I don't usually put much stock in marketing slogans, but in this case, I think Ruger nailed it. Their new Gunsite Scout Rifle in .450 Bushmaster is a fantastic all-around firearm, offering the power to take down large game and the maneuverability to carry in the thickest brush.
The Ruger Gunsite Scout is a great rifle for many tasks. The author found it to handle easily and the muzzle brake helped mitigate muzzle rise.
This was the fastest velocity recorded. For comparison, a .45 caliber bullet fired from a handgun is usually traveling under 1,000 fps.
The "thumper round" concept was famously pioneered by Gunsite's founder, Col. Jeff Cooper. Cooper admired the AR-15 platform, but he wanted a round more capable of taking down larger game out to about 250 yards. Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms developed his own thumper and called it the .45 Professional. He licensed the concept to Bushmaster Firearms Int'l for production and distribution, and Bushmaster unveiled the .450 Bushmaster in 2007.
The .450 Bushmaster has a bullet diameter of .452 inch and uses a cartridge case based on the .284 Win. I used Hornady's 250-grain FTX bullet with a factory advertised muzzle velocity of 2,200 feet per second (fps). from a 20-inch barrel, which would deliver 2,686 ft.-lbs. of energy. When I measured the bullet velocity out of the Scout's 16-inch barrel, the round averaged 2,145 fps with a high of 2,168 fps and a low of 2,109 fps. This produced 2,555 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle. For comparison, a 168-grain .308 Win. bullet produces roughly 2,269 ft- lbs. of energy at the muzzle (depending on the powder charge, of course).
I can see why they call the .450 a "thumper." The bullet's stubby shape keeps it from maintaining its velocity at extended ranges, but anything within 200 yards is going to get hit hard. It's the perfect round for penetrating a hog's shoulder and reaching its vitals, and it would also make a great bear cartridge.
Hornady and Remington are the only companies manufacturing the .450 Bushmaster right now, and they offer it for ~$1.50/round. If that sounds a little steep, keep in mind that the straight walls of the .450 Bushmaster make it easy to reload, which will allow you to minimize ammunition costs.
The front sight is non-reflective and is protected on both sides.
Lately, I've been reviewing bare-bones, no-frills firearms that stick to the basics without messing around with extra features. The Ruger Gunsite Scout isn't one of those firearms — and I loved it.
Upon opening the box, I found, along with the usual trigger lock and owner's manual, a barrel thread protector, scope rings, and two spacers to adjust the length of pull. The spacers can be placed between the rubber recoil pad and the stock to accommodate shooters with longer or shorter arms.
The iron sights are the Scout's most distinctive feature. The rear peep sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation, and the front blade is protected on both sides. The sight picture is easy to acquire, and adjustments can be made with the provided Allen wrench. The iron sights are a great resource if you're deep in the brush and your scope malfunctions or loses zero.
Ruger's Precision Rifle® Hybrid Muzzle Brake does a nice job controlling recoil. It uses a somewhat unorthodox 11/16 inch to 24-inch thread pattern.
The rear sight can be easily adjusted for both windage and elevation and can be mounted in front of the magazine well or behind it.
The safety includes three positions. In the rearward position, the bolt cannot be opened and the trigger cannot be pulled. In the middle position, the bolt can be cycled but the trigger cannot be pulled. This allows a live cartridge to be extracted from the chamber without fear of accidental discharge. In the forward position, the gun is ready to fire.
When the gun is fired, the beefy muzzle device helps control recoil. But be warned: the Scout is LOUD. I opted for double ear protection after a few shots. If you plan to take the Scout hunting, you may want to purchase a pair of electronic ear muffs so you can hear environmental sounds without damaging your hearing when you pull the trigger.
The muzzle device can be removed, which helps lower the blast volume but also increases muzzle rise. While the rubber recoil pad absorbs a surprising amount of felt recoil, the gun still jumps quite a bit when fired. Shooters can experiment with the muzzle device and the recoil pad spacers to achieve optimal levels of recoil, muzzle jump, and noise.
The Scout includes quite a few additional features (factory mounted Picatinny rail; detachable box magazine; free-floated, cold hammer-forged barrel), but I'll wrap up this section with the most important interface between the shooter and the gun: the trigger. The trigger's break is clean, crisp, and, most importantly, consistent. It broke at 3 pounds, 8 ounces.
Here the safety is in the middle position, which allows the bolt to be opened but keeps the trigger from dropping the firing pin.
After familiarizing myself with the rifle's features and function, I was curious to determine its accuracy. Considering the round's effective range, I knew that 1.5-inch groups at 100 yards would be sufficient.
The rubberized recoil pad absorbs tons of kick. Despite the force of the .450, the author found the Scout to be pleasant to shoot.
I began by zeroing the rifle at 100 yards using a 2-7X Bushnell Trophy Scout scope. Scout scopes feature longer eye relief (distance between the shooter's eye and the front lens) than standard scopes, which allows them to be mounted forward of the receiver. The Bushnell scope I used had an 8-inch eye relief, and I was able to acquire a clear sight picture quickly.
I tested the rifle's accuracy by shooting 20 three-shot groups, the best group measured .81 inch and the average was 1.7 inches.
The rifle's accuracy testing results deserve a few notes of analysis. First, I was pleasantly surprised to have been able to record two sub-MOA groups and one 1-inch group. While I wouldn't call it a sub-MOA rifle in a general sense, it is possible to shoot less than 1-inch groups if you do your part as the shooter.
I also discovered over the course of my testing that the Scout's barrel heats up quickly. After nine or ten rounds, the group sizes started to expand, at which point I'd let the barrel cool. The four largest groups were shot when the barrel was the hottest, immediately before each cool-off period.
Considering the heat of the barrel, a fairer assessment of the rifle's accuracy might be reached by excluding the last four groups, in which case the average drops to 1.47 inches.
A Caldwell Lead Sled helped the author steady the rifle and shoot consistent, reliable groups.
Still, I wanted to communicate some sense of the power of the .450 Bushmaster, so I set up two comparative tests. First, to get a handle on the round's ability to penetrate wild game, I lined up 12 one-gallon water jugs. I shot the line of jugs with a 62-grain 5.56 Nosler Ballistic Tip, a 165-grain .308 Nosler Ballistic Tip, and the 250-grain .450 Bushmaster Hornady FTX.
The .5.56 decimated the first jug and split the second, but lacked the mass to continue through the third.
The .308 blasted its way through four jugs and punctured the fifth. I found the round still more or less intact when I emptied the fifth jug.
The .450 Bushmaster made its way through three jugs, and I found the round lodged between the third and the fourth.
I was surprised that the .450 rivaled the .308 in terms of penetration. I thought the .450's stubby shape would hinder its ability to get through more than a few jugs, but its mass and velocity made up for its squatty physique.
The .308 is made for punching holes in things, which it did to this cinder block.
Also, note how the .450 expanded as compared to the .308. The .450 is at least two times the diameter of the .30 caliber round, which would have inflicted massive damage traveling through a game animal. The .450 might lack the extended range of more traditional rifle cartridges, but it will devastate anything it touches within 200 yards.
To confirm this theory, I set up a second (very unscientific) test. I placed a watermelon in front of two or three cinder blocks and shot through the watermelon with the .308 and the .450.
As you can see, the .450 smashed through the watermelon and the cinder block with quite a bit more force than the .308. I already knew this based on my ft.-lbs. of force calculations, but it's cool to see those extra 300 ft.-lbs. of force in action. Whereas the .308 penetrated the cinder block and split it in two, the .450 smashed it to bits.
The .450 Bushmaster, on the other hand, totally obliterated the watermelon and the cinder block behind it.
The .450 Bushmaster is a remarkably effective cartridge at short-to-medium distances, and the Ruger Gunsite Scout does a nice job taking advantage of its unique capabilities. The Scout comes with everything you'll need to take big game in the brush, and its accuracy and durability will ensure a good shot when the moment is right.
I was impressed with the Scout throughout the course of my testing. It's pleasant to shoot (considering the round), light weight, and it handles well in the field. I'll be recommending it to my hog-hunting friends here in Texas, and you might consider it, too.
For more information about the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, click here.
For more information about Hornady ammunition, click here.
To purchase a Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle on GunsAmerica, click here.
.450 is an awesome round for a rifle. But if you want a perfect shot you might need a perfect scope. Athlon Cronus BTR is a great quality scope for .450 bushmaster rifle which 4.5-29 x 56 magnification. It might can make a perfect shot while you are in a hunting.
That is not the best scope for the 450 BM. I have athlons and while nice they are way too heavy and the extra reticle markings are not needed for deer hunting at 30-200 yard range.
The best scope for the money is the Leopold 3-9x with CDS 450 turret. Its only 12oz compared to the Athlon which weighs 3x more. Its super bright, fits the included rear rings of the Scout too. To use the Athlon you have to buy new rings adds like 1K to cost of gun and will actually be worse than the $3.00 Leopold for deer hunting.
I agree the 45/70 is nice but its illegal in the states for deer hunting. The 450 is the biggest legal round that can be used say in Michigan's shotgun zone.
The 44mag is like 1/2 the hitting power of the 450. So in states where its straight wall of a certain length the 450 is the best. Its more powerful than at 45/70 for stock ammo. Re-loaders can make up for it but for most people that do not reload the 450 is better than the 45/70, hits a bit harder.
The 450 Bushmaster Looks like a good option and it would be great to see it offered with a 20 -22 inch barrel length. The additional length would assist the 450 Bushmaster in obtaining top velocity, and tame recoil / barrel rise and still remains compact. A LH version would be great too.
Yea I thought the same thinking a 22″ barrel would be better but after using both I settled on the 16″ scout. The velocity difference is not much and its much much easier to shoulder than the long barrel.
hi everyone…..nice rifle and all the rhetoric that ppl love hearing……any thing i possibly say would be positive…..but……its somewhat too much money…..obama, clinton and the so called bolshevic/democrat party can take credit for that…..knock about 25% off of the $$$$ and it would be good for everyone……(Ruger and the Consumer)…..and the cost of ammo is nothing but robbery……and the Bull-Poop about re-loadable does not justify or stack up…..
Two additional non-starters for me. Bolt action and detachable magazine.
Please chamber it in 50 Beowulf, I have the caliber in an AR and it is a fun shooter.
At the range most feral hogs are shot, a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag. will stop them in their tracks. Easy to carry, cheaper ammo and rock-solid reliability, it is a "one-gun" solution for hogs at half the price. If you must use a long gun, 12-bore slugs will fell all creatures great or small within a hundred yards.
Rifles chambered for cartridges that fire a bullet of .357-inch diameter or larger, have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches, and have a maximum case length of 1.8 inches are legal to use only during the deer firearms, youth, reduction zones from Nov. 18-Jan. 31 (in zones where local ordinances allow the use of a firearm), and special antlerless seasons.
Action Express, .500 S&W, .460 Smith & Wesson, .450 Bushmaster, and .50 Beowulf. Full metal jacketed bullets are illegal.
I am just guessing that Ruger came out with these rifles to fill a void in guns available for states like mine. I canot even guess what goes through the mindes of the people in charge of these states but to answer some of you i would be just fine hunting with a 45-70 but the cartrige is to long.
Nice looking gun, but why anyone would choose this over a 45-70 has me scratching my arse … sorry, head. Granted it's a bolt gun but the venerable 45-70 is available in many different platforms with a plethora of factory ammo available from mild to wild. And if you're a hand-loader you can approach .458 Win Mag velocities and stopping power with the correct rifle using a very large selection of projectiles. MUCH more than is available for the .450 and about half the cost! Need to load up some 500 Gr. solids to thump an elephant, or 300 Gr. HP for whitetails? No problem, the 45-70 will do it.
AND – if you're up in Alaska hunting and you only want to carry one type of ammo for your main gun and back up gun you can use the same 45-70 ammo in a pistol like the BFR or Thompson Contender if you like. But I will say I've tried J.D. Jones' original 45-70 loadings with 500 Gr. solids loaded for my SSK 12″ Contender and it's NOT for the faint of heart!
Sorry Joe, I do believe your mistaken on rugers not having a warranty. I do believe all there guns have one. I have a ruger #1 in 45/70. A beautiful gun. Well, I won't go into details, but I destroyed my forearm. Totally my doing (fault). I called ruger and they gave me the address to send it to. I had no idea what it would cost, and didn't care. I wanted my baby back. To my surprise, I got a call saying they got it replaced. were going to test fire and safety check it and send it back. NO CHARGE, I could not believe they fixed a gun that I broke and fixed it for free. That is customer service that can't be beat. They don't need to put there warranty in print. They stand behind there products. Made me a ruger fan.
Joe, while Ruger doesn't have an expressed warranty, they will fix or replace any of their firearms for free as long as there are no obvious signs of abuse.
Well Joe I guest you don't have any aperantly youhave no experience the Ruger firearms. I have had a few over the years and I only had trouble eith two. One was a 10 year old SP101 that I screw up the barrel. I called about a new barrel. I was ask to ship it in and they sent me a prepaid shipping label, so off it went. In about 10 days I received a call asking me to supply them with my FFL's infor becsuse they were sending me a new gun. The other was a 10/22 with ejection problem once again they took care of it at no charge plus they sent me exta magazine for my trouble. So don't speak to issues you have not researched.
Can you be a little more dramatic? You would not take a $1,000 gun if they gave it to you free? I doubt that.
And they do have a warranty. I had a bent magazine and they sent me a new one free no question asked other than my serial number. Very easy to work with. Please don't spread fake news around the web.
I hunt an AR with .450 Bushy upper, Collapsible Stock, and 4 rail free float hand guard, Jewell trigger. It is great for walking through the woods or climbing into a blind, truck. Carry on a single point sling like an M4. Not a long range option, for that there are more suitable options but for applications listed above… The .450 Bushmaster is an excellent cartridge and deer, hogs and coyotes cannot tell that the .450 Bushmaster doesn't have .458 bullet BC or construction. .450 BM kills animals like a Hammer and isn't that what you want .?
The Ruger is an interesting firearm ?
Sorry to say, don't think it does anything a Marlin Guide Gun already does.
The Marlin is a lot less $.
I cannot fathom why they chose .452 rather than .458 for bullet diameter. Maybe they didn't want to be accused of duplicating the SOCOM (did it come first?). Choosing a pistol caliber limits you on the upper end of bullet weight. Also, many of the expanding pistol projectiles will give very little penetration when pushed harder than intended through a rifle barrel. Sure, hard cast bullets or solids will work, but you are still shooting pistol bullets with a lesser BC than rifle shaped bullets. Somebody help me out, cause I just don't get it.
I recall hearing something about the .450 Bushmaster being loaded with muzzleloader projectiles rather than a more standard offering for a cartridge arm. Maybe that is where the difference comes in? Do .45 caliber muzzleloaders shoot a .452″? It does seem obvious that a .458″ would offer a greater variety of heavier bullets but would a cartridge with a case as small as a .450 Bushmaster, in the .223 class, flourish with a 300+ grain projectile? I could not say for certainty without some experimentation but I would expect not.
Tim designed the round to use the .452 bullets due to a much larger selection of projectiles. This thought process also includes the fact that .458 bullets can be resized to .452 and used as well. Best of both worlds.
Whenever there's a sales slump in the shooting industry, various companies parade out their latest series of firearms & cartridges, hoping to stir up interest. In recent memory, we see the WSM & the WSSM series of cartridges. Remington brought out the RUM series. Of the entire WSM & RUM series, perhaps one or two each of those two series of cartridges might survive. Occasionally, you'll have a real barn burner like the .40 S&W. If you happen to have a firearm chambered in one of the discontinued chamberings, then too bad/so sad; you my friend are SOL. After reading the article I only have one word: why?
Once again this website completes the task of being kust another sales tool.
OMG Yet Another almost useless obscure cartridge trying to JUSTIFY IT'S EXISTENCE!!
I do not own this rifle. I have not fired nor studied it. But I am very familiar with the rear sight since it was borrowed from the Mini-14/30 and is a piece of crap. If my two Mini-14s are used as examples, the rear peep hole sight is unstable. It moves constantly due to the high recoil forces and has very little measurable adjustment. "Blue" Locktite helps keep it still but doesn't help with accuracy. The rear sight body itself gets jarred out of place with continuous recoil. Again Locktite helps.
The answer is forget the iron sights and get a red dot for the "Scout" rail or a quick action AR scope. But my chief question is a 450 round for what? What's wrong with standard game ammo?
Non-standard cartridge and hearing protection needed are non-starters for me in only one rifle. And these non-starters are only two of many.
I have the Ruger American SS 22″ barrel model. It is hands down the most accurate out of the box rifle I own and or have ever shot. Have no regrets what so ever with the gun. A breeze to reload for. have had no issues finding loaded ammo or brass. To me it is a modern 45-70 and yes I own a LOT of 45-70 guns. And no I will not get rid of them.
I own several .444 Marlins which will do anything that this 450 Bushmaster can accomplish… In fact it will most likely do it even better and has been around since 1965. Also have a pair of 45/70's Lever Guns that cost me @ $300 each and are in the same power class but will concentrate on only the .444 Marlin because I feel it's actually the superior cartridge.
#1. A 444 with 22″ bbl shooting a 240 gr .429 slug at 2300+ fps with @ 2900fps of energy… Ammo easy to find and paid only $325 at gun show for a used 99%+ gun still in original box. Will also push a 265 grain slug at @ 2200 fps and a 300 grain at @ 2,000 fps. both with enough energy to drop anything on the North American Continent.
#2. Also own a scarce Marlin .444P built in 1999 with 18.5″ ported bbl… 1/20 Ballard Twist weighing in at 6.5 lbs and 37″ long that can still push that 240 grainer at @ 2200 fps with more than adequate punch to drop anything within that 200 yard barrier. Cost on that jewel after a bit of negotiating was a mere $375 in Feb of 2017 at a local gun show and was also is in original box and believe it was still UN-fired.
Those lever guns are also much faster on 2nd and consecutive shots than any bolt action… especially in a Brush Hunting Situation.
So why pay $1,200 for a .450 Bushmaster Ruger that's almost impossible to get ammo for unless you stock up online at ridiculous prices. Not convinced that it's a very good deal until ammo prices drop and become more available.. plus the gun also becomes more available and can be purchased at @ half or less of that suggested retail price.
It's not any uglier than a SMLE, and what I was reminded of at first glance. The .44 Mag Ruger Semi Auto, Model 3 in .45-70, certain 788 Remingtons, .350 Mags, Model 7's were presented much the same way. Stubby brush guns, varying degrees of power, saleable profiles.
Which isn't so ugly at all, undeniable attraction to function over form, which should be applied more often.
Limited availability of rounds preclude choice for all-in-one right now, but the point is valid. Lots of cartridges apply to all-in-one theorizing; though just another way to market one more into your personal arsenal. It is the firearm + cartridge which really dictate all-in-one.
One more interesting detail is authors productive dexterity in wildcatting new rounds; viz .556, .5.56, 450 Bushmaster.
The one rifle concept limited to around 2-3 meter range is just stupid.
Especially in a Bolt gun!
The .450 is an excellent short range hunting cartridge, but hardly a "one rifle" caliber due it's lack of range.
If survival were strictly as a game getter in heavy forest or brush, than perhaps, but it lacks credibility on so many points.
It would be severely limited in open prairie or savannah.
The comparison to the .308 pales when ranges to 500 meters and non game usage come into play.
Factory ammo? What an interesting idea. Bought one of these (yep, sure are ugly rifles), got a bunch of brass and a set of dies and got out my Ranier plated lead .45 Colt projectiles…what a pleasant and uncomplicated cartridge to load. Was I absolutely amazed by the sub MOA group on my rest. The rifle is a tack driver…with my cheap cast/plated bullets…the author didn't lie, it's an accurate rifle/load to shoot….not a pretty rifle though.
The 450 BM was developed for the AR, and is useful in that platform, but suggesting that that cartridge in an all purpose, one rifle only as a great choice is a poor recommendation. The 45-70 is a much better choice with better ballistics in the non-trapdoor loadings and has better availability. Plus using the trapdoor loadings offers a low recoil option for practice or other uses. Leave the 450 BM for the AR, but if you only have one gun and it is an AR then this would be a welcome caliber option for bigger stuff.
WHY? This has still not been answered. Not for me. If you like to shoot more than a few shells you will have to take out a second loan on the homestead to buy ammo. One rifle , make it one that you can afford to shoot and ammo is easy to find. .22 rim fire,.223 the older calibers that can be found at your local sporting goods store,even if you live in a small town.
Nice Article. My buddy and I have Gunsite Scouts that started as 308's and were rebarreled by SBR to 458 SOCOM, a few years ago. Supersonic it's formidable with 325 gr Tripleshocks. Subsonic and suppressed its INCREDIBLE with 500 gr JSP's. Bushmaster and Beowulf are cool but lack bullet options the 458 SOCOM has available.
The 450BM can use any 0.451-0.452 bullet that is designed for the velocity you're loading it to…AR platform rifles pretty much require a jacketed design, though. You can get bullets from the factory loadings that are polymer-tipped, solid copper hollow point, solid brass and regular JHP designs. Ditto plus some for handloading components. Brass is available from Hornady and Starline.
How might the .450 work for Deer hunting or would it be too much gun?
The .308 based 45 Raptor has 30% more energy than the shorter Bushmaster. Why not take full advantage of the Ruger Scout receiver?
I got the .450 Bushmaster upper for my mil spec AR-15 lower and love it! 2 guns in 1.
The 450 Bushmaster isn't twice the diameter of the .308, but perhaps the author meant twice the frontal area?
It's a little more than twice the cross sectional area, not diameter as you point out.
I believe the author was referring to the expanded bullet size, which in the picture looks to be almost, but not quite, twice the diameter of the .308. The .308 is a ways from the tape, but it looks to be just about 1/2″, whereas the bushmaster is over 3/4″ expanded. Still hyperbole, though.
Another advantage to a bolt action 450 BM is you can load it much hotter than for an AR. The AR is limited to 40k psi due to the ammount of material that had to be removed from the bolt head to accommodate the 450 BM round. A bolt action that shares the same bolt head as any 308, 30-06, ect has no such limitation and can be loaded back up to 284 win specs which is over 60k psi. Its good for an additional 300-400 fps over factory loads. The cases are immensly strong and last nearly forever, even when using nuclear level loads. I'm able to push 250's at 2600 fps without issue and 300's to about 2300 fps. It is able to use a very wide rsnge of powders from fast pistol powders for subs to some of the faster rifle powders. It'll shoot any .452 dia projectile and you can also resize .458 rifle projectiles and use those as well. Its a very versitile round and proven to be very accurate in my experience.
If I could only have one rifle, it would be one that fired common, easy to find ammunition. IMHO almost any combo gun, like a .223/12ga. Why that particular pairing? Well, .223 is almost as popular as .22 and 12ga is arguably the most popular shotgun ammo (in addition to both being military rounds). So, if SHTF ever occurred, both rounds should be relatively easy to obtain by scrounging.
Why limit yourself to one caliber, especially one that is not common, like the Bushmaster .450?
Just thinking back to less than a year ago, when there was a national disaster (8 years long…) 223/555 was scarce as hens teeth. 450 Bushmaster was available at the LGS, Walmart, and DSG. Given the popularity of the 223, it's gonna be the first round to disappear in any sort of emergency or panic.
I've rethought my SHTF/EOTWAWKI scenarios since then. Just because the military uses it doesn't mean I'll be able to get it. It will be hoarded and used by people with guns and armies to back them. Better off getting what you need/want now in whatever caliber you prefer. Better still, have a variety of calibers to take advantage of whatever you can find. Better still, reload and stockpile components.
Better still, establish yourself early on after societal collapse as a local warlord/hegemon so you can command the armies to do your bidding and not worry about the whole caliber problem.
Wouldn't try to sell anyone what on the 45-70, 458 SOCOM, or 450 BM, but it's not a terrible idea. Agreed that it's not gonna be a great "do it all" round (I wouldn't want to eat the squirrel shot by any of those rounds), but I could see it serving a useful place in an arsenal of freedom.
I agree that the .450 is a great round! BUT If you can have only one gun, why would you pick one that is almost impossible to find Ammo for?????? A .22 rifle is the best if you can only have one. Ammo is always available and cheap! You may not be able to take big game easily, but you can both protect yourself and take small game easily!
Hands off my 22 I agree with having only one, give me a 22 it will take small to mid range game. They are very deadly with the right bullet placement.


