Portal strategie

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Portal strategie
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: portal strategie)

Mortgage calculator (Calculate your payment and more)

Calculate your payment and more
Looking for more personalized rates? First compare rates in your area, then return to our mortgage calculator to determine payment and amortization schedule.

  Mortgage calculator
Mortgage amount
$   
Mortgage term      years
Interest rate *       % per year
Mortgage start date    ,  
Monthly Payments:
$  
 

 Extra Payments
Adding$   to your monthly mortgage payment
Adding$   as an extra yearly mortgage payment every 
Adding$   as a one-time mortgage payment in 
  
 Changes paid-off date to   

 

Moon and planets

The Moon is the most noticeable object in the night sky, and it is then no wonder that it has fascinated mankind since antiquity. If you observe it for several days, you will no doubt notice that its appearance changes: most of the time only part of it is illuminated, and this part seems to grow until it covers the whole moon (full moon) and then decrease until nothing is illuminated (new moon), and then grow again, in a cycle that repeats about every month.

One possible explanation that comes to mind is that the dark part we see on the Moon is the shadow that the Earth casts on it. But there are problems with this explanation. For one, if this were true, the Moon should be in its new phase when it at its farther from the Sun. We know when this happens, because then the Moon rises at the same time as the Sun sets; and we can observe that at this point the Moon is full, not new! Besides, if the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow every month, then when it is at the opposite side of its orbit it should get directly in between the Sun and the Earth, producing a solar eclipse much more often than it actually happens. No, this explanation cannot be the right one.

Rhodium

Rhodium is a hard silvery white and durable metal that has a high reflectance. Rhodium metal does not normally form an oxide, even when heated. Oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere at the melting point of rhodium, but on solidification the oxygen is released.[4]

Rhodium has both a higher melting point and lower density than platinum. It is not attacked by acids: it is completely insoluble in nitric acid and dissolves slightly in aqua regia.

Fizzies

The fun, effervescent drink tablet made popular in the 50’s & 60’s has returned! Whether you're a genuine kid or simply a kid at heart, now you can enjoy the crisp, refreshing drink that everybody loves to make!

PS3 update 2.53

PS3 Update 2.53 available to download today. Download PS3 Update 2.53 firmware for you Play Station 3. It always suggested to download the latest PS3 firmware update. Here is the list of PS3 2.53 update.

PS3 Update 2.53 Features
thanks to PlayStation Universe

  • Full-screen mode playability on PS3
  • Live movie (using RTMP format) playability
  • With this PS3 update 2.53, you will be able to browse internet with full screen mode.
  • Download PS3 update now and get the latest PlayStation 3 update 2.53.

Popcorn Palace

What it does: Produces 27 flavors of gourmet popcorn and custom mail-order tins.

Why it's growing: Gift recipients often become buyers theselves; 90 percent retention rate for corporate accounts.

What's noteworthy: Original Popcorn Palace (an Inc. 500 honoree in 1988) went bankrupt; Heitmann bought the company's customer list and name but increased prices and switched emphasis to mail order and corporate gifts instead of retail stores.

Drew Rosenhaus

Drew Rosenhaus was born on October 29, 1966 in South Orange, New Jersey. Four years later his family moved to Miami Beach, Florida. Drew attended and graduated in 1987 from the University of Miami and, in 1990, obtained a law degree from Duke University School of Law. Drawing heavily from his college connections, twenty-four of Rosenhaus' 100-plus NFL clients are fellow University of Miami alumni. In 1989, at the age of 22, Drew became the youngest registered sports agent. In 2008, Rosenhaus has negotiated over one billion dollars in NFL contracts.

Rosenhaus sports
Rosenhaus' company is called Rosenhaus Sports Representation, which is abbreviated by RSR. The logo for Rosenhaus Sports are the letters RSR with the S similar to the Superman logo. In addition to Rosenhaus, other principals in the firm include Vice President Jason Rosenhaus (vice president), director of marketing Robert Bailey and director of client services Daniel F. Martoe.

Aggressive tactics
Rosenhaus is famously known for his aggressive approach to the representation of his NFL clients, and also for often generating large contracts for them. He represents some of the best-known and most flamboyant personalities in professional football. Early in his career he convinced NFL general managers to allow cameras to document negotiations.

Due to his aggressive dealings, some of Rosenhaus' competitors claim Rosenhaus sometimes violates NFL Player's Association (NFLPA) rules by illegally contacting clients signed with other agents. Rosenhaus and his clients deny this charge. His competitors also claim that Rosenhaus uses players to vigorously recruit other NFL players and prospects, which, if true, also would represent a violation of NFLPA policies. According to the NFLPA, however, there have been no formal findings of violations of their policies by Rosenhaus, though Rosenhaus' approach to client representation are considered some of the most controversial in professional football.

HyperVRE

HyperVRE is a software which gives you the possibility to create Virtual Real Estate websites. This means you use public articles to create a portal on a curtain subject.

Also look at: HyperVRE user experiences

Abc12

WJRT ABC 12 is a television broadcasting of local news, weather, and sports based in Chesaning, Michigan. As they are used to say.. Whatever it takes. Whenever news breaks.

Bromance

In a 2007 episode of NBC’s hospital-based comedy Scrubs, the show’s two main characters, J.D. and Turk, break into a musical duet proclaiming their mutual affection. "Guy love. That’s all it is,” the song goes. "Guy love, he’s mine, I’m his. There’s nothing gay about it in our eyes."

Turk and J.D. are two straight male doctors who are, without a doubt, in a bromance, a relationship defined as "the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males,” according to urbandictionary.com.

From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to Good Will Hunting, popular culture is filled with examples of straight guy love. The sitcom "Friends” often crafted jokes around the ultra-tight nature of Joey and Chandler’s relationship, and in the 2005 film "Wedding Crashers,” Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson seemed to have something more like a tortured love affair than a friendship.

But close male friendship isn’t just a quirky television fantasy or a running gag in the movies. Real-life bromances are everywhere. Kevin Collier, 26, a construction manager living in Hillsdale, N.J., has lots of manly things in common with his best friend, including but not limited to, "tattoos, motorcycles and chicks,” as Collier put it. But that hasn’t stopped his friends from accusing him of having a "man crush” on his best friend Don Carlo-Clauss, 28, of Rochester, N.Y., a semi-professional fighter whose day job is in marketing.

They first met on the wrestling team at the University of Virginia. It was a bromance founded on shared misery. "When you spend six months out of the year being miserable together, you wind up with a lot of close relationships with your teammates,” said Collier.

