Instant View: June mortgage approvals slump in June

LONDON (Reuters) - British mortgage approvals and lending slumped in June, echoing broader economic weakness that month due to extra public holidays and very wet weather, Bank of England data showed on Monday.

ANALYSTS' VIEWS

ROSS WALKER, RBS:

"You see the broad money supply figures slowing, though it's a pretty erratic series, but it is now 3 percent annualised growth and it needs to be, over the medium term, probably more like 5 or 6 percent. It's probably running at about half the level that would over time be consistent with hitting the inflation target.

"The other thing that stood out was the net selling of gilts by non-residents, which you get in the detail of M4 numbers. We had the biggest net selling of gilts since April 2009 in June. We have had five months now of successive months of net selling. It might just be that overseas accounts are beginning to question the attractiveness of gilts at these levels."

TOM VOSA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK:

"June was a fairly wet month, so we had been looking for mortgage approvals to come in at around 45,000, principally on the basis that we didn't think many transactions would be taking place. But the softness that we've been seeing in lending data looks to be consistent with the idea that the tightening that we've seen, particularly on interest-only mortgages, has meant that homeowners are finding it increasingly difficult to get a mortgage. And it's consistent with the Hometrack data, which would now begin to show a cooling market in London and the south-east.

"Overall, we're still seeing a fall in net lending -- the banking system is still reducing credit. Really it shows you why the MPC decided to introduce the Funding for Lending scheme which starts in August. Until we get the credit channel freed up and growing, it's difficult to believe that we can get GDP growth of more than 1 percent.

"On Thursday, the MPC will only have had about two days of the Funding for Lending scheme and I think they will wait to see how that goes. We still think they'll cut rates in the second half of the year."

SAMUEL TOMBS, CAPITAL ECONOMICS:

"June's money and lending figures suggest that the financial sector is acting as an increasing drag on the economic recovery... The low level of consumer confidence and recent tightening of credit conditions suggest that approvals are likely to remain depressed in the second half of this year.

"Given our view that the euro zone crisis is likely to intensify, thereby weakening UK banks, we continue to expect weak money and credit growth to undermine the pace of the economic recovery for some time to come."

VICTORIA CLARKE, INVESTEC:

"This is a sharp drop in activity levels. The figures seem to have been hampered by weather and the Jubilee, which the Bank said they haven't adjusted for, but even so the readings are pretty gloomy and fit with the broader run of weak economic data and subdued data from the housing markets. We're back to pre-crisis levels. They're indicative really of households still being nervous, and credit lines still being tight. Any kind of recovery is still being put off.

"This data is for June, so it's not going to change this Thursday's policy decision. The Bank are aware of this weakness, but they are sitting back and appraising their efforts in terms of quantitative easing and the Funding for Lending scheme. They really are in wait-and-see mode now."

ADAM CHESTER, LLOYDS:

"The figures are clearly a bit weaker than expected. Mortgage approvals have been somewhat massaged by the weaker BBA numbers that we had. Nevertheless the money supply figures show monetary conditions continue to remain very challenging.

"Clearly these numbers won't yet have been impacted by the quantitative easing decision in July but I think it underscores the case for the Bank to continue to inject liquidity into the system. We expect the policy to remain unchanged this week."

KEY POINTS

Lowest number of mortgage approvals since Dec 2010

Lowest total net lending since July 2010 at 280 million pounds

Biggest net fall in mortgage lending secured on dwellings since December 2010 at -355 million pounds

Sharpest annual fall in M4 money supply since monthly records began in 1983

(Reporting by Sophie Kirby, Venetia Rainey, Tim Castle and Olesya Dmitracova)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/june-mortgage-approvals-slump-june-085311549--business.html

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Love Your Lair: You Must Try These Home Improvement Tips ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/07/love-your-lair-you-must-try-these-home-improvement-tips/

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Wine and Spirits Travel: New Finds and Old Favorites in Chicago

I try to make it in to Chicago as often as possible, but no
matter how often I do go there I always seem to find new things. In this case,
it wasn?t only the restaurants that were new to me. I was meeting with my
publisher, Dale Winespeare, at Cocktailsand Joints for the first time.


We checked into our rooms at The James Chicago, a hotel I
always loved for its modern comfort. This time they gave me a two bedroom suite,
which I settled quickly in before meeting Dale to go to Tavernita, a new restaurant with an exciting
new cocktail program.



Tavernita doesn?t just make unusual cocktails for individual
customers, they make cocktails for kegs. They also make their own sangrias and
sodas, and serve wine on tap. We were lucky enough to get to try a little bit
of everything and I was quite impressed.


I liked the Booty Collins, consisting of green tea-infused
Absolut Vodka, passion fruit, lemon and cayenne. I also loved the nutty flavor
of the Comandante Big Nose with hibiscus-infused Cruzan Rum, macadamia liqueur,
falernum, lime and nutmeg.? The Jay &
Tay is gin and tonic, in this case Plymouth Gin blended perfectly with a
homemade tonic ? that contains agave syrup and allspice.



I preferred the Red Sangria (which has some Hennessy Cognac
in it) to the white. As for the sodas, the Ginger Chile Ale is a must try, made
with fresh ginger, guindilla orange and blossom honey.


We tried a sampling of food, including the Croquettes,
little sandwiches filled with ham and cheese, and Greg?s Meatballs, which are
made from beef and pork and have a hazelnut romesco sauce which is quite spicy.
My favorite food item was the Grilled Queso, with aged cheddar, tomato
marmalade and brioche toast. Dale enjoyed the snapper, with artichokes, basil
and pine nuts.



We headed back to The James where I met with Jamie to learn
more about some of the exciting programs the hotel has going.? She told me about the seasonal menu changes
at David Burke?s Primehouse, as well as the Tails in the City program for pets,
and the Paul Frank?PJ program for kids.?
There is also now something at The James I find particularly
fascinating, the In-Room Cocktail Experience.



All of the rooms at the hotel now have supplies, including a
glass with recipes, to make your own cocktails. For under $30 (not including
the liquor), you can receive all the mixings and garnishes for some of your
favorite drinks. You can even learn how to make them right with a private
mixology lesson.



Dinner was at III Forks, restaurant in the new Lakeshore
East neighborhood. This large, modern place was very busy (even during the
week), and it?s no wonder with a huge wine list, interesting cocktails and a
varied menu that is also filled with great steak options. They also have a rooftop where you can get drinks and snacks, with a breathtaking view of the Chicago Skyline.



Dale started with an amazing crab cake and continued with
the Chicken Fried Steak, a dish that he couldn?t possible finish. I had the
onion soup and Tenderloin Tips, which were definitely tender and flavorful. We shared
some sides, the best of which was the Sweet Potato Hash (I took the leftovers
and couldn?t wait to have them the next day) and Six Cheese Potatoes.



It was tough to even think about dessert, but we were glad
we sampled the cheesecake and pecan cake before heading back to The James for
the night.

Source: http://www.wineandspiritstravel.com/2012/07/new-finds-and-old-favorites-in-chicago.html

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vallih: Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles Guard, poses with @DennyHamlin, #NASCAR #NFL http://t.co/2kidwKqb

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/vallih/statuses/230010061240541184

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??? ???? ?????? ?????? Sufi News and Sufism World Report: Sufis and ...

Sufis and Scholars of the Sea - Book ReviewYemen Post Staff 28th July 2012
There is a need to understand the Indian Ocean area as a cultural complex which should be analyzed beyond the geographical division of Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, and South-East Asia, as its coastal population intermingled constantly. Family networks in East Africa (1860 ? 192, originating in the South Yemeni region of Hadhramawt, the Alawi tariqa, mainly spread along the coast of the Indian Ocean. The book discusses the renowned scholar, Ahmed b. Sumayt. The "Alawis" are portrayed as one of several cultural mediators in the multi-ethnic, multi- religious Indian Ocean world in the era of European colonialism.