The Golden Dream Barbie is a golden-haired beauty with a beguiling look. The style and aura of this 1980 Barbie doll is simply sensational. Bright golden tones speak volumes of the immense glory and beauty of this Barbie doll. This 1980 Barbie doll flaunts a metallic gold halter jumpsuit, complete with a gold stripe over her skirt. This fabulous golden outfit defines her look, adding to this Barbie dolls appeal. Her beautiful eyes, hair and that perfect smile are what makes the Golden Dream Barbie doll even more desirable.
Excellent doll, value,and beautiful .
So glad to see the new Golden dream Barbie available, did a great justice to the lovely vintage doll,a beautiful collectible, Superstar Barbies are awesome additions to any serious collection.
I always wanted one when I was young.
Classic vintage era Barbie with hair really holds almost any style - unlike the latest versions by Mattel that only hold a curl for a few seconds, then straitens on its own.
This doll is a dream doll for all Barbie Collectors! She is real vintage 80's Gold! A beautiful must have! One of the best Mattel dolls from that time! One of the best Christie dolls by Mattel ever made! Mattel doesn't make dolls like they used to! They could learn a thing or two from their past, cause there dolls of today are bunk!
The doll arrived before expected and in excellent condition.
Barbie Made to Move ENDLESS MOVES African American Doll Yellow Top NEW NRFB!


