PROSPHYG 768, Adult, Navy, Latex Review

Feature

• The Seller usually ships this product within 1-2 business days. In accordance with their customer-centric policy, this Seller does not charge your credit card until the product has been shipped. If unexpectedly, a product is on back order, the Seller may take longer to ship the product however the Seller in all cases, will inform its customers immediately with a choice to cancel or hold the order until shipped.
• Before you use any product for health care, we advise that you consult your physician or primary healthcare provider and seek the appropriate advice and supervision prior to use.
• Product photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Overview
PROSPHYG 768, Adult, Navy, LatexA professional kit that combines our best selling aneroid, with an optional stethoscope in a color coordinated premium nylon case. The 768 series features: Contemporary black enamel 300mmHg no-pin stop manometer AdcuffTM calibrated nylon cuff with ADCs proprietary Size GuideTM marking system prevents mis-cuffing Latex inflation bladder and bulb Chrome-plated deflation valve Extra large, color-matched, dual pocket carry case, measures 10 x 6 x 3 Assembled, inspected, and packaged in the U.S.A. from foreign components. Pros Combo II includes: Complete aneroid and matching case. Pros Combo II Dual Head series includes: Complete aneroid, matching case, and color-matched dual head stethoscope. Pros Combo II Sprague series includes: Complete aneroid, matching case, and color-matched Sprague stethoscopeProduct photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Nov 26, 2009 00:03:03

555 as ADC Circuit using IC 555 and 7490 – Binatry counter. Circuit i never got in internet there was only one circuit which used basic stamp(i have no idea what is that) i chose as my mini-project title thinking i can find this on internet.Finally we made it with just on the day of submission by burning ic’s the day before.It worked really well

555 as ADC

Firewalls have been around in some form or another, from the early days of networks.  A typical firewall protects the ‘trusted’ internal network from those who are on the ‘untrusted’ outside.  Things have changed since the early days.  The exploits make it all the way to applications through open ports on the firewall.  Requirements to give access to partners, contractors, guests, and customers accessing self service portals, deem the notions of ‘trusted’ and ‘untrusted’  portions of the network useless.   Today we stand at a crossroad between installed legacy infrastructure, that does not satisfy even present day security needs, and emerging technologies.  Emerging technologies don’t focus on networks and hosts, but on protecting the ‘data’ and the ‘content’. Wisdom of the day is to let the traditional firewalls keep the riff-raff out by only allowing traffic to appropriate ip addresses and ports in, and let the more application specific techniques protect the ‘data’ and defend against application level denial of service attacks.

The cost of the switch from legacy to emerging technology will be large, but the balance is tipping such that the cost of not making the switch will be even larger. Open source can help with the costs by offering the emerging techniques developed by a community of cooperative experts.  OpenADC will allow network security experts to write cost effective traditional firewalls that face the internet, and application developers to write the application specific firewalls that sit just in front of the application, such that the two work in unison to provide best protection for the application.

In rest of the posts in this category, I will survey existing open source firewalls — both the traditional network level firewalls, and application specific ones. 

What has your experience been with open source firewalls?  Let me know in your comments.

Designer aus dem Rhein-Main-Gebiet aufgepasst! Der Tokyo Art Directors Club stellt im Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt die Ergebnisse des diesjährigen japanischen Grafikdesign-Wettbewerbs aus.

Die Eröffnung ist am 25. November 2009 um 19 Uhr. Moderation übernimmt der Ausstellungsleiter Prof. Dr. Klaus Klemp (guter Mann, hatte ihn als Professor in Designgeschichte). Die Gäste samt Diskussionsprogramm hören sich ebenfalls erstklassig an:
Prof. em. Friedrich Friedl
Dr. Stephan Vogel (Vorstand ADC Deutschland)
Kazufumi Nagai (ADC Tokyo, Chefredakteur ADC Jahrbuch ’09)
Kunikazu Akishige (Managing Director Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.)

Die Ausstellung kann man dann bis Mitte Februar 2010 besuchen. Info aus dem Flyer:

Der Tokyo ADC veranstaltet jährlich den wichtigsten Wettbewerb zum Japanischen Grafikdesign … Die Wettbewerbsausstellung, die bislang nur selten im Ausland und noch nie in Deutschland gezeigt worden ist, wird in adaptierter Form nach den Stationen Tokyo und Osaka nun erstmals im Museum für angewandte Kunst Frankfurt gezeigt.

ADCUFF & Bladder, 2-Tube, Child, Orange, Latex Review

Feature

• The Seller usually ships this product within 1-2 business days. In accordance with their customer-centric policy, this Seller does not charge your credit card until the product has been shipped. If unexpectedly, a product is on back order, the Seller may take longer to ship the product however the Seller in all cases, will inform its customers immediately with a choice to cancel or hold the order until shipped.
• Before you use any product for health care, we advise that you consult your physician or primary healthcare provider and seek the appropriate advice and supervision prior to use.
• Product photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Overview
ADCUFF & Bladder, 2-Tube, Child, Orange, LatexDurable nylon construction Exclusive Size Guide marking system Latex or latex-free inflation bladder with 55cm tubing length For use with most palm, traditional pocket, clock, or mercury style aneroid instruments Adult size available in 12 colors Individually boxed Two Year Warranty Luer connector (#891F) not included (2 Tube)Product photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Nov 19, 2009 00:03:02

