 million roubles (a little under $10 million) in total on the project. Fifty jobs have been created at the site.
The project will be carried out in two phases. The first stage is the launch of production of aluminium fuel tanks for trucks. The second stage is the expansion of production and increasing the product range: steel fuel tanks and oil tanks, frame and crosspiece components, body parts for trucks and passenger vehicle.
The company is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of truck components, components for large construction and agricultural machinery, aerofoil for compressors for the world's top brands, and elevator carriages.


Our Goal - To travel as much as possible for as little as possible.
We started searching for the best deals out there and were able to see the world on a very small budget.
After our first excursion, we started finding flights for our family and friends. As the word continued to spread, we started our own travel request portion of our blog because of the amount of referrals we had coming in.


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CVS to use pharmacy QR code to accept PayPal and Venmo payments
11/18/2020 11/17/2020 Stephanie Beck
Customers can now use a touch-free digital checkout process at 8,200 of the store's locations.
CVS Pharmacy, CVS Health's retail division, announced that customers can use pharmacy QR code payments to check out touch-free using PayPal or Venmo.
The barcodes are available to be used at 8,200 of the retailer's standalone locations across the country.
These pharmacy QR code payments make it possible for customers to shop in-store and pay for their items without having to sign a receipt or come in contact with a keypad. This allows them to use their PayPal or Venmo wallets to fund their purchases.
This move was first announced back in July. It makes CVS Pharmacy the first national retailer to bring PayPal and Venmo QR code technology into its checkout experience in all its standalone stores in the United States. The experience is already available to PayPal and Venmo customers. That said, customers who don't have those services can sign up and connect their preferred payment method to their mobile wallets in a matter of minutes.
The pharmacy QR code payments suit the rapidly increasing trend toward touch-free transactions.
Since the start of this year, CVS has recorded a 43 percent increase in transactions using touch-screen methods. Forrester research has shown that 11 percent of the American population reported that, for the first time, they were using digital payment methods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New PayPal research also showed that over half – 57 percent – of surveyed customers said merchants' digital payment offerings affected how willing they were to shop in those stores. Over one in three (34 percent) said they would not purchase from merchants that did not offer QR code enabled transactions. This underscored the requirement for a contact-free payment experience, particularly in in-store environments such as pharmacies.
"Putting our customer's safety at the forefront of our innovations, we've focused resources on finding new ways to make customers' lives easier and more convenient," said CVS Health chief operating officer and executive vice president Jon Roberts when discussing the pharmacy QR codes. "Introducing more digital options, including touch-free payments at the register, is in step with changing consumer preferences."
Featured News, Mobile Payments, QR Codescontactless payments, CVS contactless payments, CVS PayPal payments, CVS Pharmacy, CVS QR code, CVS Venmo payments, paypal, paypal payments, Pharmacy QR code, qr code mobile payments, Venmo, venmo payments
Brazil rolls out the PIX mobile payments system for faster transactions
Vaccination QR codes could be issued to UK residents who get the shot


