text:
Q: FileNotFound exception, when files are in /Applications/Foobar.app on a Mac Summary - this code:
File f = new File("dbFile.dat");
f.getAbsolutePath();

Returns:
/Applications/dbFile.dat

The problem is that my application's resources (3d party jars for instance) are located in "Applications/Foobar.app/...".
How to get the path to my install folder without hardcoding anything?
Details:
I'm using a 3d party library for which I need to provide a filename:
ls = new LookupService("dbFile.dat");

When distributed, this file is placed in the root of my install folder, next to the executable files - works great on Windows.
However, on Mac I get a FNF exception because the library isn't searching in the correct location:
java.io.FileNotFoundException: dbFile.dat (The system cannot find the file specified)
    at java.io.RandomAccessFile.open(Native Method)
    at java.io.RandomAccessFile.<init>(Unknown Source)
...

A: Try this:
URL myClass = MyClass.class.getResource("MyClass.class");
System.out.println(myClass.getPath());

This will print out something like this:
file:/home/mike/test.jar!/MyClass.class

You can parse out what you need from that.

A: I've found that the "foobar.app/.../dbFile.dat" part of the "/Applications/foobar.app/.../dbFile.dat" path is defined in an Ant build file and therefore probably not subject to change by the user at install time as I originally thought, so I used:
String pathToUse = PlatformDetector.IsMacOS() ? "/Applications/foobar.app/.../dbFile.dat" : "dbFile.dat";


Eyelash and eyebrow pulling is much more common than we realised. Initially it was thought that Trichotillomania affected mainly scalp pullers, but our research of over 33,000 trichsters has shown that eyelash pulling is the most prevalent. 73% of trichsters pull from their eyelashes, 72% from eyebrows and 27% from scalp. One reason these figures are so much higher is because many scalp pullers also pull from their lashes and brows, but there are many lash and brow pullers who don't pull from their scalp.
"How can I stop pulling my eyelashes out?" Tanya asks. "I'm tired of reading pages of information about Trichotillomania, I just want a simple solution."
1. Stay away from mirrors as much as possible. Try to avoid eye contact with yourself in the mirror.
2. Practice some form of relaxation or meditation.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine, alcohol (as much as possible!) and sugar.
4. Spread Vaseline or olive oil very thinly on your eyelashes and brows in the morning and after lunch. This has the added attraction of reflecting the light from your face and is in fact a make-up trick used by the stars!
Read lash & brow puller experiences, more about make-up & cover-up, tips to prevent pulling from the eye area.


text:
Arizona Capitol
Arizona May Study Hemp as a New Major Crop
Matthew Hendley March 5, 2015 12:30PM
Arizona lawmakers may form a committee to study hemp as a new major crop in the state.
Hemp growing long has been illegal under federal law due to its relation to marijuana plants, even though you can't get high from hemp. As Congress eases up on hemp restrictions, and could perhaps legalize hemp farming, some lawmakers want to see if Arizona could benefit.
"Pinal, Cochise, Greenlee, Graham, and Coconino counties could keep agriculture alive with hemp," Democratic Senator Lynne Pancrazi told a Senate committee. "It takes one-third less water than cotton."
See also: -2014: Hemp-Farming Bill Voted Down by Senate Committee
Pancrazi is proposing the formation of a committee that would study the potential of economic opportunities in Arizona with legalized hemp farming.
Pancrazi said the bill would allow Arizona to "be prepared for when hemp becomes a production crop."
"Arizona is a pretty conservative state, so we may not want to be part of the hemp movement like [other] states are, but we ought to study it," Pancrazi said. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have implemented laws calling for such studies.
Although it seems like a small step, Arizona lawmakers last year quickly rejected a proposal to legalize hemp farming in the state. Despite the federal ban, plus most state bans, it remains legal to import hemp products from other countries. And there are a whole lot of hemp-based products, from foods, to paper, to herbicide, and much more.
This bill is scheduled for a vote before the full Senate this afternoon.
Although it was passed by the Senate's Natural Resources Committee last month, there was a bit of opposition.
"When i was in the house back in the '90s a young man came in . . . promoting the growth of hemp," explained Republican Senator David Farnsworth. "When we finished that discussion he launched right into the legalization of marijuana. Of course we know there's that line in-between, but it would be really nice if we could draw a firm line."
Farnsworth was the only member of the seven-member committee to vote against it.
The Arizona Farm Bureau is also on board with the creation of this hemp study committee, which would report back to lawmakers next year.
UPDATE March 6: The Senate approved the bill.
Got a tip? Send it to: Matthew Hendley.
Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at < a>@ValleyFeverPHX. Follow Matthew Hendley at @MatthewHendley.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Are you bored with your home's décor? Reinvigorating your home with unique ideas is easy with a little guidance. Shopping at the store tends to lead the amateur decorator to dress their rooms in overused, uninspired styles. Decorating comes in a multitude of flavors, from painting the walls to strategically placing a quirky object somewhere within a room. Your house is your sanctuary, so you want it to show your personal style. The following décor ideas are a great starting point for anyone looking to embark on a home makeover.
What color are the walls of your home? Tan? White? Perhaps an adventurous shade of bone? Adding a bold color to the wall of a room immediately remixes the entire feel of a room. A serene blue can create a feeling of calm or newness. A dark crimson or red can foster a more sultry mood that welcomes warmth. Experimenting with uncommon wall colors like purple or turquoise has the potential to kickstart home decorum ideas one would never conceive without dynamically altering the flavor of a room with a new color.
Changing the way you illuminate a room can drastically affect the mood of a room nearly as potently as the color of the walls. The brighter the room, the more sterile it feels. Shooting for the brightest LED bulbs possible doesn't always make a room look good. Mood lighting depends on muted lighting that provides light without removing the ambience. One effective way to create ambience while juggling colors and not spending a lot is Christmas lights. Christmas Lights Etc. has countless lighting variations to help change your home's look.
Doors are just as important as anything else when decorating a room. The door sets the mood as a person enters a room. Utilizing this expectation strategically is one way to help create a cohesive look in a room. One interesting method for creating a fun door is to paint a two-tone door. Using a hard stripe at a sharp, diagonal angle allows a door to have two different colors, both reflecting the primary colors used in the room. It's a modern yet crafty design idea that is becoming very popular.
Incorporating a unique piece of furniture in a room is another way to creat a more interesting room. Large, amorphous or otherwise interesting looking furniture and decorations give a room spirit and panache. Try to place something unique in one of the corners of the room so it doesn't distract from the purpose of the room but facilitates the overall design aesthetic. Thrift stores are virtual gold mines for finding interesting decorations at a low price. Local arts markets are another great place to find unique decorations you won't find in anyone else's home.
It doesn't take much to reinvigorate a space with new decorating ideas, but it does need you to get up and actually do something. The hardest part of decorating a home is getting started. These four ideas for decorating your home are a great place to start.
Lighting can definitely make a huge difference in the feel of a room. We just got a new lightbulb and it feels like a whole new room!
Ha, I'm really bored with our room decor, esp. those rooms we tend to live in. Loving the geometric painted door. Visiting from DIY Collective.
I have been pining for new lighting for a while, we have GOT to get rid of the brass basics our house came with. Thanks for the great tips at Merry Monday!


