BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) ? State regulators on Wednesday approved construction of a wind energy project and a natural gas processing plant in western North Dakota that will represent about $360 million worth of new construction.
A subsidiary of Oneok Inc., an energy company based in Tulsa, Okla., intends to build a factory capable of processing about 100 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, the state Public Service Commission said.
Oneok already operates two natural gas processing factories in northwestern North Dakota, and has two more already under construction. The fifth, called Garden Creek II, will be located about six miles northeast of Watford City, in McKenzie County.
The commission approved the plant's siting application Wednesday, clearing the way for construction to start. An Oneok spokeswoman said the company hopes to finish the project by the fall of 2014.
North Dakota's mushrooming oil production has led to a concurrent increase in the state's output of natural gas, which is an oil byproduct. About a third of the state's natural gas production is now burned off and wasted, because the pipeline network needed to transport the fuel to processing plants is not fully developed.
"We like to see that gas being gathered and processed and moved to market. It's a much better destination than flaring it," Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer said. "When you live in a cold-weather state, watching 30 percent of (natural gas) being flared is hard to take."
The Garden Creek II factory will be able to process enough natural gas each day to heat about 900 homes for a year. It will be able to process roughly one-seventh of North Dakota's current daily natural gas output, which was an average of almost 713,000 "thousand cubic feet," or MCF, in June.
Separately, the commission endorsed a construction permit for Allete Clean Energy, a unit of Allete Inc. of Duluth, Minn., to build a 100-megawatt wind farm in Mercer and Morton counties, north of Glen Ullin.
Cramer and Brian Kalk, the commission's chairman, said Allete has not yet decided how many wind towers it will build, or on the size of the turbines it will use to generate the power. The company will have to provide that information before construction may start, they said.
Allete has already finished an 82-megawatt wind farm, called Bison I, in Oliver and Morton counties, and has two other projects under construction. The wind farm approved Wednesday will be capable of supplying power to about 40,000 homes.
North Dakota wind energy projects have the capacity to generate almost 1,500 megawatts of power, Public Service Commission filings say. Wind farms capable of generating more than 7,600 megawatts have been proposed.
Companies are always trying to figure out the next trends when it comes to IT outsourcing and other important business tools. Right now, the future remains a bit shaky as the industry undergoes a paradigm-changing transformation. In other words, outsourcing as you know it may be a thing of the past.
The whole point of outsourcing is to allow an enterprise to focus solely on its core competency without having to worry about ancillary functions. These days, businesses generally outsource functions that don?t differentiate them from the marketplace while zeroing in on core business functions that do. Doing so allows them to streamline their departments while enjoying the financial savings that result from eliminating otherwise redundant functions.
A Brief History on IT
Once upon a time, everything was done in-house. IT operations, payroll, customer service, you name it. Before the advent of outsourcing, it was considered normal to perform all your company?s operations under one roof. Outsourcing became a popular idea during the 1980s, and companies like EDS and IBM had a lock on IT outsourcing functions like mainframe data centers. In the 1990s, application service providers (ASPs) made waves by allowing businesses to essentially rent functional applications over the Internet or private network, as opposed to building their own.
ASPs were successful for a time, but they ultimately fell by the wayside for various reasons. These providers could not support all of the applications that were important to businesses, especially if those applications were required to be relatively complex. Some ASPs were also tasked with handling sensitive corporate and customer data, a function that today?s companies are reluctant to outsource. When an ASP shut down, many businesses found themselves lacking the applications that were essential for their day-to-day operations.
Managed service providers replaced ASPs as purveyors of external IT services, offering a safer and more conservative approach towards IT outsourcing. MSPs also offered a greater degree of scalability, allowing companies to broaden or restrict their outsourced functions as needed.
Today?s IT Outsourcing Trends
These days, IT outsourcing relationships are seen more as strategic partnerships than subcontractors. The days of multi-year contracts may go out the window in the coming years as the very face of outsourcing changes. The emergence of consumer technologies brings with it new challenges businesses must be ready to surmount.
Cloud computing holds the key to a whole new realm of IT outsourcing. According to Microsoft, most companies spend 11 percent of their IT budget developing new applications while devoting the rest of their budget to maintenance and infrastructure. Only a fraction of that 11 percent is used towards securing employee access to resources regardless of their location, software or device. Outsourcing IT functions to a cloud-based collaborator not only reduces the need for a huge in-house IT department, but also saves money and possibly employee aggravation in the long run.
?Bring Your Own Device? (BYOD) is one way that companies can mitigate the consumerization of certain technologies while streamlining enterprise IT. Applications that once required several different versions for different platforms now have common access via Internet or private network. Virtual desktops and cloud storage are also becoming popular ways to facilitate shared data access among employees with different devices.
The history of IT outsourcing is one of constant innovation, as well as trial-and-error approaches that resulted in newer, more stable solutions. Cloud computing and BYOD policies are just two examples of how the future is shaping up in regards to IT outsourcing. You won?t have to wear sunglasses to see this future, but it is bright, indeed.
Welcome to the eighty-ninth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic. For reading convenience, the posts are listed with a brief summary or comment by the submitter and organized into seven categories: Earning, Insuring and Protecting, Investing, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.
And now on to the Carnival.
Earning
Super Saver presents Escape Velocity Aids Wealth Building posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, "Here are some income sources that helped me achieve escape velocity."
Insuring and Protecting
Jason P. presents Why Is Life Insurance Important for My Family? posted at One Money Design, saying, "Years ago something important happened in my life. I got married and it caused me to get serious about my finances. Getting life insurance was one of the top things on my list."
Investing
Vytas presents 11 reasons you should buy gold posted at Trend, saying, "People are searching for safe investments. Unfortunately, a lot of them end up holding very risky ones. In present times, investing in gold has become both safe and profitable way to invest your money. Find out the reasons."
Dividends4Life presents This Mega-Cap Tech Stock Increased Its Dividend 75% posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, "Move over Intel (INTC) and Microssoft (MSFT). Two years ago this networking giant didn't even pay a dividend. In April of this year, it increased its dividend 33%. Most investors would be satisifed with that increase, but the company wasn't finished boosting its dividend in 2012..."
Bill Smith presents Google Inc. Trading in a Range posted at FastSwings, saying, "Google?s main business is providing a large database of indexed web pages from across the Internet, the largest database of any other organization."