SC notice to Trai, telecom MAJORS
The Supreme Court has issued notice to 11 parties, including Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, Vodafone Essar, on a petition by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited challenging removal of access deficit charge, a levy paid by private telecom operators for funding the PSU’s operations in rural and remote areas.
A Bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir sought an reply from 11 repondents Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Association ofUnified Telecom Service Providers of India, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, Vodafone Essar Mobile Services, Cellular Operators Association of India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, BPL Mobile Communications, HFCL Infotel, and Spice Communications — as to why they should not pay ADC to BSNL.
The Bench also directed that payments, if any, shall be made during the pendency of the petition and the same shall be subject to final outcome of the hearing.
Access deficit charge was a levy paid by private telecom operators to BSNL for meeting the cost of unprofitable operations in rural areas for below the cost wire line and mobile services.
The telecom regulator had abolished ADC in 2008-09. In the two fiscals previous to that, the ADC was reduced. In 2007-08, the regulator had reduced ADC by 37 per cent to Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) from Rs 3,200 crore (Rs 32 billion).
Challenging the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal’s judgement that held that BSNL had no legal right to claim ADC from private telecom operators and Trai had rightly terminated it, BSNL said the entire exercise undertaken by the regulator was not only arbitary and irrational but also contrary to the principles of level-playing field.
Challenging Trai’s decision, BSNL contended the arbitrary elimination of ADC had disturbed the level-playing field in a cost-based Interconnect Usage Charge regime, thereby not allowing it to recoup the deficit incurred for providing below-cost wireline services and rural telephony.
The PSU said as IUC was cost-based, why it was being paid 23 paise for termination charges as against the statutorily fixed rateof 30 paise, thus depriving it of 7 paise.
“Trai had no authority or jurisdiction to deplete this huge sum of Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15 billion) — in every succeeding year — from the requisite amount of ADC payable to BSNL under IUC Regulations,” the petition stated.
Solicitor general Gopal Subramanium, appearing for BSNL, said Trai had disregarded the PSU’s submissions for an effective recouping mechanism for the requisite actual deficit for below cost services in accordance with the recognised principles.
According to the petition, the private operators had never made any investments for providing telephony in villages and remote areas despite having specific obligations under their licences.
“They have failed to provide the mandatory village telephones etc as specific licence obligations and remained to operate only in lucrative urban areas,” it said.
TDSAT, while holding that BSNL had no legal right to ADC, said “ADC has rightly been designed as a depleting regime rightly terminated in the year 2008-09 and the manner of calculating ADC each year was fair and reasonable, given the facts available with Trai.
“The Tribunal said BSNL did not have any reliable data over the quantum of loss suffered by it for its rural operations.
TDSAT had also rejected BSNL’s allegation over fixation of uniform termination charges for all wireline and wireless services.Besides, it said BSNL had failed to furnish any document, in its all three petitions, that the cost of mobile termination was actually one third of the cost of fixed lines services.”We do not find any basis to support the contention of BSNL that the mobile termination charges have been wrongly fixed,” the Tribunal said.

“Nós temos dois momentos no direito brasileiro: um momento antes da efetividade dessas ações e um momento pós”. A declaração, dada pelo constitucionalista Alexandre de Moraes, refere-se à efetividade das ações diretas de inconstitucionalidade (ADIs), ações declaratórias de constitucionalidade (ADCs) e arguições de descumprimento de preceito fundamental (ADPFs), cujas leis reguladoras completam 10 anos neste fim de ano. Na visão de Alexandre de Moraes, a partir do final de 1999, a jurisdição constitucional no Brasil fez com que a obediência à Carta Magna fosse mais efetiva. “Essas ações garantiram o respeito à Constituição Federal”, afirma.

A Lei nº 9.868, de 10 de novembro de 1999, dispõe sobre o processo e julgamento, perante o Supremo, da ADI e da ADC, instrumentos utilizados no controle direto da constitucionalidade das leis e atos normativos. Elas têm fundamento nos artigos 102 e 103 da Constituição Federal, respectivamente. A ADI deve ser proposta contra leis ou atos normativos federais ou estaduais que contrariem a Carta Magna. A ADC, por sua vez, é ajuizada para que a Suprema Corte reconheça a constitucionalidade dessas leis ou normas.

Instituída em 1988 pelo parágrafo 1º do artigo 102 da Constituição, a ADPF foi regulamentada pela Lei n° 9.882, de 3 de dezembro de 1999. Seu objetivo é evitar ou reparar lesão a preceito fundamental resultante de ato do Poder Público (União, estados, Distrito Federal e municípios), incluídos os atos anteriores à promulgação do texto constitucional. Sua criação buscou suprir a lacuna deixada pela ADI, já que esta não pode ser proposta contra lei ou atos normativos que entraram em vigor em data anterior à promulgação da Carta de 1988.

Na visão do ministro aposentado do STF Sydney Sanches, essas ações ampliaram consideravelmente as competências do Supremo em matéria de controle concentrado de constitucionalidade. “Essa ampliação considerável e relevante no campo de atuação do Supremo Tribunal Federal vem lhe ensejando influência cada vez maior nos destinos do país, de seus cidadãos e da sociedade como um todo, e, sobretudo, no fortalecimento da democracia que todos nós desejamos”, ressalta.

Como era e o que mudou

O ministro Sydney Sanches lembra que até o advento da Constituição de 1988, o STF, em matéria de controle concentrado de constitucionalidade de ato normativo federal ou estadual, tinha competência para julgar representações apresentadas exclusivamente pelo procurador geral da República, que era escolhido livremente pelo presidente da República. Segundo ele, a partir de outubro de 1988, essa competência foi mantida, mas a possibilidade de propositura da ADI foi estendida a grande número de instituições e de entidades, o que passou a valer também para a ADC, a partir da Emenda Constitucional 3/1993.

Posteriormente, de acordo com Sydney Sanches, a Lei nº 9.882 regulou o processo de ADPF, para se evitar ou se reparar lesão a preceito fundamental, e a admitiu também quando for relevante o fundamento da controvérsia constitucional sobre lei ou ato normativo federal, estadual ou municipal, incluídos os anteriores à Constituição.

Mas, de acordo com o ministro Marco Aurélio, membro do STF desde 1990, antes da legislação regedora dessas ações, os ministros do Supremo baseavam-se no Regimento Interno do Tribunal, que disciplinava a representação de constitucionalidade. “O que havia anteriormente: nós sempre trazíamos a ação para o Plenário apreciar o pedido de concessão de medida liminar. Agora, nós acionamos a legislação regedora e buscamos julgar em definitivo, fazer um único julgamento no processo”, destaca Marco Aurélio, salientando que ainda assim a Corte continua vivenciando “uma avalanche de processos”. “O ideal seria que nós cuidássemos somente desses processos objetivos, nos quais atuamos em tese e a decisão proferida pelo Supremo obriga a todos”, completa.

O ministro aposentado do STF Maurício Corrêa ressalta a importância da ADI e da ADC também para se economizar tempo, já que a declaração de constitucionalidade ou de inconstitucionalidade define juridicamente uma situação. Já a ADPF, segundo ele, tem dado demonstrações de sua relevância, justamente porque tem sido cada vez mais utilizada no Brasil. “Sem dúvida nenhuma, a criação dessas leis foi um grande passo. Sinto-me até, de certo modo, satisfeito com isso, porque também ajudei, como constituinte, a votar essas medidas que hoje se incorporam na Constituição Federal, sobretudo com relação às competências do Supremo”, comemora.

