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Our mission is to bring world-class sports analytics to grass roots minor hockey so that driven young players and coaches have the best tools during the best times to develop.


At Bronx Letters our entire school community shares a commitment to teaching and learning through our five core values: Vision, Integrity, Compassion, Expression and Tenacity. We understand that when we teach content and skills with a focus on character development, we are tuned into the whole child, ensuring that our scholars are ready for college and career. Our rigorous, college-preparatory academic program spans grades six through twelve. Our core curriculum is standards-based, with an intense focus on developing literacy and problem-solving across the disciplines. It includes honors and AP courses, master-level arts electives, externships, and independent study courses. In the study of language, specifically, we offer a separate four-year series of writing classes in addition to a four-year series of literature classes.
In addition to challenging academic work, we are also committed to promoting flexible, self-motivated learning outside of the classroom. Our writers in residence run workshops during and after school as well as coordinate the Writers' Forum reading series, in which our students convene to hear from professional writers of every genre. Our teachers facilitate a wide variety of extracurricular arts and athletics programs, including drama, art, chorus, debate, baseball and boys and girls' basketball and track. During the year, our students participate in regular field trips to arts institutions, colleges and universities. And during the summer months, our student services team helps connect students with jobs, internships, and programs that allow them to travel all over the world.
Goal Two: To build the performance/production capacity of the theatre department.
To begin the music program, UABAL hires an accomplished musician to create a vision for the program that responds to the interests of the students. Providing him with support and continued professional learning opportunities allows that vision to be actualized and documented in curriculum that can live on as the structure for the music program.
They begin the first music elective in Year One. By Year Three they assess the schedule and budget in order to clear space in both to accommodate an additional course in music and an additional DoE certified music teacher.
Goal Two: In order to build out the performance capacity of the theatre department they engage professionals in both advanced level curriculum development and production support (technical training and consultation in lighting and sound). They also assess the needs of the auditorium in making it an adequate performance space for theatre and incrementally make strategic purchases to satisfy those needs. The school incorporates professional development in technical theatre for theatre teachers in order to create related units within the theatre curriculum.
Goal Two: Abrons Arts Center provides some curriculum development support as well as teaches professional learning. Technical Artisans Collective consultes on building out the technical theatre capacity as well as production support.
Goal One: The music department at UABAL will have beginning and advanced level courses in instrumental and vocal music. We will also have a school band and choir that will perform throughout the school year at special concerts as well as other school-wide events. All students who have a desire to express themselves musically will have the resources and a structured curriculum to fully explore that desire.


We are proud to be part of Birmingham Changing Futures Together: bringing organisations together across the city to tackle homelessness.
Birmingham Changing Futures Together is funded by the Big Lottery Fund which was set up in February 2014. This is a £10 million programme over eight years.
The purpose is to improve the effectiveness of service provision to people with multiple and complex needs: homelessness, substance misuse, offending behaviour and mental ill health.
We at St Basils are one of 18 organisations that operate the No Wrong Door Network. Other groups include: Shelter, West Midlands Police, Birmingham Mind and the West Midlands Fire Service. This network gives people access to 'joined-up' services through one point of contact.


In states that mandate emission checks before a automotive can be registered, the mechanic will confirm that it's at present as much as code. If the car will not be, then the mechanic will alter or restore the car's emission control system with a view to bring it as much as the state's emission requirements. This eliminates the need for the mechanic to focus on areas that she or he may not be educated in. Finally, a body of workers permits the whole group to share the workload, which can make sure that no single individual finds him or herself overworked regularly.
The new environments are determining us, even if we have created the machines and the funcitoning of those methods in our image, they in turn are figuring out how we perform and have made us undertake their image in approach that seems to be detrimental to us. It is a necessary level, for whereas we're moblie, in essence, we're enmeshed and detrined by our own creations. Some folks see this as a rpgressive factor, otherse are warning of its unwanted effects. McLuhan, according to the artilce above forewarned us about the nature of permitting our machines to do all the things for us.