MikeAhi presents Would Warren Buffett Really Buy Chubb (CB)? posted at After Hours Investing, saying, "The lesson here is simple: beware of the talking heads, and do your own homework. Here's why a recent video of CNBC talking heads is full of hot air."
Living Frugally
Jonathan Milligan presents Why I Love YNAB Personal Finance Software posted at CPACareerCoach.com, saying, "The first step to financial freedom is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Here is how a simple budget software helped me get my finances back on track."
Wallet Hub presents Is it time to Refinance Your Mortgage? posted at Wallet Hub, saying, "We've all heard how mortgage rates are at record lows, but will refinancing actually save you any money? Hint: The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think!"
John K presents Do You Know Your Mortgage Credit Score? posted at Wallet Blog, saying, "So you're applying for a mortgage? Did you know that there is a special credit score used just for that? You better have a good record for paying your utilities on time."
Saving
Greg Field presents NerdWallet Interest Rate Monitor: Deposit Accounts that Beat Inflation ? August 2012 posted at NerdWallet Blog - Credit Card Watch, saying, "Here is NerdWallet's review of deposit accounts with interest rates that beat inflation, along with some upcoming predictions. Enjoy"
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.??
For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.
This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.
If you?re looking for a home that offers the extra space you need for your family, then you?ll love the current promotion from Beazer Homes at Overlook at Hampton Station. For a limited time only, buyers can take advantage of half off basements on all eligible homes at this Canton community.
?We are pleased to offer this wonderful opportunity for families to get more room for the things they love at a significant savings,? said Lorelei DeRuiter, general sales manager for the Atlanta division of Beazer Homes.
Homes at Overlook at Hampton Station come in a variety of spacious three to five bedroom floorplans with two to three-and-a-half bathrooms and pricing from $160,990. All of the homes are 100 percent ENERGY STAR? homes that can bring in up to 28 percent in energy savings.? Basements are a great way to add even more? entertaining, family living and storage options to these homes, and through the end of September, buyers have a great opportunity to take advantage of these savings!
In addition to beautiful homes, residents of this community also enjoy a clubhouse with an exercise facility and theater room, competition size pool, children?s splash area, mushroom water fountain, super slide, four lighted tennis courts and activity ball court.
Overlook at Hampton Station is located close to I-575 and Highway 20 as well as plenty of local restaurants, shops, parks, entertainment venues and healthcare centers.
Children will attend top rated Cherokee County schools including Macedonia Elementary, Creekland Middle and Creekview High.
Directions: Take exit 19 on I-575 north at Highway 20. Travel east, and the community will be approximately 6.5 miles on your right just past East Cherokee Drive.
Hurry in now to take advantage of this great offer before it?s gone! For more information, visit the Beazer Homes Atlanta website.
With so much discussion about the perils of predatory lending and credit card debt, the idea of starting to establish your credit can be very intimidating. The importance of managing your finances is evident in every aspect of your life financing a home, buying a car and applying for student loans are all closely tied to your credit standing. Opening up your first credit account is a major milestone in your life as an adult. This article outlines some of the most important things to consider as you consider applying for a credit card.
If a credit card company offers you a credit line that seems unreasonably generous, think twice before accepting. Some lenders allow you to request a lowered credit limit after you?ve accepted the original terms, but this may adversely impact your tenuous credit rating. If you?ve never worked or had access to a bank account, the prospect of access to even a 1,000 credit line may be absolutely intoxicating you may be tempted to splurge on a pricey piece of clothing or book a trip. Before you go wild, understand that a credit line is not the same as free money. You are obligated to pay the money back, often with interest. Choose wisely and think hard before using a card to make a major purchase.
If your motivation for opening a credit account is focused on building good credit, you probably shouldn?t bother with rewards programs and point systems. These features often carry monthly or yearly fees to participate. However, if you plan to charge most of your purchases and pay your bill in full every month, rewards programs may be worth your attention. Some lenders offer incentives in the form of airline miles, gift cards, merchandise or cash back. Other lenders contribute a set amount to a college savings plan every time you make a purchase. Explore your options and don?t hesitate to ask questions about different programs and terms.
It seems simple enough to remember which day of the month your payment is due, but sometimes life gets a bit hectic without warning. With this in mind, you should look for a credit card company that offers payment options that work well for you and your schedule. For example, most companies allow you to schedule automatic payments from your checking account others only send paper statements in the mail. It?s not uncommon for due dates to fall on the first day of the month, which may drain your checking account. Fortunately, many credit card companies allow you to choose the monthly payment date to help avoid this type of situation.
At first sight, the terms of most credit card agreements seem reasonable enough. However, many people have been horrified to discover that even the slightest slip-up with payments can result in hefty fees and penalties. It is not uncommon for lenders to charge as much as 25 for each day your payment is late others tack on fines for each transaction that exceeds your credit limit. Some companies will waive a late charge once, but beyond that there is very little leeway.
Whether you are applying for your first credit card or are trying to rebuild your credit after a major financial misstep, there are many things you can do to get started. The ideas in this article should make it easier for you to make responsible, reasonable decisions as you work toward your goals. Your credit rating can have a major impact on your quality of life, so never miss out on an opportunity to learn more about managing your personal finances.
After every relationship, you are left wondering what went wrong. You blame the ex for everything or try to figure out your own mistakes. But then time goes by and you meet someone new, and you suddenly realize why it didn?t work with the old guy.
Dating the wrong person teaches you about the right one. You learn what you want in a partner and in a relationship overall, and you discover a lot about yourself with each breakup. So as much as we all want to avoid ever dating duds again?and would also prefer not to waste the calories on post-break-up junk food?we kind of have to.
A few Mr. Wrongs can do some good. With every flop comes a lesson. We?re not all relationship gurus from the get-go, myself included. Everything I write about is what I?ve learned from past experiences. Like most girls, I bought into a fantasy of finding a great guy immediately, and some girls do get lucky and find great catches immediately, but most of us have to test out the waters.
By having some letdowns, you learn to appreciate those who really take the time and care about you. You also stop accepting immature behavior. Best of all, you intuitively know when you?ve finally found that one good guy.
So stop seeing any guy as a mistake. He carried with him a lesson.
Of course I?m not saying you should go out and purposely date someone who is bad for you. Most of us go into relationships with the intention of it working and therefore we see the future boyfriend as a good fit for us. Unfortunately (or fortunately) sometimes the fit isn?t quite right in the end?you just don?t know it at first. By dating a few bad seeds, you can eventually see what is worth your time and what isn?t.