Saiba mais

Principais pontos da Lei 9.868, de 10 de novembro de 1999
A Lei dispõe sobre o processo e julgamento da ADI e da ADC perante o Supremo.

ADI e ADC

- Legitimidade para propor: presidente da República; mesas do Senado Federal, da Câmara dos Deputados, de Assembleia Legislativa e da Câmara Legislativa do Distrito Federal; governador de estado ou do Distrito Federal; procurador-geral da República; Conselho Federal da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil; partido político com representação no Congresso Nacional; e confederação sindical ou entidade de classe de âmbito nacional.

- Petição: indicará o dispositivo da lei ou do ato normativo impugnado e os fundamentos jurídicos do pedido em relação a cada uma das impugnações. A petição deve ser acompanhada de procuração específica para o advogado ajuizar a ação.

- Relator: pedirá informações aos órgãos ou às autoridades das quais emanou a lei ou o ato normativo impugnado, que deverão ser prestadas no prazo de 30 dias. Decorrido o prazo, serão ouvidos, sucessivamente, o advogado-geral da União e o procurador-geral da República, que deverão manifestar-se no prazo de 15 dias. Vencidos os prazos, o relator lançará o relatório, com cópia a todos os ministros, e pedirá dia para julgamento.

- Rito abreviado: O ministro-relator, em caso de relevância da matéria, poderá adotar procedimento mais célere para o julgamento da ação, para tanto, o prazo para informações é reduzido de 30 para 10 dias e a AGU e A PGR terão apenas 5 dias para opinarem sobre o tema. Por fim, o Plenário julgará diretamente a constitucionalidade ou não da norma questionada, desconsiderando a análise do pedido de liminar (artigo 12 da Lei 9.868/99).

- Decisão: A análise de uma ação constitucional (ADI, ADC e ADPF) só pode ser iniciada, no Plenário do STF, se presentes à sessão pelo menos oito ministros. Entretanto, bastam 6 votos para que seja declarada a inconstitucionalidade de uma norma. O julgamento destas ações refere-se à lei e não sobre uma situação concreta que envolva determinadas pessoas, por isso, ao julgar uma norma como inconstitucional, a decisão vale para todos os cidadãos (erga omnes) e deve ser observada pelos poderes Judiciário e Executivo (efeito vinculante).

- Eficácia: A decisão que considera uma norma como inconstitucional é retroativa, ou seja, inválida a lei desde a sua criação. Entretanto o STF pode decidir que sua decisão passe a valer a partir de outro momento, seja da decisão em diante, ou ainda, a partir de uma data ou prazo futuro.

Principais pontos da Lei 9.882, de 3 de dezembro de 1999
A Lei estipula que a ADPF terá por objeto evitar ou reparar lesão a preceito fundamental, resultante de ato do Poder Público.

ADPF

- Legitimidade para propor: os mesmos legitimados para ajuizar ADI.

- Petição: deverá conter a indicação do preceito fundamental que se considera violado, a indicação do ato questionado, a prova da violação do preceito fundamental, o pedido, com suas especificações, e, se for o caso, a comprovação da existência de controvérsia judicial relevante sobre a aplicação do preceito fundamental que se considera violado.

- Relator: poderá ouvir os órgãos ou autoridades responsáveis pelo ato questionado, bem como o advogado-geral da União ou o procurador-geral da República, no prazo comum de cinco dias. Se entender necessário, poderá ouvir as partes nos processos que ensejaram a arguição e requisitar informações adicionais, entre outras medidas. Decorrido o prazo das informações, o relator lançará o relatório, com cópia a todos os ministros, e pedirá dia para julgamento.

- Decisão: somente será tomada com a presença de pelo menos dois terços dos ministros. A decisão que julgar procedente ou improcedente o pedido em ADPF é irrecorrível. Caberá reclamação contra o descumprimento da decisão proferida pelo STF, na forma do seu Regimento Interno.

LC/LF

Fonte: STF.

It’s your chance to win a Cube in the 89th Annual Awards. Enter your ADC Hybrid, ADC Design Sphere, Advertising, Design, Interactive, Photography, Illustration and even unpublished work in Playground.

Enter now!

Mit 80 Prozent der abgegebenen Stimmen wurde am Samstag auf der Jahreshauptversammlung des Art Directors Club für Deutschland (ADC) das Vorstandsmitglied Jochen Rädeker, Inhaber einer Designagentur, zum neuen Sprecher des Clubs gewählt. Dem ADC, der sich neuerdings als Klub der Besten aller kreativen Berufe versteht, darunter Journalisten, Designer und Architekten, gehören mittlerweile 42 Prozent Mitglieder aus nicht-klassischer Werbung an. Eine Tendenz, die nicht jedem Vereinsmitglied behagt. Auch das neue Wettbewerbsmodell des ADC-Festivals, das eine Erhöhung der Zahl der Preiskategorien von 46 auf 70 vorsieht, wurde kritisch diskutiert; eine Arbeitsgruppe soll sich nun Gedanken über den künftigen Zuschnitt des Wettbewerbs machen.
Quelle: Hamburger Abendblatt

ADC Adtoon Blood Pressure Cuff and 2 Tube Bladder, Child, Garfield Review

Feature

• For use with virtually any aneroid or mercurial instrument.

Overview
Adtoon Cuff Features: Durable nylon construction. Proprietary ADCUFF Size Guide Marking system. Latex Inflation bladder with 55cm tube length For use with virtually any aneroid or mercurial instrument. Available in 3 sizes, Child, Adult and Large Adult. Individually boxed. 2 year warranty. ADC medical instruments and accessories have been carefully designed to meet the rigorous demands of the most discriminating healthcare professionals throughout the world. ADC products are manufactured from the finest materials with an uncompromising concern for quality. Exhaustive inspection of every item by ADC factory trained quality control staff ensures strict compliance with ADC standards for performance and durability. And the commitment to manufacturing excellence is backed by the industry’s most extensive warranties. The product referenced on this detail page is sold be Each.

Nov 08, 2009 12:03:03

This is a direct quote from the MESS read me file. According to this, you will need Xcode. Xcode requires a free Apple Developers Connection membership. It’s easy to sign up for, especially if you have an Apple ID already. The download took me a little over five minutes with Cable Internet from Comcast. You will also need to install the SDL library.