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
  JBoss, Home of Professional Open Source
  Copyright Red Hat, Inc., and individual contributors

  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
  You may obtain a copy of the License at

      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  limitations under the License.
-->
<module xmlns="urn:jboss:module:1.0" name="com.mysql.jdbc">
  <resources>
    <resource-root path="mysql-connector-java-8.0.15.jar"/>
        <!-- Insert resources here -->
  </resources>
  <dependencies>
    <module name="javax.api"/>
    <module name="javax.transaction.api"/>
  </dependencies>
</module>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nostalgia Classic Cars now offering Backdraft Racing Shelby Cobra kit car in the UAE
by Fazeen Abdeen. December 23, 2019.
The 1960s and 70s are revered to be the ultimate era or car design. Many cars from this era have gone on to become classics. In this modern age, many companies have made modern interpretations of classic cars, including the Stinger 911 and the Eagle Speedster. Doing it a bit differently, Backdraft Racing is an American manufacturer who has specialised in creating modern-day replicas of the legendary Shelby Cobra. It is now available in the UAE, with Nostalgia Classic Cars serving as its dealer principal for Dubai and the Gulf region.
The Shelby kit car made by Backdraft Racing is christened RT3B Black Edition Roadster and it combines the 1960s' design with modern materials to produce a breathing replica of Caroll Shelby's legendary creation.
The showroom for Nostalgia Classic Cars is located at the Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. It also has a Nostalgia Workshop, where classic cars are restored and maintained. The first inklings of the deal formulated when the founder of Nostalgia Classic Cars, Mazin Al Khatib ordered his first roadster from Backdraft Racing in 2006.
Along with Nostalgia Classic Cars, Backdraft Racing will also launch a one-make Backdraft Track Car Racing Series in the first quarter of 2020. This series will compete with the German and Italian sports car manufacturers with the first series planned for South Africa. This will be followed by series for Sweden, UK and UAE.
Backdraft racing
Nostalgia Classic Cars
Ferrari Roma conservatively adds to the Italian carmaker's lineup
First drive: 2019 Lada 4x4 Urban in Jordan
shakeel Ahmed
Can I have a RIDE
aadin
you cant afford it
i would like to see a widebody

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Get in shape with our certified personal trainers and exclusive, state-of-the-art fitness suite. Depending on your lifestyle and body type, our personal trainers will tailor a bespoke regime to ensure that you achieve the results you desire.
*All prices are in UAE Dirham and are inclusive of all applicable service charges, local fees and taxes.