SUMMARY: To observe particle tracks from a radiation source and also mainly muons from secondary cosmic rays that have interacted with the earth's atmosphere.
DESCRIPTION: As shown in the above photo, a cloud chamber is saturated with alcohol and cooled with dry ice. An alpha source is placed inside. A power supply is used to apply a high voltage onto a conducting ring around the top of the chamber and a plate on the bottom. The voltage will stratify the layer of super saturated alcohol vapor and remove the buildup of excess charge inside the chamber. A light source is directed through an illumination window on the side and a camera is focused from above.
Two types of tracks can be seen: Alpha tracks, caused by the emission of radon gas from a piece of pitchblende and spiral muon tracks, which come from cosmic rays.
The Uraninite source, aka pitchblende has Radon 226 that is produced by the Uranium. The Radium 226, 1/2 life of 1600 yrs produce Radon 220, 1/2 life about 55 secs. This is most of what is seen in the cloud chamber if the pitchblende source is used. The daughter of Radon 220 is Polonium 216, 1/2 life 0.14 sec which will make V-shaped double decay tracks in our cloud chamber.
A cloud chamber is a device that is used to show the tracks of radioactive particles. It is impossible to see the radioactive particles, however, it is possible to see a vapor trail.
Much of the initial work on self diffusing cloud chambers was done by Langsdorf (Review of Physical Instruments, 1939) and can be found in an old but very thorough article. The basic principles are actually quite simple. Lightweight methyl alcohol vapor saturates the chamber. The alcohol naturally falls as it cools down. The cold condenser provides a steep temperature gradient. The result is a supersaturated environment. The alcohol vapor condenses around ion trails left behind by the traveling particles. The result is cloud formation. This can easily be seen in the cloud chamber by the presence of droplets falling down to the condenser. As particles pass through the chamber they leave ionization trails and because the alcohol vapor is in a supersaturated it condenses onto these trails. The result is large cloud trails that follow the path of the particles. These cloud trails are readily visible, especially when a radioactive source is placed in the chamber. Since the tracks are emitted radial outward from the source, it is very easy to see their point of origin.
Chambers have what is called a sensitive area. This is an area just above the cold condenser plate that is sensitive to radioactive tracks. At this height, most of the alcohol has not yet condensed into clouds. This means that the ion trail left by the radioactive particles provides an optimal trigger for condensation and cloud formation. This sensitive area is increased in height by having a steep temperature gradient, little convection, and very stable conditions.
A strong electric field is often used to draw cloud tracks down to the sensitive region of the chamber. Typically around 100v/cm, it also serves to increase the sensitivity of the chamber. As radioactive particles pass above the sensitive area of the chamber, they too leave behind an ion trail.. The voltage in effect serves to draw these tracks down to the sensitive area of the chamber, where the condensation they cause can be seen. While tracks from sources can still be seen without a voltage supply, background tracks are very difficult to observe. In addition, the voltage can also serve to prevent large amounts of "rain" from obscuring the sensitive region of the chamber. This rain is caused by condensation forming above the sensitive area of the chamber. This means that ion trails left by radioactive particles are obscured by constant precipitation. The black background makes it easier to observe cloud tracks. When a white light illuminates the droplets from the side, they become very visible against the dark background.
This chamber was originally used by T.R. Wilson around 1911 to study cloud formation. He also assumed that radioactive particles could leave cloud tracks in these chambers.
In order to see tracks a fluorescent lamp was placed at a low angle on the chamber's side. Illumination must come from the sides of the chamber.
Before tracks can be visible, a tangential light source is needed. This illuminates the white droplets against the black background. Drops should be viewed from a horizontal position. If the chamber is working correctly, tiny droplets should be seen condensing. Often this condensation is not apparent until a shallow pool of alcohol is formed at the condenser plate. The tracks become much more obvious once temperatures and conditions have stabilized in the chamber. This requires the elimination of any significant drift currents. These may occur due to poor chamber sealing. A simple silicon seal was placed on the chamber door as a gasket. Optimum temperatures for our chamber were around -50 degrees Celsius.
where A is the number of protons and neutrons, and Z the number of protons, an element X has.
While alpha particles have a lot of mass as compared to the other two particles, alpha particles react readily, and have very little penetration power. Thus when we are exposed to alpha particles, most of the particles react with our outer dead skin layer. During the late 1800's miners were subject to very high rates of lung cancer. Much of this cancer was caused by alpha particles.
Gamma radiation is a very high energy photon. Everyday light that we see can be thought of in two ways, as a particle or as a wave. When we think of it as a particle, the particles are called photons. Photons also serve to carry the electrostatic force.
Often when a nucleus undergoes alpha decay, it is left in an excited state. As the nucleus returns to its ground state, a high energy photon is emitted. This is called gamma radiation.
Of the tree types of radiation, gamma particles have the most penetrating power. These particles can easily pass through a person, or a thin sheet of lead. They are stopped by thick lead shielding.
Beta radiation is composed either of high energy electrons, or the anti-matter counter part, positrons. Positrons are exactly the same as electrons, except that they have one positive charge rather than a negative charge. Free electrons of much, much lower energy, and thus danger, are produced by TV's and computer screens. Inside a TV, electrons are fired out towards the screen. There they react to produce the colors we see. Standing in front on a TV, we are directly in the line of fire of these electrons. Some new computer monitors advertise "low radiation" screens. In addition after market screen covers are advertised as not only protecting your eyes, but shielding.
The high energy and hence danger of beta particles is a result of the reactions that cause their emission. Usually elements that have too many neutrons to be stable emit beta rays. Ordinary beta decay occurs when a neutron is lost and a proton is gained. This results in the emission of a high energy electron, and another particle called the anti-neutrino. The anti-neutrino is just the anti-matter counterpart of the neutrino, one of a long list of elementary fundamental particles.
As cloud chambers show, radiation is always around us.. It is possible to see examples of the natural background radiation by looking at a cloud chamber with no radioactive source in it. Sensitive chambers show a continual barrage of particles. A person is struck by a radioactive particle, once a second for each square centimeter on their body. Cloud chambers make it extremely easy to visualize the radioactive tracks that are continually around us. It is impossible to escape the effects of radiation. The very potassium in our body is a significant source of radiation. It is, however, possible to minimize our exposure to radioactive particles. As one can see from figures representing the sources of our radiation exposure, the largest sources are relatively impossible to control. Natural deposits in the soil contribute a large fraction of our annual radiation dose. Secondary cosmic radiation produced in the atmosphere from high energy stellar cosmic particles also continually douse us with radiation. It is really only the very minor sources that we can control. These minor sources are usually the ones being publicly touted as lethal. However few stop to realize that radiation from radon gas in one's basement is a higher source of radiation than that received by a nuclear power plant next door.
Large sources of extra radiation can come from unexpected sources. Pilots and Stewardess receive at least equal radiation dosages as any worker in a nuclear power plant. The higher in elevation one is, the less atmosphere one has to be shielded from radioactive cosmic rays. This has become quite a serious issue for members of the airline industry. The most sane way to understand radiation is to be able to put it into perspective. Radiation is not merely a byproduct of modern technology. Cloud chambers would have shown the same background radiation levels 100 years ago as they would today.
Supersaturated Environments : a company that sells large cloud chambers.


