Cold but brief

Early January's Arctic chill came and went more quickly than past blasts

Sun dogs on frigid morning in northern Indiana, 1/6/14
UCAR member representative Ernest Agee (Purdue University, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences) took this photo in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, as temperatures dipped to –15°F near sunrise on January 6, 2014. As sunlight struck hexagonal ice crystals in the air, it allowed for the formation of sun dogs (at the sides), a solar pillar (center), and a halo extending from the sun dogs to an upper arc (top). Portions of the color spectrum can be seen in the sun dogs. This diagram provides more explanation. (Photo courtesy Ernest Agee.)

Duration of heat and cold is an important index of how weather affects us. Heat waves are more likely to be deadly when temperatures remain stifling for several nights in a row, which prevents people and buildings from getting overnight relief. Prolonged cold waves can have their own impacts on people and services.

The number of days below freezing is only one of many possible approaches to assessing the impact of winter weather as a whole. A Climate Central analysis last week showed how the total number of nights per year that dip below certain temperature thresholds has declined in several U.S. cities since the 1970s.

Many recent papers have analyzed how episodes of heat and cold have evolved in recent decades and how they might change in the future.  A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, finalized in November, projects that heat-wave frequency and duration will continue to increase globally in the 21st century, although this Working Group I report does not weigh in on cold-wave duration. “It is virtually certain that there will be more hot and fewer cold extremes as global temperature increases,” notes the report.

For the United States, a recent article in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society shows pronounced variations over the last century. Cold waves were most prevalent in the 1980s and much less common in the 2000s, while heat waves were most frequent in the 1930s, with the 2000s as runner-up. The report is based on a workshop held in conjunction with the U.S. National Climate Assessment, whose official report will be issued later this year.

As evidenced by the latest IPCC report, the picture painted by research into future changes in cold waves, including duration, is a bit less clear-cut than for heat waves. Adding further to the mix is a recent debate over whether changes in Arctic sea ice might be affecting midlatitude weather, including wintertime outbreaks of cold. All this makes the future of cold waves a ripe topic for future work on how a changing climate could affect society.

Update (January 15): The graphics below are based on comparisons originally carried out by Brandt Maxwell (NOAA National Weather Service). It's also worth emphasizing that the graphics are meant to be illustrative rather than comprehensive. Not every cold wave from the 1970s–90s is included. Some cold outbreaks, then as now, were quite brief. But while shorter periods below freezing have continued to occur, as in the 2014 Arctic blast, the more prolonged ones appear to be becoming more scarce—at least for the cities below.

Chart showing duration of cold waves in New York, 1970s to 2014

Chart showing consecutive days below freezing during cold waves in Chicago, 1970s-1990s and 2014


Re: Big Bang Proves that Earth is at the Centre of the Universe.

On Mar 20, 4:20 pm, John Polasek <jpola...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Listening to the leaders in modern science, it is clear that the Big
Bang is taken to be an established fact and the CMBR is touted as
further proof.
But if there was such a big explosion of mass from a central point,
then from common potential theory, there would still exist that same
center of mass at the origin. And Friedmans equation would be couched
in terms of R the radius from the center of mass. But instead the
latest style is to use 'a' instead, as a general size factor in a
dust-based universe, with its present value a0 being (always) one.
Distant galaxies are considered to have a lower age a = a0/1+z.

This approach of yours is relevant to one side of the argument however
the no center/no circumference ideology,the more appropriate term of
the 'big bang' conception,has its roots in right ascension and a very
geometric foundation that was known long before even the arguments of
planetary dynamics emerged in 1512 through Copernicus.While the real
damage was done by John Flamsteed the addition of converting distance
into time and visa versa in an attempt to give the Universe an
evolutionary trajectory is unconscionable in the extreme for,as stated
previously,it leaves the reader with a geometric idea of an 'expanding
past' and no continuity between past,present and future which normal
people would find repulsive.

The problem of drawing conclusions directly from direct observations
has always existed and whatever momentum is driving individuals to
come up with the 'no center/no circumference' ideology of big
bang ,concerned people should look at the original perspectives which
existed before the arguments for planetary dynamics existed and
especially those based on stellar circumpolar motion.If 'big bang'
looks strangely familiar with the arguments of Archbishop Cusa in this
respect then I assure readers it is because they are identical,in such
a way as Cusa is trying to develop arguments for the Earth's planetary
dynamics out of the observational quandry -

"Suppose person A were on the earth somewhere below the north pole of
the heavens and person B were at the north pole of the heavens. In
that case, to A the pole would appear to be at the zenith, and A would
believe himself to be at the center; to B the earth would appear to be
at the zenith, and B would believe himself to be at the center. Thus,
A's zenith would be B's center, and B's zenith would be A's
And wherever anyone would be, he would believe himself to be at the
Therefore, merge these different imaginative pictures so that the
center is the zenith and vice versa. Thereupon you will see through
the intellect..that the world and its motion and shape cannot be
apprehended. For [the Universe] will appear as a wheel in a wheel and
a sphere in a sphere-- having its center and circumference
nowhere. . . " Nicolas of Cusa, 15th century

In the final analysis big science has no model for the universe. It
doesn't seem logical that they would still hang on to the Big Bang, a
puerile conception that probably owes its longevity to having a catchy

The no center/no circumference ideology is an empirical cul-de-sac,no
doubt a few will continue with dark this and dark that but effectively
the particular strain of empiricism derived from Newton has reached
its logical conclusion.There is no prohibition in modelling Universal
structure however the idea of an evolutionary timeline directly from
observations and deriving structural astronomy that way is amazing for
all the wrong reasons yet each person has a choice to look at the
contentions,consider them invalid and free themselves to move on to
more stable astronomical territory hence I choose not to beg questions
of those who imagine they can not only look into the past directly
but imagine that they can see the evolution of the Universe directly.

If you think about it a little, birthing 70 sextillion stars out of a
pinhole is putting an undue burden even onto the creator.

John Polasek

More than anything else,the disintegration of reasoning which allows
the 'past' to become flexible or distorted,there is a tendency of
arguments to infect everything else,as a Christian I do not burden
myself with what concerns contemporaries in matters of faith and how
conceptions of creation and the creator fit together but rather stick
with what arguments that were available to observers at different
points in history and some of them would surprise readers here.Even St
Augustine took note of stellar circumpolar motion but rightly took a
balanced approach that is hard to find nowadays in the rush to impose
an evolutionary timeline on the Universe directly ,he wrote -

"Some of the brethren raise a question concerning the motion of
performing shorter circuits near the pole, so that the heaven (if
profound reasonings to find out which of these things is actually so;"
St Augustine

Again,we are not trying to convince anyone of being wrong nor
considering the strongest arguments for doing away with the 'big bang'
ideology as a working model but looking for a point of departure for a
new approach to observations.If you set yourself up to attack the no
center/no circumference ideology directly you will fail as begging
questions of an ideology where all reason has departed is bound to
generate more of the same.

On Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:22:02 -0700 (PDT), oriel36

<kelleher.ger...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mar 20, 8:13 am, B. Real <..@....> wrote:

How anyone can believe such an impossible and illogical theory is
beyond me.

The idea that observers see an evolutionary timeline of the Universe
with the furthest galaxies being the oldest in a smaller Universe
definitely makes me shake my head,sort of like listening to a child
trying to explain the inner workings of a car engine by simply making
up whatever is needed to arrive at a conclusion.Here are people who
have no sense of the continuity between past and future but simply
imagine a present with an 'expanding past',whatever that is supposed
to mean.

The past is precious,it is written in the rock strata and fossil
records which in turn infer not just a biological evolutionary process
but also links to planetary dynamics and geological and climatological
events and this continuity between past,present and future is before
everyone with no strain attached to the basic assumptions and
especially rock strata.

How to stop a 'big bang' bandwagon is probably the big issue
presently,it is not a matter of trying to convince people that they
are wrong nor that the idea itself is insane but a matter of how we
arrived at this dismal juncture in science and especially astronomy.