After a few lessons and letdowns, you become more self-aware and understand how relationships operate. When you meet a good guy and begin to date, you appreciate the relationship that much more. Plus chances are you?ve both had some interesting experiences that have molded you into the people you are now. Maybe you two would not have been right for each other years ago. You needed some growing up to do, and with that comes a mature, loving relationship.
Don?t feel bad about a relationship ending. You may feel like your world is dilapidating, but it?s really just growing. The Mr. Wrongs really do lead you to what you want.
Have your Mr. Wrongs led you to a Mr. Right?
Julia is a junior journalism major striving for a career in the magazine industry. She loves travel, food, entertainment, and enjoying all that life has to offer.
Julia Corbett has 4 post(s) on Love Twenty
Scenario: You meet this great girl, things are going well; she makes you smile and your belly gets flutters whenever you hear her voice. It?s been a month and you are falling hard for her, you love her. The two begin to discuss moving in together and children get to know the other partner. The sex is great; you two have sex every morning and night. It?s getting really serious. You pass the days with hours on the phone, Oovoo and Skype. You feel like you know her better than anyone. This has to be the real thing. It?s love. The only problem you haven?t met her yet!
With the increase in online dating, I?ve noticed that many lesbian women are opting for long distance relationships. ?This trend is increasingly rising as people see they?re able to expand their dating pool; meaning now a someone in New York who you may have never met, and never been an option due to ?distance, is now in the running.
Various advances in technology bring a variety of dating options. The most common of these is Long Distance and/or online dating. I have had several lesbian relationships where I have fallen head over heels for women I had never even met. I often met them on social networking sites such as Facebook or in mutual social groups within Facebook. Tagged, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking sites, make it easy to connect.? Online, Long distance relationships are becoming extremely popular in the LGBT community, especially with lesbians. The most common reason is that it?s hard to tell who?s gay just by looking at them. On the internet or social networking site, a person?s sexual preference is provided for you. There is no misunderstanding, no wondering, and it takes the fear out of hitting on a woman who may be offended because she?s heterosexual.
Oovoo and Skype have brought your potential mate right in front of your face via web cam. You can now sleep together, shower together, eat together, meet family and friends and maintain an intimate relationship. This technology is free and anyone can use it. Once you have an account you add people you know, dial them up and?voila! there they are on the screen in real time.
Feeling a little frisky? Your mate may be thousands of miles across the globe but you can set up the camera, and let the foreplay begin. As your partner talks, you can follow their instructions as to what part of the body to touch, describe how it feels and mutually masturbate all while watching them. There is no substitute for that human contact where intimacy is concerned but sex via web cam is pretty darn close. Phone sex is also common amongst long distance daters as well. You describe exactly what you are doing to your mate, talk dirty and masturbate, all while they are on the other end of the phone.
You?re probably wondering just how much you can get to know someone so well that you fall completely head over heels for them over a computer. The answer is simple. through modern technology dating is put right at your fingertips. In my opinion, online dating is based on emotional attachments; how someone makes us feel, it is the belief that what they are telling you is the absolute truth. We can?t see their body language over a screen; we can?t hear their voice, so we trust that what they say is ultimately true. Eventually, you fall for them and exchange numbers and hopefully their tone, pitch, and voice confirm what you already believe. Like any story being told, it is the authors? perspective.
Online and long distance dating can become expensive as time passes. The two make travel plans and the person with the most flexibility and financial means does the traveling. You often experience high levels of endorphins when you meet. However, leaving can be stressful and comes with uncertainty as to when you will see your partner again. This stress often takes a toll on the relationship, or at least in my case it did. I began to miss her and found myself wishing she was there in day to day activities. Once time has passed, feelings and emotions grew, and we began to focus on how to close the gap on the distance. Then the day comes when the dreaded question must be answered. Who?s going to be the one to move? This can be extremely challenging especially if there are children involved, job relocation must be considered and not to mention moving takes money. ?I fell hook, line and sinker. I packed up my bags, my children, and everything I could put into my 1986 Chevy suburban and left Texas for California. Unfortunately in my case, it didn?t turn out to be love; it instead became a lesson learned (more on that?later).
Online dating was once reserved for those caught up in the rat race, too busy for the time consuming task of dating. This is no longer the case; it is rapidly becoming the norm. I believe as with anything, you must use caution. There is no way to know who you are really talking to behind that computer screen, but something innate is willing to take that gamble. We approach with caution, conscious of the dangers that could be lurking but hopeful things really are just as they seem.
Ultimately the goal is to find love, give love and be loved in return. Zapp and Roger?s prediction came true? Computer love is a now a reality.
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Shaba Mitchell
Shaba is a 34 year old teacher and a single mother of 4. She has been writing since she could hold a pencil and never stopped. Writing has gotten her through some of the lowest points in her life. She can feel healing every time her words flow from her veins onto paper; each word is from her heart to yours.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) ? Denny Hamlin moved toward the top seed in NASCAR's championship race by using a calculated late pass to win for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hamlin flirted with Carl Edwards for the lead late in the race, and set up the move with 39 laps remaining Saturday night. Hamlin used a slide move to get past Edwards, then held on as Edwards tried to use a cross-over move to get back in front.
It didn't work for Edwards, and Hamlin drove away for his third victory of the season.
"My biggest win, this is such a great feeling," said Hamlin, who praised the setup crew chief Darian Grubb used for the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
"It just hauled the mail. This is just a big win, I don't know how else to explain it."
There's two races left before the field is reset for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, and seeding is done by "regular-season" wins. With three victories, Hamlin is tied with defending champion Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski for most in the series.
The four would be tied for the top seed right now, but all want at least one more win to break the logjam.
"We're not done winning yet. We've still got a few more to go," Hamlin promised.
Johnson finished second and clinched a berth in the Chase, as did Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jeff Gordon was third ? giving Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet's second and third ? followed by Brian Vickers in a Toyota and Marcos Ambrose in a Ford.
Kyle Busch was a quiet sixth, Clint Bowyer was seventh and Joey Logano, winner of the Nationwide Series race Friday night, was eighth. Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard rounded out the top 10. Edwards ended up 22nd.
The race was the first since track owner Bruton Smith ordered a grinding of the top groove around the track in an effort to narrow the racing surface. His goal was to bring back bumping and banging to Bristol after several consecutive disappointing crowds.
Although the race wasn't a sellout, Hamlin noted "this is the biggest crowd I've seen here in forever."