text:
Chapter: 6 Risk Characterization
« Previous: 5 Hazard Characterization
Suggested Citation:"6 Risk Characterization." Institute of Medicine. 2002. Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Ground Beef: Review of a Draft Risk Assessment. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10528.
Risk Characterization
The Risk Characterization chapter of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) draft risk assessment integrates and applies the modeling work done in the three modules of the exposure assessment (Production, Slaughter, and Preparation) and the dose-response assessment presented in "Hazard Characterization." The analyses characterize the risk associated with E. coli O157:H7 exposure of individuals, the community, and the population for different exposure periods. The effect of seasonal variations in exposure, and therefore risk, is examined with differences in risk to young children. The results of some sample sensitivity analyses are also presented to demonstrate potential policy applications of the model.
In the discussion below, the committee offers observations, suggestions, and recommendations related to the major sections of the draft chapter. Many of the important points it wishes to make have already been addressed in the previous chapters or are more appropriately discussed in the Modeling Approach and Implementation chapter that follows, so this chapter is brief.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
The chapter's definitions are clearly spelled out and helpful in interpreting the material. However, as mentioned elsewhere in this review, some of the draft report's definitions are not the standard ones used in the scientific literature or other quantitative risk assessments. Others include terminology that may confuse readers. Because microbial risk assessment is a relatively new field, it is desirable to promote consistency and clarity
in expression. We present below a number of specific suggestions regarding defined and undefined terms.
"Typical" individual risk is the term applied to the risk posed for someone who purchases ground beef that is contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 organisms at the median concentration, who stores and cooks that product in a way that is consistent with the median growth and cooking distributions, and who consumes a single serving. Because the definition does not describe a "typical" exposure, the committee suggests that that word be changed, perhaps to hypothetical or illustrative.
Duration of exposure is defined in the draft as "the length of time (e.g., per serving, per annum, or lifetime) for which a risk estimate was assessed." The definition is confusing. Relating a serving to a duration of exposure is awkward. The committee suggests that this term, which is used only twice in text, be dropped.
The term dose is defined as the number of E. coli O157:H7 in a single serving of ground beef. That is consistent with the draft Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-USDA Listeria risk assessment (2001). However, in chemical risk assessments, dose is usually defined as grams per kilogram of body weight of a subject. The committee suggests that the report's definition of dose draw attention to the different meaning of this term in microbial risk assessments.
The draft cites sensitivity analysis as "the quantitative process of identifying factors (model inputs) in the farm-to-table continuum that contribute to the occurrence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef or the subsequent risk of illness" (p. 130). That definition is tangentially related to the more traditional understanding of the term: the quantification of the effects of changes in model inputs on model outputs. However, it fails to capture the sense in which most risk analysts apply it: the systematic investigation of whether and to what extent changes in model inputs across a plausible range of values affect model outputs. The committee suggests that the final risk assessment adopt the more common definition of sensitivity analysis. The related terms correlation analysis and dependency analysis should also be more clearly and completely documented on the basis of established definitions.
The "risk of illness" is addressed throughout the chapter, but no formal definition of the conditions covered by illness is provided. As the draft notes (pp. 22–23), ingestion of E. coli O157:H7 can result in a wide array of outcomes, including asymptomatic infection, abdominal cramps, nonbloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The chapter needs a clear definition, and, depending on the conditions covered, risk of infection may be a more appropriate term. Furthermore, "annual risk" and "risk per serving" are both referred to as risk of illness in the chapter. The
committee suggests that the text clearly state what is being reported in each instance and, if necessary, use different terms for these metrics to minimize confusion.
In later sections of the chapter, the risk of "severe illness" is evaluated. The term is not defined, although the text (p. 135) refers to hemorrhagic colitis (called "bloody diarrhea"), HUS, and death. The draft's Hazard Characterization chapter lists hospitalization, HUS, TTP, and death in a discussion of "severe clinical outcomes" (p. 121). The committee suggests that the terminology be standardized in the risk assessment and that appropriate definitions be added to this and other sections.
In general, the committee suggests that—where possible—the final risk assessment adopt the definitions established by one of the major organizations that have already published glossaries and that alternative expressions be used in other circumstances. The World Health Organization (WHO, 1995), Codex Alimentarius Commission (1999), and International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI, 2000) have developed sets of definitions that are potential starting points for aligning terminology. The draft FDA-USDA Listeria risk assessment (2001) also contains a well-written extended glossary. The committee recognizes that not all terms can be aligned, but it believes that in many cases it would be less confusing if terms were used in a standard way.
The committee also suggests that all the terms in this section and the rest of the draft be provided with general definitions before they are applied specifically to the O157:H7 risk assessment, as is done for the draft's definition of risk.
RISK OF ILLNESS FROM E. COLI O157:H7
The term risk of illness is used in this section to describe the probability of illness from consuming ground beef with different doses of O157:H7. That risk is estimated as the product of the probability of exposure and the probability of illness associated with a given dose. The committee is concerned that the results of this analysis, as presented in the tables and figures in the draft, may be misunderstood by some lay readers. Because the probability of exposure to very large numbers of organisms is relatively small, the risk of illness from such exposure is concomitantly small. The committee is concerned that some may interpret the presentation to mean that the model predicts that one is less likely to become ill from massive doses of E. coli O157:H7 than from much smaller exposures. The committee recommends that these analyses, if retained in the final risk assessment, be expressed as a cumulative probability of illness, given the projected frequency and levels of contamination of ground beef.
The committee also observes that it would be helpful if a discussion were added to this section that clearly indicates how the modeling of infection differs from the modeling of illness.
Risk of Illness for an Individual
In this subsection, per-serving, annual, and lifetime risks are provided for a "typical" person, on the basis of the point estimates of the model's outputs and the median of the derived dose-response relationship. As noted above, this is in reality a hypothetical person with an exposure scenario that could be considered illustrative.
Table 5-1 in the FSIS draft, which presents the information used in this section, is particularly useful in identifying the location of data used in the assessment. The addition of a side-by-side table that summarizes the individual hypothetical risks (per serving, annual, and lifetime) and the associated assumptions in the "typical" exposure scenario would provide additional clarity and bring home the point that a hypothetical individual risk is being calculated.
More generally, the committee believes that the draft's focus on a "typical" person is—from public health and policy perspectives—misguided. It is desirable to avoid all E. coli O157:H7 infections, but attention needs to be centered on the more severe outcomes of infection. That means examining the determinants of high exposure in the general population and any exposure in the subpopulations thought to be most vulnerable to complications: children and the elderly.1 Although some attempt is made to address the special vulnerabilities of children later in the chapter, the analysis is cursory and does not address whether differences in consumption patterns might affect risk. There is no separate consideration of the elderly in the draft.
The committee recommends that the Risk Characterization chapter be refocused to concentrate on the analysis of severe illnesses associated with E. coli O157:H7 infection, the subpopulations known or thought to be most vulnerable to them, and the interventions that might have the greatest effect in preventing them.
Although immune-compromised individuals are at a greater risk of disease from exposure to some protozoal enteric pathogens (including Shigella), an analogous association has not been recognized between severe enterohemorrhagic E. coli disease such as HUS and immuno-compromised human hosts.
Risk of Illness for a Community—Simulated Outbreak
This subsection is intended to provide an example of how the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef might contribute to an outbreak. Like the hypothetical individual risk, this risk characterization is based on a prescribed scenario of exposure—an example of what might happen if contamination occurred and were spread at a community level. The risk metric in this section is risk per serving, and the analysis estimates the number of illnesses as a function of assumptions regarding the number of servings consumed by each person, the total number of contaminated servings, and the reduction in contamination from cooking.
This brief "what-if" analysis illustrates how an outbreak might occur and provides interesting outputs. However, the committee believes that it is appropriate to address more time and attention to this scenario in the final risk assessment because of the great public interest in community outbreaks. At a minimum, the committee suggests that a summary table of assumptions in the community-exposure scenario and calculations of risk be added to improve the clarity of the presentation. This addition will permit the reader to relate estimates of risk per serving to the number of people who could become ill.
The committee also suggests that the assessment address the conditions in the exposure continuum that are likely to lead to outbreaks. Additional examples that demonstrate the effects of storage, handling, and cooking methods on the potential for an outbreak (for example, an analysis of the effect of improper cooking on the risk of a community outbreak) would be helpful, as would a discussion of how likely the various scenarios are. And the committee recommends that the risk assessment focus its evaluation of community risk on more severe outcomes and effects on vulnerable subpopulations.
Risk of Illness for the US Population
This subsection summarizes modeling results that are likely to be used often for public health decision-making, and it evaluates the overall risk of illness, given the population distribution of exposure and the dose-response function. The risk characterization for the US population and, as noted above, selected vulnerable subpopulations should thus be the central output of the risk assessment.
The committee notes that the authors indicate that they will address other populations' risk variability as more data become available. It supports that plan and recommends that additional analyses be presented in the final report based on available data to test the effects of different as
sumptions and model parameters. The analyses could include estimates of risk associated with different storage and cooking practices.
The statement that the population risk estimate from this report is "comparable" with risks estimated by other investigators (p. 135) is overstated. The estimated 9.6 × 10−7 annual risk of illness in the draft risk assessment is 2 orders of magnitude lower than that reported by Cassin et al. in 1998 (5.1 × 10−5 for adults), and the upper bound of this risk assessment is 3 orders of magnitude lower than the upper bound of Marks and colleagues' in 1998 (10−7 versus 10−4). Chapter 7 of the present review provides additional discussion of this point.
The explanation of differences between the number of cases per year from the draft model and that based on surveillance data is incomplete. Attributes of data used in the risk assessment might contribute to the differences; for example, the estimate of ground-beef servings consumed per year could be an underestimate.
Given the anchoring approach used in the draft, the committee questions the informativeness of the estimation of the risk of severe illness presented at the end of the subsection because the model is already adjusted to conform to obs erved levels of illness. Furthermore, as noted elsewhere, the risk of severe illness is highly age-dependent. Either age dependence should be addressed in this subsection, or the analysis should be dropped. Again, these points are addressed in greater detail in Chapter 7 of this review.
For clarity, the committee suggests that the X axes of Figures 5-1 and 5-2—labeled "Dose"—be relabeled "Number of E. coli O157:H7 per Serving" to relate them more directly to the data and analysis summarized in Table 5-2 in the draft risk assessment.
POPULATION RISK BY SEASON, AGE, AND LOCATION
This is an important section, and the authors have clearly noted that. It is less clear whether the appropriate metric has been applied.
Intuition suggests a pronounced seasonal effect in preparation, handling, and consumption of ground beef associated with fair-weather activities, such as outdoor grilling, picnicking, and camping. The committee suggests that if such seasonal factors can be explicitly addressed, they should be. If data are insufficient to allow their effects to be analyzed, seasonal effects beyond the changes in E. coli O157:H7 prevalence now addressed need to be recognized, and the resulting limitations acknowledged.
As noted above, the analysis of the risks to children is cursory at best, and the special risks to the elderly are not evaluated. If this analysis is to
be used to set policy that affects public health, it needs to address the special vulnerabilities of these sections of the population.
The committee agrees that there are likely to be great differences in food-preparation practices between hotels, restaurants, and institutions (HRI) and home environments, and it points out that practices in the fast-food mass-retail establishments—where a considerable proportion of ground-beef meals are prepared and consumed—may differ from those of other HRI businesses. The draft risk assessment correctly notes this as a research need. HRI businesses and trade associations may well already have the information needed to allow analysis of the issue, and the committee recommends that their input be solicited.
Sensitivity analysis is an important aspect of a risk characterization. The committee recommends that a discussion of the types of analyses that are available within the Risk Characterization Module and a rationale for the selection of the most appropriate analysis for a given situation be included. In the case of correlation analysis, the degree of uncertainty in the model inputs should be clearly stated, in addition to the presentation of the correlation outputs.
The dependence analysis presented in this section appears to arbitrarily introduce a 50% change in the model input's assumptions (that is, feedlot prevalence, steam pasteurization, and the like). If there is any rationale for the new assumptions, it should be stated. Otherwise, it should be made clear that they are being presented for illustrative purposes only.
On p. 149 of the draft, preparation scenarios 2 and 3 are based on cooking to 5-log reduction. The reader would benefit from an explanation of the motivation for picking this level of reduction, given that the draft report indicates (in a footnote on p. 131) that a 5.5-log reduction is the median of the cooking distribution.
Finally, the committee recommends that a sensitivity analysis for the overall risk model be included, in addition to the sensitivity analysis of the individual modules in the exposure continuum.
The committee does not believe that it is appropriate to offer specific comments regarding the analyses presented in the "Conclusions" section of the Risk Characterization chapter. It believes that it is premature for the draft risk assessment to draw the inferences contained in this section and that its inclusion at this stage of the assessment process conveys an un
warranted confidence in the validity of the model's output. It is more appropriate to include such material after the model has been refined. Alternatively, the level of uncertainty in these conclusions needs to be much more forcefully stated.
The committee believes that recommendations regarding the potential applications of the model's various outputs would be a useful addition to the final risk assessment. The authors should make clear what they believe the model can and cannot be used for. As discussed in Chapter 7 of this review, they should devote particular attention to how anchoring can affect whether particular applications or inferences are appropriate.
The committee notes, as it has elsewhere, that the impact of cross contamination is not assessed in this draft chapter and that characterizations of uncertainty and variability in the results are either weak or absent.
The committee commends the authors for their considerable work in the development of a comprehensive chapter on risk characterization. Although there is much additional work to do to complete the risk characterization, the critical topics have been identified, and initial work presented for each.
Cassin MH, Lammerding AM, Todd EC, Ross W, McColl RS. 1998. Quantitative risk assessment of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef hamburgers. International Journal of Food Microbiology 41:21–44.
Codex Alimentarius Commission. 1999. Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Assessment. CAC/GL-30. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
FDA/USDA (Food and Drug Administration/US Department of Agriculture). 2001. Draft Assessment of the Relative Risk to Public Health from Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes Among Selected Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods. FDA/Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, USDA/Food Safety and Inspection Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2001. http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/lmrisk.html.
ILSI (International Life Sciences Institute). 2000. Revised Framework for Microbial Risk Assessment — An ILSI Risk Science Institute Workshop report. Washington, DC: International Life Sciences Institute.
Marks HM, Coleman ME, Lin CTJ, Roberts T. 1998. Topics in risk assessment: Dynamic flow tree process. Risk Analysis 18:309–328.
WHO (World Health Organization). 1995. Application of Risk Analysis to Food Standards Issues-The report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, 13–17 March 1995 (WHO/FNU/FOS/95.3).
Next: 7 Modeling Approach and Implementation »


