text:
Enterprises Sitting On Security Time Bomb As Office Workers Compromise Company Data
More than a third of office workers store company documents on consumer cloud services, while 91 percent store, access, and share via personal devices
30 May, 2013 – San Francisco – Companies are at serious risk of data security breaches as 38% of U.S. office workers admit to storing work documents on personal cloud tools and services. The nationwide survey of 2,000 office workers carried out for Huddle by Ipsos MORI revealed that almost a fifth (16 percent) of people use Dropbox to store work documents, while Google Drive and Apple iCloud came in second and third place with 15% and 12% respectively. With 91% of workers also stating that they use personal devices to store, share, access or work on company documentation, organizations are at risk of losing data and intellectual property forever as it becomes fragmented across multiple devices and cloud services.
Content is being fragmented across cloud and personal devices
Regarding personal devices, almost two thirds (64 percent) of office workers use external hard drives to store work documents and almost half (46 percent) use USB drives. More than a third (34 percent) of people admit to using USBs to share documentation with others and 43% use external personal hard drives for the same purpose. Even CDs and DVDS continue to be used by almost a fifth of people (16 percent) for storing company documents.
With a wealth of digital content being created and shared on a daily basis, the ways in which companies ensure their data is stored, accessed and worked on by employees – without compromising security – is becoming a significant issue. To deal with the information overload now occurring in enterprises, it is clear that many office workers are turning to personal gadgets and services to help them get their jobs done more effectively. Half of U.S office workers want to be able to work from anywhere and almost half (49 percent) wanted to access all of their work documents in one place. A fifth of U.S. workers also want to use their personal smartphones, laptops and tablets for work. Today's enterprise technology now needs to be able to support these requirements without putting company information at risk.
"Companies need to wake up and realize they're facing a massive security issue and risk having their intellectual property walk out of the door with people," states Alastair Mitchell, CEO, Huddle. "There's a huge amount of information available in enterprise content stores and knowledge workers are struggling to find ways to access, work on and share this with everyone they need to. Failed by legacy technologies, such as SharePoint, which were designed to keep content locked inside an organization, employees are looking for easy ways to access what they need. This has resulted in a free-for-all use of personal cloud services, external hard drives, smartphones and USBs, turning the enterprise content store into a giant, unruly jigsaw puzzle. With people busily stashing data all over the place, companies simply have no idea where their content is kept. Information needs to be stored centrally so that everyone with permission can access it, regardless of whether an employee has left the company."
Frustration mounts as content overload hits hard
Huddle's inaugural "State of the Enterprise Information Landscape" report reveals that office workers across the U.S. feel overwhelmed by the amount of content – whether documents, discussions on social tools, images or video – that they work with on a daily basis. More than half of U.S office workers (53 percent) feel bombarded by all the information they sometimes have to deal with, with those aged between 18 - 24 years old feeling the pressure most (60 percent). The 25 – 31 year olds and 32 – 38 years olds are in joint second place with 57% feeling overwhelmed.
According to the research, technology adds to people's frustrations in the office as key annoyances are:
Not being able to send large files via email (31 percent)
Wasting time searching for electronic documents (28 percent)
Ensuring that you are using the most up to date version of any given document (21 percent)
Getting documents approved by others (18 percent)
Figuring out who has specific information about a project or task (17 percent)
In order to share and work on documents with people outside of their company:
· Almost two thirds (65 percent) of office workers continue to revert to sending email attachments
· Nearly a fifth (16 percent) use USB drives
· A similar amount (15 percent) send hard copies of documents via courier
· Eight percent send CDs or DVDs via mail
Men are worst offenders for stashing enterprise data on personal devices and cloud services
The study reveals that male office workers are more likely to be stockpiling company documents on their personal cloud services or devices:
· 43% use personal cloud tools or services to store work documents versus 33% of women
· Men are also more likely to keep enterprise documents on USB drives (50 percent), external personal hard drives (69 percent) and CDs or DVDs (19 percent), in contrast to women's respective 42%, 59% and 14%
"The boom in cloud based file share and sync tells us there is a real business need for collaboration, but it has brought as many issues with it as it has resolved," explains Alan Pelz-Sharpe, Content and Collaboration, Research Director, 451 Research. "Workers have a very real set of needs to be met, and it's IT's challenge to provide easy to use but enterprise secure alternatives to insecure consumer alternatives. Services such as Huddle aim to manage and balance the needs of workers and IT, so people can get their jobs done without compromising security."
Note to Editors: Ipsos MORI interviewed 2,000 adults aged 18-65 who worked in an office across the USA from its online panel of respondents. Interviews were conducted online between 2nd and 9th April 2013. A representative sample of office workers was interviewed with quota controls set by gender, age and region.
Huddle provides next generation content collaboration for government and enterprises. Its patent-pending intelligent technology ensures relevant content is delivered directly to Huddle users, with no need to search. Business units of any size work more efficiently by huddling together within a secure cloud service accessed via web browsers, desktop or mobile devices. Co-headquartered in London and San Francisco and with offices in New York City, Huddle's customers include 80% of Fortune 500 and 80% of UK government departments, as well as companies such as Kia Motors, SEGA, Unilever and P&G. The company is privately held and backed by venture capital firms DAG Ventures, Eden Ventures, Matrix Partners and Jafco Ventures. More information can be found at www.huddle.com.
The ROI Story: Identifying & Justifying Disruptive Technology
Increasing Business Agility and Security with Identity Virtualization


Job title: Electrician Location: West Yorkshire with nationwide travel Salary: Competitive Working hours: Full time, to suit business needs Package: Accommodation and food ... arisen at WG&R, Due to continued growth we are recruiting for an Electrician located near Huddersfield with Nationwide travel. WG&R UK Limited are a data, electrical and mechanical ...JOBSWORTH: £25,450 P.A.?
The average salary for open Electrician jobs is currently £31,721, 10% lower than the national average salary for all jobs which is £34,904.
The largest category under which open Electrician jobs are listed is Engineering Jobs, followed by Trade & Construction Jobs.
Companies presently offering vacancies for Electrician roles in Huddersfield include Progressive Resources, BMI Healthcare, Dixons Carphone..
The standard deviation of salaries for the results of this search is 12,770.