*
Indian Ocean had a profound influence on the lives of the people who lived on its shores. Fishermen, sailors, and merchants traveled its waters linking the world`s earlier civilizations from Africa to East Asia in a complex web of relationship.
Trade under-pinned these relationships but the Ocean was also a highway for the exchange of religions cultures and technologies, giving the Indian Ocean an identity as a largely self-contained world. It was the expansion of Hinduism Buddhism, and Islam helped to define the boundaries of the "world" which by the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was one of the most prosperous and culturally complex regions on earth.
By the sixteenth century, Europeans were part of this "world" as partners in trade with the indigenous peoples. But from eighteenth century this economic relationship changed as the economies of the Indian Ocean "world" integrated with the capitalist economies of the West. The change from commercialism to capitalism ended the insularity of the Indian Ocean "world" and began its integration, as region, into the global economy and its territorial division among various European powers. This transition altered the ancient web of regional cultures. The Ocean was no longer a major force binding the peoples on its shores in a self-conscious entity, but the legacy of the past is still evident in their common religious, cultural and historical experience.
Mwambao is the Swahili name for the East African Coast, the chosen habitat of the Swahili people. The Swahili were called Coast People by the Arabs, and the Swahili Coast was being referred to as "Murudi al Dahab" or Golden Pastures. Numerous bays, creeks, and inlets resulting from coral rock being eaten away by the sea, providing excellent harbors e.g. near Mtwapa, Kilifi, Mombasa and Vanga while the majority of the rivers are in Mozambique. The entire coast is composed of coral rock and most of it provides soft beaches, useful for landing of small crafts. The presence of water in Lamu, for example, helped to cool the hot coast climate; the choice of site ensured a maximum of fresh breeze from the sea upon the sandstone rock.
Regular rainfall has given the coast and the islands south of Equator rich vegetation, unlike the arid Somali coast north of it. Regular trade winds brought sailors and traders in search of resins, and gums for carpentry furniture making, cosmetics, perfume etc. Mangrove poles growing abundantly in the Lamu archipelago were used for ship building and roof beams. Of the animal products, ivory, rhino horn and tine cat perfume were the most sought artifacts already in antiquity. Of mineral products it has been export market for gold, while Ethiopia exported gems such as emeralds, and after year 1100 also coffee.
Arabs were traveling to East Africa with the monsoon from South Arabia and Gulf even in pre-Christian times. The earliest inscriptions were found on the island of Zanzibar c. 1070 AD. There is also the oldest datable discovered mosque in East Africa. Arabs continued to visit the Coast and to settle there throughout the centuries as individual traders, or as empire builders accompanied by large families, or establishing themselves as independent rulers. The Arab were known by their family names, some of which they have planted in African soil. They were identified by the region, Yemen, Oman, Hadhramawt or even by the name of towns, Muscat, Shihr, Mukelle, Aden from which they sprang, even though they may have lived in Africa for generations. They made Pate, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa and other towns their home.
Mombasa, in the land of the Zanji, boasted wonderful orchards, which contained lemons and banana trees, all of which still grow, and rose apples. Carpets lay on the floors of the guest house. The meal consisted of rice, cooked or fried in butter, dishes of meat, fowl, fish and vegetables, pickles, lemons, bananas, ginger, and mangoes. Similar meals are still served in the Swahili tows today. There were mosques built in coral stones. The Arabs functioned as teachers and preachers, traders or rulers on all parts along the Swahili Coast bringing their own Arabic textbooks for prayer sessions, and hymns to be sung in the mosques.
The numerous elegant dhows connected the colorful ports of the Swahili Coast. Then the creeks were filled with dhows blown down by the monsoons, dhows of all shapes and rigs from Lamu, Bombay, Persian Gulf and from Arabia, some high and dry, some in repair. The dhows, known also as the Silent Wanderers of the sea, were patiently awaiting the southern breezes to blow them back to their homes.
Long ago before petroleum was discovered in the Middle East, incense, fragrant resins, spices and perfumed wood dominated Arab trade. Southern Arabia as the centre of trade prospered and its maritime history is the subject of tales. The talk would be incomplete without mentioning "the Yemeni era", which was an intensely human and cultural civilization that promoted and enriched various facets of social, economic and political life of East Africa. They participated actively in various dimensions of the emerging civilization, including domestic and international trade, underpinned by their vast experience in traveling the world seas.
"Sufis and Scholars of the Sea" is an important text which synthesizes chronological and historic graphical range into its compact frame. The work researches the directly relevant histories of Hadhramawt, Oman and East Africa during 1860 ? 1925 through the life of one of the most influential Hadhrami East African scholar of that period Ahmed B. Sumayt.
Zanzibar`s future, an island off the coast of present day Tanzania, thus was shaped by its geographical position, right in the middle of the Indian Ocean trade routes. It is a place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses, whose original owners viewed each other over the extravagance of their dwellings. It boasts not only natural beauty, rich culture, and breathtaking architecture. Zanzibar during Ibn Sumayt`s time emerged as an important centre of learning in East Africa eclipsing previous centers such as Lamu and Mombasa.
Today Zanzibar is also the name of a town in southern Yemen while Yemeni jewelry is sold in the shops of Zanzibar. Unlike Oman, Hadhramawt (a governorate in the present Republic of Yemen) does not have a history of a colonial power in the Indian Ocean. Hadhramawt is known for its continuous export of people to the land of the Indian Ocean, including the East African coast. They were religious scholars, traders, cultural brokers, whose impact on both recipient and home country is a topic which has aroused much interest in recent years.
To them, the Ocean was no barrier rather a long established arena for cultural and intellectual exchange. With them traveled goods and ideas, word of mouth, and word in writing, fashion, habits, linguistic patterns, and seeds for new agricultural crops. They left their imprint on the place, the most notable being the religion of Islam, and absorbed cultural elements that were not Arab in origin. The Indian Ocean ports were not distant exotic cities but actual real places, and where the human chain, the "silsila", extended through space and time. This is the "world" into which we enter with A.K Bang`s "Sufis and Scholars of the Sea".
The topic of this fine scholarly study is the scholarly exchange of ideas between Hadhramawt and East Africa. It is the history of Islam during the nineteenth and early twenties century. The study beautifully reconstructs the channels through which "Alawis", a Sufi tariqa, originated in the South Yemeni region of Hadhramawt spread along the coast of the Indian Ocean. It discusses and focuses on life of one of the most influential Hadhrami ? East African scholars of the period Ahmed B. Sumayt. Thru Ibn Sumayt`s life, it explores how links were maintained, reinforced, and how their "world" related to other ideas emerging at the same time. How they formed a tight knit, a transoceanic network of individuals linked together by blood, and common experience, which remained open until well into the twentieth century when colonial frontiers came to be decisive factors, when the peoples actually transformed themselves into nations.
It researches what the "Alawis" actually thought in East Africa, what inspired their teachings, its explores their scholarly links, and further the impact of Hadhrami Alawis on nineteenth century East African scriptural Islam. It places the highly scriptural widely traveled and deeply learned tradition of Hadhramawt in East Africa in the frame work of Islamic learning.
The Alawis were traveling widely for seeking out knowledge beyond their local communities, and in Ibn Sumayt`s case, in his mature years he traveled equally wide to spread knowledge. As result families became not only transoceanic, but also trans-regional. Time flies and things change: as nineteenth century drew closer, the Alawis in East Africa, like their fellow residents in the Indian Ocean shores, were exposed to European colonialism.
The central figure of this research, Ahmed B. Abo Bakr b. Sumayt (1860? 1925)-
was one of the most prominent Hadhrami-East African scholars of that period. Born in the Comoro Islands, to a father who had immigrated from Hadramawt, Ibn Sumayt returned to his father?s homeland. But he achieved his greatest fame in East Africa, as a pious man, a scholar, and qadi in Zanzibar. As East Africa came under colonial rule he earned great respect from those British administrators who came into contact with him. It was he - who made them appreciate the true Arab reactions - to foreign rule.
.
Through focusing on the life of Ibn Sumayt and his life within a network, it presents the life "in the middle", of a "man in the middle". Ibn Sumayt is the link between sail ships and oil tankers, between the empires of the monsoon, via the period of European imperialism, and the ear of the notion states. Especially the later half of the nineteenth century when he saw European influence in East Africa and British influence in Zanzibar.