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text:
The set of physical and behavioral characteristics by which an individual is uniquely recognizable.
See FIPS 201 under Identity [Withdrawn] and NIST SP 800-79-2 under Identity for more information.
A set of attributes that uniquely describe a person within a given context.
See NIST SP 800-63-2 under Identity [Superseded] and NISTIR 8149 under Identity (NIST SP 800-63-3) for more information.
Information that is unique within a security domain and which is recognized as denoting a particular entity within that domain.
See NIST SP 800-27 Rev. A [Withdrawn] and NIST SP 800-33 for more information.
The distinguishing character or personality of an entity.
See NIST SP 800-57 Part 1 Rev. 3 under Identity [Superseded] and NIST SP 800-57 Part 1 Rev. 4 under Identity for more information.
The set of attribute values (i.e., characteristics) by which an entity is recognizable and that, within the scope of an identity manager's responsibility, is sufficient to distinguish that entity from any other entity.
See NIST SP 800-161 under Identity (CNSSI 4009) and NISTIR 7622 under Identity (CNSSI 4009-2010) for more information.
The set of physical and behavioral characteristics by which an individual is uniquely recognizable. Note: This also encompasses non-person entities (NPEs).
See CNSSI 4009-2015 (FIPS 201-1) for more information.
An attribute or set of attributes that uniquely describe a subject within a given context.
See NIST SP 800-63-3 under Identity for more information.
← Identity Assurance Level (IAL) False Rejection →


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Dominique Crenn (Bretaña, 1965), es una chef francesa establecida en San Francisco. Es la primera mujer en Estados Unidos en recibir tres estrellas Michelin por su restaurante Atelier Crenn.

Biografía
Fue adoptada a los 18 meses por un matrimonio francés, Allain y Louise Crenn. Su padre es político y director del CCPE en París. Su madre es administradora y la introdujo en la comida india, china, japonesa y vietnamita, y desde la niñez cenaba regularmente en restaurantes con estrellas con su padre y un amigo crítico gastronómico francés para Le Télégramme. Hizo una licenciatura en economía y luego un máster en negocios internacionales.

Está en pareja con la actriz estadounidense Maria Bello. Se comprometieron en París en diciembre de 2019. Ese año fue diagnosticada con cáncer de mama, luego entró en fase de remisión, desde entonces, habló de su enfermedad para crear conciencia.

Carrera
A los 21 años partió hacia San Francisco para incursionar en la gastronomía. Como nunca había ido a la escuela de hostelería ni había trabajado en una cocina, se animó y Jeremiah Tower, un gran chef local, le dio una oportunidad en el restaurante Stars. En esta cocina, él le dice qué plato debe hacer, pero sin recetas.