But it created many unknowns as few were sure how the race would develop.
Asked Friday when it would become evident what the track changes had accomplished, Tony Stewart mockingly said "exactly on lap 236. Not a lap before, not a lap after."
He was off by about 100 laps.
Stewart rallied from a lap down early in the race to put himself in position to challenge for the lead, but he ran out of track while running with Matt Kenseth and the two cars collided. The damage briefly knocked Stewart out of the race and sent Kenseth to pit road for repairs.
Stewart then showed his displeasure with Kenseth with a two-handed toss of his helmet directly into the front grill of Kenseth's car. Stewart put all the blame squarely on Kenseth immediately after the accident, vowing to "run over him every chance I get for the rest of the year."
As for the helmet collected by NASCAR officials on pit road? "The hell with the helmet," he said.
It briefly appeared that there would be two helmet throws during the race as Danica Patrick prepared her reaction following a wreck with Regan Smith. Patrick, who struggled mightily in Friday's two practice sessions, had climbed to 19th on the board and was on the lead lap when her night ended.
As she approached the track on foot, drivers called for her to throw her helmet at Smith. Alas, Patrick just wagged her finger at Smith as he circled passed.
"We were just racing hard, this is Bristol, this is why people love this track because you see a lot of that, you see tempers flare," Patrick said.
She's right. It's not wrecks that fans missed at Bristol, but they for sure pined for the angry explosions that racing around the tight bullring seemed to create. Drivers had mellowed the last several years at Bristol, and Smith figured narrowing the track surface would bring back the bumping and banging that put fans in the seats.
The drivers almost unanimously opposed any changes, but their protests were ignored as Smith moved forward with the grinding project.
Keselowski, the winner of the previous two Cup races at Bristol, was critical of the track after a wreck sent his car behind the wall for repairs.
"I know the goal was to make a one-groove race track so there'd be more action, but it had an inverse affect to where now everybody is running up against the wall," Keselowski said.
But Gordon, a five-time Bristol winner, thought the track was in terrific shape.
"I say they grind the whole place. It was awesome," he said. "It reminded me of old-school Bristol."
Greater than 10 million American?ersus through the United States suffer from asthma. asthma is truly very frequent, with medical medical doctors considering it to be a brand new epidemic. The majority Americans who are afflicted by asthma blame it on environmental air pollution, together with the rising exposure of noxious ingredients over the atmosphere. Deaths that result through asthma are on the rise, due to these who have it not recognizing the early caution signs. The condition of asthma factors the airways in the lungs to swell, throw out thick mucus, and over time spasm. The swelling that takes place may make the airways smaller, making it difficult to breathe. The to start with with attack coming from bronchial asthma that you just event may contain congestion, pain, wheezing, a shortness of breath, dryness in the mouth, coughing, and a feeling as if you?ve a fever. Differing to what you might suppose, just concerning anything can result within bronchial asthma. The further familiar activates of it have hypersensitive reactions, the upper respiratory disease, stress, over exertion in exercise, and even the deficiency with the suitable diet. From all of the sparks, allergic reactions tends to always be the almost almost all common. In most conditions, bronchial asthma attacks are the result of contact with things like while smoke, pollen, gas odors, and perhaps automotive exhaust. Foods could in addition set-off attacks too, these kinds of since peanuts, corn, chocolate, and virtually almost all dairy products. If you get any type of antibiotics, tranquilizers, or hormones, it might prompt bronchial asthma. bronchial asthma will be a serious and fairly irritating condition, 1 that millions of us face on each day-to-morning basis. There are some mineral, vitamin, and natural capsules that you could take to help remedy asthma. Among just about all which you could take, vitamin B will be one of the the bulk important. Vitamin B maintains a biochemical balance in the body and it can also reduce the severity with the attacks. If you take vitamin An and At the together, these people could operate to safeguard your lungs towards air pollution. You can too take large doses of vitamins C way too, while it is actually extraordinarily efficient in combating bronchial asthma. Gingko biloba is actually effective also, as it will decorate your breathing and assist with your bronchial reactions. Oder-a smaller amount garlic is another huge choice, since it consists of a good anti-inflammatory agent that will reduce your odds of the attack. over the world of vitamins and dietary dietary supplements, there are quite a few different things that you simply could get to fight back versus bronchial asthma. Anytime that you just suspect you should have bronchial asthma, you should not hesitate to go to your doctor and be tested designed for it while soon while possible. Your doctor may become able to notify you if you have it, and how severe it might always be. Within the meantime, you should avoid known sparks and become selected that you are eating a high protein eating plan with a lot of fruits and greens. You must also eat a number of foods throughout the day, instead of sticking with these most repeated dishes ? lunch, lunch, and meal. Because a basic, asthma might be exceptionally hectic. There are methods that you could fight back and aid to eliminate bronchial asthma, which is definitely huge news. If your doctor tells you that you simply indeed contain asthma, you should question your ex any concerns that visit mind, as well as his advice on what you ought to and should not perform. Even even though it is not going to seem like it at the time, bronchial asthma might be prevented, and it doesn?n always have to stop you from doing stuff you like to carry out. Even though it will slow you down ? you can always stop it.
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ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2012) ? Harvard scientists have, for the first, time created a type of "cyborg" tissue by embedding a three-dimensional network of functional, bio-compatible nanoscale wires into engineered human tissues.
As described in a paper published August 26 in Nature Materials, a multi-institutional research team led by Charles M. Lieber, the Mark Hyman, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Harvard and Daniel Kohane, a Harvard Medical School professor in the Department of Anesthesia at Children's Hospital Boston developed a system for creating nanoscale "scaffolds" which could be seeded with cells which later grew into tissue.
Also contributing to the work were Robert Langer, from the Koch Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Zhigang Suo, the Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
"The current methods we have for monitoring or interacting with living systems are limited," said Lieber. "We can use electrodes to measure activity in cells or tissue, but that damages them. With this technology, for the first time, we can work at the same scale as the unit of biological system without interrupting it. Ultimately, this is about merging tissue with electronics in a way that it becomes difficult to determine where the tissue ends and the electronics begin."
The research addresses a concern that has long been associated with work on bioengineered tissue -- how to create systems capable of sensing chemical or electrical changes in the tissue after it has been grown and implanted. The system might also represent a solution to researchers' struggles in developing methods to directly stimulate engineered tissues and measure cellular reactions.
