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CURRENT OPINION
Expert corner – Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus
Pradeep Sharma1, Ramesh Kekunnaya2, Sumita Agarkar3, Jitendra Jethani4, Shalaka Paralkar Sobti5, Shruti Nishanth6
1 Dr. R. P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
2 Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
3 Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
4 Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Baroda Children Eye Care and Squint Clinic, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
5 Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Moorfields Eye Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, UK
6 Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, M. N. Eye Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Date of Web Publication 10-Jun-2019
Dr. Shruti Nishanth
Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, M. N. Eye Hospital, No. 781, T. H. Road, Tondiarpet, Chennai - 600 021, Tamil Nadu
DOI: 10.4103/tjosr.tjosr_20_19
Sharma P, Kekunnaya R, Agarkar S, Jethani J, Sobti SP, Nishanth S. Expert corner – Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. TNOA J Ophthalmic Sci Res 2019;57:60-4
Sharma P, Kekunnaya R, Agarkar S, Jethani J, Sobti SP, Nishanth S. Expert corner – Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. TNOA J Ophthalmic Sci Res [serial online] 2019 [cited 2020 Jan 18];57:60-4. Available from: http://www.tnoajosr.com/text.asp?2019/57/1/60/259880
What Do You Consider as Progressive Myopia? and How Do You Prefer to Manage the Child?
Dr. Pradeep Sharma
An increase of at least −0.50 D spherical equivalent per year in at least one eye as per cycloplegic refraction is considered as progressive myopia according to the Atropine in the Treatment Of Myopia (ATOM) study. Adequate correction of the refractive error is given as spectacles or contact lenses. The child may be started on 0.01% atropine as described in the ATOM 2 study, with follow-up of every 6 months. Encouraging outdoor activities may also stop the progression of myopia.
Dr. Ramesh Kekunnaya
For children >5 years of age, I consider 0.5–1 D progression in 6 months to 1 year as progression. I always rule out syndromic myopia, lenticular myopia, and keratoconus and retinopathy of prematurity/cataract surgery-related myopia in children before considering treatment options for the prevention of progression. I prefer low-dose atropine, less screen time, and more outdoor activities as a strategy to halt/reduce myopia progression in children >5 years of age.
Dr. Sumita Agarkar
I define progressive myopia as an increase of −0.5 D or more over a period of 6 months. I usually document axial length and lag of accommodation if a child is above 6 years. I do consider atropine 0.01% once a day if there is a documented increase in myopia. I also stress on limiting the use of handheld gadgets and daylight outdoor activities for at least an hour.
Dr. Jitendra Jethani
I would normally consider an increase of −0.5 D spherical over 6 months or even −0.75 D at 1 year as progressive myopia. At present, I use atropine 0.01% eye drops once in the evening to prevent the progression of myopia.
Dr. Shalaka Sobti
I would consider an increase of 1 D or more per year as progressive myopia. I perform a dilated retina evaluation once a year for myopic children and rule out any syndromic associations of myopia. I always fully correct the myopic refractive error on cycloplegic refraction. As part of management, I would advise the restriction of use of handheld devices and adding outdoor activity/play every day. As medical management of myopia, low-dose atropine is not yet available as a treatment on the National Health Service, UK, so I do not end up prescribing this.
What are Your Management Principles for Treating Severe Allergic Conjunctivitis? Do You Prefer Steroids or Immunosuppressants?
I start treatment with a topical dual-acting antihistamine–mast cell stabilizer agent such as olopatadine hydrochloride 0.1% or bepotastine besilate 1.5% and combined with antihistamine decongestant vasoconstrictor drops and a lubricating agent. Nonpharmacologic remedies (cold compresses) to provide temporary symptomatic relief are added. Topical steroids are typically avoided and sometimes in very resistant cases given for short durations (2–3 weeks) only until good control can be achieved with safer medications such as antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, or dual-acting, single-molecule antihistamine–mast cell stabilizer agents.
Immunomodulators, such as cyclosporine A or tacrolimus, are used as replacement therapy for more resistant cases with severe papillary hypertrophy. Once the effect comes, I would switch to the initial treatment which I feel is safe and no risk for steroid-induced glaucoma.
For mild cases, I advise olopatadine and artificial tear eye drops. For moderate-to-severe cases, I prefer steroids, artificial tear eye drops, cool compress, and olopatadine. To control allergy, I consider long-term olopatadine, and in resistant cases, I consider immunomodulators such as tacrolimus.
I prefer a short-tapering steroid to take care of acute symptoms and then switch to mast cell stabilizers and copious lubricants. Lifestyle changes such as avoidance of rubbing, wearing sunglasses, icepacks, and lid scrubs also help. Severe corneal involvement is best handled by corneal specialists.
Basic principles such as loteprednol eye drops with olopatadine eye drops in the beginning. The steroids are gradually tapered over a period of 4 weeks. The child is asked to continue olopatadine eye drops twice a day.
I prefer immunosuppressants, especially chloroquine eye drops, or if the child is not able to tolerate it, then tacrolimus eye ointment once in the evening, and if the child is not tolerating that, I would start cyclosporine in that order. I usually start a lubricating eye drops if I am starting an immunosuppressant. I start them after the steroid regimen is over which is around 3–4 weeks of the first visit.
I also start nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) eye drops after 2 weeks of starting steroids; hence, usually, when the steroids eye drops are at twice a day tapering, I add the NSAID eye drops and ask the parents to continue till a month.
Allergic conjunctivitis is quite common in the UK during spring and summer due to the increased pollen count, and we see children having frequent and severe relapses during these months. Mild-to-moderate cases are treated with olopatadine and ocular lubricants, with topical steroids prescribed for severe cases. In case of frequent relapses, I prefer to start immunosuppressants instead of long-term steroid use after control of the allergy. Topical cyclosporine is my first choice of treatment. I also monitor the intraocular pressure of children while on topical steroid treatment.
What are Your Principles on Prescribing Glasses for Hyperopia and Myopia?
While prescribing glasses, we should consider the patient's age, type, and magnitude of refractive error, amount of anisometropia, and presence of strabismus or amblyopia. Another important factor to be considered is emmetropization, which is an active and on-going process in children. Care must be taken to consider the normal amount of refractive error corresponding to the age group.
I follow the guidelines laid out by the modified American Academy of Ophthalmology and now published as the AIOS Guidelines after the PedOph and Strabismus group consensus meeting. Check that for details in Indian Journal of Ophthalmology 2018 Commentary. While correcting for hyperopia in children <6 years, I prefer to under-correct the refractive error, the residual refractive error being just above the mean for that age group. This is done to ensure the stimulus for emmetropization, except in conditions such as amblyopia and esotropia. In case of school-going children, myopia should be fully corrected; hyperopic errors >1.5 D should be corrected as well. However, in cases of asthenopia, esotropia, or amblyopia, the smaller hyperopic errors also deserve attention. In patients with esotropia, it is imperative to give full cycloplegic correction.
With respect to myopia, I tend to fully correct in children except in infants and toddlers where I delay prescribing at least till they start walking. If the myopia is very high, I prescribe to children of any age.
In hyperopia in the presence of esotropia, I give full cycloplegic correction. In cases of orthotropia with hyperopia up to 3–4 D in infants – I do not prescribe. In toddlers, I undercorrect by 1–1.5 D. In older children, I perform Post mydriatic test PMT and prescribe glasses or arbitrarily undercorrect by 1.5–2 D.
Full correction should be prescribed for myopia. There is no role for under- or over-correction at all in myopia. Hyperopia is a bit tricky as children can compensate for hyperopia using accommodation. The most important factor in prescription of glasses for hyperopia is the presence of esotropia or phoria. In the presence of an esodeviation or even intermittent esodeviation, full cycloplegic prescription must be given. In orthophoric children, under-correction of 1.5–2.0 D can be done depending on the age and visual needs. Astigmatism also should be corrected fully.
Currently, I follow the AAPOS Guidelines for prescribing the glasses. Some changes have been made to them, but more or less I stick to the guidelines.
In case of hypermetropia without a convergent squint, I tend to monitor vision in younger children up to the age of 3 years. If the vision is acceptable for the age, I do not prescribe; if not and in children older than 3, I under-correct by 1.5–2 D. In children older than 10 years, I prefer to do a PMT or subjective refraction. In hypermetropia with esotropia, I give full hypermetropic correction. In myopia in children over the age of 2 years, I give full correction.
Till What Age Do You Treat Amblyopia? Any Special Tips for Compliance and Good Outcomes?
I consider vision as a new language that we learn best in the first 5 years but can pick up, if motivated and compliant even later, but with advancing difficulty as we age. Good results can be obtained when amblyopia treatment is initiated at least by 6–8 years of age. For visual deprivation amblyopia, the upper limit is 6 years, and for anisometropic amblyopia, it may be even 20 years if motivated and compliant and the presenting vision is better than 6/36. Strabismic amblyopes do not usually respond after 12 years of age. Amblyopia treatment is more difficult in older age groups, but not impossible. Success of the amblyopia therapy depends upon presenting vision, age at treatment, and compliance and motivation of the patient for amblyopia therapy. Counseling the patient and parent and proper monitoring help in improving the prognosis. To obtain good compliance with occlusion therapy in children, several methods of "bribery" may be used, such as allowing the child to watch TV or use mobile phone only when patched. In cases of squint with amblyopia, occlusion therapy should precede surgical intervention as parents become less compliant with amblyopia therapy after surgery.