text:
Latest newsIn-depth Video
UN says no evidence to back Russian claim of Ukraine biological weapons program
Posted Fri 11 Mar 2022 at 10:08pm Friday 11 Mar 2022 at 10:08pm Fri 11 Mar 2022 at 10:08pm
Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed Ukraine ran biological weapons laboratories with US support. (AP: UNTV)
abc.net.au/news/us-accuses-russia-of-using-un-council-for-disinformation-/100905012
The United Nations has said it found no evidence Ukraine had a biological weapons program, while Washington and its allies accused Russia of spreading "disinformation" as a possible prelude to launching its own biological or chemical attacks.
Member countries used the session to accuse Russia of deliberately targeting civilians
Russia's envoy said Ukraine has at least 30 biological laboratories carrying out "very dangerous biological experiments"
Ukraine does have a network of biological labs working to reduce the likelihood of deadly outbreaks
Russia called the meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council to reassert through its envoy Vassily Nebenzia that Ukraine ran biological weapons laboratories with US Defence Department support.
No evidence was provided.
Member countries called the claim "a lie" and "utter nonsense" and used the session to accuse Russia of deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians in Ukraine, assertions that Russia denies in a 15-day offensive it calls "a special military operation".
Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the council the United Nations was "not aware" of any biological weapons program in Ukraine, which had joined an international ban on such arms — as has Russia and the United States, along with 180 other countries.
But Mr Nebenzia said Russia's defence ministry had documents charging that Ukraine had at least 30 biological laboratories carrying out "very dangerous biological experiments" involving pathogens, and its work was "being done and funded and supervised by the Defence Threat Reduction Agency of the United States".
Member countries called Russia's claims "a lie" and "utter nonsense". (AP: UNTV)
Ukraine does have a network of biological labs that have received funding and research support from the US — but they are owned and operated by Ukraine and are part of an initiative called the Biological Threat Reduction Program that aims to reduce the likelihood of deadly outbreaks, whether natural or man-made.
Read more on Russia's invasion of Ukraine:
Ukraine now has a 'tank coalition'. Here's what its new battlefield line-up looks like
Russia renews large-scale missile attacks across Ukraine
Are these German tanks powerful enough to drive back the Russians from Ukraine?
"The labs are not secret," Filippa Lentzos a senior lecturer in science and international security at King's College London, said via email.
"They are not being used in relation to bioweapons. This is all disinformation."
The WHO advised Ukraine on Thursday to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in its public health laboratories to prevent "any potential spills" that would spread disease among the population.
What is a 'false flag' operation?
Russia is accused of staging "false flag" attacks — including the shelling of a kindergarten — as a pretext for invading Ukraine. So what is a "false flag" operation?
The US envoy to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Washington was "deeply concerned" that Russia called the session as a "false flag effort" to lay the groundwork for its own use of biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Although she provided no evidence of an imminent Russian threat during the meeting, she said: "Russia has a track record of falsely accusing other countries of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating."
"The intent behind these lies seems clear, and it is deeply troubling.
"We believe Russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations, as part of a staged or false flag incident, or to support tactical military operations."
Britain's UN Ambassador, Barbara Woodward, called the allegations "utter nonsense" and said "Russia is sinking to new depths today, but the council must not get dragged down with it".
Loading YouTube content
Russia cites US invasion of Iraq
Responding to Ms Thomas-Greenfield's statement, Mr Nebenzia recalled then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell's 2003 Security Council testimony when he presented what Washington claimed was proof that Iraq was hiding banned weapons of mass destruction programs.
What constitutes a war crime?
The International Criminal Court and several European countries are investigating suspected war crimes in Ukraine, so what happens if a case can be made against Russia, who might be charged and what courts have the authority to try such a case?
The United States used the assertion, which turned out to be false, to justify its 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Answering the Russian envoy, Ms Thomas-Greenfield said: "I know that you expect me to respond but we're not going to give any more airtime to the lies that you're hearing today."
She also accused Russia's ally, China, of "spreading disinformation in support of Russia's outrageous claims".
China's UN Ambassador, Zhang Jun, expressed concern at Russia's accusations and urged an investigation to "provide a comprehensive clarification and accept a multilateral verification".
'Fantasies or starry-eyed stories'
US allies echoed Ms Thomas-Greenfield's concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin's government was spreading the claim of a US-backed bioweapons program in Ukraine to prepare its own chemical or biological attacks in Ukraine.
"The council should not be served with fantasies or starry-eyed stories, but with proof independently verified and collaborated," said Ferit Hoxha, ambassador of NATO member Albania.
"We should therefore be very worried that in spreading such disinformation, a crescendo of allegations about weapons of mass destruction could serve as yet another pretext for Russia to prepare the ground and use chemical or biological weapons during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine."
Russia has been accused of deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians in Ukraine. (AP: Evgeniy Maloletka)
The international community for years has assessed that Russia used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against its political opponents, such as Alexei Navalny, now in a Russian prison, and former spy Sergei Skripal, who lives in the UK.
Russia also supports the Syrian government, which has used chemical weapons against its people in an 11-year civil war.
Russia denies these allegations.
"Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons and has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law," said Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations.
She added Moscow has "a track record of falsely accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating".
Duration: 56 seconds 56s
Russia preparing chemical attacks says Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
ABC/wires
Posted 11 Mar 2022 11 Mar 2022 Fri 11 Mar 2022 at 10:08pm
EU accuses Russia of war crimes as US, UK raise fears chemical weapons may be used
China repeats unsubstantiated Russian claims of Ukrainian bioweapons labs, increasing fears of a false-flag attack
What weapons are being used in Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
Unrest, Conflict and War


Anatolia Geneworks added 30 new products to its portfolio.
We developed 13 new respiratory infections pathogen panel kits, 9 new kits for detecting sexually transmitted diseases and 2 new genetic mutation detection kits.
We also added 4 new food safety testing kits and a brand-new meat species identification kit to our Real-Time PCR Food Panel.
You may find our product list for 2018 by clicking the picture below.


One of the early proponents of blockchain technology, Vin is a technology investor, product architect and strategic adviser. Additionally, Vin is the founder of ICOwhitelist.com, the worlds largest blockchain investor network. For the last 24 years, Vin has been working closely with emerging technologies and has had several successful exits.


text:
 + Add better error messages for XPM file
 + Clean up error handling

### 6/23/2016
 + Move CTurbulenceUtil to separate header
 + use CRGBUtil for color conversion


We're happy that they responded and cleaned things up, but only time will tell if they will keep it clean or not. Note: there's still a lot more scam applications that they haven't yet removed, so continue to beware until this mess is fully clean.
Luckily, VLC actually offers an official app for Windows 8, so "VLC for Windows 8" is the first app in the list. In addition to various apps pretending to be VLC itself, there are paid apps offering a "VLC download." These apps exist to trick you into buying them — after you do, they give you a link to download the free VLC application. Hopefully they'll link you to the real one and not one filled with malware!
Microsoft hasn't been encouraging quality apps. Instead, they just want quantity. In March, 2013, Microsoft ran a promotion where they paid developers $100 for each app they submitted to the Windows Store or Windows Phone Store. They paid up to $2000 to each developer. Here's the page from Archive.org describing the "Keep The Cash" promotion. Microsoft has scrubbed the official pages about this from their MSDN website.
Here's what happens when we search for Firefox on the iPad app store. Firefox isn't available for iOS, so do we see scams here? No. Instead, we see a variety of third-party web browsers that someone looking for Firefox might be interested in. "Foxbrowser" might look like a Firefox imitation, but it's a browser that includes built-in Firefox Sync. It's not designed to trick users — it offers a useful feature to Firefox users.
The only difference is that, for every scam app sold in the Windows Store, Microsoft gets a cut.


text:
Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections
Ulrike Gerdemann, Jacqueline M. Keirnan, Usha L. Katari, Ryu Yanagisawa, Anne S. Christin, Leslie E. Huye, Serena K. Perna, Sravya Ennamuri, Stephen Gottschalk, Malcolm K. Brenner, Helen E. Heslop, Cliona M. Rooney, Ann M. Leen
Severe and fatal viral infections remain common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adoptive transfer of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and adenoviral antigens can treat infections that are impervious to conventional therapies, but broader implementation and extension to additional viruses is limited by competition between virus-derived antigens and time-consuming and laborious manufacturing procedures. We now describe a system that rapidly generates a single preparation of polyclonal (CD4+ and CD8+ ) CTLs that is consistently specific for 15 immunodominant and subdominant antigens derived from 7 viruses (EBV, CMV, Adenovirus (Adv), BK, human herpes virus (HHV)-6, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Influenza) that commonly cause post-transplant morbidity and mortality. CTLs can be rapidly produced (10 days) by a single stimulation of donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with a peptide mixture spanning the target antigens in the presence of the potent prosurvival cytokines interleukin-4 (IL4) and IL7. This approach reduces the impact of antigenic competition with a consequent increase in the antigenic repertoire and frequency of virus-specific T cells. Our approach can be readily introduced into clinical practice and should be a cost-effective alternative to common antiviral prophylactic agents for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
Molecular Therapy
https://doi.org/10.1038/mt.2012.130
10.1038/mt.2012.130
Dive into the research topics of 'Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Antigen Chemistry 77%
Virus Diseases Medicine & Life Sciences 68%
Viruses Medicine & Life Sciences 61%
Antigens Medicine & Life Sciences 47%
Cytomegalovirus Medicine & Life Sciences 36%
Human Herpesvirus 4 Medicine & Life Sciences 36%
Human Adenoviruses Medicine & Life Sciences 24%
Gerdemann, U., Keirnan, J. M., Katari, U. L., Yanagisawa, R., Christin, A. S., Huye, L. E., Perna, S. K., Ennamuri, S., Gottschalk, S., Brenner, M. K., Heslop, H. E., Rooney, C. M., & Leen, A. M. (2012). Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections. Molecular Therapy, 20(8), 1622-1632. https://doi.org/10.1038/mt.2012.130
Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections. / Gerdemann, Ulrike; Keirnan, Jacqueline M.; Katari, Usha L. et al.
In: Molecular Therapy, Vol. 20, No. 8, 08.2012, p. 1622-1632.
Gerdemann, U, Keirnan, JM, Katari, UL, Yanagisawa, R, Christin, AS, Huye, LE, Perna, SK, Ennamuri, S, Gottschalk, S, Brenner, MK, Heslop, HE, Rooney, CM & Leen, AM 2012, 'Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections', Molecular Therapy, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 1622-1632. https://doi.org/10.1038/mt.2012.130
Gerdemann U, Keirnan JM, Katari UL, Yanagisawa R, Christin AS, Huye LE et al. Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections. Molecular Therapy. 2012 Aug;20(8):1622-1632. https://doi.org/10.1038/mt.2012.130
Gerdemann, Ulrike ; Keirnan, Jacqueline M. ; Katari, Usha L. et al. / Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections. In: Molecular Therapy. 2012 ; Vol. 20, No. 8. pp. 1622-1632.
@article{457525ed610a452395459570796806c7,
title = "Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections",
abstract = "Severe and fatal viral infections remain common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adoptive transfer of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and adenoviral antigens can treat infections that are impervious to conventional therapies, but broader implementation and extension to additional viruses is limited by competition between virus-derived antigens and time-consuming and laborious manufacturing procedures. We now describe a system that rapidly generates a single preparation of polyclonal (CD4+ and CD8+ ) CTLs that is consistently specific for 15 immunodominant and subdominant antigens derived from 7 viruses (EBV, CMV, Adenovirus (Adv), BK, human herpes virus (HHV)-6, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Influenza) that commonly cause post-transplant morbidity and mortality. CTLs can be rapidly produced (10 days) by a single stimulation of donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with a peptide mixture spanning the target antigens in the presence of the potent prosurvival cytokines interleukin-4 (IL4) and IL7. This approach reduces the impact of antigenic competition with a consequent increase in the antigenic repertoire and frequency of virus-specific T cells. Our approach can be readily introduced into clinical practice and should be a cost-effective alternative to common antiviral prophylactic agents for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.",
author = "Ulrike Gerdemann and Keirnan, {Jacqueline M.} and Katari, {Usha L.} and Ryu Yanagisawa and Christin, {Anne S.} and Huye, {Leslie E.} and Perna, {Serena K.} and Sravya Ennamuri and Stephen Gottschalk and Brenner, {Malcolm K.} and Heslop, {Helen E.} and Rooney, {Cliona M.} and Leen, {Ann M.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors were supported by NIH grants U54 HL081007, N01-HB-10-03, and the NHLBI Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT). A.M.L. was supported by the National Marrow Donor Program through funding from the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program and a Texas Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital Research Pilot award. U.G. was funded by a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Special Fellow in Clinical Research Award, an ASBMT Young Investigator Award and the HHV6 Foundation. H.E.H. is supported by a Dan L. Duncan Chair and M.K.B. by a Fayez Sarofim Chair. The authors declared no conflict of interest.",
doi = "10.1038/mt.2012.130",
journal = "Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy",
T1 - Rapidly generated multivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections
AU - Gerdemann, Ulrike
AU - Keirnan, Jacqueline M.
AU - Katari, Usha L.
AU - Yanagisawa, Ryu
AU - Christin, Anne S.
AU - Huye, Leslie E.
AU - Perna, Serena K.
AU - Ennamuri, Sravya
AU - Gottschalk, Stephen
AU - Brenner, Malcolm K.
AU - Heslop, Helen E.
AU - Rooney, Cliona M.
AU - Leen, Ann M.
N1 - Funding Information: The authors were supported by NIH grants U54 HL081007, N01-HB-10-03, and the NHLBI Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT). A.M.L. was supported by the National Marrow Donor Program through funding from the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program and a Texas Children's Hospital Research Pilot award. U.G. was funded by a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Special Fellow in Clinical Research Award, an ASBMT Young Investigator Award and the HHV6 Foundation. H.E.H. is supported by a Dan L. Duncan Chair and M.K.B. by a Fayez Sarofim Chair. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
N2 - Severe and fatal viral infections remain common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adoptive transfer of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and adenoviral antigens can treat infections that are impervious to conventional therapies, but broader implementation and extension to additional viruses is limited by competition between virus-derived antigens and time-consuming and laborious manufacturing procedures. We now describe a system that rapidly generates a single preparation of polyclonal (CD4+ and CD8+ ) CTLs that is consistently specific for 15 immunodominant and subdominant antigens derived from 7 viruses (EBV, CMV, Adenovirus (Adv), BK, human herpes virus (HHV)-6, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Influenza) that commonly cause post-transplant morbidity and mortality. CTLs can be rapidly produced (10 days) by a single stimulation of donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with a peptide mixture spanning the target antigens in the presence of the potent prosurvival cytokines interleukin-4 (IL4) and IL7. This approach reduces the impact of antigenic competition with a consequent increase in the antigenic repertoire and frequency of virus-specific T cells. Our approach can be readily introduced into clinical practice and should be a cost-effective alternative to common antiviral prophylactic agents for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
AB - Severe and fatal viral infections remain common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adoptive transfer of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and adenoviral antigens can treat infections that are impervious to conventional therapies, but broader implementation and extension to additional viruses is limited by competition between virus-derived antigens and time-consuming and laborious manufacturing procedures. We now describe a system that rapidly generates a single preparation of polyclonal (CD4+ and CD8+ ) CTLs that is consistently specific for 15 immunodominant and subdominant antigens derived from 7 viruses (EBV, CMV, Adenovirus (Adv), BK, human herpes virus (HHV)-6, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Influenza) that commonly cause post-transplant morbidity and mortality. CTLs can be rapidly produced (10 days) by a single stimulation of donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with a peptide mixture spanning the target antigens in the presence of the potent prosurvival cytokines interleukin-4 (IL4) and IL7. This approach reduces the impact of antigenic competition with a consequent increase in the antigenic repertoire and frequency of virus-specific T cells. Our approach can be readily introduced into clinical practice and should be a cost-effective alternative to common antiviral prophylactic agents for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
U2 - 10.1038/mt.2012.130
DO - 10.1038/mt.2012.130
JO - Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy
JF - Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy


Membership of MCRN is open to individuals and organisations (community groups, or registrable corporations, or incorporated associations) which agree to work within the Mission, Vision and objects of MCRN as outlined in the MCRN Strategic Plan, and MCRN's Code of Ethics, and which are located in and/or provide community services within the Blue Mountains area and/or to members of the Blue Mountains community.
An incorporated association, or unincorporated community group, or registrable corporation, may also be eligible to join MCRN as long as the organisation nominates a person to represent the member organisation as the voting delegate for the organisation.
All membership applications are subject to approval or rejection by the MCRN Board and, if approved, to receipt of the sum payable for a minimum of one year's subscription.
Becoming a member of the MCRN is an excellent way of keeping up-to-date with what other community sector organisations are doing, networking and collaborating on joint projects, being represented in local and broader fora, and being supported with advocacy, resources, research and training to facilitate a socially just, empowered, inclusive, connected and resilient community in the Blue Mountains.
MCRN members are invited to attend and participate in the monthly Blue Mountains Community Interagency (BMCI) meetings and receive updates on related issues.
- (by popular demand) Kris Newton's delicious recipes!
The MCRN Membership Application form is available as an online document in Word and also in pdf if you would prefer to print it out and fill it out manually.
The cost of subscription is set out in the MCRN Membership Application form and depends on the type of membership, how many years for which you wish to subscribe and, if you are an organisation, how many people you want to include in the membership.
The types of membership available are: Individual (persons not representing an organisaton), Community Sector Organisation, and Government Organisation/For Profit Organisation/Full-Funded Non-Community Sector Program.
The subscription period can be for 1, 2 or 3 financial years. Membership applications approved prior to or on 31 March will be subscribed for the current financial year. Membership applications approved on or after 31 March and on or before 30 June will be registered for the following financial year. For example, the first financial year subscription for an application approved on or betwen 1 July 2018 and 31 March 2019 will be for the 2018-19 financial year, whereas, the first financial year subscription for an application approved on or between 1 April 2019 and 30 June 2019 will be for the 2019-2020 financial year.
If you would like to include even more people in your membership, additional participants can be nominated for a small annual fee per person.
After you send your membership application form to MCRN, it will be checked for completeness then forwarded to the MCRN Board for approval. This usually takes a few weeks, depending on the availability of Board Members.
Once your membership application is approved by the MCRN Board, we will advise you immediately and send an invoice for your subscription. Once the invoice is paid, we will add your details to the MCRN Membership Register, our mailing lists and send all nominated participants website log-in details.


May 8, 2006: The new U.S. F-35 fighter is coming under a lot of criticism as its price keeps rising. Currently, each one will cost, on average, about $113 million. Prices of less than half that are often mentioned, but that's just manufacturing cost. It's the development expense that is going up the most. Congress is so incensed that they are threatening to prevent the construction of the first five F-35s this year. That would delay flight testing, and drive up development costs even more. The F-35 is the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) that would be used by the air force, navy and many allied nations. It would replace the F-16, F-18 and Harrier. It's a stealthy aircraft, using a lot of new technologies. But most of this new stuff has not been tested, and that's usually a sign that costs are going up even more.
The F-22 is already in service, and costs $170 million each just to build. Add in development costs, and you more than double that.


This publication provides both an outline and recommendations for shaping college and career readiness at the classroom, school and district levels. It is part of a larger series that supports that work.
Cervone, B. & Cushman, K.
This book focuses on how five high schools have supported Social and Emotional Learning for their students. Because the schools vary in their size, demographics and structures, there are resources and ideas for educators in a variety of settings.
This book examines how the language we use shapes our expectations for students and supports their student agency. It is especially helpful for professional development and coaching teachers to shape student success in small ways.
This book is a complement to Choice Words. It examines even more specifically how our words as educators can foster students' mindset about learning.
This book examines strategies and topics to discuss race and equity in schools. We have used this book to shape our professional development to support all students' belonging and thriving in our school. The conversation protocol has been especially helpful.