Althena's Temple Logo

Dragon Force

This Strategy/RPG is a very special one to me. It was the best video game for the Saturn until Panzer Dragoon Saga came along. Now I'm torn between the two. This game was originally developed by Sega of Japan, and Working Designs brought it to the U.S. Working Designs is known for the quality of their games' packaging, among other things. Therefore, that was the first thing that I noticed when I opened the game. At the time, it was a while since I played a Working Designs game, and I almost forgot about how great their CDs and manuals are. There is a picture, in color, printed on the CD itself (of course, I almost don't see the picture because the CD spends most of the time either inside the box or inside the Saturn). The manual is also in color, printed on very high quality paper, and has "metal" on the logo of the game. I almost didn't want to turn the pages of the manual, for fear of messing them up. My copy also came with a sticker for the RAM cart of the Saturn. I stuck it on my RAM cart, and, really, it looks much better than the sticker that came with the RAM cart originally.

Of course, all this is just an added bonus. Let's go to the game itself. On it, you assume the role of one of 8 generals who live in the kingdom of Legendra. You then engage on a series of battles in order to unite the kingdom and fight an evil force that is awakening, the dragon Madruk. What makes the game exciting is that it can have up to 200 soldiers per battle (100 on each side). You control the battles by issuing commands, telling your troops that you want them to advance, retreat, and so on. Your general can also cast magic spells. If both generals are still alive after all troops are dead, they engage in a duel. By the way, you can only control whether your general will engage in a duel or not. Once the duel begins, you can't stop it or control it.

Let me get this out of the way first: the only aspect I didn't like about the battles was the pixelization in many of the warriors. I hate pixelization. And that could've been easily solved by drawing the sprites at a higher resolution and scaling them down, as necessary. Everything else was very good: the taunts at the beginning of the battles, the fact that you can command more warriors as time goes on, the ability to choose the strategy and issue commands in real time, the fact that you can control the camera, and the spells. The menus in this part of the game are also easy to use. Of course, it took me a while to feel like I knew what I was doing. However, this happens to me in every RPG.

It would've been better if I could be able to make a general retreat from one battle and still be able to send him/her to another battle in that series. I had to get used to the idea of "fighting to the death". One way to get around this limitation was this: when I fought a strong adversary, I first chose a weak army to fight it. When it was almost defeated, I retreated. Then I finished the battle with a strong army, since the opponent was now weak.

Between battles, you go to the overhead map, where you choose which generals and armies you will send to other castles (that's how you conquer the continent, by taking over castles). The map looks very good, and it had a subtle scaling. Some times I found myself moving across the map just to see it scale. I found it also easy to navigate. The only problem I had with it was that the computer chose automatically the direction of the generals' movement when they are defeated. However, doing it in any other way would've presented a user interface problem that couldn't have been easily solved without interfering with the gameplay. The only solution I could think of, setting up a dialog box, might have been worse than the solution that existed.

When an important event happens on the game, you see a plot screen (in most cases you just see the text at the bottom of the screen, with no picture). They are very good. They are colorful, have a high resolution, and do a good job of explaining the plot. Of course, I wish they would've had more of them. I did like more the screens of Phantasy Star IV, since I believe the different sizes, shapes, and camera angles of the panels expressed more "emotion" than the ones at Dragon Force.

Once in a while, you automatically go to the "administrative affairs" section of the game. On this section you talk to the prisoners to try to convince them to join your forces, talk to the generals to know if they are happy, and so on. The design of the user interface during that section of the game is very well thought out. This is true especially in the color scheme used (a very soothing transparent blue) and the navigation controls, which are quite easy after you get used to it. Eventually, as you get more generals, you get tired of the routine of giving awards and talking to generals, convincing the prisoners to join you, and searching and upgrading the castles. However, this complexity is also present in every strategy game. You just have to bear with it. The manual does a good job explaining all this, by the way.

The main characters of the game are great. I like the fact that they have different personalities and react in different ways to the events around them. Throughout the game, I also enjoyed that they became allies as time went on, and you get to know their background stories. I usually felt sad that I had to fight and defeat them before they joined me, although that happens in every Strategy/RPG. However, in the Shining Force games for the Genesis the battles seemed to me more "justified" than in this game.

This last paragraph leads me to the fact that it was a pleasant surprise for me that Teiris joined my forces (when I played as Wein) without fighting her. Of course, if it would've happened the whole time the game would've been a complete walktrough. :-)

It was also funny that Gongos fell in love with Teiris and that she didn't fall in love with him. This was very realistic. It has happened to me many times...

The secondary characters are good, for the most part, and add "spice" to the game. I liked Rudger (from Wein's army) especially. He was funny. Vlad, the vampire, was intelligent and compassionate. I also admired the love he felt for Sierra. The two characters you find at the Shadow Tower at the north are also very good. I did not like, however, that in several cases some characters look exactly the same. This is confusing. Since the style of the art is like the one in Japanese animation, the designers could've easily solved this problem by just changing the hair color of all the characters that look the same (except one, of course). Hey, they could've had blue hair, green hair, white hair, purple hair, pink hair, and orange hair (there is orange hair in real life, you know).

The music, in one word, is wonderful. Before I heard it, I expected the battle music to be the "upbeat" type that is present in just about every other RPG (and you eventually get sick of, after hearing it over and over). However, when I heard the music that was present, it was very well arranged, and much better than the one I would've chosen if I would've designed it myself. Now that I know better, I wouldn't have chosen any other kind. Anyway, the "upbeat" feeling is accomplished by the crowd sounds in the battles.

The plot is good, and it develops well. I usually knew where to go and what to do next. The only exception was determining which generals went to each shrine. The solution, by the way, is this: Teiris, Reinhart, and Gorgos go to the South Shrine, Mikhal, Leon, and Junon go to the East Shrine, and Wein and Goldark go to the North Shrine.

Also, the plot is actually "different enough" when you play the game with different rulers. This increases significantly the replayability of the game. So far I have won the game with Wein, Junon, Mikhal, and Leon. Although the basic plot is the same, you learn about the personality and motivation behind the main character's actions. This is unlike the game Phantasy Star III for the Genesis. It has four different endings, depending on who you marry. I started playing it for the second time, and after playing it for a while I got the feeling that almost everything was the same, so I stopped playing. I didn't get that feeling with Dragon Force.

Since I don't want to give away the ending, I will just say that its battles were very exciting and it has some good character development. I thought it was rather easy until I played with Leon. For some reason, it took me several tries to win the game. In all the other times, I could go through the entire ending sequence without loosing.

To finish, this is a very high-quality game, and I enjoyed it very much. I will always remember it. And since I bought a Dragon Force watch from Working Designs, I will remember it even more. Dragon Force is, really, one of the best video games I have ever played.


Home China Guide Ningbo Weather Ningbo Weather in January

Ningbo Weather in January

January is the coldest month of the year, and buildings in Ningbo do not provide indoor heating . The average temperature is about 4.9 °C (40.8 °F ), relatively lower than in northern China. Ningbo is wet and cold during the winter, different from northern China . Ningbo seldom sees snow , but there is a small chance that you’ll see snowflakes floating in the air.

When going outside, wear a woolen sweater with a wind coat, as well as gloves and a hat . If you cannot resist the cold, wear down clothing .

As January marks the beginning of a new year, various celebrating activities are held, including singing and dancing performances . Moreover, there are relatively fewer tourists, giving you more choices with respect to hotels and scenic attractions.

Ningbo Climate Information by Month


Tuesday, August 30, 2016
The Dirt on Conservation

The Dirt on Conservation

Soil and water conservation districts in each of Ohio's counties need board members who are dedicated to agriculture's success and natural resource conservation.

Farmers depend on tuning into the world around them. Like a textbook, they read the land, plants and animals they raise for a living to determine their management choices.

Mowing the lawn doesn't have to be a dreaded chore.

If I would ask the question, "what are living trees good for," I would probably get a large response.

Building a new home is an exciting yet stressful time in anyone's life. However, with just a little investigating and some simple questions, the process can run smoothly.

What would you say, if I were to tell you I would give you $25,000 dollars to select cut some veneer quality white oak 20 inches and greater DBH out of your woods.

Have you ever driven along and noticed the rich green color of a cornfield on one side of the road while on the other side there's a yellowish color to the corn crop?

Hello. Add your message here.


The global award in photography and sustainability

Yao Lu

Generally speaking, my works use the form of traditional Chinese painting to express the face of China. Today, China is developing dramatically and many things are under constant construction. Many things have disappeared and continue to disappear. The rubbish dumps covered with the ‘shield’, a green netting, are a ubiquitous phenomenon in China.