Thomas Hopkins and Peter Varellas, both 23, had a similar experience playing for Stanford University’s water polo team. As freshman, Hopkins convinced Varellas to pursue the same major as his so they could take classes together. "I was like dude, we can hang out all the time,” recalled Hopkins. They quickly became known by the rest of the team as the "ambiguously gay duo,” after the "Saturday Night Live” cartoon. They remain close, both playing water polo for the U.S.A. National Team and training for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Experts say the prevalence of these friendships can in part be explained by the delay in major life milestones. Fifty years ago, a man could graduate from college, get a job and get married all within a couple of months. But today’s men are drifting, as opposed to jumping, into the traditional notion of adulthood.

"The transition to adulthood is now taking about a decade longer than it used to,” said Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York whose upcoming book is called "Guy Land: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men.” One set of men Kimmel interviewed for the book were fraternity brothers at Dartmouth College. Following graduation, seven of them squeezed into a two-bedroom apartment in Boston.

Financial pressures help fuel bromances because they make living with a roommate a sensible option. In addition, men are getting married later--an average age of 27, according to a 2007 report by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, up from the average marrying age in 1960, which was 23. Men with more education are marrying even later, in their 30s.

David Popenoe, director of the marriage project and an emeritus professor of sociology at Rutgers, cited the acceptance of premarital sex and the greater numbers of men and women who live together as reasons for the delay in marriage. Half of today’s first marriages start out with people living together, as opposed to fifty years ago when there were next to no cohabitation, according to the report.

Men in bromances agree that when singlehood abounds, male friendships flourish. "Being single as opposed to married allows us to do things like go on these random excursions,” said Joe Tipograph, 27, a graduate student at Emory University who recently spent a week in Key West with his two best friends from high school.

Tipograph, David Abrams and Greg Kopstein have a triangular bromance of sorts that began when they were kids growing up as neighbors in Rockville, Md. They went to separate colleges but reunited one summer to work as camp counselors in New Hampshire.

"Greg and I would always get in trouble, but they knew if they fired either one of us, Dave would quit,” said Tipograph of how the three became a package deal. Recently Tipograph wouldn’t join in a football gambling pool unless he could do so with Kopstein. Their friends promptly dubbed them "Team Brokeback,” referring the 2006 tale of cowboy romance between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Since graduating college, they’ve played a game of musical apartments, each having lived with the other, in one city or another, over the years. The 2000 census found that the number of nonfamily households, which includes people living with roommates and unmarried partners, had gone up by 23 percent since 1990.

Ted Mariner, a 27-year-old in advertising sales, moved into an apartment in Boston four years ago with his best friend since childhood, Jamie Gerrity, also 27. They spent every summer together with their families in Maine and even their fathers are close friends. Gerrity found that he could afford a nicer apartment by living with Mariner.

The speculation of their bromance began long ago but was solidified when the two mused that they were inching towards qualifying for a common-law marriage. "We joked about it because if you live together for seven years you can claim spouse by association and you can file your taxes jointly,” said Gerrity. They started referring to themselves as "hetero-life partners” shortly thereafter.

According to Peter Nardi, a sociologist at Pitzer College who specializes in male friendships, all these phrases are safer than they used to be because men are less afraid of being perceived as gay. It has become more acceptable for them to show some emotion. Al Gore and Bill Clinton hugged when they won the 1992 election and sports figures cry on camera when they’re busted for steroids, Nardi pointed out.

There seems to be little worry about perceptions of homosexuality in a bromance filled with macho pursuits like drinking beer, watching sports and playing video games. But rifts can occur when serious girlfriends enter the picture or someone moves to another city. Tipograph and Kopstein both have girlfriends and make it work.

Bromancers say they keep the spark alive by making an extra effort to see one another and keeping an open and honest communication. Collier and Carlo-Clauss rode Harleys from San Diego to Las Vegas together. Varellas is temporarily playing water polo professionally in Italy, while Hopkins trains just north of Los Angeles, but the two talk on the phone once a week.

Gerrity will be moving out of Mariner’s apartment come fall when he heads to graduate school, and they’ll be trying long distance. "We had a long talk about it,” said Gerrity. "I won’t see him every day,” said Mariner. "But I don’t think we’re going to break up our bromance.”

Next nostradamus

What are you watching?

I'm tuned to the History Channel's "Next Nostradamus":

Two men sharing startling visions of the future possess distinctly different backgrounds: Michel de Nostradamus was a French apothecary and healer in the 16th century; he would become the most famous seer in history. His 21st century counterpart is Dr. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, a renowned political scientist who teaches game theory at New York University and Stanford. While Nostradamus looked to the stars and mysticism to divine his apocalyptic revelations, Dr. Bueno de Mesquita relies on the most omnipotent tool ever designed by man to predict future events: the computer.

This special explores not only the commonalities of these men's visions about World War III, famine and the coming of the Anti-Christ, but it also traces the evolution from mysticism to hard math, and determines whether science has always existed in prophecy, manifesting itself in different forms through the ages.
I was on the phone and watched most of the first hour with the sound off.

However, in addition to Bueno de Mesquita, I know the program also features John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and at least one on-screen appearance each by Ethan Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith. Historian Pamela Smith and a few other scholars are also interviewed.

If you missed the program, it is on again at 1 am ET and Saturday December 6 at 5 pm ET. Check it out. You can also buy it.

Supergator

Supergator is a 2007 horror film from Roger Corman starring Brad Johnson and Kelly McGillis. The music was by Damon Ebner.

Scott Kinney (Johnson) is an American geologist monitoring a local volcano when the Supergator, a prehistoric alligator recreated from fossilized DNA escapes from a secret bio-engineering research center.

Kinney joins forces with another scientist (McGillis) and a Texan alligator hunter (Colton). They pursue the monster as it heads down river intent on destroying a luxurious resort packed with tourists.

Coquille crystals

Serve your favorite torte, pie or other dessert on this elegant crystal plate. Cake server not included.
Features:
• Unique cake plate with domed top inverts to become punch bowl
• Crafted of heavy, brilliant crystal
• Lyrical scalloped shell design; handled dome and pedestal plate
• Generous size for large cakes.
• Excellent wedding gift; wash by hand

Meet an inmate

Can you imagine what it must be like for attractive men and women to be without companionship? These incarcerated female and male inmates are paying a price for crimes they have committed. These inmates are very real and are seeking you! Why not give it a try? Make the day of a lonely inmate! He/She will get excited when his/her name is called to receive a letter from you. Just think how lonely it must feel at mail call to never hear your name, especially after being locked up for several years and family and friends have deserted you. All of these prisoners behind bars have written me a letter requesting to be listed. It can be a lot of fun communicating with these individuals. Don't be shy, give it a try!