Mac OS X: you’ll need Xcode 2.3 or later (a free download from
developer.apple.com) and SDL 1.2.13. Get SDL from www.libsdl.org, click the
“SDL 1.2″ download link in the sidebar, then scroll down to “Mac OS X” under
“Runtime Libraries”.  Download the “SDL-1.2.13.dmg” disk image and open it.
Click ‘Macintosh HD’ or whatever your Mac’s hard disk is named in the left
pane of a Finder window, then open the Library folder and drag the
SDL.framework folder from the SDL disk image into the ‘Frameworks’ folder.

Next unzip the SDLMAME source in your home directory.

For Intel Macs, type make -f makefile.sdl TARGETOS=macosx
For PowerPC Macs, type make -f makefile.sdl TARGETOS=macosx BIGENDIAN=1

NOTE: if you experience issues with OpenGL mode make sure your OS X is up to
date first, especially for Tiger (10.4.x) on Intel Macs.

Good luck. You will need to install SDL to get the most out of emulation on your Mac. I will be posting new SDL MAME and MESS articles soon and you will need SDL to be properly installed.

Installing SDL – Mac Guides (Mac Rumors)

Cheers!

Coming soon the new e-commerce site from Consolidated Laundry Equipment.  If you are a dry cleaner, hotel owner, coin laundry owner or anyone who may need industrial laundry parts there is no place better to purchase them than www.consolidatedlaundry.com

www.consolidatedlaundry.com will have over 60,000 items at the markets most competitive prices.  The roll out date for the site is 11/9/2009

If you have any trouble or questions about www.consolidatedlaundry.com please call our parts department at 1-800-227-6149 or e-mail broyal@consolidatedlaundry.com

Thanks

China Unicom launches “3G Inn” femtocell

According to an announcement in Chinese (translation here), China Unicom has launched a commercial 3G femtocell service targeted at “high end” consumers.  The so-called “3G Inn” service requires a 2 Mbps residential broadband connection, and is available for a monthly fee.  With a mere 140 million subscribers, China Unicom is a long way behind market leader China Mobile (which uses the home-grown TDS-CDMA standard for its own 3G network).  But China Unicom may gain a competitive advantage from its femtocell deployment, especially as WiFi is not supported on Chinese smartphones (including the iPhone).  Think Femtocell provides further thoughts on the launch here, and on the recent China Femtocell Symposium here.

Indoor coverage problems affect UK workers

The problem of delivering mobile voice coverage and data capacity in office buildings is getting worse, making a very powerful argument for picocells (or enterprise femtocells, as some prefer to call them).

A new survey from ADC has found that poor mobile phone coverage is negatively affecting work for more than a quarter of UK employees.  The survey found that over 60% of people rely on their mobile phone for their job, but almost two thirds of these complain of a less than perfect mobile phone signal in their workplace, and almost 28% say their work has suffered as a result.  In addition to lifts, stairwells and conference rooms, almost a quarter of respondents said they have coverage problems at their own desks.

And the problem is going to get worse as mobile data becomes increasingly important to business users.  According to figures recently published by Informa, mobile enterprise revenues are set to grow significantly, and will account for almost a quarter of total mobile data service revenues by 2014.

AT&T MicroCell rocks!

Here’s an interesting concept – “in-home mobility”.  One blogger describes his friend’s experience at home before acquiring AT&T’s 3G MicroCell: “If you stood perfectly still in the master bedroom you could reliably connect a call but isn’t mobility the point of having a cell phone?”  The 3G MicroCell solved the problem so well that the blogger was moved to comment, “In short, the microcell rocks!”

Vodafone Access Gateway recognised by The Independent

The Vodafone Access Gateway has made it into The Independent’s list of the 50 Best Gadgets.  Unfortunately, this UK newspaper’s record on science and technology is pretty dire (this is the paper that started the ridiculous rumour that mobile phones are killing bees), but it’s still interesting that the Vodafone femtocell has caught mainstream media attention despite very little publicity to date.

Meanwhile, Total Telecom’s trial of the Vodafone Access Gateway has hit a problem (a “VAG snag”, so to speak).  Apparently the home WiFi connection doesn’t work properly when the VAG is switched on, and Total Telecom suspects interference.  This sounds unlikely (I’ve never seen a similar complaint from any other femtocell user), but something strange is clearly going on there.

SpiderCloud Wireless launches Enterprise RAN

SpicerCloud Wireless has finally come out of stealth mode to launch its Enterprise Radio Access Network product.  The system is aimed at giving mobile operators a tool for providing in-building mobile coverage in enterprises, and consists of a central hub controlling a number of remote radio heads.  Oddly, the company seems to think that this will be differentiated by providing coverage for smaller areas than picocells, when in fact the system looks designed to compete with larger systems such as DAS.  It’s also not clear whether the E-RAN can provide multi-operator support – normally a primary requirement for large in-building deployments – although the ‘enterprise benefits’ page on the website suggests perhaps not.  “Soon you can outsource ‘Anything Wireless’ to the Mobile Operator”, says the headline.  Well, that might be ok for a smaller business (where a picocell would work pretty well), but I doubt it’s a message that will appeal to the IT manager at a larger enterprise.

Mobile data jam hits the headlines

Industry insiders have been discussing the coming mobile data capacity crunch for a long time already.  Mark Heath’s guest posting on Think Femtocell this week makes it clear that LTE will not solve the problem, and WiFi and femtocells are often discussed as options for mobile operators to offload data traffic.  Mark Lowenstein’s article on Fierce Wireless this week reflects this view: “femtocells, rather than being a customer-centric solution for indoor coverage, represent more of an operator-centric solution for effective network management in buildings, leveraging the broadband network,” says Lowenstein.

Now the mobile data crunch is beginning to enter the mainstream consciousness.  This week the BBC reported that mobile data traffic will increase 25 times by 2012, while corresponding revenues will only double.  “The consumption rate is far outweighing the network improvement rate,” says Bytemobile’s Graham Carey, “…there’s a crunch point coming.”  The Beeb also quotes ADC vice president John Spindler: “Today the primary use for wireless is happening indoors…What’s going to happen if carriers do not respond appropriately?  They are going to crush the user experience.”

WiFi Direct vs Bluetooth – but will femtocells beat them both?