"In the body, the autonomic nervous system keeps track of pH, chemistry, oxygen and other factors, and triggers responses as needed," Kohane explained. "We need to be able to mimic the kind of intrinsic feedback loops the body has evolved in order to maintain fine control at the cellular and tissue level."
Using the autonomic nervous system as inspiration, Bozhi Tian, a former doctoral student under Lieber and former postdoctoral fellow in the Kohane and Langer labs, and collaborator Jia Liu worked in Lieber's lab at Harvard to build mesh-like networks of nanoscale silicon wires -- about 30 -- 80 nm in diameter -- shaped like flat planes or in a reticular conformation.
The process of building the networks, Lieber said, is similar to that used to etch microchips.
Beginning with a two-dimensional substrate, researchers laid out a mesh of organic polymer around nanoscale wires, which serve as the critical nanoscale sensing elements. Nanoscale electrodes, which connect the nanowire elements, were then built within the mesh to enable nanowire transistors to measure the activity in cells without damaging them. Once complete, the substrate was dissolved, leaving researchers with a net-like sponge or a mesh that can be folded or rolled into a host of three dimensional shapes.
Once complete, the networks were porous enough to allow the team to seed them with cells and encourage those cells to grow in 3D cultures.
"Previous efforts to create bioengineered sensing networks have focused on two-dimensional layouts, where culture cells grow on top of electronic components, or on conformal layouts where probes are placed on tissue surfaces," said Tian. "It is desirable to have an accurate picture of cellular behavior within the 3D structure of a tissue, and it is also important to have nanoscale probes to avoid disruption of either cellular or tissue architecture."
Using heart and nerve cells, the team successfully engineered tissues containing embedded nanoscale networks without affecting the cells' viability or activity. Using the embedded devices, they were able to detect electrical signals generated by cells deep within the tissue, and to measure changes in those signals in response to cardio- or neuro-stimulating drugs.
Researchers were also able to construct bioengineered blood vessels, and used the embedded technology to measure pH changes -- as would be seen in response to inflammation, ischemia and other biochemical or cellular environments -- both inside and outside the vessels.
Though a number of potential applications exist for the technology, the most near-term use, Lieber said, may come from the pharmaceutical industry, where researchers could use the technology to more precisely study how newly-developed drugs act in three dimensional tissues, rather than thin layers of cultured cells. The system might also one day be used to monitor changes inside the body and react accordingly, whether through electrical stimulation or the release of a drug.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Bozhi Tian, Jia Liu, Tal Dvir, Lihua Jin, Jonathan H. Tsui, Quan Qing, Zhigang Suo, Robert Langer, Daniel S. Kohane, Charles M. Lieber. Macroporous nanowire nanoelectronic scaffolds for synthetic tissues. Nature Materials, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3404
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.
Compound discovered that boosts effect of vaccines against HIV and fluPublic release date: 26-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: University of Oxford press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk 44-018-652-80530 University of Oxford
Novel vaccine additive to enhance the body's immune response shows promise in mice
Oxford University scientists have discovered a compound that greatly boosts the effect of vaccines against viruses like flu, HIV and herpes in mice.
An 'adjuvant' is a substance added to a vaccine to enhance the immune response and offer better protection against infection.
The Oxford University team, along with Swedish and US colleagues, have shown that a type of polymer called polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a potent adjuvant for test vaccines against HIV, flu and herpes when given in mice.
The researchers were part-funded by the UK Medical Research Council and report their findings in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Mice given a single dose of a flu vaccine including PEI via a nasal droplet were completely protected against a lethal dose of flu. This was a marked improvement over mice given the flu vaccine without an adjuvant or in formulations with other adjuvants.
The Oxford researchers now intend to test the PEI adjuvant in ferrets, a better animal model for studying flu. They also want to understand how long the protection lasts for. It is likely to be a couple of years before a flu vaccine using the adjuvant could be tested in clinical trials in humans, the researchers say.
'Gaining complete protection against flu from just one immunisation is pretty unheard of, even in a study in mice,' says Professor Quentin Sattentau of the Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University, who led the work. 'This gives us confidence that PEI has the potential to be a potent adjuvant for vaccines against viruses like flu or HIV, though there are many steps ahead if it is ever to be used in humans.'
HIV, flu and herpes are some of the most difficult targets to develop vaccines against. HIV and flu viruses are able to change and evolve to escape immune responses stimulated by vaccines. There aren't any effective vaccines against HIV and herpes as yet, and the flu vaccine needs reformulating each year and doesn't offer complete protection to everyone who receives it. Finding better adjuvants could help in developing more effective vaccines against these diseases.
Most vaccines include an adjuvant. The main ingredient of the vaccine whether it is a dead or disabled pathogen, or just a part of the virus or bacteria causing the disease primes the body's immune system so it knows what to attack in case of infection. But the adjuvant is needed as well to stimulate this process.
While the need for adjuvants in vaccines has been recognised for nearly 100 years, the way adjuvants work has only recently been understood. The result has been that only a small set of adjuvants is used in current vaccines, often for historical reasons.
The most common adjuvant by far is alum, an aluminium-containing compound that has been given in many different vaccines worldwide for decades. However, alum is not the most potent adjuvant for many vaccine designs.
'There is a need to develop new adjuvants to get the most appropriate immune response from vaccines,' says Professor Sattentau, who is also a James Martin Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
The Oxford University team found that PEI, a standard polymer often used in genetic and cell biology, has strong adjuvant activity.
When included in a vaccine with a protein from HIV, flu or herpes virus, mice subsequently mounted a strong immune response against that virus. The immune response was stronger than with other adjuvants that are currently being investigated.
The team also showed that PEI is a potent adjuvant in rabbits, showing the effect is not just specific to mice and could be general.
Another potential advantage of PEI is that it works well as an adjuvant for 'mucosal vaccines'. These vaccines are taken up the nose or in the mouth and absorbed through the mucus-lined tissues there, getting rid of any pain and anxiety from a needle. Mucosal vaccines may also be better in some ways as mucosal tissues are the sites of infection for these diseases (airways for respiratory diseases, genital mucosa for HIV and herpes).
Professor Sattentau suggests that: 'In the best of all possible worlds, you could imagine people would have one dose of flu vaccine that they'd just sniff up their nose or put under their tongue. And that would be it: no injections and they'd be protected from flu for a number of years.
'It's just a vision for the future at the moment, but this promising adjuvant suggests it is a vision that is at least possible.'