Male and female inmates do not have access to a computer or the Internet so all correspondence will be through the U.S. Mail. I ask that you treat these attractive male and female inmates with some dignity and respect. After all, these individuals are human beings, have feelings, and many of them want to straighten out their lives! Let's give them a reason to hope for a better future.

We supply no additional information of the male and female inmates other than what is written and submitted by them. All inmates listed must be in prison or jail somewhere in the United States.

Barbara Rhoades

Towering (5'11") redheaded actress Barbara Rhoades was 20 years old when she signed her first studio contract with Universal. She was possessed of a self-sufficiency and breezy sense of humor that belied her youth. The best of her early screen roles was gun-toting lady bandit Penelope Cushings in the 1968 Don Knotts vehicle Shakiest Gun in the West (a remake of The Paleface [1948] wherein Rhoades' role was played by Jane Russell).

Beginning with 1977's Busting Loose, she was a regular on several TV sitcoms. For reasons best known to casting directors, Barbara Rhoades almost always ended up playing someone named Maggie: Maggie Gallegher in Hangin' In (1979), Maggie Chandler in Soap (1980-1981), Maggie Davis in You Again? (1986). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoss Fly

A Hoss Fly is a motorcycle-like vehicle with a Chevrolet V8 small block engine and a barstool seat. A California-based company called Hoss Boss manufactures the vehicle.

Fast Facts:
  • Manufacturer: Hoss Boss
  • Engine: Chevrolet V8 small block
  • Retail: $13,500
  • 5-gallon fuel tank
  • Forward speed at 25 mph
  • Can tow up to 2,000 pounds
  • Radiator in rear of vehicle keeps it cool
  • Fits in the bed of a pickup truck

Lake Elsinore Outlets

CALENDAR LISTING

LAKE ELSINORE HOSTS POPULAR 
WEEKLY KIDS’ PROGRAM
Kids’ Outlet September 2008 Schedule

WHAT: Lake Elsinore Outlets invites moms and their pre-schoolers to spend a fun morning together at the center’s Kids’ Outlet – a FREE weekly program featuring kid-fun activities, arts and crafts and treats. Activities take place each Friday.

For more information about how to become a member of the Kids’ Outlet, please call Lake Elsinore Outlets at (951) 245-0087 or visit the website at www.lakeelsinoreoutlet.com.

WHEN: Every Friday from 10:30 am to 11:30 am

September 5: Design Your Own Birdhouse – Children will build and decorate their own birdhouse.

September 12: Boys & Girls Club of Alberhill Ranch - The Boys & Girls Club will visit Kids’ Outlet, create crafts with the children and share all that The Boys & Girls Club has to offer.

September 19:. The Birch Aquarium – The Birch Aquarium will visit Kids’ Outlet and host Meet & Greet the Sea!

September 26: My Gym of Murrieta – Kids’ Outlet Presents…My Gym! The children of Kids’ Outlet will work up a sweat with My Gym of Murrieta.


WHERE: Lake Elsinore Outlets 
Suite 106 near Bath & Body Works Outlet
Lake Elsinore, California

Blackfriday

We are the official site for all of the 2008 Black Friday ads as they are reported to us during this holiday shopping season. As we get closer to Black Friday 2008, we will be posting sale information along with Black Friday ad scans. 

If you would like to submit Black Friday deals or if you are a member of the media and would like to talk with us about a holiday shopping story, please contact us.

Ross Walsh

Lois Feldman, 38, and Ross Walsh, 26, were caught having sex in the men’s restroom during an Iowa Hawkeye football game in Minneapolis on Sat., Nov. 22. Lois Feldman claimed she had wine before the game and did not realize what was happening.

After the news broke, Feldman said she was fired from her job as an administrator at an assisted living center. Her husband, Kelly Feldman, has been supportive and blamed himself for not accompanying her to the restroom. Kelly Feldman had told her she was intoxicated and refused to be persuaded out of attending the game.

As the incident happened on campus, Lois Feldman and Ross Walsh were ticketed by campus police for indecent conduct. There were other cases where people were arrested for indecent behaviour at public stadiums’ restrooms.

Walmart ad

Speculation of a Xbox 360 price drop has risen considerably since the week of E3, and many mainstream media publications have also hinted at a drop sometime this August. Now, as the month of July nears its end, a leaked Walmart ad has appeared (week unknown) that displays the Xbox 360 premium package with a price roll-back.

This latest Walmart ad confirms the rumored price drop for the Xbox 360, reducing the premium bundle $50 in price: the SKU will now run gamers $350. The picture of the ad is poor quality, but if one enlarges it, the words “roll-back” appear above the newly listed price. As of now, the rest of the ad hasn’t been leaked, so it’s still unknown as to whether the price drop will range every Xbox 360 SKU; however, it would be logical for Microsoft to do so. With a $50 drop on the Core system, the 360 will be in direct competition with the Wii’s pricing- an attractive spectacle to those who seek the cheapest system possible.

Until the full Walmart ad is released, please note that this news will remain a rumor due to the less than satisfactory picture quality. Rumors have hinted at this price drop for weeks now, so chances are VERY likely that the drop will occur in the near future

Ashish chowdhury

The wedding season in bollywood and the page 3 circuit does not seem to be fading away. Ashish Chowdhury will tie the knot with long time sweetheart Samita Bangargi this weekend. The bachelor's party was organized at Poison in Bandra.

The guest list was long. Invitees include Aftab Shivdasani, Ritesh Deshmukh, Preeti Jhangiani, Sohail Khan, Zayed Khan, Bobby Deol, Arjun Rampal.. The list was so exhaustive. The bride to be looked gorgeous in her designer outfit.

The only problem with the party happened when the cops came in to put a halt on the party at 2:00 am. The hosts tried hard to continue but to no avail. Well the wedding is what we shall now look forward to.

American eagle

Whether your travel plans include business centers across the U.S., state capitals, exotic islands or your very own hometown, look to American Eagle. We're your connection to more of the world. To find out where we fly, please visit our system maps for North America and the Caribbean.

The American Eagle network is the largest regional airline system in the world, with over 1700 daily flights to more than 150 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Mexico.

United States and Canada
American Eagle offers service to many destinations via our hub locations at New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Raleigh/Durham, Boston, Miami, San Juan, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Chicago O'Hare. AmericanConnection® flights operate primarily from St. Louis.

Woodbury Commons

Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, is an outlet center located in Central Valley, New York. The center is part of the Chelsea Premium Outlets group and takes its name from the town in which it is located. Opened in late 1985, expanded in 1993, and again in 1998, the mall now has 220 stores occupying more than 800,000 square feet (72,000 m²) and is one of the largest contiguous outlet centers in the world. Due to its size, different areas are color coded to help visitors orient themselves, on weekends trolleys are available to transport shoppers from the parking lots and around the mall.

Due to its proximity to New York City, Woodbury Commons is a major attraction for foreign tourists visiting the region. Japanese tourists are the most common as the mall advertises in Japanese publications with the knowledge that the Japanese market sells the same brands for considerably higher prices. Some stores estimate that 40-50% of their profits come from Japanese tourism.[1] Tour buses and shuttles make daily trips from New York City,[2] the center employs a staff of interpreters, and currency exchange and foreign shipping services are available on site. Guests are greeted in several languages including Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Herbergers

Twice a year, Herberger's hosts a Community Day event. It's a day of shopping and fun, not to mention a great opportunity for your organization to raise much-needed funds. We invite you to be a part of it! Our next Community Day event will take place on Saturday, November 10, 2007.
Here's how it works:
  • Herberger's will provide your organization with coupon booklets at no charge.
  • Representatives from your organization sell the booklets for $5 each.
  • Each booklet contains a $10 coupon good on almost any merchandise item priced at $10 or more (customers spend $5 for the booklet and get $10 back on their first purchase!), plus eight 20% off coupons and offers for two great bonus items, available on Community Day only.
  • All coupons are valid on top of our already low One Day Sale prices.

It's a great day to shop!

Kohls

You can expect an exciting and rewarding career at Kohl's.

At Kohl's, your success is determined by your efforts and your passion for what you want in a career. Here, you can build your own path — whether you work in the stores, distribution centers or our corporate office — opportunities exist for you to learn and grow in the fast-paced and exciting world of retail!

We are a company that values innovation, collaboration, diversity, hard work and commitment. We empower our Associates to take on responsibility, make intelligent decisions and, most importantly, bring great brands, value and convenience to our customers every day.

Our story is one of excitement, profitable expansion and success. As a leading national retailer, we are seeking talented Associates — like you, to continue to bring the Kohl's brand to life. Whether you are a recent college graduate anxious to begin your career in retail, or an experienced professional ready to embrace your next challenge — you can start your story here!

45 35

I think this is a Japanese Search site for video clips.

Look at: http://www.4535.com/

World Magic Awards

“The 2008 World Magic Awards” (8 p.m., MyNetworkTV): Neil Patrick Harris is not only the star of the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” he is also a magic enthusiast. Now he’s hosting “The 2008 World Magic Awards.” Awards will be given in 13 categories including best escape artist, best classic magic, best contemporary magic, best teen magician and magician of the year.

In addition, there’ll be appearances by magicians Hans Klok, Lance Burton, The Amazing Johnathan and others in the two-hour special. Presenters include Ernie Hudson, Traci Bingham, Corbin Bernsen and John Schneider.

“Rosie Live” (8 p.m., NBC): Here’s a novel idea: a live variety show. Sort of like “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which crushed its network competition every Sunday night for decades. Live variety shows are the kind of TV they don’t make anymore. Conventional wisdom says they went out with black-and-white sets and gas at 30 cents a gallon.

But Rosie O’Donnell clearly begs to differ. Her variety special, “Rosie Live,” will air tonight on NBC at 8 p.m. — live! — from New York’s Little Schubert Theatre, just a few blocks south of where Sullivan reigned and where CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman” resides. (But “Late Show” isn’t a variety show. And it isn’t live.)

These days, awards or tribute specials are about the only time when prime-time TV gives the audience what might be called variety: a grab bag of talent and performances, with the anything-might-happen crackle of live-ness.

Now Rosie, who has an unabashed affection for broadcasting, is dusting off the past with a variety of stars. The bill initially announced includes Alec Baldwin and Jane Krakowski of “30 Rock,” recording artists Ne-Yo and Alanis Morissette, comedian Kathy Griffin, plus the legendary-and-then-some Liza Minnelli.

The show will also feature a topical monologue, musical production numbers and comedy sketches. “Brand-new elements” are promised for “a new generation of fans.”

Amantadine

Amantadine is the organic compound known formally as 1-aminoadamantane. The molecule consists of adamantane backbone that is substituted at one of the four methyne positions with an amino group. This compound is sold under the name "Symmetrel," for use both as an antiviral and an antiparkinsonian drug. Rimantadine is a closely related derivative of adamantane with similar biological properties.

Apart from medical uses, this compound is useful as a building block, allowing the insertion of an adamantyl group.

orbis pro vox

Orbis Pro Vox is Latin for “Circle for Cry” . . . and I Am An Xcellent Spelller

Why? What does that mean? Why are you searching for it? Sometimes you Internetz are so confusing. Probably something on TV. I wouldn’t know what was on TV tonight, as I’ve been watching The Elmo Movie.

Sulfur hexafluoride

Sulfur hexafluoride is an inorganic compound with the formula SF6. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic and non-flammable gas (under standard conditions). SF6 has an octahedral geometry, consisting of six fluorine atoms attached to a central sulfur atom. It is a hypervalent molecule. Typical for a nonpolar gas, it is poorly soluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. It is generally transported as a liquified compressed gas. It has a density of 6.13 g/L at sea level conditions.

Another effect is the gas's ability to alter vocal sound waves. The gas can be inhaled in a small, safe amount and cause the breather's voice to sound very deep. This, too, is due to the gas density. Unlike helium, which is much less dense than air, SF6 is approximately 5 times more dense than air, and the velocity of sound through the gas is 0.44 times the speed of sound in air. Unlike a gas such as helium, the speed of sound in which is greater than the speed of sound in air, the result of inhaling SF6 is the opposite of inhaling helium, a lowering of the frequency of the formants of the vocal tract.[5][6]

This was demonstrated (Sept. 3, 2008) on the Mythbusters television program (along with an inhalation of helium, to show higher pitched sound).[7]

Although inhaling SF6 can be a novel amusement, the practice can be dangerous because, like other inert gases, it displaces not only the oxygen needed for life, but also the CO2 that is the primary trigger of the breathing reflex. In general, dense, odourless gases in confined areas present the hazard of suffocation. A myth exists that SF6 is too heavy for the lungs to expel unassisted, and that after inhaling SF6, it is necessary to bend over completely at the waist to allow the excess gas to "spill" out of the body. In fact, the lungs mix gases very effectively and rapidly, such that SF6 would be purged from the lungs within a breath or two.

Michael Crowe expedia

Refering to the article on "Boobs on Bikes" on Wednedsday 20th August 2008. Michael Crowe said that 100,000 people "turned up" to watch the event. But I would just like to remind everybody that 7% of Aucklands population commute into the city daily for work/study. So I hardly propose that people specially went into the city to "view" the parade but rather saw it by having already having to be there. And specially for the guy who compared it to the Santa Parade - the santa parade is held on a Sunday when most people aren't working in the city and Boobs on bikes was during everyone's lunch break.

Tom Colicchio gay

Tom Colicchio has good taste. At least, that’s what we assume because, in addition to helming his Craft restaurants (and Gramercy Tavern before that), he’s the head judge on Top Chef, which finally comes to New York this season. He’s even, as he calls it, “returning to the stove” this fall to cook a series of intimate, reservation-only meals, dubbed Tom: Tuesday Dinner. But as we found out when we spoke to the culinary captain on the phone recently, dude likes beef jerky. WTF?

Time Out New York: At last, Top Chef is in New York. How did being here affect the show?
Tom Colicchio: In a way, I don’t think it helps. On the one hand, it was great to stay home and sleep in my bed, go to work every other day. But on the other hand, I think we lost some kind of continuity. When we’re shooting on location, that’s all we’re doing. But here, when you leave the show you go about your life. It was like every time we went back to the set we were starting new.

TONY: I have to ask: If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life—
Tom Colicchio: Mushrooms. I love mushrooms.

TONY: Wow, I expected something fancier.
Tom Colicchio: Mushrooms can be very fancy. It’s the closest you can get to eating dirt.

TONY: That’s exactly why I don’t like them, even though I’m a vegetarian.
Tom Colicchio: Really? You’re the worst kind of vegetarian—picky, too. I was a vegetarian for a year.

TONY: What caused it and what ended it?
Tom Colicchio: Looking into a stockpot and seeing a bunch of bones after they were cooked, and it was like, This is gross. I was about 23. After a year, I just needed a steak.

TONY: Do you have any embarrassing guilty-pleasure foods?
Tom Colicchio: Not sure. Let me look in my fridge. I like licorice. Beef jerky? I love beef jerky.

TONY: Like the kind at the bodega?
Tom Colicchio: Not Slim Jim, that’s spiced beef. It’s different.

TONY: Other than the appreciation of dried beef, what’s the most difficult thing for a good chef to learn?
Tom Colicchio: It’s finding your own style, because so many chefs imitate other chefs.

TONY: And do you find that contestants try to impress you by using your style?
Tom Colicchio: No. But usually halfway through the season, they all start feeding off each other and all the food starts to look the same. It’s kind of annoying.

TONY: They’ve just spent too much time together. All their tastes regulate?
Tom Colicchio: Exactly. It’s like if you put 12 women in a house together…

TONY: Tell me about it. What’s more important, skill or creativity?
Tom Colicchio: They’re not mutually exclusive. Once you have your basics down, you can start breaking the rules. Too often, chefs just want to experiment—they want to use liquid nitrogen before they know how to use heat.

TONY: Or salt. Why is it so hard to season?
Tom Colicchio: When they’re busy, they stop tasting their food. Every time we ask them if they tasted everything, they think that if they say yes, then we’ll turn around and say, “You have no taste.” If they say no, then we’ll say, “How can you put food out that’s not seasoned?” So they think it’s some kind of catch-22 and never answer the question.

TONY: But they’re happy to answer when it’s someone else’s fault.
Tom Colicchio: Of course.

TONY: Do you hate it when they throw each other under the bus?
Tom Colicchio: I don’t mind it if it’s true, and I’ll tell you why. They are playing to win. If you’re in the kitchen and some chef starts blaming you for something, I don’t know how long you’re going to take it before you turn around and say, “I didn’t do it, that guy did it.”

TONY: I’m always amazed at how many people cry. Have you ever teared up in the kitchen?
Tom Colicchio: No. [Laughs] There’s no crying in the kitchen.

TONY: Speaking of being sad, we do an annual survey of NYC chefs—
Tom Colicchio: I remember last year, I was the chef nobody wanted to work with!

TONY: You seem nice on TV. What happens when you get into the kitchen?
Tom Colicchio: I don’t know. I’m nice in the kitchen, too. I was actually quite surprised by that, because ten years ago Charles Dale put out a sort of Zagat’s survey for chefs. And the chefs that chefs wanted to work for, number one was Thomas Keller, number two was me, and number three was Daniel [Boulud].

TONY: A lot changes in ten years.
Tom Colicchio: Yeah, but I don’t think I’m that bad on the show. I’m no Gordon Ramsay.

Candied yams

6 Servings

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place sweet potatoes in a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Layer with miniature marshmallows.
Cover and bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows have melted.

Peter Orszag toupee

The current director of the Congressional Budget Office has a toupee that just seems to sit oddly on his head. It's kind of like a Kid n' Play haircut for the modern man.Peter Orszag's Toupee

Kvetch

ntr.v. kvetched, kvetch·ing, kvetch·es
To complain persistently and whiningly.
n.
1. A chronic, whining complainer.
2. A nagging complaint

Apple pie recipe

8 servings

This is my mom's recipe for apple pie (I've even successfully made it a few times!) You can make the crust or you can use a premade one.

CRUST (recipe makes one double crust):
2 1/2 cups white flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces
5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
8 tbsp. ice water

Measure the flour, sugar and salt togetherl. Stir to combine.
Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife. Don't over mix them.
Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half.
Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour.
Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that's about 12 inches in diameter.
Put the circle in a 9" pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife (parents only). Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.
Add filling (see below)
Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. cut a couple slits in the top.

FILLING
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons margarine

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel, core and slice the apples. Try to keep the size of the slices even.
Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.
Stir in apples.
Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
Dot with margarine.
Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.

OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning.
Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Funny thanksgiving pictures

Thanksgiving Pictures
Thanksgiving is a holiday overflowing with imagery and photo opportunities. As families gather, the cameras come out to capture keepsake moments forever. Here are some links to the best Thanksgiving pictures on the internet, as well as some tips on how you can capture your own memories this holiday season.

Fast Facts
Thanksgiving falls annually on the fourth Thursday in November in the U.S.1
Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October every year2

Thanksgiving 2008: November 273
Memorialize photos from Thanksgiving gatherings with a holiday scrapbook4
Many families gather together and feast on Thanksgiving
Traditional Thanksgiving imagery includes family, turkey, Autumn foliage, pilgrims, Indians, parades, Thanksgiving dinner

Sweet potato casserole

A sweet potato casserole recipe, made with mashed sweet potatoes and a crunchy pecan topping. Scroll down to see more sweet potato recipes.

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:
Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.
Serves 6 to 8.

Turgooducochiqua

There are many ways to cook a turkey. You can bake it, broil it, fry it and grill it...but what about the bird itself?

By now, most people have heard about the Turducken (chicken and duck stuffed in a turkey), but what about the Turgooducochiqua?

However you say it, it surfaced on the photo exchange website Flickr.

The ingredients include: A quail inside a cornish hen inside a duck inside a chicken inside a turkey inside a goose...with bacon between the layers.

That's six birds and a pig.

Tyna Robertson

The nasty battle between Tyna Robertson and Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher continues, text messages included.

Brian Urlacher and Tyna Robertson are battling in a custody case over their 2-year-old son Kennedy, and the end is nowhere near, not by a long shot. As their nasty custody case continues, in court papers Tyna Robertson claims that Brian Urlacher have sent her over 30 nasty text messages this year. Some of the messages allegedly read:

"Go to hell you f*****."
"Grow the f*** up and quit praying and get a job."
"You're a f****** fruit cake."
"Your raising a little p***y."

Tyna also claims that the NFL player celled her "hooker" and "jealous bitch" in another series of text messages. Urlacher is denying the allegations, questioning Robertson's integrity in the past.

Tyna Robinson, a former stripper, accused in the past Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) of raping her and sued him for $35 million. That case didn't go anywhere, and Flatley is currently suing Tyna for extortion and defamation. Robinson have made the same claims against a doctor from Naperville, Illinois.

Considering her past occupation, Urlacher filed suit to establish paternity of his child, Kennedy, in 2005. The NFL linebacker said he was willing to support Kennedy, but not his mother. The custody battle has been raging since October of 2006.

Libero volleyball

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE LIBERO RULE
April 20, 1998 - At a Press Conference in Tokyo today following the Drawing of Lots for the 1998 World Championships to be held in Japan next November, Dr. Ruben Acosta H., President of the FIVB, announced the following new Rules which will apply to this competition.

1. THE "LIBERO" PLAYER
Each team has the option to register one specialised defensive player, "Libero" among the final list of 12 players for the whole tournament.
The specific rules for a Libero player are as follows:
  • He/she is restricted to performing as a back row player and has no right at all to complete an attack hit when the ball is above the height of the top of the net.
  • The Libero may not serve, block or attempt to block.
  • The Libero must wear a different colour shirt from the other members of the team.
  • Substitutions involving a Libero are not counted as regular and their number is unlimited. A Libero cannot take part in normal substitutions and may only enter or leave the game while the ball is out of play and before the whistle for service.
  • It is necessary to have a rally between replacement of two different players involving a Libero. With the previous approval of the first referee, an injured Libero may be substituted during the match by any registered player within the normal line-up list of the score sheet.
  • The designated replacement of a Libero will be limited to performing as a Libero for the rest of the match and the subsequent matches. Nevertheless, this player will be allowed to be registered again in the normal line-up of later matches once the initially registered Libero is officially re-instituted.
  • No other player will be authorised to perform as a Libero and in the case of further injury of the originally registerd Libero, he/she will be replaced by the same player under the same conditions as stated in previous points.

PepBoys

Apply Yourself! Pep Boys Auto.We'll Take You Places.

Do you have what it takes to work for the nation's leading automotive aftermarket retail and service chain? Do you get excited about helping people find solutions? Do you have a passion for retail? Do you love cars? Are you resourceful and responsible? Do you have drive? If so, apply yourself at Pep Boys!

Pep Boys is a company with drive, and plenty of it. Today, we find ourselves heading down new roads, with new merchandise in our stores, innovative ideas in our service bays, new operations in our corporate support center, and unique approaches to customer satisfaction.

You are looking for an opportunity to expand your knowledge, help you grow, make a difference. At Pep Boys, we offer you a diverse range of positions in our stores, service bays, distribution centers and our corporate Store Support Center.

Pep Boys is also there for you, wherever you may be, or want to be. With approximately 600 locations in 36 states and Puerto Rico, we can offer you a location to fit your lifestyle. You'll become part of an incredibly dynamic organization. A team of over 20,000 Pep Boys associates building customer loyalty and fostering success since 1921.

If you want to utilize your talents and skills, apply your knowledge and experience at a company that will reward you for all of it, visit pepboys.com.

James Biela

MUGSHOT! Here’s the mug shot of Reno’s James Biela, possibly arrested for Brianna Denison’s murder says reports. Did James Biela murder Brianna Denison? Biela has been arrested for kidnapping and multiple murder counts in breaking news just coming in.

Here’s the latest.

FOX News citing local affiliate KRNV-TV confirms Reno’s James Biela, 27, was arrested yesterday. Biela was arrested at Washoe County Jail. Biela’s charges are murder, first-degree kidnapping and sexual assault. But are those connected to Brianna Denison?

“Reno police wouldn’t immediately disclose whether Biela’s capture was related to the Denison case, according to the station. Investigators will hold a press conference Wednesday to formally announce the arrest.”

A DNA sample from Biela was taken Tuesday and needs 12 hours to come back with results … just in time for that press conference.

The press conference reportedly will be at 1:30 PM EST today.

It’s been 10 months since Denison’s case started. Brianna was a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College in California and was taken January 20 from a friend’s place in Reno. Brianna’s body was thereafter found in a park in town on February 15.

Brianna Denison

Denison was at home for winter break from Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California where she studied psychology. She and her friends were attending events tied to the Summer Winter Action Tours Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in Reno, that Denison reportedly had attended in the past. 

Brianna was last seen on January 20, 2008 at approximately 4:00 AM PT at a friend's house in MacKay Court, Reno where she was staying after attending a party at the Sands Hotel and Casino on North Arlington Avenue in Reno. 

When her friend, K.T. Hunter, woke up at around 9:00 AMPT, Denison was nowhere to be found. A small blood stain was found on the pillow she used to sleep with that night, which led her friend to alert Brianna's parents and consequentially local authorities. Dension left the house without her shoes, cell phone and purse. Authorities believe she was barefoot, wearing only sweats and a white tank top.

In the following days, the Reno Police Department conducted a forensic investigation on the room where Brianna was sleeping and found DNA belonging to an unidentified male. They also found that the blood on the pillow was that of Denison. Investigators began focusing towards a kidnapping scenario.

Rogers Commodity Index

OBJECTIVE CRITERIA
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROGERS INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY INDEX®

The following is a description of the RICI®, including a summary of the procedures used to determine and calculate the RICI®. The information contained in this section has been provided by Beeland Interests.

The Rogers International Commodity Index® (the “RICI”)1 is a composite, U.S. dollar-based, total return index created by James Beeland Rogers, Jr. (“Rogers”) on July 31, 1998. The RICI® was designed to meet the need for consistent investing in a broad based international vehicle; it represents the value of a basket of commodities consumed in the global economy, ranging from agricultural to energy to metal products. The value of this basket is tracked via futures contracts on 36 different exchange-traded physical commodities, quoted in four currencies, listed on eleven exchanges in five countries.

The RICI® aims to be an effective measure of the price action of raw materials not just in the United States but also around the world. Indeed, the RICI’s® weightings attempt to balance consumption patterns worldwide (in developed and developing countries) and specific contract liquidity.

Below is a current list of the futures contracts comprising the RICI®, together with their respective symbols, exchanges, currencies and initial weightings:

ContractExchangeCurrencyInitial Weighting
Crude OilNYMEXUSD21.00%
IPE BrentICEUSD14.00%
WheatCBOTUSD7.00%
AluminumLMEUSD4.00%
CopperLMEUSD4.00%
CornCBOTUSD4.75%
Heating OilNYMEXUSD1.80%
IPE GasoilICEUSD1.20%
RBOB GasolineNYMEXUSD3.00%
Natural GasNYMEXUSD3.00%
CottonNYCEUSD4.05%
SoybeansCBOTUSD3.25%
GoldCOMEXUSD3.00%
Live CattleCMEUSD2.00%
CoffeeCSCEUSD2.00%
ZincLMEUSD2.00%
SilverCOMEXUSD2.00%
LeadLMEUSD2.00%
RiceCBOTUSD0.50%
Soybean OilCBOTUSD2.00%
PlatinumCOMEXUSD1.80%
Lean HogsCMEUSD1.00%
SugarCSCEUSD2.00%
Azuki BeansTGEJPY0.25%
CocoaCSCEUSD1.00%
NickelLMEUSD1.00%
TinLMEUSD1.00%
Greasy WoolSFEAUS0.25%
RubberTOCOMJPY1.00%
LumberCMEUSD1.00%
BarleyWCECAD0.27%
CanolaWCECAD0.67%
Orange JuiceNYCEUSD0.66%
OatsCBOTUSD0.50%
PalladiumCOMEXUSD0.30%
Soybean MealCBOTUSD0.75%

Rogers and the RICI® Committee have stated that the RICI® is designed to offer stability, partly because it is broadly based and consistent in composition, and to meet a need in the financial spectrum currently not effectively covered.

The RICI® Committee
The RICI® Committee formulates and enacts all business assessments and decisions regarding the composition of the RICI®. Rogers, as the founder of the RICI®, chairs the RICI® Committee and is the final arbiter of its decisions. Beside Rogers, representatives of the following parties are members of the RICI® Committee: (1) UBS AG, (2) Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd., (3) Beeland Management Company, (4) Diapason Commodities Management S.A. and (5) ABN Amro Bank N.V. Exclusively, Rogers, as chairman of the committee, is authorized to designate new members of the committee, if necessary.

The RICI® Committee meets each December to consider changes in the components and weightings of the RICI® for the following calendar year; however, such changes can be made at any time.

RICI® Composition

The Process

The contracts chosen for the basket of commodities that constitute the RICI® are required to fulfill various conditions described below. Generally, the selection and weighting of the items in the RICI® are reviewed annually by the RICI® Committee, and weights for the next year are assigned every December. The RICI’s composition is modified only on rare occasions, in order to maintain investability and stability, and the composition of the RICI® generally will not be changed unless severe circumstances in fact occur. Such “severe circumstances” may include (but are not restricted to):

  • continuous adverse trading conditions for a single contract (e.g., trading volume collapses) or
  • critical changes in the global consumption pattern (e.g., scientific breakthroughs that fundamentally alter consumption of a commodity).

To date, there have been few changes in the components of the RICI® in the history of the RICI®.,

Exchanges and Non-Traded Items

All commodities included in the RICI® must be publicly traded on recognized exchanges in order to ensure ease of tracking and verification. The 15 international exchanges recognized by the RICI® Committee are:

  1. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (USA)
  2. Chicago Board of Trade (USA)
  3. New York Board of Trade (USA)
  4. New York Mercantile Exchange (USA)
  5. Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (Canada)
  6. International Petroleum Exchange (UK)
  7. London Metal Exchange (UK)
  8. Sydney Futures Exchange (Australia)
  9. Fukuoka Futures Exchange (Japan)
  10. Central Japan Commodity Exchange (Japan)
  11. Osaka Mercantile Exchange (Japan)
  12. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (Japan)
  13. Tokyo Grain Exchange (Japan)
  14. Yokohama Commodity Exchange (Japan)
  15. IntercontinentalExchange (UK)

General Contract Eligibility

A commodity may be considered suitable for inclusion in the RICI® if it plays a significant role in worldwide (developed and developing economies) consumption. “Worldwide consumption” is measured via tracking international import and export patterns, and domestic consumption environments of the world’s prime commodity consumers. Only raw materials that reflect the current state of international trade and commerce are eligible to become RICI® commodities. Commodities that are merely linked to national consumption patterns will not be considered. The RICI® is not related to any commodities production data.