I tend to give a trial of patching (if they have not done earlier) for any age group. I encourage parents to split the patching hours depending on the school hours, advice patch during homework, watching TV, playing video games, or drawing time. In addition, some reward system works well for pathing.
Following the IATS Recommendation, children up to 17 years can have a trial of occlusion if presenting for the first time. The same goes for children who have had inadequate therapy or poor compliance. Good outcomes are linked to compliance, type of amblyopia, and depth of amblyopia. It is a good strategy to have child and parents as your team members and reinforce the need for compliance to therapy in each visit. Gains, even the small ones such as increase in speed of reading or improvement in near vision, should be complimented and demonstrated to the parents to encourage them. Attractive patches do help.
I would give it at any age. A lot goes into talking to the parents and it is the most important aspect of patching. It works if the patient actually believes and does it. We have to tell them and give them evidence that this thing actually works. We give them pictures to trace or ask them to start a hobby of painting while patching. We ask them to us EI net, or even their own computer or tab while they are patching their better eye during the therapy.
If a child has never had patching, I would give a trial of patching to children even older than 7; however, most amblyopic children would get identified around the age of 4–5 years when they have their eye test as part of school screening. In these children, we continue patching until we get an improvement in vision. If the vision continues to remain stable for over a year in spite of good compliance and the child is over 7 years old, I tend to discontinue patching and accept the vision. Tips to improve compliance include using patches with the patterns/colors on them, also encouraging a makeshift patch over the eye of the child's favorite doll/soft toy while they have their own patch on. Other things that help are doing a reward/star chart for patching or associating a child's favored activity such as TV/drawing with patching.
How Long Do You Wait Before Intervening for Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction?
Since majority of the infants with Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) spontaneously improve during the first several months of life, I prefer to treat these patients initially with conservative measures such as Crigler's massage. Demonstrating the proper technique to the parents is important. Topical antibiotics are also added in case of significant discharge. If the symptoms persist, we prefer to do therapeutic nasolacrimal probing, which has a high success rate, but defers till about a year unless the problem persists despite massage. If three successive probings at 4–6 weeks' intervals fail to yield results, dacryocystorhinostomy is done at 3–4 years of age.
Conservative management of lacrimal massaging up till 1 year of age. In cases of dacryocele or repeated infection, immediate probing is required.
It really depends on the age of the child. Crigler's massage alone works well until 1 year of age. Spontaneous resolutions may happen below the age of 1 year. Hence, I suggest probing if the child is older than 1 year.
Usually, I wait until 10–12 months of age. I do not do office probing, and usually, we do it in the operation theater.
I tend to monitor and advise sac massage until around 15 months of age before listing the child for syringing and probing. Indications for probing before that would be a dacryocele or repeated dacryocystitis.
What are Your Pearls for Managing Infantile Esotropia?
I would initially ensure the refractive correction as per atropine cycloplegia and free alternation and then operate as early as possible. The ideal timing in infantile esotropia is to detect around 5–6 months of age and operate within the 1st year. Although early surgery is not enough, it has to be early alignment; hence, following surgery, glasses have to be titrated to ensure alignment. Early surgery can ensure not only ocular alignment but also good binocularity.
The chances of under- and over-correction do bother us in early surgery, but that is not >10%. I operate the associated oblique muscles in the same sitting, and in very large esodeviations, I would do three horizontal muscle surgeries in the primary surgery itself because the goal is early alignment. The chances of consecutive exodeviations are more in higher hyperopes, those with cylindrical corrections or those with superior oblique overactions, and should be kept mind while planning surgery, as also the age and the limbus-insertion distance.
Dr. Kekunnaya
Measure at least 3 times before intervention, patch therapy if there is any fixation preference. Most of them will have dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) and V pattern. Detecting these in infants is very important. I perform surgery at around 1 year of age. Postoperative follow-up is extremely important in infants.
Look for amblyopia and treat it, it is more common than literature suggests!
Early surgery if esotropia is large and constant with no fixation preference. Conservative approach is preferred if child has small angle esotropia with other issues such as prematurity, seizures, and delayed development. I usually reduce the surgical dose by 1 mm while operating in children with neurodevelopmental delay. Continue follow-up after surgery even if alignment is satisfactory and keep watching out for amblyopia till they are older address additional issues such as patterns and DVD at appropriate time.
Talk to parents about follow–up; need for glasses and further procedures.
All the basic principles, history, refraction, occlusion if needed, glasses if needed, reassessment with glasses should be followed. Surgery is as soon as needed. We operate after 8 months if patient has presented fairly early and patient is ready. We present all the facts to the patient and help them decide about the surgery.
Babies with infantile esotropia need patching in case they develop a fixation preference. Ideally, try and get as many measurements as possible. I prefer to operate between the age of 1 and 2 years. In selected cases, bilateral medial rectus botulinum toxin may be used as a primary procedure in less than 1 year olds, very often, this leads to a smaller angle of esotropia when the child is older and less amount of surgery required with more reliable measurements.
What is Your Experience on Use of Botulinum Toxin for Pediatric Squints?
Botulinum toxin, with or without prisms, has been used for the management of the sixth nerve palsy to expedite the recovery or tried in the waiting period for more eager patients; however, generally, I wait for three 2-monthly visits showing no improvement for surgery.
It has been used with success in infantile esotropia up to 7 months of age; however, since general anesthesia is required, and repeated injections are necessary, I do not recommend. Further, the results of botulinum injections are less predictable than surgery.
I prefer the toxin in the isolated/traumatic sixth nerve palsy as temporizing measure, strabismus in children s/p cataract surgery or any other anti-segment or postsegment surgery, to augment transposition surgeries.
Works well for incomitant acquired strabismus mainly sixth nerve paresis. Of late, there has been a resurgent interest in Botox injections for small angle strabismus in children with neurodevelopmental issues where surgery carries a risk of consecutive exotropia. I have used Botox to augment bimedial recessions for large angle esotropia.
I am not a big fan of botulinum toxin in children. I do not use it much.
Botulinum toxin may be used as a primary treatment or as an adjunct to bimedial recession in certain cases of infantile esotropia. I have also used it successfully as an early treatment for acute onset esotropia with diplopia in older children who were known to be binocular in the past. Further, as a temporary means in children with the sixth nerve palsy to prevent medial rectus contracture and as an adjunct to transposition surgery.
According to You, What are the Exciting Future Trends to Look Forward to in the Field of Pediatric Ophthalmology?
Targeted strabismus surgery for strabismus to achieve or restore stereopsis, binocular vision stimulation treatment for amblyopia in preschool children, atropine 0.01% eye drops for the prevention of myopia progression, gene therapy for Leber's congenital amaurosis, intravitreal or intra-arterial injections for retinoblastoma, and intralesional bleomycin injections for veno-lymphatic malformations are some of the many promising advances being made in the field of pediatric ophthalmology.
Gene therapy, personalized medicine, application of deep learning and artificial intelligence, newer modalities for amblyopia, newer intraocular lens designs, better understanding of strabismus.
Role of low-dose atropine in myopia control
Better dichoptic therapies for amblyopia.
Lots of exciting things may come in the future especially in pediatric ophthalmology. Since new is looking at a group where we have potential to change or build the future. Most important changes would be for the management of myopia.
Need to know the concentration of atropine which is useful for prevention of progression. The optimum concentration is yet to be known. Mainly because there is no tear film biomarker apart from dopamine which may be known and changes with atropine instillation. Even the dopamine level measured in tears is variable. In our own study, we did find atropine 0.01% to be extremely useful and something which did affect the progression in most of the cases
Role of 7 methyl xanthine has shown promising results in preventing the progression of myopia. The exact mechanism again is unknown, and it is an oral drug. The need to know more about this would also come
The tear film biomarkers for progression of myopia need to be known. More work would suggest what exactly changes in the eye which would not only point toward to pathophysiology but also would point towards targeted approach
Few software and primary work have been done to measure the saccades through cameras. We did make a basic arrangement for measuring the ocular excursion. More research and artificial intelligence would make sure that we would have the data more accurately.
More in-depth knowledge about the use of atropine for myopia progression and more treatment modalities for progressive myopia are required. Other things to look forward to are gene therapy for retinal dystrophies being available as a treatment to young patients.
Sharma P
Kekunnaya R
Agarkar S
Jethani J
Sobti SP
Nishanth S
What Do You Cons...
What are Your Ma...
What are Your Pr...
Till What Age Do...
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© TNOA Journal of Ophthalmic Science and Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
Online since 6th June, 2017