Después de dos años, se fue a trabajar a Campton Place, siempre en San Francisco, y luego a Yoyo Bistro del Hotel Miyako, también en San Francisco.

En 1997, se hizo cargo del restaurante del Hotel Intercontinental de Yakarta, convirtiéndose en la primera jefa de cocina en Indonesia, con una brigada íntegramente femenina, pero se vio obligada a huir del país durante los disturbios civiles de 1998. Regresó a Estados Unidos, donde fue contratada como chef ejecutiva en el Manhattan Country Club de Manhattan Beach (Los Ángeles) y, posteriormente, en el Adobe Restaurant and Lounge de Santa Mónica (California), antes de ser contratada en 2008 por el Hotel Intercontinental para su restaurante Luce de San Francisco.

En 2011 abrió su restaurante Atelier Crenn en San Francisco, en California. Allí interpreta y reinventa la cocina francesa tradicional, con especial atención a  las verduras y el marisco. Obtuvo su primera estrella un año después, seguida de su segunda estrella en 2014 y se convirtió en la primera mujer en obtener dos estrellas Michelin en Estados Unidos. En 2015, abrió Petit Crenn, ofreciendo un menú basado en la gastronomía bretona de su infancia, con mucho pescado. No se sirven carnes rojas o aves y los vinos provienen de viñedos orgánicos.

En 2016, fue elegida mejor chef femenina del mundo por el premio World's 50 Best restaurant. Y Petit Crenn fue votado como el mejor restaurante nuevo.

El 13 de marzo de 2018 abrió Bar Crenn, un bar de vinos que ofrece vinos franceses, cercanos a los principios de responsabilidad medioambiental, así como recetas de chefs franceses como Alain Ducasse o Guy Savoy. En su primer año obtuvo una estrella Michelin.

Ha aparecido en l a segunda temporada de Chef's Table de Netflix,, participa regularmente en las conferencias TEDx, y publicado su autobiografía Rebel Chef.

En relación con las mujeres en la mundo de la cocina destaca:

Dominique Crenn también espera que esta distinción sirva de inspiración a todas las mujeres jóvenes, ya sea en la cocina o en otra profesión. «Hoy les digo: 'Puedes ser lo que quieras, no tiene nada que ver con el género [...]. No dejes que nadie se interponga en tu camino».

Premios individuales
2016: Mejor chef femenina del mundo, premio World's 50 Best Restaurant.

2018: Mejor Chef del Oeste de 2018, James Beard Foundation.

2021: Icon Award.

Referencias

Cocineros de Francia
Cocineras
Chefs de restaurantes con Estrella Michelin
Mujeres LGBT
Cocineros LGBT
Personas LGBT de Francia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


If you haven't had Riesling from Australia, you're missing out! This dry style has high, refreshing acidity, a spark of flint and petrol on the nose, flavors of flowers and minerals on the palate, and medium body. It's deliciously balanced and will be a great compliment to a lobster boil or just a sunny day.


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Linda Sarsour Calls for 'Jihad' Against Trump Administration
Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty
Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American anti-Israel activist who helped organize the nationwide Women's March the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, called for "jihad," or holy war, against the Trump administration last weekend.
Sarsour was speaking in Chicago at the annual conference of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a group that the Investigative Project on Terrorism notes was an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a terror-funding prosecution, and was allegedly "created by members of the Muslim Brotherhood" in the United States in the early 1980s. (However, the group itself traces its origins to the formation of the Muslim Student Association in 1963.)
ISNA has been described as "the largest umbrella group of Muslims in North America." President Barack Obama met with ISNA's president in 2015, despite the group's controversial views and alleged ties to radical movements.
Quoting the Prophet Muhammad, Sarsour said: "A word of truth in front of a tyrant ruler or leader, that is the best form of jihad." She then added:
And I hope that we, when we stand up to those who oppress our communities, that Allah accepts us from us that as a form of jihad, that we are struggling against tyrants and rulers, not only abroad in the Middle East or on the other side of the world, but here, in these United States of America, where you have fascists and white supremacists and Islamophobes reigning in the White House.
The audience applauded.
Video below, via Conservative Review (6:56 – 7:44):
The context of Sarsour's remarks indicate that she meant a jihad using words. However, the term has also been used to describe violent struggle, including terrorism, against non-Muslims or against governments described as enemies.
In her speech, Sarsour also spoke about the importance of Muslims supporting other "oppressed" groups in the U.S. in their struggles — and talked about her experience representing Palestinians in those movements. "I don't have to choose do I not be too Palestinian this day … I have been a living example of what it means to be whole-heartedly all of me, in whatever space that I am in," she said.
She added: "I will not be in a space where any group or any organization or any individual tells me that there's a part of my identity that is not welcomed," a privilege not accorded to liberal Jews or Zionists who march for the "oppressed," as excluded Jewish lesbians recently found out (also in Chicago).
Sarsour also urged those present to divert donations away from building mosques and towards "investing in leadership, our next generation." She said donors within the community should split their donations between assistance to Muslims abroad and support for local organizations — and "not just building masaajid [mosques]."
She also urged them to donate to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat who is running for governor in Michigan, and would be that state's first Muslim governor. She attacked "establishment Democrats" who, she said, had blocked Muslims from succeeding within the Democratic Party in the past, and said that El-Sayed would change that.
Sarsour concluded by warning ISNA not to stop being outraged, and not to "normalize" the Trump administration.
Update: New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Democrat who has often criticized Sarsour in the past, warned in a statement Thursday that Sarsour's words should be taken "very seriously": "Words matter. Attacks on the police, like the one New York suffered yesterday, are precipitated by violent slogans. Sarsour is very dangerous."
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the "most influential" people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Photo: file
anti-Trump, Chicago, Islamic Society of North America, ISNA, jihad, Linda Sarsour, Palestinians, resistance, Women's March
Brawl Breaks Out in Rose Garden Between Conservatives and Media: 'You're Not a Journalist, You're a Punk!'
Democrats Find Nancy Pelosi Broke House Rules by Calling Trump 'Racist'
Nolte: Poll Shows Media Attack on Trump over 'Squad' Tweets Backfired
Ocasio-Cortez Denies Playing 'Race Card' on Pelosi: 'Stupidly Untrue'
Kentucky Blues: House's Outsourcing Bill Threatens McConnell's Home State, Senate Majority
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Bans ICE from Police Database Before Raids
Donald Trump 'Not Happy' with 'Send Her Back' Chant at Ilhan Omar
Ocasio-Cortez Swears Herself in at Capitol, Repeats 'Toilet Drinking' Claims
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The Wires


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Apple gains top Netflix engineer as it builds up Apple TV+ and Services momentum
Michael Potuck
- Jan. 29th 2020 12:33 pm PT
@michaelpotuck
As Apple TV+ and the company's other Services continue to grow with more content, Apple is investing in the backend with a big hire for its technical team. Reported by the Wall Street Journal, Apple has poached one of Netflix's top engineers, Ruslan Meshenberg.
The WSJ highlights that Apple has faced challenges with rolling out a variety of its Services over the years like Apple Maps, iCloud, and Apple Music. Looking to head off issues as Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and more expand the company has made a big hire for its internet-services team this week.
Ruslan Meshenberg, who helped build out Netflix's platform and was involved in key initiatives to create a speedier, more consistent service for viewers, joined Apple's internet-services organization this week, according to people familiar with the hire and his social-media accounts. He joins Apple at the same time it is expanding its $4.99-a-month TV+ service with other new hires, additional shows and movies—a complex undertaking that has tripped up other entrants into the video-streaming business.
The WSJ report also mentions the technical issues Disney+ saw at launch. While Apple TV+ hasn't seen problems of the same nature, Meshenberg is expected to help with building a reliable infrastructure for Apple's Services as they scale, like he did at Netflix.
Mr. Meshenberg has the experience to help Apple address technical challenges. At Netflix, he ran much of the infrastructure that guaranteed television shows and movies played reliably, even as the company expanded to more than 50 countries and streaming increased to more than one billion hours of programming weekly.
In Apple's record-breaking fiscal Q1 2020, its Services generated almost $13 billion in revenue. While Apple TV+ is free for a majority of customers for the first year, at the end of 2020, the streaming service could start generating a notable amount of revenue.
In somewhat related and curious news, former HBO CEO Richard Plepler who recently signed a five-year deal with Apple TV+ just invested in and joined the board for the Apple Podcasts competitor Luminary.
Former HBO boss officially inks five-year exclusive production deal with Apple TV+
Netflix punches down at newcomer Apple TV+ in latest earnings release
Second report suggests Apple and MGM held 'preliminary' talks about an acquisition
Apple TV+ subscribers: More than Hulu and, for the moment, Disney+
Apple TV is Apple's streaming device that accesses the Apple TV+ service ($4.99 per month), Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and countless other entertainment apps.
Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, Electrek, and DroneDJ. You'll find most of his writing on 9to5Mac where he covers news, reviews, how-tos, and more.
Michael Potuck's favorite gear
Satechi USB-C Charger (4 ports)
Really useful USB-C + USB-A charger for home/work and travel.
Portable Apple Watch Charger
Handy Apple Watch power bank plus extra USB port.