I am Yesh Jadhav completed MBA (Marketing and Research) and currently working at Allied Market Research Pvt Ltd pune.
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Israel New|
Espanol|
Israel New
Tel Aviv-JaffaLodNazarethEn GediZefatEilatBeer ShevaBet SheanHaifaTiberiasJerusalemQazrinAshdodMizpe RamonAfula
Photo: EPA
Tel Aviv lovers can now literally drink in the city
New research from Tel Aviv University shows that water extracted from the air in the bustling metropolis is of a quality that meets the strictest WHO standards, does not rely on rain and does not require access to a body of water, making it more economical for some countries
Ilana Curiel |
Published: 06.22.21, 15:09
Lovers of Israel's cultural, fashion and economic hub can now literally drink in the air of Tel Aviv, thanks to a new study at the city's university.
The Tel Aviv University research published Tuesday shows water extracted from the air in the bustling metropolis is potable and meets the strictest regulatory standards.
4 צפייה בגלריה
The promenade at Tel Aviv port
(Photo: EPA)
In a first of its kind study, the water that was extracted in an urban area of Tel Aviv was found to be in compliance with regulatory standards of the World Health Organization.
The study that included the use of technology developed by Watergen, was conducted on university grounds by a team of experts from the Porter School for Environmental Studies' hadrochemical lab and was published in the Water and the Science of the Total Environment journals.
Watergen's GENius heat exchange technology uses condensation as a means of producing fresh water in an energetically efficient way.
The researchers said theirs was the first comprehensive analysis of the chemical profiles of water produced for several months by an AWG in Tel Aviv, with analysis performed on 25 of the 64 water samples.
In their remarks at the conclusion of the study, the researchers said their method of extracting atmospheric water can provide safe drinking water both day and night throughout the year.
It can, they said, be a potential source of potable water, "which may assist in dealing with the severe water scarcity existing across the globe, and specifically in remote and inland regions."
Water extracted from the air is stored at Tel Aviv University
(Photo: Tel Aviv University)
Ofir Inbar, who led the research team, said they found a direct correlation between the level of ammonia, acidity, nitrogen and sulfur dioxide in the air and their presence in the water.
"Air pollution can impact the quality of water but not considerably," he said. "We also found that atmospheric water lacked sufficient level of calcium and magnesium that should be added to it."
Much of the water consumed by Israelis is sea water treated by desalinization and in Inbar's view provides only a partial solution to the water needs of the country and could not meet the needs of the entire planet.
"Since such a water source would require access to the sea and the infrastructure to deliver it from the desalinization plans, many countries around the world would be unable to meet the economic and engineering challenge," Inbar said.
"Our solution enables the production of water anywhere and anytime and does not rely on precipitation levels," he said adding that high temperatures and increased levels of humidity could mitigate some of the costs.
Tel Aviv University lab tests quality of water extracted from air
"Our study showed that usable reliable water could be produced in urban areas and we are now expanding our study to other parts of the country including the Haifa port area [where much of Israel's petrochemical industry is located] and agricultural areas to examine the affect of different pollutants on the water quality," he said.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Google yanking H.264 video out of Chrome
Interesting. So after snapping DRM company WideWine, now Google is after H.264. I am adding it to the long list of googles idiosyncrasies.
(reproduced from CNET.com)
January 11, 2011 1:03 PM PST
by Stephen Shankland
Google just fired a broadside in the Web's codec wars.
With its alternative WebM video-encoding technology now entering the marketplace, Google announced plans today to remove built-in Chrome support for a widely used rival codec called H.264 favored by Apple and Microsoft. The move places Google instead firmly in the camp of browser makers Mozilla and Opera, who ardently desire basic Web technologies to be unencumbered by patent restrictions.
"Though H.264 plays an important role in video, as our goal is to enable open innovation, support for the codec will be removed and our resources directed towards completely open codec technologies," said Mike Jazayeri, a Google product manager, in a blog post.
A codec's job is to encode and decode video and audio, a technologically complicated balancing act. Codecs must reduce file sizes and enable streaming media that doesn't overtax networks, but they also must preserve as much quality as possible--for example by trying to discard data that the human senses won't miss much and cleverly interpolate to fill in the gaps.
One big change coming with the new HTML5 version of the Web page description language is built-in support for video; most Web video today employs Adobe Systems' Flash Player plug-in, which uses H.264 and other codecs under the covers. Although HTML5 video has promise, disagreements in the W3C standards group have meant the draft standard omits specifying a particular codec. Chrome was the only browser among the top five to support both WebM and H.264, but now Google has swung its vote.
Google's move triggered flabbergasted glee among advocates of the "open Web"--one that employs open standards and shuns patent barriers. "Ok this is HUGE, Chrome drops support for H264," said Mozilla developer Paul Rouget in a tweet.
But not everybody is so happy. Don MacAskill, chief executive of photo- and video-sharing site SmugMug, bemoaned the move. "Bottom line: Much more expensive to build video on the Web, and much worse user experience. And only Adobe wins," he tweeted. "I want WebM. Badly. But I need time for hardware penetration to happen...This means the cheapest way to develop video on the Web is to use Flash primarily. Before, we could do HTML5 with Flash fallback."
H.264, also called AVC, is widely supported in video cameras, Blu-ray players, and many other devices, but it comes with significant royalty licensing fees from a group called MPEG LA that licenses a pool of hundreds of video-related patents on behalf of patent holders including Microsoft, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips Electronics, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba.
Although MPEG LA made made H.264 free to use in perpetuity for video that's streamed for free, other patent licensing barriers exist for those using the technology in products--for example, Mozilla would have to pay $5 million to license the technology, even setting aside the fact that it wouldn't be permitted to ship it in Firefox unless it created a proprietary fork of the open-source product. And Microsoft has said it pays more in royalties to ship Windows 7 with built-in H.264 support than it receives back from MPEG LA.
WebM, in comparison, has been an open-source, royalty-free specification since Google announced it last May. It comprises the VP8 video codec Google got through its $124.6 million acquisition of On2 Technologies and the Theora audio codec associated with an earlier and otherwise largely unsuccessful royalty-free codec effort.
It's catching on--for example with smartphone chip support from Rockchip announced last week. Hardware decoding means computing devices can decode WebM faster and without quickly sucking batteries dry. And Adobe has pledged to build VP8 support into a future version of Flash Player.
The move spotlights the role Google has earned in the Web development world by building its own browser. Chrome, which now accounts for 10 percent of browser usage worldwide, according to analytics firm Net Applications, is a vehicle Google is using to try to promote its own agenda on the Web.
One big part of that is speed--fast page loads, fast graphics, fast encryption, fast JavaScript, and more that helps expand activity on the Web. But there are plenty of cases where Google uses Chrome to advance favored standards such as WebGL for 3D graphics, Web SQL and Indexed DB for offline data storage, and WebM for HTML5 video.
Some Web developers including YouTube have begun embracing HTML5 video. But because the standard is mute on the issue of a particular codec, and because browser support can't be counted on, Web developers typically rely on Flash, which is installed on the vast majority of computers in use today. That's not true for mobile devices, though.
Apple, with its own technology agenda to push, is keeping Flash off the iPhone and iPad despite Adobe's attempts to reengineer it for the low-memory, anemic-processor, battery-constrained world of smartphones. For video, those devices rely on video encoded directly with H.264.
Adobe has become a major Google ally since Apple began taking a very hard-line stance against Flash in 2010. Google has heavily promoted Adobe's mobile Flash agenda and built its Flash Player directly into Chrome. Adobe gave WebM a big boost by deciding to build VP8 into Flash.
The partnership illustrates the pragmatic, political limits to Google's open-Web advocacy. Flash Player is proprietary software, and building it into Chrome certainly helps preserve its relevance.
"If Google is dropping H.264 because their 'goal is to enable open innovation,' why not also drop support for closed plugins like Flash?" tweeted Daring Fireball Apple-watcher John Gruber.
One big uncertainty for WebM is the intellectual property purity of WebM. Google proclaimed a royalty-free codec, but that didn't stop MPEG LA from saying it's considering offering a VP8 patent pool license. "We assume virtually all codecs are based on patented technology...MPEG LA doesn't favor one codec technology over another; we are like a convenience store that offers patent licenses for any number of codecs as a service to the market," said MPEG LA Chief Executive Larry Horn last May.
More than half a year after Google released the software, though, no new pools or patent litigation has emerged, and WebM has attracted new allies. That doesn't mean litigation might not be waiting in the wings: "A codec is like a mechanical device with hundreds of parts. Any one or more could be the subject of a patent," said Steven J. Henry, an intellectual property attorney at Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, and patent holders may wait for years before "springing the trap."
So far, that's a theoretical concern, though, and Mozilla's then-Chief Executive John Lilly said last year, "Right now we think that it's totally fine to ship, or we wouldn't ship it...We're really confident in our ability to ship this free of encumbrances."
It's possible Apple and others could embrace WebM. Microsoft has refrained from glowering too harshly on WebM even as it's issued an H.264 plug-in for Firefox users on Windows. But even if a change of heart occurs today, it will take a long time for tech giants like Apple and Microsoft to regear.
Updated 2:10 p.m. PT and 1:57 a.m. PT January 12 with further detail and commentary and clarifying Adobe's VP8 support plan.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20028196-264.html#ixzz1AwO4kj00


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Casey Q&A III: Pistons No. 1 pick Sekou Doumbouya 'a keeper for our program'
No. 1 pick Sekou Doumbouya had a tough summer on the health front, but is a 'keeper for our program,' Pistons coach Dwane Casey says.
Sean Berry/NBAE/Getty Images
by Keith Langlois
(Editor's note: Today continues a five-part interview of Dwane Casey with less than two weeks until training camp opens for the 2019-20 Pistons season. He spoke with Pistons.com editor Keith Langlois last week. In Part III, Casey talks about the three players the Pistons chose in the June NBA draft – Sekou Doumbouya, Deividas Sirvydis and Jordan Bone.)
KEITH LANGLOIS: One newcomer we still haven't gotten to is your first-round draft pick, Sekou Doumbouya. He's almost preposterously young.
DWANE CASEY: He is. And he's been up and down because he was hampered by injury during Summer League and in workouts he's been nicked up a little bit this summer. It's been a tough summer for him health wise, but a talented young man. Had a very good day working out today with the coaches, shot the ball very well. He's a young kid. Don't know exactly what he's going to be, who he's going to be yet. This month will be a telltale month and training camp will be big for him to get indoctrinated into the NBA game, so a great kid and another great body. Another really good body as far as a defensive player is concerned.
KL: I don't think anyone in the building thought on draft night that you were expecting immediate help from him, but has the fact he's been nicked up a bit this summer clouded the evaluation of where he's at and what kind of timeline you could envision for him?
DC: No, I know who he is. He's a talented young man. Whether he's going to help us this year or not, don't know that yet. I hope he surprises me. I'm wide open. I'm not one of these guys that just because a guy is young, not going to play. If he can help us win games, he's going to be out there. He has the size like Tony Snell at the three that can guard. He's strong. But he's 18, so he's got some growing to do and to learn the NBA game. He's shown flashes in the workouts, like, whoa, where did that come from? It's there, but learning the nuances and the timing, the speed, the change of speed of an NBA game, it's different from the Euro game – a little faster, better athletes, stronger athletes. It takes a little time to get used to that, but he is a keeper for our program.
KL: I know he's played professionally in France and he's been on his own, but I'm sure you're all appreciative of the fact he's still an 18-year-old kid from another country, trying to learn a new language and get familiar with a new city and a new job and really being on his own. That seems like a huge adjustment on every front.
DC: It is a huge adjustment. We're going to get him English lessons because it's a different thing for him now. At 18, he's just growing up as a young man. It's on us as an organization to help him grow to be a man. We're throwing a kid into the lion's den, but that's what the league is going to these next two, three years when the new rule comes in. We'll have a good chance to practice with Sekou of how to develop and grow, not only basketball players, but young men. He's a class young man, a great kid. His parents did an excellent job. His dad's a general in the military over there. We have the luxury of bringing him along at the right pace.
KL: I know you're a big believer in the G League. But because Sekou is so young and new to everything, will you be any more reluctant to send him to another different environment?
DC: He'll have all the month of September and October to really work and try to figure out what we're doing, but to get those games in, we'll see where he is at the end of training camp. If he's ready to step in and play with us, he'll be with us. But if not he'll spend time … I always go back, there's no disrespect to going to the G League. I would say that it helped Khyri Thomas last year. We have some other good candidates for our G League team, too, in Donta Hall and a lot of our young kids who've had a good summer. Lou King, Jordan Bone, all those guys, the G League is going to help. That group reminds me of the group we had in Toronto, the young guys in VanVleet and Delon Wright, all those guys came in kind of the same time and were together and that's my vision for Jordan Bone and Donta Hall and Lou King. And if Sekou is in and out of the group, that will be great for him, too.
KL: I know your first second-round pick, Deividas Sirvydis, will play back in Lithuania this year. We didn't see a ton of him in Summer League, but you could see the length, the shooting touch, the creativity, looks like he's got some ball skills for a kid with his size. What were your impressions of him?
DC: Same thing as Sekou – young. The advantage Sekou has over him is he's got a great body whereas Deividas has to really work on his strength and his body, which he's going to do. We've given him a plan with his team that doesn't conflict with what his team is doing in Lithuania, but his whole thing now is just getting physically ready for the NBA. His skills are there – 3-point shooting, passing, his dad's a coach. He knows the game; he's just got to get the physical tools to be able to help him.
KL: I know your front office had Jordan Bone rated a first-round talent. He got a little bit of a late start in Summer League as you awaited trade clearance, then he got thrown into a game without having gone through a practice and acquitted himself pretty well. What have you seen from him throughout the summer?
DC: With Jordan, the key with him is learning to be a point guard in the NBA. He's got the speed. He's a blur. He's a lot like Ish. He's got the Ish-type speed. He's more of a scoring point guard, more of a Joe Dumars-type who can score with speed. He is a keeper. We were lucky to get him in the second round because of his ability, his speed, that ability to create his own shot. It's going to be a lot of good days ahead for him in this league. It may be some time, definitely some time this year with Derrick (Rose) and Reggie (Jackson) and Tim (Frazier) together. The minutes may be a little sparse for him. But as long as he's patient, we're going to bring him along the right way. I think the sky's the limit for Jordan.
In Thursday's Part IV, Casey talks about mainstays Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard.
Doumbouya, Sekou, Casey, Dwane, Pistons, True Blue Pistons, the front office
Doumbouya, Sekou
My First: Sekou Doumbouya
'He's changing things around here' – Pistons fresh 'Prince' Sekou stirs things up
Casey, Dwane
Silver lining: Mykhailiuk cementing himself as a piece of Pistons future
Casey: Right guy for the Pistons then, right guy for the job now
Wired, presented by Jeep: Pistons at Celtics
Pistons in the Community: Runway of Hopes & Dreams
10 Game Plans


Drinks and snacks are provided to victims and their families while at the Jefferson CAC.
Approximately 120 – 150 DVD-Rs are used per month (2-3 DVD-R's per child) and 50 folders (for resources given to each family).
Each child that participates in a forensic interview is eligible for short-term, trauma-focused therapy, free of charge.
Every adult that participates in this evidence-based, child sexual abuse prevention program has the potential to protect up to 10 children from becoming future victims.
Persons interested in helping the Jefferson CAC can also make financial donations via check, PayPal and gift cards. The Jefferson CAC is a community-based 501 (c)(3) non- profit organization – all donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.


Offering spectacular views across the Parque de Las Americas, the Fibra Building business center is located in an imposing glass building at the heart of Lima's financial district, San Isidro. The national and international headquarters of banks and insurance companies, plus multinational corporates from other industry sectors, are based in this area - many having relocated from downtown Lima to occupy modern office blocks. The capital's most important avenues, Javier Prado and Paseo de la Republica, criss-cross San Isidro, which is also the home of dozens of embassies and consulates. Lima is the largest city of Peru: together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a metropolitan area with a population approaching nine million. Besides being the national financial hub, it accounts for more than two thirds of the country's industrial production and most of its services sector. Lima has a significant export and cargo industry with Callao airport and seaport important across South America.


Forget how you've been using computers!
Process calculations involve the use of a variety of electronic tools. Software advancements will most likely result in the availability of highly sophisticated process-simulation, costing, sizing and physical property-calculation software featuring a set of published interfaces using either COM or CORBA as the intersystem protocol. This, in turn, will lead to the use of a set of formal or de facto intercomponent communication standards as the generally accepted basis for developing chemical engineering software. A number of emerging software technologies are analyzed in relation to their impact on existing chemical engineering applications and how they will change the way chemical engineering software is developed and marketed.
Author: Wieser, Bernhard S.; Satyro, Marco A.
The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (NSF) would continue to the biggest recipients of government funding for research and development projects for FY 2001. The NSF would receive $2.8 billion for research in 2001, 11% higher than its budget in 2000. Its Biological Sciences Directorate and Computer Information Science and Engineering Directorate are expected to receive the largest increases in funding.
Dryer designs are continually being improved to keep pace with new products, new production technologies and user needs such as easy maintenance, versatility for quick product changeovers, energy-efficiency and space-conserving design. Some dryer innovations are, however, developed to meet more exacting product specifications such as the spray dryers with atomizers developed for manufacturers of non-agglomerated powder products.


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Confidence and attitude
Gaffer's praise for players' spirit
Paul Lambert is confident there is a spirit and togetherness about Wolves to suggest more positive times ahead.
The Head Coach has been keen to bring a greater intensity and determination to Wolves' play since arriving last month, and is heading into the Christmas fixtures expecting the team to build on last weekend's win at Nottingham Forest.
He says confidence has never been a problem, but that it has increased in recent weeks.
"I've never known their confidence to be lacking since I've been here," he said.
"They've always been great. Their attitude has been fantastic.
"I think they enjoy it. I think the enthusiasm for the game is back, which I don't think was there when we came in.
"Everything at the minute feels really good for them.
"Winning against Forest the way we did, it helps that, to build on it.
"There's a long way to go but the progress has been very good."
The annual Christmas lunch for players and staff was held at the training ground on Monday, this year with a twist.
The Under-18 players had to stand up and sing in front of the room in echoes of the usual initiation ceremony for new faces in the first team squad.
Plenty of merriment ensued, and Lambert believes there is a good group at Wolves keen to work together.
"You'll never motivate an unmotivated player - it doesn't matter how good a manager you are," he said.
"If someone's not motivating themselves, it is really tough.
"The lads here have been great and they're really nice guys as well.
"They're a brilliant group of guys here, really good.
"They seem very close and that was seen by the Christmas lunch here on Tuesday."
And two figures who Lambert believes could really help make a positive impact over the coming weeks are the wing threats Ivan Cavaliero and Helder Costa.
The pair grabbed a goal each in the win at the City Ground, and have the potential to both excite and help secure points now they are fully settled in.
"Cavaleiro and Costa are the top of their game at the minute - they're right on it," says the Head Coach.
"The lads that have taken time to adjust have to come through that period.
"Costa has hit the ground running since the start and Cav's starting to come into his own now which can happen.
"People go on about Mkhitaryanat Manchester United. I saw him at Dortmund and he was absolutely brilliant.
"Certain people just need a wee bit of time."
Wolves welcome Bristol City to Molineux on Boxing Day (3pm) followed by QPR on New Year's Eve (3pm).
There's a long way to go but the progress has been very good
Paul Lambert