I want the world to be able to make a benign transformation. People must protect the environment. This work implies that the world should become more and more harmonious.

Concerning the style of my works, I believe in maintaining a beautiful feeling in the framing of the image, including composition, line, density and framing, all the elements regularly contained in painting. I think a good artwork is composed of many elements, and it should reflect the knowledge and the skill of the artist. A good artwork has intelligence.

The flexibility of photography provides an expressive space for me. I can work with it in many ways in making my creations.

Yao Lu


Hello, My Name Is Doc Hollywood

SHHHHHOWWWWTIMEE! Right? From that Jim Carrey movie? The Face? Isn’t that what it was called? Mr. Weird Face? Something like that. Anyway, I am in Los Angeles today, so for one thing, I’m three hours behind the world as we know it. Seriously, I am basically ancient herstory. This is probably how the dinosaurs in The Land Before Time felt. For another thing, do you know how many different places there are to eat tacos in Los Angeles? It’s ridiculous! So just the man hours alone that it is going to require to EAT ALL OF THEM will necessitate a bit of a posting slow-down on the site. Feel free to share your Internet finds in the comments today (if you see something say something! Do they even have “if you see something say something” in LA? Unrelated question: why is everyone wearing Adjustment Bureau hats? Were they giving them out for free?) and let’s just see how the rest of the day goes. It’s Friday! Something something can you believe the traffic?! Let’s gooooo!


8 / 14

Prevent cancer

Eat Broccoli: Broccoli is one of the superfoods which can help you effectively prevent cancer. However, it is not recommended to microwave broccoli as it destroys its anticarcinogenic flavonoids. It is best to boil broccoli or eat it raw as a snack.

Top Recommended methods of Cancer Prevention

Five leading medical professionals share their top healthy living tips for preventing cancer


Gardening Answers Knowledgebase

Browse the Knowledgebase

Search for gardening questions with researched answers, plus gardening tips, book reviews and recommended websites.

Recently Added Questions

I know that Brugmansia has toxic and intoxicating properties. I heard a story about a railway carriage in Europe that was filled with the Brugmansia flowers. When the doors to the carriage were closed, the fragrance of the blooms caused the passengers to lose consciousness, and their valuables were stolen. Plausible, or urban legend?

Brugmansia, like the related solanaceous plant Datura, contains tropane alkaloids throughout the plant, including the seeds and flowers. One of these alkaloids is scopolamine. There are many tales of "Devil’s Breath," a processed form of scopolamine (as powder), or scopolamine-rich seeds being used by criminals in various parts of the world to drug their victims into unconsciousness. There is an article in The Guardian (September 2, 2015) which suggests it's unlikely that this substance would have been used to "zombify" travelers in Europe. There are, however, travel security warnings from the U.S. State Department about its use by criminals in Ecuador and Colombia.

A scientific article, "Volatile compounds emitted from flowers and leaves of Brugmansia X candida (Solanaceae)" (G.C. Kite and C. Leon, in Phytochemistry, 1995) states that volatile tropane alkaloids could not be detected in the fragrance of either flowers or leaves; the main volatile organic compounds emitted by the flowers are terpenoids, benzenoids, and indole. Those compounds can cause headaches but it seems unlikely they would act like a sedative.

The book Plant Intoxicants by Baron Ernst von Bibra (Healing Arts Press,1995) describes use of Datura seeds by criminals in India to knock out their victims. There are many traditional medicinal uses of Brugmansia among the indigenous tribes of Colombia, but the hallucinogenic effects are especially frightening. One tribe describes the pleasant scent of the flowers but warns that the plant is inhabited by an evil spirit and all who sit at the foot of the tree "will forget everything." (Source: Plants of the Gods, Richard Evans Schultes, Healing Arts Press, 2001). However I cannot find any confirmation for your colorful story of a train carriage full of drugged passengers among the Brugmansia flowers.

Slowly but surely, what's left of my untended lawn is being overtaken by a small weed with fan-shaped leaves. It reminds me of a tiny Lady's Mantle. What is it, and is there any hope of getting rid of it without herbicide?

Your description sounds like Aphanes australis, whose common name is slender parsley-piert. It thrives in dry, exposed, or barren soils. North Carolina State University's Turf Center describes cultural control methods:
"Winter annual broadleaf weeds germinate in the fall or winter and grow during any warm weather, which may occur in the winter, but otherwise remain somewhat dormant during the winter. They resume growth and produce seed in the spring and die as temperatures increase in late spring and early summer. They quickly invade thin turf areas especially where there is good soil moisture. Shade may also encourage growth. Many have a prostrate growth habit and are not affected by mowing. A dense, vigorous turf is the best way to reduce the encroachment of winter annual weeds. First, select adapted turfgrass cultivars for your area and then properly fertilize, mow, and water to encourage dense growth."

It sounds like lawn renovation might be a good idea. If the parsley-piert has intense competition from a happily growing lawn, it will not thrive. Seattle Public Utilities has good resources on lawn care.

There's a climbing vine in my garden which has hydrangea-like flowers. I have lost the tag, and don't know if it is Hydrangea petiolaris, or Schizophragma hydrangeoides--how can I distinguish one from the other?

There is an article in Arnoldia (the journal of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University) from July 24, 1933 which explains that the two plants are related, but the flower 'petals' (which are actually sepals) surrounding the center are distinct:
"In Hydrangea petiolaris this encircling tiara is composed of greenish white flowers, each one made up of four rounded sepals. In Schizophragma hydrangeoides these showy sepals are a purer white and they are borne singly rather than in fours."

University of Arkansas Extension also says that Schizophragma "differs in flowering time (after climbing Hydrangea) and in the fact that it protrudes less from structures."

There is another less commonly grown climbing Hydrangea, Hydrangea integrifolia, an evergreen that grows to 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Its flower buds look almost like those of peonies, and its leaves are elongated and glossy.

Is there such a thing as a red aloe? Or an aloe that gets that color when planted in a sunny spot? I am especially interested in any that have a reddish tone. Do any of these survive the winter outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest?

The most famously red aloe is Aloe cameronii. In her book Succulent Container Gardens (Timber Press, 2010), Debra Lee Baldwin mentions several species that change color in sun:
"Aloes that turn color when given full sun include Aloe cameronii (crimson), Aloe buhrii (orange), and Aloe taurii and Aloe dorothaea (bright red). Softball-sized Aloe nobilis, which forms dark green rosettes with wedge-shaped leaves toothed with white or yellow prickles, turns shades of red-orange."
Baldwin’s book also includes "design-oriented plant lists" with guidance about color.

In our climate, most aloe species will need to be sheltered over the winter in a greenhouse. One local nursery, Desert Northwest lists a couple of winter-hardy (or almost-hardy) aloes, but they are not the ones noted for their red foliage.


Most influential Muslims revealedAmjad Hussain, Britain’s highest ranking Muslim naval officer

They share the Muslim faith and are featured on the top 100 list of the most influential Muslims, aimed at highlighting the positive contribution of the Islamic community to the life of the nation.

The Muslim Power 100 List, published for the first time, includes figures such as Met Police assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, secretary general of Amnesty International Irene Khan, and Rear Admiral Amjad Hussain – and the highest ranking Muslim officer in the Armed Forces.

Pakistan-born British actor Art Malik, of Jewel in the Crown fame, is included, as is broadcaster Rageh Omaar and the journalist Yvonne Ridley, who was once captured in Afghanistan by the Taliban, but later converted to Islam.

Other journalists featured on the list include The Sun’s Anila Baig and Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Sports people also feature, such a former cricketer Imran Khan and Olympic silver medallist and boxer Amir Khan, alongside figures in business including Harrods boss Mohamed al Fayed, and “curry king” Sir Gulam Noon.

Politicians and religious leaders on the list include former secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the current MCB secretary general Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Baroness Pola Uddin, and MPs Sadiq Khan, Shahid Malik and Khalid Mahmood.

The Muslim Power 100 List comes after the top 100 most influential lay Catholics in the UK were named in Catholic weekly the Tablet last year, with BBC director general Mark Thompson heading the list.

The Muslim list, unveiled at an awards ceremony in London tonight, was drawn up by a panel of judges after they received 5,200 nominations from the Muslim Power 100 website. It does not rank those nominated in order of importance.