text:
The New Blather
My Writing Blog
My Twitch
Movies watched in May 2012
Published by S P Hannifin on June 3, 2012
Here are the films I watched in May 2012.
This 1993 film from director Guillermo del Toro is a bit of a "vampire origin" story. An old man stumbles upon a "Cronos" device, an immortal-insect powered machine made by a 16th century alchemist. When someone uses the device by filtering his blood through it, he becomes immortal, and quite vampire-like (he wants to drink blood and stay out of sunlight, for example). It's classified as a "horror" movie for its definite horror elements and visuals, but at its heart, like del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, it is really a fantastical drama; the horror elements are not there simply for their own sake. Fun movie, even while some of the visuals were definitely quite repulsive.
I had never seen this 1982 Ridley Scott sci-fi film all the way through before, and the pieces I'd seen on TV were from the theatrical "narrated" version which I couldn't stand. The narration was poorly written, poorly performed, unneeded drivel. So I was happy they made a version without the narration. It's certainly a visually stunning film, a very engaging world of night with smoke and rain and neon signs. The pre-CGI special effects are remarkable. Unfortunately the story itself was too loose for me; Deckard, as performed by Harrison Ford, needed more personality and drive for his replicant-murder quest. And the theme of wondering what it means to be human by pondering the nature of replicants is just not a very interesting philosophical question to me; I've already thought about it too much myself for such a film to engage me with such philosophical predicaments. But I can understand why the film seems so iconic.
The Human Condition – No Greater Love
This 1959 Japanese film is the first installment of an epic trilogy (based on Japanese novels) directed by Masaki Kobayashi. This first film tells the tale of Kaji who is sent to supervise a prison camp where prisoners are forced to work in mines. Kaji works to overturn the injustice he finds there, but meets very few who agree with his moral positions. The roller coaster of drama often makes the 3-hour film feel more like a TV miniseries than a self-contained story, but it is fantastic. A great story with great acting and constantly gripping conflict.
Ivan's Childhood
This 1962 tragic Soviet film from director Andrei Tarkovsky tells the story of a child named Ivan (who woulda thunk?) who is orphaned by the tragedies of World War 2 and can no longer stand to merely wait on the sidelines. So he joins Soviet army doing reconnaissance missions as they battle the Germans. The film features great cinematographic composition, great use of sound (when the sounds and visuals don't match, but you can tell what the film is "saying"), and great acting. The story seemed rather sparse to me, which can sometimes be disconcerting for my American-ized tastes, but I think it was purposefully done in this case in the effort of making the film seem more like a bundle of distant childhood memories than a clear-cut this-then-that sequence of events, and from that point of view it is successful.
The Pirates: Band of Misfits
This 2012 animated feature from Aardman Animations provided some great light-hearted fare after watching those somewhat depressing black-and-white war films. A glimpse at some non-CGI animation was also quite refreshing, as characters do not move and arc through their motions in the quite the same way. I love the way stop-motion can feel so much more tangible than CGI, like toys come to life. While the story itself was a bit too light-hearted for me (The Pirate Captain wants to win the "Pirate of the Year" award – don't mind me if I can't quite relate to the gripping conflict that implies), I loved the wild ridiculous humor of it all, and the storytellers did form a well-structured cohesive story out of it. I had feared the humor would be too cheesy and childish for me. Some of it was, but some of it was hilarious, and I found myself laughing out loud. (Though the row of seven or eight children behind me did have some pre-show commentary, such as "The movie is starting!", I became too engaged in the story of the Pirate Captain to notice whether or not they laughed at all.) (And I had to laugh at how they changed the "leper-boat" joke to a "plague-boat" (with obvious lepers) joke. Because you don't want to offend lepers in a stop-motion film. Heaven forbid children grow up to be anti-leper, having been encouraged by their youthful watchings of an otherwise harmless animated pirate movie!) Overall, quite a fun movie.
The classic 1960 film from Stanley Kubrick of course tells the tale of the slave Spartacus as he leads an unsuccessfully slave rebellion in the days of ancient Rome. Despite some rather cheesy fight scenes, love scenes (characters might as well have just said: "You can tell how much I love you by the background music and the twinkle in my eye!"), and effects (bright red paint = blood), the story was great and I highly enjoyed it. One of the ending scenes very much reminded me of an ending scene in the book The Hunger Games, but seemed much more authentic in how the characters ultimately responded. Great film.
The Human Condition – Road to Eternity
Kaji's adventures (if they can be called such) continue in this second film from the aforementioned trilogy. In this film, Kaji is sent to join the army itself. If he thought things were bad in the prison camp, the army isn't much better. This one reminded me a bit of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, in how superiors sometimes treat soldiers so inhumanly and slave-like, it is a wonder any war was able to be fought at all. I don't know my history, so I don't know how much these movies compare to their real-world counterparts, but in terms of questioning the moral obligations of a man in such situations in the context of a story, this film (not Kubrick's film) does a great job. Great film.
Another animated film from Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki, this one from 1984. This film tells the story of Nausicaa (which looks too much like the English word "nauseous" to me), who is the happy and well-loved princess of a happy community living in the "Valley of the Wind." The princess and her happy people live in a world full of evil toxic chemicals that have made certain areas of the world toxic. Invaders invade the valley, seeking to grow a biological weapon (a "giant warrior") in their valley which they hope will destroy the toxicity with fire most powerful, but what if it does more harm than good? Who will save the day? A pretty princess! Overall, this one left me scratching my head. I didn't understand characters' motivations, the overall plot seemed too all-over-the-place, and I tend to be annoyed with unauthentic depictions of young royalty being so naturally well-loved by royal subjects. The depiction of believable fantasy cultures, however, was quite fun.
Road to Perdition
This 2002 crime film from director Sam Mendes takes place in the 1930s. It tells the story of Mike Sullivan (an Italian – just kidding) who works for a mob boss. When his mobbish ways indirectly get his wife and son killed, he and his surviving son set out for justice/revenge. (Not sure the line between the two is very easy to distinguish when both parties have already denied certain moral standards.) A tragic but great film with a wonderful score by Thomas Newman and incredible cinematography by the late master Conrad Hall (who won an Oscar for it). I had heard someone describe the film by saying "every scene is like a painting" and it's true. I especially love the scene in which Mike's son (Mike Sullivan junior) is spying on his father through a hole near the floor and we watch the scene play out from his perspective. And the scene in which Jude Law's character is walking towards the camera and the camera moves closer and zooms out creating the effect of the world warping around him (opposite of the camera moving away and zooming in, popularly used in Goodfellas). And the scene is which it's dark and wet and rainy and we still see wonderfully defined silhouettes of mob men as they walk to a dark car before meeting their dark fates. Worth watching for the cinematography alone. Great film.
Once Upon a Time – Season 1
Not a movie, but I put TV seasons in here too. Once Upon a Time tells the story of Disney-fied fairy tale characters who are somehow "cursed" into the modern world in an act of revenge, and the only one who can break the spell is Miss Swan. (Not the MADtv character, which would've been more interesting.) I'm not really a fan of "fairy tales in the modern world!" concept, as I don't think retelling a story in a different setting is at all creative, but fortunately Once Upon a Time doesn't quite do that; it simply remakes the fairy tale characters into modern counterparts. I still found the writing to be a bit too simple, but it seems to be a much more family-oriented show than anything else on TV at that timeslot on a major network. Disney versions of fairy tales always seem to have something annoyingly unauthentic about them, and the romances in Once Upon a Time are no different. Still, I find it very interesting to see the storytellers playing with the fantastical elements they'd probably otherwise stay away from; like the cancelled fantasy show Legend of the Seeker, I find these shows inspiring from a storytelling point of view; for me, there are often little nuggets of ideas my story-plotting mind can play with, even if the stories I steal them from aren't completely engaging. You know what I mean? So I'll keep watching for Season 2.
Fringe – Season 4
This season of Fringe was not quite as strong as previous seasons have been, but I think it's because the producers made the over-arching story too complicated and are now trying to answer questions before the series ends with Season 5. I appreciate that they're trying to answer questions before it's too late, but I wish they wouldn't have made the over-arching story so complicated to begin with. Now they are paying the price. It'll be interesting to see how the series ends, but I think Season 3 was the overall strongest so far (though that animated episode from Season 3 was absolutely awful).
House – Season 8
I will miss House. The last season managed to stay strong despite Cuddy disappearing. I didn't much care for the final episode. It was nice to get the dead characters back, but in the end they raised the stakes so high that the final "joke" was just yawn-inducing. Overall, though, great season, great series.
Judgment at Nuremberg
This 1961 film directed by Stanley Kramer tells the story of judge Dan Haywood (played by Spencer Tracy) who travels to Germany after the fall of the Nazi regime to act as a judge in the Nuremberg trials, meant to judge the German judges for crimes against humanity during the Nazi regime. The film does not try to show how and why racism and the Holocaust were evil (we all know that). Rather, the film lets us question the role of these German judges. We know they weren't saints, but they didn't directly even know about the Holocaust themselves, so were they that bad? How bad were they? For a moment, I was half-afraid the judge was going to make the wrong decision. Great film. I especially loved the last lines. Ernst Janning was one of the judges on trial. He begs Haywood, the judge, to believe him when he says he didn't realize so many millions of people would be killed:
Ernst Janning: Judge Haywood… the reason I asked you to come: Those people, those millions of people… I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it, you must believe it!
Judge Dan Haywood: Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent.
I'm tempted to say the real "French connection" was the influence of that handheld camera look that was popular with French filmmakers near that time, but it was based on a book, so probably not. Anyway, this 1971 crime film tells the true (but fictionalized) story of two police men who uncover and stop a large drug smuggling. Fun movie, especially with its famous car chase scene (the end of which is completely given away in the film's iconic poster).
This 2012 film starring Mark Wahlberg tells the story of a ex-drug-smuggler who's forced back into the world of smuggling to get his family out of danger (which his brother-in-law's crimes have put them in). Fun movie.
This 2011 film tells the story of an ex-killer who's also a government agent investigating himself. When a younger agent comes close to discovering his secret, he must return to his killing ways and try to find a way out of his deadly predicament. Another fun movie.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The premise of this 2008 film was interesting. During the Holocaust, a young boy, son of a Nazi official, befriends another boy in "striped pajamas" (or "pyjamas" for foreigners who favour spelling things wrong) – a prisoner in a prison camp who we know is doomed to die. Some critics have complained that the film's premise is simply too farfetched. I can forgive the film that. But I have three complaints. Firstly, I don't think the film explored nearly as many possibilities as it could have. The film seems to draw (or try to draw) most of its emotional power from us, the audience, already understanding in retrospect how tragic the Holocaust and Nazi racism was. "Remember how bad the Holocaust was? Yeah. Feel that." The movie did little to try to create that emotion itself in terms of character relationships; instead we, the audience, must provide it by reminding ourselves how evil those Nazis were. The film could've done so much more with the character relationships. A wife who doesn't like what she sees, but turns the other way. A sister who convinces herself that because her father is a Nazi, Nazis must be a force of good. A kid in a prison camp who doesn't understand why he's being considered an enemy. The film hardly touched on any of these inner-character conflicts. Secondly, I'm not sure I agree with this currently popular notion that children are never racists themselves, but are taught to be racists through parental or societal indoctrination. If that were true, when was racism invented? I think racism is an unfortunate byproduct of the ways in which humans naturally think (by categorizing things, and labeling things as dangerous, however prejudiced that may be). In some ways, it is a survival technique (if someone has these traits, don't trust them) that has become farfetched, irrational, and immoral. But it can develop in children just as easily as adults; it does not need to be taught. Lastly, the film just seemed too inauthentic. Perhaps this relates to my first critique. Because so many character elements were left unexplored, the characters were left displaying the simplest and most cliché emotions they were capable of, as if the line between good and evil during something like the Holocaust should be as transparent as a battle between a princess and an evil stepmother in a Disney cartoon. And it's a very strange combo when you try to mix the weight of tragedy of the Holocaust with the simple and clear morality of Snow White. Judgment at Nuremberg did a much better job in this regard. We already know Nazis were evil and the Holocaust was tragic; give us something deeper! One last critique (with a SPOILER alert): at the end of the film, Bruno sneaks into the prison camp to help his prison friend Schmuel look for his missing father. How the heck does Bruno think he can help? How does he know what Schmuel's father looks like? It's such a forced way to get Bruno into the camp that what ends up happening to Bruno completely loses any dramatic power it may have had. Ultimately this film failed to live up to its potential.
"They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body. Not my obedience." This 1982 film from director Richard Attenborough truly spared no expense. (I had to.) It obviously tells the story of Gandhi. While one film, even a three hour one, can only scratch the surface of Gandhi's work, the film does a superb job of portraying "Gandhi's best moments" while stringing together a coherent and engaging life-encompassing story. While I thought Ben Kingsley looked rather odd in his Indian make-up throughout the film, his acting was (as it always is) pretty much perfect. The cinematography, the writing, the music – everything came together wonderfully for this film. While I don't agree with all of the Gandhi's philosophies (at least as they are portrayed in the film, or maybe I just misunderstand some of them), this was certainly a fantastic film (and it looks great on blu-ray).
Explorations in cinema shall continue, I hope.
Categories:	Movies
Tags: Blade RunnerContrabandCronosFringeGandhiHouseIvan's ChildhoodJudgment at NurembergNausicaa of the Valley of the WindOnce Upon a TimeRoad to PerditionSpartacusThe Boy in the Striped PajamasThe DoubleThe French ConnectionThe Human ConditionThe Pirates: Band of Misfits
Catching a Dragon
Hannifin World comic
Hanniwiki
Media Consumption Log
Sean on Pinterest
Sean on YouTube
The Compose Pile
Wizard Walk
Composer's Corner
Emergent properties
My Android app
Tunesage
Year's best
My favorites for 2017, 2018, and 2019
RIP to our cat…
My Solution to the Collatz Conjecture
The Collatz Conjecture
Y Combinator's Startup School in retrospect
S P Hannifin on My favorites for 2017, 2018, and 2019
Scott on My favorites for 2017, 2018, and 2019
S P Hannifin on My Solution to the Collatz Conjecture
Sean McGuire on But we'll never be royals
Michael on Y Combinator's Startup School in retrospect
More font fun and other random stuff
Font rendering in OpenGL Haven't done so much programming in the past week, but I did try rendering fonts with NanoVG (in lwjgl). Unfortunately it's really not much better than just using OpenGL's NV path Read more…
All the movies I watched in 2017
Happy 2018! In 2017, I watched a total of of 180 movies. That's 54 less than last year's count, but who's counting? Here's my annual collage (full list here): Favorite films… My two favorite live-action Read more…
Interesting movies for 2017
Here are some movies I'm looking forward to this year. I won't be able to afford to go to the theater as much as I'd like, but I did get some gift certificates for Christmas, Read more…