Ibn Sumayt was also a reformer and teacher, at the same time fully aware of developments in the Middle East. We meet him as propagator of improved agricultural methods, and even discussing new breed of crops with friends. However, Ibn Sumayt`s importance lays in his work as qadi and how the Ulama found their place in the "colonial space" as active partners. Ibn Sumayt is presented here as pious and learned man - yet intensely human, who possessed a reputation which extended far beyond the limits of Zanzibar.
"Sufis and Scholars of the Sea" is well researched, focused in excellent presented. It will be of interest to scholars, researchers, students but also as general reading to all those interested in the role and contribution of the Yemeni Hadhrami Arab scholars to the history and culture of the Indian Ocean.
Book Reference
Anne K Bang ? Sufis and Scholars of the Sea, Published by RoutledgeCurzon
ISBN 0-415-31763-0
About Anne K Bang
Is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Bergen, Norway. Historian of Islamic societies with a special focus on Arabia and the Muslim communities of Eastern Africa as well as the wider Indian Ocean rim. Her research has primarily focused on factors that cause ritual and devotional life, intellectual discourses and political ideologies to change in different Muslim societies. Focusing on the Muslim societies of the Indian Ocean (east/southeast Africa) and Southeast Asia her research has mainly focused on migration and cosmopolitan Muslim societies and the ensuing family- trade- and scholarly networks. She has also worked on Islamic education and on the transmission of scriptural cultural heritage in Africa. In addition, she has worked on the role of Norwegian traders in during the colonial era. She has published several books and articles on these topics.
Irena Knehtl, Sana`a, Yemen

Source: http://sufinews.blogspot.com/2012/07/sufis-and-scholars-of-sea.html

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New coating evicts biofilms for good

Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Patrick Rutter
mrutter@seas.harvard.edu
617-496-3815
Harvard University

Slippery technology shown to prevent more than 99 percent of harmful bacterial slime from forming on surfaces

Cambridge, Mass. July 30, 2012 Biofilms may no longer have any solid ground upon which to stand.

A team of Harvard scientists has developed a slick way to prevent the troublesome bacterial communities from ever forming on a surface. Biofilms stick to just about everything, from copper pipes to steel ship hulls to glass catheters. The slimy coatings are more than just a nuisance, resulting in decreased energy efficiency, contamination of water and food supplies, andespecially in medical settingspersistent infections. Even cavities in teeth are the unwelcome result of bacterial colonies.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lead coauthors Joanna Aizenberg, Alexander Epstein, and Tak-Sing Wong coated solid surfaces with an immobilized liquid film to trick the bacteria into thinking they had nowhere to attach and grow.

"People have tried all sorts of things to deter biofilm build-uptextured surfaces, chemical coatings, and antibiotics, for example," says Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. "In all those cases, the solutions are short-lived at best. The surface treatments wear off, become covered with dirt, or the bacteria even deposit their own coatings on top of the coating intended to prevent them. In the end, bacteria manage to settle and grow on just about any solid surface we can come up with."

Taking a completely different approach, the researchers used their recently developed technology, dubbed SLIPS (Slippery-Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) to effectively create a hybrid surface that is smooth and slippery due to the liquid layer that is immobilized on it.

First described in the September 22, 2011, issue of the journal Nature, the super-slippery surfaces have been shown to repel both water- and oil-based liquids and even prevent ice or frost from forming.

"By creating a liquid-infused structured surface, we deprive bacteria of the static interface they need to get a grip and grow together into biofilms," says Epstein, a recent Ph.D. graduate who worked in Aizenberg's lab at the time of the study.

"In essence, we turned a once bacteria-friendly solid surface into a liquid one. As a result, biofilms cannot cling to the material, and even if they do form, they easily 'slip' off under mild flow conditions," adds Wong, a researcher at SEAS and a Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss Institute.

Aizenberg and her collaborators reported that SLIPS reduced by 96% the formation of three of the most notorious, disease-causing biofilmsPseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureusover a 7-day period.

The technology works in both a static environment and under flow, or natural conditions, making it ideally suited for coating implanted medical devices that interact with bodily fluids. The coated surfaces can also combat bacterial growth in environments with extreme pH levels, intense ultraviolet light, and high salinity.

SLIPS is also nontoxic, readily scalable, andmost importantlyself-cleaning, needing nothing more than gravity or a gentle flow of liquid to stay unsoiled. As previously demonstrated with a wide variety of liquids and solids, including blood, oil, and ice, everything seems to slip off surfaces treated with the technology.

To date, this may be the first successful test of a nontoxic synthetic surface that can almost completely prevent the formation of biofilms over an extended period of time. The approach may find application in medical, industrial, and consumer products and settings.

In future studies, the researchers aim to better understand the mechanisms involved in preventing biofilms. In particular, they are interested in whether any bacteria transiently attach to the interface and then slip off, if they just float above the surface, or if any individuals can remain loosely attached.

"Biofilms have been amazing at outsmarting us. And even when we can attack them, we often make the situation worse with toxins or chemicals. With some very cool, nature-inspired design tricks we are excited about the possibility that biofilms may have finally met their match," concludes Aizenberg.

###

Aizenberg and Epstein's coauthors included Rebecca A. Belisle, research fellow at SEAS, and Emily Marie Boggs '13, an undergraduate biomedical engineering concentrator at Harvard College. The authors acknowledge support from the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research; the Croucher Foundation; and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Patrick Rutter
mrutter@seas.harvard.edu
617-496-3815
Harvard University

Slippery technology shown to prevent more than 99 percent of harmful bacterial slime from forming on surfaces

Cambridge, Mass. July 30, 2012 Biofilms may no longer have any solid ground upon which to stand.

A team of Harvard scientists has developed a slick way to prevent the troublesome bacterial communities from ever forming on a surface. Biofilms stick to just about everything, from copper pipes to steel ship hulls to glass catheters. The slimy coatings are more than just a nuisance, resulting in decreased energy efficiency, contamination of water and food supplies, andespecially in medical settingspersistent infections. Even cavities in teeth are the unwelcome result of bacterial colonies.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lead coauthors Joanna Aizenberg, Alexander Epstein, and Tak-Sing Wong coated solid surfaces with an immobilized liquid film to trick the bacteria into thinking they had nowhere to attach and grow.

"People have tried all sorts of things to deter biofilm build-uptextured surfaces, chemical coatings, and antibiotics, for example," says Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. "In all those cases, the solutions are short-lived at best. The surface treatments wear off, become covered with dirt, or the bacteria even deposit their own coatings on top of the coating intended to prevent them. In the end, bacteria manage to settle and grow on just about any solid surface we can come up with."

Taking a completely different approach, the researchers used their recently developed technology, dubbed SLIPS (Slippery-Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) to effectively create a hybrid surface that is smooth and slippery due to the liquid layer that is immobilized on it.

First described in the September 22, 2011, issue of the journal Nature, the super-slippery surfaces have been shown to repel both water- and oil-based liquids and even prevent ice or frost from forming.

"By creating a liquid-infused structured surface, we deprive bacteria of the static interface they need to get a grip and grow together into biofilms," says Epstein, a recent Ph.D. graduate who worked in Aizenberg's lab at the time of the study.

"In essence, we turned a once bacteria-friendly solid surface into a liquid one. As a result, biofilms cannot cling to the material, and even if they do form, they easily 'slip' off under mild flow conditions," adds Wong, a researcher at SEAS and a Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss Institute.

Aizenberg and her collaborators reported that SLIPS reduced by 96% the formation of three of the most notorious, disease-causing biofilmsPseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureusover a 7-day period.

The technology works in both a static environment and under flow, or natural conditions, making it ideally suited for coating implanted medical devices that interact with bodily fluids. The coated surfaces can also combat bacterial growth in environments with extreme pH levels, intense ultraviolet light, and high salinity.