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Avandra Hang "Celestial Wreaths" in the Sky to Honor the Fallen
By David RodriguezSeptember 28, 2020 No Comments
Avandra are back! After setting our world on fire last year with their astounding album Descender, the Puerto Rican quartet are revving up to release another album already. This is great, not only because this means new music, but also because I get to talk about something else for once. After all, this will be the fourth time I've written about them – I guess you can consider me a bit of a fan.
On November 20 of this year, the prog metal band will release Skylighting through their new label, Layered Reality Productions. If you, like me, are curious of the direction they're going with this new effort, you don't have to wait any longer as we have the great pleasure of premiering the first single and lyric video from the album. Take a listen (and a read), and meet me on the other side for some hard-hitting analysis and context.
It seems Avandra have chosen to retain their hefty, somber mood with this new project. This is great as it was a wonderful enhancer for their previous work, but for "Celestial Wreaths", it becomes more poignant and timely as the band reflects on the casualties that this year has wrought. Though Christian Ayala's lyrics are often philosophical, this track is a lot more direct without losing any of the magic, calling on us to 'mend our societies' so that the loss of our family, friends, and peers are not in vain.
The second verse as a whole is condemning of our collective institutions failing to act on situations that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths – an obvious mournful rumination on the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated us in a number of ways, but could be applied to many issues of (in)justice and societal well-being. This is all more pointed if you've been keeping track of how the greater United States has left Puerto Rico to fend for themselves for years after various disasters. These lines in particular stand out, 'Sent to the ether soon/while plutocrats increase their boon/in a corporate welfare state'. Short, sweet, uncomfortably on point.
The band's instrumentation has not faltered a bit in the year-plus since their last release. "Celestial Wreaths" comes out of the gate with a hint of suspense wrapped up in a well-paced, spacey prog metal blaze. This is heightened by the liberal use of starry synths, apparently performed by the great Vikram Shankar throughout the album. An appropriate amount of urgency is present in the guitars' quick performance, with a flourishing solo in the middle to boot. As a keen fan of Avandra, I see great familiarity in this song, but also a shift in approach that will surely satiate me and other fans of stellar prog metal. If you haven't been paying attention to them, now's the time, y'all.
Should go without saying that I can't wait for Skylighting. Again, it arrives shortly on November 20 via Layered Reality Productions. Preorders go live on October 2 and will be available as a digipack CD in addition to digitally through your normal outlets, I'm sure. To keep up with all of that and much more, I invite you to give Avandra a like and follow on Facebook and Instagram respectively. Don't hesitate to check out older material on their Bandcamp – it's simply outstanding.
AvandraCelestial WreathsLayered Reality Productionslyric videoprog metalprogressive metalPuerto RicoSkylightingVikram Shankar
I use caps lock way more than my writing lets on.
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NOISY SPEAKERS: Episode 06 – Standout Albums of 2020 (So Far) August 25, 2020
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Warriors have been wearing helmets for thousands of years. They have protected them from hits and strikes, downfalls and other threats and those who could appreciate the importance of it, would decorate them with engravings, feathers and gemstones.
For modern day fighters, the helmet is an essential part of their equipment in combat fields. It may not be made of steel and the threats of swords have diverted to others, however it main goal remained: to protect the heads of combat soldiers from the enemy's weaponry.
Up until a few decades ago, every helmet held the same purpose for the air force crew, however, additional elements were recently added: control over systems, advanced data display and a feature that allows the pilot to aim the weapon using the helmet.
Lieutenant Noa is a weapon systems operator in the "Hammers" squadron operating F-15I fighters. When she carries out her training sorties or operational flights, she wears the utility belt over her G-suit, which holds her survival equipment and puts on her DASH (Display and Sight Helmet). Throughout the flight, numbers appear in front of her eyes as points and lines that would be confusing and meaningless to someone who is unfamiliar with this information, however to her, the data is essential in order to conclude the mission. In the beginning of the 90's, the DASH helmets entered service in the IAF.
"The DASH constantly displays live statistics of the flight such as height, speed and direction on the eyepiece", explained Lieutenant Noa. "Together with the statistics, DASH is also capable of connecting to some of the missiles, allowing the pilot to aim and shoot a missile just by directing his gaze alone".
In order to understand the immenseness of this revolution, one must examine the days before the DASH was in use. Since the beginning of aviation, flight data was always visible on the dashboard in the cockpit and later the aircraft were equipped with HUD (Head Up Display) system, a display system that has abilities to focus on infinite distances that is located on the front of the cockpit and allows the pilot to view the display without moving his gaze towards the dashboard.
The weapon directing capability was in its infancy with the "Tfilin" system, a system which also belongs to "Elbit Systems"(Israeli manufacturer of DASH) and is capable of measuring the pilot's line of vision and displaying it through a collection of dots on the helmet in order to control the weapon.
"DASH gives optimal view", shares Yoran Shmueli, Head of Aerial Division of "Elbit Systems" who dealt with helmet developments.
DASH alters the reality with sensors such as GPS and video systems that allow optimal navigation. "Our sensors are our eyes", states Shmueli. "We added sensors to our eyes to allow us to see different wave lengths, interpret them and bring the reality to the eyes of the pilots".
This technology is named "Augmented Reality": technology that copies reality and adds virtual elements to it and merges it into real-time activity. "The most significant advantage of the augmented reality is the improvement in orientation", explains Major Avshalom Gil-Ad and Dorit Shayia from Human Factor and Agronomics Department in the IAF Headquarters. "The data direct you in to where you need to go".
However, although the importance of the display of data has advanced, there are still many pilots who may prefer to filter the amount of data and to use the ability to control the weapon.
"When pilots were asked about their preferences in the past, they admitted the best element of the helmet is the ability to control the weapon", shares Dorit. "They actually prefer to filter the amount of data given to them, to avoid losing focus".
Lieutenant Noa agrees: "The fact that we do not need to aim our entire aircraft at the target and we can simply move our head, without pulling the G-Force, is an ability that shortens the time and preserves aircraft potential".
IAF combat pilots have been using DASH for many years and throughout their training in Pilot School they learn to utilize it, but "Elbit" asked to take it one step further and installed new virtual HUD on the advanced F-35 JSF.
"The F-35 stealth jet is the first that does not have a HUD system. For a decade, there were many arguments regarding whether or not this was the right decision", Shmueli admits. "When we began flying trial flights it was clear that the idea of flying without the HUD won, because the pilot couldn't feel the difference".
The helmet contains a virtual HUD that is virtually presented, in the front of the cockpit through the helmets lenses. It looks and acts like a traditional HUD but is completely virtual.
"It was a huge challenge to develop this display and to ensure its steadiness and preciseness in the field even with the rapid fluctuations of a fighter jet. Eventually, we were able to remove an expensive and heavy element".
As such, "Elbit" claims that the F-35's futuristic helmet is the most advanced helmet to have been developed to this day. "In comparison to other operational helmets today, the Israeli F-35 helmet will have a double eyepiece and a wider 40 degree vision", tells Shmueli. "The helmet is connected to video cameras that surround the aircraft, which provides the pilot with a picture of the field outside the cockpit at 360 degrees".
The display of the F-35 helmet contains countless data and possibilities, such as integrations of the systems with weapons, communication with other jets in the formation and communication between cockpits, meaning between crew members. The members are responsible for choosing what data they would like to see in accordance to the situation they are facing. "The trick is to choose the right data at the right time", explains Shmueli.
"This is one of the issues discussed in the world of augmented reality", adds Major Avshalom. "What parameters are relevant to display? When do data become overwhelming? After all, it's a matter of balance and examination of essential components to sift unnecessary data to the best of one's ability".
Not only do combat units get to unitize these advanced helmets. The world of helicopters has proven to have a similar need, but the main issue was not control over weaponry, rather night vision at a low height with harsh field conditions. As such, helicopters pilots benefited from helmets as advanced as the DASH, helmets that allow one to receive information in flight as well as night vision.
"Elbit" shares, that the world of heavy transportation has started using helmets. There is mostly a need for the tactical transportation and "Hercules" C-130 jets, in the American Air Force which has already integrated HUD from "Elbit".
The use of display helmets have already been assimilated in the Israeli Air Force. "As a young weapon systems operator, without the DASH, our abilities are effected", said Lieutenant Noa. "However, it has received bad feedback from the veteran pilots. They proclaim that once you start using the DASH, you can't fly without it. Therefore, the current approach is to teach pilots the basics, such as reading the HUD and after gaining more flight experience and only then, teach pilots to use the DASH".
Even with the more traditional HUD systems and the current outlook on how to teach new pilots, the world direction is clear. Cadets of IAF pilot school today will become F-35 pilots and the helmets will become a consistent part of their combat flights. The Pilot school is also anticipating the arrival of helmets that mirror the abilities of the DASH and F-35 jet helmets.
"In the F-35, there is no flight without a helmet, it's the foundation of the flight", said Yoram Shmueli. "We believe that in the future, everyone will have this kind of technology in their homes. The children of today will grow up with this kind of technology in their hands. The air force's last manned fighting jet will have a DASH system rather than HUD. In 20 more years, the young pilots won't know a different reality, but they will be able to comprehend the new reality even faster".