###
Notes to Editors
* The body's immune system is made up of two arms: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. The adaptive immune system consists of the antibodies and immune cells (T and B cells) the body develops specifically to combat a particular foreign agent.
The innate immune system had been thought of as playing a more primitive, non-specific role in protecting against invaders like viruses and parasites. However, it is now realised that the innate immune system is essential in kicking off any immune response. It needs to be activated first to generate an adaptive immune response.
But the innate immune system doesn't just press the start button. It tailors the body's adaptive immune response, deciding on what particular mix of antibodies and T cells is needed and teaching them what to attack.
It is the adjuvants in vaccines that stimulate the innate immune system. So having the right adjuvant can help the body produce the most appropriate immune response to protect against future infection.
* The paper 'Polyethyleneimine is a potent mucosal adjuvant for glycoproteins with innate and adaptive immune activating properties' is to be published in the journal Nature Biotechnology with an embargo of 18:00 UK time / 13:00 US Eastern time on Sunday 26 August 2012.
* The study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, European Commission, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dormeur Investment Service Ltd.
* Professor Sattentau is an investigator in the Jenner Institute at Oxford University and a James Martin Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, Oxford University.
* For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk
* The Oxford Martin School is a unique interdisciplinary community within the University of Oxford. The School fosters innovative thinking, deep scholarship and collaborative activity to address the most pressing risks and realise new opportunities of the 21st century. It was founded in 2005 through the vision and generosity of James Martin, and currently comprises over 35 interdisciplinary research programmes on global future challenges. The Oxford Martin School's Director is Ian Goldin, Professor at the University of Oxford. http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
* Oxford University's Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe, with over 2,500 people involved in research and more than 2,800 students. The University is rated the best in the world for medicine, and it is home to the UK's top-ranked medical school.
From the genetic and molecular basis of disease to the latest advances in neuroscience, Oxford is at the forefront of medical research. It has one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and great expertise in taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic. Partnerships with the local NHS Trusts enable patients to benefit from close links between medical research and healthcare delivery.
A great strength of Oxford medicine is its long-standing network of clinical research units in Asia and Africa, enabling world-leading research on the most pressing global health challenges such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and flu. Oxford is also renowned for its large-scale studies which examine the role of factors such as smoking, alcohol and diet on cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Compound discovered that boosts effect of vaccines against HIV and fluPublic release date: 26-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: University of Oxford press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk 44-018-652-80530 University of Oxford
Novel vaccine additive to enhance the body's immune response shows promise in mice
Oxford University scientists have discovered a compound that greatly boosts the effect of vaccines against viruses like flu, HIV and herpes in mice.
An 'adjuvant' is a substance added to a vaccine to enhance the immune response and offer better protection against infection.
The Oxford University team, along with Swedish and US colleagues, have shown that a type of polymer called polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a potent adjuvant for test vaccines against HIV, flu and herpes when given in mice.
The researchers were part-funded by the UK Medical Research Council and report their findings in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Mice given a single dose of a flu vaccine including PEI via a nasal droplet were completely protected against a lethal dose of flu. This was a marked improvement over mice given the flu vaccine without an adjuvant or in formulations with other adjuvants.
The Oxford researchers now intend to test the PEI adjuvant in ferrets, a better animal model for studying flu. They also want to understand how long the protection lasts for. It is likely to be a couple of years before a flu vaccine using the adjuvant could be tested in clinical trials in humans, the researchers say.
'Gaining complete protection against flu from just one immunisation is pretty unheard of, even in a study in mice,' says Professor Quentin Sattentau of the Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University, who led the work. 'This gives us confidence that PEI has the potential to be a potent adjuvant for vaccines against viruses like flu or HIV, though there are many steps ahead if it is ever to be used in humans.'
HIV, flu and herpes are some of the most difficult targets to develop vaccines against. HIV and flu viruses are able to change and evolve to escape immune responses stimulated by vaccines. There aren't any effective vaccines against HIV and herpes as yet, and the flu vaccine needs reformulating each year and doesn't offer complete protection to everyone who receives it. Finding better adjuvants could help in developing more effective vaccines against these diseases.
Most vaccines include an adjuvant. The main ingredient of the vaccine whether it is a dead or disabled pathogen, or just a part of the virus or bacteria causing the disease primes the body's immune system so it knows what to attack in case of infection. But the adjuvant is needed as well to stimulate this process.
While the need for adjuvants in vaccines has been recognised for nearly 100 years, the way adjuvants work has only recently been understood. The result has been that only a small set of adjuvants is used in current vaccines, often for historical reasons.
The most common adjuvant by far is alum, an aluminium-containing compound that has been given in many different vaccines worldwide for decades. However, alum is not the most potent adjuvant for many vaccine designs.
'There is a need to develop new adjuvants to get the most appropriate immune response from vaccines,' says Professor Sattentau, who is also a James Martin Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
The Oxford University team found that PEI, a standard polymer often used in genetic and cell biology, has strong adjuvant activity.
When included in a vaccine with a protein from HIV, flu or herpes virus, mice subsequently mounted a strong immune response against that virus. The immune response was stronger than with other adjuvants that are currently being investigated.
The team also showed that PEI is a potent adjuvant in rabbits, showing the effect is not just specific to mice and could be general.
Another potential advantage of PEI is that it works well as an adjuvant for 'mucosal vaccines'. These vaccines are taken up the nose or in the mouth and absorbed through the mucus-lined tissues there, getting rid of any pain and anxiety from a needle. Mucosal vaccines may also be better in some ways as mucosal tissues are the sites of infection for these diseases (airways for respiratory diseases, genital mucosa for HIV and herpes).
Professor Sattentau suggests that: 'In the best of all possible worlds, you could imagine people would have one dose of flu vaccine that they'd just sniff up their nose or put under their tongue. And that would be it: no injections and they'd be protected from flu for a number of years.
'It's just a vision for the future at the moment, but this promising adjuvant suggests it is a vision that is at least possible.'
###
Notes to Editors
* The body's immune system is made up of two arms: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. The adaptive immune system consists of the antibodies and immune cells (T and B cells) the body develops specifically to combat a particular foreign agent.
The innate immune system had been thought of as playing a more primitive, non-specific role in protecting against invaders like viruses and parasites. However, it is now realised that the innate immune system is essential in kicking off any immune response. It needs to be activated first to generate an adaptive immune response.
But the innate immune system doesn't just press the start button. It tailors the body's adaptive immune response, deciding on what particular mix of antibodies and T cells is needed and teaching them what to attack.