I mentioned that the exterior of the truck had been repainted (the original color) decades ago. They did a fine job and Abbey is of course beautiful, except that the little square VIN door plate was painted over. It bothered us. What was under the paint? What did it look like? Inquiring minds wanted to know.
So online research once again assisted us with information.
some WD-40, the old paint came off to reveal the shiny VIN face again.
He opted not to touch up the scratches with paint like the website mentions, and decided to leave it looking as original as possible showing all the wear.
I approve. I like seeing the scuff marks and imagine a farmer's boot and 60+ years of door openings and closings wearing on it. The clear coat will protect it from getting any more scuffs. Remember Abbey is not a show car, but a well cared for vintage truck. This plate suits her.
Sadly, I didn't take a Before photo so you get the "After" one.
For the "before" photo, just imagine this as a solid colored rectangle.
The shiny clean VIN door plate is back on the truck and looks great. If we ever lose our minds completely and decide to totally detail Abbey and make her show-ready, the directions online are easy to follow and explain how to carefully fill in the scratches with model paint and make the VIN plate pristine. The website refurbished ones look like they just came from the factory.
We like the wear-and-tear quality of ours, and honestly...it was just fun unearthing it under the layers of old paint.
Kind of like finding a Monet under a painting of Poker Playing Dogs.


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The Last of Us (PS3)
Third-Person Action Adventure
The Last of Us Review
Naughty Dog brings a blockbuster to the last days of the PS3
By Liana Kerzner ( Jun 6, 2013 )
View our ratings guide
It does for the zombie survivor genre what Uncharted did for action adventure; stunning visuals; great characters; solid storytelling
The expected minor-but-hilariously glaring Naughty Dog bugs; suffers from the zombie genre being completely over-saturated; one character is a Voltron of zombie apocalypse tropes.
It's official: Naughty Dog has a formula: take a well-known type of action story, add great characters, then polish it until it gleams like a diamond. The thing is that George Romero/The Walking Dead-style zombie apocalypse narratives have produced a lot of diamonds in the gaming world, and The Last of Us faces a "for better and for worse" struggle with the raging overuse of zombies. Fortunately, there's a lot more "better" than "worse": the weaker parts of the game come from hitting the required beats in a zombie story, the way the Uncharted series closely followed the major tropes of classic adventure stories. However, the excellent characters, seasonal scenery changes, and levels that keep the combat changing before a player can get bored, lifted me past my utter boredom with zombies to a thought-provoking and poignant ending. This tale of survivors, and the various reasons some people keep going even when life completely sucks, is visceral, emotional, and very human.
By the end, it's not really a zombie game, which is why there are times when zombie conventions weigh it down. These moments are minor, however, and the game's narrative never completely derails. The rest of The Last of Us is truly a bloody, burned-out masterpiece. Like the game itself, there's a lot of ground to cover in a discussion of it, and I'm going to constrain this review to the two main characters, gameplay, and main themes, because it would be easy to write a five thousand word review and still not cover every great performance, breathtaking visual achievement, and neat moment. And the less you know about the details of the game going in, the better your experience will be.
The story begins during the initial chaos of the cordyceps outbreak, a zombie plague based on a real life fungus that takes over the brains of bugs, then erupts from their heads as they grow. Naughty Dog's attention to detail is so great that they even replicate the spastic movements of cordyceps insect victims in their versions of zombies. Other zombie games concoct silly origins for their plagues, but all shamelessly crib from George Romero. The Cordyceps are inspired by a gruesome, but strangely beautiful, part of mother nature.
None of this really matters to Joel, a hardworking average Joe who is compelling, if not entirely likable, in his extremely simple classic Texan motivations. Joel starts the game as some sort of contractor, and, after a 20-year time jump, becomes a smuggler in Boston. By this point, Joel is likely early-to-mid fifties, which is pushing it in terms of the physical requirements of a video game protagonist, but not impossible. Joel's done a lot of hard living in those 50 some-odd years, and it shows in his heavily-lined face.
Joel's a man of action over words, and he's not especially introspective. These are both important survival characteristics, but it made Troy Baker's job of bringing him to life that much tougher. I thought Baker's work as Booker DeWitt was vaguely soporific, but as Joel, he's an uncut diamond. There's no question that Joel is a blunt instrument, and as much as I warmed to him by the end, his quiet menace meant that I wouldn't want to meet a guy like him in a dark alley. Joel is not a conventional hero, but The Last of Us isn't a game about heroes. It's a game about survivors.
This distinction is central to the game's themes, its plot, and the choices the characters make. The examination of what it is to be a survivor is revisited again and again, and is especially relevant during the game's last third. And while the game's prologue may seem, on the surface, to be a pathos grab, it's actually setting up integral elements of Joel's character: his ability to have heroic moments has to do with his priorities and circumstances before the pandemic. Pay special attention to the seemingly bland opening moments, because they're huge character points: every phone call, muttered piece of dialogue and greeting card give you an insight into him. There's a near-Shakespearean appreciation for the quite nobility of the everyman before things go to hell.
And now, back to the apocalypse...
After Joel and his partner Tess get screwed out of a weapons deal, Joel gets offered a job smuggling something out of the city to a resistance group called the Fireflies in exchange for an even bigger haul. That "something" turns out to be Ellie, a fourteen year-old with a trucker mouth and an indomitable spirit that will get thoroughly and repeatedly tested before the credits roll.
Joel is very reluctant to do this at first, but that's because he doesn't know that Ellie is a five-foot-three, red-headed bundle of raging awesome. While The Walking Dead's nine year-old Clementine made you want to protect her because she's adorable, Ellie has never known a world that didn't contain flesh-eating monsters, so she's deadly with a switchblade, but she can't swim. It's not like there was ever an opportunity for anyone to take her to the beach or a public pool.
Ellie can look after herself in a fight, but not in the "hide in really stupid places" thing Elizabeth does in Bioshock. Refreshingly, she doesn't require Joel's constant one-sided protection. She's brave and has a sense of purpose, and is highly unlikely to be compared to any Disney Princess. Instead, Ellie's character is a balancing act similar to Joel's although the results are very different, and Ashley Johnson plays her with just enough edge to feel real: the wreckage of Boston is the only thing Ellie's ever known, so she doesn't have a sense of bitterness or loss, but neither does she display privilege or a tendency toward first-world problems.
It's not accurate to say she's fearless, but her bravery comes from a very complicated place. She's smart, determined, and she has a sense of wonder rarely seen in zombie games. Yes, things are trying to kill her, but she's also never been outside the city before, so her sense of awe and adventure overwhelms her with an earnestness and joy that cuts through the nihilism that makes some zombie fare insufferable and tiring. Joel is the grounding wire of The Last of Us. Ellie is the current running through it. It's this combination that allows the game to electrify without setting itself on fire.
Joel and Ellie embark on an unexpected journey across America through cordyceps, various hostile survivor factions, and natural environments the like you've never seen before in a video game. The Last of Us starts as a combination of Dead Space, Fallout, The Walking Dead, and Bioshock Infinite, but gradually morphs into all the hallmarks of a Naughty Dog adventure: breathtaking levels, great characters, crazy action, a very personal story, and an element of sweeping majesty.
The first encounters with the monsters known as "Clickers" can be a bit annoying, due to heavy reliance on stealth tactics before the player gets a chance to really get a feel for the controls. It's that survival action element of setting up very likely early deaths so that players get a good look at the grisly playable-character-gets-killed sequences. Predictably, the facial expressions and animations are awesome, but don't be ashamed to drop down the difficulty if it gets too frustrating, because you'll likely want to play through the campaign at least a second time. There's a lot of film-style symbolism that really pops during a second play-through when you're not overwhelmed by the shock of the new.
The game establishes its bleak "legit post-zombie apocalypse cred" early so it can get on with the business of telling the story of Ellie and Joel, although they return to beating that zombie-genre drum again later, but more on that in a bit. The Last of Us explores many themes related to survival: loss, guilt, grief, and living with the consequences of difficult choices. Joel is bitter beyond his years while Ellie is wise beyond hers, and there are moments of comedy and poignancy that come out of the huge generation gap between them. Take advantage of every optional dialogue opportunity. It's worth it. There's even a brief goof on the Twilight Saga which is completely confusing to Ellie's post-pandemic perspective. Naughty Dog accomplishes the seemingly impossible video game task of making a 14 year-old girl the coolest thing on the screen.
You may have noticed that up until this point, I haven't touched on gameplay. The Last of Us is so cinematic that it runs the risk of being examined too much like a film. It stands up to this sort of analysis, but it's just as good as an interactive experience. The survival action control scheme is definitely designed to make you feel vulnerable. It takes some getting used to, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Foraging and environment exploration are key components, not only for resources, but also to level up survival skills and get a greater sense of the game world. However, foraging and crafting are limited enough that you're not carrying around an inventory full of potential junk, like in RPGs.
Overall, the most satisfying approach is a combination of stealth, melee, and, tactical use of nail bombs and Molotov cocktails. The melee combat is uncomfortably visceral. It's one thing to shoot someone with a gun. It's another thing entirely to strangle a zombie to death or stomp its face with his boot. As Joel and Ellie's relationship develops, they fight more cohesively as a team, and she gets in on the fights in a pretty awesome way.
As good as the melee combat is, the ranged weapons are extremely well-balanced too. Every firearm has its place, especially when upgraded. I found the rifle, for instance, relatively useless until I added the scope to it. Similarly, the bow turned out to be useful for attacking with stealth at a distance, since it doesn't go 'bang'. The early-game pistols maintain a late-game sense of purpose because ammo conservation is key.
It's a bit tricky to change weapons on the fly, because, well, it's a survival game. To make it possible to plan your attacks, Joel and Ellie have highly-tuned hearing which allows them to locate enemies though physical barriers. The listening tactic is extremely useful for avoiding ambushes, conserving ammo, and staying hidden as long as possible, although there are some levels where you have to keep constantly moving because the enemies you're facing have molotovs that they lob over cover to burn you. As the game progresses, the maps get bigger and the combat gets more action-oriented. In fact, some levels are so huge that they seem to have been developed with the faction-based multiplayer in mind as opposed to the needs of the single player campaign.
Another subtle, but neat, detail is the hint system, which kicks in on puzzles after a certain amount of time is spent without action. The nudges feel like part of the experience, to keep the frustration at a moderate level.
The game also makes it clear when it's okay to stop and smell the roses, and when you need to keep your head down, by creating an adrenaline affect in the characters' animations. When the situation is relatively safe, Joel slows down and walks and jogs instead of flat out running. He is an older guy, after all.
