text:
Communicating climate change – without the scary monsters

The climate disaster narrative hasn’t worked. Ignorance is bliss. So how do experts plan to wake up the world?

Do pictures of drought or floods make people more willing to back tough climate policies? (Pic: UN Photos)

Do pictures of drought or floods make people more willing to back tough climate policies? (Pic: UN Photos)

By Ed King

Clocks are ticking. The sand is dribbling from the hourglass. Mercury levels are rising.  And yet, if you pop your head out of the window, life goes on as normal.

It’s a major headache for climate communication professionals in the developed world, charged with delivering a message of urgency to a public focused on more immediate concerns.

Who has time to worry about sea levels rising so high London could be submerged, or extreme weather events driving people from their homes in Africa?

Why worry about the potential to break the 2C barrier, when you have to pay the mortgage? Who’s buying the next round? Or (and this is tough) convince the kids they’ve watched too much Peppa Pig for one day?

It’s a question exercising Pete Bowyer, who heads up the climate arm of PR firm Havas, charged with promoting UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon’s climate summit.

“They say all politics is local – but all communications is local – and that’s particularly true of climate change,” he tells RTCC.

“I think people respond better to the impacts they see and feel on the ground, as opposed to abstract theories of theses. We can say it’s 95% certain it’s man-made, but that doesn’t really mean anything to people.”

That’s a blow to scientists working on their groundbreaking study into upper-atmospheric wave patterns over the Atlantic. But it’s also a challenge to politicians, business leaders and civil society campaigners who take this issue seriously.

Report: UN releases Ban Ki-moon climate summit plan

Yet the interest is there and by all accounts growing.

Havas recently opened a new “climate collective” of offices on six continents, with experts based in Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

A one-time spokesperson for former UN secretary general Kofi Annan on climate justice, Bowyer is now kept busy providing strategic communications to clients who want to see a global emissions reduction deal signed in Paris next December.

What has helped, he says, is the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) three recent reports, which examined the physical science, global vulnerabilities and possible solutions to climate change.

Bowyer believes the IPCC’s dire warnings – and attempts to chart a cleaner energy future – have raised the political focus.

But he’s also clear this has only managed to bring the level of awareness up to the levels of 2009, when countries unsuccessfully attempted to strike a global emissions deal in Copenhagen.

“There is a political momentum which has evolved over the past 18 months, and I think IPCC has been part of that process, so there is a sense that something does need to be done,” he says.

“Given the failure of Copenhagen, which has taken us six years to get back on track… we need – the community as a whole – to see it as an opportunity to do something about it.”

Fresh strategy

The UN says it has learnt from 2009 and is now trying build a political consensus over a range of low carbon issues before negotiators and heads of state arrive in Paris next year to discuss the proposed agreement.

A key part of that process is Ban Ki-moon’s high-level climate summit on the sidelines of the General Assembly on September 23, billed as an opportunity to foster a mutual understanding between political leaders, business and civil society.

Privately, people close to the preparations admit they are still unclear about what the summit can really achieve. Most of the efforts so far have focused on getting leaders to turn up.

Germany’s Angela Merkel and India’s Narendra Modi have said no. But US president Barack Obama and Chinese premier Xi Jinping have indicated they will attend.

Obama’s decision to come is vital for the meeting’s integrity, says Bowyer, who is advising the UN Foundation on its outreach.

“Otherwise, you’re essentially going to get a group of leaders which are facing the greatest impacts – but they’re not the real movers and shakers,” he says.

“It’s important therefore in terms of communications in the run up to this, you generate momentum in a positive way to encourage leaders.”

The day’s schedule is packed. It will kick off with three hours for national leaders to make announcements, simultaneously in three separate rooms.

A draft outcome document, set to be released at the meeting’s conclusion, reportedly calls for countries to work together on developing a global carbon price.

But will this make any difference?

Low awareness

Ban’s final address on September 23 is likely to stress the urgency of the situation, highlighting increased glacier melt, rising sea levels and the IPCC’s warnings on future extreme weather events.

Those warnings will make headlines around the world, yet are unlikely to spur the levels of panic or calls for action that Israel’s bombing of Gaza, the outbreak of ebola or the ISIS advance on Baghdad have.

Research suggests that unless people have experienced climate-related disasters, they’re unlikely to be worried about its possible effects. Africa’s lions aren’t that scary if you live in Scotland.

“The idea that there are these absolute deadlines where things have to be sorted out – I think has diminishing returns in terms of usefulness as a communications tool,” Bowyer says.

“I think you need to be relating this to ordinary people’s lives, how they feel…so you’re going with the grain. I don’t believe there’s a great sense among the public that if this isn’t sorted by 2014 or 2015 the world is doomed.”

Many climate researchers – such as Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre, say an adequate response must be tough emissions cuts by developed countries, perhaps as large as 10% a year.

Others cite the jet-setting rich and their huge consumption levels as the problem – calling for governments to restrict air travel and deal with “transport taboos”.

Electoral suicide?

But democratic politics being as it is, a manifesto promising to restrict choice and travel options is unlikely to be successful. Otherwise, green parties would be ruling the world over.

Polls on the subject paint a picture of a public only half engaged with an issue US secretary of state John Kerry has compared to terrorism.

A 2014 Ipsos Mori survey in the UK reported 59% of adults thought the benefits of climate policy outweighed the risks, although 707 of the 2,250 asked had not heard of “climate policy efforts”.

A similar survey on US voter intentions by Yale university revealed only 32% felt a candidate’s stance on global warming was important to their vote. That number shot up to 77% when it came to the economy.

And unsurprisingly, given Havas represents global brands like Air France, IKEA and Durex that rely on consumers splashing the cash, Bowyer rejects suggestions that an urgent threat needs a radical response.

“I don’t think we win this argument by limiting opportunity, and restricting those things in a prosperous country that people want to do more of,” he says.

“That applies to developing countries and huge booming middle classes. It’s about trying to turn that into how you can have a better form of life by not being as carbon intensive as you have before, without saying that will stop your summer holiday.”

The avalanche of positive news is likely to start with the publication of the New Climate Economy report next month, a study chaired by former Mexico President Felipe Calderon, which will present governments with policies to achieve high quality economic growth.

We can expect more of a focus on the health benefits from cutting air pollution, and making cities nicer places to live by greening transport networks and limiting car use.

And get ready for a narrative that drives home the message clean growth creates jobs and can lift developing countries out of poverty.

But forget about the climate monsters. They didn’t seem to scare anyone.

Read more on: Blog | | |


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Abnormal creatinine and hypertension

I am treating a 55-year-old man with a history of hypertension, which is controlled with amlodipine (Norvasc) 5 mg. Over the past 18 months, urinalysis and ultrasound of kidneys have been normal, but blood work shows slightly abnormal creatinine levels. Should he switch to an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB)?—HANH NGUYEN, PA-C, Beaumont, Tex.

Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (CCBs), such as amlodipine, preferentially dilate the afferent arteriole and impair renal autoregulation. Therefore, if systemic BP is not lowered sufficiently, glomerular hypertension may develop. ACE inhibitors work by dilating efferent renal arterioles, which theoretically carries a much lower risk of causing glomerular hypertension. (ARBs are recommended if a patient cannot tolerate an ACE inhibitor.) A large, three-year, randomized study of hypertensive patients with nondiabetic nephropathy evaluated the effects of amlodipine vs. enalapril on renal function and found no statistically significant difference in true glomerular filtration rate decline even in patients with proteinuria (Clin Ther. 2008;30:482-498). So the verdict remains undecided. My first recommendation is to be sure the hypertension is well controlled and monitor for proteinuria. If proteinuria is suspected, ARB or ACE inhibitor therapy may be more renoprotective than a CCB-based therapy.—Claire Babcock O'Connell, MPH, PA-C (139-7)

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text:
Mystery Quiz #1-The Answer…

December 20, 2006

Before you read the answer you will probably want to review the original post of the mystery quiz from last week.

The Answer:

The chest film shows a probable mass in the area of the left hilum and associated complete collapse of the left upper lobe.  The key findings are loss of volume of the left hemithorax indicated by elevation of the left hemidiaphragm and shift of the mediastinum to the left side.  Additionally, the arrows indicate the major fissure, ordinarily not visible, but now bordering the left upper lobe because it has shifted upward. The increased density seen at the left hilum (A)suggests the presence of a mass.  Click on the thumbnails below.

All of the above findings are more easily seen on the two CT  images below.  Note the cutoff of the left upper lobe bronchus by an intraluminal mass (arrow), and the airlessness of the collapsed left upper lobe (B).