SLIPS is also nontoxic, readily scalable, andmost importantlyself-cleaning, needing nothing more than gravity or a gentle flow of liquid to stay unsoiled. As previously demonstrated with a wide variety of liquids and solids, including blood, oil, and ice, everything seems to slip off surfaces treated with the technology.

To date, this may be the first successful test of a nontoxic synthetic surface that can almost completely prevent the formation of biofilms over an extended period of time. The approach may find application in medical, industrial, and consumer products and settings.

In future studies, the researchers aim to better understand the mechanisms involved in preventing biofilms. In particular, they are interested in whether any bacteria transiently attach to the interface and then slip off, if they just float above the surface, or if any individuals can remain loosely attached.

"Biofilms have been amazing at outsmarting us. And even when we can attack them, we often make the situation worse with toxins or chemicals. With some very cool, nature-inspired design tricks we are excited about the possibility that biofilms may have finally met their match," concludes Aizenberg.

###

Aizenberg and Epstein's coauthors included Rebecca A. Belisle, research fellow at SEAS, and Emily Marie Boggs '13, an undergraduate biomedical engineering concentrator at Harvard College. The authors acknowledge support from the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research; the Croucher Foundation; and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/hu-nce073012.php

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Pieces of Me Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts: Christmas in July!

Check out this goldmine of a Pinterest find! Vintage clip art for traditional and digital scrapbooking, cardmaking and crafts.

I'm in love with the sheet music above! It would be awesome for Christmas cardmaking.

You can find this and tons more at?vintagefeedsacks.blogspot.com
Here's a direct link to the sheet music.?Christmas sheet music

Source: http://piecesofmepapercrafts.blogspot.com/2012/07/christmas-in-july.html

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In jam, Romney tries not to make new Iran policy

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pauses next to the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pauses next to the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is presented with a booklet as he visits the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pauses as he visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney wears a yarmulke as he visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, left, and Israel's President Shimon Peres, meet at the President's residence in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 29, 2012. Romney would back an Israeli military strike against Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear capability, a top foreign policy adviser said early Sunday, outlining the aggressive posture the Republican presidential candidate will take toward Iran in a speech in Israel later in the day.(AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun, Pool)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Mitt Romney tried to pull back Sunday from making new American policy on Iran, distancing himself from an adviser's assertion that the U.S. presidential candidate would "respect" an Israeli decision for unilateral military action to prevent Tehran from gaining nuclear capability.

Hours after the aide previewed Romney's upcoming foreign policy speech in Jerusalem, Romney backpedaled and said, "I'll use my own words and that is I respect the right of Israel to defend itself and we stand with Israel. We're two nations that come together in peace and that want to see Iran being dissuaded from its nuclear folly."

The address by the Republican challenger to President Barack Obama was promoted as the centerpiece of a weeklong trip abroad designed to burnish his foreign policy credentials and highlight his ability to lead on the world stage. But the mixed signals on Iran could undermine that goal.

"Because I'm on foreign soil, I don't want to be creating new foreign policy for my country or in any way to distance myself from the foreign policy of our nation, but we respect the right of a nation to defend itself," the former Massachusetts governor told CBS' "Face the Nation" a few hours before the speech.

Obama has affirmed the right of Israel to defend itself, while also warning of the consequences of an Israeli strike on Iran.

"Already, there is too much loose talk of war," Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March. "Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built."

The Romney adviser, Dan Senor, told reporters earlier in previewing the address that "if Israel has to take action on its own, in order to stop Iran from developing the capability, the governor would respect that decision." He said Romney is careful to note that he believes preventing nuclear "capability," not just a nuclear weapon, is critical.

Senor later clarified his comments in a written statement, saying that the candidate "believes we should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is his fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so. In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded."

Romney said in the interview that "we should use every diplomatic and political vehicle that's available to us to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear-capable state. Those actions should be executed with the greatest speed we could muster. ... If all those options fail then we do have other options and we don't take those other options off the table."

Romney has said he will do "the opposite" of what Obama would do in his approach to Israel. The Obama administration hasn't ruled out the military option, but Obama has so far been relying on economic sanctions and diplomatic negotiations to discourage Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

"Are there differences between us? Of course. But being on foreign soil, particularly being here in Israel, this isn't the time for me to draft those out," Romney said.

In his speech, the candidate tells Israelis that "make no mistake: The ayatollahs in Tehran are testing our moral defenses. They want to know who will object, and who will look the other way."

According to excerpts released by the campaign before the speech, Romney says his message "to the people of Israel and the leaders of Iran is one and the same: I will not look away; and neither will my country."

While the address was before an audience of Israelis, the message was aimed squarely at Jewish and evangelical Christian voters in the United States as he tried to highlight policy differences with Obama.

He says the nuclear threat has increased in recent years and that Iran's claims that its program is for peaceful purposes "are belied by years of malign deceptions."

"The conduct of Iran's leaders gives us no reason to trust them with nuclear material," he says in the speech, which followed a series of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Romney, who received a warm welcome Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he has a "zero tolerance" policy toward Iran obtaining the capability to build a nuclear weapon.

Pentagon officials have spoken publicly about the difficulty of such a strike and American officials have expressed concern about the destabilizing effect such military action could have in the region, even if carried out successfully.

Iran says it is not interested in nuclear weapons and its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes. The Israelis say they are considering a strike because they fear Iran could be moving its nuclear enrichment sites further underground, out of reach of the weapons Israel has available.

Romney's embrace of Israel was on display Sunday as he met with leaders and visited the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism.

Wearing a yarmulke, the candidate was mobbed by worshippers as he walked down to pray and place a note into one of the wall's crevices.

Earlier, Netanyahu welcomed Romney as "a representative of the United States" and told the Republican that he agrees with his approach to the Iranian nuclear threat.

"Mitt, I couldn't agree with you more," Netanyahu said.

"We have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian program by one iota. And that's why I believe that we need a strong and credible military threat coupled with the sanctions to have a chance to change that situation," Netanyahu said.

Romney also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Iran's nuclear program has become the most pressing problem for the U.S. and Israel. Republicans have criticized the Democratic president for putting too much pressure on Israel in the peace process and being too weak on Iran.

Obama rejects the criticism, and his aides point to what they call unprecedented U.S.-Israeli security cooperation.

Romney arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday night after a difficult few days in Britain, where he made the mistake of criticizing the host country's management of the Olympic Games. The gaffe undermined the stated goal of his weeklong journey through Britain, Israel and Poland ? emphasizing America's ties with longstanding allies.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-29-Romney-Israel/id-7e206a5ba0d24d86a0f1f96ce432f72d

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Sen. McCaskill trails GOP challengers badly in Missouri

Even the weakest GOP senate primary candidate bests the incumbent by 5 points.

National Journal:

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) trails all three of her potential Republican rivals, according to a new survey conducted for two Missouri news outlets, cementing her status as this cycle's most vulnerable incumbent.

Businessman John Brunner (R) holds the largest advantage over McCaskill, leading by a 52 perent to 41 percent margin. Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) leads by a 49 percent to 41 percent margin. And Rep. Todd Akin (R) leads by a 49 percent to 44 percent margin.

McCaskill's big problems come among independent voters. She scores just 40 percent among independents against Akin, and she's mired in the mid-30s when she's matched up with Brunner and Steelman. And while McCaskill has said she would like President Obama to campaign with her, Obama wouldn't be much of an advantage -- the poll shows Obama trails Mitt Romney by a 51 percent to 42 percent margin.

The poll shows Brunner leading the Republican primary with 33 percent, compared with Steelman at 27 percent, Akin at 17 percent and five other candidates lagging far behind. Though this is his first run for office against two long-time elected officials, Brunner has bolstered his name recognition by spending millions on advertising introducing himself to Missouri voters.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Research polled 625 likely Missouri voters between July 23 and 25 for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and News 4. The poll has a 4-point margin of error, meaning the Brunner's and Steelman's leads over McCaskill are statistically significant. The poll surveyed oversamples of 400 Republican and Democratic primary voters, each of which carry a 5 percent margin of error.

McCaskill's biggest asset -- her personal favorability -- isn't as big as she may have hoped. Just 37 percent of Missouri voters have a favorable impression of the first-term Democrat, while 44 percent see her unfavorably.

All three Republicans have lower favorable ratings as they build their name recognition, giving McCaskill the opportunity to boost their negatives. And she's trying -- McCaskill has debuted negative ads against all three candidates (Though her ad against Akin looks more like a positive spot aimed at boosting him in the Republican primary).

McCaskill may be the most vulnerable incumbent, but there are several open races with retiring Democratic senators that appear likely to fall to Republicans.

But as far as a takeover? of the senate by the GOP, that prospect is still iffy. Intrade gives the GOP a bare 51% chance to win the senate. Many Democratic incumbents have been spending heavily and appear to be shoring up their position. They will have more money than their challengers and it will be an uphill battle for many GOP candidates to defeat their Democratic rival.

Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/07/sen_mccaskill_trails_gop_challengers_badly_in_missouri.html

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VoIP market continues to grow, $65 billion projected by year's end ...

This post was written by Steve Bennett

The VoIP market continues to grow and will reach $65 billion by years end.

Traditional telephone solutions have one foot in the business technology grave. The rise of VoIP solutions, which offers lower costs and better communication options, have created a strong new market that many companies are taking advantage of. The new technology is also far reaching on a global level.

Business information and research firm Visiongain, released a new report on July 26 that looked at the global VoIP market. According to the study, spending on internet-based phone solutions will reach $65 billion by the end of 2012. There are a number of options and providers in the market, but as a whole the VoIP landscape has a positive trend in front of it.

"VoIP simultaneously represents a huge threat to mobile operators as well as a significant opportunity for growth and the only barrier to success lies with strategy," says the report. "VoIP can no longer be throttled by operators, instead it must be adopted and the telecoms landscape must change in accordance."

According to the report, continued financial uncertainty and slow economic recovery has caused companies to perform a closer examination of budgets and spending, which has created the market place of VoIP growth. As traditional phone systems lose traction with businesses, those companies need new resources and the internet-based communications system market is benefiting.

Investing in a VoIP system can benefit a number enterprises in any vertical. Businesses in Ohio that are interested in deploying a VoIP phone system would be wise to partner with an IT consulting firm to get prepared to implement a BYOD policy.

From our offices in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, PRO OnCall is your single-source technology consulting service, offering managed IT support, unified communications solutions and on-call IT support.

No related posts.

Source: http://www.prooncall.com/voip-market-continues-to-grow-65-billion-projected-by-years-end/

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Relationship Thread

Cain Montgomery
|45|Power Transference|Power Development & Detention Master|Noctrem Academy|

? = Romantic Interest
? = Likes/Finds Interesting
? = Bored by
? = Cannot fucking stand

Students:

• Eleanor Carson: ? Telepathy isn?t an easy gig. Can you imagine what it would be like if everyone were a telepath? People need subterfuge, regardless of what certain moralizing ass-hats might argue. Speaking of which, I love the fact that she?ll actually get into it with me. So many of these Arcana kids are so willing to roll over.
• Addison Lawler: ? Interesting power? Check. Not a coward? Check. Probably going to end up knocked-up by the end of the term? Check.
• Ashleigh Fox: ? What can I say about Ashleigh? Apparently, not very much.
• Corentine Quellen: ? We are allowed to have favorites, right? (Like I care.) Hands down one of the most deadly kids around, and she?s got this alpha-bitch thing going on that makes me think she?d gladly drive the bus that hit Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls. Oh. Spoiler alert.
• Morgan Janssen: ?/? It varies from day to day. Her effervescence can range from annoying to extremely grating depending on how hung-over I am, but she?s got this inner skank-bitch that I can?t help but be intrigued by and want to bring out as often as possible.
• Isabella Dorson: ? If only her power weren?t so absurdly boring. I mean, yeah, people are scared of it, why wouldn?t they be? But it isn?t exactly interesting. What is interesting is her philosophy regarding it.
• Allison Mccray: ? She would have done well at Noctrem. I don?t think Leo managed to ruin her yet, which is impressive given how deep his virtuous claws have managed to sink into some of these kids. Middling power, but, she?s her own person. That?s kind of a super-power all its own. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth saying that.
• Skylar Byrnes: ? Ah, Skylar. He makes making fun of him incredibly easy, and yet still seems astonished when I do it. If you?re going to spend more time on your hair than any girl in the school, don?t be surprised when I ask you to say hi to Rachel Zoe for me. That being said, I like the kid. He?s got spunk (the metaphorical kind? well, probably the literal kind too, actually), and his power is one of what I consider ?The Classic Villain Powers?.
• Lauryn Chase: ? Sweet Mary and Joseph. I actually want to hug this girl. She doesn't whine, she doesn't flatter, she's just an intelligent young woman who has her priorities straight, and it's a fucking breath of fresh air compared to most of these mouth-breathers. Her power is among the more interesting boring powers- what impresses me the most about her is that she'd rather work on fine-tuning her psychometry than removing the inconvenience of it triggering off any bare-skin touch. Why? Because she was smart enough to buy a pair of gloves.
• Eriol Adelart: ?/? No one should have a power like that. I just... the kid could be a god, if he wanted to. Fortunately he seems more interested in being a nuisance. I encourage this because it amuses me, and because it makes me feel like he isn't going to appear in my bedroom one night and kill me in my sleep. Jesus.
• Theodore McCaffry: ? Okay, maybe there is one person who was hit harder by Noctrem burning down than me. This kid has issues, but he also has plenty of reason to have issues. I would know, being the one who found him dumpster-diving and traded him a ham sandwich for his life story. I can?t really teach him much, but I worry about him. He thinks he has everyone fooled, and he does have a lot of them fooled. I actually think being at Arcana might be the best thing for him right now.
• Drake Quellen: ? This boy occasionally brings a nostalgic tear to my eye. He's a lot like me, only more driven, which means that someday he'll probably actually do some fairly amazing things. He's one of the students that I'm proud of, and I don't mind at all that he looks to me as a mentor. I mean, if I were actually a good mentor, I'd probably encourage him to find one that isn't me, but I'm selfish that way.
• Lilian Daniels: ? Powers like hers just irritate me. I can't really help her get better at the power itself, so I have to focus on building up the supplemental skills that will help her make better use of it. Her diffidence doesn't help matters at all. The girl has all the appeal of unflavored yogurt.
• Jade Locke: ? Oh, Jade. You know, I did get around an awful lot around the time she was conceived. I?ve never asked her about her family, because I frankly don?t care, but I sometimes wonder if I might actually be her deadbeat dad. We?re uncannily alike, and she?s a teek, which is always enjoyable. Incidentally, she always has the best weed.
• Griffin Jacobs: ? Griff is a very sensible young man. He's kept to a little agreement we made when he first came to Noctrem about what would happen to his testicles if I ever caught him using his power on me, so I can't really dislike him. His Persuasion is obviously among the top contenders, and he's got a great handle on a lot of aspects of it, so I try to get him to think outside the box with it.
• Zac Barnes: ? Another feisty Arcana kid with a cool power. It amuses me deeply that he tries to use it to shirk schoolwork. I combat this by helping him get better at using it to shirk schoolwork, so that he has no interest in dicking off in my class.
• Izaiah Dorson: ?/? So, funny story. First day of class after the combination, I manage to make this kid so nervous that he falls through his chair. Not out of it. Through it. While the goody-two-shoes thing gets old pretty fast, he does have a competitive streak that I feel duty-bound to encourage by pitting him against other students whenever I can.
• William Pond: ?/? Confession time: I'm one of those guys who has no interest in keeping up with technology. I long for the days of vinyl records and actually having conversations, so the current generation's obsession with instant-messaging and texting just enrages me. As a result, I have a hard time with William's power. I've tried it out a few times, and it's one of the few I've ever felt remotely inadequate using. He seems just fine diddling away on his laptop in my class though, so, whatever.
• Elijah Claymore: ? Cool power, boring kid. That would pretty much sum it up if I could ignore the fact that he has the potential to be a great Power Control teacher someday. Even though I sometimes find myself wanting to strangle him for being so insipidly nice, I haven't given up just yet.
• Freya Mason: ? I?m working really hard to turn this girl into the second coming of Cupid, I really am. I?m proud of Frey. She?s come a long way, and before long, she?s gonna be able to really fuck with people. I?m a little jealous how much chaos she can create as it is.
• Marcurio Espenosa: ? Flattery will get you everywhere, Mercutio, and fart jokes too. One of my favorites who isn't a budding psychopath. This might largely stem from the fact that I get to requisition human cadavers for my class now.
• Erin Hawthorne: ? NOW. ERIN. SMASH. Sorry. I couldn?t help myself. Erin is? complicated, both in and of herself, and as a student. All I can really try to help her with is control; not letting the beast out when she doesn?t want to, and tapping into it when she isn?t pissed off. Fortunately I can snag her ability in a pinch, but? it isn?t really something I enjoy doing.
• Colby Haskins: ? Arcana really had to get the speedster, huh? And boy did they get him. This kid makes me feel like Wile E. Coyote plotting to catch the Roadrunner. I'm not being metaphorical, I literally sometimes sketch out elaborate plans to trap him, because if he doesn't want me to, I can't touch him. Weirdly enough, when he does land in detention, he doesn't put up much of a fight about me taking it.
• Kaliyah Rickerson: ? I?ve actually never seen this power before, and it?s a lot of fun to mess around with. Kali seems to have a good head on her shoulder, too. Can?t help but approve of this one.
• Amariah Conner: ? Eh. She seems to like to keep things professional, which I don't really mind because she's dull as paste. I'm trying to get her to hone in on some of the more subtle applications of her ability, since the unsubtle ones come so naturally.
• Keirol Rancora: ? It slices! It dices! It also makes Julienne fries! On a more serious note, I enjoy both his testy, instinctive nature and his ability. I don't enjoy how far up Leo's butt he is. It brings a whole new meaning to the term "teacher's pet", and frankly, he could do a lot better than that moralizing walking corpse. Also, if you're going to make up a fake-name, you should probably avoid similarities to the giant monster underneath Jabba's palace.
• McKenna Marinos: ?/? Quirky, nerdy girl regenerated wounds. News at 11. Her power is tricky to work with, but most automatic passive powers are. I haven't worked out how she does that wound transference thing yet, but we'll get there.
• Benjamin Hershkovitz: ?/? WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE? I don't know how he got into my school. Must have been a smack day when the paperwork came through, because... what the Hell am I supposed to teach this kid? He'd be better off learning from the Coast Guard. His personality is at least enjoyable, though, so I suppose I don't mind overall, just... seriously. Oxygen Independence?
• Jessica Coleman: ?/? I've worked with Jess a lot, and I'm going to keep doing so. Her pew-pew has so much potential for growth, both in terms of raw destructive power and her ability to use it without side-effects that I consider her something of a pet-project. I'm also trying to cure her of being so damned concerned with what people think. She puts up a nice front, but... yeah, mood-swings like hers are not a mark of the well-adjusted.
• Amber Romano: ? I call her A, for obvious reasons. Her power is sort of middling, but you have to admire the entrepreneurial spirit with which she's embraced it. So maybe I sometimes slip her a fin to spread a particularly amusing rumor I thought up. What's the harm in that? I can't help it that I'm a sucker for gossip.
• Scott Andrews: ? Ah, Sparky. If only you weren't so fond of Hey Leonardo. It gives me a lot to draw on in terms of getting under his skin, though, which is my secret plan for helping him not kill everyone every time he gets upset. To make him upset. Genius, right?
• Elias Novario: ?/? Not much I can do for him other than encourage him to practice. One of the more interesting quiet kids, though; I'm pretty sure it's calculated on his part, so I'm intrigued to see where he goes with it.
• Landon Hirst: ? Impressive kid, in terms of how far he's come without my guidance. I think it has a lot more to do with him than anything Arcana managed to do for him. He's not nearly as do-goodery as his butt-buddy, so, I don't mind him, really.
• Spencer Jerem: ? Like I can teach him? Given my own high IQ, I have a better handle on him than most... so I'll be watching him like a hawk. I also try to get him to realize there's more to life than being an autodidact and beating computers at chess.

Teachers:

• Leonardo Marinos: ? He?s a sanctimonious little prick. If I had a two-millennia head start on the rest of society, you?d be addressing me as ?Hegemon? and feeding me grapes in a toga. I really and truly do not understand how he can be so incredibly narrow-minded about the nature of human existence after basically watching all of history. It also ticks me off that he?s younger- and better- looking than I am.
• Amalthea Roerig: ? Mary Poppins. That?s what I call her at least. I seriously think that I once saw a rainbow come out of her ass. She?s very fun to mess with, and I have ample opportunity given the daily minor injuries I receive in the course of wrangling a bunch of superhuman teenagers and teaching them how to use their powers.
• Vincent Steele: ? I may or may not be responsible for the rumor that he is Danielle Steele?s estranged gay brother. I know, it?s totally buyable, right? It?s incredibly petty, but I can?t help but hate him for having my old job. Also, his ability is a royal pain in the ass.
• Cain Montgomery: ?/? I once was a man from Nantucket.

---

Theodore McCaffry
|17|Dream Manipulation|Roommate|Noctrem Academy|

? = Romantic Interest
? = Friends
? = Neutral
? = Enemies

Students:

• Eleanor Carson: ??/?/? I hate her ability. The idea of someone being able to look in on my private thoughts makes my skin crawl, and she could easily see through me if she wanted. I don?t hate her, though. I think that if she had any other power, she might be a really good friend, and that makes me feel guilty since she really had no say in the matter.
• Addison Lawler: ? If it weren?t for the fact that she?s academic competition, she?d be very easy to write off as a typical promiscuous teenage girl who happens to be able to turn into animals. I don?t really mind her, I guess, or dislike her, but I can?t ever see myself talking to her about anything besides schoolwork.
• Ashleigh Fox: ?/? She?s quiet, like me. We can share polite smiles and occasional bits of conversation, but that?s about it.
• Corentine Quellen: ?/? She's one of the ones who used to make my life Hell, but I have a hard time bringing myself to retaliate because I'm actually afraid of her. Instead, I keep pretty close tabs on her while trying my best to avoid her in the waking world. Friends close, enemies closer, and all that.
• Morgan Janssen: ? I wish she?d realize that just talking into someone?s head is a lot like getting a phone-call from a telemarketer. Given her apparent IQ, I doubt we?d have much to say to each other anyway.
• Isabella Dorson: ?/? Ugh. I really don?t like this girl. Her power is pretty emblematic of her, and I get that she?s from Noctrem, but I can?t stand people like her.
• Allison Mccray: ?/? We?re kind of alike. We both distance ourselves from others and live in our own little worlds. We don?t talk often, but she?s easier to talk to than most people.
• Skylar Byrnes: ?/?/?/?/??? Ugh. Skylar. I can never decide how I feel about him. Sometimes his antics make me want to hit him, other times I actually want to crack a smile. I?ve never really understood high-maintenance people, so that probably has something to do with it. The worst is when I just clam up around him.
• Lauryn Chase: ?/? She's a lot like me, and in good ways, mostly. Mature. Put together. Low-key power that's actually really useful.I wonder how often she goes around touching things to get secrets, the way I go fishing for them in dreams? I almost want to talk to her more. Almost.
• Eriol Adelart: ? I hate him so much, on so many levels. The fact that I actually envy him his power is just icing on a very disgusting cake. I'm so sick of his stupid pranks. No one in the school has made me come closer to dropping my mask of innocuousness and breaking someone's face, but I can't do that, so I'll just have to content myself with making him afraid to go to sleep.
• Theodore McCaffry: ? I spend more time dreaming than awake, and more time wondering if I?m losing it than not. I?m holding things together for now, but I can?t help but feel like I might be losing my grip.
• Drake Quellen: ?/? Things with Drake are so weird. He was a friend of Scott's, his roommate at Noctrem, so half the time I can't stand to look at him, and the other half I almost want to tell him about what's been going on in my dreams. He fascinates me, because he has all the makings of a bully but doesn't seem to act on them. I think we're more alike than I care to admit.
• Lilian Daniels: ? Another member of the sucky powers club. Hers might be the worst, after Eleanor's. I get along with her, though, and I don't think a lot of people realize how hard it would be to do what she can do. Seeing the future and not being able to do anything about it? I feel for her in more ways than I want to admit.
• Jade Locke: ? Pretty much one of my only friends. I feel like I can be myself around her, sometimes, to a certain extent. We have pretty similar views about the world, and she shares my fondness for horror cinema, so? yeah.
• Griffin Jacobs: ? He bullied me a lot before Scott stepped in, and now that he's mostly-gone, it seems like he's gearing up for more of the same. I hate how he can just... make me do things. Well guess what, Griff: I'm not the same scared little nobody who used to cry himself to sleep because of you. Things are going to be different at Arcana.
• Zac Barnes: ?/? I like him most when we?re arguing. He?s no slouch at debating in Philosophy. I also can?t help but respect his use of his power. I don?t usually approve of that kind of thing, but I?d never rat him out.
• Izaiah Dorson: ?/?/? I really wish I could hate him. How do you hate someone simply for being beautiful and kind, though? He?s been nothing but friendly to me, and I want to open up to him, but I just can?t. Scott finds it hilarious. I probably spend too much time in his dreams, and I?ve idiotically revealed myself in them more than once. I just can?t help it.
• William Pond: ? We're a lot alike. He plugs into his tech, I plug into my dreams. We both prefer the realms where we're unmatched to the real world. I get him, you might say.
• Elijah Claymore: ?/? It's weird. Maybe it's because I'm entirely sure he's into girls, but I don't have some kind of complex about Elijah like I do most of the guys I think I might like. He's just such a good guy.
• Freya Mason: ?/? She's alright, I guess? That would change if she ever used her power on me. We really just don't have much in common.
• Marcurio Espenosa: ?/?/(?) Curio used to be one of my best friends, back before Scott. We grew apart when I got together with him. That is to say, I kind of... dropped him. After the fire I tried to make amends. I really needed a friend, and what does he do? He tells me he doesn't want to hear me whine. Scott keeps telling me I should make things right, but I tried and it blew up in my face.
• Erin Hawthorne: ? She's solitary, like me, but in a different way. My self-preservation instincts are too keen for me to get close to her in the real world, but I've checked out her dreams, and they're intense. Really primal. I can get lost in them some times. I don't think we've ever said a word to one another.
• Colby Haskins: ? I have never met anyone so annoying. Ever. He thinks he's awesome, but really, he just got lucky in the power department. He kept trying to get in my pants, so I just started avoiding him. I think he got the idea.
• Kaliyah Rickerson: ? I?ve been helping her. She doesn?t really know it, but when I first came here, I spent a lot of time checking out dreams, and she has a lot of nightmares. I try to check in and leave her with something more pleasant, when I remember to. As a result I can?t really bring myself to talk to her in the real world.
• Amariah Conner: ? I don't know why, but she's interested in Scott. It bothers me. I need to find out more.
• Keirol Rancora: ? He's strange. Extremely strange. His dreams are unlike any I've ever encountered before. It warrants further study. I'm always very polite to him, and he seems to have some... difficulties, when it comes to interacting, that make me feel like he needs help. Very, very strange.
• McKenna Marinos: ?/? I respect her intelligence. We don't have much else in common, though.
• Benjamin Hershkovitz: ? It's interesting. His power is arguably the most worthless of the lot, even more useless than most think mine is, and yet... he doesn't seem nearly so aggrieved by that fact as I do. He's a bit too loud for my tastes, but I do have some degree of respect for him.
• Jessica Coleman: ? I find it best to simply avoid her. Her inconsistency coupled with a potentially dangerous power aren't my idea of friendship material.
• Amber Romano: ? She's friends with Nora, and wants me to help her in her... venture... but I can't help but be extremely wary of this girl. There are quite a few things about me I'd prefer not to get out. I'd simply prefer not to get involved, though. She's going to have many enemies I don't need by association.
• Scott Andrews: ? I don't even think he realizes that it's like a knife in my chest every time someone calls his name in the hallway. I always look, and it's always him instead of... him.
• Elias Navario: ?? He was my roommate, at Noctrem. He was the first to stick up for me when I was bullied. He was the first person I told about me and Scott, and he was the only person I could even talk to after... it happened. He's still there for me.
• Landon Hirst: ?/(?) He's made it very clear what he wants from me, and I've made it very clear I'm not interested. I'm more interested than I'd like, though. I don't understand how he can be friends with someone like Haskins, but then again,I'm half-expecting them to make an advance together one of these days. There's more to him than that, though, I've seen his dreams, and the day he actually starts showing it, my life might get... complicated.
• Spencer Jerem: ?/? Spencer is... we were always cordial. Now moreso. He deduced some of what I can do, and he's more than intelligent enough to guess at the rest of what I do. I can only trust him so much, though. I know exactly what I'd be doing with his power; I'm already doing it, to some degree. He can be a bit daunting, but I'm far from dim.

Teachers:

• Leonardo Marinos: ?/? I like the fact that he actually behaves like a headmaster, and his dreams? are just riveting. I couldn?t help but look, and I don?t let on that I have. The only problem is his class. I have to hold back to avoid showing people what I can do, and it?s sometimes very tempting to prove that I?m not as useless as they think I am. It?s almost physically painful that this is affecting my GPA.
• Amalthea Roerig: ?/? My favorite class, easily. I can?t help myself in it. I don?t hold back at all when it comes to philosophical debates. She?s nice enough, and not particularly obtrusive, so overall, I like her.
• Vincent Steele: ?/?/? Mr. Steele. I know he knows I?m putting up a front, but for some reason he hasn?t arranged some sort of intervention yet. I really don?t know what to make of that. I feel bad for disliking him, because he?s only trying to help, but he can?t help and I can?t make him realize that, so we?re at something of an impasse.
• Cain Montgomery: ?/? I owe him a lot. That being said, he?s probably one of the few people I?ve ever met who's more messed up than I am. I only went into his dreams once, out of curiosity, and? never again. There?s nothing he can think up for me to do with my power that I haven?t already mastered, so he takes it out on me by partnering up with other kids in his class so that they can test theirs on me, like some kind of guinea pig.

---

Colby ?Redline? Haskins
|17|Superspeed|Roommate|Arcana Academy|

? = Romantic Interest (usually mostly physical)
? = Friends
? = Neutral
? = Enemies
Students:

• Eleanor Carson: ? Ellie! I love this girl! She?s one of the few that knows about my learning thing, because she heard me thinking about it. It really bugs me how people treat her like some kind of leper because of her power. Her power is awesome, and my thoughts are awesome, so she can hear them all she wants.
• Addison Lawler: ? I can?t help but like this girl. She?s so much fun. She has a lot of friends that I don?t care for, but she probably thinks the same thing about me. I think people see her as sluttier than me, when really, I?m just more selective about who I go after.
• Ashleigh Fox: ? Ashy is great. She comes off all shy, but she?s awesome when you get to know her. And she can dance. Man, can she dance.
• Corentine Quellen: ? The only good thing I can say about her is that she?s not afraid to be herself. In her case though, it isn?t all that great. First-class bitch, loves hurting people, and worst of all, the odds are actually in her favor in a one vs. one. I mean, I could take her, but it would be tough if I didn?t get the drop on her.
• Morgan Janssen: ?You know the real problem with most of these Noctrem people? They think ?nice? means ?dumb?. Morgan?s not dumb. I get even madder when people say it about her than I do when they say it about me. Her power is also totally legit for chatting in class, haha.
• Isabella Dorson: ? I heard a lot about her before I met her, and I was so ready to hate. But she?s actually? cool. Fun, haha. I mean, when she does get pissed, she can really hurt people, but I?ve never seen her just walk around zapping people with pain.
• Allison Mccray: ? Eh. We don?t really see eye to eye on some stuff. But on the bright side, she makes me feel like I?m not all into myself as much as people think.
• Skylar Byrnes: ?/?/? Talk about sleeping with the enemy, haha. He's just such a hottie, I couldn't help myself. Now I help myself a lot, if you catch my drift. What really gets me is his confidence. Sometime I wonder if we... haha, naw, nevermind.
• Lauryn Chase: ?/? I mean, she?s? nice? I think she is anyway. I don?t really know her that well. She doesn?t really seem to start conversations, or go out of her way to do? well, anything.
• Eriol Adelart: ?I haven?t seen any of his pranks go too far, and that?s a good thing. I seriously have no idea how to beat this guy besides an ambush. So not my type, by the way, but he?s funny. He always cracks me up.
• Theodore McCaffry: ? Man. I guess his boyfriend died? The story is kind of sketchy, but, no wonder he?s so quiet and mopey. I try to get him to smile, but I think he?s written me off. He can?t even stay around me for very long, and I don?t think it?s because I make him shy. I really think he doesn?t like me.
• Drake Quellen: ?/??/? Something about him just isn?t right but I?d totally still hit that, hard. He seems alright, but like? I don?t know. Maybe I?m just playing into the whole Arcana vs. Noctrem thing.
• Lilian Daniels: ? Lily?s such a sweetheart. We don?t really hang out or anything, but I always try to chat her up when we?ve got a few.
• Jade Locke: ? Cool girl. I could party with her, haha. I?m hoping I?ll rub off on her some, but probably not in the way she wants me to. She?s got a pretty badass power, too. Not unbeatable, but I like a challenge, ha.
• Griffin Jacobs: ??/??/?? Griff? Dude, he?s the best. Like, my best friend ever. I?m gonna run out to this Chinese place he likes later and- oh motherfucker, he did it again. I don?t know why, but his power works really well on me. Probably because I want him so bad. ? or do I? Crap.
• Zac Barnes: ?/? Zac attack! Haha, this guy. So, maybe I look the other way sometimes because I could really use an extension on a stupid paper that doesn?t even matter anyways because we have freaking super powers. So what? His smile is just so killer, too. Just because I can only look doesn?t mean I?m not gonna.
• Izaiah Dorson: ?/? He is so fucking beautiful. I usually like my guys a little more? guyish? but I?d so make an exception for Izzy. He?s so sweet though, I can?t imagine coming onto him like I?d probably have to, haha. Those lips, and those eyes. Mmm-mmm-mm.
• William Pond: ? It was like, weeks before I heard this kid open his mouth, and then the first thing out of it was like? mean. I don?t think he means to, but he makes me feel dumb sometimes.
• Elijah Claymore: ? Eli is such a great guy. Almost like a role-model. I?d be happy if I was half as much of a giver as he is.
• Freya Mason: ? Another Noctrem party-girl, haha. I?m cool with Frey. She?s got this little adventurous kick that sets her apart, and she?s just like me when it comes to sex. Too bad she isn?t a dude, right?
• Marcurio Espenosa: ? At first I was kind of creeped out by him, haha, just because of his power. I mean, necromancy, right? But he?s actually a cool little dude. Not really my type, I mean, he?s cute, but yeah. He always cracks me up.
• Erin Hawthorne: ?/? I feel kind of bad for this girl. I?d hate to have a power I didn?t really have any control over, and one that made me hurt people. I kind of try to? keep an eye on her. In case she flips out on someone. We both party, and she's like a totally different person when she's on the town. Weeird.
• Colby Haskins: ??? If I could clone myself, I?d probably never leave my room, haha.
• Kaliyah Rickerson: ? A girl after my own heart. I think that?s the right saying, haha. She?s all about excitement, and sometimes we can get into some pretty stupid-but-awesome dare-offs. She?s kind of the same way I am about the Noctrem kids too.
• Amariah Conner: ?/? I don't think she likes me? I don't know, it's weird. Like, she's fine sparring with me or whatever, but outside of class it's like she doesn't even want to say hi.
• Keirol Rancora: ?/? I haven't found anyone more fun to spar with yet, so this dude gets props. It's too bad he isn't into... what was it he said when I hit on him? "Physical pleasure with the male form?" Something like that, he's weird, haha. And, like, don't tell anyone this, but I'm kind of jealous of him. The way Mr. Marinos took him under his wing, that's something I always wanted. Kind of bums me out sometimes.
• McKenna Marinos: ? Awesome, awesome girl. She's into a lot of the same stuff I am, good energy, waaaaay smart. I get her to help me out sometimes, with homework and stuff.
• Benjamin Hershkovitz: ? Dude is the only one in the school who can keep up with me in a conversation, haha. And we both have crazy love for food. And we both like to throw down. I mean, he smokes, and his face has got plenty of city miles, so I'm not into him that way, but he's probably one of the coolest guys around, aside from yours truly of course, haha.
• Jessica Coleman: ? I don't really know her very well. Seems okay though. Kind of like, one of those crazy drama chicks? Not like, theater drama, but... drama drama. Idunno!
• Amber Romano: ?/? I'm glad I don't have any big secrets or whatever. She offered to tutor me once, for money, but... I just can't get behind what she does. Not at all. People get hurt when she's around.
• Scott Andrews: ?/? Scotty boy! Haha, this guy's such a tease. He knows how bad I want him, and like, gets off on the attention I think. He's pretty awesome, for a Noctrem guy. I mean at first I thought he was kind of a dickhole, but we got to know each other some in Battle Strategy, and I like, get the feeling that he was only like that because of where he was.
• Elias Navario: ?/? Who? Oh, the wall-crawler? Yeah, his name is too close to Elijah's, I get confused. Huh. I don't think I've ever hit on him, somehow. Be right back, haha!
• Landon Hirst: ???/? Yeahyeahyeah, we totally went out for like, five minutes. Didn't work, but Lando is still my best bud, which is good because his power trumps me hard. Like, running into an invisible wall at 150 miles an hour hard. Ouch, haha, I was in the nurse's office for like a week after that one. I love this guy, but like, more like a brother. Wait no, that's weird to say, since we still mess around, haha. Uh. Idunno. He's just awesome.
• Spencer Jerem: ? Cute little dude. Total nerd, but, I dig it. I always feel dumb around him, but that isn't his fault, so... we're cool or whatever, haha.

Teachers:

• Leonardo Marinos: ???/? It?s so clich?, but I?m in love. I?m usually a pitcher, but I?d catch for Leo any day, if you know what I mean. It?s more than that, though. He?s just so amazing, and easily the best man I?ve ever known. Ever since I hit 18, I?ve been thinking about telling him. Just putting myself out there. In the meantime, I help him out every chance I get, especially with these Noctrem people running around. I?ve always been kind of an over-achiever, so it figures that when I fall for an older man, I fall for the oldest man.
• Amalthea Roerig: ? Her class isn?t so bad. I mean, there?s reading, which is ugh, but the talking parts of it I rock at. She?s never, ever made me feel stupid, even on accident. I used to see her a lot when I?d mess up with my powers, but now I only see her in class really.
• Vincent Steele: ?/? His class is the hardest for me out of all of them. I just don?t get that stuff. He knows about my disability, and he can tell right away when I get frustrated, so he?s always really nice about helping me. I?m pretty sure he?s caught me having some pretty? unstudently feelings about him before, haha.
• Cain Montgomery: ?/? He makes me feel really dumb. Like, on purpose. He?s always putting me down. Well you know what? I think I figured him out. He doesn?t even have a power of his own, so it pisses him off, and he takes it out on everyone around him. Those who can?t, teach, right? He is a good teacher though. I have to give him that.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/_n-B1I4KSKQ/viewtopic.php

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