Equally clever is that the level up and inventory systems are designed to reflect the game world. Most bombs, health kits, and some melee weapons are obtained through crafting these items from foraged resources. Want better weapons? Collect parts and tools to upgrade them at benches. Want to beef up your skills? Collect supplements and training manuals. There's even a small use of the long-neglected Sixaxis controls: when your flashlight starts to flicker, you can tap the controller sideways to get the beam steady again.
The ending is every bit the online debate fodder as that of Bioshock Infinite, and while I didn't see it coming, I fully support it. It manages to be ambivalent and satisfying at the same time, and this achievement owes a debt to the strong, consistent character development throughout the game.
So why no perfect score? Two reasons: in one case, I punched a guy and he drifted inside a cabinet. His upper body was sticking out of it, and it was hilariously awful. While it wasn't a catastrophic bug, it did take me out of the game temporarily. We've all learned to accept that Naughty Dog games are buggy because they strive for excellence in other areas, but this quirk is a bit annoying, considering the studio's prestige.
The second reason is that I feel like certain "essentials" in the zombie genre really aren't that essential, and I got bored by certain tropes that are designed to do nothing but disgust and felt decidedly rote. These problematic scenes give Ellie more screen time, but the devices are just tired and overused. There's one later-game character that is a pastiche of too many creepy survivor cliches. There are still great things about this character and what happens around them, but it felt like a small stumble. When Uncharted came out, there weren't a huge number of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft type games on the market. Nowadays, there are zombies everywhere, and quality zombie games at that. There are going to be "The Walking Dead versus The Last of Us" debates based on the similarities in their narratives, even though they represent completely different genres, because the expectations of the zombie genre are becoming badly calcified.
However, if you're not completely sick of zombies, The Last of Us is a no-brainer purchase. If you are sick of zombies, there's still a whole lot to like here. There's also the consideration of the sheer technical achievements PS3 fans have come to love which will make this game a must-see for video game aficionados. The Last of Us is a phenomenal ninth-inning home run at the end of a console cycle, and a gauntlet thrown down for the next-gen systems that says "Beat this!"
Liana K, called "Canada's Ultimate Fangirl" by the Edmonton Journal, is a prominent voice in the world of all things geeky as a writer, panellist, cosplay pinup, and convention/award show participant. She is the "Red" half of Ed & Red's Night Party!, Canada's longest running comedy series, and is staying true to her nerd roots by offering full episodes of the series free online this fall via Joost. She has been a gamer since the age of three and has been an advocate for video games and gamer culture on television for the last 3 years. Her extensive superhero toy collection has also been featured frequently on national TV, and she has also exposed the broadcast world to phenomena such as tabletop gaming and LARPing. She is the writer/producer behind hit Ed the Sock TV projects such as Smartass: The Ed the Sock Report and the legendary Fromage series.
About this Review
The primary platform in which our evaluation was conducted for the basis of this review is the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Could Tampa Bay's Red Tide be connected to Piney Point disaster?
Dead fish are turning up. Hillsborough and Pinellas have issued health warnings. It "doesn't take much to put two and two together," one scientist said.
Dead fish lie on the sand at Indian Shores on Thursday. [ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]
By Zachary T. Sampson
Published Jun. 13, 2021
Updated Jul. 19, 2021
Red Tide has come to Tampa Bay.
A patchy bloom suspected to be the reason for fish kills on the Pinellas coast and around Port Manatee showed up two months after 215 million gallons of wastewater were pumped into the estuary from the site of an old fertilizer plant.
People already have suspicions. But can anyone know for sure whether harmful algae are feasting upon pollution from Piney Point?
"Nutrient chemistry in seawater is a complex issue, and this is certainly true for Tampa Bay," said University of South Florida chemical oceanography professor Kristen Buck, who took samples after the Piney Point release. "Red Tides are also a complex phenomenon. At this point we simply do not have data to support a direct cause-and-effect relationship."
While there may not be hard proof, Tampa Bay Estuary Program executive director Ed Sherwood said, it "doesn't take much to put two and two together."
"We didn't see this level of algal production this time last year," he said in an interview. And 2021 has brought uncommonly dry weather, meaning heavy rains have not washed excess nutrients, namely nitrogen, into Tampa Bay. That runoff would provide an obvious alternate source of fuel for the algae.
Related: Red Tide reported off Pinellas beaches; shellfish farming closed again
The state's wildlife agency said the release would not cause the organisms in Red Tide to appear in Tampa Bay, but nutrients in the wastewater could feed them once they arrive.
Scientists, including Buck, want to understand whether the specific nutrients found in wastewater at Piney Point match those being taken up by the organisms growing around the bay. They plan to use a kind of signature within different molecules — which may act as a natural tracer — allowing researchers to follow where nitrogen goes and how it gets used in the environment.
Sherwood described the process as similar to matching up a fingerprint. It will take time to get back results.
Shorebirds in April congregate on a fallen tree branch in the coastal mangrove estuaries near Port Manatee. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Tampa Bay Times ]
Thick mats of an algae called Lyngbya have blanketed waterways around Anna Maria Island in recent weeks, and Red Tide has been found at bloom levels near Port Manatee — where the Piney Point wastewater was discharged — and off Pinellas beaches around Pass-a-Grille, Redington Shores, Indian Shores and Sand Key.
Dead fish have been reported to be scattered at Sunset Beach, Madeira Beach and Indian Rocks Beach, among others, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as well as near the Sunshine Skyway bridge.
Health officials in both Hillsborough and Pinellas have issued advisories warning visitors they could experience mild respiratory issues, similar to a cold, when around a bloom.
Algae use nitrogen to grow. The polluted water at Piney Point put high levels of nitrogen into the bay. It was released with approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which said it feared that a leaking reservoir at the property could collapse. The state has vowed to hold the private landowner, HRK Holdings, accountable for damages.
Related: Failure at Piney Point: Florida let environmental risk fester despite warnings
Red Tide is not well-understood. The algae produce toxins that hurt marine life, and they may make people in the area suffer a cough, itchy throat and irritation in their eyes and noses. Blooms are typically more troublesome for those with chronic breathing problems like asthma.
Several research projects are underway in an effort to better understand the causes of blooms and ways to possibly mitigate their effects. Carly Jones, a spokesperson for the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said "there is no direct link between nutrient pollution and the frequency or initiation of red tides caused by Karenia brevis" — the scientific name of the organism that has been found at elevated levels here.
"Piney Point didn't cause the Red Tide in Tampa Bay," Jones wrote in an email to the Tampa Bay Times, "but whether or not it might be a contributing factor is a possibility that we are looking into with a number of other collaborators."
"We also just moved from drought conditions into Florida's wet season and have started to see rain for the first time. Both the drought and now the rain may also be playing a role in some of the patterns we have seen, on top of some of the complex ocean currents."
Effluent flows from a pipe into a drainage ditch at Port Manatee South Gate on April 6, across from the old Piney Point phosphate plant site. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Tampa Bay Times ]
The excess nitrogen dumped into lower Tampa Bay from Piney Point, according to an estimate shared by Sherwood, is similar to pouring about 100,000 bags of fertilizer into the water over several days.
He said he never expected all the consequences would be immediately obvious. Contaminants from the wastewater, he said, have been pushed by winds, tides and currents through parts of the bay and out along the coast. They may have been used first by other organisms, but when those die, the nitrogen will get recycled through the ecosystem.
Related: Contamination from Piney Point has diluted in Tampa Bay, researchers say
Capt. Todd Romine, who fishes out of Holmes Beach, said there have been dead fish, especially pinfish and grunts, found around Port Manatee. He said those species are "very typical of a Red Tide fish kill."
Red Tide is not everywhere, according to the conservation commission's last update. Clean samples were pulled south of Tampa Bay, including in Sarasota Bay.
Romine believes the Piney Point discharge has some connection to the bloom.
"Typically it would be late August or September during the rainy season when runoff is at a peak," he said. "It's tough enough without having a manmade additional problem like Piney Point dumping 215 million gallons ... into the bay."
At a Thursday meeting of the Agency on Bay Management, a community organization that aims to protect Tampa Bay, Sherwood told scientists and government staffers that the Piney Point situation has drawn attention away from important restoration work.
A 2020 seagrass monitoring report found declines in acreage within Tampa Bay, which could be a warning sign for the overall health of parts of the estuary. The biggest losses were in Old Tampa Bay near Feather Sound, according to researchers. Bay managers who could be addressing algae problems there are instead consumed with the response to Piney Point.
Related: Tampa Bay lost 13 percent of its seagrass in two years, study shows
Seagrasses are a foundational part of the ecosystem because they provide food for animals such as manatees, habitat for nursing fish and natural filtration for the water. The Estuary Program is monitoring seagrass beds near Port Manatee to determine how they respond to the release and any potential algal blooms.
The region is a few years removed from a devastating Red Tide that struck the southern gulf coast, buffeting a tourism industry that is now trying to recover from the economic drag of the coronavirus pandemic's local peak.
"We're now in 2021 and potentially setting ourselves up to repeat those sorts of events," Sherwood said in his presentation Thursday. The 2017-19 bloom caused tons of dead marine life to wash ashore across Florida's west coast. Pinellas spent at least $7 million to clean up its shores.
People enjoy the water on the beach, most not paying attention to the occasional dead fish washed ashore after reports of Red Tide found in water samples along the Pinellas County coast. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Pinellas' public tourism agency, has said it is tracking new reports of Red Tide.
Tampa Bay's restoration is considered an environmental success that could sputter backward without vigilance. Advocates for decades have restored seagrasses and boosted water quality by pushing to reduce the nutrients dumped into the estuary by people, including in wastewater.
Nature relies on balance, they say, and a human-caused crisis like Piney Point threatens to upset the system.
"This is something that cascades through the environment in the weeks and months ahead," Sherwood told those gathered Thursday. "We're still in the throes of the response."
Up next:ZooTampa welcomes a new baby southern white rhino
Zachary T. Sampson
Environment Reporter
Warm weather helped Florida manatees, but more winter deaths fearedJan. 13• News
Strong storm Sunday could bring flooding, cool weather to Tampa BayJan. 15• Local Weather
How turmoil in a Clearwater city department ended in an arrestJan. 13• News
Biden administration announces more than $1 billion for Everglades restorationYesterday• Environment
Environmental groups wary of Florida Senate's 'Heartland' planYesterday• Environment
Thousands of fish, birds killed in diesel spill from aging Louisiana pipelineJan. 13• Environment
Why won't a Black neighborhood park in Tampa get a wall to block I-275 noise?Jan. 12• Transportation
Florida Senate committee advances controversial rooftop solar billJan. 12• The Buzz on Florida Politics
Read the full text of Gov. DeSantis' State of the State speechJan. 11• The Buzz on Florida Politics
EPA moves to crack down on dangerous coal ash storage pondsJan. 11• Environment