Your world, your fight, your choice.
Welcome to the revolution for developing countries where you, the educated people of any country, will reach out to help community leaders overseas and schools to make real change for the sick, the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the forgotten millions around the world suffering everyday. You can be the one to make real change. Lots of people and groups working overseas have been in these countries for many years, but still haven't made statistical change in most problems. We run off volunteer hours only and no one gets paid here, we're all full-time working folks just like you. For certain donated goods we want for our in-person work abroad CLICK HERE.  For sponsorship CLICK HERE.
If the fight is inside of you, we have the tools and can measure our impact. Not money donations - that's never the answer (except in disaster situations). Start the revolution with us today and make a noise so loud the whole world hears. After all, maybe it was you over there in another life. Nature tends to favor inertia, so get started. Be part of the better 1% out there making real change.
In our strategy, we can have a bigger, better effect from home than those who travel and work in any way abroad.
1. OPEN SOURCES – BE AN ONLINE VOLUNTEER TO HELP ANY CAUSE ANYPLACE: TIME - 1 hour online Skype class 2-3X a week with a local leader abroad you choose from anywhere; work 1:1 online with them as long as you want.
a) Help write (and teach) a grant proposal: many local leaders and community nonprofits need help in proposal grant-writing and when you finish it together, they can learn how to write a basic grant from your teaching of it along the way. We have a great example and guideline built in for you. Of course, if you choose this you should have basic writing skills.
b) Do some online education: in whatever subject you feel comfortable teaching, just do a Google search for an indigenous nonprofit leader of a developing country and start meeting with them online a couple days a week; we've had volunteer doctors teach medicine to farmers teaching agriculture! Teach your degree background or something else is okay too.
d) Be a School Ambassador: If you are part of a university with a similar thinking program or department, and want to bring it to your school; email us at opensources123@gmail.com with the Subject line: "Open Sources School Ambassador"
e) OR... JUST OFFER IT TO ANY UNIVERSITY: Email our free Open Sources online programs above to any university (of your country or any country in the world). Click the link and send the email in 30 seconds cutting and pasting our text.
3. BUILDING A CITY PROTOCOL: This is not for online volunteers. TIME - About 4 hours a week for 4-6 months. *This is a special professionally engineered unique project specifically for LOCAL LEADERS LIVING INSIDE A DEVELOPING AREA OF THEIR DEVELOPING COUNTRY. Stop the dangerous cycle of uncontrolled "globalization".
For unique, driven local leaders who currently live in a developing country in their village, town or city. A few hours each week you will evaluate societal problems in your area using a systematic approach that really works and is adaptable to any type of place. You will tackle systematic weakness in your local schools, healthcare, local economy, security, agriculture, water sanitation and more. It gives you a way to continue on in local politics or leadership positions and you should use this as part of your resume. If you know a hard-working local leader living somewhere, then just send them this protocol!
4. OFFER ANY SCHOOL OUR FREE ANTI-DRUG ANTI-VIOLENCE GYM & HEALTH CLASS CURRICULUMS: TIME - 60 seconds to choose a middle or high school anywhere and email the principal & gym teacher to use our free teacher-made Health and our Gym class curriculums. The gym class has excellent martial arts built in (no physical contact of course) that a school's own gym teacher uses for their gym class over 6-14 weeks which ends with a 10 minute discussion on topics like local violence, bullying, mental health (stops a kid from bringing a gun into school or join a gang), and substance abuse. No special training needed and no martial arts background needed; gym teachers use our free how-to basic self-defense videos online. Plus tons of free career-readiness material handouts like how to make a resume or mock job interviews, etc. For any schools with a bully, drug or violence problem, they should try out our free curriculum. You can send it anywhere, from Miami in USA to Mogadishu secondary schools in Somalia. The sky's the limit - email now!
*Many people download our Health Curriculum for their own resources as it has the best updated combined Eastern and Western treatments for cancers, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, etc. That's fine too.
5. JOIN US OVERSEAS: TIME: In-person overseas 2-4 weeks. This is only open to medical providers (preferably emergency, OBGYN, general surgeons and family physicians), ex-military, police, engineers, botanists/agriculture experts and water sanitation (WASH) experts. There may be a place for you with our small elite team overseas, but we can tell you a few things upfront: It is very different from a military or aid-worker experience and you do need some specialty job with specialty experience. This is not for full-time employment; projects run about 2-4 intense weeks with repeat visits made in the future. They are not paid positions at this time. We accept volunteers as needed and give outlines of how to raise money for travel expenses. Depending on where we go, sometimes we have travel expenses covered in full for us, however, we often do not. Our work is non-political, non-religious but we may work with local governments.
For those international groups looking to learn and benchmark from our work and failures and successes then we do offer guidance & peer mentorship to you. And who knows, maybe we can learn a thing or two from you. The challenge for us is how to do with 20 people what others do with 200 in a timespan of less than a month in-person in wherever. Click here.


Ogun State House of Assembly has appealed to the various unions and the management of the Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE) to maintain peace as the Assembly has intervened to resolve the disagreement between the management and staff of the institution.
The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Hon Olayiwola Ojodu made the appeal shortly after meeting with the stakeholders on the state of affairs in the institution at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Ojodu in company of the members of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation while meeting with stakeholders including the State Head of Service, Engr Lanre Bisiriyu, the Management of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology led by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olakunle Aikulola, the Provost of the college, Adeola Kiadese and the Chairman, Coalition of Staff of the College, Mr Daniel Aborisade said there was need to have another crucial meeting with all the representatives of the stakeholders to ensure the immediate resolution of the issues.
According to him, the way forward was to strategize on the need to increase revenue to meet the financial obligations of the college , promising that with the intervention of the House, all issues would leading to the amicable resolution of the conflict would be addressed.
Also speaking, the Head of Service, Engr. Lanre Bisiriyu counseled the stakeholders to remain united at resolving the disagreement through synergy on ways to move forward, pointing out that there was need to work towards self sustenance by increasing students.


We see patients from infants to the elderly with a variety of complaints and conditions. We offer a wide range of services based on each patient's condition. We take a complete history, perform an extensive physical examination, and develop an individual treatment plan for every patient.
Please see our other pages for more information.
*Note: Some insurance plans do not offer chiropractic benefits, such as Medicaid, Healthy NY, and Child Health Plus.
We offer affordable payment plans for patients with no insurance or limited benefits.
We accept most major credit cards, including American Express.
We are NOT providers for: Emblem, Empire Plan, Fidelis, GHI, or HIP.
Please contact us so we can verify your benefits.


How much does a Superviseur (H/F) make at Bédard Ressources in Canada?
Average Bédard Ressources Superviseur (H/F) hourly pay in Canada is approximately $19.17, which meets the national average.
Salary information comes from 820 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.


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Q: c# save pdf file to specific path I am using Visual Studio 2012. I am converting an aspx page into a PDF file.
It works fine...
the code is like this
string attachment = "attachment; filename=" + FileName + ".pdf";
       Response.ClearContent();
       Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", attachment);
       Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
       StringWriter s_tw = new StringWriter();
       HtmlTextWriter h_textw = new HtmlTextWriter(s_tw);
       h_textw.AddStyleAttribute("font-size", "7pt");
       h_textw.AddStyleAttribute("color", "Black");
       pnlPrincipal.RenderControl(h_textw);//Name of the Panel
       Document doc = new Document();
       doc = new Document(PageSize.A4, 5, 5, 15, 5);
       FontFactory.GetFont("Verdana", 80, iTextSharp.text.BaseColor.RED);
       PdfWriter.GetInstance(doc, Response.OutputStream);
       doc.Open();
       StringReader s_tr = new StringReader(s_tw.ToString());
       HTMLWorker html_worker = new HTMLWorker(doc);
       html_worker.Parse(s_tr);
       doc.Close();
       Response.Write( doc);

The problem I am facing is that it is saved in c:/Users/Download folder.
I want to save the file in an specific folder.
Where can I specified that?
Thanks

A: You can write a document with
string folder = @"C:\Temp\";
string fileName = "mydocument.txt";
string fullPath = folder + fileName;
string data = "My string to write in a document";
File.WriteAllLines(fullPath, data);

// Read & print in console
string readText = File.ReadAllText(fullPath);
Console.WriteLine(readText);

A: Finally I found the way...
Instead of using Response I have to use FileStream
    System.IO.FileStream fs = new FileStream(Server.MapPath("PDFDIR") + "\\" + otd.NumeroOTD.ToString() + ".pdf", FileMode.Create);

        StringWriter s_tw = new StringWriter();
        HtmlTextWriter h_textw = new HtmlTextWriter(s_tw);
        h_textw.AddStyleAttribute("font-size", "7pt");
        h_textw.AddStyleAttribute("color", "Black");
        pnlPrincipal.RenderControl(h_textw);//Name of the Panel

        // Create an instance of the document class which represents the PDF document itself.
        Document document = new Document(PageSize.A4, 25, 25, 30, 30);
        // Create an instance to the PDF file by creating an instance of the PDF
        // Writer class using the document and the filestrem in the constructor.
        FontFactory.GetFont("Verdana", 80, iTextSharp.text.BaseColor.RED);

        PdfWriter writer = PdfWriter.GetInstance(document, fs);

        document.AddCreator("Sample application using iTextSharp");

        document.AddSubject("Document subject - Describing the steps creating a PDF document");
        document.AddTitle("The document title - PDF creation using iTextSharp");

        // Open the document to enable you to write to the document
        document.Open();
        // Add a simple and wellknown phrase to the document in a flow layout manner
     //   document.Add(new Paragraph("Hello World!"));
        StringReader s_tr = new StringReader(s_tw.ToString());
        HTMLWorker html_worker = new HTMLWorker(document);
        html_worker.Parse(s_tr);
        // Close the document
        document.Close();
        // Close the writer instance
        writer.Close();
        // Always close open filehandles explicity
        fs.Close();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Honeywell's Boeing 757 test bed is short on passenger amenities, but long on capability.
How can airborne connectivity impact the passenger experience? Honeywell (Chalet 104) has set out to answer this question with its Boeing 757 connected aircraft test platform. Currently on its worldwide "Power of Connected Tour," the hard-working, stripped-down airliner (the fifth 757 ever built) is outfitted with technology that can enhance the roles of pilots, operators and passengers. AIN was able to learn more about the passenger experience on the connected aircraft when the Honeywell tour stopped at New York's LaGuardia Airport on June 9.
According to Honeywell, the passenger experience is improved by upgraded airborne connectivity speeds that are up to 100 times faster than other airborne technologies. Airline customers also enjoy high-speed connections with fewer dropped links, as well as smoother and safer flights, made possible by Honeywell's GoDirect products (see story on this page).
The most key driver of the connected aircraft is Honeywell's GX Aviation technology for airline passengers and JetConnex for business aviation users. Powered by Honeywell's JetWave satellite communications hardware, GX Aviation and JetConnex bring high-speed airborne connectivity to commercial and business aircraft, via Inmarsat's Global Xpress Ka-band satellite network, which began service in 2016. Along with GX Aviation and JetConnex, Honeywell also offers a satcom network app that allows administrators to control permissions and restrict data streaming on devices; and it even can be used to block devices from the Wi-Fi system if a passenger consumes too much expensive data.
On board the 757 connected aircraft on a "flight to nowhere" from LaGuardia, AIN was able to test the connectivity by streaming audio and video, video conferencing, texting and accessing social media and email accounts during the one-hour demo hop. Ultimately, there were 33 devices connected at one time without any major issues. Ka-band streaming rates are on the order of up to 32 megabits per second (Mbps), although rates are lower for business aircraft—up to 15 Mbps—due to antenna size limitations.
Erica Brinker, Honeywell senior director, connected aircraft, told AIN that the looming possibility of a U.S. laptop ban for flights coming in from Europe could potentially be a hurdle for any company offering high-speed airborne connectivity, as passengers wouldn't be able to carry on larger devices on airliners. However, smaller mobile devices can easily tap into GX Aviation connectivity so passengers could complete work that they would normally reserve for their laptop on their phones or tablets. In addition, airlines control bandwidth restrictions and offer various connectivity packages, meaning that, in theory, they could incentivize passengers to carry smaller devices by increasing bandwidth for those traveling with tablets or phones.
The 757 connected aircraft has visited San Francisco, Dallas, LaGuardia and London, but the first leg of the Power of Connected Tour ends here at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft will be on display from June 17 to 20. The second leg of the tour starts in July and will include stops in Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo and a few more cities over the rest of the year.


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Q: Apply function n items at a time along axis I am looking for a way to apply a function n items at the time along an axis. E.g.
array([[ 1,  2],
       [ 3,  4],
       [ 5,  6],
       [ 7,  8]])

If I apply sum across the rows 2 items at a time I get:
array([[  4,   6],
       [ 12,  14]])

Which is the sum of 1st 2 rows and the last 2 rows.
NB: I am dealing with much larger array and I have to apply the function to n items which I can be decided at runtime.

The data extends along different axis. E.g.
array([[... [ 1,  2, ...],
            [ 3,  4, ...],
            [ 5,  6, ...],
            [ 7,  8, ...],
            ...], ...])

A: This is a reduction:
numpy.add.reduceat(a, [0,2])
>>> array([[ 4,  6],
           [12, 14]], dtype=int32)

As long as by "larger" you mean longer in the "y" axis, you can extend:
a = numpy.array([[ 1,  2],
                 [ 3,  4],
                 [ 5,  6],
                 [ 7,  8],
                 [ 9, 10],
                 [11, 12]])
numpy.add.reduceat(a, [0,2,4])
>>> array([[ 4,  6],
           [12, 14],
           [20, 22]], dtype=int32)

EDIT: actually, this works fine for "larger in both dimensions", too:
a = numpy.arange(24).reshape(6,4)
numpy.add.reduceat(a, [0,2,4])
>>> array([[ 4,  6,  8, 10],
           [20, 22, 24, 26],
           [36, 38, 40, 42]], dtype=int32)

I will leave it up to you to adapt the indices to your specific case.

A: Reshape splitting the first axis into two axes, such that the second split axis is of length n to have a 3D array and then sum along that split axis, like so -
a.reshape(a.shape[0]//n,n,a.shape[1]).sum(1)

It should be pretty efficient as reshaping just creates a view into input array.
Sample run -
In [55]: a
Out[55]:
array([[2, 8, 0, 0],
       [1, 5, 3, 3],
       [6, 1, 4, 7],
       [0, 4, 0, 7],
       [8, 0, 8, 1],
       [8, 3, 3, 8]])

In [56]: n = 2 # Sum every two rows

In [57]: a.reshape(a.shape[0]//n,n,a.shape[1]).sum(1)
Out[57]:
array([[ 3, 13,  3,  3],
       [ 6,  5,  4, 14],
       [16,  3, 11,  9]])

A: How about something like this?
n = 2
# calculate the cumsum along axis 0 and take one row from every n rows
cumarr = arr.cumsum(axis = 0)[(n-1)::n]

# calculate the difference of the resulting numpy array along axis 0
np.vstack((cumarr[0][None, :], np.diff(cumarr, axis=0)))

# array([[ 4,  6],
#        [12, 14]])


But, given the time, I thought I'd write one last post on here. After this, I have a new blog deployment lined up, but that can wait until next year.
So here ends the last day of 2009! But not just that, this also marks the end of the first decade of the 21st century. How about that hehe. A lot of stuff has happened since 2000 and when I reflect back on the fact I was still a junior high school student back then (and now a uni graduate and full time worker) it really puts it into perspective. I don't think I'll really try and cover all that stuff, but I"d like you to stop and think about what you've achieved in the past 10 years.
I'm always a little saddened when the current year ends, but I'm also looking forward to the new year around the corner.
In any case, I figured I probably should do a little reflecting on the stuff that's happened.
-This is the first year I've spent doing one constant full time job for the entire length of the year.
-Thanks to my job, I've picked up many new skills including better web design, introduction to MOSS, not to mention a lot of office lifestyle.
-Production of RPG-X2 wound down with 2 patch releases.
-The UberGames site was made live after 4 months of work.
-I set up and starting writing in this blog.
-UberGames releases SteamerCard onto blogs and Facebook.
-I finally relented and bought a Wii and an Xbox 360 next-gen console.
-I volunteered to help work on a small scifi TV production.
-I joined a Perth community of Japanese language/culture exchange.
-I undertook the JLPT 2 exam to help bolster my Japanese.
-My grandmother passed away after a pretty long fight with cancer. I miss her terribly.
There have certainly been some very good highs in this year, and some very terrible lows… some of which I will not forget quickly. Thankfully, I can say that everything that happened, probably happened in the best possible way it could have, and so I try not to let those bother me.
I had a pretty simple new year's resolution for 2008: Get better at Japanese. At this point, more or less… I think I managed to get that far hehe.
And now for the next year…. I think I have a new one in mind, one which seems fitting given the current circumstances: Make myself more employable.
It's a pretty vague resolution I know, but then that makes it very flexible. In any case, this will probably mean more Japanese study, not to mention starting to study the latest computer technologies and their languages coming out as well.
All in all, I'd say 2008 was a good year. At the very least, I can only hope 2009 will be just as good, if not better.
Well, Merry Christmas everyone! I know it's only halfway over for most of the world still, but it's pretty much over here!
The spirit of Christmas was truely here today, and I was glad to be with my family to spend it.


Ken's Sewing HydroStick is a water activated stabilizer for small or irregular shape garments such as collars or cut pieces. Preventing damage to velvet, suede, and leather caused by embroidery hoops, Ken's Sewing HydroStick won't leave a gummy residue. Enviromentally friendly, Ken's Sewing HydroStick eliminates the need for toxic airborne spray adhesives and won't stain your fabric.


Synopsis : CMS reducing payments to U.S. hospitals with excessive readmission rates for patients with heart failure, heart attack, or pneumonia.
Last week, the federal government revealed that it will fine more than 2,600 hospitals in the coming year, because too many Medicare patients treated at these hospitals are ending up back in the hospital within 30 days of going home. Two new conditions have been added in this round of penalties: elective hip and knee replacement, and chronic lung disease.
Now, CMS is also including readmissions for hip/knee replacement surgery and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - also known as COPD - in their calculations of a hospital's penalties.
These hospitals often care for a larger number of poor or medically complex patients with COPD - who are at a higher risk for readmissions because of a large number of socioeconomic and health factors.
In addition to Sjoding, the study was co-authored by Colin Cooke, M.D., M.S., M.Sc., an assistant professor of internal medicine and member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.


text:
Relativity Media Picks Up 'Acacia: The War with The Mein'
Relativity Media Picks Up Acacia: The War with The Mein
Cat Parker
— July 28, 2008
Relativity Media has picked up the rights to David Anthony Durham's epic fantasy novel Acacia: The War With the Mein.
According to Variety, Andrew Grant will adapt the first installment of a planned trilogy.
The story kicks off after King Akaran is assassinated and the kingdom of Acacia is overthrown by the warlike Mein tribe. Four Akaran siblings spend nine years in exile before reuniting as adults to retake their father's kingdom.
No production date has been set.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


AMD unveiled a full line of new APUs at this year's CES, namely the Temash and Kabini processors, and we're finally seeing one of the duo. Acer has teamed up with AMD in producing the new Aspire V5-122 ultraportable, which is the first to pack the Temash APU on the inside.
The device leaked through various online retailers where it's currently listed as "coming soon" and will be available with either an A4-1200 APU with a pair of 1.0 GHz cores, or an A6-1450 APU which packs 4 cores with speeds ranging from 1.0 - 1.4 GHz. As usual, AMD's APUs come with graphics integrated on the processor directly, and the pair will feature a Radeon HD 8180G and 8280G respectively.
Outside of the APU differences, the Aspire V5-122 features an 11.6" IPS touchscreen panel, 2GB of RAM (with a DIMM slot available) and hard drives ranging from 320-500 GB in size. The device lasts around 5 hours per charge on its 30Wh battery, but another 27Wh battery can be tacked on. No official release date has been set, but the Aspire V5-122 should eventually retail in the range of 400 euros.


6" diameter Snowflake Design base is intricately scroll sawn from 1/4" cabinet-grade oak or birch plywood; a perfect center piece for your pine needle work. Simply stitch through the pre-drilled holes (using our sharp point needle (Item 7245) and 4-ply waxed linen) and around pine needle coil to begin your basket.
Wooden base is unfinished, ready for the finish of your choice.


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Mushrooms and Health
Home Mushrooms Mushrooms and Health
For centuries, edible mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat all manner of illnesses and health issues. Now, hundreds of scientific studies validate the numerous therapeutic applications.
Some species of edible mushrooms have potent anti-viral effects. Turkey Tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) contains a polysaccharide that interferes with the ability of the HIV virus to replicate itself.1,2 It also blocks a protein on the HIV virus (GP120, which gains entry into cells) from harming CD4 immune cell receptors.3 Lentin, a compound in shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes), also inhibits HIV viral replication.4 A compound in chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus), betulinic acid, works in several different ways against the HIV virus and has been proven safe in high doses.5 Mushrooms also help protect against influenza. In vitro tests of chaga mushroom grown on birch trees show that it is effective against human influenza viruses A and B, along with several strains of equine influenza.6 In vivo experiments show that cordyceps mushroom (Cordyceps militaris) boosts immune activity and decreases the severity of type A influenza.7 Other mushrooms show anti-viral effects against herpes simplex virus (shiitake)8 and upper respiratory tract infections (oyster mushroom)9.
Mushrooms also have anti-fungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic properties. In mouse experiments, betulinic acid from chaga mushroom reduced blood levels of the plasmodium parasite, which causes malaria.10 Agarikon mushroom (Fomitopsis officinalis) and Poria cocos mushroom are proven anti-bacterial agents.11, 12 Extracts from Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) are effective against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus) bacteria.13 Shiitake mushroom contains both antibacterial and anti-fungal compounds.14,15,16
The brain and nervous system can also benefit from medicinal mushrooms. An in vitro study of Poria cocos mushroom suggests that it can protect against Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the oxidative stress that can lead to beta amyloid neurotoxicity. When it comes to nervous system health, Lion's Mane mushroom is the superstar. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that compounds in this mushroom stimulate nerve growth factor synthesis (an important protein for brain cell growth).17,18,19 Lion's Mane has been shown in vitro to enhance the myelination of nerves20. (Myelination forms a protective sheath around the nerve and is important for healthy nervous system functioning.) In an in vivo experiment, orally administered Lion's Mane boosted recovery time and improved outcomes in nerve-injured rats.21 Lion's Mane can also improve cognitive impairment, according to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving senior citizens.22
Medicinal mushrooms help protect the liver, as numerous studies show. In rat studies, cordyceps mushroom was shown to protect against liver damage.23 Turkey Tail mushroom inhibited the growth of liver cancer cells and promoted the healthy function of normal liver cells in vitro.24 In human clinical trials, Agaricus blazei mushroom improved liver function in hepatitis B patients,25, 26 and improved disease markers in hepatitis C patients.27 Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) protects against liver damage in rodent models28, 29; some research points to ganoderic acid as the active compound.30
Mushrooms have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Cordyceps, reishi, and Poria cocos mushrooms contain compounds that suppress markers of inflammation.31, 32, 33, 34 Mushrooms also mitigate inflammation by their antioxidant effects, neutralizing free radicals and preventing oxidation.35, 36, 37, 38 Inflammation is associated with chronic lifestyle diseases, and mushrooms show great promise here as well. Edible mushrooms help control blood sugar levels in diabetics39, 40. In animal models, mushrooms improve cholesterol profiles, lowering triglycerides,41 total cholesterol,42 and LDL and VLDL cholesterol.43 Edible mushrooms also help to normalize high blood pressure in clinical and animal models.44, 45
Mushrooms are perhaps most well known for their immune-enhancing and anti-cancer effects. Agaricus mushroom has been shown to enhance immune activity in people with poor health.46 Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis) boosts humoral, cellular, and non-specific immunity.47 Cordyceps enhances natural killer cell activity in vitro and in vivo.48 In mouse models, reishi mushroom stimulates production of immune system white blood cells.49 In vitro experiments show that a compound in shiitake mushroom boosts natural killer cell, macrophage, and T-cell activity50 and that Turkey Tail mushroom stimulates the production of immunoglobulin M (a type of antibody).51
In the field of cancer research, the body of evidence for mushrooms as anti-cancer agents is large and growing. Turkey Tail shows great promise. It contains a polysaccharide that interferes with the function of enzymes associated with metastasis and has been shown to block the effects of some carcinogens in the body.52 Maitake mushroom is equally promising. Clinical trials show that a compound in maitake has therapeutic effects for liver, breast, and lung cancers.53 A number of different mushrooms enhance natural killer cell and other immune activity in animal models and human clinical trials.54, 55, 56, 57 Poria cocos mushroom has been shown to have anti-cancer properties both in vitro and in vivo.58, 59, 60 Various edible mushrooms have anti-tumor activity, as demonstrated in animal models61, 62, 63 and in human clinical trials.64, 65
Mushrooms have other varied benefits. Lion's Mane mushroom has been shown to speed wound healing66 and protect against gastric mucosal injury in laboratory animals.67 In both animal models and clinical trials, mushrooms show promise in the treatment of allergies (Agaricus blazei68 and oyster mushroom69) and asthma (Cordyceps70). Cordyceps mushroom helps to boost exercise performance in senior citizens,71 may help postmenopausal women protect against bone loss,72 and in animal models has been shown to boost male fertility.73, 74. In vitro experiments show that edible mushrooms may even help protect against genetic damage.75, 76
1 Hirose, K., et al. A biological response modifier, PSK, inhibits reverse transcriptase in vitro. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 1987. 149 (2), 562-567.
2 Ng, T.B., et al. Polysaccharopeptide from the Turkey Tail fungs Trametes versicolor (L.:Fr.) Pilat inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase and protease. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2006. 8 (1), 39-43.
3 Collins, R.A., and Ng, T.B. Polysaccharide from Coriolus versicolor has potential for use against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. Life Sciences. 1997. 60 (25), 383-387.
4 Ngai, P.H., and Ng, T.B. Lentin, a novel and potent antifungal protein from shitake mushroom with inhibitory effects on activity of human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase and proliferation of leukemia cells. Life Sciences. 2003. 73 (26), 3363-3374.
5 Cichewicz, R.H. and Kouzi, S.A. Chemistry, biological activity, and chemotherapeutic potential of betulinic acid for the prevention and treatment of cancer and HIV infection. Medicinal Research Reviews. 2004. 24 (1), 90-114.
6 Kahlos, K., et al. Preliminary tests of antiviral activity of two Inonotus obliquus strains. Fitoterapia. 1996. 67 (4), 344-347.
7 Ohta, Y., et al. In vivo anti-influenza virus activity of an immunomodulatory acid polysaccharide isolated from Cordyceps militaris grown on germinated soybeans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2007. 55 (25), 10194-10199.
8 Sarkar, S., et al. Antiviral effect of the extract of culture medium of Lentinus edodes mycelia on the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1. Antiviral Research. 1993. 20 (4), 293-303.
9 Majtan, J. Pleuran (beta glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus): an effective nutritional supplement against upper respiratory tract infections? Medicine and Sport Science. 2012. 59, 57-61.
10 Santos de Sa, M. et al. Antimalarial activity of betulinic acid and derivatives in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum and in vivo in P. berghei-infected mice. Parasitology Research. 2009. 105 (1), 275-279.
11 Coletto, M.A.B. and Striano, B. Antibiotic activity in Basidiomycetes. XIII. Antibiotic activity of mycelia and cultural filtrates. Allionia. 2000. 37, 253-255.
12 Zhang, L., et al. Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activities of ethanol extracts of selected traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2013. 6 (9), 673-681.
13 Kawagishi, H. Anti-MRSA compounds from Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2005. 7 (3).
14 Rao, J.R., et al. Antimicrobial properties of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes). International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 2009. 33 (6), 591-592.
15 Hatvani, N. Antibacterial effect of the culture fluid of Lentinus edodes mycelium grown in submerged liquid culture. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 2001. 17 (1), 71-74.
16 Hearst, R., et al. An examination of antibacterial and antifungal properties of constituents of shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mushrooms. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2009. 15 (1), 5-7.
17 Kawagishi, H., et al. Erinacines E, F, and G, stimulators of nerve growth factor (NGF)-synthesis, from the mycelia of Hericium erinaceum. Tetrahedon Letters. 1996. 37 (41), 7399-7402.
18 Shimbo, M., et al. Erinacine A increases catecholamine and nerve growth factor content in the central nervous system of rats. Nutrition Research. 2005. 25 (6), 617-623.
19 Mori, K., et al. Nerve growth factor-inducing activity of Hericium erinaceus in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2008. 31 (9), 1727-1732.
20 Kolotushkina, E.V., et al. The influence of Hericium erinaceus extract on myelination process in vitro. Fiziologichnyj Zhurnal. 2003. 49 (1), 38-45.
21 Wong, K.H., et al. Functional recovery enhancement following injury to rodent peroneal nerve by Lion's Mane mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2009. 11 (3), 225-236.
22 Mori, K., et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research. 2009. 23 (3), 367-372.
23 Liu, Y.K. and Shen, W. Inhibitive effect of Cordyceps sinensis on experimental hepatic fibrosis and its possible mechanism. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2004. 9 (3), 529-533.
24 Kim, B.K., et al. Effects of a hot-water extract of Trametes versicolor (L.:Fr.) Lloyd (Aphyllophoromycetideae) on the recovery of rat liver function. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2000. 2 (1).
25 Hsu, C.H., et al. The mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill extract normalizes liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2008. 14 (3), 299-301.
26 Lirong, W., et al. Observation on treatment of Agaricus blazei for chronic hepatitis B. Journal of Lanzhou Medical College. 1994-01.
27 Hayato, I., and Tadayoshi, Y. Clinical utility of ABCL (Agaricus mushroom extract) treatment for C-type hepatitis. Japanese Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2002. 30 (2), 103-108.
28 Wu, Y.W., et al. Post-treatment of Ganoderma lucidum reduced liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide in mice. Phytotherapy Research. 2010. 24 (4), 494-499.
29 Yang, X.J., et al. In vitro and in vivo protective effects of proteoglycan isolated from mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2006. 12 (9), 1379-1385.
30 Li, Y.Q., and Wang, S.F. Anti-hepatitis B activities of ganoderic acid from Ganoderma lucidum. Biotechnology Letters. 2006. 28 (11), 837-841.
31 Zhou, X., et al. Effect of cordycepin on interleukin-10 production of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. European Journal of Pharmacology. 2002. 453 (2002), 309-317.
32 Dudhgaonkar, S., et al. Suppression of the inflammatory response by triterpenes isolated from the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. International Immunopharmacology. 2009. 9 (11), 1272-1280.
33 Cuellar, M.J., et al. Effect of the basidiomycete Poria cocos on experimental dermatitis and other inflammatory conditions. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 1997. 45 (3), 492-494.
34 Yasukawa, K., et al. 3 beta-p-hydroxybenzoyldehydrotumulosic acid from Poria cocos, and its anti-inflammatory effect. Phytochemistry. 1998. 48 (8), 1357-1360.
35 Park, Y.K., et al. Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay. BioFactors. 2004. 21 1 (4), 109-112.
36 Jayakumar, T., et al. Antoxidant activity of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, on CCI(4)-induced liver injury in rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2006. 44 (12), 1989-1996.
37 Jayakumar, T., et al. Protective effect of an extract of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, on antioxidants of major organs of aged rats. Experimental Gerontology. 2007. 42 (3), 183-191.
38 Jayakumar, T., et al. An extract of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, increases catalase gene expression and reduces protein oxidation during aging in rats. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2010. 8 (8), 774-780.
39 Gao, Y., et al. A phase I/II study of Ling Zhi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (W.Curt.:Fr.) Lloyd (Aphyllophoromycetideae) extract in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2004. 6 (1).
40 Khatun, K., et al. Oyster mushroom reduced blood glucose and cholesterol in diabetic subjects. Mymensingh Medical Journal. 2007. 16 (1), 94-99.
41 Bobek, P., et al. Effect of oyster fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus) on serum and liver lipids of Syrian hamsters with a chronic alcohol intake. Physiological Research. 1991. 40 (3), 327-332.
42 Wang, J.C., et al. Hypoglycemic effect of extract of Hericium erinaceus. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2005. 85, 641-646.
43 Bobek, P., et al. Cholesterol-lowering effect of the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus in hereditary hypercholesterolemic rats. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1991. 35 (4), 191-195.
44 Watanabe, T., et al. Antihypertensive effect of GAMMA-aminobutyric acid-enriched Agaricus blazei on mild hypertensive human subjects. Journal of the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology. 2003. 50 (4), 167-173.
45 Kabir, Y., et al. Effect of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushrooms on blood pressure and plasma lipids of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. 1987. 33 (5), 341-346.
46 Liu, Y., et al. Immunomodulating activity of Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 in mice and in human volunteers. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2008. 5 (2), 205-219.
47 Wuliya, P., et al. The immune-potentiating effect of fomes officinalis polysaccharides. Journal of Xinjiang Medical University. 2003-06.
48 Xu, R.H., et al. Effects of Cordyceps sinensis on natural killer cell activity and colony formation of B16 melanoma. Chinese Medical Journal (English edition). 1992. 105 (2), 97-101.
49 Yue, G.G., et al. Comparative studies on the immunomodulatory and antitumor activities of the different parts of fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum and Ganoderma spores. Phytotherapy Research. 2008. 22 (10), 1282-1291.
50 Yamamoto, Y., et al. Immunopotentiating activity of the water-soluble lignin rich fraction prepared from LEM—the extract of the solid culture medium of Lentinus edodes mycelia. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. 1997. 61 (11), 1909-1912.
51 Maruyama, S., et al. Protein-bound polysaccharide-K (PSK) directly enhanced IgM production in the human B cell line BALL-1.
52 Fisher, M., and Yang, L.X. Anticancer effects and mechanisms of polysaccharide-K (PSK): implications of cancer immunotherapy. Anticancer Research. 2002. 22 (3), 1737-1754.
53 Kodama, N., et al. Can maitake MD-fraction aid cancer patients? Alternative Medicine Review. 2002. 7 (3), 236-239.
54 Niu, Y.C., et al. Immunostimulatory activities of a low molecular weight antitumoral polysaccharide isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill (LMPAB) in Sacroma 180 ascitic tumor-bearing mice. Die Pharmazie. 2009. 64 (7), 472-476.
55 Ahn, W.S., et al. Natural killer cell activity and quality of life were improved by consumption of a mushroom extract, Agaricus blazei Murill Kyowa, in gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. 2004. 14 (4), 589-594.
56 Gao, Y., et al. Effects of Ganopoly (a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract) on the immune functions in advanced-stage cancer patients. Immunological Investigations. 2003. 32 (3), 210-215.
57 Kurashige, S., et al. Effects of Lentinus edodes, Grifola frondosa and Pleurotus ostreatus administration on cancer outbreak, and activities of macrophages and lymphocytes in mice treated with a carcinogen, N-butyl-Nbutanolnitrosoamine. Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology. 1997. 19 (2), 175-183.
58 Akihisa, T., et al. Tripterpene acids from Poria cocos and their anti-tumor-promoting effects. Journal of Natural Products. 2007. 70 (6), 948-953.
59 Jin, Y., et al. Antitumor activities of hetropolysaccharides of Poria cocos mycelia from different strains and culture media. Carbohydrate Research. 2003. 338 (14), 1517-1521.
60 Akihisa, T., et al. Anti-tumor-promoting effects of 25-methoxyporicoic acid A and other triterpene acids from Poria cocos. Journal of Natural Products. 2009. 72 (10), 1786-1792.
61 Weng, C.J., et al. Inhibitory effects of Ganoderma lucidum on tumorigenesis and metastasis of human hepatoma cells in cells and animal models. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2009. 57 (11), 5049-5057.
62 Takaku, T., et al. Isolation of an antitumor compound from Agaricus blazei Murill and its mechanism of action. Journal of Nutrition. 2001. 131 (5), 1409-1413.
63 Antitumor activity of orally administered "D-fraction" from maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa). Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. 1993. 4 (1), 10-15.
64 Nanba, H. Maitake D-fraction: healing and preventive potential for cancer. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. 1997. 12 (1), 43-49.
65 Kodama, N., et al. Can maitake D-fraction aid cancer patients? Alternative Medicine Review. 2002. 7 (3), 236-239.
66 Abdulla, M.A., et al. Potential activity of aqueous extract of culinary-medicinal Lion's Mane mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) in accelerating wound healing in rats. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2011. 13 (1), 33-39.
67 Abdulla, M.A., et al. Effect of culinary-medicinal Lion's Mane mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae), on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2008. 10 (4), 325-330.
68 Ellertsen, L.K., and Hetland, G. An extract of the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill can protect against allergy. Clinical and Molecular Allergy. 2009. 7 (6).
69 Jesenak, M., et al. Anti-allergic effect of pleuran (beta glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus) in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. Phytotherapy Research. 2013. Doi: 10.1002/ptr.5020.
70 Lin, X.X., et al. Effects of fermented Cordyceps powder on pulmonary function in sensitized guinea pigs and airway inflammation in sensitized rats. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2001. 26 (9), 622-625.
71 Xiao, Y., et al. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial and assessment of fermentation product of Cordyceps sinensis (Cs-4) in enhancing aerobic capacity and respiratory function of the healthy elderly volunteers. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2004. 10 (3), 187-192.
72 Qi, W., et al. The co-effect of Cordyceps sinensis and strontium on ostetoporosis in ovariectomized osteopenic rats. Biological Trace Element Research. 2011. 141 (1-3), 216-223.
73 Chang, Y., et al. Effect of Cordyceps militaris supplementation on sperm production, sperm motility and hormones in Sprague-Dawley rats. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2008. 36 (5).
74 Lin, W.H., et al. Improvement of sperm production in subfertile boars by Cordyceps militaris supplement. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2007. 35 (4).
75 Kylyc, A., and Yesilada, E. Preliminary results on antigenotoxic effects of dried mycelia of two medicinal mushrooms in Drosophila melanogaster somatic mutation and recombination test. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2013. 15 (4), 415-421.
76 Lakshmi, B., et al. Antimutagenic activity of methanolic extract of Ganoderma lucidum and its effect on hepatic damage caused by benzoapyrene. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2006. 107 (2), 297-303.


I don't know where to begin to describe last week. It's still a blur of airplanes, delicious food, and laughter. Lots of laughter. When my dear and super-talented amiga, Kathy Romero, invited me to the Dominican Republic, I couldn't have imagined the beauty, friendships, and experiences that awaited. I've been to previous Inspire Smart Success experiences, as an attendee in Orlando, Fl and as an exclusive photographer in Cancun, Mexico and every experience has brought new friends, inspiration and clarity. It's a wonderful experience when the industry's finest gather in an open and creative environment, where being inspired and soaking in words of wisdom comes as naturally as breathing.
In between catching up in the office after being away for 8 days and photo sessions this week, I look forward on reflecting over my notes and unforgettable experiences. I can't wait to share my experience- Dominican style- on the blog in the next few weeks; but for now, I leave you with one of the precious scenes I saw daily while in DR.


I have disliked candy "conversation hearts" since, well, ever. Which isn't proper grammar, but neither are those dumb hearts. I dislike their chalky taste*, pastel colours (I like pastels fine in Monet paintings and summer dresses, but that's about it) and completely inane, saccharine and usually irrelevant text. Why on earth are they called "conversation" hearts, anyway? What conversation is really and truly going to come of them? Seems to me if they actually do what they are in some fantastical universe intended to do, they may cause some moans and groans but not a whole lot of conversation. Their whole premise is daft and their name ridiculous.
So I figure it's time to reinvent them. Let's have some "conversation hearts" that actually merit the name. Valentine's Day centers on loved ones, right? And loved ones are people you can talk to about all the craziness of life, good and bad. So how about some hearts that sit in a little bowl on the coffee table and might actually inspire some sort of meaningful conversation. While we're at it, let's make them chocolate, because why waste your daily sugar intake on sweetened chalk when there's all sorts of quality chocolate around? Don't. Come with me and let's reinvent this whole ridiculous thing.
After we do the hearts, I'll also show you how to make a very cute hexagonal box, in case you have a last minute Valentine's gift to package. Or to put tomorrow's discount chocolate in to make it feel all special and fancy.
*Do you know what conversation hearts are made of? Sugar and soda water. Seriously. Every DIY recipe for them I've looked at is just that. If you're going to ingest sugar and soda water just go fix yourself a delicious cocktail – same ingredients but with some actual added flavour and BOOZE! Yeesh.
1) I debated a number of more complicated foil-wrapping, stamp-involving methods of doing this craft & they didn't really seem likely to work plus I realized that sometimes, total simplicity wins over perfect aesthetic imitation. So yeah, just start by getting out all your foil-wrapped chocolates, leaving them in their foil, and cutting/tearing a piece of washi tape long enough to go across a chocolate's front and wrap around to the back.
If possible, you want a tape that's not too darkly coloured or heavily patterned, or it'll be a bit hard to read the writing on it. These tapes were a little busy for the most fantastic result, but it's what I had on hand and it worked well enough.
2) Press the tape onto the front of the chocolate, then wrap the ends of the tape over the sides of the chocolate and around to the back, pressing them as flat as you can.
4) Continue until all your chocolates are taped and lettered. You can go with serious newsy conversation starters, or pop culture topics, amusing things, whatever.
I didn't get this done before my husband had a lovely homemade Valentine's dinner ready, and then we're going to a movie, like normal people who go out and do things together sometimes, it's amazing, so here's the template if you just want to figure out what to do on your own, otherwise I'll post this very soon. Which might mean tomorrow.
So this is actually just me taking a box apart to trace it for a pattern so I can make my own. I'd feel bad, except it's some kind of mass-manufactured thing – my husband for special occasions gets me a small box of super fancy high quality chocolates, and these hexagonal boxes are what houses them. So I took one apart and used it to make a pattern to create my own, pretty patterned boxes for gifting.
1) Grab the templates above and print them directly onto card stock, patterned or plain. Make sure you print it onto the back side of the cardstock (if it has distinct front and back sides), as that side totally won't show at all once the box is made, not even on the inside of the box.
2) Cut along all the solid lines. Even the ones that seem to go into the box.
For the box bottom, which comes in 2 pieces due to regular paper size, you'll also need to match up lines A and B and tape them together on both sides of the paper.
4) Fold all of the scored lines inward, just putting the folds in the paper, but not worrying about keeping anything folded and in place.
5) Now go around and fold up each side of the box. As you go, fold each box side over the tab that sticks out from the box side before it, which helps hold them all in place.
6) Now fold the hexagon piece up and over and into the middle of all those box sides, wedging it in so it holds everything in place. You shouldn't need to, but if it happens that bits of the box don't want to stay in place (the thicker the paper the more easily everything stays put), you can apply a little glue where needed.
7) Fill with little goodies, and finish off with some ribbon!


text:
Q: Problems running a python script as a service I have used this question to learn install my python script as a service with ActivePython.  I am able to install my script and remove it, as I would expect, but my problem is that once I start the script running, I then lose the ability to stop it or remove it.  It just runs permanently and I cannot get rid of it.  The answer to the linked question mentions checking a flag to stop the script.  Can someone explain how to do this?
Right now the script does very little.  just prints lines to a file every few seconds.  I want to get it working before I move on to more complicated things.
import pythoncom
import win32serviceutil
import win32service
import win32event
import servicemanager
import socket
import time

class AppServerSvc (win32serviceutil.ServiceFramework):
    _svc_name_ = "PythonTest"
    _svc_display_name_ = "Python Test"
    _svc_description_ = "This is a test of installing Python services"

    def __init__(self,args):
        win32serviceutil.ServiceFramework.__init__(self,args)
        self.hWaitStop = win32event.CreateEvent(None,0,0,None)
        socket.setdefaulttimeout(60)

    def SvcStop(self):
        self.ReportServiceStatus(win32service.SERVICE_STOP_PENDING)
        win32event.SetEvent(self.hWaitStop)

    def SvcDoRun(self):
        servicemanager.LogMsg(servicemanager.EVENTLOG_INFORMATION_TYPE,
                          servicemanager.PYS_SERVICE_STARTED,
                          (self._svc_name_,''))
        self.main()

    def main(self):
        i=0
        while True:
            f=open("C:\\hello.txt","a")
            f.write("hello"+str(i)+"\n")
            f.close()
            i=i+1
            time.sleep(5)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    win32serviceutil.HandleCommandLine(AppServerSvc)

A: Of course you can't stop it, you're stuck in an infinite loop. Replace:
time.sleep(5)

with this:
if win32event.WaitForSingleObject(self.hWaitStop, 5000) == win32event.WAIT_OBJECT_0:
    break

Should do the trick.

A: "Checking a flag" means having the script (inside the while True loop) look for something, almost anything, as a signal to break out of the loop.  It could check for the existence of a file with a particular name and exit when the file is created.  As long as you can manually or through a control application create the signal, the service can look for that same signal.
As far as "not being able to stop it", do you mean that it keeps running even if you try to kill it with the Windows task manager?


The first headband I made is the white lace one. I've made this headband a few times for my Etsy shop, and I had one more piece of this lace from altering my friends wedding dress so I thought I'd go ahead and use it up.
This headband starts with a simple band: two pieces of vinyl sewn together and a blank metal band slid inside. But in addition to that, you also have the piece of lace, and two pieces of felt.
Make sure your vinyl band is topstitched on both edges, with enough room in between for your metal blank. Also, using a rotary blade makes sure that your edges are nice and clean.
Cut your felt pieces to be just slightly larger than your piece of lace. You can trim them down later. These felt pieces will be sandwiched on either side of the vinyl band.
Take the bottom felt piece and sew it onto the bottom side of the vinyl band in the position that you want your lace. Sew along the same lines that you initially made on the band. Then, sandwiching the band, put your other piece of felt on top, along with the lace, and topstitch around the edges of the lace. But DO NOT sew across the band. If you do, you won't be able to slip the blank headband inside the band. Then trim off any extra felt, slip your blank headband in, and finish off the ends. I can actually fit my headband ends into my machine, and do a few stitches back and forth across to close the ends.
The second, and the easiest headband, is the measuring tape one!
I don't remember where I picked up this measuring tape, but I've hung on to it knowing that I wanted to repurpose it somehow. The other day I realised that it would make the perfect headband! All you have to do is find a strup of vinyl for the bottom side of the headband, and topstitch the two together along either side, making sure your blank headband will fit between the two rows of stitching. Then slip the blank inside, sew the ends, and trim off the extra! Voila! I even tucked a little bit of the measuring tape under on either end for a cleaner finish, and reinforced the ends by stitching up the sides a bit.
Sew easy and sew cute! I'd love to hear other ideas you might have for repurposing old measuring tapes!
My final quick headband make is actually a remake. I have this quick PDF pattern for a retro top knot headband that I love! But I've realized that when I pick out a headband to wear, this one doesn't usually make it into the rotation. Not because I don't like the look, but because I don't actually wear elastic headbands. I forever feel as if they are falling off my head, even if they aren't. So I decided to change my elastic top knot headband into one with a metal band inside it to keep its shape.
I feel like this headband was simple to make, but kind of hard to explain. So stick with me, and definitely refer to the photos.
ok. So because this headband is wider, I needed a wider base piece. But because I didn't want the metal band to be able to shift around at all, I used a narrow strip of vinyl on top and centered it on the larger bottom. I also made the base narrower as it went towards my ears, so as to be more comfortable to wear. The other tricky part was the knot. I knew that i wouldn't be able to topstitch that part, so I decided to split the vinyl base piece in two, with one on either side of it.
Then I topstitched the original headband onto the base. Well, bases. I slipped the blank into the new headband, and determined where I wanted the knot to sit on my head (I like it slightly to the side instead of right on top of my head). Then I trimmed off the excess fabric except for enough to turn to the inside, closed the ends up, and put a little pleat in the original headband fabric to make it fit the narrower end, and hand tacked it in place.
Let me know if you try any of these headbands out! Or if you have any suggestions for what else to do with my cool vintage measuring tape.


text:
Anganwadis render essential services, not barred by MHA notification: Supreme Court directs reopening of centres on or before January 31
The Court ordered that all states/UTs shall follow nutritional standards under the National Food Security Act by providing support to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children who suffer from malnutrition.
Anganwadis, Supreme Court
Debayan Roy
Published on : 13 Jan, 2021 , 1:50 pm
Updated on : 15 Jan, 2021 , 11:24 am
The Supreme Court has asked the states to open Anganwadis which were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic on or before January 31, 2021, unless the State Disaster Management Authority orders against it [Dipika Jagatram Sahani v. Union of India].
The Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Subhash Reddy and MR Shah also directed that Anganwadis situated within containment zones will not be opened till the containment continues.
The top court has further ordered that all states/union territories shall ensure that nutritional standards as provided in Schedule II of National Food Security Act, 2013, are fulfilled by providing nutritional support to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children who suffer from malnutrition.
The Court was considering a petition questioning the closure of Anganwadis across the country. The petitioner states that Anganwadis provided nutrition to pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls, and children up to the age of six years.
While hearing the matter, the Bench remarked,
"Unless and until the children and the women have nutritious food, it will affect the next generation and ultimately the country as a whole.
Inadequate supply of nutritious food to the citizens, more particularly to the children and the women shall affect their health. Therefore, the same shall be in violation of their fundamental right to health/right to live with dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India."
The Court also stated that services rendered by the Anganwadis are "essential services" and do not stand barred by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification dated November 25, 2020. The order states,
"State of Assam is under the impression that the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs dated 25.11.2020, provides for not opening of the Centres. MHA order states that persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. The paragraph as noted above does not in any manner create any prohibition in opening of Anganwadi Centres."
Services which are being provided by Anganwadi Centres are essential services.
It was further noted that the MHA guidelines have been issued keeping in view the protection of vulnerable persons amid the pandemic. The guidelines urged pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years to stay at home except for essential and health purposes.
After noting that many states had issued guidelines to comply with the statutory requirements under the Food Security Act, the Court noted,
"The big question however is as to what extent the implementation is on the ground and the benefits are extended to beneficiaries as required by the Statute. The beneficiaries which belong to vulnerable class are not equipped with suitable mechanisms to raise issues of non-implementation and not providing food articles complying with nutritional standards as provided in the Statute."
The states have thus been directed to put in place an appropriate mechanism for supervision and checks. Child development officers and other district level officers who are entrusted to monitor the functioning of Anganwadis have been urged to be extra vigilant and take steps so that no beneficiary is denied aid.
Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves appeared for the petitioner.
[Read the order]
Dipika Jagatram Sahni vs UOI.pdf
Anganwadis render essential services, not barred by MHA notification: Supreme Court directs reopening of centres on or before January 31https://t.co/Jhouao5wwv
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) January 13, 2021
Anganwadis