Commodity Screening Process

Data of private and governmental providers concerning the world’s top consumed commodities is actively monitored and analyzed by the members of the RICI® Committee throughout the year. In order to obtain the most accurate picture of international commodities consumption, a wide range of sources on commodities demand and supply is consulted. The findings of this research are then condensed into the different commodities contracts weightings of the RICI®. Sources on world’s commodity consumption data include:

  • Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook, United Nations (New York)
  • Commodity Trade Statistics Database, United Nations Statistic Division (New York)
  • Copper Bulletin Yearbook, International Copper Study Group (Lisbon)
  • Foreign Agricultural Service’s Production, Supply and Distribution Database, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Washington, D.C.)
  • Manufactured Fiber Review, Fiber Economics Bureau, Inc. (U.S.A.)
  • Monthly Bulletin, International Lead and Zinc Study Group (London)
  • Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, International Cocoa Organization (London)
  • Rubber Statistical Bulletin, International Rubber Study Group (London)
  • Statistical Bulletin Volumes, Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
  • Sugar Yearbook, International Sugar Organization (ISO), (London)
  • World Agriculture Assessments of Intergovernmental Groups, Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Rome)
  • World Commodity Forecasts, Economist Intelligence Unit (London)
  • World Cotton Statistics, International Cotton Advisory Committee (Washington)
  • World Metals Statistics, World Bureau of Metal Statistics (London)

Contract Characteristics

In order to decide whether a specific commodity contract is actually investable, the RICI® Committee screens the volume and liquidity data of international exchanges, published on a regular basis by the Futures Industry Association (Washington DC, United States). Additionally individual exchange data on contracts may also be included in the process.

If a commodity contract trades on more than one exchange, the most liquid contract globally, in terms of volume and open interest combined, is then selected for inclusion in the RICI®, taking legal considerations into account. Beyond liquidity, the RICI® Committee seeks to include the contract representing the highest quality grade of a specific commodity.

RICI® Weightings

Initial Weightings

As of the date of this Schedule, the RICI® components have the initial weightings listed in the chart above (the “Initial Weightings”). The Initial Weightings may be amended from time to time, as described below.

Changes in Weights and/or RICI® Composition

As noted, the RICI® Committee reviews the selection and weighting of the futures contracts in the RICI® annually. Thus, weights are potentially reassigned during each month of December for the following year, if the RICI® Committee so determines in its sole discretion.

Monthly Rolling of Contracts

On the close of the last Business Day of each month, all the futures contracts used to calculate the RICI®, except for the contracts traded on the London Metal Exchange, are rolled. Generally, if the next calendar month of a futures contract includes a first notice day, a delivery day or historical evidence that liquidity migrates to a next contract month during this period, then the next contract month is intended to be applied to calculate the RICI®, taking legal constraints into account. For example, on the close of the last Business Day of November, the January Crude Oil contract is replaced by the February Crude Oil contract. If the exchange on which one of the RICI® components is closed the last Business Day of the month, the roll of this specific contract takes place the next Business Day for that exchange.

Rebalancing of the RICI® Components

On the close of the last Business Day of each month, the current weight of each RICI® component is rebalanced in order to be set at its “Initial Weighting”. If the exchange on which one of the RICI® components is traded is closed on the last Business Day of the month, the reference price for the calculation of the weighting of this specific component is the closing price of the next Business Day. This rule is also valid if there is more than one component that cannot be traded on the last Business Day of the month.

Data Source

The RICI® calculation is based on the official commodity exchanges’ prices of the futures contracts used.

Market Disruption

If, for any reason, one of the RICI® components ceases to exist or its liquidity collapses to unacceptable levels, or any other similar event occurs with similar consequences, as determined at the discretion of the RICI® Committee, the RICI® Committee will call an exceptional meeting to assess the situation and decide on a replacement for this component or on a change in the weighting. For example, following a currency board on the Malaysian ringgit in 1998, the liquidity of the Palm Oil futures contract on the Kuala Lumpur Commodity Exchange collapsed to a point where it became impossible to trade it. In that case, the RICI® Committee, calling an exceptional meeting, decided to replace the Palm Oil futures contract with the Soybean Oil contract that trades on the Chicago Board of Trade, United States.

Reference Rates

The foreign exchange rates used to translate the value of the futures contracts denominated in a foreign currency into U.S dollars are obtained from Bloomberg. This is the “close” value for each currency taken at 5:00 pm New York time. The interest rate used is the United States 3-Month Treasury bill rate, as available on Bloomberg ticker USGG 3M .

Nicki Meyer

She said she'll always be a Gator fan, but soon Nicki Meyer is going to be a Yellow Jacket.

Buchholz's 5-foot-6 libero and the only returning senior from the Bobcats' 2007 FHSAA Class 6A state champions has committed to Georgia Tech. She said there basically was nothing not to like about the Yellow Jackets.

"First of all, I love Atlanta," Meyer said. "It's really nice, and the campus is pretty small. Plus, everything on the campus is new. They redid the weight room. I loved the coach (Bond Shymansky), and it's still pretty close to home.

"I committed the day after I visited."

Meyer is the daughter of Florida football coach Urban Meyer. She has been a fixture at as many of her father's games as her volleyball schedule has allowed in recent years.

She joked that selecting the Yellow Jackets was OK because "at least it's in the ACC, not the SEC."

Her father said he sees the commitment as a culmination of countless hours of work.

"I'm really proud to have her accept a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech to play volleyball," said Urban Meyer, who was courtside in The Lakeland Center when Nicki served a match-best five aces in the 25-17, 25-16, 25-15 state title victory against Plant City Durant. "She has put in a lot of effort to get to this point in her academic and athletic career. It is also a tribute to her high school and club coach, Jeff Reavis, who made her the player she is today. He has been a great mentor to her and demands excellence in the classroom and on the court.

"Our entire family went on the recruiting visit to Georgia Tech and we feel very comfortable with Bond Shymansky and his entire staff. It is a great situation for her both athletically and academically."

Nicki said she also had scholarship offers from Ohio University (the only other visit she took), South Florida and childhood favorite Utah, among others.

"For a while I wanted to go back to Utah," said Meyer, who lived there from 2003 to early 2005 before moving to Gainesville. "I love Utah and would love to go back."

But Georgia Tech proved to be more than she could have imagined.

"Everything felt right about it," Meyer said.

The Yellow Jackets finished 22-10 in 2007, and recently were picked by league coaches to finish second in the ACC this year behind defending champion Clemson.

While at Georgia Tech, Meyer will face off with North Carolina middle blocker Shelbey Bleke, a former Bobcat teammate on last year's 27-5 state champs.

"Shelbey and I laugh about that all the time," said Meyer, who added Bleke was someone who told her she would love Georgia Tech. "It's pretty funny, and I'm pretty excited about that."