The Islamic Bank of Britain said the list aimed to recognise Muslims who have made “significant contributions” to the social, cultural and economic well-being of Britain. Muslims in Britain currently contribute £31 billion to the economy, according to some estimates.


Identification of a discernable centerline rumble strip pattern based on audible and haptic location recognition to improve traffic operations and safety

2005 2005

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Abstract (summary)

Maintaining correct lateral position on roadways is critical for safe and efficient operation. The driving task comprises control, navigation, and guidance, all relying predominantly upon the sense of vision; however, not all traffic control devices rely on vision. Drowsy, distracted, or inattentive drivers may not have their "eyes on the road" and, are therefore, more reliant on other senses. One way that other senses have been used to assist drivers in maintaining a proper lateral position is through the use of rumble strips. Up until the late 1990's, rumble strips were primarily used on roadway shoulders; more recently, they are also being used in centerline applications as transportation officials attempt to address the high number of cross-over-centerline crashes that occur annually. In light of the effectiveness of shoulder rumble strips in reducing the number of roadway departure crashes, many states are using the same rumble strip pattern on both the shoulder and centerline, anticipating reductions in cross-over-centerline crashes. Findings of previously conducted research indicate that this duplication of signals may violate driver expectancy.

This research focuses on determining if a different pattern is beneficial to the driver, one that would allow a driver to determine their lateral position based on a rumble strip's audible and haptic cues. It was anticipated that if the pattern is discernable to drivers, then after repeated exposure, the strips would elicit a conditioned, correct response. A number of hypotheses were enumerated to assist in determining whether or not a unique rumble strip pattern would prove to be easily identified and would ultimately benefit the driver. To support or refute the hypotheses, research was performed in two evaluation environments, a static and a dynamic. Results from the evaluations indicate that a unique rumble strip pattern can aid drivers in maintaining their correct lateral position. Based on the opposite lane and shoulder incursions experienced in the dynamic evaluation environment, every driver responded properly. In instances where the incursion was accompanied with audible and haptic feedback, a result of the rumble strips, drivers were able to respond faster when compared to those incursions lacking multi-modality.

Indexing (details)

Civil engineering
0543: Civil engineering
Identifier / keyword
Applied sciences; Audible location recognition; Crossover centerline crashes; Haptic location recognition; Rumble strip; Safety; Traffic operations
Dulaski, Daniel M.
Number of pages
Publication year
Degree date
School code
DAI-B 66/10, Dissertation Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
9780542382697, 0542382695
Noyce, David A.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University location
United States -- Massachusetts
Source type
Dissertations & Theses
Document type
Dissertation/thesis number
ProQuest document ID
Document URL
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Total Time
2hrs 5mins
Prep 5 mins
Cook 2 hrs

My husband is a cheesecake fiend. An absolute fiend. He loves cheesecake. I love to bake. But, his favourite is the nobake cheesecake his mom used to make for him as a child. I can never find the correct recipe- UNTIL NOW. My sister in law finally gave up the recipe and I'm leaving it here for posterity (also so I can find it again).

Ingredients Nutrition

  1. Melt butter and mix the graham crackers, sugar and butter and press into 9" springform pan.
  2. Using a mixer, beat the icing sugar and cream cheese until smooth.
  3. Make the "Dream Whip" according to package directions.
  4. Fold the whipped topping and cheese mixture together and spread into the pan.
  5. Chill for 2 hours. Eat by the pan if you are my husband.


A new poll has revealed that, despite rising support for equal marriage overall across the US, voters in the state of Virginia still marginally oppose it.

In 2006, 57% of voters in Virginia passed Question One, which banned equal marriage in the state. The language used for the instruction said that the state “shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals.”

The question also ruled out the possibilities of civil unions in the state.

The latest poll from the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies, asked 1,004 on their opinions on equal marriage.

When asked the question “Do you favor or oppose allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally in Virginia?”, 45% said they favoured while 46% said the opposed the idea.

5% said they didn’t know and 4% refused to answer the question.

If the Supreme Court does not rule that it is a constitutional right that gay couples should be allowed to marry, states such as Virginia would need to pass another voter-approved measure to reverse its ban on equal marriage.

Earlier in March, a survey conducted in the US revealed support for same-sex marriage had grown overall to be a “mirror image” of ten years ago, with the majority now in favour of legalisation and many calling for a nationwide law.

The poll found that 58% of Americans now support the legalisation of same-sex marriage, while 36% oppose it.

A Pew Research Center poll was released last year, which suggested that there has been a new, and rapid shift in support of equal marriage in the US, except in some southern states.


Support for families with a family member suffering a cognitive disorder

Dr Ryoko Rokkaku PhD, Department of Nursing, Ibaragi Christian University, 6-11-1 Omika-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki-ken 319-1295, Japan. Email:

The management of the care giving of a family member with dementia is an important issues these days. In the present article, I discuss the stages families go through on their way to finding out that a family member has a cognitive disorder. Stage I is a stage of bewilderment in which negative care is given. In Stage II, the relatives find out or realize that the person has a cognitive disorder and they try to extricate themselves from the negative care. In Stage III, the family members express hope that the person will recover, whereas in Stage IV they resign themselves to the fact that their loved one has a cognitive disorder and will never recover. The last stage, Stage V, is when the family members try new types of care. The family vacillates between the different stages and, after a long period of time, they accept the fact that the person has a cognitive disorder and finally create an environment in which the patient can live peacefully. It is a long process, and perhaps a very hard one for the family. Each member of the family has his or her own history and role withing the family; this cannot be forgotten and it is very common for family members to be unable to accept the situation. Even still, the family persists. Because they persist, they sometimes become angry; they also lament and ignore the situation. It is important to thoroughly observe the stage at which the family comes to accept the situation and to be mindful of caring for the family.

It is the desire of most elderly persons with a disease or disorder to stay at home and receive care from family members, who have the most love for the elderly person and provide significant emotional healing and support. Conversely, for the family members providing the caregiving, although the fact that they must care for their spouse or parent is definitely sad for them, the provision of care itself is an expression of love and makes them feel that they are fulfilling an important role. However, today's families are often unable to deal with the day-to-day requirements of the elderly people requiring care.

In the middle of these changes, families with a family member who has a cognitive disorder are sometimes faced with a situation where they cannot provide all the caregiving needed. In addition, it is quite natural that this causes a variety of problems within the family. When more skilled care is required, or when behavioral and/or psychological symptoms appear, the patient is usually institutionalized.1 One wife blamed herself for putting her mother-in-law in an institution every time she saw her. In contrast with this, one son has not visited his parent even once since the parent was institutionalized. Some families have even been quoted as saying ‘we never want to see his or her face again’. Even if they do not visit and do not want to see their face again, each family has its own history or issues that causes them to behave in this way. Furthermore, leaving a family member in the hands of another person is a big decision to make. The service we provide to family may be letting thembelieve, from a distance, that ‘Mom is doing well’ or ‘she is alive’. Therefore, we cannot really indiscriminately condemn all families by saying things such as ‘that family never visits their poor relative’. Even if the family's history and relationships until now are dragged out into the open, it is important that the caregivers understand the discord and get to know the family. Thus, supporting the family is connected to supporting the person with the cognitive impairment.

The clinical history of a patient with dementia will record symptoms including forgetfulness, and generally the family will bring a patient to a clinic for a diagnosis of dementia to be made. Diagnostic disclosure has serious impact and may cause anxiety, mental instability or crisis and may even be denied by the patient or by the patient's family.2,3 Therefore, a caregiver's adaptation to changes in the patient is most required.4 Over the course of a long process, the fact of the diagnosis is accepted and the relationship between the patient and his or her family becomes tight.

Below is an example of an elderly couple, in which the husband ruled the roost. The husband ‘K’ is 83 years old and his wife ‘Y’ is 80. K was enjoying a quiet and leisurely life after his retirement; he had lots of hobbies, made new friends, and told his wife to ‘do this and that’. He never did any housework or anything around the house.