Nick Hunn notes the press interest in the battle between Bluetooth and the new WiFi Direct standard (aimed at making it easy to connect devices directly to one another).  However, he believes there is “another stalking technology” which could make direct connections between mobile devices redundant.  “If femtocells take off and users get used to using the network itself for transferring data between devices,” says Hunn, “then ad-hoc transfers may lose out altogether.”

Airvana says the femtocell’s time has come

According to Airvana CEO Randy Battat, “The femtocell’s time has come.”  In a press announcement of the company’s 3Q09 financial results, Battat says “We have been awarded several commercial deployments around the world with contracts in place and purchase commitments for significant volumes in 2010 and beyond.  Both our CDMA and UMTS femtocell products are in the final stages of software development and testing, with commercial production starting late this quarter and ramping in the first quarter of 2010.  We expect operator launches with Airvana products, especially in North America and Asia, starting in the first half of 2010.”

In other news…

• picoChip launches “Class 3” femtocell reference design with 2 km range – The Femto Forum defines 3 femtocell categories: Class 1 (typically residential), Class 2 (primarily indoor for enterprise) and Class 3 (for rural, metro and wider area deployment).
• Ubiquisys and Intrinsyc show demo at Symbian show.
• EU urges member countries to assign 790-862 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband.
• “Many of the reactions to proposed cell phone sites are based on misunderstandings about health issues”.

ADC Pro’s Combo ll Pocket Aneroid Dual Head Stethoscope Kit, Adult, Burgundy Review

Feature

• Although image displays a Sprague style stethoscope, actual kit includes a dual-head single tube stethoscope.

Overview
The 768 series features: Contemporary black enamel 300mmHg no-pin stop manometer AdcuffTM calibrated nylon cuff with proprietary Size GuideTM marking system prevents mis-cuffing Latex inflation bladder and bulb Chrome-plated deflation valve Extra large, color-matched, dual pocket carry case, measures 10″ x 6″ x 3″ Assembled, inspected, and packaged in the U.S.A. from foreign components 20 Year calibration warranty coverage, Two year part warranty coverage Pro’s Combo II Dual Head series includes: Complete aneroid, matching case, and color-matched dual head stethoscope ADC medical instruments and accessories have been carefully designed to meet the rigorous demands of the most discriminating healthcare professionals throughout the world. ADC products are manufactured from the finest materials with an uncompromising concern for quality. Exhaustive inspection of every item by ADC factory trained quality control staff ensures strict compliance with ADC standards for performance and durability. And the commitment to manufacturing excellence is backed by the industry’s most extensive warranties. The product referenced on this detail page is sold be Each Kit.

Nov 01, 2009 11:03:04

On Tuesday morning I said goodbye to an era. I am also forced to admit now that I also said goodbye to a mentor.

Astra Da Costa wasn’t only a mentor for me; if many of the young women who worked under her tutelage are honest, they would also admit that she left many a mark on their lives. Yes, some of the marks were negative, but there were positive ones too.

I’ve always said that AMPLE was a hell of a training ground for me. I think I learnt most of what I know in that formerly beautiful white building at the corner of Grey Street and Tragarete Road (I never understood the need to paint that majestic white building Vomit Pink!)

I sat in the church on Tuesday and allowed my mind to travel back in time. I went back to meetings and conversations that I had inadvertently deemed unnecessary, and as I replayed some of these instances, I realized that in her rather indirect but direct way, (trust me, that makes sense … this is after all the woman who coined ‘hurry slowly’) Astra had left the seeds of social responsibility and the need to be a part of something bigger than self with me.

I guess – having destroyed many a draft since I began writing this – all I really want to say is Thank You Astra for sharing some of your knowledge with us, for molding us into the strong, opinionated, independent, caring, careful yet reckless women that we are today. I, for sure, have learnt to laugh at myself, to appreciate every stately curve that I own … not to mention that I have now perfected the art of power dressing!

We’ve learnt to appreciate the love of family and good friends. We have also learnt to appreciate every second of time gifted to us and allow us to joke that this is because we NEVER had any time while we labored at AMP’s … but we appreciate it nonetheless.

Rest well ADC, because you’ve earned it, and please, whatever you do, DO NOT attempt to tell God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or St Peter how to do their jobs or how to make Heaven more efficient — It’s JUST NOT DONE! May I suggest some time in the choir loft??? You always did say that you missed singing.

Go with God, Auntie Astra!

Service providers have been locked in to the feature set offered by vendors as they try to satisfy varied needs of different customers.  With an open source application delivery platform, they are able to monetize their knowledge of specific customer needs, by easily writing services that will run on the multi-service and multi-tenant platform.  For starters, offering same services that are offered by current ADC product vendors, becomes much easier on the Open ADC platform due to the following reasons:

1. Capital expense goes through the roof  as Service Providers deploy stand alone ADCs, from current vendors, for each customer.  Open ADC platform allows them to deploy a soft ADC per customer, or deploy multiple customers on Open ADC running on specialized hardware with total isolation amongst customers.  This cuts the cost of running the environment tremendously, increasing service provider’s margins.

2. Service providers are able to sell ‘On Demand services’ with Open ADC. For example, if a customer needs SSL encryption offload during peak selling time for an e-commerce application, and not at other times, this need can be easily met with Soft Open ADC.  Meeting  this need with current ADC products is not possible as the service provider has to buy physical hardware for offering services.

3. Service providers can easily up sell new services.  If a customers’ services are deployed on an Open ADC platform, adding another service in the ’service chain’ for that customer does not cost much.  Therefore, service providers can offer services on a trial basis, as they look for new revenue streams.

4. Service providers will have more services to offer as independent developers will write niche services for specific customer segments.

Both John Penfold and Mike Turner were present at the recent LDF Sub Committee Meeting at ADC on 13th October.  At that meeting it became clear that members wished to have more debate about important factors influencing the Core Strategy decision for example density, sewerage and education provision.  Subsequent to the meeting, it has been agreed that the Core Strategy decision will now be postponed until February 2010, to enable more debates to take place. If you have concerns you wish to raise, you should email info@villagesactiongroup.org or you may telephone either Melissa Briggs or Jean Goad, both of whom are on the LDF sub committee. 

New pages are currently being written for this website to provide more details on related subjects eg education (effects of major new development on local schools), and transport (effects on the A29, B2233, A259 and A27).   As of today social housing requirements may change, bearing in mind new lending restrictions on mortgages related to local salaries coupled with higher than average house prices in this area. 

Watch this space.