This patient subsequently developed hoarseness related to involvement of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve which was invaded by tumor thus indicating non-resectability of this lesion.  The biopsy of the endobronchial lesion at the left upper lobe revealed non-small cell carcinoma.

Although a peanut or foreign body was not responsible for these findings, several respondents correctly identified the volume loss and implied collapse of the left upper lobe.

2 Responses to Mystery Quiz #1-The Answer…

  1. Greg Mints on December 20, 2006 at 11:05 pm

    Forever humbled.
    what’s the wedge-shaped density seen on the lateral XR over part of the heart?
    I guess hyporaemia in the LUL was imaginary

  2. R. Smith on December 21, 2006 at 12:45 pm

    The wedge-shaped density overlying the heart is a small anterior hernia (Morgagni)…


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Message: Re: Re: story line of pangako sa yo
Posted by: serene on Sunday 08/27/06
> > i would like to read the whole story about yna and her lover angelo and how it will end.
> > i will appreciate so much if you do so .thank you in advance.
Copyright © 1998-2016 Clipland GmbH. All rights reserved. | Clipland.com 1st in music videos online! We know short form media.


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Petr Bok's Profile | Clker.com

User gravatar... If you dont have an avatar, you can get one at gravatar.com, and it will appear here. Clker will default your picture to a wavatar.
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View Full Version : Delta Force officer: US officials stopped plans to kill bin Laden

10-07-2008, 04:10 AM
After September 11, 2001, a team of elite Delta Force commandos was sent into Afghanistan with an assignment to find and kill Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora -- but that mission failed.

The commander of the Delta Force team has now written a book which tells what he says is the true story of what went wrong. He appeared anonymously on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday to summarize that story.

Bin Lad More..en was known to be holed up at Tora Bora on a ridge with an elevation of 14,000 feet. The Delta Force team's initial plan was to come at him from the direction he'd least expect, climbing over the mountains at his back, but that plan wasn't approved by the higher-ups. Their second idea, to drop hundreds of landmines along the mountain passes to Pakistan to impede bin Laden's retreat and then bring in helicopters, was also turned down.

"How often does Delta come up with a tactical plan that's disapproved by higher headquarters?" CBS's Scott Pelley asked the commando leader.

"In my experience, in my five years at Delta, never before," he replied.

The only remaining option was a frontal assault by 50 US Delta Force members plus their Afghan guides -- and the Afghan warlord accompanying the commandos frankly told them, "I don't think you guys can handle it." A few million dollars from the CIA quickly secured his cooperation, but only to a degree.
The Shock Doctrine: Delta Force officer: US officials stopped plans to kill bin Laden (http://shockdoctrine.blogspot.com/2008/10/delta-force-officer-us-officials.html)


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Wink Whats a C.D.O. (Collateralized dept obligation)?

Whats a C.D.O. (Collateralized dept obligation)?

Wall Street giants like Citigroup and Merrill Lynch have been severely shaken by their losses on an arcane innovation in finance: collateralized dept obligations, or C.D.O.'s.

Worldwide, there is more than $1.3 trillion invested in C.D.O.'s. Residential mortgage-backed securities, or R.M.B.S., make up 56 percent of the assets in C.D.O.'s. So the slump in housing has had a huge ripple effect on these investments.

Here's how a C.D.O. works.

Business Interactive Features - Diagrams - Illustrations - Portfolio.com

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• Performance Bond Requirements: Crude Oil, Electricity, Ethanol and Natural Gas Outrights- Effective Friday, December 13, 2013

      • To
      • Clearing Member Firms; Chief Financial Officers; Back Office Managers; Margin Managers
      • From
      • CME Clearing
      • #
      • 13-566
      • Notice Date
      • 12 December 2013
      • Effective Date
      • 13 December 2013
    • To receive advanced notification of Performance Bond (margin) changes, through our free automated mailing list, go to

      and subscribe to the Performance Bond Rates Advisory Notice listserver.

      As per the normal review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc., Clearing House Risk Management staff approved the performance bond requirements for the following products listed below.

      The rates will be effective after the close of business on

      Friday, December 13, 2013.

      Current rates as of:

      Wednesday, December 11, 2013.

      In this current advisory there are changes to the Short Option Minimum and/or the Volatility Scan Range. Below are descriptions of what each change affects:

      The Short Option Minimum (SOM) is a charge that is applied only to portfolios concentrated in short options that do not generate a minimum margin requirement level when margins are calculated using the normal 16 SPAN scenarios. The SOM charge per short calls or short puts is a percentage of the outright margin on one underlying futures contract.

      The volatility scan range is the change in implied volatility that is used in each of SPAN’s 16 scenarios.

      For the full text of this advisory, please click here.


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Windsor release 1.31

January 31, 2011
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Windsor Commits to CIMS I.C.E. Certification
Denver,CO – Windsor, a Member of KÄRCHER North America, announces the certification of their entire sales force, upper management and marketing department as Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) ISSA Certification Experts (I.C.E.).
Windsor’s upper management achieved CIMS I.C.E and I.C.E.-Green Building (I.C.E.-GB) certification at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2010, and the remaining team members achieved certification at Windsor’s state-of-the-art Excellence Center training facility. Instructor Dave Frank conducted a one-day training and certification course where 60+ Windsor employees successfully completed the I.C.E. and I.C.E.-GB certification.
The CIMS Standard applies to management, operations, performance systems, and processes. Compliance with the Standard demonstrates an organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services that are designed to meet the customer''s needs and expectations. It sets forth processes, procedures, and supporting documentation proven to be characteristic of customer-driven organizations. CIMS is non-prescriptive and each individual organization has the flexibility to choose the most effective ways in which to meet its requirements. I.C.E.-certified professionals have received comprehensive training on the elements of the Standard and are armed with the tools necessary to assist cleaning organizations in pursuing and achieving CIMS and CIMS-GB certification.
Windsor’s team will primarily focus on these principles when assisting our customers with the CIMS/CIMS-GB program:
Purchasing Procedures 2.2
Equipment Performance Evaluation 2.2.1
Standardization 2.2.2.
Equipment Maintenance & Repair 2.2.4
Management Training 3.5
Technical 3.5.1.
Windsor Connect
Cleaning Personnel Training 3.6.
Technical 3.6.1.
On-line training, written tests
Health, Safety & Environmental Stewardship
Green Building Evaluation
Proper Cleaning processes
Green Cleaning Program 6.2
Training 6.2.2.
Windsor Connect
Green Building Evaluation Workbook
Floor Care Log 6.2.4.
Carpet Care Log 6.2.5.
Cleaning Equipment 6.5.
Equipment Inventory List 6.5.4.
Equipment Maintenance Log/Plan 6.5.5.
Cleaning of sidewalks & pavement
Resource Conservation 6.10.
Never Walk Behind Again
Contact your local Windsor representative today for more information on the CIMS program and how Windsor can partner with you in your CIMS/CIMS-GB certification efforts.
Visit to learn more about Windsor and its innovative products.
Windsor manufactures a full line of innovative floor maintenance equipment for all your cleaning needs, including: Carpet Extractors and chemicals, vacuum products, Floor scrubbers and sweepers, and floor machines and burnishers.
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text:
Social Business, Intranet Search Has to be More Than Just a Search Box
I’ve just come back from another highly successful KMWorld conference in Washington where over 900 people seemed more than happy to be entombed in the subterranean conference suites of the Renaissance Hotel for four days. With no specific intranet track this year, presentations on intranets popped up in the Knowledge Management (KM), SharePoint and Enterprise Search tracks.

In the conversations I had there with intranet managers, a common theme stood out: the under-appreciated value of search in intranets.

Many of the delegates I spoke with who had intranet management responsibilities were looking forward to the imminent move of their intranet onto SharePoint 2013, but seemed not to have worked through the implications of moving either from SharePoint 2010 using FAST Search Server for SharePoint or the more radical search upgrade from the search application in the Standard CAL license. Search is much more than an add-in in SharePoint 2013 -- getting the best from the application requires a complete reassessment of the positioning and performance of search in the current version of the intranet.

In the case of non-SharePoint intranets, it still seems to me that the value of search is often not appreciated, a situation that also applies to a very large number of websites. The use of personas in the development of intranets is now widely adopted but rarely is there enough detail in a persona to provide a good enough basis for optimizing search performance and getting the best blend of browse and search.

I thought it might be useful to review some of the best books and reports on intranet search so that intranet managers had a good range of resources available to them as they prepare to write their intranet development plan for 2014.

Defining User Requirements

The chapter on search in Information Architecture for the Worldwide Web remains a masterpiece of writing and insight even though it was published in 1998. It is possible to download the chapter as a PDF. Although the focus of the book and the chapter is on website architecture the basic principles hold for intranets.