Lead By Example. We watch everything the leader does and listen to every word they say – then watch to make sure that they are congruent. The best way to lead and motivate me is to be a living example of the way you expect me to behave.
Loyal to the Team. Times are tough, we are working harder than ever, so it is critical that I truly believe that my leader has my back, that he or she is looking out for me and fighting hard to do everything they can to support me.
Level with Me. Tell me the truth. Be completely honest and as transparent as possible. I promise that I can handle it. The more information you share with me, the better job I can do of keeping the company strong and growing. Hide information from me and all I can do is sit at my desk and worry.
Be Empathic. Realize that my entire life is not wrapped up in the business. I am an employee… I have other things going on… like my family and my own personal life. One of the best ways to keep me motivated is to understand and support the idea of work-life balance.
Empower Me. Give me the training, resources and support I need, then let me go do my job. Micro-managing me means that you do not trust my competence or my judgment, but either way it means you do not trust me and if you do not trust me… then why did you hire me?
Show Me the Way. I need to know what your vision is for where we are headed. The more clear and vivid you can communicate that vision to me, the better job I can do at working my tail off to achieve it. Without a clear vision I have no way to prioritize my work, make fast decisions or measure my performance. Show me the goal line and I'll start running.
Sure there are some other great short-term motivators like money, time off, flex-time, awards, recognition, gift certificates… and I recommend doing ALL of these. But for lasting motivation one of the MOST important factors is having a highly engaged and highly motivated leader. Yes, it does all start at the top.
PS – If you have not seen it yet, Chris Brogan did a wonderful video review of my book. Click HERE to watch it.
John, I really liked this post. It's always nice to see an outside-in approach, where you examine leadership from the point of view of the led. Out of curiosity, did you hear any surprises, anything that did not jibe with your extensive reading on the subject?
John, the succinctness of this post belies its power. As I teach PQ+A, one of the main stumbling blocks to integrating these tools is when someone says, "This stuff is great, but my manager won't like it if I ask better questions." This goes right to two of your key points: lead by example and level with me. If leaders don't embrace candor as they work, then they can't expect it from their talent. Your other points resonate with me in the same way.
Bob, thank you for the excellent feedback! I love the precision questioning and answering system that you teach – absolutely superb.
I had not heard that sort of response as strongly as I've heard it in the last several weeks – at Abbott, at Microsoft, at some work I did for Apple and at several other large privately held firms. I'm guessing that with the recession and all the job instability in the marketplace – knowing that your boss is going to do everything they can to protect you and help you – is, right now, a major factor in motivating top talent.
John- As an Abbott manager who attended this meeting, I cannot express how enormous your contribution was to our top people, managers, and our sales force as a whole. These tough economic times only magnify the need for your passion and messages, and it was exactly the boost our organization needed. Our culture and results will never be the same! Thanks again SO much!!!
Thanks for sharing this information with us! Iin support of what you are saying above, I thought I'd add that I've seen tightly controlled, scientifically sound studies that support what you are saying above, both in terms of what people want from leaders and what people need for life satisfaction and growth (personally and professionally). These studies seem to indicate that three attitudes are necessary for such positive outcomes: genuineness, positive regard (or, a feeling of being "prized" by others) and empathic understanding (or, a feeling of being sensitively understood – not just at a surface level, but in a rich, deep way).
As I review you list above, I can see how each item fits into one or more of these three attitudes, so I'm at all surprised that you are finding these topics to be so important to so many people (especially during these tought times). Well played, once again!
Really enjoyed this post! I have found that being Firm, Fair & Consistent produces the best result from the team. If they know what they are going to get from you they can move forward and strive for excellence. When expectations are unclear or change with out notice is where the problems come in.
John, this is superb! Thanks.
Like many folks in large corporations I have been on both sides of this equation. As a team player I think you are right on in taking the pulse of what makes a team. As a leader I think there is something more that needs to happen to make a project outstanding and that is to work out a team metaphor or story.
Some projects I worked on were really tough with long hours and many opinions that would shift over time and cause much rework. Some projects contained multiple phases which meant a split in team function as a completed phase would move to production while a new one would move into development.
During the really tough times gathering together to make a story with its physical take away relief points glued us together; inaugurating a marathon baton that would then literary pass from the one critical path point person to the next or christening a fly swatter to squash bugs. Each idea created by the team coming together to build the team story and rewrite it as the project changed.
While folks still shy from admitting they do better when they are part of a story, the truth comes out when you pull out stories from them during a recap.
I am new to you blogs but definitely this is one I am going to frequent for this great material.
David — thank you for the very thoughtful and vivid comments — love it — so glad you took the time to contribute your ideas.


So, you have been told by a doctor to get some tests done. And you are not sure of where exactly to go for the test or probably you know the place but still, just the thought of waiting there in a long queue has made you shove the prescription back to the drawer and put it off until the next weekend. But, not now, with our online lab and diagnostic service, you need not push it off further. We bring up all possible lab and diagnostic centers of your city as well as other cities of India, on one platform.
Our goal is to simply guide you the best on the path of health. We just don't help in finding the lab nearby you but we streamline this whole testing process as per your convenience. We also physically verify the labs and diagnostic centers before registering them on our platform and assure you complete hygiene while the sample collection process and credibility while testing and delivering you report.
With us, either find a lab, find a test, book a test or book home sample pickup, we provide the right information for you to make the right choice.


The 14th REC Tarragona International Film Festival (3-8 December) proved the quality of its boutique selection of first and second films by their directors, with five out of ten titles in the Opera Prima competition winning awards.
film profile], which also won the Prize of the Jury of the Association of Catalan Film Critics and Journalists. In turn, the jury gave a Special Mention to Los Hongos.
film profile] by Ángel Santos, which world-premiered at Busan this October.
film profile] received the Audience Award.
In addition, the festival expanded its industry activities this year with the First Test section - organised in collaboration with the Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE), of Spain's Public Agency for Cultural Action AC/E - in which young Spanish filmmakers presented their projects at various stages of development to international festival programmers and producers. Also, the producers and directors of newly finished films from Catalonia had one-to-one meetings with the industry professionals.


Sunflower is a perfect combination of geometry, symmetry and harmony expressing the uniqueness and beauty of nature in the flow of cosmic time. Therefore, we have chosen sunflower as a symbol of this year.
The mission of the Global Chill-out festival is to gather together an open-minded people and share the joy of life and enrich each other in a pleasant relaxing atmosphere.
We love music and also the nature, which has always been an infinite source of inspiration. You can look forward to many interesting musicians, Dj's , visual artists, performers and landscape designers, this all nestled in an amiable natural landscape.
During the festival you can attend various healing and creative workshops or interesting lectures. You can refresh yourself with vegetarian, vegan and raw food delicacies, quality tea and delightful nature aromatic essences.
We'll be happy to meet you all in at this 10th year chill-out gathering!