Organizations of all sizes deploying ‘Applications’ which allow their members to complete business work flows, are spending a lot of money on network services.  They face several challenges as they depend on network services solutions from established vendors in the space.  Many of these challenges are addressed by an Open ADC platform as discussed below.

1. Vendors can not produce special features for disparate specific needs of all organizations.

Many organizations have very specific needs, but it is not profitable for vendors to consider their features, as vendors try to address the needs of the general market.  No body is at fault here as vendors have to consider the cost of developing a feature against revenue potential. Niche portion of the market can not yield enough revenue to justify developing the feature.  However the organizations do have a real need.  Where do they go to get their needs met?  Open ADC comes to the rescue!  Smaller independent teams will emerge and will write services on the Open ADC platform to service the niche market.

2. Users end up paying for what they don’t need.

Several users end up paying for features they don’t use since network services products are delivered as a bundle.  Many pay for performance they don’t need as vendors supply fixed form factors.  Once again, Open ADC comes to the rescue, as users will be able to deploy only the services they want on the platform.  Furthermore, Open ADC platform will give them the choice to deploy their services in a virtual machine or on a standalone system or an ATCA chassis with acceleration technology.

By Maureen Clare Murphy

October 16, 2009

Approximately 30 activists — mainly students from area universities — disrupted a lecture given in Chicago by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday which was hosted by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. While Olmert’s speech was disrupted inside the lecture hall, approximately 150 activists protested outside the hall in the freezing rain.

Protesters inside the hall read off the names of Palestinian children killed during Israel’s assault on Gaza last winter. They shouted that it was unacceptable that the war crimes suspect be invited to speak at a Chicago university when his army destroyed a university in Gaza in January. They reminded the audience of the more than 1,400 Palestinians killed during the Gaza attacks and the more than 1,200 killed during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 2006. Both invasions happened during Olmert’s premiership.

With interventions coming every few minutes throughout his appearance, Olmert had difficulty giving his speech and often appeared frustrated. At one point he appealed for “just five minutes” to speak without being interrupted.

The demonstration was mobilized last week after organizers learned of the lecture, paid for by a grant provided by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Within hours an appeal was issued, urging those concerned with Palestinian rights to call the university and demand that the lecture be canceled. The call was put out by major community organizations such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)-Chicago, American Muslims for Palestine and the United States Palestine Community Network, as well as solidarity organizations al-Awda, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, the International Solidarity Movement, the Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago and area campus groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as the Arab Student Union at Moraine Valley.

The security presence at the lecture was severe with university police, the US Secret Service and Israeli security present — many of them visibly armed — with Israeli security checking in those who had registered in advance to attend the lecture. Video and photography was banned inside the hall and media were not allowed to cover the lecture. Despite these restrictions, activists managed to take video inside the hall and drop an eight-foot-long banner from the mezzanine that read “Goldstone” in both English and Hebrew, referring to the recently published UN report investigating violations of international law during the Gaza invasion. One activist was arrested and put in a headlock by a police officer, witnesses said, and released around midnight. Approximately 30 supporters waited for him at the police station while he was detained.

Towards the end of the lecture, Olmert put his hand over his brow and squinted to search out the source of the shout, “There’s no discussion with a war criminal — the only discussion you should be having is in court!” That call was made by Ream Qato, who graduated from the university in 2007, and added, “You belong in the Hague!” Qato told The Electronic Intifada that yesterday’s protest “Set the stage for University of Chicago students and students in the Chicago area … no one should be afraid of speaking out against someone.” She added that the demonstration was significant because “The Palestinian community [in Chicago] for the first time went to a university campus to protest.”

Second-year medical student Afshan Mohiuddin was removed from the hall after she voiced her disapproval at the Harris School dean’s on-stage assertion that Olmert was invited to express his views. “He can do that at the International Court of Justice, not at this university,” Mohiuddin shouted, adding, “[Olmert] belongs in a cage, not on a stage!”

Mohiuddin told The Electronic Intifada that “it was ironic that they searched us [instead of him],” considering that Olmert is suspected of war crimes. She added, “As a University of Chicago student I was upset with the lack of commotion on behalf of the student body before the event … No one has protested the event.”

Mohiuddin’s frustration was echoed in a commentary published by the University of Chicago’s student publication The Chicago Maroon earlier this week, in which third-year student Nadia Marie Ismail decried the lack of protest by the university community towards the Olmert speech. She contrasted this silence with the pressure the Center for Middle Eastern Studies faced after a lecture earlier this year by The Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah (who was the first to disrupt Olmert’s speech yesterday), University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Norman Finkelstein, whose lost bid for tenure at DePaul University is attributed to outside pressure by Israel government apologists. “[T]hat University center was put under unprecedented pressure for weeks before and months after the event, with claims that University centers and schools should not host ‘one-sided’ speakers,” Ismail wrote.

Olmert’s lecture in Chicago was one of several scheduled throughout the United States. His speech at the University of Kentucky the previous day was disrupted by activists and met with a protest outside. These demonstrations are part of a wave of notched-up dissent towards Israeli officials implicated in war crimes and racist policy. In 2003, former Israeli minister Natan Sharansky was greeted with a pie in the face by an activist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Last year at the UK’s Oxford University, a speech by Israeli President Shimon Peres was drowned out by protesters outside while students inside the hall disrupted his talk.

One of the organizers of the protest, Hatem Abudayyeh, National Coordinating Committee member of the United States Palestine Community Network, hoped for a larger count of protesters despite the adverse weather. However, he said, “The fact that there’s people around the world who know about it, the fact that PACBI [the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel] sent us a letter of support and endorsement of our action, the fact that there was coordination with the outside protest and the inside disruption — all of these components and aspects of the action made it one of the more successful ones that we’ve done.”

He added, “There is real change happening, whether it’s the international response to the Lebanon war or the international response to the Gaza war. The US is the most powerful country in the world, Israel is a powerful military as well, but the Palestinians have the world on their side.”

Source

From Chicago Tribune

“This is a one-sided conversation,” said Aya Odeh, 19, a Loyola University Chicago student. “I don’t mind listening to what he has to say, but if all he has to say is that we’re wicked people, I refuse to listen to that. “

——————————————————————–

Imagine letting a “war criminal”  give a speech at a University no less.

How dare anyone think this was OK. Welcome him with open arms America?  Are they out of their minds?

Would they let Hitler give a speech?