text:
Q: How to get application in AndroidUnitTest In AndroidUnitTest I need Application to pass to the one of classes (Actually my network manager). How I can get running application?
I tried for
instrumentationapplication = InstrumentationRegistry.getInstrumentation().targetContext as Application

But, I get cast error and it does not works.

A: you could use
val application = androidx.test.core.app.ApplicationProvider.getApplicationContext() as MyApplication

make sure you have the androidx test library dependencies.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Daoud Pasha Restaurant is wonderfully situated overlooking the beautiful hills of Taybeh dotted with over 30,000 Olive trees. Located at Taybeh Golden Hotel where you can enjoy a refreshing drink or a traditional Palestinian meal, while browsing renown Palestinian art on exhibit and take pleasure with our cultural heritage.
You can also shop at the gift desk available at Taybeh Winery and Taybeh Brewery promoting authentic and organic local products, Taybeh Extra Virgin Olive oil, home-made jam, pure honey, and olive oil soap among other unique Taybeh souvenirs.


No, seriously. A tree limb just fell on me.
I spent the evening with Jacque and Evan, as I usually do on Wednesdays. We saw a storm was coming in, but I didn't leave before it hit.
I tried to ride it out at Jacque's, but it got pretty late, so around midnight, I decided to head home. It poured on me the whole way. The rain was falling harder when I reached home, so I just rushed inside.
When I got upstairs, I realized I had left my phone in the car. When the rain finally stopped, I went out to retrieve the phone.
Walking back to my building, I noticed the wind pick up. I stood in the middle of the street and looked up and around to see what the deal was. Then, I heard some cracking and wasn't sure what happened. Then I realized I had a strange sensation in my arm.
Everything must have happened in slow motion because all this happened and then I saw a giant tree limb hit the ground.
It took awhile for me to realize that limb had hit me before reached the street.
I had learned my lesson. I didn't stick around to see if more crap could fall on me.
I grabbed this piece that landed on my shoe. It's from one of the branches on the limb that attacked me.
Guess I won't be parking under that tree ever again!


text:
@class CCLayer;
@class GameObject;
@class ChipmunkSpace;

@class TrajectoryNode;

// Yay, the vaunted GameWorld class.
// This is where all the game logic goes and along with GameObject it binds Cocos2D and Chipmunk together nicely.
@interface GameWorld : CCLayer {
	NSMutableArray *gameObjects;

	ChipmunkSpace *space;
	TrajectoryNode *trajectoryNode;

	bool restarting;
}

+(id) scene;

-(void) add:(GameObject *)gameObject;
-(void) remove:(GameObject *)gameObject;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Submitted by BruceThompson on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 22:11.
Undertake Home Sustainaility Assessments in Perth and all the surrounding suburbs.
Submitted by BruceThompson on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 22:07.
Resicert home and building inspection company based in Perth, Australia. Carry out full range of inspections, home sustainability assessments, renovation planning services and structural certification.


I opened a Guardianship brokerage account in 2014 to hold around $6,000 from a settlement for my daughter. I am now trying to take that money out of the market and put it into a Guardianship bank account. But my broker is not allowing me to take the money out - they are requiring that I provide a Letter of Guardianship or a court order appointing me as guardian, but I never received anything like that. I thought the check itself that says [my name] guardian under title 13 of the estates and trusts article, annotated code of Maryland for [my daughter's name] was, in itself, the appointment of me as guardian. But my broker isn't accepting that and is insisting I show them some other document.
Please help, at this point it sounds like they're holding my daughter's money hostage.
A: You need to get the court's permission to withdraw money from a Title 13 trust account. You need to apply to the circuit court of the county where you, and show cause and standing, for the withdrawal.
§ 13-403. Appointment of trustee or guardian for minor.
Unless a court appoints a guardian of the property of a minor under subsection (c) of this section, if a minor or any other person in whose name a claim in tort is made or judgment in tort obtained on behalf of a minor recovers a net sum of $5,000 or more, the person responsible for the payment of the money shall make payment by check made to the order of " ...................., trustee under Title 13 of the Estates and Trusts Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, for ...................., minor."
(b) Payment by check to trustee - No other act necessary.- No other act is necessary to constitute the person named a trustee.
The brokerage where the account was established should have a copy of that check. Sometimes you need to escalate the issue above the broker's head or involve the legal counsel's office of the brokerage, and cite to the code, because not everyone is familiar with the law in Maryland.


text:
NEW RADICALS
Why Europeans should be quick to investigate petty criminals for Islamic terrorism
The attack in Belgium.
Image: Reuters/Francois Lenoir
Lianna Brinded
On Tuesday, Benjamin Herman killed two police officers and a passerby in Liège in Belgium before being killed in a shootout. He also allegedly killed someone the day before. Belgian prosecutor Philippe Dulieu told the press that they are treating the killings as a "terrorist incident" and subsequently opened a terrorism inquiry.
It may seem like the authorities are quick to jump to conclusions. After all, the perpetrator was a petty criminal who had been let out on day-release from a local prison. It may seem trigger-happy of the Belgians, a hangover from the two suicide bombings in 2016 in which ISIL, also known as ISIS and the Islamic State, claimed responsibility.
But the state prosecutor's move is in line with what studies and experts have warned about—petty crime is integral to the radicalization, recruitment, and financing of Islamic terrorist cells in Europe.
In 2015, Louise Shelley, a university professor at George Mason University and director of its Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, wrote in the New York Times (paywall) about how "the financial profile of the ISIS inspired terrorists in Europe is very different. Many of them were small-scale criminals before they were radicalized and some continue to commit crimes subsequently. Financing from petty criminal activity allows them to support themselves, buy weapons in Europe's illegal markets and rent cars and safe houses."
Later that year, Peter Neumann, a radicalization expert at King's College London said in the Washington Post (paywall) that European jails have become breeding grounds of Islamist radicals for years, especially in Belgium and France. "Many of them live lives as hoodlums, had an epiphany, and turned religious, but these connections to criminality are not meant to disappear," he added.
Studies over the last decade have also shown links between petty crime and, in particular, Islamic terrorism.
In 2007, a research report funded by the Danish Ministry of Justice (pdf) delved into how for Muslim boys facing an identity crisis by living in the West can manifest itself "into anger, petty crime, and becoming easily susceptible to
extremist ideology." In addition, one of France's most prominent Islamic terrorism experts, Olivier Roy, highlighted how "half of violent jihadis in France, Germany, and the United States also have criminal records for petty crime, just like [Manchester bomber Salman] Abedi, who appears to have been radicalized without the involvement of the local mosque or religious community, an element that mirrors patterns in the rest of Europe."
Another study published in 2016 in the CTC Sentinel also highlights the link between petty crime and radicalization. "Many of today's European jihadis are no longer middle-class intellectuals but petty criminals and former gang members who have spent time in prison and carry convictions for violent crime," say the authors.
Experts have warned that in order to understand and therefore tackle this type of terrorism, authorities need to probe into these links. "To better understand the threat faced by the new generation of jihadists in the West, security forces and intelligence services must also look at the micro-level of how lower level trafficking, drug dealing and petty criminal activity, combined with prison radicalization and ties to the black market and illicit underworld, combine to present a new spin on a longstanding threat," said the authors of a study in the Journal of Strategic Security (pdf).