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Lowell Listening Session January 29, 2023
January 20, 2023 /in Uncategorized /by aac
Join us for our Lowell Listening Session on January 29th, 2023 at 1pm-4:30pm!
Location: Lowell International Church (60 Hasting St, Lowell, MA, 01851).
Parking: There is parking available on-site.
The listening session aims to gather the concerns and issues facing AAPI communities in Lowell, Massachusetts. We look forward to connecting legislators, Commissioners, and other invited guests with AAPI communities in and around Lowell.
The programming is as follows:
1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Lunch (to be provided)
2:15 – 2:35 p.m. Introduction
2:35 – 4:00 p.m. Sharing from community stakeholders
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Q&A
Questions: contact Esther Kim, Program and Research Director, at es[email protected].
Space is limited! RSVP by Tuesday, January 24th: Register here!
https://aapicommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Wesbite_Banner-scaled.jpg 1396 2560 aac /wp-content/uploads/2021/12/aapi-logo-sized.png aac2023-01-20 20:45:202023-01-20 21:14:40Lowell Listening Session January 29, 2023
Asian American Commission
For Community Events, Opportunities, and Job Openings | Quarterly Newsletter...


This paper presents the historical development and the evolution ofreservoir simulation models for the Valhall field. Reservoir simulators wereused as management tools to determine possible effects of high rockcompressibility, fracturing, and possible effects of high rock compressibility,fracturing, and fracture permeability decline on primary recovery. Theseevaluations identified additional development opportunities, resulting inhigher ultimate recoveries.
This paper describes the field development and the evolution of reservoirsimulation tools used for the Valhall field in the Norwegian sector of theNorth Sea. This reservoir consists of a high-porosity chalk with naturalfractures in the crestal area of the field. As in other chalk reservoirs in thearea, the drive mechanism is a combination of fluid expansion and rockcompaction. According to laboratory test results, this high-porosity rockundergoes both elastic deformation and pore collapse (plastic deformation) withdeclining reservoir pressure. The rock compressibility resulting from porecollapse is a function of reservoir pressure and porosity and ranges from about10 x 10 psi to more than 100 x 10 psi for chalk with 50% psi to more than 100 x10 psi for chalk with 50% porosity. Simulation studies of field performanceindicate that porosity. Simulation studies of field performance indicate thatrock compaction will account for more than 80 million STB of oil recovery,about 25% of the predicted ultimate field recovery for current development. TheValhall field is an overpressured, undersaturated Upper Cretaceous chalkreservoir located about 180 miles offshore southern Norway (Fig. 1) in a waterdepth of 225 ft. Nearby producing fields include Ekofisk, Eldfisk, Tor, andHod. The producing fields include Ekofisk, Eldfisk, Tor, and Hod. The Valhallfield was discovered in 1975 with the drilling of Well 2/8-6. Subsequently,five appraisal wells were drilled before installation of the three-platform,24-slot complex in mid-1981. Initial production from the field began in Oct.1982, and by early 1990, production from the field began in Oct. 1982, and byearly 1990, production was about 85,000 BOPD from 24 producers. Amoco Norwayproduction was about 85,000 BOPD from 24 producers. Amoco Norway Oil Co.operates the field on behalf of partners, including Amerada Hess Norge A/S,Enterprise Norge Ltd., and Elf Aquitaine Norge A/S.
Geology. The trap at Valhall is an asymmetric anticline trendingnorthwest-southeast, with a steeply dipping westerly limb. The structure is aresult of basin inversion along the Lindesnes fault during late Cretaceoustime. The Tor formation (Upper Cretaceous), the youngest chalk present atValhall and the main pay interval, is present at 7,880 ft subsea (SS) at thestructural crest. The total area present at 7,880 ft subsea (SS) at thestructural crest. The total area under closure on the Valhall structure isabout 60,000 acres, with the last closing contour at 8,860 ft SS. However, thetotal productive limit of the field is only about 7,000 acres, with the mostproductive area comprising about 2,000 acres in the crest of the structure.Fig. 2 shows a field map with depth to top of chalk contours. A clearly definedoil/water contact (OWC) in the field has not been established because watersaturations increase gradually with depth, while porosities and permeabilitiesdecrease gradually. This results in varying capillary characteristics acrossthe field. To estimate the movable oil in place (OIP), a water saturation of80% was used as a cutoff to determine the HCPV. This water saturation is foundat about 8,525 ft SS for the Tor formation, with rock porosities of about 25%to 30%, and at about 8,300 ft SS for the Lower Hod formation, with rockporosities in the 30% to 35% range.
Rock Properties. The two producing horizons at Valhall field are theMaastrichtian Age Tor formation and the Coniacian-Turonian Age Hod formationchalks. Fig. 3 is a computed log example of a typical crestal well with theproducing layers indicated. Table 1 provides a list of pertinent reservoir,rock, and fluid-property provides a list of pertinent reservoir, rock, andfluid-property data. About 60 % of the OIP and 85 % of the production are fromthe Tor formation; the majority of the remaining production comes from theLower Hod Unit. Most of the Tor production comes from the crestal area of thefield, where permeabilities appear to be enhanced by natural fracturing.Because of its dominance, the Tor formation will be the focus of this paper.Tor thickness varies from 0 to 164 ft across the field area, and porositiesapproaching 50% are common on the crest of the structure but decrease to around30% on the flanks. Porosity is preserved in the Tor formation as a result ofthe combined effect of preserved in the Tor formation as a result of thecombined effect of reservoir overpressuring, early oil migration, and the lowmagnesium calcite composition of the Tor.


In MAB NewsBriefs this week, a reminder that Michigan Hall of Fame and Lifetime Acheivement Award nominations are due April 28. If you know a deserving individual that has contributed to Michigan broadcasting, you're encouraged to submit their name.
Also in this week's issue, a reminder about next week's Statewide Tornado Drill/Test; news from around the state, a programming piece from Kevin Robinson; and in our MAPB section, we've collected some Op-Ed writings from around the country regarding the importance of public broadcasting, especially important with the proposed Federal budget cuts.
Early-bird registration is now open for the annual MAB Advocacy Conference and Annual Meeting, to be held at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, August 22-23.


The owner of two camels shot in early January north of Mildura says they were domesticated pack animals, trained to facilitate ecological surveys in remote areas of Australia. The shooting has shed light on the group's work, which is helping to charter inaccessible areas across the country's interior.
Andrew Harper is the managing director of Australian Desert Expeditions - a not for profit, registered environmental organisation that provides access to remote locations of Australia for universities and land management authorities.
The group spends anywhere from 5 days to a month in remote locations that are impossible to reach by road transport, including four wheel drive vehicles, in order to conduct botanical, bird and other environmental surveys.
To do this, they require the assistance of an animal that is at home in such locations; the camel, once trained, is perfectly suited for this work - carrying up to ten jerry cans, equivalent in weight to a 44 gallon drum's worth of water, up and down sand dunes and across the arid landscape of remote Australia.
It was two of these such camels that were shot and killed, in the dead of night in early January, while they slept 80 kilometres from the road in their pack at Moorna Station, 40 kilometres west of Wentworth in south west NSW.
"There was no mistaking that they were domesticated, they certainly weren't wild camels," says Mr Harper, who thinks the shooting was deliberate.
"The two camels that were shot last week aren't the sort of camel that you can sort of buy off the shelf", he says.
"As people who work with animals would appreciate, a good stock horse or a good working dog, a good sheep dog - it takes a long time to fine tune their abilities, and camels are no different."
NSW police are appealing for information about the shooting, which the region's crime manager Matt McCarthy has labelled 'senseless'.
In the meantime, Mr Harper will continue his work, which is opening up parts of Australia that have for the most part been left alone.
"And that's quite an amazing thing to think about really in Australia, you know; there's so many of us here, but we're all crowded around the outside of the continent."
"To think that you can still walk in areas of the country where not many whitefellas have been, is quite an amazing thing."
Since 2007 the organisation, which employs around 18 people, has been working in the area of megafauna, with fossils from extinct animals that lived tens of thousands of years ago in the Simpson desert, as well as cataloguing Aboriginal rock art in the Northern Territory, some of which has only recently been revealed to archeaologists.
"It's very hard to get to these places and we find that walking's the best way to do it," says Mr Harper.
"To be able to learn and discover what's happening out at these remote parts of Australia, that by and large have been almost forgotten about," he says, is rewarding.
"The value of walking and using the pack camels is that you see everything," says Mr Harper, "the desert will reveal its entire story to you."
Police in Broken Hill are awaiting results on the forensic analysis of the spent rifle casings, but say they believe the calibre of the rifle to be 6.5x55 rounds, and are urging the public to come forward with any information they have about the attack.