Some in the US thought it was  a nightmare for children to sing  a song about Obama,  in school, which was really no big deal.  He is after all their President.

But it is fine to let a “war criminal”  give a speech and influence children.

I would not want this man speaking to my children or anyone children for that matter.  I would not even want them in the same room with him.

I don’t think children of any age,  should be exposed to this type of criminal.

So now the US schools are promoting war criminals?

Unbelievable??? But true!

On every level imaginable this is just wrong!

UN backs Goldstone UN Mission Report in spite of Israeli Threats

TEL AVIV | You could call him Israel’s Patrick Fitzgerald.

October 11, 2009

Like the crusading U.S. federal prosecutor in Chicago, Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has built a reputation bringing down politicians.

Although he began his five-year term with a controversial decision to abandon corruption allegations against then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Mr. Mazuz has more than compensated by issuing the first corruption indictment against a former prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

DIAGNOSTIX 720, Child, Navy, Latex Review

Feature

• The Seller usually ships this product within 1-2 business days. In accordance with their customer-centric policy, this Seller does not charge your credit card until the product has been shipped. If unexpectedly, a product is on back order, the Seller may take longer to ship the product however the Seller in all cases, will inform its customers immediately with a choice to cancel or hold the order until shipped.
• Before you use any product for health care, we advise that you consult your physician or primary healthcare provider and seek the appropriate advice and supervision prior to use.
• Product photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Overview
DIAGNOSTIX 720, Child, Navy, LatexOffering more features than any other sphyg in its class, the 720 provides our finest value. The 720 series features: Precision crafted 300mmHg no-pin stop manometer with classic black baked enamel finish, exceeds industry standards Extended scaleplate graduation marks reduce parallax for easier viewing from virtually any angle AdcuffTM nylon cuff with ADCs proprietary Size GuideTM marking system prevents mis-cuffing Dip molded latex inflation bladder withstands heavy use Latex inflation bulb, fitted with filter screen end valve to reduce dust build-up AdflowTM chrome-plated brass air release valve for precise deflation control Leatherette carrying case with durable nylon zipper Assembled, inspected, and packaged in the U.S.A. from foreign componentsProduct photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Oct 15, 2009 00:00:05

ADCUFF & Bladder, 1-Tube, Thigh, Navy, Latex Review

Feature

• The Seller usually ships this product within 1-2 business days. In accordance with their customer-centric policy, this Seller does not charge your credit card until the product has been shipped. If unexpectedly, a product is on back order, the Seller may take longer to ship the product however the Seller in all cases, will inform its customers immediately with a choice to cancel or hold the order until shipped.
• Before you use any product for health care, we advise that you consult your physician or primary healthcare provider and seek the appropriate advice and supervision prior to use.
• Product photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Overview
ADCUFF & Bladder, 1-Tube, Thigh, Navy, LatexDurable nylon construction Exclusive Size Guide marking system Latex or latex-free inflation bladder with 55cm tubing length For use with most palm, traditional pocket, clock, or mercury style aneroid instruments Adult size available in 12 colors Individually boxed Two Year Warranty Luer connector (#804C) not includedProduct photo may not exactly match the product offered for sale. Please refer to the product description.

Oct 11, 2009 12:00:03

The death of the veteran cricket writer Rajan Bala has thankfully not gone unnoticed.

ANI reveals that his real name was Natarajan Balasubramaniam. Cricinfo, the Bhagwad Gita of the Beautiful Game, has a short obituary. The Times of India’s Satish Vishwanathan uses a Sachin Tendulkar anecdote to demonstrate Bala’s hold.

His protege, Suresh Menon, writes of walking into the offices of Deccan Herald in Bangalore over a quarter of a century ago:

“On my first day at work, fresh out of university, I asked hesitantly, “Is it all right to smoke in here?” and was welcomed with the memorable words: “So long as you don’t f**k on my table, you can do what you want.”

Here, Hemant Kenkre, the former Cricket Club of India captain, a first cousin of the legendary Indian opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, pays tribute.

***

By HEMANT KENKRE in Singapore

I first met Rajan Bala when he came with Sunil Gavaskar to our family house at Forjett Hill in 1971.

The 21-year old maestro had just come back after his epic debut in the Caribbean islands and had brought along Rajan when he came to meet his uncle, Shashikant Gavaskar. As a 13-year old, I listened, with rapt attention, the discussion (on cricket) they had which went on till the wee hours.

Over the years, I kept reading Rajan’s columns in newspapers where he held forth as the sports editor—from Calcutta, Chennai to Mumbai. His views were always forthright and came straight from his heart.

Whether one agreed with them or not, one always admired the way he put things/issues in perspective. Whatever the topic, Rajan had a distinct and a unique point of view.

Once Rajan was convinced that a person had talent, he would back him to the hilt, irrespective of the player’s performance!

A cricket romantic to the core, Rajan essentially belonged to the era of the ’70s, the days when international cricketers carried small kit-bags containing sparse equipment; a bat, few clothes and necessary guards.

The days when Walkmans and iPods did not keep cricketers from discussing the game and the times when cricketers (most of them)—after a game—went straight to the bar before they went into their rooms.

M.A.K. (Tiger) Pataudi, M.L. Jaisimha, Bishen Bedi, Ajit Wadekar, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekar, Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Sardesai, Salim Durrani, Eknath Solkar and Gavaskar were some of the super humans whom Rajan made superheroes with this dispatches and columns.

Jaisimha, in particular was one of Rajan’s favourite cricketers.

I distinctly remember meeting and travelling with Jaisimha during the India-England series (1992) and the many post-match drinks (not cocktails, mind you) that the debonair Hyderabadi shared with Rajan.

From Chennai to Jamshedpur, most of my evenings were spent in the company of these two titans, soaking in stories about Sir Garfield Sobers and Rohan Kanhai, Pataudi, Wadekar and Gavaskar, and about the trials and tribulations that Indian cricket went through during the ’60s and ’70s.

Rajan was also a keen music buff. Knowing my how obsessed I was with Rahul Dev (Pancham) Burman, it was Rajan who told me stories about Dilip Naik, the guitarist who played most of his opening riffs from Teesri Manzil onwards.

He used to narrate graphic stories about Sachin Dev Burman’s exploits with the tennis racket while he sipped his drink in the company of his senior K.N. (Niran) Prabhu, (Matunga Gym friend) K. Satyamurthy and Priya (Rajan’s lovely wife) after a hard day at work.

It was his encouragement—having given me a weekly column in the Bombay tabloid Afternoon Despatch & Courier (ADC)—that made me write on the game. His (tongue in cheek) quip then still rings in my ear: “You know son, cricketers should write their own columns.”

Whatever the opinions that people may have about Rajan, I will always remember him as not just one who loved the game as a passionate romantic but someone that understood Indian cricket.

Wherever he is, I know, for sure, he is in the company of his mates including Jaisimha sipping a drink and discussing whether two-sided bats, power-plays and the reverse sweep are good for cricket.

RIP Rajan: I will always miss you, and thanks for everything!

Also read: Rajan Bala, a stellar cricket writer, is no more

For our own cricket correspondent, Rajan Bala

Nach 15 Jahren in Berlin zieht der “Gipfel der Kreativität”, das alljährliche Festival des Art Directors Club (ADC), von der Spree nach Frankfurt am Main. Das Festival, in dessen Rahmen sich Werber, Designer, Illustratoren, Fotografen und andere Kreative zusammenfinden, gilt als das Wichtigste seiner Art, und der Einsatz der 15 Bewerberstädte, darunter Hamburg, Düsseldorf, München oder Außenseiter wie Bramsche/Osnabrück war entsprechend hoch: Zahlreiche Staatskanzleien, Ministerien und Dezernate trugen die Bewerbungen mit. Am Freitag wählten dann die zwölf Vorstände des ADC die Main-Metropole – im Schatten der Bankentürme blühe mehr Kultur und Subkultur, als viele denken.

Quelle. Focus

R.I.P., Brit.

When our 11 year old Shepherd/Lab mix lost her desire to play, we knew something wasn’t right; she was always ready to chase a Frisbee into the neighbor’s yard. Then we noticed her normal gait laced with a little clumsiness. But she was still so vibrant and alert! We had a hard time accepting that something could really be wrong. Then she stopped eating and we knew it was time to face our fears.

The doctor conducted several tests while we waited. Naturally we assumed something simple, like a toothache or a sore foot. In no way were we prepared for what the doctor was going to hit us with. He went over the test results and rattled off a few options, one of which he said should be implemented immediately. I glanced over to the dog laying helplessly on the exam-table, and my eyes began to water.

The tests concluded that she had liver failure. Surgery wasn’t an option, and the medicinal aids were nothing to get excited about. They would alleviate some of her pain, but they would only help to improve the quality of her life, not prolong it.

We took her home and cared for her like a child. She was, after all, a member of the family. A helpless baby who needed constant supervision. We provided that. In return for the love and devotion she’d given us over the years, it was a small, albeit heartbreaking, price to pay.

The next few weeks were horrible. An absolute roller coaster of emotion. We’d watch her health improve, then decline, then improve again. We thought she might be making a miraculous recovery. But when our once-big dog weighed in at 35 pounds, we knew she was only getting worse. She couldn’t stand up without falling over, and when she did, she couldn’t get up again. There was so much pain in her eyes we could barely stand to look at her. This affliction was killing all of us.

It was Thursday, March 1st , 2007. Her transition was scheduled to take place that evening, and I’m pretty sure she knew it. There was always something quite human about her ability to communicate and express her understanding. That’s why I was sure she knew it was coming. And that made it even harder on me.

After the rest of the family had gone for the day, the dog and I settled in on the couch. This is where we spent our final hours together, and they passed much too quickly. She stretched her neck as far as she could and rested her chin on my lap. I tried not to cry, but knowing this would be the last time I’d ever stroke her back made it impossible. Between my breathtaking sobs, I made sure to tell her how much we loved her, and how putting her down was the hardest decision we ever had to make. I needed her to understand that we didn’t want her to go, but prolonging her agony for our own selfish reasons just wasn’t fair. All the while she just stared at me. It was as if she was apologizing for causing us pain.

‘Goodbye’ is never an easy thing to say, regardless of who you’re saying it to. And this farewell was no exception. I sat brushing her coat and promised her we’d all be together again someday. I tried to smile as I told her about the Rainbow Bridge poem, but the tears of uncertainty wouldn’t allow it.

I’ve always been a very spiritual person, but even the most trusting soul with the strongest faith sometimes has doubts, and as I explained to our dog, my faith was being tested. So I asked her to let me know when she got there, wherever ‘there’ is. I was begging for a promise from a dog! A promise to send me a sign, to assure me she’d made her journey safely. I told her that she was the only one who could restore my faith while simultaneously comforting the family she’d be leaving behind. I looked into her eyes and explained how important this was to me. If I was going to live a happy, guilt-free life, I needed to know she was happy, and that she’d forgiven me for the choice I had to make. Looking past her eyes now, into her soul, I stressed the importance of this, and I just knew she understood. I needed her to send me that sign. And I knew if there was any possible way for her to contact me from Heaven, she would.

Later that night, our family sat around mourning the loss of our dog, questioning whether or not we did the right thing. Meanwhile, I looked around in desperate search of my sign. The one I knew she would send me if she really were in Heaven. But the sign didn’t come. It was absolutely heart wrenching. I prayed for hours, begging God to allow her to contact me. To send me a sign so unmistakable I couldn’t possibly pass it off as a coincidence. Something that would assure me our furry baby was finally at peace.

The next morning started out like any other, with one, big exception. There was no dog waiting by the door to go out. No barking for food. No slopping water all over the place, and no happy wiggle when I’d emerge from one room and walk into the one where she waited for me. I went to the computer like I always did, but she wasn’t there laying at my feet. My canine-shadow was gone. It had only been a few hours, and already life was so different. So empty.

I immediately pulled up one of my favorite websites – a psychic forum where gifted students continue to grow in their abilities by doing readings for one another. My reason for being there, of course, was to tell our story and ask if anyone could confirm our pet’s transition. But I never made it that far.

As soon as the page loaded, my eyes fell upon the most profound words in existence and I couldn’t look anywhere else. It was just another post in another thread on another forum, yet it was miraculous. One that covered me with chills from top to bottom, and made my impending tears explode.

The title of this particular post was “Britney’s Validation”. Our dog’s name was Britney.

I didn’t click on the link to read the post. Even if I were able to see through the tears, I knew that it was for someone else. But that title was mine. My tears of sorrow, guilt and remorse were now tears of joy and gratitude. Our Britney had made it to the Rainbow Bridge and would patiently be awaiting our arrival.