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Implementation of the Order Management System
Implementation of the PCM
Creation of the Embellishment Application
Creation of VIP Room application
Integration with Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud
Integration with the Cegid POS
Integration with Nedap
Manchester City is one of the major soccer clubs and brands in the world, with a truly global fanbase. The merchandise is sold and shipped globally and offline at the stadium stores, mostly at peaktimes around the home games of the team. Our Omni-channel retail platform was implemented to serve as the central OMS and PCM, and connects with the Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform and the other Salesforce clouds. For the stadium store, French POS Cegid was integrated.
Why we love this project
Manchester City not only has on of the largest fanbases in the world. They amin to offer fans an optimal experiences both online and in the stadium. Besides the OMS and PCM, Wolfpack implemented the embellishment app. With this App, the team can create personalized T-shirts for the fans. Wolfpack also created the application to enable fans in VIP rooms to order a personalized shirt during the game, and get it delivered at the seat.
About Manchester City
Manchester City is one of the best soccer teams in the world. The team has won the premiership league 4 times of the last 5 editions. It's star players are hugely popular, and new signings of players are major events. Most recent signing Erling Håland is expected to be one of the key players in the coming season.
Want to know more about this solution?
Koen den Hollander
Founder and CFO
koen.denhollander@wolfpack-dcs.com


Ministry Support Services provides education, information, events and support for your ministry activities.
Schools, parishes, dioceses and other Christian institutions or individuals can benefit from Karen Lunney's background in youth ministry, pastoral theology, education and church as well as her passion for working with people and technology.
At Ministry Support Services, It's all about making connections.
Good ministry is about people, and it's about relationships, and we can't have relationships unless we connect.
Talk to Karen Lunney about how we can best help you with making connections and supporting your ministry.