It is the adjuvants in vaccines that stimulate the innate immune system. So having the right adjuvant can help the body produce the most appropriate immune response to protect against future infection.
* The paper 'Polyethyleneimine is a potent mucosal adjuvant for glycoproteins with innate and adaptive immune activating properties' is to be published in the journal Nature Biotechnology with an embargo of 18:00 UK time / 13:00 US Eastern time on Sunday 26 August 2012.
* The study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, European Commission, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dormeur Investment Service Ltd.
* Professor Sattentau is an investigator in the Jenner Institute at Oxford University and a James Martin Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, Oxford University.
* For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk
* The Oxford Martin School is a unique interdisciplinary community within the University of Oxford. The School fosters innovative thinking, deep scholarship and collaborative activity to address the most pressing risks and realise new opportunities of the 21st century. It was founded in 2005 through the vision and generosity of James Martin, and currently comprises over 35 interdisciplinary research programmes on global future challenges. The Oxford Martin School's Director is Ian Goldin, Professor at the University of Oxford. http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
* Oxford University's Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe, with over 2,500 people involved in research and more than 2,800 students. The University is rated the best in the world for medicine, and it is home to the UK's top-ranked medical school.
From the genetic and molecular basis of disease to the latest advances in neuroscience, Oxford is at the forefront of medical research. It has one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and great expertise in taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic. Partnerships with the local NHS Trusts enable patients to benefit from close links between medical research and healthcare delivery.
A great strength of Oxford medicine is its long-standing network of clinical research units in Asia and Africa, enabling world-leading research on the most pressing global health challenges such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and flu. Oxford is also renowned for its large-scale studies which examine the role of factors such as smoking, alcohol and diet on cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Whilst learning, most students take student loans from government as well as private companies. Private loans are quite expensive than federal or government loans. Usually, they are costlier and also have higher rates of interest. After graduation, they are left with debt burden. If you?re in this kind of situation, you are able to consolidate your several loans right into a one consolidated loan.
The private student loan consolidation assists to get rid of your loan burden.The private loans and a few other loans which you had taken before may be consolidated. Only best private student loans, loans for school travel expenses, computer purchase loans or credit card debt, loans from retirement plans, house equity loans, and loans from insurance policies are eligible for consolidation. The rate of interest may differ depending on the kind of loan but each type of student loans have special interest rate to add more advantages for college students.
The loan consolidation lets you reduce your rate of interest and reduce your financial burden. Similarly, consolidation assist to lengthen the term of your loan and you do not need to pay more interest in the event you had consolidated.
Calculate the expenses in your new loan. Then search for a lowest interest rate. Think of your income and your other costs also. Select the business that lowers your monthly payments. Consult with your current loan companies about the alternatives that help to save your money.
Then compare in between numerous options that come on your way. Some consolidator may charge origination fees but in return they give you best ideas. They guide you regarding prepayment penalties, the maximum rate of interest and also the rules of the policy. Decide on a lender or a company and apply for consolidating your private school loans. The processes may take about six weeks. After obtaining your consolidation loan, you will be paying single amount.
Purchasing education may be difficult and occasionally you?ll need little extra help. Within our official website you will get all the information about techniques of refinancing student loans for lower interests which will be extremely helpful for you.
In every person?s life, we receive to a point in which we wish to change and be an improved man or woman. The tips in this post will be the initial stepping stone on the right way to a greater lifestyle not just for you personally, but those around you. The time has come to make the modifications that may help you to get anyone you want to be.
Time management is key to dwelling a highly-balanced life. You will always find far more things you can do per day than there is time for people stuff. You must be discerning and you must be positive about picking how to handle your time. Have targets, make strategies and whenever the unforeseen comes about, take hold of it if its a thing that causes you to happy. You should training time management.
Have reasons and adhere to them. Following ideology and belief systems blindly makes you appearance superficial to others. If you find an aspect of your understanding foundation is important to your experience of personal, you must put together to guard your placement with assurance. It will help you become a lot more romantic together with the morals that include your key self.
You should be absolutely honest on your own when you are endeavoring to learn who you really are on the inside. Acknowledging whom you truly are right now is vital in case you are to see where by you need to build. Just accept your faults and strive to begin using these as central factors to your personal development. Acting that these issues don?t exist will totally block your efforts.
A terrific way to aid your own private development is always to learn from the faults and pitfalls of other people. Learn about and talk to those who went through related issues you might be facing, and discover what types of mistakes they created. Make certain to not make these errors yourself.
An excellent hint that will help you with your self improvement objectives is so that you can have a look at your self seriously to gauge your shortcomings. For those who have a puffed up ego, it?ll be difficult for you to get earlier sticking points simply because you won?t have the ability to see what you?re carrying out incorrect.
Allow yourself messages full of positive images. Post estimates and expressing in places where you will realize them often. This will assist to build personal chat which is positive for your health. Consider using your laptop, freezer, and washroom vanity mirror for positioning of esteem constructing information. Use them to strengthen your idea in oneself.
You must feel good after looking at these tips when it comes to self improvement. Which had been a great deal to think and look at by way of, but no less than, you should have a solid idea of where to start and where to begin together with your self improvement. Aside from, you can always get back to this list.
Do not volunteer any details if you get a phone get in touch with from an insurance business. Just give them answers to the particular queries they ask you. When you volunteer as well considerably details, the outcome could be an improve in your premiums, or at worst, a full denial of coverage.
If you are overwhelmed when it comes to dealing with health insurance coverage, let an insurance coverage broker help you. A good insurance coverage broker can aid you choose the right wellness insurance coverage for you and your price range. Your insurance broker will be effectively conscious of state regulations. Not all insurance brokers are the very same, so look by means of critiques and pricing just before choosing one.
The premiums are not strong, so buyers can pick what they want to exclude or incorporate in their health plan. Widespread items that are negotiated are size of co-payment, no matter whether prescription drugs are covered, and no matter whether dental and vision care are covered. The more coverage you have, the greater your premium, so actually contemplate what you need versus what you happen to be becoming offered.
Make confident you choose a firm that is suitable for you when buying for health insurance coverage. A PPO or Preferred Provider Organization has networks you can choose from, but you will have to pay a fee to use a medical professional that is out of the network. A POP or Point-Of-Service program will have you select from the network, but then whomever you decide on can refer you to someone who is not in the network.