The definitive book on search development is "Designing the Search Experience" by Tony Russell-Rose and Tyler Tate. This was published in late 2012 and without any doubt has to be on the digital bookshelf of any intranet or website manager. What both books emphasis is the need to take a considered view of search based on a sound knowledge of user's needs. Steve Krug’s book "The User is Always Right" sets out how to develop personas but the emphasis is on website development -- as far as I am aware there is no equivalent book on intranet persona development. In an enterprise environment at least users can be interviewed and guidance on the process of interviewing is exceptionally well presented by Steve Portigal in "Interviewing Users."

The Technology of Search

I think that it can be of value to understand just how search works so that the opportunities and challenges can be more easily assessed. My own book on "Enterprise Search" has two chapters on search technology and Sue Feldman takes a deeper dive in "The Answer Machine." A requirement to understand the technology of search is especially important in the case of SharePoint 2013. BA-Insight has published two excellent e-books on the subject, Agnes Molnar offers a training video and there is an interesting analysis of just how much FAST technology there is in SharePoint 2010 and 2013 by Marcus Johansson.

Search Metrics

When it comes to search metrics there is one book that says it all -- "Search Analytics for Your Site" by Lou Rosenfeld. Although the primary focus is on websites, the book offers intranet managers a wealth of relevant advice. It is especially important to compare and contrast page click traffic and query results metrics so that the right balance is achieved between search and browse.

Search User Interface Design

There are a number of good resources on search interface design. The topic features in Designing the Search Experience and both Luke Wroblewski and Greg Nudelman have written books on how to build search into the mobile experience. The most comprehensive resource on intranet search is Volume 6 of the Intranet Usability Guidelines from the Nielsen Norman Group. This 181-page report contains 113 design recommendations based on their usability research and there are 140 screenshot illustrations to supplement the findings. The report also covers employee search. A word of caution about this report: Some of the 42 case studies date back several years (there is one screen shot from 2005) and search technology has moved on quite significantly over the last few years.

Start Searching!

Although these resources will be of value, nothing replaces allocating time to conduct a range of searches and taking a user perspective on the outcomes.

Editor's Note: Read more from Martin on the importance of search in Search as a Decision Support System


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Warren Buffett Won't Fight the French For Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station in Scriba, New York.
Constellation Energy Group Photo
Constellation Energy's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station in Scriba, New York.

The chairman of Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings tells CNBC it won't try to outbid France's EDF in the battle for Constellation Energy .

In a statement to CNBC's Becky Quick, David Sokol says today (Tuesday): "We will not counterbid .... The structure of the transaction (that Électricitié de France has proposed) is not one we would be comfortable with."

Back in September, at the height of the credit crisis, MidAmerican reached a tentative agreement to throw Constellation a billion-dollar lifeline as part of a deal to purchase the entire company for $4.7 billion in cash. It looked like a typical "Buffett bargain."

Then, earlier this month, Électricitié de France responded with an offer to pay $4.5 billion for just half of Constellation nuclear business. EDF said that valued the entire company at roughly double what Buffett & Co. had agreed to pay.

So, it was no big surprise when Constellation's board authorized talks with EDF about its offer.

It's also not a big surprise that Bloomberg is reporting EDF is "close to an agreement" with Constellation and Reuters says Constellation is "leaning towards" a deal with the French company.

And it's certainly not a surprise at all that Buffett doesn't want to get into a bidding war.

As we pointed out just about two weeks ago in the WBW post Why Fight When You Can Take the Money And Run?,Buffett's deal with Constellation includes some big break-up penalties, including almost $600 million in cash, 10 percent of Constellation's common stock, and a 14 percent payback for MidAmerican's billion-dollar cash infusion.

But don't be surprised if this isn't the end of the story. The reports say an EDF-Constellation deal would require waivers for some bank covenants. The Baltimore Sun's Jay Hancock says that refers to Constellation's month-old $1.23 billion line of credit with UBS and Royal Bank of Scotland. As a condition of the loan, Constellation isn't allowed to sell or transfer any assets to an unrelated third party. Hancock writes, "There are exceptions for ordinary-business asset sales, but the EDF deal ... doesn't seem to fit the exceptions."

And an EDF deal would require approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It wants to be sure nuclear plant safety issues are handled by a "U.S. entity."

While a foreign company is not allowed to take full ownership of a nuclear plant, EDF is only buying half of Constellation's nuclear assets and promises to have U.S. citizens overseeing nuclear and security issues.

That could be enough to win NRC approval, but it's not necessarily a slam dunk.

Current Berkshire stock prices:

Class A:

Class B:

Questions? Comments? Email me at buffettwatch@cnbc.com


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Radical Islamist Abu Hamza al-Masri presented in U.S. court

Radical al-Masri to be extradited to U.S.
Radical al-Masri to be extradited to U.S.

    Radical al-Masri to be extradited to U.S.

Radical al-Masri to be extradited to U.S. 02:32

Story highlights

  • Abu Hamza al-Masri confronts a host of terror charges Saturday in federal court
  • Al-Masri is among five men extradited to the U.S. after losing a legal battle in London
  • He is one of the highest-profile radical Islamic figures in Britain
After losing a lengthy legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States, Egyptian-born cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri confronted a host of terror charges Saturday when he was presented before a federal judge in Manhattan.
The one-eyed radical preacher faces 11 terrorism-related charges and is one of five men who departed England late Friday, hours after the High Court in London ruled the men could be extradited "immediately."
Amid high security, authorities temporarily removed al-Masri's prosthetic limbs, devices he uses after apparently sustaining injuries in Afghanistan.
Two planes carrying the men left the British Air Force base Mildenhall so they could face trial in the United States, Home Secretary Theresa May said in a statement.
Al-Masri will be arraigned Tuesday morning, officials said.
Separately, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary pleaded not guilty before a judge Saturday.
The trio are being held at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, a federal law enforcement source told CNN.
Two others, Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan, clad in green and yellow prison jumpsuits, also pleaded not guilty Saturday before a judge in New Haven, Connecticut, according to the U.S. Attorney's office there.
"The extraditions of Abu Hamza, Bary and al-Fawwaz are a major milestone in our effort to see these alleged high-level terrorists face American justice," said FBI New York acting assistant director-in-charge Mary Galligan. "When an indictment alleges the murderous intent of international terrorists, the government will not waver in its determination to achieve justice, no matter how long it takes."
The charges against al-Masri include conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping of 16 Westerners in Yemen, and conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad training camp in rural Oregon in 1999. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
The cases of Ahmad and Ahsan are both linked to a website called azzam.com, which U.S. prosecutors say was run by the two men to support terrorism around the world.
Meanwhile, al-Fawwaz and Bary are accused of being al Qaeda associates of Osama bin Laden in London during the 1990s.
Al-Masri is one of the highest-profile radical Islamic figures in Britain, where he was already sentenced to seven years for inciting racial hatred at his north London mosque and other terrorism-related charges.
Born in Egypt in 1958, he traveled to Britain to study before gaining citizenship through marriage in the 1980s.
A one-time nightclub bouncer in London's Soho district, al-Masri -- also known as Mustafa Kamal Mustafa -- has said he lost both hands and one eye while fighting against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He often wears a hook in place of one hand.
In 1997, al-Masri became the imam of a north London mosque, where his hate-filled speeches attacking the West began to attract national attention and followers, including Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" who attempted to blow up a Miami-bound passenger airplane three months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Al-Masri has called the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center "a towering day in history" and described bin Laden as "a good guy and a hero."
He also described the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 as "punishment from Allah" because the astronauts were Christian, Hindu and Jewish.
Lawyers for al-Masri told the British court their client suffers from deteriorating mental health and was unfit to plead.


text:
Should tampons be tax free?

Story highlights

  • Dasha Burns: Some women's products are routinely priced higher than men's. Tampons are taxed, when products like Rogaine are not
  • A lawsuit in New York aims to add state to the 5 that don't tax tampons. She says to do otherwise helps institutionalize discrimination

Dasha Burns is a writer and works as a strategist and creative content producer at Oliver Global, a consulting agency where she focuses on leveraging media and digital technology for global development. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN)I use men's deodorant. Why? Because beyond the fact that I secretly love the smell of Old Spice Pure Sport, I refuse to pay a higher price for nothing more than marketing to my "lady senses." Before you brush me off as cheap or overdramatic, consider this: Gender-based pricing means women pay on average $1,351 more per year for the same products than men do.