text:
2014 New York Audio Show
NYAS Ventures to Brooklyn
Alan Taffel
| Oct 17th, 2014
Plants. That's what made the difference between heavenly and hellish-sounding rooms at this year's New York Audio Show. It took me a while to clue into this. I was in one of the better-sounding spaces, and I asked, "How come your room sounds so good and most of the others are hard and bright?" The answer: plants. I looked around and, sure enough, there were leafy potted diffusers everywhere, rescuing the sound waves from the fate of smashing into the new venue's tall, flat, unadorned walls. From then on, I noticed plants taming reflections in most of the good-sounding rooms, which I'll describe shortly.
Sonics were one of several concerns plaguing would-be exhibitors at this year's New York Audio Show. Indeed, the omens surrounding the show were worrisome from the start. The location had moved from chic Manhattan to distant, bohemian and, let's face it, not exactly high end Brooklyn. How many customers would brave the Manhattan Bridge? Of course, the new location necessitated a change in venue. But whereas Manhattan boasts dozens of luxe-yet-large, conference-friendly hotels, Brooklyn has nary a one in that category. So it was out with the Palace, in with the Brooklyn Marriott. A nice place, actually, but would it be nice enough to attract this hobby's well-heeled crowd? Then there was the timing—smack dab in the middle of Rosh Hashanah. That can't be good.
For all these reasons, several prestigious New York dealers, such as Audio Arts and Sound by Singer, plus a bunch of high-end brands decided to sit this show out. Others took a flyer, though, no doubt incented by the much-reduced tariff. As the opening bell approached, they wrung their hands in worried anticipation. The question on every exhibitor's mind: Would anyone show up?
Well, show up they did. The sighs of relief from exhibit rooms nearly drowned out the music. Lines formed early and traffic didn't let up until the last of the three days. Organizers and exhibitors alike pronounced themselves well pleased. But what about the attendees? Would they be pleased? True, many of the ultra-exotic brands were absent. But those who ventured to Brooklyn were treated to something perhaps even more rare and exciting: a bevy of good sound from eminently affordable gear.
The show also boasted a surprising number of American debuts. So if you hadn't been to Munich this year—as, of course, most attendees (including myself) hadn't—you got to see lots of fresh drool-worthy gear. This was especially true in the always-active $30k speaker category. (I swear, if I had to pick one $30k pair of speakers to live with right now, my head would explode.) Here, then, are the sonic and debut highlights of the 2014 NYAS.
Five Most Significant Products
1. The very first product I saw, at the HDtracks exhibit, was also surely one of the most significant: a pre-production version of the imminent Sony iPod-killer, nostalgically named the Walkman. Actually, I guess since Apple has discontinued the iPod, the Sony might be better thought of as something that's going to give Astell&Kern a few restless nights. That's because the new Walkman is as feather light as a Nano, sports Apple-like intuitive controls, supports high-res up to 192/24 (sorry, no DSD), and costs a mere $299. Oh, I forgot to mention that the Walkman sounded fabulous through a pair of Sony's new MDR-1R 'phones (also $299 and a terrific value). In case its lineup of high-res audio components hasn't already made the point, the new Walkman confirms Sony's seriousness about bringing high-res to average consumers. By the by, as I was enjoying the Walkman, a cellist materialized, instrument in hand, and set up right in the middle of the room. He then began playing honest-to-gosh live music. "Not quite as good as 192/24," quipped a nearby David Chesky.
2. KEF has finally come out with a scaled-down version of the sonically superlative and physically unmistakable Blade (ahem, $30k). Dubbed the Blade 2, the new version shares the same unique point-source configuration and Uni-Q coincident mid/high driver, but with smaller woofers in a 33% smaller cabinet and a $6000 smaller price tag. This was the baby Blade's first outing in the States and, as driven by Wadia and Parasound electronics, it sounded open, spacious, and ballsy in the bass, if a bit hard-edged (no plants). In typical Blade fashion, the 2 completely disappeared sonically. For those who admire the eminently admirable Blade but seek a smaller, lower-cost package, KEF now has an answer.
3. Nola was another prestigious company that did not shirk this show. Carl Marchisotto himself was on hand to introduce the Metro Grand Reference Gold ($33k). As per standard Nola orthodoxy, the new speaker has a ribbon tweeter and an open baffle cabinet for the mids on up. What's unusual about the MGRF is that bass is conducted by two tiny, stacked woofers, which allows the MGRG to occupy just one 1 square foot of floor space. I experienced cognitive disconnect if I looked at the speaker while listening to its bass. What a tympanic boom these things make! Carl M. says the treble's extension out to 100kHz accounts, in part, for how right the bass sounds. He also says the MGRF has flat low-end extension down to 25Hz. From what I heard in New York, that seems about right. This new Nola makes my Most Significant list because of its utility to the serious but space-challenged audiophile.
4. Leather cladding? A matte wood finish? Non-parallel sides? These are not the classy design touches one expects in a $4000 speakers. And yet there they were in the Opera Secunda. And guess what? The speakers sound great, too. In New York, mated with a Peachtree Audio DAC/Integrated amp ($1500), the Secunda was un-hyped and airy, and delivered spectacular depth. Shyness in the deepest bass is about the only significant compromise one makes with this speaker. At this price, that's remarkable, especially considering the Secunda's smart looks. So here's a great system (minus source) for just $6500.
5. Audioengine, maker of my favorite Bluetooth speakers, has created a little box that might just bridge the gap between music-toting youth and a decent hi-fi system. The device is called the B1 and it occupies a new category: Bluetooth receiver. Music streams in over Bluetooth from a smartphone or tablet, at which point the B1 upconverts the signal to 24 bits and sends it on its way downstream to audio gear via either digital (TosLink) or analog (RCA). Of course, the quality of Bluetooth as an audio medium has yet to be determined. (Audioengine, for its part, claims to have done extensive testing and found the results more than satisfactory). For the folks who don't know from CDs, SACDs, or LPs, the B1 is a link from their world to ours.
Auspicious Debuts
The Wes Bender Studios room played host to the U.S. debut of the Marten Getz 2 loudspeaker ($23,500 in lustrous piano black). Despite the sizzle that plagued many rooms missing plants, the excellence of these new Martens showed through. The speakers are coherent to an unusual degree, leading to perfect imaging—among many other strengths.
Gershman Acoustics' new Grande Avant Garde ($12,500) is, IMHO, misnamed. The speaker is far from grand; rather, it is a charmingly petite floorstander. However, it sounded big, without being aggressive. Compellingly rich and eminently musical, the Grande Avant Garde looks like a winner.
The aforementioned Gershman Acoustics speaker was fronted by Backert Labs' new Rhythm 1.1 tubed linestage ($7500). Its power supply eschews electrolytic caps; instead, it runs on premier V-Cap Teflon units. Furthermore, there is adjustable bias, which is quite unusual for tubed linestages. Finally, the Rhythm's top plate, when tapped just so, reveals a door that provides easy access to the valves within. Is this thing mecca for tube-rollers or what?
The Soundsmith room was, as usual, sounding great. These guys definitely have something going on. In New York, they were introducing a series of five new medium-output, as yet unnamed cartridges. Designed for older preamps—such as classic C-J's and ARC's—with fixed gain on their phonostages, the new models will range from $1800 to $7500.
VPI revealed its new Prime 'table. The company considers the Prime, at $3500, the sweet spot of its line: a solid performer, upgradable in multiple ways, yet reasonably priced. The biggest news about the Prime is that it includes VPI's groundbreaking 3-D printed tonearm. That represents quite a value, since the 'arm used to cost $2500 all by its lonesome.
Other Notables
As usual, speakers dominated the announcements. Verity Audio showed the new Parsifal Anniversary ($25k) which, in New York brandished a brash sound that fit the Brooklyn environs perfectly. Gamut was proudly displaying its RS Series. Each of the four models, which range from $19,500 to $115k, boasts a multilayered, curved enclosure with plenty of bracing but minimal internal damping. Gamut says the approach reduces vibrations while preserving natural dynamics.
Subs were big in New York. At Hsu Research, not one but two horned subs took a bow: the VTF3-Mk5HP ($799) and the VTF15-H ($899). The two have the same 15** driver, but the latter features balanced inputs and a larger enclosure. Well Rounded Sound also showcased two new subs that now sit atop its lineup, the Woof 6 ($1199) and the EXP ($1599).
Those diminutive, stand-mounted speakers with a USB input? Those are the Vanatoo Transparent Ones. They sounded pretty astounding for $499—and that includes a built in DAC and amp! Of course, the lower octaves were nowhere to be heard, but the speaker was impressive nonetheless. And while I don't generally lean to horn speakers, I did cotton up to the USA Tube Audio Tineo J Horn ($35k). These are 3-ways with outboard stereo subs. The combo sounded as warm and ravishing as its burnished wood finish. The blend between main speakers and subs was absolutely seamless. The horns were sourced by an Ayon Audio CD3X DAC/streamer/player/preamp ($13,500) and driven with great rhythm and transparency by a pair of Ayon Titan SET monoblocks ($68k/pair).
A few non-speaker components did make their debut in New York, a lot of them tubed. Audio Classics showed its new 9B ($10k) stereo amp, which delivers 50 or 80 watts a side depending on whether you opt for 6CA7's or KT88's. The amp can be bridged for 100/160-watt mono operation. Another tubed debut was the Aluxus Audio 33SE monoblock ($9950), which sports a very cool digital bias readout. The amp displayed impressive build-quality for its price point. On the solid-state side of the street, Hegel was showing a new $1400 DAC, the HD12. The DAC has a built-in linestage, as most do these days, plus a phase-corrected output for lower jitter, an incredible -145db noise floor, and DSD64 support.
There weren't a lot of cable debuts in New York, but Triode Wire showed off its Digital American Power Cord ($499). The wire itself is not digital, the distributor patiently explained to me; it is so called because it is meant for digital components. To that end, the cord's shielding is made of carbon-fiber over conductive Mylar. Finally, Tortuga Audio bucked all the trends by introducing a passive volume control. Haven't seen one of those in a while! The LDRX ($1495) uses a light-dependent resistor to control volume, so there are no metal contacts. In New York, the rest of the system consisted of a Jolida Tube DAC with Bluetooth ($500), a Prima Luna amp and Acoustic Zen 2 speakers ($18k). The promise of a passive volume control is transparency and lack of grain, and this system certainly delivered on that promise.
Top Five Systems (in no particular order)
1. The Sony Room was playing a system that, sadly, you can't buy. At least, not the amplifier portion. The rest was familiar, available Sony gear: at one end the top-of-the-line HAP-Z1ES music server, and at the other the estimable SS-AR1 speakers. In between, as usual, was a pair of Pass amps. But these were no ordinary Pass units. It seems that in rummaging through its figurative attic, Sony happened upon a stash of never used, forty-year old Sony transistors. The company approached Nelson Pass and asked if he would do something with them. There were enough transistors for Nelson to build exactly six VFET amps. Sony kept four; Nelson nabbed two. Now I can't say for sure that it was because of the amps, but this system sounded marvelously natural. I returned again and again for a respite from the harsher-sounding plant-less rooms.
2. The Nola Room was impressive not only for the sound but for the fact that the sound was coming from such apartment-friendly speakers. When Carl Marchisotto spun up a Count Basie LP, the dynamic slam was nothing short of astonishing. This feat was matched by Nola's traditional openness and transparency. Nola does it again.
3. You know certain rooms are good even before you walk in, because the unmistakable whiff of "live" sound bleeds out into the hallway. That was the case in the Park Avenue Audio room. As I entered, I already knew I was in for a treat. Imagine my surprise when I realized the system that had drawn me in cost a mere $10,000 for the amp and speakers. Doing the honors were a pair of Audes Blues Mk 2 ($6500) paired with an Audes ATA 234 ($3500) 15Wpc tubed integrated amp. The source was the North Star Transport and DAC ($5998 the pair). Overall, the system delivered a lifelike sound that belied the price.
4. Wes Bender of Wes Bender Studios always gets good sound, and New York was no exception. The system was almost entirely new gear, including the Marten Getz 2 noted above, the Zesto Andos 1.2 phonostage ($4700), and the Townshend Audio Rock 7 Mk 2 'table with Merlin power supply motor ($5800). I didn't make many notes about the sound; I was too busy enjoying the music.
5. In the Vandersteen room, Richard Vandersteen had set up his flagship Vandersteen 7. But instead of the usual Aesthetix electronics, the speakers here were driven by Vandersteen's own M7-HPA liquid-cooled amps designed specifically for the speakers. "That's cheating, I know," Richard confessed. The rest of the system was a rack of Audio Research gear. The sound was stunningly live and musical, even with lowly sources like Red Book CD.
Best Sound: The Vandersteen room, with Vandersteen 7s driven by custom-matched M7-HPA liquid-cooled amps and ARC electronics. Peerless.
Best Sound (for the money): The Park Avenue Audio room's "second" system, anchored by the Opera Secunda speakers, an aesthetic and sonic steal at $4,000.
Greatest Bargain: The Sony Walkman hi-res portable player and MDR-1 phones. $299 apiece, superlative sound.
Most Important Trend: New products designed to lure younger buyers to the high end. Examples included the new Sony Walkman and the audioengine B1 Bluetooth receiver.
Most Technically Innovative Product: Ironically, it was the Pass amps with 40-year old NOS Sony transistors.
Biggest Surprise: People showed up!