A new-build sports pavilion containing changing rooms at ground floor level, with social spaces above. A viewing mound facing the pitch conceals the private shower spaces below and offers an informal grandstand. A large roof unites the complex programme and is articulated to create shelter and entrance spaces underneath.


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WeLoveFine Deadpool Design Contest
WeLoveFine has announced a Deadpool design contest, judged by Deadpool writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn as well as Hot Topic. The grand...
Brian Posehn, contest, Gerry Duggan, Hot Topic, WeLoveFine
http://www.deadpoolbugle.com/2013/05/welovefine-deadpool-design-contest.html
WeLoveFine has announced a Deadpool design contest, judged by Deadpool writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn as well as Hot Topic. The grand prize winner will win a trip to New York Comic Con 2013. Additionally, the shirt selected by Hot Topic will be available exclusively in Hot Topic stores. Designs can start being submitted today, and the contest ends 6/25/2013 11:59PM PST. [LINK]
Grand Prize: We are delighted to offer a grand prize of a paid trip to New York Comic Con 2013! Grand Prize winner will receive a paid trip (2 nights and 3 days) to New York for New York Comic Con. Trip will include 1 4-day NYCC membership badge, 1 round trip airfare (limited to US domestic flights only) and lodging near the convention center.
Guest Judges' picks (2): Our guest judges will each select their personal favorite design, and those artists will win $400 cash!
Hot Topic's pick (1): Hot Topic's pick will receive $500 cash, and will be available exclusively in Hot Topic stores!
Honorable Mention (3): Three honorable mentions will receive $100 cash each!
*All winning designs will be put into consideration for printing (Subject to Licensor Approval)
Lethal, agile, nigh-indestructible, motor-mouthed and just a little bit off his rocker (Okay, a LOT off his rocker...): Wade Wilson is a comic-book anti-hero unlike any other, and his adventures in the pages of Marvel comics have commanded an incredibly dedicated group of fans who just can't get enough Deadpool! Long one of our best-selling characters at WeLoveFine, Deadpool is second to none for opportunities to be creative and have fun with his outlandish bad-assery, and so we're stoked to bring you our first-ever Deadpool Design Contest! Dig into the mercenary depths of your noggin and come up with some dazzling Deadpool designs, and you could win a trip to this year's New York Comic Con in Manhattan!! Or one of the judges' prizes chosen by the current writers of Marvel's Deadpool comics! And have your design made into official Marvel merchandise, to boot. Bust out the tacos and go to town on this one, artists... good luck!
-Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 PM (PST) on June 25, 2013.
-You may submit up to 5 entries per person
-All entries must be in one of the following file formats: GIF/PNG/JPG.
- All entries MUST incorporate one or more of the following characters: Deadpool, Lady Deadpool, Kidpool, Headpool, Dogpool, Agent X (Alex Hayden), Outlaw, Bob Agent of HYDRA. No other characters may be used in the design.
- Likenesses of any actors who have portrayed Deadpool in any film adaptations CANNOT be used in the design.
WeLoveFine 5379875204672815620


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Howling Bird Press
This campaign ended on November 16, 2018, but you can still make a gift to Augsburg University by clicking here!
Howling Bird Press is the book imprint of Augsburg University's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. Students enrolled in the publishing concentration, a two-semester course sequence, do the work of running the press, including editing, marketing, and fundraising, while studying the publishing profession and the book trade. The press sponsors an annual nationwide contest, which is judged by the student editors and senior faculty of the Creative Writing program. The press publishes the winning manuscript. The author receives a cash prize, book publication, distribution, and an invitation to read at the MFA program's summer residency in Minneapolis. The contest is open to manuscripts of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction on an alternating basis. Simples,by KateLynn Hibbard, is the winner of the 2018 Poetry Prize. Our previous books are Still Life with Horsesby Jean Harper, winner of the 2017 Nonfiction Prize; The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street by Jacob M. Appel, winner of the 2016 Fiction Prize; and At the Border of Wilshire & Nobodyby Marci Vogel, winner of the 2015 Poetry Prize. Howling Bird Press books are distributed by Small Press Distribution; they are available online and in bookstores nationwide.
29% Alumni
15% Students
43% Faculty/Staff
22% Friends
Diana Lopez Jones
Douglas Green
Colin M Mustful
KateLynn Hibbard
Judy Niemi Johnson
Cary Waterman
Andrea R Sanow
Katherine Fagen
Paul C Pribbenow
William J Reichard
Cass Dalglish
James Cihlar
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I was driving and hit a medium sized bump. My seat beat lock and wouldn't release. I disengaged the belt and let it fully retract think that the lock would release. Belt remained lock in the fully retracted position. Seat belt inoperable.


The Blanket Loan is not a new program, but many non conforming financing options went away during the mortgage crisis. So this program is back again. For commercial and residential property real estate investors you can now combine multiple properties into one loan. The program requires a minimum loan amount of $250,000 and a maximum loan to value of 75%. This means the minimum property values should be at least $335,000.00. Additional requirements are for you to only have like properties in the same area in one loan. For example, you can add multifamily properties into one loan or single family homes into one loan , or industrial properties into one loan, or retail strip properties, etc.
Many commercial mortgage lenders have a minimum loan size. This way you can add multiple properties with low values and get a commercial loan. You can also combine properties together in one loan to get cash out for any purpose. Another option the blanket loan offers is for commercial property owners to use their existing properties with adequate equity as collateral necessary for the down payment to purchase additional properties. Another excellent feature is there is no seasoning of ownership in this blanket loan program. That allows investors to buy property below market and refinance them based on current market value.
This is a great program for residential investors with many properties. Conventional lenders have a maximum of 3 to 4 properties for residential real estate investors for them to qualify to finance additional properties. This is a private portfolio loan and there is no maximum number of properties requirement. So residential investors can blanket multiple properties together and purchase additional properties without limit. The sale loan size requirements are in place for residential and commercial properties.
This program is available anywhere in the country for commercial and residential investors. Rates change regularly like all mortgage programs.


Table decor in the resort restaurant. Food was just okay.
One of the many Balinese inspired decor in the resort.
The whole compoud was pretty quiet and peaceful. Amenities in the room were very basic: Beds, toilet and bath, and a cabinet. There's no TV. There's no WiFi. The resort did have a swimming pool, spa, and a playground for kids, if you have any. They also have a few free roaming animals. Some of the creatures that we spotted were some ponies, geese, and peacocks!
A peacock that was in a cage. Other animals were roaming the resort grounds.
As for the rates, the villa we got had two queen sized beds and a pretty spacious bathroom. Cost for that is Php 6,000.00 per night. Not bad considering the proximity to the city and the isolated feel that you get when you're there. We brought our own wine as well. Good thing that we weren't charged for corkage during our stay so that's extra savings for us!
We brought our own wine for the trip. They don't charge corkage for this.
That's about it for the resort! I would definitely try to come back with some of my friends next time. I will be sharing another post as well on the other things that we got to do in the area as well as how the resort looks at night.
The family before heading back to Manila.


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Comodoro Rivadabia este situată în regiunea Chabut, Patagonia, Argentina. Este localizată în zona zăcămintelor de hidrocarburi ceea ce a fost motorul acestui oraș.

Orașe din Argentina