Beyond products, women are also routinely charged more than men for the same services. I was aghast when I compared my dry-cleaning bill to my boyfriend's, considering several of our shirts are basically identical. (Just realizing we might be turning into one of those couples that look the same -- an issue for another time).
    Dasha Burns
    While these examples are infuriating and burdensom e-- they're mostly frustrating inconveniences, possible to circumvent if you really try. You could take a page out of my book and replace some of your more expensive female-focused products with a men's equivalent, or stop buying clothes that require dry cleaning.
    But one thing women can't change, period, is -- well -- their period. This monthly event requires that we buy products, like tampons and sanitary pads, for which there is no cheaper male equivalent. We can't exactly decide to stop buying them and continue like it's business as usual while our bodies ruin our dry-clean-only pants.
    But in most states, these products come with a sales tax. That may seem perfectly acceptable, considering most of us expect a sales tax when we shop and don't look too closely at our state tax codes.
    But state governments frequently exempt many "necessary" goods from sales tax, like prescription drugs, some over-the-counter medicines, and groceries. Even products like Chapstick and incontinence pads are often tax exempt. But only five states -- Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Jersey — have chosen not to tax tampons. Apparently, state governments have a hard time believing that tampons are a necessity. I have a hard time believing this idiocy.
    The issue has spurred a campaign to eliminate the "tampon tax" and it has been gaining ground across the country and beyond. In California, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia has proposed a bill to exempt tampons from sales tax. Meanwhile, Canada has already eliminated the unfair practice.
    This week, five women in New York decided to stand up for Aunt Flo and filed a lawsuit against the state to end the tax on tampons and other essential products like sanitary pads.
    Women spend about $70 per year on tampons and sanitary pads. Multiply that by about 40 years, add it to the increased price on many other products and services, and suddenly being a woman is costing a whole lot.
    'Camp Gyno' ad about periods goes viral
    'Camp Gyno' ad about periods goes viral

      'Camp Gyno' ad about periods goes viral

    'Camp Gyno' ad about periods goes viral 02:00
    For low-income women, access to these "luxury" goods can be a real challenge, especially since food stamps don't cover feminine hygiene products.
    But this goes beyond the dollar amount. This is institutional and systematic sexism. It's harming women financially and reflecting a deeper sentiment regarding (or disregarding) women's bodies.
    The New York State Department of Taxes and Finance says "feminine hygiene" products like tampons and sanitary napkins are subject to sales tax because they are "generally used to control a normal bodily function and to maintain personal cleanliness."
    But Rogaine is exempt? I guess a midlife crisis is considered a medical condition.
    Women talk: Paging 'Aunt Flo'
    Women talk: Paging 'Aunt Flo'

      Women talk: Paging 'Aunt Flo'

    Women talk: Paging 'Aunt Flo' 01:07
    I've tried to think of a male equivalent. Certainly there are products that are purchased primarily by men that are taxed. Condoms are the closest example, and that is still not comparable. Periods are biological functions that occur regularly for decades and are completely out of women's control.
    Because we're talking about products that are necessary for women to be healthy productive humans, discriminatory pricing is unacceptable. The practice has echoes of biblical depictions of women being sequestered in "red tents" during their time of the month.
    If state governments can deem products like foot powder, dandruff shampoo, and Rogaine tax-exempt as "nonluxury" goods, I don't see any reason they shouldn't do the same for tampons. It's clear only men were at the table for this tax talk. No woman would ever consider cramping, bloating and bleeding every month a "luxury."
    Right now, more states tax tampons than candy. If I can binge on empty calories tax-free, I should bleed tax-free.


text:
Libyan leader hopes to declare victory within week

By RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI | October 12, 2011 | 10:45 AM EDT

Libyan revolutionary fighters burn the country's old flag on the Green Square of Sirte, Libya, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011. Rebel forces besieging Sirte since mid September fought loyalists in a fierce street by street fighting to control the home town of Libya's ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Libya's de facto leader said Wednesday he is optimistic the ex-rebels will declare total victory over forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in less than a week, opening the way for a new transitional government to be formed within a month.

Despite heavy resistance, revolutionary forces are closing in on Gadhafi's forces in the ousted dictator's hometown of Sirte, the most important of two major cities yet to be cleared of armed supporters of the old regime.

"I hope that liberation will be declared in less than a week, after we free Sirte, and within less than a month we will form a transitional government and the youth and women will have a role in that," said Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.

Libya's new rulers have promised to declare victory after Sirte is captured and to name a new government that will guide the oil-rich North African nation to elections within eight months.

Ousted leader Gadhafi is still on the run and his supporters also hold the desert enclave of Bani Walid. But the new leaders say Sirte's capture will give them full control of the country's ports and harbors, allowing them to move forward with efforts to restore normalcy and establish a democracy.

Abdul-Jalil made his assertion at a joint news conference with Tunisian Prime Minister Caid Essebsi, who is visiting the eastern city of Benghazi to restore the two countries' once-lucrative trade ties.

Essebsi met with Abdul-Jalil and other Libyan officials during his one-day visit, his first trip since Gadhafi was forced into hiding as Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces in late August.

Before Libya's uprising against Gadhafi broke out in mid-February, Libya and Tunisia had close ties, with some $2 billion in trade and tens of thousands of Tunisians working in Libya.

During the civil war that ensued, Tunisia hosted close to a million refugees from Libya, including tens of thousands of Libyan citizens, many of whom were housed by Tunisian families.

In recognition of that, Libyan officials have said Tunisian workers will be given priority for any reconstruction projects — a boon to the nation of 10 million that has at least 700,000 unemployed.

Security issues also were on the agenda, as the two countries share a long, poorly patrolled desert border. There are urgent concerns about weapons from plundered Libyan government warehouses ending up in the hands of desert smugglers and Islamic militants.

Tunisia has already reported several clashes in its southern desert regions with gunmen in four-wheel drive vehicles.

Libyan interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril was in Tunis in September to coordinate the two countries' security policies.

Several world leaders and dignitaries have traveled to the oil-rich North African nation as the international community rallies around the new rulers. NATO also has promised to continue its mission until Gadhafi forces no longer pose a threat to civilians.

Spain, however, announced Wednesday that it is bringing back the four F-18 fighter jets it sent to Libya to help enforce its no-fly zone because the governing National Transitional Council controls most of the country's airspace.

She said they will be kept on call and Spain will continue to contribute to the NATO mission with two aerial refueling planes. It also will maintain a frigate and a coast guard surveillance plane to enforce the arms embargo against Libya, but will withdraw its submarine.


text:
Springtime Means COLOR

By Tim Wright | March 30, 2010

Every year color experts at paint companies develop color trend forecasts for consumers and industry. There are many variables that affect the direction of design and color. Trends develop over the course of time. Demographics, changing consumer desires, social and economic changes and technology all converge, or come together, to influence color themes.

When it comes to designing interior living spaces color is arguably the most important aspect of an interior design scheme. It helps coordinate all of the design elements together to create one mood that is trying to be captured in a particular space.

Nothing changes a room faster than color. Especially during hard economic times with an unhealthy housing market. Regardless of the purpose, a fresh coat of paint remains one of the most economical ways to change our living environments.

Color trends for 2010 take inspiration from a variety of social and economic influences. For this year's article, Coatings World asked a panel of experts to address the key trends influencing color design at the moment. Color is so important, according to Richard Prime, communications manager, NCS Colour AB, in fact "it's probably one of the only aspects of a design or project that can be translated to the viewer, audience or market in seconds, which is often the amount of time it takes for a customer to make a buying decision. I'd go as far as saying it is the single most important aspect of the design process for anyone wanting to create a commercially or critically successful item."

You will hear more from our panel of color experts from the likes of Kelly-Moore, Valspar, PPG, The Paint Quality Institute, NCS Colour AB, Resene and California Paints.

Also in this issue, Kerry Pianoforte explores trends in the "green" coatings market, talking to key players including Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Mythic Paint. Pianoforte says the market is driven primarily by increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and to a lesser degree, increasing consumer interest in buying environmentally friendly products and the growing popularity of green building standards, most notably the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) initiative.

Lastly, for this year's annual resins market update, Coatings World asked a panel of experts to address key issues facing the market including the economy, new technology and strategies for moving forward in 2010. The panel is made up of individuals from some of the world's largest and most diverse resins suppliers including BASF, Eliokem, DSM NeoResins+ and Celanese. These companies are at the forefront of developing new resin technology that is helping the coatings industry evolve into the future.


text:
Provocative Search Engine Friendly URLs in ASP.NET

Data displayed by dynamic Web sites is usually stored in some sort of backend database. Typically, a numeric ID is associated with a data row of a database table, and all database operations with the table (such as selecting, inserting, deleting, or updating rows) are done by referencing that ID.