If you are thinking about finding catastrophic well being insurance for a coverage option, make confident that you do your homework initial. You want to be positive that the achievable events that most concern you are covered. Catastrophic coverage is finest for individuals who have created a severe illness that will be really expensive to treat.
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Computers are mathematically pretty powerful, considering the only numbers they use are 0 and 1. That power, of course, stems from binary digital logic, dimly foreseen by Francis Bacon four centuries ago and articulated more clearly by Leibniz several decades later. But the modern computer?s ability to exploit that power grew from the mathematical imagination of Alan Turing (SN: 6/30/12, p. 26) in work appearing a few years before World War II.
Dyson?s book dives deeply into the postwar development of Turing?s ideas under the direction of John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J. The institute?s computer, MANIAC, was not the first all-purpose digital electronic computer (that was ENIAC, at the University of Pennsylvania), but in Dyson?s telling it was the most influential. MANIAC combined binary numbers representing memory with those representing codes (programming) in a way that persists to the present day. ?The entire digital universe, from an iPhone to the Internet, can be viewed as an attempt to maintain everything, from the point of view of the order codes, exactly as it was when they first came into existence, in 1951,? in Princeton, Dyson writes.
His book is full of insights into the evolution of computing in the modern era, as well as historical detail that sometimes seems excessive (it?s hard to say why you?d need to know the starting salaries of all the engineers who worked on the project, for instance). But for those interested in the history of technology placed in broader social context ? from the use of the new computers to design hydrogen bombs to the computer?s implications for understanding the nature of life ? Dyson?s book provides ample helpings of substance as well.
Descendants of ?the Lokos, the fifth-largest ethnic group in Sierra Leone, have decided to mobilize and work together in the diaspora for the betterment of the tribe, their region and their members . The first teleconference of the union brought ?together many Lokos in the U.S, Britain, Sweden, Australia and ?Germany ?.
The meeting was chaired by Pastor Alusine Lovell Koroma ?of Philadelphia and in attendance were noted Lokos including ?the Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Nations, Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu , Professor Michael Sesay of Virginia , ?community activist Ms. Posseh Kanu ?of New York , ?Mr. Osman Kamara of Lancaster, Pennsylvia , who is a Democratic Party candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Assembly; Mr. Alimamy Conteh of London , Mr. Jimmy Saccoh of Sweden, ?Mr. Foday Kamara of Australia , Ms. Isata Mansaray of Germany; Mr. Sulaiman and Abu Saccoh ?and Foday Bah-Saccoh of Philadelphia , Ms. Fatmata Saccoh , a prominent nurse of Texas ; etc. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Richard Konteh , was expected to have attended the teleconference but he was airborne to the U.S. ?from Sierra Leone.
The Lokos have not only grown in numbers in Sierra Leone but have also become ?socio-politically and economically influential as many of their tribesmen now hold very ?prominent positions in government and other ?fields of human endeavour. Rev. Kabs-Kanu described Lokos as one of the most peaceful, loyal and friendly citizens who cut across the important tribal divide , given the similarity ?in language between them and the Mendes, the largest ethnic group in Sierra Leone.
Among other things discussed was that when the Union takes root, it should be non-political to give members of the Loko tribe ?from a broad spectrum of the Sierra Leonean citizenry the opportunity to join. More meetings are scheduled. KEEP POSTED.
PHOTO : SOME MEMBERS OF THE LOKO ETHNIC GROUP
? 2012, COCORIOKO. All rights reserved. ? Discuss this and other related articles on the Salone Forum
Do you love to travel? Or maybe you're travelling for the first time? Either way, it's best to be prepared as possible so that you ensure you and your family's safety during your adventure. Here are some tips to help you get prepared before you leave and some helpful tips for when you are at your final destination.
When planning on what to take financially with you as you travel, consider using travelers checks and essential credit cards instead of cash when you can. To protect your money, its important to carry it close to your body either in a wallet that you can put inside your coat or in your front pants pocket. An even better idea is to put it underneath your clothing in a money pouch. Pickpockets are around so stay alert especially when youre in a busy and crowded area, for instance, bus, train and airline terminals, popular tourist attractions and when using public transportation. Its important to walk with an air of confidence, your head held high and back straight so you dont come across as if youre lost or distracted. Pay attention to potential and intentional accidents, for instance, someone jumping in front a car and falling so that you are intrigued to examine what has occurred or a stranger who offers to take your picture or the most notorious, someone bumping into you causing your drink to spill or your bag to fall to the ground. STAY ALERT! Beforehand: Plan in advance. For example, are you traveling by car? If so, organize your maps and plan the route you are going to take before you leave the house. Also, for extra safety and to avoid delays, take your car to your local mechanic to get it inspected before you leave for your trip. In case you lose or need to replace important documents i.e. passport, drivers license, credit cards and travelers checks, make a copy of each of the documents and leave them with a friend. To create the illusion that youre still at home when you travel, time your lights and radio to come on as well as leaving the shades, blinds or curtains in their normal position. Regarding your mail, you should either stop it or ask a neighbor, family or friend to collect it for you. Once youre arrived: Once you enter your hotel or motel room, inspect the locks and look for deadbolts or peepholes in the solid doors. An important fact to remember is that unlike ordinary key locks, electronic cards are safer. Make sure and lock your luggage and keep it as close to you as possible at any given time. Regarding your valuables, keep them in the hotel safe, a safe deposit box or if you can, leave them at home. To avoid unsafe areas, ask the hotel employees or even the police about which neighborhoods are the safest. Install a portable motional sensor or door alarm on your door at the hotel. Dont leave your belongings all over the hotel room, make sure and put them in your locked suitcase or out of sight. Keep your guest room key safe by not displaying in public or leaving it at a restaurant or at the swimming pool.
Report any crime to the police immediately.
About the Author: Jim Wilkinson is the Vice President of www.YourGreatestProtection.com. He has a background in Law Enforcement and Safety. He knows what is effective to help keep you, your family and your home safe. His firm offers a variety of reasonably priced personal protection products such as tasers,stun guns,pepper spray and hidden cameras.
If you?re looking for a home that offers the extra space you need for your family, then you?ll love the current promotion from Beazer Homes at Overlook at Hampton Station. For a limited time only, buyers can take advantage of half off basements on all eligible homes at this Canton community.
In addition to beautiful homes, residents of this community also enjoy a clubhouse with an exercise facility and theater room, competition size pool, children?s splash area, mushroom water fountain, super slide, four lighted tennis courts and activity ball court.
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Public release date: 26-Aug-2012
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