Communication skills are vital -especially in the information age. Studies show that effective communicators are happier, do better in school, are more successful and make more money than their less eloquent counterparts. So how do you teach your children to express themselves better? The FUN way!
The best way to teach children anything is to make it fun and involve as many of their five senses as possible. Here are a list of 10 games/activities that will foster effective communication skills in your children.
The more the merrier. This old elementary school game is a delightfully fun way to develop your child's listening skills. This game is perfect for any age. Begin with a simpler message for the younger children and gradually increase the size and complexity as they get older.
Have your older child write out directions from your house to somewhere fun; for example, the ice cream shop. Preferably give the directions to a third party who is unfamiliar with the area, and have him follow the directions precisely. Did you get there? If so, have an ice cream cone! If not, talk about what went wrong in the communication. What could be changed that would help get you there the next time. This is a wonderful exercise to help children from 4th through 12th grade learn to give better directions. But it also is a lesson in itself about communication. In order to effectively communicate what you want, you must learn to say what you mean so that others can fully understand.
Go to the store or any other public place dressed in your Sunday best. Notice how you are treated. Next go to the same store or a similar location dressed shabbily or inappropriately for the occasion. (Ex: to a Mercedes dealership in old jeans and a worn out T-shirt) Notice how differently you are treated. This illustrates that their nonverbal communication has consequences. You will want to point out that strange person walking on the street and do a little of what I call "brain washing". Paint them a picture of the consequences of the communication that is sent when people wear skimpy clothes or dress like hoodlums. Tell them what their choice of clothes is saying to the average person…to a prospective employer. Give them the facts on how this will impact their lives a year…two years…ten years down the line. Tell them what could happen tomorrow if someone draws a conclusion based on those clothes that puts them in harms way.
Have your child sing Yankee Doodle while another person recites the Pledge of Allegiance. See how long they can go without flubbing it up. If your child can do this too easily, have each one read from a different book. Tell them to each take turns relating what the other had read. This helps illustrate that old saying that God gave us two ears and one mouth in order that we listen twice as much as we talk.
Have your child talk about a familiar topic. Any topic. For example, his/her favorite activity or book. See how long he/she can keep from uttering "um", "er", "uh", "like", or "ya know". This develops the child's confidence as well as eloquence. Eliminating these "words" in your child's vocabulary will cause the him to focus on becoming more articulate and increasing his vocabulary.
Blindfold someone and have that person feed applesauce to another blindfolded person. Have a third person who is not blindfolded giving the directions to both parties. This teaches students to give directions more effectively.
Have your child give a presentation of sorts to a local retirement home. This can include giving a craft demonstration, playing piano for them as in a short recital, singing or reciting a poem. This teaches your child how to present him/herself. This can be done with children of all ages. The sooner you get your child comfortable talking in public, the better. It will become like second nature to them and they may be able to avoid the biggest fear that most people have: PUBLIC SPEAKING. Studies show that people who enjoy speaking in public are more successful than those who do not. So get them out there showing off the talents God gave them!
8. What's Going on in the Picture.
This one is great for the little ones. Have your child tell you what he sees in a picture. Encourage him to describe the scenery, the people, the colors…anything he sees. For older children, have them talk about what they think might have just happened before this scene and what they think will happen after. This gives them practice in formulating ideas in a logical manner that others can easily understand.
This one is also very good for different age groups. Kids love stories! You start off a story and have your child finish it. For very young children, you can tell them a nursery rhyme and have them make up an alternate ending or add on to the story. This exercise is great for teaching beginning verbal communication skills.
This exercise is wonderful for children of all ages. Pick a topic that your child is familiar with or just loves and ask him/her to speak for about 2 minutes on that topic. After a while, have your student graduate to speaking on more difficult topics and/or for longer periods of time. You can start them off by talking about their favorite movie and eventually graduate them to controversial topics like prayer in school.
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, they won't get you anywhere." Lee Iacocca The more your children practice communication skills, the more effective they will be in communicating their needs and ideas. The more fun you can make it, the more they will want to practice these essential skills.


Although I graduated from the Architectural Association, School of Architecture with a Diploma in Architecture, Singapore Polytechnic's School of the Built Environment with a Diploma in Architectural Technology, hold Parts 1 and 2 of the Royal Institute of British Architects, have worked in four different architectural practices, know more architects than friends, I am anything but an Architect.
For the record, I have won awards and been publicized and published before, however, I feel ashamed to list them because such things are of no real relevance. One shall not bask in the past for the future holds more promise than even the present, and life starts and ends the same for all of us, anyway.


Something funny's going on with my game, and oddly enough, it's *not* something that keeps me from collecting more of these little electronic ponies. In fact, it is the other way around. Details below the break.
I love to pull pranks! It's all in good fun, and Pinkie Pie looooves to have fun! Let's give Ponyville a few giggles! It's totally what Princess Celestia would want!
Proof that Trollestia walks among us!
Okay, it's not that interesting. I just thought it was kind of amusing that when I needed to complete the quest of assigning Sunset to a shop, I had also just finished building the cafe. And Sombra was my only pony in Canterlot high enough level to be placed in the second slot.
Warning, contains plenty of snark. Feel free to join in!
Okay, have been eagerly awaiting the Changeling Invasion timeline for months now, ever since the last season finale of MLP. I'm sick of these bugs skulking around Canterlot, pretending to be Twilight and the programmers being so lazy they barely animate them anymore...they just stand there in the same pose, doing nothing. It's like shooting fish in a barrel - where's the fun in that?!?
Looks like Facebook Bronies & Pegasisters want the Crystal Empire next. King Sombra approves! If it comes back, he has a chance of getting out of that blasted, Princess-infested Canterlot setting...but he'll be taking his harem with him!
An update that I didn't start playing on until 3 AM this morning. Because I'm silly.
New loading screen. Everyone looks derpy. Also, what's up with Dizzy?
-No, I haven't stopped writing pone. I've been busy with work and school, so I haven't been able to post anything.
-When I say I'm busy with school, I mostly mean my college work, because my schoolwork doesn't usually occupy my time outside of that.
-And when I say I'm busy with work, I mean that I'm busy working to pay for spring break trip to Disneyland through the choir.
I'm gonna put this under a read more due to there being a LOT of pictures and it's mostly going to be me rambling about the update and whatnot.
...is the name of a quest in the current event in the Gameloft MLP game, and something which has sent me off composing the entire Equestrian version of the Pirates of Penzance.
Oddly enough, it works surprisingly well.
Sorry again for my extended absence. When I say I've been busy, that barely covers it. Thanks especially to those of you who recently started to follow me, almost certainly because of my work on CheesePie. I hope to make it worth your while.
I've started feeling the Pony, and have been keeping up with news through Equestria Daily. I absentmindedly opened the new Gameloft expansion and WHOA.
Okay, yesterday I got the Gameloft game, you know the one. Man oh man, is it addictive! Now, I have a question for you. I'm feeling kinda lonely. Anyone else I know play the game?
Report The Bricklayer · 164 views	· #Got #the #Mlp #Gameloft #game #anyone #else #i #know #play?
Report The Bricklayer · 229 views	· #Any #tips #relating #to #the #MLP #Gameloft #App's #Equestria #Girls #Dancing #Minigame #and #hitting #the #double #notes?
Mmmm...I agree, Twilight Velvet. Makes me wish I were trapped in Canterlot with you right now.


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Derek Purvis
Director, Financier and Producer
Derek's Wall (8)
About Derek
Derek Estlin Purvis started his career at Paramount Pictures in the Early 90's and spent 8 years working inside the studio system. In 2001, He relocated to Boston, MA and worked as an Executive Producer. In 2005 he joined Markedia Worldwide, a Film Finance and Branded Content studio. While at Markedia, Derek worked with Michael Bassick to finance all or part of eight films, Including The Ten Starring Paul Rudd and Jessica Alba. Derek left Markedia in 2010 to partner with Christy Cashman at Saint Aire. Sait Aire placed the equity finance in The Kids Are All Right, which would win the Golden Globe for best picture. Also while at Saint Aire, Derek produced and Directed The Love Guide starring Parker Posey. With the advent of the new digital content model, Derek has spent the past three years in the Technology space, creating the ground breaking mobile app Movie Pitch Pro.
Airtight (2014)
Film by Derek Estlin Purvis (Drama, Mystery and Thriller) Producer, Director, Writer Two elitists plan to murder their friend Ronald by imprisoning him with 60 minutes of air in a box that is the centerpiece of a party in his honor. In a night of moves and counter moves, Ronald's girlfriend works to discover the truth. Written by Indus
The Love Guide (2011)
Film by Derek Estlin Purvis (Comedy) Producer, Director A chicken farmer from middle America wins a vacation for having the "Best Chicken". When Millie arrives at the new-age retreat, she meets lifestyle guru Angelica Lovecraft and her reality TV show producers. Before she knows it, she has accepted their lucrative offer and they arrive at her farm for a week of reality TV programming. While Millie is awfully excited about the show, her husband is much less enthusiastic, the producers are getting antsy and Angelica is getting dramatic. They're going to turn Millie's life, and her chicken farm, upside down. Written by napierslogs
Derek's network
Fred Plimley
Director of marketing & distribution and producer of marketing & distribution
Los Angel…
Slavica Bogdanov
Author and screenwriter
Jagger Rain
John Orphan


Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) is one of the excellent solvents for resins used in various surface coatings. It is also widely used in rubber chemicals for the production of tires, followed by surfactants, and insecticides. MIBK is used as a solvent in industries that produce rubber products, paints, machineries, and chemicals. Rising demand for solvents and rubber processing chemicals, chiefly owing to the flourishing growth of the global automotive industry, is expected to fuel to the overall global demand for MIBK in the next few years.
However, concerns regarding the harsh impact of the material on the environment and human health are leading to an increased aversion for synthetic, petroleum-based MIBK across a vast number of industries. Analysts estimate that synthetic MIBK will gradually be replaced by bio-based MIBK across major applications in the next few years. This factor can emerge as one of the most lucrative growth opportunities for companies in the market in the near future, allowing significant traction to businesses and providing sustainable growth opportunities.
Transparency Market Research estimates that the global methyl isobutyl ketone market, which valued at US$827.4 mn in 2015, will exhibit a CAGR of 7.5% between 2016 and 2024 and reach US$1,572.3 mn by 2024.
MIBK is known to be one of the best solvents for resins used in the production of surface coatings. Moreover, MIBK is also used as a solvent for more than 40 applications across a number of industries. As a result, the use of MIBK as a solvent is one of the most lucrative application segments of the global MIBK market, accounting for over 54% of the overall market in 2015. The segment is expected to retain its dominant stance over the forecast period as well, exhibiting a promising 7.7% CAGR in terms of value over the period between 2016 and 2024.
However, the segment is expected to lose prominence to the rubber chemicals segment in terms of rate of growth over the said period, chiefly owing to the rising demand for rubber across a number of industries and applications. The segment of rubber chemicals is expected to expand at an 8.4% CAGR in terms of value from 2016 through 2024. Owing to this, the share of the segment in the global market is expected to rise from nearly 15% in 2015 to 16.3% by 2024.
In terms of geography, Asia Pacific presently leads the global MIBK market. It is followed by North America and Europe. Increasing consumption of MIBK in automotive and crop-protection industries in China, India, and ASEAN countries is expected to drive the demand for MIBK-based applications in Asia Pacific during the forecast period. China is the leading consumer of MIBK in Asia Pacific, especially in the antiozonants application. Production and demand of MIBK is expected to continue to rise in Asia Pacific during forecast period as well, granting the region a commanding position in the global market in the near future. In terms of revenue contribution to the global market, Asia Pacific accounted for a dominant share of more than 42% in 2015.
North America chiefly consists of developed countries and mature markets. Therefore, the MIBK market in the region is expected to expand at a moderate pace during the forecast period. Countries in Middle East and Africa are estimated to provide lucrative opportunities for the MIBK market owing to the rise in commercial infrastructure development activities.
The global MIBK market features a largely consolidated competitive landscape, with the top five companies cumulatively accounting for a lion's share in the market's overall valuation. Some of the key companies in the market are The Dow Chemical Company, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Kumho P&B, Lee Chang Yung Chemical, Celanese Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
This report analyzes and forecasts the market for Methyl Isobutyl Ketone at the global and regional level. The market has been forecast based on volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) from 2016 to 2024. The study includes drivers and restraints of the global Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market. It also covers the impact of these drivers and restraints on demand for Methyl Isobutyl Ketone during the forecast period. The report also highlights opportunities in the Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market at the global and regional level.
The report comprises a detailed value chain analysis, which provides a comprehensive view of the global Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market. Porter's Five Forces model for the Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market has also been included to help understand the competitive landscape in the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.
The study provides a decisive view of the global Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market by segmenting it in terms of application, and end user. These segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends. Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for Methyl Isobutyl Ketone in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The report also covers demand for individual end-user segments in all the regions.
The study includes profiles of major companies operating in the global Methyl Isobutyl Ketone market. Key players operating in the methyl isobutyl ketone market include The Dow Chemical Company, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Kumho P&B, Lee Chang Yung Chemical, Celanese Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., and Others. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, recent developments, and SWOT analysis.
The report provides the estimated market size of Methyl Isobutyl Ketone for 2015 and forecast for the next nine years. The global market size of Methyl Isobutyl Ketone has been provided in terms of volume and revenue. Market numbers have been estimated based on key application, and end-user segments of MIBK. Market size and forecast for each major application, and end-user have been provided in terms of global and regional markets.
Secondary research sources that are typically referred to include, but are not limited to company websites, annual reports, financial reports, broker reports, investor presentations, and SEC filings, internal and external proprietary databases, and relevant patent and regulatory databases, national government documents, statistical databases, and market reports, news articles, press releases, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market, ICIS, United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY, IARC Monographs, Company Annual Reports, International Conference on Harmonization.


text:
Gary Rosenberg
Pilsbry Chair and Curator of Malacology
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
Email: lastname at ansp.org
My research centers on the magnitude and origin of species-level diversity in the Mollusca. Estimates of the total number of living mollusk species range from less than 100,000 to more than 200,000 and there is little agreement even as to how many species of mollusks have already been discovered.
I use electronic databases to better document the known diversity of mollusks and to estimate their total diversity. One such database is Malacolog, for Western Atlantic marine gastropods. Another is a Biotic Database of Indo-Pacific Marine Mollusks. I also do research in Jamaica, which has one of the most diverse faunas of terrestrial mollusks in the world, and have developed an interactive key to land snails of Jamaica.
I'm a member of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, and started the ICZNwiki, which is being used to develop the fifth edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
Last update, 23 March 2010.


The immense changes in smartphone technology and the related proliferation of mobile internet usage have brought about a seismic shift in the video gaming industry. The industry has been dominated by console gaming up until now, but mobile games are increasing in popularity at a very rapid pace. The mobile gaming business, which is worth $29 billion as of this year is expected to expand up to $45 billion within the next three years. Not surprisingly, Android is the market leader in the mobile gaming business.
As the mobile gaming industry spends a lot of money to come up with innovative games that push the boundaries of what is possible at present, it is becoming increasingly evident that mobile handset technology has not kept pace with the developing requirements of the industry. In fact, needs of the latest mobile games have outstripped the capabilities of the average handset (high end models do not have this problem, of course) because some Android games are extremely big. Patchy network conditions also negatively affect the performance of many video games, and not only the heavy ones.
Tech start-up, Duodian Network offers an excellent solution to this problem, which is for players to download the games to their PCs instead. Here they won't have any of the problems mentioned above. It is far easier to play games on a PC than a mobile phone, and this is a great way to enjoy the brilliant games made for mobile phones. The company's product, Nox App Player, can do all of this with a great deal of ease.
There are many Android emulators for Windows PCs available in the market these days, but Nox App Player is easily one of the best ones. It can be used not only to play video games, but also to use any other Android application. People have become so accustomed to using their favourite applications that they would prefer to access them using their PCs for greater convenience and ease of use. Interestingly, the extra features on the Nox App Player are available at no extra cost.
It is very easy to download and install the Nox App Player, and it is best done from the company's website. The Google Play Store is built into it for ease of use. Once the installation process is complete, the user has to sign in using a Google account in order to be able to search for specific video games or even apps, which can then be downloaded to the Nox. The user can then access the games and apps quickly and easily. This app player also lets people make use of multiple apps at the same time without them interrupting each other or any other operation of the PC.
All in all, the Nox App Player is a very convenient method to play one's favourite video games without worrying about using up the memory of one's mobile phone or exhausting its battery life. It is definitely worth downloading in order to make good use of Android games and apps.


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Report | Health
Senate health bill scores big for small business; would help provide affordable, stable coverage
Report • By Alexander Hertel-Fernandez and Elise Gould • December 15, 2009
Issue Brief #268
Skyrocketing health care costs in recent years have posed challenges for all businesses, but small firms and their workers are at a particular disadvantage. Declines in insurance coverage among workers in small businesses (especially businesses with less than 10 workers) have driven much of the drop in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage nationwide. It is no surprise then that the effect of health reform on small business has become a flashpoint in the ongoing health reform debate. This brief highlights the challenges faced by small businesses and the positive effect of Senate Majority Leader Reid's health reform bill (as released on November 18, 2009) on the ability of small firms to provide quality, affordable insurance coverage to their workers. It concludes by reviewing evidence from the Congressional Budget Office that shows major savings for many small businesses and their workers.
See related work on Employer coverage | Health
See more work by Alexander Hertel-Fernandez and Elise Gould
See related work on Employer coverage and Health


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Sanfilippodytes is a genus of beetles in the family Dytiscidae, containing the following species:

 Sanfilippodytes adelardi (Rochette, 1983)
 Sanfilippodytes barbarae (Fall, 1932)
 Sanfilippodytes barbarensis (Wallis, 1933)
 Sanfilippodytes belfragei (Sharp, 1882)
 Sanfilippodytes bertae Roughley & Larson, 2000
 Sanfilippodytes bidessoides (Leech, 1941)
 Sanfilippodytes brumalis (Brown, 1930)
 Sanfilippodytes compertus (Brown, 1932)
 Sanfilippodytes corvallis (Fall, 1923)
 Sanfilippodytes edwardsi (Wallis, 1933)
 Sanfilippodytes hardyi (Sharp, 1882)
 Sanfilippodytes kingii (Clark, 1862)
 Sanfilippodytes latebrosus (LeConte, 1852)
 Sanfilippodytes malkini (Hatch, 1951)
 Sanfilippodytes pacificus (Fall, 1923)
 Sanfilippodytes palliatus (Horn, 1883)
 Sanfilippodytes planiusculus (Fall, 1923)
 Sanfilippodytes pseudovilis (Young, 1953)
 Sanfilippodytes rossi (Leech, 1941)
 Sanfilippodytes sbordonii Franciscolo, 1979
 Sanfilippodytes setifer Roughley & Larson, 2000
 Sanfilippodytes terminalis (Sharp, 1882)
 Sanfilippodytes veronicae (Rochette, 1983)
 Sanfilippodytes vilis (LeConte, 1852)
 Sanfilippodytes williami (Rochette, 1986)

References

Dytiscidae genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia