The Opera Atelier presents Great Opera Moments ? Riverwalk Arts ...

The Opera Atelier presents Great Opera Moments

Date:
September 22, 2012 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Location:
Broward Center

Description:
After successful performances in New York City, Miami, Aventura, and Latin America, the Great Opera Moments series comes to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in an original production that offers audiences a varied view of grand opera with authentic components of operatic performance. This includes live singing and music, acting, costumes, lighting and scenery integrated in an aesthetic concept inspired by the classical tradition and incorporating elements from other performing, media, and visual arts. In this integration of the arts, we are privileged to feature the special participation of guest artists from the Arts Ballet Theater of Florida in an original choreographed piece from prestigious choreographer and dancer Vladimir Issaev, Artistic Director of the Arts Ballet Theater of Florida.

Phone:
954-462-0222

Source: http://www.riverwalkae.com/the-opera-atelier-presents-great-opera-moments/

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Adam Rackoff ? Full Metal Jacket Diary iPad app - Naked Filmmaking

Matthew Modine and Adam Rackoff in the audio booth recording the "Full Metal Jacket Diary"

MC: The only other book I can think of that one person wrote about the experience of working with Stanly Kubrick was Frederic Raphael?s?Eyes Wide Open?memoir about writing the script for?Eyes Wide Shut. But that book was entirely through words on the page whereas the?Full Metal Jacket Diary?lets you see it through hundreds of photographs taken during the production. It?s very experiential. Matthew obviously had the foresight to know that this was going to be special and that?s why he had the camera with him and kept the diary.

ADAM RACKOFF: Matthew never intended to do anything with the diary or with these photographs. There was so much down time on set, so Matthew used writing in his diary or taking photographs to pass the time while he wasn?t in front of the camera. Also, he was playing a journalist who was writing for Stars & Stripes in Vietnam so he did this to get into the character of ?Joker? by actually taking the photos and keeping the journal as an actor?s exercise.

On many occasions, in between set-ups while they were lighting the next shot, Matthew was asked by Stanley to stand up and read what he was writing in his diary in front of everyone on the set. That forced him to write better and to put his thoughts down on paper as clearly and as eloquently as possible. It made him become a better writer?because he never knew when he was going to be called to read to the class, so to speak.

It was an almost two year process making Full Metal Jacket.?While making this app, Matthew worked on?The Dark Knight Rises?with Christopher Nolan on and off for over six months, and that was a huge film to shoot. Still, it couldn?t even get close to the time it took to make a Kubrick film.

MC: When I met Matthew and he was looking through my copy of the?Diary, he would point to a photograph and say, ?That?s a speck of dust and I could never get the negative clean.? Or he?d point to a picture and say, ?This photo was taken from a contact sheet because I couldn?t find the negative.? He was very excited about how thoroughly you were having the negatives re-scanned at high resolution. Could you talk about the photographs that people will see in the app and the lengths that you?ve gone to?

ADAM RACKOFF: I was able to get all of the design assets that were used to publish the book, all the original materials and original scans. For the most part, the scans were done in high-res from contact sheets that Matthew had kept from many years ago. In some cases, the publisher scanned original prints that Matthew had produced in 1987 to give to cast and crew as thank you gifts. He had two of every photograph produced, so he would keep one for himself and give one away.

They were large contact sheets, but in most cases the images on the prints and the contact sheets were rather dark and that?s how they come across in the book as well. A little darker than Matthew would have liked.

The publishing company was small and didn?t have a huge budget for the book. They didn?t have the resources to actually go back and scan the original negatives. But that?s what I decided to do. I?m happy we did it, but I didn?t realize how much work it was going to be.

Finding all the negatives was another thing. Most of them were in a box, all kind of disorganized. They weren?t in protective sheets or anything. So first I had to put them in protective sheets and organize them as best I could into some kind of chronological order, which had never been done.

We were fortunate to find a great imaging artist (Sam Matamoros) who scanned all the original negatives that we could find. We couldn?t find every single one. There were probably two rolls we couldn?t find.

Sam had to go through and do a lot of imaging work on the scans, cleaning some of them up. Some of the negatives were damaged. Then Jason added a treatment to the images to give them a sort of warm feeling to match the design aesthetic of the app itself so they don?t actually come off as the raw black and white. They have a warm hue to them to give them an aged, scrapbook feel?but without losing any of the clarity from scanning those original negatives.

And as we were working on the project, the latest iPad came out with the new Retina screen, so we were very thankful that we were doing these high-resolution scans because the new screen could show off all the work we?d done.

There were over 400 individual 2?x2? inch negatives scanned at around 30 megabytes each with 3300?3300 pixel resolution. With the new iPad Retina screen resolution being 2048 on the horizontal side, the user can view each image at more than 1? times larger than the Retina screen. On the original iPad screen, which is 1024, it would be more than 3 times the resolution of that screen. This gives the user the ability to zoom in on a photograph, look at the detail on someone?s face, look at something in the background that might have been hard to see in the book.

We were always conscious that we were making a large app and wanted to keep it down to a manageable size so that people wouldn?t think that it would take up their whole iPad. It?s a little less than 1.4GB in size, and that?s big for an iPad app. Hopefully people are excited that they?re getting so much content at so much resolution.

In addition to Matthew?s photos, Matthew?s wife kept scrapbooks of his career. Very comprehensive books that went through each year and have newspaper clippings, publicity photos, Polaroids, magazine articles, movie premiere tickets. So, of course, she had a couple of scrapbooks that had all types of content from the two years they were in England filming?Full Metal Jacket. I went through and scanned everything on a regular flatbed scanner at high-resolution so that we could show some of the personal artifacts and letters.

There were a couple of notes and letters from Stanley to Matthew that are in the app. There are some Polaroids that Stanley took for exposure tests of lighting that he gave to Matthew. These little Polaroids ?were in pretty bad shape, but the fact that they were damaged and yellowed and had kind of been through war added to the character a little bit.

On each photo there?s an info button in the lower left hand corner and when you tap on that you?ll see a caption that we wrote, and it also says who the photo credit goes to. Of course, most of those credits go to Matthew, but there are also credits for his wife or some of the other cast and crew who grabbed the camera and shot a few photos while he was working. Many of the other cast members (Tony Hayes and Sal Lopez) were also taking photos with their own cameras and were nice enough to give us permission to include some of theirs. Tony even sent us all his negatives from London.

Jan Harlan, the executive producer of the film, was also tremendously supportive of this project. He was Stanley?s brother-in-law and is the executor of the Kubrick estate. He provided us with a couple photos that he took as well of Matthew and Stanley that are in the app. We were very fortunate that this project had such support from the people who were there.

Warner Bros. has also been very supportive. There?s a new 25th Anniversary edition Blu-ray of?Full Metal Jacket?that came out the same time as our app that includes a booklet of photographs and other stories and we were able to provide a number of Matthew?s photos to that project as well. In return, Warner Bros. included a little promotional insert that says if you want more behind-the-scenes content on?Full Metal Jacket?to check out?Full Metal Jacket Diary iPad app on iTunes.

The Kubrick Archives in London was also very supportive. They gave us a photo that we needed permission to use. Leon Vitali, who was Stanley?s assistant for over 25 years, offered a lot of advice. (Leon Vitali met Stanley when he was an actor playing ?Lord Bullingdon? in?Barry Lyndon.) There?s a tremendous amount of people who contributed to this project on so many levels.

It?s definitely a product for a very specific audience and we just hope we can reach that audience, the people who really do love Stanley Kubrick and love this movie. The film is hugely popular with the military. There are many men and women who?ve served in the Marine Corps and other branches of the armed forces who?ve sent Matthew letters and photos over the years about how much they?ve loved this movie over other war movies.

MC: This is such a totally unique thing that you?ve done. I think that you are going to change the way people look at apps and for creative people to consider writing and storytelling in a different way. Have you gotten any reaction along those lines yet?

ADAM RACKOFF: I do firmly believe that we?ve done something new. Over the past year and a half there were countless opportunities for other people to come out with something that was doing more with apps than was already being done, but nothing really has come out that we are aware of. So it does feel like we?ve done something unique.

It?s difficult to change people?s perceptions of what an app can be. Most apps are perceived as gimmicky little toys?games that we pass the time with on our phones. I don?t think people see them as something artistic yet. With the?Full Metal Jacket Diary?app we are striving to elevate the possibilities of an app into a new artistic medium for telling stories.

This is not an iBook or an eBook or any kind of a digital book. This is much more than that. It does a lot more. It takes you farther into an immersive experience than what a normal book would do?and that was intentional. We could have gone the easy route of just converting the design files into an electronic version. That would have only taken us a month. But we sincerely felt we had a unique opportunity to do something special and new.

Most apps are either free or 99 cents. We?re pushing the envelope in the pricing ($14.99) and that?s why we?re trying to make people aware that it?s not something you?ll download and just play with for five minutes and then forget about. This is a premium app experience that you?re going to want to go through from beginning to end and take your time exploring. There?s hours and hours of material to explore.

I believe that apps have become a new multimedia art form that is filled with potential. It?s a lot like making a film. Making?Matthew Modine?s Full Metal Jacket Diary?app has been much like making a documentary, although it?s been incredibly harder because you have the programming aspect of having to build everything. It wasn?t easy getting everything to work! All these art forms are converging. It?s a new frontier for a lot of different artistic content.

MC: Listening to you describe all this I can only hope that Apple or Adobe are developing some new app creation software in the vein of Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere for building an app, step by step in layers.

I?m reminded of how the American independent film movement took off in the ?90s with Sundance and camcorders and everybody starting to make their own movies, myself included. There?s a voracious appetite out there for information and entertainment, which the iPad is outstanding for delivering. I could see the iPad emerging as the new cinema, the new television, the new newsstand?if it isn?t already?that you can take with you anywhere.

ADAM RACKOFF: I think you?re right about how the early indie movie craze created a lot of new filmmakers. In the same way that anyone could pick up a brush and try to paint, now anyone can make movies on their own without crews and big budgets and all that. I think that?s also one of the advantages of apps. If you know how to program and can write code, or know someone who does, then you can create something on your own?and then self-distribute it via iTunes. With film, that?s always been the big problem?you can make a movie, but how do you get people to see it with all the content out there already? You can put it out on YouTube for free, but how do you monetize it? How do you make money from your art?

For the independent producer, using iTunes as the releasing platform is a way of both getting it out to the world?and?making money from doing what you love. It?ll be very interesting to see where all this goes in the next few years.

It would be great if one day apps are not limited to the iPad, that these apps could be used on all different kinds of platforms as we move towards touchscreen computers and touchscreen televisions, that the?Full Metal Jacket Diary?app could play on a television screen in an interactive fashion.

MC: In a way, you?ve replicated your own?Full Metal Jacket?experience in that it?s taken you nearly two years to get the app out there. What?s next on your plate?

ADAM RACKOFF: I actually just worked on another app. I helped to produce a children?s storybook app called?Punky Dunk and the Gold Fish, which is also available now on iTunes, for which Matthew voiced the English language reading of. This is the first of a series of three children?s storybook apps that I?m working with a couple of people on. We?ve been taking these original children?s stories from 1912 that have been in the public domain and been giving them a new, modern re-imagining. We hope this will create a new audience for these 100 year-old books as well.

MC: It?s a great way to bring older books to a younger, digital audience that is so visually oriented. You could include photos and paintings and more historical background so that when you?re imagining the story of the book you?d have a foundation for what it looked like.

ADAM RACKOFF: Exactly, and that fascinates me?taking content from the past like this children?s story, that is essentially lost literature and breathing new life into it through a new medium. It can come to life, educate people about the past and the history behind it, yet still pay tribute to the original.

If we?re successful, I think that our new app will make the original?Full Metal Jacket Diary?book even more collectible. The app might even open the door to people who didn?t know about the book previously and encourage them to want to get a copy of the book to be able to have and hold in their hands. They?re out of print, but I?ll go on Amazon every now and then and I?ll see ten copies available. You wonder where they?re coming from?if they?re finding boxes of books from somewhere in storage. I?ll usually buy a couple when that happens because they?re always great gifts for somebody.

MC: When I met Matthew when he was here in Sacramento last fall, a filmmaker friend at the TV station where I work asked me what I was talking about with Modine for so long? I pulled out my copy of the?Full Metal Jacket Diary?and he looked at the book and said, ?Man, I love that movie. I didn?t know anything about this. This is the coolest thing I?ve ever seen.? So I ordered a copy from Amazon and gave it to him.

ADAM RACKOFF: Everyone who sees the book says the same thing, ?I had no idea about this book! When did it come out?? That?s why I felt there was a lot of potential in doing something more with the material, that there was a much bigger audience out there and that perhaps the iPad would be the perfect medium to release this content in a new form.

I?m very proud of what we?ve all created and very happy with the result. The true test will be to see if the rest of the world will appreciate it the same way. I felt there were far more Kubrick fans out there than those who owned copies of this book?and I?m hoping that?s true.

Tags: filmmakers, Matthew Modine, Stanley Kubrick

Source: http://nakedfilmmaking.com/2012/08/29/adam-rackoff-full-metal-jacket-diary-ipad-app-part-2-of-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=adam-rackoff-full-metal-jacket-diary-ipad-app-part-2-of-2

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Synchronized lasers measure how light changes matter: Effects of light at atomic scale probed by mixing x-ray and optical light waves

ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2012) ? Light changes matter in ways that shape our world. Photons trigger changes in proteins in the eye to enable vision; sunlight splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and creates chemicals through photosynthesis; light causes electrons to flow in the semiconductors that make up solar cells; and new devices for consumers, industry, and medicine operate with photons instead of electrons. But directly measuring how light manipulates matter on the atomic scale has never been possible, until now.

An international team of scientists led by Thornton Glover of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) used the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to mix a pulse of superbright x-rays with a pulse of lower frequency, "optical" light from an ordinary laser. By aiming the combined pulses at a diamond sample, the team was able to measure the optical manipulation of chemical bonds in the crystal directly, on the scale of individual atoms.

The researchers report their work in the August 30, 2012 issue of the journal Nature.

Mixing x-rays with light in x-ray diffraction

X-ray and optical wave-mixing is an x-ray diffraction technique similar to that long used in solving the structures of proteins and other biological molecules in crystalline form. But in contrast to conventional diffraction, wave mixing selectively probes how light reshapes the distribution of charge in a material. It does this by imposing a distinction between x?rays scattered from optically perturbed charge and x?rays scattered from unperturbed charge.

"You can think of the electrons orbiting atoms in a material as belonging to one of two groups," says Glover. "The 'active' electrons are the outer, loosely bound valence electrons that participate in chemical reactions and form chemical bonds. The 'spectator' electrons are the ones tightly wrapped around the nucleus at the atom's core."

Glover explains that "because the x-ray photon energy is large compared to the electron binding energy, in a typical scattering experiment all electrons scatter with comparable strength and are therefore more or less indistinguishable." The core-electron signal usually swamps the weaker valence-charge signal because there are many more core electrons than valence electrons.

"So x-rays can tell you where atoms are, but they usually can't reveal how the chemically important valence charge is distributed," Glover says. "However, when light is also present with the x-rays, it wiggles some portion of the chemically relevant valence charge. X-rays scatter from this optically driven charge, and in doing so the x-ray photon energy is changed."

Pulses of 8,000-electron-volt x-rays from the LCLS are synchronized with 1.55 electron-volt pulses from an optical laser, so that both strike the diamond sample at the same time and mix to form upconverted pulses of 8,001.55 electron volts. The detector first sees the diffracted x?ray pulse, and then, after the sample is gently "rocked," the slightly more energetic mixed pulse. The optical pulse exerts localized force on the chemical bonds among the carbon atoms.

The modified x-rays have a frequency (or energy) equal to the sum of the frequencies of both the original x?ray pulse and the overlapping optical pulse. The change to a slightly higher energy provides a distinct signature, which distinguishes wave-mixing from conventional x?ray diffraction.

"Conventional diffraction does not provide direct information on how the valence electrons respond to light, nor on the electric fields that arise in a material because of this response," says Glover. "But with x-ray and optical wave mixing, the energy-modified x-rays selectively probe a material's optically responsive valence charge."

Beyond the ability to directly probe atomic-scale details of how light initiates such changes as chemical reactions or phase transitions, sensitivity to valence charge creates new opportunities to track the evolution of chemical bonds or conduction electrons in a material -- something traditional x-ray diffraction does poorly. Different components of the valence charge can be probed by tuning the so-called optical pulse; higher-frequency pulses of extreme ultraviolet light, for example, probe a larger portion of valence charge.

Because mixing x-ray and optical light waves creates a new beam, which shows up as a slightly higher-energy peak on a graph of x?ray diffraction, the process is called "sum frequency generation." It was proposed almost half a century ago by Isaac Freund and Barry Levine of Bell Labs as a technique for probing the microscopic details of light's interactions with matter, by separating information about the position of atoms from the response of valence charge exposed to light.

But sum frequency generation requires intense x-ray sources unavailable until recently. SLAC's LCLS is just such a source. It's a free-electron laser (FEL) that can produce ultrashort pulses of high-energy "hard" x-rays millions of times brighter than synchrotron light sources, a hundred times a second.

"The breadth of the science impact of LCLS is still before us," says Jerome Hastings, a professor of photon science at the LCLS and an author of the Nature article. "What is clear is that it has the potential to extend nonlinear optics into the x-ray range as a useful tool. Wave mixing is an obvious choice, and this first experiment opens the door."

Diamonds are just the beginning

Glover's team chose diamond to demonstrate x-ray and optical wave mixing because diamond's structure and electronic properties are already well known. With this test bed, wave mixing has proved its ability to study light-matter interactions on the atomic scale and has opened new opportunities for research.

"The easiest kinds of diffraction experiments are with crystals, and there's lots to learn," Glover says. "For example, light can be used to alter the magnetic order in advanced materials, yet it's often unclear just what the light does, on the microscopic scale, to initiate these changes."

Looking farther ahead, Glover imagines experiments that observe the dynamic evolution of a complex system as it evolves from the moment of initial excitation by light. Photosynthesis is a prime example, in which the energy of sunlight is transferred through a network of light-harvesting proteins into chemical reaction centers with almost no loss.

"Berkeley Lab's Graham Fleming has shown that this virtually instantaneous energy transfer is intrinsically quantum mechanical," Glover says. "Quantum entanglement plays an important role, as an excited electron simultaneously samples many spatially separated sites, probing to find the most efficient energy-transfer pathway. It would be great if we could use x-ray and optical wave mixing to make real-space images of this process as it's happening, to learn more about the quantum aspects of the energy transfer."

Such experiments will require high pulse-repetition rates that free electron lasers have not yet achieved. Synchrotron light sources like Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source, although not as bright as FELs, have inherently high repetition rates and, says Glover, "may play a role in helping us assess the technical adjustments needed for high repetition-rate experiments."

Light sources with repetition rates up to a million pulses per second may someday be able to do the job. Glover says, "FELs of the future will combine high-peak brightness with high repetition rate, and this combination will open new opportunities for examining the interactions of light and matter on the atomic scale."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. T. E. Glover, D. M. Fritz, M. Cammarata, T. K. Allison, Sinisa Coh, J. M. Feldkamp, H. Lemke, D. Zhu, Y. Feng, R. N. Coffee, M. Fuchs, S. Ghimire, J. Chen, S. Shwartz, D. A. Reis, S. E. Harris, J. B. Hastings. X-ray and optical wave mixing. Nature, 2012; 488 (7413): 603 DOI: 10.1038/nature11340

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/KH-qYLqW_eg/120829131623.htm

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Not So Fast: Ideas to Rethink | Rachelle Gardner

With publishing in the middle of a revolution, ideas and opinions are constantly being tossed around on the Internet ??tried on, parsed, heralded, criticized, and endlessly discussed. I?ve noticed that there are a few ideas that have taken hold and started to be thought of as ?truth,? but I?m not so quick to go there.

Here are a few examples:

The idea that maybe in the book world, ?quality? matters less these days.

It?s true that books at every different level of ?quality? (however you want to define it) are selling. But just because Fifty Shades of Grey, a trilogy that nobody is lauding for its literary distinction, is a record-breaking bestseller, it doesn?t lead to the conclusion that readers no longer care about quality. The fact is, there is a massive spectrum of ?quality? and there are readers for every kind of book on the spectrum. You can see this dynamic in television and in movies: everything from crass, mindless entertainment to highbrow art can find an audience. Some are clamoring for more ?Jersey Shore,? but others want more ?Mad Men? or ?Downton Abbey.? It?s the same with books. Don?t decry the state of publishing, thinking there?s no place for quality anymore. Look at the big picture, and be glad we still have access to such a wide variety of books.

The idea that as publishing changes, there will be reduced need for agents.

Over the next decade, there may be fewer books being published traditionally by the large New York publishing houses; with fewer deals being done, there will be fewer agents. However, for those authors still working with traditional publishers, I believe the need for an agent will be greater than ever. As publishing models continue to evolve and publishers tighten their belts, an author will need an experienced agent to help them navigate the waters. Publishing contracts will keep getting more complicated and difficult to negotiate, as they have been the last couple of years. I don?t think it will be an environment in which most authors will have the time, energy, or knowledge to go it alone with a large publisher.

The idea that publishing is changing rapidly and very soon it will be completely different from what we?ve always known.

No doubt about it ? our industry is changing as disruptive technologies take hold, and there is still a lot more change to come. But I don?t think it will be as rapid as many people believe. I recently read that disruptive cycles in business usually take place over periods of 15 to 30 years.* If we?re five years into our digital revolution (as Mike Shatzkin says), that would predict we?re still 10 to 25 years away from publishing looking completely different than what we?re used to. Granted, things are probably moving faster than they did in the past. Still, we can expect many more years of evolving? years in which we can all be watching what?s happening and doing our best to be prepared and positioned for whatever comes next.

The idea that self-publishing is an easier road to the goal of a published book ? even a bestselling book.

I?m not against self-publishing or digital publishing of any kind. But I do think many authors are getting a skewed idea about self publishing. Here are my cautions: (1) Doing it well is not nearly as easy as many advocates make it sound. And (2) While there are obviously some highly visible spectacular successes, I?m still observing that the majority of self-published authors are seeing modest success. I also see many who are disappointed in their self-publishing experience, simply because the publishing media has given them unrealistic expectations. This is NOT to discourage anyone from trying it! But I encourage you to approach it with realism, and to plan to put a great deal of effort behind it, if you want to find success.

Have you bought into any of these ideas? Do you agree with my assessment? What are some other thoughts and opinions being tossed around these days that you?re not sure you buy into??

*Statistic about disruptive cycles is from a fascinating article in Harvard Business Review, The Inevitable Disruption of Television.

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? 2012 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
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Source: http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/08/not-so-fast-ideas-to-rethink/

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When Beginning A Home Business, | Home Improvement Information

When beginning a home business, the space often starts as a spare room that is converted from a bedroom into a house office. It may be a bed room, a storeroom, a sunroom or a research. 1 way to get started is to have expert contractors paint the room. The house owner should have at least a vague idea of what they want to do prior to bringing in the home painters for an estimate. The designer can assist with ideas of which colors and paint types will best fit the room and its purpose.

Fresh Start While it is just as easy to begin working in a new home workplace as soon as the child furnishings and tv set are eliminated, it is more sensible to give the space a fresh new appear. At some point, customers and visitors will see the space. If it looks like it used to be the babys nursery, people will take the business and its staff much less critically. Instead, the space ought to be stripped of all furnishings and cleaned. Once it is determined what will occur to the flooring, paint choices can be made. A new look in the new office will give it a much more expert look. This will also make the entrepreneur really feel much more expert, creating it simpler to flip off the at-work persona much more effortlessly at the end of the workday.

Colours Choosing a new appear for the house workplace is a little bit different than selecting colors for a bed room or living space. It will still have a individual contact, but the business office should appear expert. This is best carried out utilizing neutral colors, rather than the vibrant accent partitions that are often used in house decor. The vibrant colours can be utilized as trim on the doorways and windows. A easy accent wall may be a darker shade than the rest of the space.

Flooring A primary aspect in the outcome of the company offices look is the flooring. When the flooring is changed, the colors ought to be coordinated with the new paint. A thoroughly clean, fresh flooring is as essential as the relaxation of the facelift to the relaxation of the room. A put on floor ought to be changed, revitalized or coated with carpeting or region rugs. Furniture should coordinate with the partitions and flooring. When existing flooring is utilized, try to coordinate the current colors with the new paint colors.

Professional Getting a thoroughly clean, professional paint occupation is as important as transforming the space in the first place. Painting contractors will select the right kind of paint for the surface and environment. They will also cautiously trim the room without smudges and splatters. It can be carried out rapidly and professionally for the correct effect whilst the entrepreneur is using care of the other details, like discovering customers.

For more on Flooring in Surrey and Carpet Farnham please see our website

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Source: http://www.niutranslations.com/when-beginning-a-home-business.html

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Will Your Book Stand Out Against Millions of Others? ? Savvy ...

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Next year an estimated ten to fifteen million books will be published. How will you make your book standing out among them? Plus, authors are more and more?under pressure from their publishers to promote their own books.?

The good news: Help is on the way ? and it doesn?t even cost you anything, other than your time. Nowadays authors have more opportunities to promote their book?s sales than ever before. Social media and the Internet allow authors to communicate directly with their audience.

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5 Tips for non-fiction authors to sell more books:
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Start planning publicity for your book nine months in advance
Just like preparing for a child, the birth of a book needs preparation time. Some authors tend not to think about marketing their book until it?s on Amazon already or in store shelves, which is way too late. Speak about your book, build awareness and excitement; start blogging about it or mention it in your newsletters.