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An HIV study: Starting for the money, staying for the questions
Cirrus embarks on a two-year HIV prevention study, along the way mulling over what might be learned—and how his participation makes a difference.
By Cirrus Wood
May 21, 2018 4 Minute Read
About a year and a half ago I got an alert while looking at Grindr that Bridge HIV was looking for volunteers for a study. Participants had to be HIV-negative gay men between the ages of 18 and 45 located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check, check, and check. The ad mentioned that the study also paid. Sold.
I was cautious but reasonably optimistic about getting involved. For one, I'll be honest, it's easy money. Not dazzling amounts, but enough to cover a few grocery bills in a month. I would be enrolled in the study for at least two years, during which time I would be screened quarterly for STIs and given free treatment as needed. The study also ensured that should I choose, I would be given access to PrEP free of charge. So I would not only be making money, but saving it. What more could I want?
My parents were cautious. My father said one word – "Mengele" – sending me down a Wikipedia hole of Nazi atrocity. Which then led to some research of my own into other human rights abuse by the medical establishment, the most lasting results of such studies have been the continued under-representation of minorities in medical research.
Why might researchers fail to include minorities in medical research?
There's lack of outreach for one. It's easier for researchers to recruit from on or near college campuses, locations which already tend to skew white and heterosexual.
There are also socio-economic barriers to inclusion. Minorities are often lower-income, and many studies are located in areas that are not easily accessible by public transportation, requiring personal transport to get there, or else require taking time off work, time few individuals can afford to give. But history may be the biggest obstacle of all, coming in the form of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and Project 4.1, giving targeted minorities some very good reason to ask exactly why they are being targeted.
I knew from the start that I was the target for this particular study: gay, male, local, over the age of 18, and HIV-negative. And I knew that the success of this study required the participation of people like me. But I also knew that I ought to ask why.
There are actually quite a lot of studies available for the public to join, examining everything from back pain to cardiovascular health to erectile dysfunction, largely aimed at recruiting participants affected by the specified conditions. Much of the advancement of treatment of HIV has relied on the recruitment of willing individuals for clinical research. And those living with HIV have options to join studies that do everything from test a new medication to ask for biopsies of lymph nodes. But there are also studies, such as vaccine trials, that require the participation of individuals in generally good health who have not contracted the condition being studied.
Over the course of this particular study, around 2,700 people at multiple sites in North America, South America, and Switzerland will participate in testing the HIV prevention effectiveness of an antibody-based therapy. Participants receive infusions of the antibody-based treatment (or a saline solution), regular HIV tests, and other health checks.
The infusion takes about an hour. The clinician hooks me up to an IV drip and my circulatory system gets flooded with lab-produced HIV antibodies. But there is also a fifty-fifty chance that instead of antibodies, I receive a pint of saline solution straight to the bloodstream. I have no way of knowing which it is, and neither do the researchers, since the study is double blind. I've just received my fifth of ten infusions total, so I'm halfway through.
After each infusion, I keep a three day log to keep track of any negative effects experienced. So far, there haven't been any. I get tested for HIV once every three months. But should I need a test sooner, they request that for the duration of the study I only get tested through them. (Because many HIV tests screen for antibodies, and not the virus itself, getting an HIV test outside of Bridge could result in a false positive.)
The point of the study is to increase our collective knowledge about how the virus operates. And from there, to determine how best to fight it. It could—possibly, maybe, perhaps—mean findings that could lead us to an eventual vaccine, but no one wants to promise that. Not myself, and certainly not the researchers.
That really appeals to me. That the study is an exploration, not a promise. If anyone had advertised it as a way to end HIV, I would probably have never signed up. No one can promise that. We don't know yet if it is possible to immunize against a virus like HIV—or to look even more wishfully, to cure it—but we can ask questions.
Are there risks? Of course. There are always risks in participating in medical research.
But I'm completely on board with my decision. Even though I originally signed up for the money, I've since come round a bit. It felt like being invited to participate in something remarkable. I'm never going to be an astronaut or Nobel laureate or find the cure to HIV, but I can perhaps help the process along that gets us there.
Premium aged, naturally aromatic, produced in a facility that also uses soy, nuts, dairy, and gluten: these are the words that might be used to describe Cirrus Wood. Or they may just be something he read off a bag of basmati rice he had in the pantry because he didn't know what to write here.
Cirrus Wood is a freelance writer and photographer, fine art model, bike messenger and, occasionally, adult film actor. His writing has appeared in the Bold Italic, California Magazine, UC Berkeley alumni journal and other publications.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone. They do not reflect the opinions or positions of BETA or of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. BETA serves as a resource on new developments in HIV prevention and treatment, strategies for living well with HIV, and gay men's health issues. Our goal is to inform, empower, and inspire conversation.
Cirrus Wood
Trans health


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Reason to not play OSRS
Overall I'd say the only reason to not play OSRS is since you've already devoted tons of time for this and you're burnt out, otherwise it is an amazing game despite the images and grind with OSRS gold. It's easily got more substance than many mmos out today and has not had to be relaunched or possess it's payment model changed just for folks to perform it. It'd definitely worth a shot if you don't like the images. You must definitely find another game though if you aren't eager to grind.
First of all, no. There was not much comparison to wow, he only really said OSRS has. As for the quest thing, it is a thought many people who have played OSRS have because other MMOs are simply kill x monster y number of occasions that day, or to get z quantity of whatever thing the npc's horoscope told them that they want. If it comes to getting your stats the fact is that unless you're opting for all 99's you are going to be able to complete it off. If you've got a lot of hours it is possible to sink in the 18, it takes less time. I've played Runescape since 2007 and OSRS because 2015, as well as MMOs over the last 7 years. My view might be similar but it's not a copy/paste, it's one which I formed over years of enjoying a lot of games in the genre.
Second of all, explaining the logic behind my opinion to you left my eyes hurt. Youtube Dark is for typing, dreadful. I'm going back to normal youtube. You tryina catch a coffee with ya boi?? It's a thing people notice I presume, it's easier to predict than to say kill this many of them for 50 of those I 32, it xyz. When a game gets you participating in the narrative rather than killing however many of everything you are told to kill and becoming exposition pitched at the beginning and 41, it gets old after a while, it is nice.
Folks enjoy it although it's kind of ironic since Slayer is literally kill x then get back to me. I think the context matters to buy RuneScape Mobile gold. You performing it to your accounts rather and're leveling a skill. It is something mindless that you don't need to pay attention to this when you are doing it to get through the match and progress the narrative it feels dull and boring but since it is a skill you can train whenever you aren't always trying to focus on what you're doing it's more appealing. I really enjoy the way Runescape incorporates a kill x system since it provides you the option to mindlessly slay items and also allows the game to possess quests which you are able to participate in and appreciate.
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Democratic Socialists Hold Convention in Washington: Responding to the Economic Crisis: Beyond the Washington Consensus. DSA is a member of the Progressive Alliance.
A plenary session at 1:30 PM on Friday will kick off national convention of DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America to be held from Nov. 11 through Nov. 13 at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner located at 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA.
DSA, the U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International, is the largest socialist political organization in the country with over 7000 members and active locals in more 40 U.S. cities and college campuses. DSA members reside in all 50 states.
A public outreach event "Equality and Jobs for the 99%: Economic Justice for All" featuring speakers labor leader and immigration reform activist Eliseo Medina, author John Nichols, and local activists occurs at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the St. Stephen and Incarnation Church at 1525 Newton St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Thirty years of deregulation, deunionization, privatization, and tax cuts for the rich, along with two unfunded wars, have robbed the public sector of the revenues needed to fund basic social services. While Republicans and Democrats trumpet the long range deficit as the major threat, DSA argues that we face not a debt crisis, but a political crisis and a jobs crisis. Extreme economic inequality, coupled with the capital crisis, has produced a shortfall of demand—similar to the U.S. economic situation of 1930–1936. In response to this demand crisis, we must put ordinary people back to work through a public jobs program.
This fifteenth bi-annual convention is the first major organizational function under the leadership of DSA's new national director, Maria Svart.
Elected delegates will determine DSA's political direction and elect its National Political Committee; attend workshops and plenary sessions about the jobs crisis, higher education, and DSA's Economic Literacy Project; and participate in trainings that will empower them to fight the attacks on unions, social insurance, and anti-poverty programs.
DSA Locals in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Wichita, among others, have taken an active role in the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Freedom Plaza, and other Occupy protests.
DSA's members know that the corporate dominated political system will move in a progressive direction only if powerful democratic social movements (including Occupy Wall Street, students, and labor) force it to do so. DSA gathers in convention to plan its participation in building such a movement.
For a full press kit email as listed above.
Labels: Democratic Socialists of America, dsa, occupy wall street, Washington D.C.


The Indian Subcontinent is a world of natural beauty, photo-worthy landscapes and breath-taking views.
Take a rowboat and explore the bluest of lakes and lagoons, stroll along the purest of palm-fringed shores and the driest of deserts, and soak up the life-giving greenery of tropical rainforests, paddy fields and lush highlands. Everywhere you turn, you're faced with a brand new perspective.
Witness the piercing summits and jagged valleys of Nepal, where eight of the world's 10 highest peaks reside, not least Mount Everest, or relax on Kovalam stunning beaches.


In this podcast, I talk with Sandeep Balakrishna, a seasoned technical writer based in Bangalore, India. He has been a technical writer for 10 years, and has observed the explosive growth of technical writing in India. According to Google Trends, seven of the top ten cities where the term "technical writing" is searched is India. What does that mean? Is outsourcing growing or shrinking? What is the Indian perspective on technical writing?
You can contact Sandeep at [email protected].


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Home » Posts tagged 'India'
Tag Archives: India
Parent of Cricket Champ Faces Forgery Charges
I just love the story when forgery appears in one of the world's biggest sports and in the country of India, so don't think forgery is just an American crime. In fact, since we started the national school we have had students in India and they submit work in Hindi, in all kinds of alphabets that I don't understand personally, but the science behind forgery and forensic document examination does work in every language.
But what's great about this story is one of the largest sports in the world is called cricket. It's not very familiar to our American readers but anyone in England, Australia, India and around the world will understand it. And anyone who ever has a child that plays sports would understand the motivation for trying to get his child to get on a top winning team.
So what's interesting about this story is one of the Goa Cricket Association's vice presidents, he actually is accused of forging his own son's birth certificate so that his son can play in the championship game and that's because his son was a little bit too old to play with the kids his age. So you think it just happens in fraud and for $15 million in a court or a Ponzi scheme.
Nope. It happens so your kid can play sports and win. Enjoy this article.
Panaji: The Indian Cricket Board was on Saturday accused of turning a blind eye towards the alleged forgery of the birth certificate of his son by Goa Cricket Association's (GCA) former vice President, Dayanand Narvekar.
Shekhar Salkar, a former GCA executive member who has filed a police complaint against Narvekar and his family members, said the BCCI had discovered the forgery two years back, but did not take appropriate action.
Based on Salkar's complaint, the police on Friday filed an FIR against Narvekar, his wife Sushma, son Ganeshraj and two others. They have been booked for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
According to the complaint, Narvekar, an ex-Goa minister, allegedly forged the birth certificate of his son Ganeshraj to facilitate his participation in an under-15 cricket tournament.
"When BCCI realized that Narvekar had let his son Ganeshraj play for the third time in the U-15 category, the Board wrote to GCA. But he was fined a mere Rs 5,000 and let off," Salkar claimed.
Salkar said the apex cricket body in the country had failed in its duty by not taking action against Narvekar for such "gross misconduct and fraud".
The BCCI, in a letter dated April 25, 2008, signed by Chief Administrative Officer R S Shetty, and had expressed surprise about how Ganeshraj was allowed to play in the under-15 tournament in the 2007-08 seasons under the name Anish N.
"This is a clear violation of BCCI rules and calls for punitive action," Shetty had said in the letter, according to Salkar.
Salkar on Saturday demanded that Narvekar step down as the GCA president. "Police should immediately arrest Narvekar as offences against him are of serious nature."
As per the complaint, Ganeshraj, after playing for two seasons – 2005-06 and 2006-07 – for the South Zone under-15 team, was allowed to play for the third time by changing his name.
It said that Ganeshraj's name was changed to Anish, his pet name, and a fake birth certificate was submitted to ensure his participation in the tournament.
The complainant has also attached documents, obtained under Right to Information Act, showing that Ganeshraj had two different birth certificates.
As per GCA record, his birth date is September 1, 1993, while the certificate procured from the local municipality shows his birthday as February 28, 1993.
The complaint also stated that Ganeshraj has given another birth certificate claiming his birth date as February 28, 1992 to get admission in a school.
When contacted, BCCI CAO Shetty declined to comment.
More News and Article @ http://cricketnext.in.com


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in: Season 2 Television Series Episodes, Stephen J. Bartowski
Chuck Versus the Sensei
Air Date December 1, 2008
Writer Anne Cofell
Director Jonas Pate
Previous Chuck Versus the Gravitron
Next Chuck Versus the DeLorean
"Use the Force! Use the Force, Chuck!"
Chuck Versus the Sensei is the ninth episode in season two, which aired on December 1, 2008. It is the twenty-second episode overall.
Casey becomes emotionally involved with a mission, when he finds out that his respected sensei Ty Bennett (Carl Lumbly) has gone rogue.
Meanwhile, Awesome's parents Honey (Morgan Fairchild) and Woody (Bruce Boxleitner) visit to plan Ellie and Devon's the wedding.
Emmett holds an employee of the month contest, but the staff have other plans.
Chuck is still reeling from the discovery that his ex-girlfriend Jill is a Fulcrum agent. Casey joins him in shock when the next mission they go on reveals that his former sensei, Ty Bennett (Carl Lumbly), who he says taught him everything he knows, is revealed to be a rogue agent recruiting others for Fulcrum.
Ty Bennett
While Sarah and Casey stake out Bennett, he shows up at Buy More, having deduced a link from the pen he was stabbed with. Chuck manages to convince him that Casey is out, and then tails him. He is almost immediately captured and placed in Bennett's car trunk over his objections that he's too tall for such accommodation. Sarah and Casey managed to intercept and rescue Chuck but Bennett gets away. It then becomes clear that Casey may be too emotionally involved to continue with the mission, and General Beckman confines him in Castle. That is not enough to stop Casey, who forces Chuck into flashing on the location of Bennett's dojo, before handcuffing him to the counter in Orange Orange, placing the key and his cell phone on a nearby table, just out of reach. After several fruitless attempts to get them, Chuck finally manages get the phone to call Sarah. She tells him to stay put, but Chuck uses the restaurant's Freon supply line to flash freeze his cuffs, and break them; for which he thanks seven years of watching MacGyver.
When they catch up to Casey, they are all captured by Bennett's henchmen. Just as Bennett is about to shoot Casey, he challenges his old sensei to honorable combat, which he accepts. Unfortunately, even while trying to maintain his calm center, Casey is no match for Bennett. Chuck then realizes what is wrong, and gets Casey angry, seeing that his anger is his strength, and supressing it in favor of Bennett's 'calm center' is counter productive. Finally understanding, Casey uses his rage to beat Bennett. Then, a squad of FBI storm the dojo. Later, Casey shows a sincere moment of gratitude to Chuck, briefly.
Meanwhile, Devon's parents Honey (Morgan Fairchild) and Woody (Bruce Boxleitner) make a visit to 'help' Ellie and Awesome plan their wedding. They proceed to drive Ellie crazy, making all the decisions on colors, cake's entrees, but when Woody - with his heart in the right place - suggests he walk Ellie down the aisle, she loses it. To make her happy, Chuck says he will find their father.
At the Buy More, Emmett reinstates the Employee of the Month program, which will be based on customer comment cards. The winner gets his or her photograph framed beside a picture of Moses Finkelstein, founder and CEO of Buy More. Morgan seems skeptical and gathers the employees in the break room, conveying his opinion that hard work would and higher sales would only benefit Emmett. The employees make a side bet to see who can score the lowest on their comment cards. Emmett later confronts them with their customer service marks, revealing that their combined high score is one. He threatens that the employee with the lowest score will close the store every Saturday night for a month, motivating the employees to show better customer service.
The next day, Emmett announces the new Employee of the Month: Skip Johnson, who apologizes to the employees for not being rude enough. Along with his name on a plaque, Skip wins a bonus one time only gift: a 65-inch flat-screen television, which Emmett only included to punish the troublemakers.
Casey at one points says "You're damaging my calm, Chuck!" an echo of his character, Jayne, and his comment about River, "She is startin' to damage my calm," in the Firefly film, Serenity.
Chuck: Those seven years of McGyver finally paid off!
Sarah: Nice work, sensei.
Chuck: Yeah, well, the thing is, Casey doesn't have a calm center. It's more an angry center.
Casey: Beckman was out of line pulling me off this mission.
Sarah: I agree with her. You're too emotionally involved.
Casey: This from the agent that can't keep her chocolate out of Bartowski's peanut butter.
Bonita Friedericy as General Diane Beckman
Tony Hale as Emmett Milbarge
Morgan Fairchild as Dr. Honey Woodcomb, M.D.
Bruce Boxleitner as Dr. Woody Woodcomb, M.D.
Carl Lumbly as Ty Bennett
Datarock – "New Song"
Love As Laughter – "Don't Worry"
Probot – "Shake Your Blood"
The Accidental – "Time And Space"
Your Vegas – "It Makes My Heart Break"
DVD[]
In the Season 2 DVD, the episode title is misspelled, titled "Chuck Versus the Sensai".
Stephen J. Bartowski


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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/102744/75/1027447584_0:191:2648:1856_1920x0_80_0_0_64fce0a3a94e1fb5cb86b28f2b45b75d.jpg
opinion, venezuela, latin america, asia, africa, russia, us, china, middle east
Russia, China Offer a Beacon of Hope for Developing Nations of World
© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin / Go to the photo bankRussian President Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping
© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin
Go to the photo bank
Western imperialist powers have no scruples about violating sovereignty of developing countries and destroying nation-states, Venezuelan journalist Manuel Taibo notes, adding that Russia and China offer a beacon of hope for nations which seek to sustain their independence.
The modern neocolonial strategy adopted by leading capitalist powers and multinational corporations is aimed at extracting the resources of developing nations, Venezuelan journalist and writer Manuel Taibo underscores, adding that Washington uses "treacherous techniques" to pursue their interests, in particular military actions against regimes that refuse to bow before US political elite.
"These processes lead the US's ruling elite to put the selfish interests of industrial-military circles over the interests of all mankind, and even over their own people," Taibo writes in his article for Aporrea.
NATO? Montenegro is 'Suffering From Cancer Epidemic They Triggered'
6 November 2015, 03:52 GMT
"It becomes more evident day by day that the Washington's elite keep moving along the militaristic line, they are looking outwards, searching for new countries and nations to impose its hegemony on," the journalist emphasizes.
Taibo pointed out that, in the Middle East, US war planners are trying to drive a wedge between different religious groups and nation-states by triggering a severe sectarian strife. US policymakers are using various tools to pressure nations into submission including military actions against undesirable regimes, economic sanctions and debt pressure.
According to the Venezuelan journalist, a strikingly similar situation could be observed in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia, as well in the small states of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
"Now that is the real face of the new global paradigm," the journalist stresses, adding that "everything else that comes along with these actions is simply an ideological wrapping that covers up the true motifs."
'Russian Threat': An Excuse for Pentagon's Expensive Nuclear Modernization
Taibo underscored that it is inacceptable to ignore the role of the world's nation-states and their leaders. According to Taibo, the state should remain "the guardian of the social pact," and the "tool for social management."
"[State's] interests are no different from its people, because without people it has no life or existence," the Venezuelan journalist highlights.
In contrast, Russia and China are ready to cooperate with other nations on an equal basis, respecting their sovereignty and independence.
"The louder the voice of Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, the more attractive is their lead to pick up the independent foreign policy and reject imperialistic interference," Taibo points out.
Since Russia and China are guided by the principles of equality and mutual respect of interest they have an opportunity to become even more powerful players on the international arena, the journalist believes.
Still no one can put into question Russia's and China's significant contribution to world peace, he added.
"Live free or live dead!… We live in interesting times, yet it is tough," Manuel Taibo remarks.
sectarian tensions
world nations
US hegemony
color revolutions


An opportunity not to be missed! Our Digital Director, Rob Smith – who has led mission critical projects for Laura Ashley, Next and Co-operative Energy – will share insider information on what you should be focusing on in the next 12 months. He will cover how to get more people to visit your website, convert them when they get there and keep them coming back.
No fluff or sales pitch here, just one hour of great content straight from the horse's mouth. With coffee before and after, what's not to like?
There's even the opportunity to stay a while after the seminar to pick Rob's brains and enjoy a little networking!


Starting today February 23rd, when you pre-order a Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge you will get a Samsung Gear VR included for free.
Samsung announced the latest deal at their Unpacked event in Barcelona this past weekend. On top of also including a Gear VR for this limited supply bundle, Oculus is throwing in a content bundle featuring six made-for-VR games with an estimated $50 USD value for all US pre-orders.
Bundles will vary by service provider but should include games like EVE: Gunjack, Land's End and Anshar Wars 2. It is not clear why different carriers are bundling different titles of games, but either way, its great to see some of our favorite and most compelling titles included.
The Samsung Gear VR usually sells for $99.99, so this latest promotion from Samsung should entice a few consumers to pre-order their S7 early and introduce a whole slew of new users to mobile VR. The purchase period for the promotion ends on March 18, 2016 or until supply runs out. Which according to Samsung caps out at 300,00 Gear VR units.
If you purchased a qualifying S7, you can claim your Gear VR promotion here.
With now over 200+ apps on the Oculus store, there is something for everyone on the Gear VR. Every week we share our Weekend Downloads of new Gear VR content that hit the store during the week and there are always gems in there try. Oculus is also expected to make improvements to the Oculus app and Store by allowing user reviews. User reviews have been a much needed and requested feature to help sort through the ever growing content in the store – making it that much easier to decide on what you should download next.
If you are still deciding on whether to take Samsung up on this Gear VR bundle, Oculus is also making improvements to 360 video in VR. During the same Unpacked event over the weekend, Mark Zuckerberg took to the stage and announced that Oculus would be dramatically increasing the resolution of 360 VR videos watched in the Gear VR. Facebook and Oculus developed Dynamic Streaming technology to deliver this more efficient way of 360 video streaming playback.
Samsung also introduced their Gear 360 camera that will be work directly with the S7 and Gear VR, making it easier then ever to capture moments in 360° and instantly save them to your camera roll so you can upload straight to Gear VR or share with your friends on Facebook.
And speaking of pre-orders, don't forget that the HTC Vive pre-orders begin on February 29th and will run you $799 for the VR system.


As quiet as Bamako's streets had been in the middle of the night, they were an extreme of chaos at first light. The whole city was an almost cartoonish representation of every African city you see in the movies- roads shared by vehicles of all descriptions (some defying, by many years, the natural lifespan of any mechanical device), livestock, beasts of burden (including the human variety) , and vendors of all shapes and sizes- anything from a lonely soul selling a limited amount of fruit from a small basket to the more incomprehensible (who buys elaborate bed frames at the junction of busy roads?? And the selection was pretty good). There was some semblance of structure- which probably eliminates Bamako as the worst place to drive through (think anywhere in India)- but practicality definitely took precedence over legality.
still not sure that this was our first re-exposure to African time, or simply the sign of the universal salesman who tells you whatever you want to hear, but some 8 hours later we were pulling up to the last ferry that would take us over to the island on which Djenne is located. The wheel of our Toyota did have to come off a couple of times but given the ingenuity of African roadside mechanics, there were no serious delays that would explain the time delta. We did see the remnants of the famous market coming back the other way but we were obviously not going to see it in its full glory. BAM didn't come with us- he was theoretically coordinating things from his command centre in an alley somewhere in Bamako- and with a substantial prepayment required we now had visions that the driver (who spoke less French than I do) would dump us on this island and sneak away under cover of darkness.
there were no problems. No more mention was made of the New Zealand couple (I didn't really understand this fabrication but I think Malians believe that all Westerners come with huge anxieties about the country and by promising to pair you up with others of like mind, they will complete their sale), and BAM would fix missing the market by sending us back next Monday (which we knew wasn't going to happen). Part of the joy/frustration of Africa is dealing with whatever comes at you with patience.
The largest mud structure in the world.
having a shower (cold) in a mud bathroom is something of a must-do experience. The open air restaurant (can you call it a restaurant if they only serve one take-it-or-leave-it meal of Couscous which is made from millet- very different from what we're used to?) was part of the dried mud complex which was designed to blend with the nearby mosque.
riverbank for the annual reapplication.
Our guide Toka was a compelling story also. Born with polio, a visiting American family made arrangements to bring him to the U.S. for the surgery required if he was ever going to walk. He spent many months recuperating in the U.S. (including the requisite trip to Disney World) before returning to Mali where he has since lost touch with his American benefactors. He walks with a distinct limp but the surgery and his knowledge of English has allowed for a reasonable living showing visitors around Djenne- he graciously invited us into his home which was one of those perspective moments which at least temporarily, helps ground your own life.
Although our time here was brief, it was an amazing introduction to Mali and we're looking forward to more. On the downside, I was shocked by the number of individuals I saw who were afflicted with Polio, especially the young- I had heard that Polio was making something of an unwelcome comeback in parts of the world, but to see it firsthand was very disheartening.


I have been stuck in such a downer thinking back to 2018. Looking back through photos from the last year really helped to lift my mood and helped me remember the good times instead of the bad. Read on for a look at my year in pictures.
It's that time of the year, when the festive office parties are in full swing and the Secret Santa pressies are handed out. I was quite looking forward to our office Secret Santa this year! The name I pulled out of the hat was exactly the person I was hoping to get -for way of a change, it wasn't Anna! Read on to see what surprise I managed to come up with after endless Pinterest searches!
Christmas is a magical time of year. For me, it's about getting to spend time with my loved ones, but also the joy in giving them presents that I hope they will love. I don't know about you, but finding those perfect gifts is becoming harder and harder each year. So, if like me, you are majorly behind schedule on your Christmas shopping, you may be in need of a little destressing.


The vast majority of my readers understand that I am looking out for them and that I am not a political ideologue. Honestly, at the end of the day, I don't get any benefit from seeing a particular politician or party win or lose. I try to call things as I see them and to use fact-based analysis to develop insights and recommendations.
Unfortunately, a fellow (whom I will call Gary for purposes of this article), allowed his political ideology and overconfidence to get in his way. Gary is a pretty liberal guy politically, and he brought numerous articles to my attention that supported his worldviews. I was struck by his problem of consuming such a biased news diet that I wrote about it in late 2009.
One problem with Gary's investment approach (despite his getting lucky in 2008) was something that Gary was unaware of -- that over time, leveraged ETFs are almost guaranteed to be lousy investments because of tracking errors and expenses. I wrote about that back in late 2009 in the original article I did on Gary, and I covered the extensive problems with leveraged ETFs in more detail in another article in early 2010.
On Aug. 8, 2011, when global stock markets were in a steep decline, Gary gleefully e-mailed me to essentially brag about how well his investments were doing. The Dow Jones industrial average had just dropped below 11,000 after having recently flirted with 13,000. At that time, he listed that he held an inverse S&P 500 ETF (SDS), a China triple inverse ETF (YANG) and gold.
He concluded his gloating missive by saying, "As much as I hate to see our markets unravel in this manner, and our economy flounder as a result of lingering and unresolved fiscal issues, I definitely smelled something bad brewing for some time now."
I wrote back to him with a sincere warning: "The fact that you're noting this now suggests the current correction probably is close to running its course." As past behavior suggested he would, he ignored my further attempts to look out for him. The rest now, as they say, is history -- and it's too bad for him that he didn't listen to me. In just over seven months since he wrote his bragging note to me, both SDS and YANG have plunged 45 percent. His gold holdings dropped only about 5 percent over that period.
Choosing investments that do well only during prolonged economic problems are generally doomed to fail. Recessions and down periods in the stock market certainly do occur -- just ask anyone who had their money on the line in the early and late 2000s.
The stock market downturns near the beginning and the end of the most recent decade produced significant losses but only for those investors with the misfortune to buy at the top and then sell at the bottom.
Investors who held onto a globally diversified portfolio of stocks did fine. Those who kept buying and adding to their holdings did terrifically, thanks partly to purchases made at or near bear market lows. Remember: Market downturns provide an opportunity to buy stocks on sale.
It sounds good in theory to time the markets and be out of stocks when they are declining and then to jump back in when they rise again. But market peaks and bottoms are only obvious in hindsight.
Betting on a prolonged period of falling stock prices and faltering economies, as Gary has done for the past five years, is a recipe for losing money.
Economies tend to grow and stock markets tend to appreciate over the long term. There are exceptions but a diversified portfolio of stocks will tend to rise over the years. Even if Gary had been right, he still would have lost money because he chose a fundamentally flawed investment vehicle -- leveraged ETFs.


Join us on Halloween night as we enjoy music, dancing and cocktails at San Francisco's newest upscale ultra-lounge inside the W Hotel. Located on the 2nd Floor of this Luxurious and Stylish hotel in the heart of SoMa district just walking distance from downtown and Waterfront views.
Dance and drink the night away with top of the line entertainment playing your favorite Top 40 party hits while drinking one of your favorite cocktails or reserve one of our many elevated VIP tables for you and all of your friends.
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM OUR PAST EVENTS!


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Fast Food News
REVIEW: Arby's Cajun Fish Sandwich
January 29, 2019 January 28, 2019 Adam Reviews
When I think of things that scream Americana, I think regional flavors, wholesome activities I never learned to do like fishing, and chicly decorated fast food restaurants that blare Kacey Musgraves music from their dining room halls. It makes sense, then, that Arby's decided to welcome in 2019 with a regional take on its seasonal fish sandwich.
Now, I'm not from Louisiana, but I did once rack up a $103.67 bill at a John Besh restaurant. So, I have some experience with the stereotypical (and delicious) Cajun flavors, including the bayou's take on aioli, remoulade.
Nominally, the remoulade makes Arby's newest variation of its fish sandwich "Cajun." I say nominally because Arby's could have gone the extra mile and stacked shrimp, crawfish, and andouille sausage on top of the triangular fish stick that constitutes the (not-meat) of the sandwich. Overkill? Maybe, but we are talking Arby's. If venison and pork belly can make it into the fast food world, then shellfish can't immediately be ruled out.
The lack of gumbo-on-a-bun notwithstanding, the sandwich has some Cajun flavor. Emphasis on the some. The remoulade is zesty, with a slight back-heat and just enough sweetness to give that iceberg lettuce a bit of extra flavor, and a composition somewhere between creamy and bumpy (yes, bumpy). But, much like the fish itself, it's relatively plain, like a slightly spicier version of tartar sauce (which, coincidentally, has nothing to do with steak tartare.)
Even with the double-sided application, the remoulade fails to achieve optimal bun-protein-sauce ratio, mostly due to the oblong state of the fish and the circumference of the bun. This result is different tasting bites—some more prominent with the fish, others more bun, still others the whole fish and caboodle. And while the fish is executed perfectly — crispy, mild, flaky — it begs for a more assertive guiding flavor.
I get it: Each year, fast food chains attempt to position themselves in the fish sandwich wars with a "new" and updated take on what is actually a very boring sandwich blueprint. And, sometimes, something as simple as adding a sauce makes all the difference. But in the case of Arby's Cajun Fish Sandwich, the remoulade is a little too mild, and a little too sparse to do the bayou justice.
Purchased Price: $3.49
Nutrition Facts: 590 calories, 260 calories from fat, 29 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 1060 milligrams of sodium, 63 grams of total carbohydrates, 43grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, 20 grams of protein.
Arby's Fast Food
One thought to "REVIEW: Arby's Cajun Fish Sandwich"
sinosoul says:
thanks for that feedback, thinking one can ask them for extra "sauce" on the fish sando?
SPOTTED (FROZEN FOOD EDITION) – 1/29/2019
SPOTTED: New Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Cookie Square Varieties
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REVIEW: Dunkin' Kit Kat Coolatta
REVIEW: McDonald's Stroopwafel McFlurry
REVIEW: Mtn Dew Sweet Lightning
REVIEW: KFC Cheetos Sandwich
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These cylinder drop shot weights we designed by Pepper Custom Baits to remain snag free when drop shotting around grass or rocks. The weights feature a clip style line clasp which holds the weight on the line, but will also come free should it get snagged. We offer the Pepper Custom Baits Drop Shot Weights in six sizes: 1/8oz-5/8oz, each pack contains 6 weights.
Love the fell of the weights. New to drop shot .
The finish holds up very well after repeated use in heavy cover.


Employees sometimes reach a stage where they feel that their current role offers very little or no scope for further learning and growth. It could either be a case of stagnancy or evolving personal interests. According to a survey, eight out of 10 employees are dissatisfied with their jobs. For instance, you might like everything about your company but what if your current role doesn't meet your aspirations? You may be torn between quitting or risking disengagement by continuing in the current role. Luckily, there's a third option. An intriguing work opportunity in another department could mean a new career opportunity for you, if you can execute a well-planned lateral move.
An internal shift gives you an opportunity to advance your knowledge and skills with much lesser effort as compared to an external job change. This could also work well in case you think you are not fully ready for a complete job makeover.
If you are looking to make a inter-departmental shift in your company, here are a few ways to get it right.
Employers understand the importance of employee experience and are eager to support their learning curve. Mid or large-sized companies often have a designated online portal where employees can look for job opportunities within the organization. For instance, Infosys has an internal job portal 'compass' where employees can seek opportunities for jobs, training and networking. So the first thing to do is check job postings on your company portal and see what fits your bill the best. If you do not have such an online platform set up by your company, then you will have to rely more on the information from your office network or meetings with HR.
You must know what you are getting yourself into when you apply for an internal transfer. Try to find out as much as you can about the department and the role you are applying for. The advantage of making an internal job shift is that you can easily conduct primary research on the new job. Try and meet people from the department and figure out what the day-to-day workings of the position entail. According to a study conducted on creating positive meaning and identity at work, people who design their job roles based on what inspires them, experience higher engagement at their workplace. Your research should give you a fair idea of whether the new role matches your expectations and also prepare you for the application process.
According to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) study, 48% employees consider communication between employees and senior management a very important factor of job satisfaction. You must inform your manager of your intentions as your lateral move would cost him/her a team member. However, the stage at which you involve your manager in the decision, depends on your relationship with him/her. When you break this news is as important as how you break it. If your manager is more like your mentor, then it is better to disclose it soon after you have made up your mind. In this case, you might even receive some guidance and a recommendation. In other circumstances, you might need a thorough preparation before you disclose the news. Make sure that you are very clear about the reason why you want to make the shift.
In essence, it is best to opt for a lateral shift if you want to continue to learn and grow at a time when a vertical or external move is not a viable option. It's a solution that both organizations and employees can use to their advantage. All you need is the ability to spot new opportunities and be well prepared for them when the time comes.


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This tiny skeleton might look like an alien, but her genes tell a different story
Skeleton found in a desert. (Bhattacharya et al)
Ben Guarino
Reporter covering the practice and culture of science
March 22, 2018 at 1:28 PM EDT
The Atacama skeleton, or Ata, named after the Chilean desert where the remains were found, has 10 pairs of ribs. The average person has 12. Ata's skull narrows to a ridged peak. Her bones are as calcified as those of a child between the ages of 6 and 8. Yet her skeleton's apparent age is at odds with her size. If Ata ever stood, she stood 6 inches high, barely tall enough to peek over a spring crocus.
Her features attracted UFO hunters and extraterrestrial investigators, who suspected her bones might represent something remarkable. Ata is indeed remarkable. And she is human, according to the story told by her genes, which was published Thursday in the journal Genome Research.
"We were able to look at all the mutations that were in this individual," said Stanford University geneticist Garry Nolan, an author of the new report. "And everybody is born with mutations. This person just happened to roll snake eyes."
In 2013, Nolan revealed what he called a draft of her genome, which, though it had gaps, confirmed that Ata had human DNA. The new work presents her whole genome, including her unusual mutations.
Ata's story started in northern Chile, one of the world's driest regions. The Atacama links Earth to the heavens. On its high plateau, NASA tests Mars rovers, driving them across parched terrain that role-plays as the Red Planet. The sky rarely musters a cloud, giving a horde of giant telescopes an unblemished view of the stars at night. The desert is the future home of the world's largest optical telescope, named the European Extremely Large Telescope, and where construction began last year.
And it was in this desert, near a church in an abandoned village, where a man reportedly found Ata's remains in 2003. The collector who now owns the skeleton purchased Ata from an archaeological black market, Nolan said. Ata's skeleton is kept in a secure location in Spain, according to Steven Greer, a retired emergency room physician who advocates for government disclosure of UFO sightings.
Greer first met Ata's owner at a Spanish ufology conference in 2009. (People who study UFOs use the term ufology to make their pursuits sound more scientific.) The collector, after some persuading, allowed Greer to extract a small pip of bone marrow from one of her ribs. When Greer held Ata, he marveled at her size: She is so small her skeleton fit in the palm of his hand, he said. In 2013, Greer co-produced a documentary, "Sirius," which unveiled Nolan's initial genetic research.
Nolan was not alone in his investigation. The Stanford scientist enlisted experts from a variety of fields, including specialists who study ancient DNA. Ata, though desiccated by the super-dry Atacama, is no ancient mummy. Over centuries, DNA breaks into fragments. But the genetic material in her body is too complete to be older than a few decades, he said.
Nolan tapped Ralph Lachman, a pediatric radiologist at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, to analyze the skeleton's X-rays. The physician, Nolan said, is the "world's expert in bone disorders." Based on features such as growth around the bones' knuckles, the skeleton appears to be as developed as that of a 6-year-old's. But, to be clear, Lachman never argued Ata died in the midst of childhood, Nolan said. "He said the bones make it look like it's 6 years old," Nolan said.
Comparing Ata's genome to the genomes of a chimpanzee and monkey ruled out a nonhuman origin. Her ancestors were South American, and most possibly Chilean. The scientists found no suggestion of a Y chromosome in her genetic package, confirming that she was female.
The new study uses a giant database of what Nolan called "phenotype-genetic correlations." An individual's phenotype is the collection of his or her characteristics, including height, eye color and earwax wetness. Genes, as well as the environment, influence a phenotype. Of her billions of nucleotides, which are the single bricks that make up her genes, the authors identified 3 million variations.
This massive database is similar in concept to a social network mined by a research firm, Nolan said. If Cambridge Analytica collects enough of your likes and dislikes, it can predict your political preferences. Likewise, with enough genes, researchers can predict which individuals will have similar phenotypes. In many cases, Ata's genes matched individuals with bone disorders. She did not have an unusual number of mutations, Nolan said. What was exceptional was where they were concentrated.
"This is a super rare human phenotype," said co-author Sanchita Bhattacharya, a bioinformatics researcher at the University of California at San Francisco. Ata is one of the rarest "we have ever observed, being only 6 inches and having this advanced bone age."
USCF biomedicine professor Atul Butte, who created the database, said Ata had 64 unusual mutations linked to the skeletal system. Among these, the scientists found two variants new to the scientific literature that code for an abundant structural protein called collagen, as important to our bones as steel to a skyscraper.
All told, the story in her genes is tragic. "Given multiple mutations identified in this specimen one could speculate it didn't survive long," Bhattacharya said, even if she was born alive.
Given her origin, one could imagine, Nolan said, a distraught mother bringing her infant to a priest. "It was found, supposedly, in a house next to a church, which to me says rectory," he said. The body was positioned as if lying in state, arms to the side. "And then time goes by," he speculated, "and it gets forgotten or the priest dies."
Nolan said he does not blame the owner for wanting to study Ata. After all, it took a team of 10 scientists five years to figure out what she is. Nor did he regret his study, and his investment of what he estimated to be $50,000 in funds and a quarter-million dollars' worth of time.
"Now we know that there's something about this particular set of genes that leads to rapid bone growth," he said. He envisioned using this knowledge to influence stem cells and cartilage, healing bones quicker, and correctly. "To me, that's the beauty of basic science," he said.
But, Nolan said, he hopes Ata's story ends in the place where it started: "Maybe this thing needs to be returned to Chile. Maybe it needs to be given the burial it deserves."
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