Stage I

In summer 3 years ago, K had a mild stroke and his prostatic hypertrophy worsened; he started to go to the toilet every couple of minutes and his wife accompanied him each time. Around the same time, he forgot how to start up the computer and asked his wife to do it. He would get out of bed at about 4 a.m. saying, ‘I have to go to the toilet’ and dragged his wife with him. His wife did not realize it at the time, but later recognized that the symptoms of K's cognitive impairment may have started around this time. K's wife began being rather harsh with him, saying things like, ‘that’s enough already, we already went so many times', ‘I’m going crazy' and ‘you are so selfish and self-centered’. Then, Y to phone her oldest son who lived in a different prefecture and complained and grumbled to him. She did not fully understand the actions of her husband and just thoughtlessly denied things and felt disgusted. She started to wonder whether he really was this type of person.

Stage II

The frequency of Y's grumblings and complaints increased and their son became worried, so he took his father to see a doctor. On the basis of results of a battery of tests, K was diagnosed as having vascular dementia. K's wife Y was given an explanation about cognitive disorder and seemed to be quite shocked. Around that time, K's memory impairment was worsening and he was repeating the same thing over and over again numerous times. He would often call Y ‘Honey, Honey’. She grieved, ‘it’s a shame', ‘he used to think only of himself’ and ‘ever since he developed dementia, he acts so silly’. When her husband would call her too much, Y would answer him impatiently by saying ‘What?’, and often she simply ignored him. Y understood that K had a disease, but felt sad when she recalled that he had ruled the roost during their marriage.

Stage III

When K called out to Y ‘Honey, Honey’, she replied, ‘you are the head of the family, pull yourself together!’ The wife used to smile bitterly when her husband jokingly replied ‘Oh, that’s right, the head of the family should not behave like this'. Even still, Y always hoped that K would get better and used to get him to practice. Six months had passed since he was first diagnosed as having a cognitive disorder. As usual, Y urged K to do calligraphy on the back of newspaper advertisements and practice singing songs he used to like. Even though she knew and realized that K had a cognitive disorder, Y wanted him to return to normal, like he used to be, and therefore she encouraged and reminded him.

Stage IV

The symptoms of K's cognitive impairment steadily worsened and gradually he became unable to wait for anything. ‘Honey, Honey, I’m hungry' he would call out to his wife every couple of seconds. If she ignored him, he would roll off his futon mattress onto the floor and would yell ‘Help’. The situation was getting steadily worse. Y would say that K just rolled off his futon mattress on purpose and would then roll him back onot it again. She experienced mixed feelings of neglect and despair because she knew that K would never be his old self again.

It took about 1 year for Y to progress through Stages I to IV and, in fact, she went back and forth between Stages I and IV. She would often berate her husband, in a voice louder than him, ‘don’t speak so loudly, the neighbors next door can hear you!' Conversely, at around 9 p.m. she would say ‘Honey, let’s both go to bed'.

Stage V

Later on, Y would scream ‘you just ate!’ and then mumble to herself ‘oh, I know I should not talk to him like that’. Eventually, the couple reached Stage V. It is a big thing for a family to accept a person with cognitive impairment. Since coming to accept K's condition, I think the next year was splendid for both the wife and the husband. Y recalled that first year and said ‘I wanted to kill him and then myself’.

Six months later, K developed aspiration pneumonia, which left him bedridden and K eventually died of cardiac failure. While K was in hospital, his wife visited him every day and, while by his side, she would mend his clothes and his little pillow. Three days before he passed away, K said to his wife, ‘Honey, you are the best wife in the world’, which was a wonderful present for her to receive from him.

I have explained the stages involved in a family accepting a person with cognitive impairment; however, like in the case of Y, the process may not proceed in sequence from stage I to IV, but rather go up and down and back and forth. Eventually, the family creates an environment in which the patient can live peacefully at their side. The more memories a family has, the longer the road is and perhaps the more cruel it is for the family. During Stage III, the wife hoped her husband would play the role of ‘Head of the Family’. The husband had been the protector of the household up until that time. Then he developed a cognitive impairment and changed from the protector to the protected. How can family members be made to accept that? And what about the promise he had made to take his wife to a hot spring next year? Therefore, Y slipped out ‘Honey, pull yourself together’. Even still, the family persists. Because they persist, they sometimes become angry, they also lament and they also ignore the situation. It is important to thoroughly observe the stage at which the family accepts their situation and to be mindful of caring for the family.

Depending on the stage the family is at, health care workers should listen closely, provide information related to cognitive impairment, present care models and provide encouragement. Because the family is being supported too, it is possible to advance to the next stage. If you notice negative care by the family, you may want to give advice such as, ‘don’t you think you should be a little kinder?'; however, the family cannot accept or forgive the person with cognitive impairment who is losing his or her memory of the family and if you consider that the family has bitter experiences, it is necessary to encourage them by saying, ‘you are trying hard aren’t you?'. We should promote individual care for the family so that the family can advance through the different stages of acceptance. In addition, psycho-educational intervention for care-givers may be more required.5 If the family feels at ease, then most likely the person with cognitive impairment will also be able to live at ease.


Public Release:  'Should I stay or should I go?' CSHL scientists link brain cell types to behavior

The activity of 2 specific neuron types correlates with foraging decisions in mice

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. - You are sitting on your couch flipping through TV channels trying to decide whether to stay put or get up for a snack. Such everyday decisions about whether to "stay" or to "go" are supported by a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is part of the prefrontal cortex. Neuroscientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have now identified key circuit elements that contribute to such decisions in the ACC.

CSHL Associate Professor Adam Kepecs and his team today publish results that, for the first time, link specific brain cell types to a particular behavior pattern in mice - a "stay or go" pattern called foraging behavior. The paper, published online in Nature, shows that the firing of two distinct types of inhibitory neurons, known as somatostatin (SOM) and parvalbumin (PV) neurons, has a strong correlation with the start and end of a period of foraging behavior.

Linking specific neuronal types to well-defined behaviors has proved extremely difficult. "There's a big gap in our knowledge between our understanding of neuron types in terms of their physical location and their place in any given neural circuit, and what these neurons actually do during behavior," says Kepecs.

Part of the problem is the technical challenge of doing these studies in live, freely behaving mice. Key to solving that problem is a mouse model developed in the laboratory of CSHL Professor Z. Josh Huang. The mouse has a genetic modification that allows investigators to target a specific population of neurons with any protein of interest.

Kepecs' group, led by postdocs Duda Kvitsiani and Sachin Ranade, used this mouse to label specific neuron types in the ACC with a light-activated protein - a technique known as optogenetic tagging. Whenever they shone light onto the brains of the mice they were recording from, only the tagged PV and SOM neurons responded promptly with a 'spike' in their activity, enabling the researchers to pick them out from the vast diversity of cellular responses seen at any given moment.

The team recorded neural activity in the ACC of these mice while they engaged in foraging behavior. They discovered that the PV and SOM inhibitory neurons responded around the time of the foraging decisions -- in other words whether to stay and drink or go and explore elsewhere. Specifically, when the mice entered an area where they could collect a water reward, SOM inhibitory neurons shut down and entered a period of low-level activity, thereby opening a 'gate' for information to flow in to ACC. When the mice decided to leave that area and look elsewhere, PV inhibitory neurons fired and abruptly reset cell activity.

"The brain is complex and continuously active, so it makes sense that these two types of inhibitory interneurons define the boundaries of a behavior such as foraging, opening and then closing the 'gate' within a particular neural circuit through changes in their activity," says Kepecs.

This is an important advance, addressing a problem in behavioral neuroscience that scientists call "the cortical response zoo." When researchers record neural activity in cortex during behavior, and they don't know which type of neurons they are recording from, a bewildering array of responses is seen. This greatly complicates the task of interpretation. Hence the significance of the Kepecs team's results, for the first time showing that specific cortical neuron types can be linked to specific aspects of behavior.

"We think about the brain and behavior in terms of levels; what the cell types are and the circuits or networks they form; which regions of the brain they are in; and what behavior is modulated by them," explains Kepecs. "By observing that the activity of specific cell types in the prefrontal cortex is correlated with a behavioral period, we have identified a link between these levels."

"Distinct behavioural and network correlates of two interneuron types in prefrontal cortex" is published online in Nature on May 26, 2013. The authors are: D. Kvitsiani, S. Ranade, B. Hangya, H. Taniguchi, Z. J. Huang, A. Kepecs. The paper can be obtained online at doi:10.1038/nature12176.

The research described in this release was supported by the following grants and funding agencies: Sloan, Whitehall and Klingenstein Foundations to A.K. and the NIH NINDS (NS075531). B.H. received support from the Swartz Foundation and Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2007-2013). D.K. received support from The Robert Lee and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship and Human Frontier Science Program (2008-2011).

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Written by: Edward Brydon Ph.D., Science Writer | | 516-367-8455


Winning Proposal to the Pierce Scholar's Fund: 2011 Competition

Project Title: What Makes Citizens Click? Testing the Impact of Emotional Discourse with Digital-Age Field Experiments

Faculty Sponsor and PI: Ted Brader

Ph.D. Student: Timothy J. Ryan

Project Description

How do citizens learn about politics? In an age of abundant information and highly differentiated media, the issue is not so much whether citizens can become informed, but rather which sources they consult and how much they choose to consume. Roy Pierce, like many scholars, took a strong interest in the vigilance of democratic citizens and the roots of representation. Along the way, he delved deeply into how partisanship and ideology shape perceptions and choices. Prior research reveals that citizens sometimes engage in selective exposure—seeking out information to confirm their own partisan point of view—but other times do not. What explains these fluctuations in selective exposure? And if citizens are more responsive to some types of appeals than others, how does this influence the incentives elites have to engage in different types of discourse?

We wish to explain why citizens seek out political information and what sorts of information they seek. Recent research suggests that emotions motivate information-seeking as well as other forms of political action. This line of work sheds light on how specific emotions—e.g., fear, enthusiasm, anger—whet or dull the appetite for information generally. We posit that emotions evolved through natural selection to elicit behavior directed at specific goals. As a result, a politician trying to lure voters to her website have to consider what voters find emotionally arousing, and whether the information available helps resolve the aroused tension: Does available information serve the goals activated by a person’s emotional state? We hypothesize that citizens are more likely to consume information when it satisfies emotion-consistent goals.1 We plan to test this proposition with randomized field experiments over the Internet. While scholars have learned much about emotions and behavior from lab experiments and surveys, field experiments deployed unobtrusively into citizens’ “natural environment” extend tests to an increasingly important context while avoiding pitfalls that can arise when research subjects are aware their behavior is being observed.

Theoretical Background and Approach

Researchers have shown that emotions powerfully predict opinion and behavior, and political messages can elicit emotions that alter the very process by which decisions are made. Affective Intelligence Theory (AIT) represents the best-known effort to construct an over-arching model of emotion and politics. Borrowing from affective neuroscience, AIT posits two emotional systems that monitor the environment to allocate thinking and behavior efficiently in accordance with situational needs. The disposition system modulates enthusiasm based on feedback from current pursuits; the surveillance system modulates anxiety in response to threats.

Noting several empirical inconsistencies in past work, we believe the insights of AIT must be revised and expanded to take fuller notice of the function and goal-orientation of multiple emotions. For this purpose, we draw on appraisal theories of emotion from social psychology. This class of theories calls our attention to subtle differences in the relationship between an individual and his situation and are instructive on how arousal and context intersect to produce behavior. Inconsistencies likely arise not because emotions work differently across situations, but rather because we have been too broad in defining their behavioral implications.

We propose to test a broader view of arousal in which emotions activate specific goals, rather than simply more or less information seeking. Evolutionary psychology suggests that emotions serve a directive function, having evolved to orchestrate the activity of specialized mental subsystems and, are relevance detectors that allocate attention, physiological resources, etc., as circumstances demand. In short, emotions are adaptive responses to the environment that define behavioral goals and elicit behavior in keeping with those goals.

If the perspective above is correct, however, most current studies, which seek a direct link between emotion and behavior, will systematically miss an important contextual factor: the relationship between emotional arousal and the way in which various behaviors might be useful. It may well be the case that anxiety does not elicit information seeking inherently, but only information seeking useful for protection against a looming threat. Similarly, anger might not dampen information seeking per se. Rather, it might encourage information seeking that is useful for a more narrow goal, such as punishing others. If true, such a reassessment has the potential to explain a number of previously inconsistent findings. It also has the potential to explain why politicians – at least in some forums – find certain kinds of discourse so appealing. For instance, perhaps political blogs gravitate toward disdainful, overheated rhetoric because the anger these styles elicit effectively produces the desired effect among readers.

Design and Methods

Although political scientists have begun to use field experiments to test voter mobilization efforts and other interventions, we are unaware of any field experiments designed to test hypotheses about emotions or selective exposure. We plan to test the propositions with regard to specific emotions and goals using a field experiment conducted online. In the course of routine browsing on social networking or commercial websites, real web users will be exposed to advertisements inviting them to “click for more information” on a political topic. Two properties of the ads will be manipulated at random. First, the ads will contain imagery designed to elicit a specific emotion (e.g., anger, anxiety, no emotion). Second, the ads will contain a brief message suggesting what goal might be served by clicking. For instance, because evolutionary perspectives link anxiety with protection from physical danger, an ad about health care might suggest that clicking will reveal how “to protect your health.” In some conditions, emotional arousal will match the goal. In others, there will be a mismatch. We hypothesize that both anxiety and anger can elicit information seeking as long as there is a match between the goal activated by arousal and the goal served by behavior. A pilot study along these lines, designed and conducted by Ryan (currently under review), testifies to the soundness of this innovative approach.

This summer we plan to design a full slate of treatments, conduct brief manipulation checks, and, finally, run the experiments. Turnaround time is faster than in conventional data collection, allowing us to field and learn from successive trials in short order. We also will design destination websites carefully constructed to allow collection of a richer set of dependent measures, once people have clicked on an ad. For example, the websites will allow us to track the extent to which people consume information that is 1) confirmatory or non- confirmatory; 2) defensive or punitive; and 3) threat oriented or non-threat oriented. Each of these pairs captures an element of behavioral goals, and their addition would allow for a more nuanced examination of behavior once initial searching has begun. This design can be adapted to study the effects of several emotions which have received very little attention to date. We are especially enthusiastic about the field experiments because they offer a test unmatched in realism and well attuned to study the explosion of “new” social media.

Benefits to the Collaborators

Our proposal is not merely an extension of one or the other’s research agenda, but rather a genuinely collaborative project that grew out of related interests we had developed separately. In this project, Ryan builds on expertise in field experimentation begun in college and his growing interest in the political implications of evolutionary psychology. These interests led Ryan to formulate hypotheses and test ideas for field experiments on emotions. Quite independently, Brader has been contemplating for years remarkably similar “next steps” in his long-running research on the behavioral effects of political emotions and has had a desire to pursue some of this research through field experimentation for the first time. We are excited to discover this convergence in our research agendas and decided to reap the benefits of full collaboration. Ryan is currently testing theoretical and methodological approaches to play a role in his dissertation. Because it incorporates his longstanding interest in emotions, evolutionary psychology, and field experimentation, the project very much advances that effort. Moreover, Ryan hopes to develop more experience on large-scale original data collection, on professional presentations of findings (a poster related to this vein of research has been accepted at APSA), and writing up results for publication.


USC's Matt Barkley NFL Draft Scouting Report

USC Matt Barkley
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Barkley

Height 6-2

Weight 227lbs

What I like-There isn’t a more polarizing prospect in this draft than Barkley. There are some things that stand out in his game that an NFL franchise can work with. Barkley is a very smart quarterback, who makes very good pre-snap reads, goes through his progressions quickly, and has shown he can run a pro style offense. Barkely’s footwork and mechanics are very good. He has great set up in his drops, keeps the football up near his ear, which allows him to make quick throws and rapid adjustments when under pressure. He does a nice job with his play fakes and works well on roll out and bootlegs.

Barkley stands out from some of the other 2nd tier quarterbacks in this draft in his ability to deal with pressure and make throws. He has a solid pocket presence and isn’t opposed to standing in and taking a hit to make a throw. Part of that comes from the fact he’s a very solidly built player. Barkley has adequate size; a solid 6-2 227lbs, and in a league where so many throws are made in lanes and on the perimeter of field, concerns about his height are minimized.

Barkley is a very accurate passer in the short and intermediate routes. The USC offense is all about short throws and long runs, and Barkley does a nice job leading his receivers and delivering the football on time.

What I don’t like-Barkley  has some physical limitations. I just am not sure if his lack of arm strength is something he can improve enough to be a franchise starter. Elite velocity, particularly in those intermediate types of routes allows a quarterback to throw a receiver open. Barkley throws to open receivers, but you don’t see a lot of cases where he threw a receiver open. In the NFL, the best quarterbacks can do that. They can ratchet it up and take a receiver that is covered and put it where it opens them up for the catch.

The deep pass has become such a part of the NFL game I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Barkley’s deep arm strength. In the games I watched him play, as long as he had a clean pocket and no pressure he was able to put nice air under the ball, but was not able to lead receivers on deep throws. Deep throws to a wide open receiver, and they had to either slow up, stop or come back for the ball. When Barkley had pressure things were worse. The ball came out of his hand a little strange at times and didn’t have good trajectory. It appears to me that if he can develop that throw, and maybe working up into the pocket to make that throw, he’ll throw a much more catchable ball.

What it all means-Barkley’s draft stock is all over the map. I have seen him everywhere from a likely top 10 pick to a 4th round selection. The truth is how good Barkley is going to be in the NFL will depend on two key factors. First is which team drafts him. Barkley is not plug and play guy. The team that drafts him will need to have an offense in place that allows him to minimize risk, stick to short and intermediate throws, primarily in between the hash marks and not force him outside of what he can do physically. The other is his strength. I’m not sure with his footwork and mechanics there’s a lot of room for him to get stronger.

I am lukewarm on Barkley. Whether it’s a fair criticism of him or not remains to be seen. What he’s good at are skills like footwork, mechanics, and running the offense. But it almost seemed the Trojans offense was built to minimize his shortcomings, which makes perfect sense. Just not sure if the NFL has the luxury of doing that for him. Obviously a west coast type of offense would fit Barkley, but even at that there are throws I’m just not sure he can make. If I had to make a bet, I would say Barkley ends up being drafted at some point in the first round. Personally, I put Barkley somewhere closer to a late 2nd through mid 3rd round player.


1 the 1ST & only ufo case in the united states OFFICIALLY Inducted as "historically significant & true"

Lynn Hartrum

Thom's IMDb

Please respect the binding agreements in place that involve language:
Limits to language have been agreed, to preserve the integrity of this witnessed 1969 incident in Gt Barrington MA, The recorded event confer upon by the Charles D. Baker Governor of Massachusetts.

This historic off-world incident that engaged the Reed family was established, factually upheld and deemed Historically Significant and true, by means of Massachusetts Historians. The records, the event and persons (Thom Reed) have officially entered the History of Massachusetts, by Governor Baker. The records collected by Historians are now part of the Gt Barringtons Historical Collection. The (1st) citation issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to confer and induct, was signed Oct 27th 2015, and the (2nd) Nov 3rd 2015

Note to press, radio & media:
 This case made history due to FACTS, Documents and Witnesses. Do not associate this case with silly terms

As we will file for damages.


Workers decry French law closing stores on Sunday

      GENNEVILLIERS, France (AP) Employees at two big home-improvement retailers are putting the screws to France's government to let their stores stay open on Sundays.

      The protests at the Castorama and Leroy Merlin chains cut to the heart of an economic conundrum here: many French view labor protections such as reduced opening hours as sacrosanct, but others say they are one reason the economy is flailing.

      A 1906 French law established Sunday as a mandatory day off with some exceptions to help ensure rest and a certain quality of life.


People who think they might be in a hurricane’s path tend to focus on the storm’s wind speed, which defines its category. But what matters in deciding whether to evacuate is the trickier calculation of storm surge.

This year, the National Hurricane Center will be using a better model on faster computers to help emergency managers update hurricane evacuation plans.

“The categories put a focus on wind; people are absorbed by wind,” said Jamie Rhome of the National Hurricane Center, but “water is what kills the vast majority of people. Evacuations are done for surge.”

Surge is the water a storm pushes ashore. Rhome said “surge is not just a coastal event; the tidal Potomac River up to Washington, D.C., is vulnerable.”

The height and extent of a surge depends on many factors, including the storm’s wind speeds, the direction the storm is coming from, how fast it’s moving, its size, the depth and shape of the ocean bottom, and what the surge encounters on land, including dunes, buildings, embankments and rising land.

Only a powerful computer can make sense of all of this.

The hurricane center’s storm-surge model is called SLOSH, for Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes. (There’s also a version of SLOSH for extratropical cyclones such as our winter Nor’easters.) It uses the model to make advance calculations of potential surges for 37 “basins,” which include all of the East and Gulf coasts, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and parts of Hawaii and Guam.

To prepare the “hazard analysis” for each basin, the hurricane center runs models for hundreds of simulated hurricanes. They are done for all five storm categories, changing various factors such as forward speeds, directions of approach and landfall locations. Each model run for a category creates a Maximum Envelope of Water (MEOW). They are combined into a Maximum of Maximums (MOM) for each category.

Faster computer speeds are enabling the hurricane center to run more scenarios than in the past, which gives a better picture of potential surges. “In the past, we did 10,000 to 15,000 scenarios for the hazard analysis,” Rhome said. “We’re working on one now for Louisiana and are more than doubling the number of scenarios to 50,000.”

Emergency managers use the hazard analyses to create evacuation zones long before storms hit.

The hurricane center normally updates surge data for five or six basins a year after a storm changes the shape of a coastline, the high-resolution land elevation for the area has been updated, or local emergency managers need updated surge data for planning, Rhome said.

Surge data for the Lower Chesapeake Bay was updated last year, and the Upper Chesapeake Bay is now being updated.

When a hurricane threatens a particular basin, the center runs a few hundred scenarios, with slight changes in size, strength, where and when it could hit, and other factors that could affect surge. The results help emergency managers decide which zones to evacuate.

Another big change this year is that potential surge is being described in terms of depth of water above ground level, instead of “feet above normal tide levels.” If you’re in a potential surge area, you won’t have to know how far above “normal tide levels” your house is to know how deep the water around it could be.

As with all forecasting, surge predictions are done in terms of probabilities. Rhome said there is a fine line between crying wolf and giving adequate warnings. “Under-evacuation is a terrible thing to think about. Imagine if I told an emergency manager five feet and it turned out to be 15 feet.”

Still, “its an exciting time,” he said. “This year’s changes are the biggest ever.”

Leading hurricane researchers say to expect an above average Atlantic hurricane season, but slightly less active than once thought.

Phil Klotzbach and William Gray of Colorado State University, who have issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for 30 years, are forecasting 18 named storms (including the four that have already formed), eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes (category 3 or higher).

They plan to publish updated outlooks every two weeks into October. Hurricane season spans from June 1 to Nov. 30. There have been five named storms so far, but no hurricanes.

Jason Samenow of the Capital Weather Gang contributed to this report.


The story of Beowulf

Beowulf is a classic tale of the triumph of good over evil, and divides neatly into three acts. The poem opens in Denmark, where Grendel is terrorising the kingdom. The Geatish prince Beowulf hears of his neighbours’ plight, and sails to their aid with a band of warriors. Beowulf encounters Grendel in unarmed combat, and deals the monster its death-blow by ripping off its arm.

There is much rejoicing among the Danes; but Grendel’s loathsome mother takes her revenge, and makes a brutal attack upon the king’s hall. Beowulf seeks out the hag in her underwater lair, and slays her after an almighty struggle. Once more there is much rejoicing, and Beowulf is rewarded with many gifts. The poem culminates 50 years later, in Beowulf’s old age. Now king of the Geats, his own realm is faced with a rampaging dragon, which had been guarding a treasure-hoard. Beowulf enters the dragon’s mound and kills his foe, but not before he himself has been fatally wounded.

When was Beowulf composed?

How old is the manuscript?

The contents of the manuscript

Apart from Beowulf, the manuscript contains several other medieval texts. These comprise a homily on St Christopher; the 'Marvels of the East', illustrated with wondrous beasts and deformed monsters; the 'Letter of Alexander to Aristotle'; and an imperfect copy of another Old English poem, 'Judith'.

Beowulf is the penultimate item in this collection, the whole of which was copied by two Anglo-Saxon scribes, working in collaboration.

Who owned the Beowulf-manuscript?

The first-recorded owner of Beowulf is Laurence Nowell (died c.1570), a pioneer of the study of Old English, who inscribed his name (dated 1563) at the top of the manuscript’s first page. Beowulf then entered the famous collection of Sir Robert Cotton (died 1631) – who also owned the Lindisfarne Gospels and the British Library’s two copies of Magna Carta – before passing into the hands of his son Sir Thomas Cotton (died 1662), and grandson Sir John Cotton (died 1702), who bequeathed the manuscript to the nation. The Cotton library formed one of the foundation collections of the British Museum in 1753, before being incorporated as part of the British Library in 1973.