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Smart writers are sharing sample content months in advance, collecting testimonials and getting blurbs from other writers and authorities in your field. Don?t assume any publisher will come up with a great marketing strategy. If you are not self-publishing your book, approach your publisher?s marketing team with lots of your own marketing ideas. Think and plan what you can bring to your publishers? table.

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Never tell someone what your book is about
Rather tell your potential readers what?s in it for them and how it will help them to resolve problems and also overcome obstacles. Non-fiction book authors often get caught up in their idea, but customers only care about the results the book will produce for them. When talking about your book, tell them what is in it for them, share some tid bits from the book and explain: ?if you are interested in the rest of this and in other stories, just read my new book.?

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Create a book trailer
Any smartphone these days has a built-in high definition video camera, so you don?t have to hire a professional company. You can bring in extra lights, put your smartphone on a tripod, and you can have a video running on YouTube, TubeMogul and other video sharing sites the same day. Create a powerful marketing tool on a budget with a good quality book trailer, and it can go viral really fast. Engage viewers by explaining the reason why the book is an important help for them, explain why they should trust your expertise and which results your book can create for your readers. Video content in web pages or in emails increases click-through rates by NINETY-SIX (96) percent!?Find links to tutorials?and listings of video sharing sites.

.
Don?t over-estimate social media
Finally, resist the urge to go crazy with social media. Though it provides a good opportunity to reach readers, balance social media with public speaking e.g. at writers conferences, publishing lots of articles or being quoted in the media, or sending out regular newsletters. Sure, to get 5,000 followers or 25,000 email addresses, social media is invaluable. However, when you?re searching for a core group of committed partners for your book launch, a co-author for your next project, or in-depth feedback on your manuscript, your online followers are not your only best bet. Even ?shy? or ?introverted? authors are often naturals at networking, when placed in the right environment, such as writers conferences.

.
Leverage the power of free
Giving resources away allows skeptical readers to get enough content to talk about your book ? and to make it easy for them to share content with their friends. Sample chapters, quizzes, special reports, and how-to articles are all good giveaway possibilities. If you haven?t yet landed on the radar of most people, you need an entirely different strategy. If this is your first work, give away as many books as you can. Ask your publisher for a lower price on promotional copies and get your words out there.

.
As an author of hopefully soon, several books, you are a brand. Start thinking and acting like one, and create a serious marketing strategy.

<><><><><>

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts (there are more than 520 of them : ) if you haven?t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on ?Follow? in the upper line on each page ? and then on ?LIKE? next to it.?There is also the ?SHARE? button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Follow on Twitter: @111publishing

And don?t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful.?Thanks, Doris

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Source: http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/will-your-book-stand-out-against-millions-of-others/

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Global Update: H.I.V. Stigma Is a Barrier to Prenatal Care, Study Finds

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Fear of being stigmatized as an AIDS patient is still a major barrier to good care for pregnant young women in many countries, a new study and a literature review have found.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/health/hiv-stigma-is-a-barrier-to-prenatal-care-study-finds.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Restoration of you Billiard Table | WCID CIC

pool balls Have you watched people play billiards at a nearby bar or recreation center and wanted to join in? Maybe you feel like your ability isn?t up to par or perhaps your knowledge of the game isn?t as deep as you would like it to be. No matter what might be holding you back, our staff has the knowledge and materials to assist you in becoming a skilled pool player. Our store is expansive and includes cues, cases, tables, and any other supplies you might need. We use only the best brands that produce the highest-quality and longest-lasting products. But we don?t stop at just being a store. We can also answer all your questions and give you the training to transform the most novice player into a savvy and experienced professional. For all billiard supplies, training, or repair; we are the source for all your needs. Billiard Supply Distribution

Source: http://www.wcid-cic.org/?p=14024

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Bill Nye to Creationists: Save Your Children!

Bill Nye, known as The Science Guy for his former show on PBS, has stepped headstrong in a national debate.

Addressing those who deny the evidence behind evolution - what Nye refers to as the "fundamental idea in all of life science" - the mechanical engineering expert says he can maybe give a pass to adults who hold the "inconsistent" and "untenable" view of Creationism.

But he makes a plea in the following video to those same adults: please think of your children. We need "scientifically literate voters and tax payers" in this county....

 

Bill Nye Supports Evolution

"I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world - in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe - that’s fine," Nye says. "But don’t make your kids do it because we need them...

"In another couple of centuries [Creationism] I’m sure... it just won’t exist. There’s no evidence for it.”

Where do you stand on this issue? Do you believe in evolution?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/bill-nye-to-creationists-save-your-children/

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Neil Armstrong | 1930-2012: Neil Armstrong, First Man on Moon, Dies at 82

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Neil Armstrong was a quiet, private man, at heart an engineer and crack test pilot, who made history on July 20, 1969.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=0a10102f3a6e65efb7c18af4b4c2e47c

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ICT funding cap for SMEs increased

Original article by Felda Chay from The Business Times

SMALL and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to raise productivity will now get more government funding for information and communications technology (ICT) purchases.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has pledged to fund up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs, compared with the current 50 per cent.

It also upped the grant cap for business improvement and packaged solutions projects, which will now be $20,000 ? double the previous $10,000 cap.

The changes made to the iSPRINT (Increase SME Productivity with Infocomm Adoption & Transformation) programme were announced yesterday by Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, at the Infocomm Commerce Conference organised by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

For the full article, click here (Business Times membership required).

Tagged as: Business Management, News / Press Releases, SMEs

Source: http://mybusinesstechblog.com/archives/blog/ict-funding-cap-smes-increased

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America&#39;s Leading High-Tech, Venture Capital Centers

The geography of high-tech startups and venture capital appears to be changing, according to new data from the?National Venture Capital Association reported yesterday in?USA Today. The data charts the total number of high-tech startups, the number receiving venture capital investment and the dollar value of that investment for the ten largest high-tech regions in 2011.

My?Martin Prosperity Institute colleague?Zara Matheson mapped these leading centers based on the?USA Today report.

Map by MPI?s Zara Matheson, data courtesy of USA Today and National Venture Capital Association

San Francisco, which includes Silicon Valley, remains the nation?s leading high-tech venture capital center with 3,442 total start-ups and $11.8 billion in venture-capital investment going to 430 companies.

New York is next in start-ups with 1,844, though it lags Boston slightly in VC investment with $2.7 billion compared to $2.8 billion for Boston. New York?s rise is a recent occurrence: Though it has long been a source of venture funds, until recently it was a relatively minor player in high-tech start-ups. Its recent, rapid rise as a high-tech center appears to be powered both by the size and diversity of its industries and markets and also by the growing preference of younger techies for more urban locations.

L.A. is fourth with 1,507 total start-ups and $2.0 billion in VC investment to 129 companies. Washington, D.C., takes fifth with 261 total start-ups and nearly $1 billion in venture capital investment.

Taken as a whole, the Bos-Wash corridor has become a serious player in high-tech venture capital with a total $6.5 billion in VC investment between New York, Boston and D.C., more than half that of the Bay Area.

San Diego, Chicago, Austin, Boulder-Denver, and Seattle round out the top ten.

The?USA Today report notes that: ?High rents in San Francisco and?New York are making other parts of the country, where living expenses are lower, more attractive.?

Here on?Cities, I?ve noted the shift of high-tech and venture capital from the older suburban ?nerdistan? model to an emerging model I call ?urban tech? ? in?New York, San Francisco evenLondon.

We will continue to track these evolving trends in the geography of high-tech venture capital.

source: http://www.theatlanticcities.com

Source: http://www.sban.eu/eng/?p=1132

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Section 70 Motor Accidents Compensation Act, Burke Elphick ...

Under section 70 of the Motor Accidents Compensation Act an injured person must report an accident to the police within 28 days of an accident, unless the police attend the scene. The section states:

?

(1)?? Unless a police officer attended the motor accident, a motor accident that gives rise to a claim must be reported to a police officer by or on behalf of the claimant within 28 days after the motor accident?

?

It is important for victims to remember that the claim is not brought against the at fault driver, who in many cases is a family member or close friend, but the compulsory third party (green slip) insurer.? Also, as the insurance coverage is on the vehicle and not the driver, if someone else has an accident while driving your car, the claim is brought against the insurer, not the owner.

?

Our Personal Injury lawyers regularly go to see injured people at home or in hospital when they cannot get to us. We go to the accident site to look at the roadway to understand how the accident happened. Further, we obtain the police brief and photos of damage to cars and talk to witnesses to fully understand how the accident occurred and who was to blame.

?

All motor vehicle claims are settled for a tax free lump sum, and legal costs are included in the award of compensation.

Burke Elphick & Mead Lawyers have specialist lawyers who can help. Emma Mead is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury law and can offer you helpful advice about your compensation claim.

?

Our lawyers appear at Newcastle Local Court in many different areas including:

????????? Family Law

????????? Personal Injury Law;

????????? Compensation;

????????? Accident and Insurance Litigation;

????????? Building and Construction Disputes;

????????? Commercial Transactions and Contracts;

????????? Wills, Estates, and Powers of Attorney;

????????? Probate and Disputed Wills;

????????? Buying and Selling a Home or Business;

????????? Criminal Law;

????????? Traffic Law;

????????? Motor Vehicle Claims;

????????? Workers Compensation; and

????????? Conveyancing.?

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Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

?

The above information is of a general nature only and cannot be relied on as constituting legal advice. The information is relevant at the time of publishing the article. In this respect, we rely upon our Disclaimer at www.bemlaw.com.au/privacy-disclaimer.?

Source: http://www.bemlaw.com.au/workers-compensation/section-70-motor-accidents-compensation-act/

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Myth and fact: What you need to know about credit scores

(ARA) ? For all of the discussion around the importance of credit scores, it?s hard to know what?s true, what?s fiction, and what lies in between.

While there are misperceptions and misunderstandings still lingering in the marketplace, the good news is that overall knowledge about credit scoring is improving. A recent survey by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and VantageScore Solutions, one of the two primary companies that generate credit scores, shows that consumers know they have more than one credit score, have a better understanding about the factors that affect credit scores, and have increased familiarity with how different kinds of companies and entities use credit scores. Consumers also have a good handle on some recent additions to federal laws regarding when lenders are required to inform borrowers about their credit scores.

?Increases in consumer knowledge probably reflect, in part, the increased public attention given to credit scores because of the new protections,? says Stephen Brobeck, executive director, CFA. ?The improvements may also be related to increased efforts of financial educators, including our own educational website, creditscorequiz.org, to inform consumers about credit reports and scores.?

However, despite the positive developments, there?s room for improvement according to the CFA-VantageScore Solutions survey.

Myth: Low credit scores don?t greatly affect how much you pay over the life of the loan.

Fact: Low scores can be costly. Only 29 percent of survey respondents were aware that on a $20,000, 60-month auto loan, a borrower with a low credit score is likely to pay at least $5,000 more than a borrower with a high credit score.

Myth: Age and marital status are factors used in calculating credit scores.

Fact: Over 50 percent of survey respondents incorrectly believed their age and marital status were factors used to calculate their credit scores. The only factors credit score models use are related to your use of credit, especially whether you make payments on time.

Myth: Multiple inquiries when applying for a consumer or mortgage loan will have a negative effect on your score.

Fact: If multiple inquiries occur during a one-to two-week window, generally they will not lower your credit scores. Only 9 percent of respondents were aware of this, and 34 percent incorrectly believed that each inquiry will lower your score.

Understanding credit scoring can be complex, but it?s in your best interest to get the facts straight. With a clear view of what?s true and false, it?s easier to set the course for a sound financial future. For more information about the myths and facts of credit, visit www.creditscorequiz.org, www.vantagescore.com and www.consumerfed.org. These websites are free, do not display any advertising and do not collect any personal data. Both the online quiz and a corresponding brochure are also available in Spanish at www.creditscorequiz.org/Espanol.

Source: http://money.rambergmedia.com/myth-and-fact-what-you-need-to-know-about-credit-scores/

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HBT:?Red Sox?may target big names this winter

The Red Sox have had an average payroll in excess of $170 million the last three years.?With Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett departing and David Ortiz, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Cody Ross all set to become free agents, they?re currently looking at something less than half of that for 2013. It figures to give them more flexibility and financial muscle than any other team in the league this winter.

That said, it?s doubtful the Red Sox will jump right back up to $170 million right away. There simply isn?t the talent available in the free agent pool, and overspending for veterans is what got them into the current mess in the first place. Still, they should have feelers out for all of the big names available this winter, and they?ll probably land one or two.

Here are some possibilities:

OF Josh Hamilton: I think this is a big long shot, but the Red Sox would certainly have the money to make a big run at the 2010 AL MVP. Hamilton has stayed healthy this year and hit .286/.352/.575 with 34 homers and 107 RBI in 117 games for the Rangers. He?s the only available option in free agency that could match Adrian Gonzalez as a middle-of-the-order bat. Hamilton, though, would be a huge risk on a long-term contract, not only because of his past battles with addiction but also because of the likelihood of his body breaking down as the enters his mid-30s. Next year will be his age-32 season.

C-1B Mike Napoli: The Red Sox tried to get Napoli from the Angels a couple of years ago, but came up short. If they target him this time, they?d likely pitch him on starting at first base most of the time and catching a couple of times per week. Napoli?s average has collapsed from .320 to .223 this year, but he?s always been more about the secondary skills anyway. Worthy of note: he?s hit .306/.397/.710 with seven homers in 62 career at-bats at Fenway.

1B-OF Nick Swisher: There?s been talk recently of the 32-year-old Swisher aiming for Jayson Werth money (seven years, $126 million), but that?s not within the realm of possibility. Something like $48 million for four years is more likely. The Yankees want to get under the luxury tax threshold come 2014, so they might be willing to let him depart without a big offer. He?d probably be Boston?s best option for a 2013 first baseman. Still, the team shouldn?t be looking to sign non-superstars to long-term deals right now.

1B Justin Morneau: While they?ve been loathe to admit it, the Twins are going nowhere. Dumping the final year and $14 million on Morneau?s deal would make plenty of sense, and now that he seems to have found his stroke, he?d look pretty good as Boston?s No. 5 hitter.

SS Stephen Drew: J.D.?s young brother has the most upside of the free agent shortstops available this winter, and he?ll probably be undervalued this winter after missing almost a year with a busted ankle before returning last month. Shortstop won?t be the Red Sox?s highest priority, but if they can snag Drew on a modest two-year deal, it?d be a nice gamble.

1B-3B Kevin Youkilis: I?m not sure how far-fetched this is, but the main reason Youkilis is gone from Boston is Bobby Valentine, and it seems doubtful that Valentine will be back with the team in 2013. The Red Sox could certainly do worse at first base than their former MVP candidate. The White Sox hold a $13 million option on Youkilis for 2013, but they?re not expected to exercise it.

OF B.J. Upton: Upton has struggled to put it all together in Tampa Bay, but whereas most players enters free agency with their best seasons behind them, Upton may yet have some additional upside. He?d also likely be an excellent defender in Fenway?s tough right field. With Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino and Angel Pagan also available, center field is the lone crowded position in free agency this winter. Should Upton?s stock slip a bit as a result, the Red Sox could pounce.

OF Shin-Soo Choo: The Indians chose to hold on to Choo at the trade deadline, but they could send him packing this winter as they try to keep their payroll down. Choo figures to make $7 million-$8 million in arbitration next year in his final season before free agency.

SP Zack Greinke: The thinking is that the big-market teams will shy away from Greinke due to concerns about how he?d handle the pressure that comes with such a spotlight. The Red Sox may decide to avoid him for that reason. Still, he pretty easily eclipses guys like Edwin Jackson, Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse as the top free agent starter available.

SP Hiroki Kuroda: A year ago, everyone assumed that Kuroda would stay with the Dodgers or return to Japan. Instead, he signed a one-year deal with the Yankees and is working on a terrific season in the AL East. One imagines he?ll want to stay in the Bronx and sign another one-year deal this winter. The Red Sox should at least try to make things more difficult for the Yankees to keep him, though.

SP Dan Haren: Haren?s back woes and recent struggles could lead the Angels to decline his $15.5 million option for 2013 and buy him out for $3.5 million instead. If so, there?s a good chance the Red Sox would pursue him on a one-year deal. Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd are also possibilities should the White Sox decline their options.

SP Josh Johnson: The Marlins opted to hold on to Johnson at the trade deadline, but if they?re not going to be serious contenders next year, then trading him this winter should be the plan. He?s due $13.75 million next year in his final season before free agency. It?d probably take a couple of very good prospects to pry him away.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/25/red-sox-could-seek-out-big-name-targets-this-winter/related

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Video: Palin: Hillary should be Obama?s VP running mate

75 sleep disorders? Expert tells why we can't get enough Zzs

David K. Randall, author of a new book on the mysteries of sleep, talks to NBCNews.com about the state of sleep research, why some of us just can?t seem to get enough Zzzzzs, and also about those sometimes humorous, but more often dangerous, nighttime rambles.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/48681451#48681451

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Militant: Libya fighters join Syria revolt

BEIRUT?? Veteran fighters of last year's civil war in Libya have come to the front-line in Syria, helping to train and organize rebels under conditions far more dire than those in the battle against Moammar Gadhafi, a Libyan-Irish fighter has told Reuters.

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Hussam Najjar hails from Dublin, has a Libyan father and Irish mother and goes by the name of Sam. A trained sniper, he was part of the rebel unit that stormed Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli a year ago, led by Mahdi al-Harati, a powerful militia chief from Libya's western mountains.

Harati now leads a unit in Syria, made up mainly of Syrians but also including some foreign fighters, including 20 senior members of his own Libyan rebel unit. He asked Najjar to join him from Dublin a few months ago, Najjar said.

The Libyans aiding the Syrian rebels include specialists in communications, logistics, humanitarian issues and heavy weapons, he said. They operate training bases, teaching fitness and battlefield tactics.

Worse state than Libya opposition
Najjar said he was surprised to find how poorly armed and disorganized the Syrian rebels were, describing Syria's Sunni Muslim majority as far more repressed and downtrodden under President Bashar Assad than Libyans were under Gadhafi.

Violence intensifying in Syria: the battle continues in Aleppo

"I was shocked. There is nothing you are told that can prepare you for what you see. The state of the Sunni Muslims there -- their state of mind, their fate -- all of those things have been slowly corroded over time by the regime," he said.

"I nearly cried for them when I saw the weapons. The guns are absolutely useless. We are being sold leftovers from the Iraqi war, leftovers from this and that," he said.

PhotoBlog: Bahrain uprising simmers in the shadows

"Luckily these are things that we can do for them: we know how to fix weapons, how to maintain them, find problems and fix them," he said.

Slideshow: The lives of Syrian rebels (on this page)

In the months since he arrived, the rebel arsenal had become "five times more powerful," he told Reuters. Fighters had obtained large caliber anti-aircraft guns and sniper rifles.

Lack of unity
Disorganization is a serious problem. Unlike the Libyan fighters, who enjoyed the protection of a NATO-imposed no-fly zone and were able to set up full-scale training camps, the rebels in Syria are never out of reach of Assad's air power.

Will world inaction help al-Qaida gain foothold in Syria?

"In Libya, with the no-fly zone, we were able to build up say 1,400 to 1,500 men in one place and have platoons and brigades. Here we have men scattered here, there and everywhere," he said.

Although many rebel units fight under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, their commands are localized and poorly coordinated, Najjar said.

"One of the biggest factors delaying the revolution is the lack of unity among the rebels," he said. "Unfortunately, it is only when their back is up against the wall that they start to realize they should (unite)."

Syria opposition leader calls for no-fly zone

Syria's uprising has evolved into an all-out civil war with sectarian overtones, pitting the mainly Sunni rebels against security forces dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Assad is backed by Shiite-led Iran and opposed by most Arab states, which are ruled by Sunnis.

"This is not just about the fall of Assad. This is about the Sunni Muslims of Syria taking back their country and pushing out the minority that have been oppressing them for generations now," Najjar said.

Rebel forces claim to have downed Syrian fighter jet

Foreigners make their way to Syria
The presence of foreign fighters is a sensitive issue for Syria's rebels. Assad's government has taken to referring to the rebels as "Gulf-Turkish forces," accusing the Sunni-led Arab Gulf states and Turkey of arming, funding and leading them.

Video: Rebels claim to have shot down Syrian plane (on this page)

Harati's unit is known as the Umma Brigade, referring to the global community of Muslims. Najjar said thousands more Sunni fighters from the Arab world were gathering in neighboring countries prepared to join the cause.

Harati is reluctant to enlist them because he does not want his cause tarnished by the perception that foreign Islamists are linked to al-Qaida, Najjar said, but he said that many of the foreigners were making their way to Syria on their own.

The Umma Brigade's Facebook page shows a picture of Najjar aiming his rifle in what looks like an open field. In another he is posing with Harati and rebels. A YouTube video shows Harati leading an attack on a checkpoint in Maarat al-Numan in Syria.

Complete international coverage on NBCNews.com

Najjar said militancy would spread across the region as long as the West does not do more to hasten the downfall of Assad.

"The Western governments are bringing this upon themselves. The longer they leave this door open for this torture and this massacre to carry on, the more young men will drop what they have in this life and search for the afterlife," Najjar said.

"If the West and other countries do not move fast it will no longer be just guys like me -- normal everyday guys that might do anything from have a cigarette to go out on the town -- it will be the real extreme guys who will take it to another level," he said.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48658065/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Why Does The Social Security Administration ... - Business Insider

First the DHS needed 450 million rounds of ammunition, then the NOAA requested 46,000 rounds, now we've discovered an online request at FBO.Gov calling for 174,000 rounds of ammunition for the Social Security Administration.

The request actually calls for 174K .357 hollow points that arguably have as much stopping power as any bullet out there, and hollow points do as much damage to soft tissue as possible on top of that.

R.K. Campbel at Gun Blast mentions his experience with .357 rounds:

I observed the effect of the .357 Magnum 125 grain JHP once over the top of my own sights. The effect was gruesome.??A solid hit that produced a severe blood flow AND dramatic effect from the rear, including lung tissue thrown perhaps three feet.

The 125 grain and JHP (jacketed rounds) are exactly the ones requested by the SSA and their offices of Inspector General and Office of Investigation.

The FBO has a link that lists all locations slated to receive the batches of bullets. Offices like Greensboro, NC are getting a mere 1,000 rounds while offices like Iselin, NJ are getting 10 times that number.

Alex Jones' InfoWars is quick to point out that this acquisition jibes with a DHS operation in January where the agency swarmed a Leesburg, FL social security office and posted armed guards outside the doors.

(Thanks, Jacob)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-does-the-social-security-administration-need-174000-rounds-of-ammunition-2012-8

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New light shed on important metabolite in bacteria

ScienceDaily (Aug. 13, 2012) ? Scientists from the research groups of Prof. Dr. Susana Andrade and Prof. Dr. Oliver Einsle, members of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and the Cluster of Excellence BIOSS, the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies of the University of Freiburg, have collected the first precise data ever on the function of a transport protein for formate -- an important metabolite in bacteria.

The findings could potentially lead to the development of new antibiotic active ingredients, as the research team reports in the scientific journal PNAS.

The microbial intestinal flora of mammals is composed of various microorganisms and species of bacteria. The human intestine is home to several hundred grams of microorganisms, which are particularly essential in processing food. In an environment that is rich in nutrients and carbohydrates but poor in oxygen, many species of bacteria have developed a special form of metabolism: mixed-acid fermentation. The process involves breaking down sugar that enters into the intestine in foods to organic acids like formic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid and then excreting them.

This provides the bacteria with energy but also leads to a considerable acidification of their environment, benefiting both good intestinal bacteria and pathogenic, i.e. disease causing, species like cholera bacteria and salmonella. Mixed-acid fermentation is missing in the human body. The molecular components of this process in bacteria thus provide a basis for developing new antibiotic active ingredients against the pathogenic species.

Formate is a central protein component in mixed-acid fermentation. Intestinal bacteria possess the formate channel FocA, a special transport protein that transports formate, the negatively charged ion of formic acid, over the cell membrane of the bacteria. In order to learn more about the function of FocA, Andrade introduced this protein into an artificial biological membrane and measured the electric currents of ions as they flowed through the formate channel. In addition to precise data on the transport behavior of FocA, the team succeeded in collecting detailed information on the channel's gating device: When the pH value of the environment is too low, it prevents bacteria from damaging themselves by continuing to export acids.

The Freiburg scientists also discovered that FocA can transport even more different anions: the ions of acetic acid, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid -- precisely the products of mixed-acid fermentation. The behavior of the channel for the various bonds corresponds to the proportions to which they are formed during the metabolism of sugar. The channel FocA thus has a much more central significance for this process than previously assumed. This could make it into an ideal basis for future therapeutic measures for diseases of the human intestinal tract.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Albert-Ludwigs-Universit?t Freiburg.

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Journal Reference:

1. W. Lu, J. Du, N. J. Schwarzer, E. Gerbig-Smentek, O. Einsle, S. L. A. Andrade. The formate channel FocA exports the products of mixed-acid fermentation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204201109

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/kdoWbLavMgs/120813074011.htm

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Gadget Lab Show: Apple v. Samsung and Microsoft?s New Mouse and Keyboard

This week on the Gadget Lab Show, the team talks about the Apple v. Samsung trial and takes a look at a couple new Microsoft hardware accessories.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/cxxGdgJz0fY/

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