More often than not, the same ID used to identify an item in the database is also used in ASP.NET code to refer to that particular item-such as a product in an e-commerce Web site, or an article of a blog, and so on. In a dynamic URL, these IDs are passed via the query string to a script that presents differing content accordingly.

Figure 1 shows a page from This is a demo e-commerce site presented in one of Cristian's books, and employs dynamic URLs. As you can see, the page is composed using data from the database, and the ID that identifies the data item is taken from the dynamic URL.

Figure 1

This is probably the most common approach employed by dynamic Web sites at present, as you frequently meet URLs such as the following:

This approach is certainly the easiest and most straightforward when developing a dynamic site. However, this is about the only benefit these URLs bring. Dynamic URLs come with three important potential drawbacks, however:

  • They are frequently sub-optimal from a search engine spider's point of view.
  • They don't provide relevant keywords or a call to action to a human viewing the URL, therefore reducing the CTR.
  • They aren't easy to remember, or communicate to other parties in the offline world.

Some programmers also tend to use extra parameters freely. For example, if the parameter RefID from the previous example is used for some sort of tracking mechanism, and search engine friendliness is a priority, it should be removed. Lastly, any necessary duplicate content should be excluded from search engines' view using a robots.txt file or a robots meta tag.

If URLs on your site are for the most part indexed properly, it may not be wise to restructure URLs. However, if you decide that you must, please also read Chapter 4 "Content Relocation and HTTP Status Codes" in the book Professional Search Engine Optimization with ASP.NET: A Developer's Guide to SEO (Wrox, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-13147-3), which teaches you how to make the transition smoother. It shows how to preserve link equity by properly redirecting old URLs to new URLs. Also, not all solutions to URL-based problems require restructuring URLs; as mentioned earlier, duplicate content can be excluded using the robots.txt file or the robots meta tag.

Numeric Rewritten URLs

An improved version of the previous example is a modified URL that removes the dynamic parameters and hides them in a static URL. This static URL is then mapped, using one of the techniques you'll learn later, to a dynamic URL. The RefID parameter previously alluded to is also not present, because those types of tracking parameters usually can and should be avoided.

The impact of numeric URL rewriting will likely be negligible with the search engines on pages with a single parameter, but it may be significant on pages with two parameters or more. For humans, using numeric URLs can be beneficial when the context makes the URLs hackable, giving those numbers a special meaning. The best example is with blogs, which are frequently employing numeric URLs to reflect the date of the content; for example, will contain the post or posts from July 17th, 2007.

This form of URL is particularly well-suited to the adaptation of existing software. Retrofitting an application for keyword-rich URLs, as covered in the next section, may present additional difficulty in implementation.

Keyword-Rich Rewritten URLs

Finally, here are two ideal keyword-rich URLs:

This is the best approach to creating URLs, but also presents an increased level of difficulty in implementation-especially if you are modifying preexisting source code for software. In that case this solution may not have an easy and apparent implementation, and it requires more interaction with the database to extract the copy for the URLs.

The decision whether to use the .html suffix in the URL is mostly a non-issue. You could also use a URL such as, if you prefer the look of directories.

This "ideal" URL presents a static URL that indicates both to the search engine and to the user that it is topically related to the search query. Usually the keyword-rich URLs are created using keywords from the name or description of the item presented in the page itself. Characters in the keyword string that are not alphanumeric need to be removed, and spaces should be converted to a delimiting character. Dashes are desirable over underscores as the delimiting character because most search engines treat the dash as a space, and the underscore as an actual character, though this particular detail is probably not terribly significant. On a new site, dashes should be chosen as a word-delimiter.

Implementing URL Rewriting

From this moment on, this article discusses URL rewriting. Of particular importance is Scott Guthrie's ASP.NET URL rewriting article. Another interesting article is "URL Rewriting in ASP.NET", by Scott Mitchell.

The hurdle we must overcome to support keyword-rich URLs like those shown earlier is that they don't actually exist anywhere in your Web site. Your site still contains a script-named, say, Product.aspx-which expects to receive parameters through the query string and generate content depending on those parameters. This script would be ready to handle a request such as this:

but your Web server would normally generate a 404 error if you tried any of the following:

URL rewriting allows you to transform the URL of such an incoming request (which we'll call the original URL) to a different, existing URL (which we'll call the rewritten URL), according to a defined set of rules. You could use URL rewriting to transform the previous nonexistent URLs to Product.aspx?ProductID=123, which does exist.

If you happen to have some experience with the Apache Web server, you probably know that it ships by default with the mod_rewrite module, which is the standard way to implement URL rewriting in the LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) world. That is covered in our book Professional Search Engine Optimization with PHP: A Developer's Guide to SEO (Wrox, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-10092-9).

Unfortunately, IIS doesn't ship by default with such a module. IIS 7 contains a number of new features that make URL rewriting easier, but it will take a while until all existing IIS 5 and 6 Web servers will be upgraded. Third-party URL-rewriting modules for IIS 5 and 6 do exist, and also several URL-rewriting libraries, hacks, and techniques, and each of them can (or cannot) be used depending on your version and configuration of IIS, and the version of ASP.NET. In this article we try to cover the most relevant scenarios by providing practical solutions.

To understand why an apparently easy problem-that of implementing URL rewriting-can become so problematic, you first need to understand how the process really works. To implement URL rewriting, there are three steps:

  1. Intercept the incoming request. When implementing URL rewriting, it's obvious that you need to intercept the incoming request, which usually points to a resource that doesn't exist on your server physically. This task is not trivial when your Web site is hosted on IIS 6 and older. There are different ways to implement URL rewriting depending on the version of IIS you use (IIS 7 brings some additional features over IIS 5/6), and depending on whether you implement rewriting using an IIS extension, or from within your ASP.NET application (using C# or VB.NET code). In this latter case, usually IIS still needs to be configured to pass the requests we need to rewrite to the ASP.NET engine, which doesn't usually happen by default.
  2. Associate the incoming URL with an existing URL on your server. There are various techniques you can use to calculate what URL should be loaded, depending on the incoming URL. The "real" URL usually is a dynamic URL.
  3. Rewrite the original URL to the rewritten URL. Depending on the technique used to capture the original URL and the form of the original URL, you have various options to specify the real URL your application should execute.

The result of this process is that the user requests a URL, but a different URL actually serves the request. The rest of the article covers one way to implement each of the preceding steps:

  • URL rewriting with IIS and ISAPI_Rewrite

The book Professional Search Engine Optimization with ASP.NET: A Developer's Guide to SEO also covers these three additional methods.

  • URL rewriting using URLRewriter
  • Writing a custom URL rewriting handler
  • URL rewriting with IIS 7

For background information on how IIS processes incoming requests, we recommend Scott Mitchell's article How ASP.NET Web Pages are Processed on the Web Server.

URL Rewriting with IIS and ISAPI_Rewrite

If your IIS Web server, no matter if it's IIS 5, 6, or 7, has an ISAPI rewriting filter installed, we encourage you to use it, because it's likely to be the most efficient and practical method to implement URL rewriting. When such a filter is used, rewriting happens right when the request hits your Web server, before being processed by the ASP.NET ISAPI extension. This has the following advantages:

  • Simple implementation. Rewriting rules are written in configuration files; you don't need to write any supporting code.
  • Task separation. The ASP.NET application works just as if it was working with dynamic URLs. Apart from the link building functionality, the ASP.NET application doesn't need to be aware of the URL rewriting layer of your application.
  • You can easily rewrite requests for resources that are not processed by ASP.NET by default, such as those for image files, for example.

To process incoming requests, IIS works with ISAPI extensions, which are code libraries that process the incoming requests. IIS chooses the appropriate ISAPI extension to process a certain request depending on the extension of the requested file. For example, an ASP.NET-enabled IIS machine will redirect ASP.NET-specific requests (which are those for .aspx files, .ashx files, and so on), to the ASP.NET ISAPI extension, which is a file named aspnet_isapi.dll.

To intercept incoming requests on an IIS 6-based server, you can create your own URL rewriting ISAPI filter or use an existing one. Creating your own ISAPI filter is too complex a process to cover in this book, but fortunately existing products are available:

Figure 2 describes how an ISAPI Rewrite filter, such as those just listed, fits into the picture. Its role is to rewrite the URL of the incoming requests, but doesn't affect the output of the ASP.NET script in any way.

At first sight, the rewriting rules can be added easily to an existing Web site, but in practice there are other issues to take into consideration. For example, you'd also need to modify the existing links within the Web site content. In Chapter 4, "Content Relocation and HTTP Status Codes", in the book, Professional Search Engine Optimization with ASP.NET: A Developer's Guide to SEO you continue by learning how to properly redirect old links to the new links in a preexisting Web site, to preserve their equity.

Figure 2

ISAPI rewriting filters can be invaluable tools to Web developers tasked with architecting complex dynamic sites that are still search engine friendly. They allow the programmer to easily declare a set of rules that are applied by IIS on-the-fly to map incoming URLs requested by the visitor to dynamic query strings sent to various ASP.NET pages. As far as a search engine spider is concerned, the URLs are static.

The following few pages demonstrate URL rewriting functionality by using Helicon's ISAPI_Rewrite filter. You can find its official documentation at Ionic's ISAPI rewriting module has similar functionality.

In the first exercise, we'll create a simple rewrite rule that translates my-super-product.html (available as part of the code download for the book Professional Search Engine Optimization with ASP.NET: A Developer's Guide to SEO,) to Product.aspx?ProductID=123. This is the exact scenario that was presented in Figure 2.

The Product.aspx Web Form is designed to simulate a real product page. The script receives a query string parameter named ProductID, and generates a very simple output message based on the value of this parameter. Figure 3 shows the sample output that you'll get by loading http://seoasp/Product.aspx?ProductID=3.

Figure 3

In order to improve search engine friendliness, we want to be able to access the same page through a static URL: http://seoasp/my-super-product.html. To implement this feature, we'll use-you guessed it!-URL rewriting, using Helicon's ISAPI_Rewrite.

As you know, what ISAPI_Rewrite basically does is to translate an input string (the URL typed by your visitor) to another string (a URL that can be processed by your ASP.NET code). In this exercise, we'll make it rewrite my-super-product.html to Product.aspx?ProductID=123.

This article covers ISAPI_Rewrite version 2. At the moment of writing, ISAPI_Rewrite 3.0 is in beta testing.

Using Helicon's ISAPI_Rewrite

  1. The first step is to install ISAPI_Rewrite. Navigate to and download ISAPI_Rewrite Lite (freeware). The file name should be something like isapi_rwl_x86.msi. At the time of writing, the full (not freeware) version of the product comes in a different package if you're using Windows Vista and IIS 7, but the freeware edition is the same for all platforms.
  2. Execute the MSI file you just downloaded, and install the application using the default options all the way through.

If you run into trouble, you should visit the Installation section of the product's manual, at If you run Windows Vista, you need certain IIS modules to be installed in order for ISAPI_Rewrite to function.

  1. Make sure your IIS Web server is running and create a http://seoasp/ Web site using Visual Web Developer.
  2. Create a new Web Form named Product.aspx in your project, with no code-behind file or Master Page. Then modify the generated code as shown in the following code snippet. (Remember that you can have Visual Web Developer generate the Page_Load signature for you by switching to Design view, and double-clicking an empty area of the page or using the Properties window.)
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"

<script runat="server">
  protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    // retrieve the product ID from the query string
    string productId = Request.QueryString["ProductID"];
    // use productId to customize page contents
    if (productId != null)
      // set the page title
      this.Title += ": Product " + productId;
      // display product details
      message.Text =
        String.Format("You selected product #{0}. Good choice!",
      // display product details
      message.Text = "Please select a product from our catalog.";

<html xmlns="" >
<head runat="server">
  <title>ASP.NET SEO Shop</title>
  <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <asp:Literal runat="server" ID="message" />
  1. Test your Web Form by loading http://seoasp/Product.aspx?ProductID=3. The result should resemble Figure 3.
  2. Let's now write the rewriting rule. Open the Program Files/Helicon/ISAPI_Rewrite/httpd.ini file (you can find a shortcut to this file in Programs), and add the following highlighted lines to the file. Note the file is read-only by default. If you use Notepad to edit it, you'll need to make it writable first.

# Translate /my-super.product.html to /Product.aspx?ProductID=123
RewriteRule ^/my-super-product\.html$ /Product.aspx?ProductID=123
  1. Switch back to your browser again, and this time load http://seoasp/my-super-product.html. If everything works as it should, you should get the output that's shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Congratulations! You've just written your first rewrite rule using Helicon's ISAPI_Rewrite. The free edition of this product only allows server-wide rewriting rules, whereas the commercial edition would allow you to use an application-specific httpd.ini configuration file, located in the root of your Web site. However, this limitation shouldn't affect your learning process.

This article is adapted from Professional Search Engine Optimization with ASP.NET: A Developer's Guide to SEO by Cristian Darie and Jaimie Sirovich (Wrox, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-13147-3), from Chapter 3, "Provocative SE-Friendly URLs."

Copyright 2007 by WROX. All rights reserved. Reproduced here by permission of the publisher.

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Healani Farm: Third Place Winner in Kona Coffee Competition

Until 2006, Gary Williams combined all of the coffee harvested from his scattered Kona farms—regardless of quality—and sold it in bulk to a mill. Then, through an enlightening conversation with Paul Thornton, Coffee Bean International’s Master Roaster, he realized that farms surrounding his Healani Farm were winning awards, and by blending coffee of exceptional quality with that of average quality, he might be missing out on an opportunity to offer some even better qualities and receive payment at the upper end of the market price range, for this improved quality. Healani Farm is blessed by an ideal elevation at 1200 feet and deep, rich soil protected by lava flows and tall silver oaks, not to mention amazing panoramic views. On a clear day, one can see the curvature of the earth in three directions!

Paul committed to purchase from Gary’s crop if he changed his philosophy from amassing volume and driving down price to improving quality. In 2007 and 2008, Paul and his team cupped the coffee, shared their impressions with Gary, and gave tips for improvement, including sending pickers through twice as often and only harvesting ripe cherries. (Careful picking weeds out the unripe and overly ripe cherries from the mix.) While this practice costs twice as much, it dramatically improves the quality and increases the chances of fetching a higher price per pound. Paul spent time with Gary sample roasting properly and cupping his coffee to help him better understand the potential of his crops.

Gary took a chance by making an investment in quality, but his risks were rewarded this year when he won third place in the very competitive Kona Coffee Competition. Gary is thrilled because this award puts him on the international coffee radar. He says, "I could never been successful in the coffee competition without your suggestions throughout the year. I appreciate your continued input and encouragement. You have put the focus on the cupping and the final taste. Other buyers have been more focused on low price." With the additional funds that Gary has earned from the higher-quality coffee, he is building a new dry mill for next year’s harvest. This investment will continue to improve quality year-over-year.

And, Paul is thrilled because Coffee Bean International’s customers directly benefit from the process improvements. By establishing a long-term partnership between roaster and grower, jointly we can influence the cup quality. This year, Coffee Bean International purchased 10 bags from Gary’s 80-bag lot.

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Banking  •  News

Goldman Sachs Report Says Bitcoin Could Shape 'Future of Finance'

(@joonian) | Published on March 11, 2015 at 15:52 GMT

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are part of a technology "megatrend" that could change the fundamental mechanics of transactions, according to a new report from Goldman Sachs' equity research analysts.

Bitcoin, along with improved payment security, 'big data' analytics and faster payment networks are the components of a technology trend that will disrupt the payments ecosystem, the report says.

The disruption of the $1.2tn global payments industry will be also be driven by converging trends in regulation, global demographics and the rise of markets outside the United States.

The report says:

"Innovations in network technology and cryptography could change the speed and mechanics of moving money."

Bitcoin will change consumer payments

The report, published yesterday, is titled The Future of Finance: Redefining The Way We Pay in the Next Decade. It's written by James Schneider and SK Prasad Borra, payments analysts at the bank's research division.

It comes as the second in a series that has already featured the rise of 'shadow banks'.

According to Schneider and Borra, bitcoin's major impact will be enabling the transfer of assets without a central clearing authority.

The large public companies that will benefit will be merchants, who will reap savings on payment costs. Firms who might lose out are traditional money-transfer firms like Western Union, Moneygram and Xoom.

The report names Coinbase, BitPay and Ripple Labs as the leading firms in the bitcoin space.

Bitcoin's impact will be felt in the field of consumer-to-consumer payments, the report says. This market includes all payments made between consumers, with examples of leading vendors being mobile wallets like Venmo and Square Cash.

Disruptive entrants to the consumer payments space are limited to earning revenue from international money transfers, according to the report, a market that's worth $580bn. These entrants include bitcoin exchanges and the peer-to-peer platform for foreign currency exchange TransferWise.

Exchanges named in the report include Coinbase, itBit, Circle, Trucoin and CoinCorner.

Bitcoin could also play a significant role in global remittances for customers who want to use cash to begin the transfer process. The report points to Bitspark as an example of a firm that lets customers remit funds by depositing cash, bypassing the need for a bank account. Bitspark then performs the transfer by exchanging it into bitcoin.

New players could take 20% of the current $30bn consumer-to-consumer market from incumbents over the next 10 years, the analysts estimate. Newcomers will also drive fees down from a current average of 6% of the principal to 2.5%.

"Distributed networks are, in principle, more secure and reliable due to their open source nature, and there is no single point of failure," the report notes.

"Given the low transaction fees associated with ... virtual currencies, there is potential for significant dislocation in the profit pools associated with money transfer."

Significant merchant interest in bitcoin

The Ripple network is highlighted as a bitcoin alternative that could gain acceptance among small banks. The report points to Ripple's partnerships with banks like Fidor, CBW Bank and Cross River Bank as evidence that the network allows these institutions to perform international money transfers without depending on large banking partners.

Merchant adoption of bitcoin could rise in coming years, the report found. The analysts conducted a survey with the Electronic Transactions Association that found 23% of merchants planned to accept bitcoin within the next 24 months.

The report estimates that more than 100,000 merchants currently take bitcoin payments globally.

The analysts stress that merchant adoption of bitcoin is in its "infancy" and that results so far have been inconclusive. It cites falling well short of its bitcoin sales target last year as an example of a merchant who is not enjoying significant benefits from bitcoin payments.

But the authors also stress that it's too early to write bitcoin off, and that they will "closely monitor" merchant bitcoin-use in the coming months.

The report also noted that nearly 80% of trading volume on bitcoin exchanges is driven by trade in the yuan-bitcoin currency pair, although it did not point out that Chinese exchanges often don't charge fees for trading, leading to higher trading volumes.

The opportunity for bitcoin-linked companies is tiny compared to the potential gains available in other sectors identified in the report. While $6bn could accrue to firms like bitcoin exchanges operating in the consumer-to-consumer payments space, some $17bn is up for grabs in the business-to-business payments sector.

In the field of payments between businesses and consumers, $84bn could be taken by newcomers.

Featured image via Shutterstock

Goldman SachsMerchantsResearch

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Chesapeake &Potomac Telephone Co. of Virginia Porcelain Sign

In Telephones > Telephone Signs > Show & Tell and Telephones > Telephone Advertising > Show & Tell.
All items162341 of 162438Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company Pay Station SignRochester Telephone Corporation Porcelain Booth Sign
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Posted 6 years ago

(17 items)

C&P of Va. Note light blue border.

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just found 2 old scales

In Tools and Hardware > Scales > Show & Tell.
Recent activity145938 of 162468Green Glass ????????1930s micky mouse watch
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Posted 5 years ago

(21 items)

I just found them today . the one on left looks like mostly brass, printed on it TO WEIGH 7 LB that's it .one on right has cast iron base with brass scale bar and slide. the only markings are in the cast base[ FAIRBANKS] i don't know a thing about them.

  1. Pop_abides Pop_abides, 5 years ago
    The one on the right is a 'Beam Scale' and should weigh anything placedon the tray up to seven pounds.The other is missing it's bin which would have fit itnto the four pronged 'nest' area, the flat tray would hold small weights that would be placed there by the operator. The goldish one was made by the Fairbanks Scale Company. and the othe could have been made by a lot of different companies.
  2. madmac madmac, 5 years ago
    thanks pop, i need to look for bin to see if it another box some or some place. i also found some meat and coffee grinders in the boxes
  3. Pop_abides Pop_abides, 5 years ago
    I'm guessing I was wrong now having another look and seeing that the Fairbanks name is on the darker one, I can't read the scale so I don't know how high it reads...
    The on with 'To Weigh Seven Pounds' may have had a seven pound "Calibrated" weight for the special shaped tray that would give true weight and account for the weight of the Bin also this would have had a specific use to be so limited. Sorry I was so out of phase last time.

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Bronze Bell

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Art Nouveau2352 of 2763Art Nouveau Chair or Edwardian?Hans Eduard von Berlepsch-Valendas Copper Tureen / Ice Bucket
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Posted 4 years ago

(2 items)

I got this bronze bell at a thrift store recently. I can't decipher the maker's mark, and was hoping someone recognizes it.

Unsolved Mystery

Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

  1. Stillwater Stillwater, 4 years ago
    This is a Soleri Bell, or an Arcosanti Bell. The man's name is Paolo Soleri, he has a foundry in Arizona, he's been making these wonderful bronze bells since the 50's or 60's, but he's still making them today and I don't know if yours is an old one or not. Its missing a little triangle at the bottom that catches the wind, but its still a good find. They're worth some money, you did well. I just found one at an estate sale recently actually.
  2. kobenstyle, 4 years ago
    Thank you very much! I had been wondering also if there were some pieces missing, and it is great to see the other examples of his work online.
  3. Stillwater Stillwater, 4 years ago
    You might be able to buy a cheap small one on eBay and take the wind-catch off to replace it. I think yours might be an older or, that or its been out in the weather for a while. The newer ones have this weird fake patina on them. I really love these things. Arizona is my home state and its a real symbol for us, a Soleri bell hanging in a palo verde tree, you know?
  4. kobenstyle, 4 years ago
    I have seen references to the triangular sheet metal wind catchers being made of copper. If so, I will probably try to make one of my own, so I can use the bell. Thanks again.
  5. miKKoChristmas11 miKKoChristmas11, 4 years ago

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College Baseball Daily

Number 1 Source for College Baseball News

2013 Ohio Valley Preseason Coaches Poll

OhioValleyConferenceBRENTWOOD, Tenn. — After winning the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships each of the past two years, Austin Peay has been tabbed the 2013 preseason favorite for the 11-team league in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and sports information directors. In additional voting APSU junior second baseman Jordan Hankins and Tennessee Tech junior first baseman Zach Stephens were named OVC Preseason Co-Players of the Year while Belmont senior lefty Chase Brookshire was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

The first-place votes in the preseason poll were split among two schools with Austin Peay picking up 14 of the votes and OVC newcomer Belmont picking up the other eight. The Bruins won both the Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament championships in 2012, its last season in that conference before joining the OVC. Overall Austin Peay received 193 total points to be picked the favorite while Belmont finished with 182 points. Jacksonville State (156 points) was picked third and followed by Eastern Kentucky (139), Eastern Illinois (133), Tennessee Tech (107), SIUE (91), Southeast Missouri (73), Morehead State (70), Murray State (45) and UT Martin (21).

In all, 14 players were selected to the Preseason All-OVC team. The 14 players represented nine of the 11 teams who will compete for the OVC championship this season. Austin Peay and Morehead State led the way with three selections apiece while Eastern Kentucky had two players on the team. Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, SIUE and Tennessee Tech each had one selection.

After not making the OVC Tournament field in either 2009 or 2010, Austin Peay has been the top team in the OVC each of the past two years, compiling a 74-48 overall and 36-13 OVC record over that time period while earning NCAA Regional victories over Georgia Tech (2011), Indiana State (2012) and Cal State Fullerton (2012). This year the Govs return 14 players and five positional starters from last year’s 40-win team. At the top of the list of returnees is Hankins, the Preseason Co-Player of the Year. The second baseman hit .336 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBI a season ago on his way to first-team All-OVC honors. After the season he was named to the OVC All-Tournament team as well as the Eugene All-Regional squad. This past summer he was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, joining a select group of 30 players from across the country. This preseason he has been named a Preseason All-American by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Two other Preseason All-OVC selections return for the Govs in senior shortstop Reed Harper (.327, 17 doubles, 3 home runs, 36 RBI) and senior outfielder Cody Hudson (.300, 6 home runs, 36 RBI, 21 stolen bases). The pitching staff is buoyed by senior starter Casey Delgado (9-4, 61 strikeouts in 103.0 IP) and senior closer Tyler Rogers (12 saves, 2.26 ERA in 38 appearances). Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure returns for his 26th season as head coach at his alma mater; McClure is only 25 victories away from breaking the OVC’s all-time wins mark. Last year McClure became the first coach to record 300 OVC victories in a career.

After 11 years in the Atlantic Sun Conference, Belmont begins its first season in the OVC this year. Head coach Dave Jarvis enters his 16th season at the helm of the Bruins program and 25th year as a collegiate head coach. Last season he guided the team to a 39-24 record, A-Sun regular season and tournament championships and berth in the Baton Rouge Regional of the NCAA Tournament. This season Belmont returns 19 letterwinners and six positional starters from that championship squad. Among those returners is Brookshire, the senior left-handed pitcher who was named the OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. In 16 starts last season he compiled an 8-4 record and a 2.45 E.R.A. in 110 innings of work. He struck out 81 batters while walking just 26 and holding opponents to a .217 batting average. Also returning is senior outfielder Drew Turner who hit .298 with 24 RBI and 17 stolen bases a season ago.

Jacksonville State finished third in the OVC last season (17-10) and lost to eventual tournament champion Austin Peay in the OVC Tournament. This season 12th year head coach Jim Case returns 17 players and four positional starters from that team. The Gamecocks did not place a player on the Preseason All-OVC team but among its returning players is junior shortstop Coty Blanchard, who spent the summer playing for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League. Blanchard, who was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2011, is also the quarterback of the JSU football team. Also back is junior catcher Cal Lambert who hit .271 with 14 doubles and 23 RBI a season ago.

Eastern Kentucky was the surprise team in the OVC last season; after being picked sixth in the league’s preseason poll the Colonels finished 19-7 in OVC play to share the OVC regular season championship (with Austin Peay). It marked the team’s first regular season crown since 2000 while the squad’s 31 overall victories was the first 30-plus win season for the team since 2004. This season fifth-year head coach Jason Stein will look to take his alma mater to its fourth-straight OVC Tournament and will do so while looking to replace two of its top three pitchers (including OVC Pitcher of the Year Matt Fyffe) and five positional starters. The team had two players selected to the Preseason All-OVC team in junior third baseman Bryan Soloman (14 home runs, 46 RBI, .547 slugging percentage a season ago) and senior starting pitcher Shane Grimm (6-4, 3.14 E.R.A. in 77.1 innings of work). Also returning is senior Anthony Bazzani, who saved eight games last year (but is projected as a starter this season) and was a 31st round MLB Draft Pick but decided to return to school, and senior outfielder Austin Grisham (.320, 31 RBI, 16 stolen bases).

The No. 4 seed in last year’s OVC Tournament, Eastern Illinois won its first three games of the event to advance to the Championship Round, but suffered back-to-back shutouts at the hands of eventual champion Austin Peay in coming up just short of its third OVC Tournament crown and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Overall the Panthers were strong down the stretch in 2012, winning 11 of its final 15 games of the regular season. This season head coach Jim Schmitz, now in his 19th season with the program, returns 17 letterwinners, five positional starters and seven total pitchers from that 29-29 squad. Among the players returning is OVC Freshman of the Year Brant Valach who hit .314 with 10 doubles and 28 RBI at third base on his way to Freshman All-American honors. Another young returning player is sophomore outfielder Caleb Howell who hit .316 with 37 runs scored and 19 RBI in his rookie season with the team. On the mound senior Troy Barton will lead the EIU attack; Barton was 9-5 with a 3.20 E.R.A. in 78.2 innings of work last season.

Tennessee Tech just missed out on the OVC Tournament field last season and this year the Golden Eagles return eight positional starters and 19 overall letterwinners as head coach Matt Bragga enters his 10th season as head coach. Among the returning players is Stephens, the junior first baseman who was named OVC Preseason Co-Player of the Year. Last season he ranked fourth nationally in home runs (18, 0.34/game) and sixth in slugging percentage (.696) while hitting .368 overall with 13 doubles and 52 RBI. Stephens, who has 28 home runs in two seasons of collegiate baseball, was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award and participated in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha last season. This preseason Stephens was named a third-team Preseason All-American by the NCBWA. The pitching staff will be anchored by senior Tristan Archer who had a 4-4 record and 4.04 E.R.A. in 89.0 innings last season; Archer struck out 76 batters in 14 starts a season ago.

After 34 years under the direction of head coach Gary Collins (who won over 1,000 career games), SIUE begins its first season of being postseason eligible with new head coach Tony Stoecklin, a SIUE alum who spent the previous 13 seasons on the Cougars staff, most of those in charge of the pitching staff. Stoecklin has 19 letterwinners returning from last year’s team that was 28-29 overall and 13-14 in the OVC. After completing the reclassification process to Division I the program is now eligible to participate in both the OVC and NCAA Tournaments. The team placed one player on the Preseason All-OVC squad in junior pitcher Travis Felax. Last season Felax compiled a 6-5 record and impressive 3.67 E.R.A. in 95.2 innings of work; he struck out 69 batters and had two complete games among his 15 starts. Among the positional starters returning is senior infielder Joel Greatting who hit .304 with eight home runs and 40 RBI a year ago.

Following the 2012 season head coach Mark Hogan, who spent 18 years at his alma mater, retired, paving the way for pitching coach Steve Bieser, another Redhawk alum, to take over and serve as the interim coach this season. After playing at Southeast, Bieser would go on to play for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates as a utility player and catcher. This year marks his third overall with the program and he will have 19 letterwinners, five positional starters and 11 total pitchers returning from last season’s team that was sixth in the OVC. Among those returning players is Preseason All-OVC selection Derek Gibson. The junior outfielder hit .338 with 32 runs, 12 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBI a season ago.

Morehead State also has a new head coach for 2013 as Mike McGuire begins his first season as the program’s head coach. It marks a return home for McGuire who was the program’s pitching coach in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Most recently he led Louisburg to a school-record 52 victories and the No. 1 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Eagles have three players on the Preseason All-OVC team including senior closer Matt Duncan, junior utility player Nick Duff and senior outfielder Taylor Pickens. Duncan, a second-team All-OVC pick last year, compiled 13 saves in his debut season with the program; the 13 saves were the second-most in OVC history. Duff was also a second-team All-OVC pick a year ago after hitting .315 with 37 runs scored, six home runs and 34 RBI. Pickens hit .330 with 43 runs scored, 10 doubles and 25 RBI in 49 starts for MSU.

Murray State is looking to bounce back after back-to-back seasons of missing out on the OVC Tournament field. This year the Thoroughbreds return 18 letterwinners, eight positional starters and eight pitchers from last season’s team that was 23-33 overall and topped No. 2 Kentucky in the last week of the regular season. Returning for the squad is junior designated hitter Brandon Eggenschwiler who is a Preseason All-OVC selection. A season ago he hit .370 with 32 RBI in 38 games. Other returning offensive threats include senior first baseman Mike Kozlowski (.306, 39 RBI) and junior outfielder Ty Stetson (.300, 5 triples, 31 RBI). Now in his 10th year at his alma mater, head coach Rob McDonald also returns senior closer Will Handlin who had four saves and a 3.56 E.R.A. last season.

Head coach Bubba Cates, now in his 15th season with UT Martin, will mix 23 returning letterwinners with 10 newcomers for the 2013 season. Cates will turn towards senior hurler Dan Tobik to lead his pitching staff this season. Tobik made 27 relief appearances a season ago, striking out 66 and walking only 22 in 55 innings of work; the senior recorded five saves and had a 2.78 E.R.A. for the Skyhawks. Offensively, senior outfielder Grant Glasser returns after hitting .293 with 29 runs scored and 18 RBI last season.

The 65th season of OVC baseball will get underway on Friday, Feb. 15 with the first weekend of league play being held March 8-10. The season will culminate with the 2013 OVC Championship which will be held for the fourth year in a row at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn. Pringles Park is the home of the Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The tournament runs May 22-26.

2013 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Austin Peay (14) – 193
2. Belmont (8) – 182
3. Jacksonville State – 156
4. Eastern Kentucky – 139
5. Eastern Illinois – 133
6. Tennessee Tech – 107
7. SIUE – 91
8. Southeast Missouri – 73
9. Morehead State – 70
10. Murray State – 45
11. UT Martin – 21

2013 Preseason All-OVC Baseball Team
Preseason OVC Co-Player of the Year: Jordan Hankins (2B), Austin Peay
Preseason OVC Co-Player of the Year: Zach Stephens (1B), Tennessee Tech
Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year: Chase Brookshire (LHP), Belmont

C – Jacob Reese, Eastern Illinois
1B – Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech #
2B – Jordan Hankins, Austin Peay *
SS – Reed Harper, Austin Peay
3B – Bryan Soloman, Eastern Kentucky
OF – Derek Gibson, Southeast Missouri *
OF – Cody Hudson, Austin Peay #
OF – Taylor Pickens, Morehead State
DH – Brandon Eggenschwiler, Murray State #
UT – Nick Duff, Morehead State #
SP – Travis Felax, SIUE #
SP – Shane Grimm, Eastern Kentucky #
SP – Chase Brookshire, Belmont
RP – Matt Duncan, Morehead State #

* – 1st team All-OVC team in 2012
# – 2nd team All-OVC team in 2012

College Baseball Daily © 2015 Frontier Theme


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