Permanent full-time position available, based in Telopea.
Work alongside and learn from skilled practitioners.
Great team environment with supportive colleagues and managers!
We are seeking a highly motivated Team Leader to provide services to children and families within the Foster Care Program, and supervise a team of Case Managers. The purpose of this position is to provide ongoing supervision, support and annual appraisal to casework staff and foster carers while overseeing the development, implementation and evaluation of all activities within the Foster Care Program. The successful candidate will liaise and develop partnerships and networks with other services for client advocacy and support and improved service delivery.
Supervise, support and annually appraise casework staff and foster carers, ensuring all OOHC Standards are maintained for children and young people in Anglicare's foster care placements.
Liaise with stakeholders and external services to achieve outcomes of safety, wellbeing and permanency for children and young people, in consultation with the Managers, other Foster Care Team Leaders and team members.
Ensure quality practices and sound administration of the programs, including carer recruitment, assessment and support, record keeping and documentation.
Recruit and orientate new employees to the service and organization.
Promote the physical, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being of clients and staff.
Demonstrated case management, team leadership and supervision skills.
Proven experience of working with children and young people, birth families, and foster families in an OOHC funded service.
Sound knowledge of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998.
Demonstrated understanding of issues pertaining to out-of-home care and the needs of children in care.
Sound understanding of issues relating to child development, attachment, trauma, grief and loss.
Experience in foster carer training and assessments.
If you are an experienced Team Leader with excellent report writing, problem solving, conflict resolution and decision making skills, we'd like to hear from you!


text:
Home › News › Catwalks
Dominique Muret
Nicola Mira
Milan Fashion Week keen to broadcast positive message
The Milan Fashion Week, which opened on Tuesday under grey skies, is scheduled to end on Monday September 28, handing the baton over to Paris. Like the unsettled Milanese weather, clear skies alternating with showers, the programme for this fashion week dedicated to the Spring/Summer 2021 womenswear (and in some cases menswear) collections has been changeable until the last minute. For obvious reasons, this can't be expected to be a normal fashion week.
The Milan Fashion Week has opened with moderate optimism - CNMI Stefano Guindani
The event's customary frenetic pace is a distant memory. The atmosphere at the Italian Fashion Chamber's Fashion Hub, the section focusing on emerging designers that opened on Tuesday night, was almost surreal. There was no hustle and bustle at the entrance like in February, only a few scattered guests slipping swiftly through the check-point where their temperature was read. At reception, each guest duly filled in a form providing their contact information, receiving in exchange a face mask in bio-tech material produced by Italian manufacturer U-mask.
"This Fashion Week must be an example of our ability to adapt and live with Covid-19 in the smartest possible way. In the course of the week, we want to demonstrate that it's possible to forge ahead despite the circumstances. I'm expecting plenty of positive energy," said Carlo Capasa, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber (CNMI), speaking to a group of journalists.
Capasa went on to list the very stringent safety regulations imposed on all labels showing. For example, wearing masks is mandatory for everyone backstage, until entering the runway. Social distancing rules must be complied with. Shows are open to a handful of journalists and buyers, on average never more than 150 people, and several labels have asked guests to fill in self-declaration forms to gain access to shows.
"Of course, we're going through very tough times, with sales shortfalls between 25% and 30% since the start of the year. But we can't sit and wait for the vaccine, or for things to get better. We must find the energy and the resources to live safely with the virus. We can't grind to a halt. On the contrary, this is the time to protect our SMEs, our artisans and our emerging talents," said Capasa, underlining how fashion is Italy's second-largest industry, and the country is the leading apparel producer in Europe, with a 41% share of revenue, compared to Germany's 11% share and France's 8% one.
CNMI's Fashion Hub was by no means crowded on Tuesday night - ph Dominique Muret
But while the Milan Fashion Week got properly under way on Wednesday, with shows notably by Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana, the presence of industry players in Milan has been further reduced by the renewed rise in Covid-19 cases in neighbouring countries. Some labels even struggled to find models for their shows.
Concern about France
The situation in France is especially concerning. On Monday, the Italian government decided that all travellers coming from a number of French regions had to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the country, forcing many journalists and buyers not to travel.
"We are disappointed because, until Sunday night, a large number of visitors from France had confirmed their arrival, many of them due to reach Milan on Tuesday. Knowing that American and Asian visitors would not come this season, we were expecting those from Europe, from Germany, Spain and France in particular," lamented Capasa. Only a few hundred people are likely to arrive in Milan this week, a far cry from the usual thousands. They will attend 22 physical shows, out of a total of 64 shows on the calendar, the majority of which will take place virtually.
Among them Versace, which had initially planned to stage a physical show, but decided a few days ago to show behind closed doors. As well as Prada, which has opted for a digital event this week to unveil the first collection co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, and also Giorgio Armani, which will also show behind closed doors, broadcasting the event live on Italian TV.
The area dedicated by CNMI to emerging designers - ph Dominique Muret
Gucci is giving this season a miss, but the Milan Fashion Week can count on Valentino. After showing in Paris for years, the Italian luxury label is making a grand come-back to Milan. In total, 159 events are scheduled on the CNMI website, between presentations, catwalk shows and special projects, either physical or digital.
"Luckily, we have digital options! Of course, they're no replacement for physical shows, but digital tools have been a great help to the industry, through e-commerce solutions, virtual showrooms and the streaming of fashion week events. In July, for the Milan Fashion Week Men, our website was visited by 15 million users worldwide. This time, we're aiming for 20 million," said Capasa, who was also at pains to highlight the multiplicity of events in support of emerging labels organised in parallel with the official calendar.
Like the 'Milano Moda Shoppable Project' for example, organised by CNMI with Milanese department store La Rinascente, presented on Tuesday morning. Until October 11, La Rinascente will host, in its new fourth-floor area dedicated to pop-up stores and contemporary brands, the collections designed by 13 young Italian labels (Twins Florence, Drome, Nico Giani, Simona Marziali – MRZ, Iindaco, Vitelli, Blazé Milano, Act N°1, Marco de Vincenzo, Fantabody, Flapper | Genevieve Xhaet, Marco Rambaldi and Vìen). Their collections are also showcased in the department store's eight shop windows, in the heart of Milan, a stone's throw from the Duomo.
Also, several young Italian designers have been able to produce their collections, organise catwalk shows or produce videos thanks to funds raised by the CNMI's Fashion Trust, via the TogetherForTomorrow project that was launched during Italy's lockdown period.
The area dedicated to emerging Italian labels at Milanese department store La Rinascente - CNMI
Other initiatives focused on emerging talent are the Fashion Hub Market showroom, hosting debut collections by seven labels (Gentile Catone, Salvatore Vignola, DassùYAmoroso, Daniele Carlotta, Roni Studios, C'est la V and Francesca Marchisio), and the Milano Moda Graduate collective catwalk show, reserved to graduates from leading Italian fashion academies. In addition, there is a presentation of six labels concentrating on sustainability, and a showcase for emerging Hungarian designers.
And this is not all. For the first time, the Milan Fashion Week is staging an event in support of designers from racialised communities, in collaboration with the 'Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion' collective, presenting the work of five stylists via a video entitled 'We are made in Italy- The Fab Five Bridge Builders', overseen by designers Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan.
Finally, following the disastrous explosion in Beirut in August, CNMI launched a project called 'Spotlight on Lebanese Designers - CNMI in support of the new generation of Lebanese Talent', enabling seven fashion designers from Lebanon to take part in the Milan Fashion Week by presenting digital content.
Coty names Estée Lauder alum Constantin Sklavenitis head of prestige brands
Dolce & Gabbana to launch a series of projects in Venice in August
Giorgio Armani announces environmental goals
LVMH to buy 60% stake in Off-White, Abloh to expand role in the group
Dolce & Gabbana hires former Condé Nast exec for communication & marketing
LXR launches Canadian rental program for pre-loved goods
Cannes fashion: The good, the bad and the plain weird


The first section of crag, just beyond the access gully, gives perhaps the smallest section of crag. This can prove a useful area for easier grade routes. From here you can proceed onto bigger fair further along the Escarpment or indeed sample the delights of the Main Crag.
1. Viva Ramirez E3 6a Slim right wall of corner with a difficult lower bulge.
2. Private Life E3 6a the shallow corner gives tricky but worthwhile climbing.
3. Gonna Write a Classic HVS 5b * Excellent crack climbing, pity about the name.
The Itch you Can Never Scratch (5+) the short steep wall further left.
Two prominent, though short corners with a fin mark this section of crag. Short, mainly bolted routes with lower-offs.
11. Mondays never Rain E2 5c right arete of right-hand corner, TR.
12. Squelch VS Pleasant corner: too short for a star?


Ion Codrescu has been writing haiku in his native Romanian and in English for over 20 years. One of his recent books, Oaspete Strain / A Foreign Guest, won an Honorable Mention in the Haiku Society of America's Merit Book Awards for 2000. His book is a tour-de-force of haiku, haibun, tanka, renga, and sumi-e (monochromatic ink paintings), based on a recent trip to the United States. Click this link to see one of Ion's haiga: poppy haiga. You can send email to Ion at codrescuion@gmail.com.


text:
Preemies Home
Baby Home
Health & Parenting Guide
Crying & Colic
Essential Baby Gear
Foods for New Moms
Your Baby's Skin
Related to Baby
Get Help for Your Baby's Eczema
More and More Babies Born Too Soon
Premature News
By Salynn Boyles
Aug. 6, 2001 -- Justin Washington could literally fit in the palms of his mother's cupped hands when he was born six years ago in a Nashville hospital. Dorenda Washington was one month past the halfway point in her pregnancy when she learned there was nothing more that could be done to stop her baby from coming.
Born at 24 weeks, weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces, Justin remained in neonatal intensive care for more than four months and had countless surgeries before finally going home with his parents. Today he is a healthy, happy little boy who likes to swim and ride his bike and who wants to be president some day, his mom says. The March of Dimes chose Justin as their 2001 national ambassador to highlight the issue of premature birth, and the Washingtons now travel all over the country to bring attention to the issue.
"We are incredibly lucky," Dorenda Washington tells WebMD. "When they give you the news that your child is going to be born halfway through your pregnancy, and you don't know if he is going to survive, all you can do is pray and rely on the people who are trained to deal with this. They become family."
Dramatic Increase in Preterm Births
Premature births are on the rise in the U.S. Since the early 1980s, the rate of early deliveries has risen by 23%, and today approximately 11% of all births -- or 450,000 each year -- occur early. A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks, and babies are considered premature if they are born prior to 37 weeks.
For largely unknown reasons, black women have twice the rate of preterm deliveries as white women, and this remains the case across the economic spectrum.
"It is one of the biggest frustrations for those of us in the field of maternal and child health," says Donald R. Mattison, medical director for the March of Dimes. "Infant [deaths are] falling, and we know much more than ever about improving maternal and infant health, but prematurity is getting worse."
It sounds paradoxical that premature deliveries are increasing at a time when clinicians know more than ever about keeping pregnant women and their babies healthy. But experts say medical advances actually explain most of the increase in early births. The main culprit, they say, is the increase in multiple births over the past 20 years due to the growing use of assisted reproduction techniques like in vitro fertilization.
Twin birth rates rose by 52% and high-order births (triplets or more) rose by an astounding 404% between 1980 and 1997, according to figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. There were only about 1,000 high-order births in the U.S. each year prior to the introduction of assisted reproduction. Today, there are between 6,000 and 7,000.
"Assisted reproduction, as it has been practiced, carries a high risk of multiple births. With multiple births you can be absolutely certain of having more preterm deliveries," says epidemiologist David A. Savitz, PhD. "Studies have suggested that at least a third of the total increase in preterm births can be attributed to multiple gestations."
Thanks to advances in diagnostic testing, obstetricians are also better able to monitor fetal and maternal distress than they have been in the past. As a result, inducing labor between 35 and 37 weeks gestation is far more common than it once was. The practice is somewhat controversial, and some argue that is being done too often.
"The willingness of clinicians to deliver early is probably greater now than it has ever been," Savitz says. "I don't think they perceive any problem whatsoever at delivering a baby at 35 or 36 weeks. But when you look at large population studies, these babies do have a slightly increased risk of [death] and certain developmental problems."
Charles J. Lockwood, MD, who leads the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' committee on obstetrical practice, has a different view. Induction prior to 37 weeks is virtually never done without good reason, he says.
"Early inductions have certainly increased, but the reasons behind them more than justify the reasons for doing them," Lockwood tells WebMD. "Fetuses in distress are more likely to die and have long-term problems, so there are very good reasons for delivering them between 35 and 37 weeks."
Early Delivery: 'A Problem We Should Have Solved'
While the rise in preterm deliveries may be explainable, doctors have had less success preventing naturally occurring early births. It is widely believed that stress and infections play a major role -- accounting for roughly 70% of premature deliveries, Lockwood says -- but ob-gyns have not yet figured out how to treat these labor triggers. Trials using antibiotics to treat infections in pregnant women have so far been disappointing.
"With all of our new toys and equipment, and with all of our new leaps in gene research, we still don't know how to keep women from delivering early," says epidemiologist Claudia Holzman, PhD, of Michigan State University. "The big story isn't that preterm deliveries are on the increase, it is that we haven't solved the problems that cause them."
"The fact is, this is a problem we should have solved, but we are still grappling with it," echoes the March of Dimes' Mattison.
Holzman and MSU colleagues are evaluating sources of stress and responses to it in a group of 1,500 women being followed from midpregnancy. The researchers are studying stress-related responses such as blood pressure, heart rate, and hormone levels.
Hormones released in response to stress may make blood vessels narrow, causing damage to the placenta and prompting premature delivery. Stress responses may also damage the immune system, promoting uterine infections implicated in premature delivery. And stress is believed to boost production of a hormone -- called corticotropin-releasing hormone -- that is thought to play a role in triggering labor.
"Some studies suggest that if a woman is abused or neglected early in life, she may be hypersensitive to stress," Holzman says. "She may put out more stress hormones, which can affect pregnancy."
Savitz, who is chairman of the department of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is principal investigator for the ongoing Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition study, one of the largest and most comprehensive studies to date exploring the potential causes of preterm delivery. Researchers are currently looking at data gathered from 3,000 women and hope to enroll another 2,000 in the study, which examines social, economic, nutritional, and biologic factors possibly related to premature births.
So far, Savitz says, the researchers have found no previously unidentified factors responsible for premature delivery. In fact, analysis of preliminary data suggest that several behaviors thought to be associated with preterm delivery -- like smoking cigarettes and using cocaine -- may not be.
"Obviously, both of these things play a big role in fetal development, but our findings suggest they don't influence delivery," Savitz says. "There are a lot of hypotheses and very little clear data on what the relevant risk factors for preterm birth are. I wish I could tell you we have some striking new evidence of what causes this, but so far we are finding more things that aren't related."
WebMD Feature
A Day in the Life of Your Newborn
Is My New Baby Eating Enough?
What Happens When Your Son Is Circumcised?
The Best Diet for New Moms
Your Preemie's First Year: What to Expect
When to Call Your Newborn's Doctor
Medical Help for Mom and Her Preemie
Your Premature Baby: Milestones of First 18 Months
Premature Labor
Preventing Premature Births
Caring for Your New Arrival
Understanding Preterm Labor and Birth -- Diagnosis and Treatment
Understanding Preterm Labor and Birth -- the Basics
Preemies Topics
Baby Emergency?
When you should call 911.
New-Baby Surprises
Unexpected ways your life will change.
Is My Baby Typical?
What's normal – and what's not.
Baby Napping Dos and Don'ts
Help your baby get the sleep he needs.
Better Sleep for Baby and You
How to Soothe Your Child's Cold or Flu
Tips to Boost Your Milk Supply
Track Your Baby's Vaccines
Baby Napping Dos and Don'ts
How 'Baby Talk' Helps Brain Development
Keep Your Baby Safe From SIDS
4 Baby Gear Essentials
Is Your Newborn Typical?
Stretches for New Moms
Can Teething Cause a Fever?
8 Surprising Facts About Twins
Why Babies Are Sleeping in Boxes
Lose the Baby Weight
Subscribe to the Pregnancy & Child Development Newsletter.
Get essential updates about your growing baby and what to expect each week.


Big Al's Gourmet Butter Burgers, Atlanta GA – Marie, Let's Eat!
My friend David works a mile and a bit south of a burger place called Big Al's, which opened at the beginning of the year, and told me that it's so popular at his work that nobody's having lunch anywhere else lately. One Friday in April, I figured that he'd sold me and met him at the space, which is on the ground floor of a parking-crunched two-story retail center on Peachtree, along with a Firehouse Subs and a CamiCakes.
Butter burgers are a midwestern variant that use, that's right, a heck of a lot of butter. The toasted buns get a coat of it, and the patties get a pat melted into them. They're especially popular in Wisconsin (prompting a burger named after the state on the Steak 'n Shake chain's menu), but Al himself is apparently from New York.
A lunch here isn't cheap; they give you way, way too many fries for your three bucks, and so, after a seven-dollar sandwich, you'll definitely want a glass of water and not more calories. Al stays open very late to catch the late-night revelers coming home after the Buckhead bars close. The space is small and the pumping electronic music is disagreeably loud, but the employees are really nice and the burgers are indeed really good. I've said before that I was a little underwhelmed with the Shake Shack up the road, finding that they were good, but didn't live up to the hype. These did. There are better in town, but probably not in Buckhead.
You'll want a salad for a couple of meals after having one of these, mind. Wow, a lot of butter makes your burger really tasty, but it's not at all good for you!
Posted on June 10, 2015 August 21, 2017 by Grant G.Posted in atlanta, burgers, georgiaTagged atlanta, brookwood hills, burgers, georgia.