Why is the manuscript damaged?

During the 18th century, the Cotton manuscripts were moved for safekeeping to Ashburnham House at Westminster. On the night of 23 October 1731 a fire broke out and many manuscripts were damaged, and a few completely destroyed.

Beowulf escaped the fire relatively intact but it suffered greater loss by handling in the following years, with letters crumbling away from the outer portions of its pages. Placed in paper frames in 1845, the manuscript remains incredibly fragile, and can be handled only with the utmost care.

Modern versions of Beowulf

Despite being composed in the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf continues to captivate modern audiences. The poem has provided the catalyst for films, plays, operas, graphic novels and computer games. Among the more notable recent versions are the films The 13th Warrior (1999), adapted from the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (d. 2008); the Icelandic-Canadian co-production Beowulf & Grendel (2005); and Beowulf (2007), starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie.

Beowulf has also been translated into numerous languages, including modern English, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Telugu (a Dravidian language spoken in India).

Perhaps the most famous modern translation is that by Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate in Literature, which won the Whitbread Book of Year Award in 1999. A children’s version by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman, was published in 2006.

See a full set of images on our Beowulf Digitised Manuscript or view the Electronic Beowulf, a collaboration between British Library and Kentucky University.

Full title
c. 11th century
Held by
British Library
Usage terms
Public Domain
Cotton MS Vitellius A.XV

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UniCon is an architectural description language whose focus is on supporting the variety of architectural parts and styles found in the real world and on constructing systems from their architecture descriptions. To give a feel for what describing an architecture is like in UniCon, here is a short example.
 An architecture description in UniCon consists of a set of components and connectors. A component is a locus of data or computation, while a connector mediates the interaction among components. Each component has an interface that exports a set of players. These players engender the ways in which the component can interact with the outside world. Similarly, a connector's protocol exports a set of roles that engender the ways in which the connector can mediate interaction. To illustrate, here's an example diagram produced using UniCon's graphical editor:
The diagram features two components, labelled A and B, which are Unix filters. Each of them exports three players, drawn as triangles; the player on the left represents the input stream "standard in", while the players on the right represent the output streams "standard out" and "standard error." Between the two components is a connector, which represents a Unix pipe. The connect exports two roles: the one dangling to the left represents the pipe's source; the one dangling to the right represents the pipe's sink.
 In the picture above, there is no interactive among the components and connectors; nothing is "hooked up." To specify that there should be a connection, a player must be associated with a role. In the graphical editor, this is done by dragging the role over the player and dropping it. The result of dragging the pipe's sink and dropping it on B's input is shown here:

By associating players and roles, a whole configuration of interacting parts can be specified.
 The current version of UniCon supports not only pipe-and-filter systems like those above, but also modules interacting with procedure calls and shared data, distributed systems with RPC calls, processes that share processors according to various real-time disciplines, and databases accessed with SQL commands.

The UniCon Tool Set

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UniCon Documentation

UniCon's Reference Manual.
Adding new connector experts to UniCon.
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Gar Forman

Wade excited to join hometown Bulls

The long dance between Wade and the Bulls took the next step when he was officially introduced as a member of his favorite team growing up in the Windy City. The 12-time All-Star had two workouts with the Bulls before he was drafted by Miami in 2003, and then had two more meetings with the team before deciding to stay with the Heat six years ago.


domain driven design · API design

You can usually tell them because their notion of equality isn't based on identity, instead two value objects are equal if all their fields are equal. Although all fields are equal, you don't need to compare all fields if a subset is unique - for example currency codes for currency objects are enough to test equality.

Early J2EE literature used the term value object to describe a different notion, what I call a Data Transfer Object. They have since changed their usage and use the term Transfer Object instead.

You can find some more good material on value objects on the wiki and by Dirk Riehle.

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domain driven design API design


(For some reason, my orignal post on this didn't post, so I'll try again.)

Ever notice how many times Obama asserts: "I am the President of the United States"?  At first, this was just an annoying speech pattern to me.  Now, however, it is starting to make me wonder if it doesn’t have some deeper psychological significance.  A few dates that I’ve found (not necessarily in chronological order):

  2. Feb 25, 2010 - health summit, “I don’t count my time because I am the President
  4. August 6, 2009 - speech in McLean, VA, “I am the President” .. and doesn’t want those who created the mess to do a lot of talking
  5. December 6, 2009 - Kennedy Center, ” I remember I am the President, but he’s the Boss (Springsteen)

It just doesn't seem normal for anyone I've met, or anyone I've viewed in public life to keep restating the obvious.  It smacks of an unhealthy mental conditon.  So I looked up the word: narcissism in Meriam's on-line dictionary and was led to a Healthline definition:

Narcissism is the personality trait that features an exaggerated sense of the person's own importance and abilities. People with this trait believe themselves to be uniquely gifted and commonly engage in fantasies of fabulous success, power, or fame. Arrogant and egotistical, narcissistics are often snobs, defining themselves by their ability to associate with (or purchase the services of) the "best" people. They expect special treatment and concessions from others. Paradoxically, these individuals are generally insecure and have low self-esteem. They require considerable admiration from others and find it difficult to cope with criticism. Adversity or criticism may cause the narcissistic person to either counterattack in anger or withdraw socially. Because narcissistic individuals cannot cope with setbacks or failure, they often avoid risks and situations in which defeat is a possibility.

This is getting scary to think that our President fits this definition exactly.  This is the man charged with the defense of this nation!  This is the man with his finger on the button!  This is the President of the United States!

Tags: Obama


George Lucas Educational Foundation Celebrating our 25th Anniversary!

Alice Brooks

I am working on my Master's in education. I have a 31 year old son who has as autism and I am seeking answers to why this increase in the autism in the past 20 years. I am always looking for ways to educate those with disabilities.

Areas of Interest:
I have a science background. I interested in research in education as it relates to continuing education for those with autism and other developmental disabilities.


Can you unscramble the following letters to make a word, C L R T S A A O E?

When you unscramble the letters "C L R T S A A O E", you will spell the word escalator. AnswerParty for now!

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Escalator Stairways Technology

Scrabble Showdown is an American game show created for the American cable network Hub Network. The program is based on the well-known board game Scrabble and is hosted by entertainer Justin Willman.

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 Huntsville Botanical Garden - Our Garden - Herb Garden

Welcome to the Garden

Herb Garden

Contained in this charming ¼ acre garden are 14 theme gardens and a quaint herb cottage. The Knot Garden, located in the center of the garden, is raised 16 inches above ground level. Four L-shaped beds rise 30 inches above ground level in brick-enclosed walls, providing excellent drainage for plants and making the beds accessible to persons in wheel chairs and those with special needs. The themes of these four beds are: Culinary, Medicinal, Dye and Fragrance. The Medicinal bed highlights the contributions Native Americans have made to our understanding of plants and their use for medicinal purposes.

Other beds, also raised above ground level, include a Butterfly Garden, Biblical Garden, Tea plants and Heart Healthy plants. A circular bed is planted as a large Tussie Mussie or "talking bouquet." A Tussie Mussie is a circular nosegay whose fragrant herbs and flowers carry a message in the language of flowers - love, condolence, good luck, or a variety of other sentiments. There are two semicircular beds: one has an Oriental theme and the other is a Shakespearean herb bed. The long Children’s bed beside the vine covered entrance pergola features plants to delight children’s imaginations and teach them to have fun in the garden as they explore the Bunny Trail, River bench, Magic area, Pizza herbs and the Candyland of wonderful plants and flowers.

The Analematic sundial is appropriately placed in a bed of thyme. As you stand on the appropriate month stone on a sunny day, your body will cast a shadow on the current hour stone encircling the bed.

The Herb Garden is maintained by members of the Huntsville Herb Society.


“We thank Thee for Thy mercies of blood, for Thy redemption by blood. For the blood of Thy martyrs and saints
Shall enrich the earth, shall create the holy places.
From where the western seas gnaw at the coast of Iona,
From such ground springs that which forever renews the earth
Though it is forever denied. Therefore, O God, we thank Thee
Who has given such blessing to Canterbury.”
— T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral