Brandon Whipple Wins Kansas House Seat After Being Attacked For ...

Brandon Whipple, the Democrat attacked by the Tea Party for not having children, easily defeated his opponent to win a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Days before the election, Kansans for Liberty, a Tea Party group in the Wichita area, distributed a piece of literature to houses across the district questioning how Whipple, 30, could represent families when he does not have children. Whipple and his wife, Chelsea, have been trying to conceive, according to Whipple.

Whipple, who defeated Republican opponent Rick Lindsey, 58 percent to 42 percent on Tuesday, said the literature provided a last-minute push for the couple. "What that did was fire us up more," he told HuffPost. "It was the first piece that was offensive. It was directed to us as a team."

Whipple noted that he received a series of phone calls and emails of support from voters after the flyer was distributed expressing support for him and his campaign. Whipple also believes the literature stopped momentum for the Republican side. Among the calls he received were from people who told him their own stories about trying to have children.

Lindsey stressed to HuffPost that he did not know the literature was being developed and denounced it. Lindsey, who is also childless, noted that Craig Gabel, the head of Kansans for Liberty, used a similar attack on him when Gabel ran against him in the Republican primary.

"I reject the message sent out in my district," Lindsey told HuffPost. "It is a disgraceful action on the part of the person who sent it out."

Lindsey said that while it is hard to determine the exact impact of the piece, he believes it hurt his chances. "I am sure it didn't help me even though I wasn't involved," he said. "It was so negative that it drew negative attacks. That can't help."

Gabel declined to be interviewed by HuffPost about the impact of the literature piece. "I'm not talking to you," he said Friday morning.

In comments to HuffPost earlier this week, Gabel described it as an "educational piece" about Whipple. In addition to the childless issue, the piece criticized Whipple for only teaching in public schools, not having his name on his house deed and for saying his marriage into a Republican family taught him compromise. Whipple called the first two accusations "lies," and noted that he had taught at private colleges and put his name on the deed earlier in 2012.

Gabel also said that the issue was one of experience. He cited issues like the desire to have neighborhood schools, Whipple's calls for increased school funding and the ability of parents to spank their children. "Someone who does not have kids and does not sweat blood thinking they can't spank them -- if you don't have kids, you don't understand that," Gabel said on Monday.

Whipple said he is prepared to move on from the attack and focus on his work in Topeka. Among his priorities are constituent services and fighting for middle class issues. He cited concerns that the tax cuts signed by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) earlier this year could lead to property tax hikes to fund public schools, which he said would hurt senior citizens and young families in his district.

Looking back on the race, which included attack ads from Republicans comparing him to President Barack Obama, Whipple said the experience brought him and wife closer together. "It is surreal right now, it still hasn't sunk in yet," he said. "Looking back at the attacks against us and how much money was poured into our opponent. At times, for me and my wife it felt like it was just us."

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/brandon-whipple-kansas-tea-party-win_n_2102127.html

2012 oscar predictions jim jones tony stewart kurt busch kurt busch nba dunk contest 2012 act of valor

Why Wuxi is not your ordinary Chinese city

Because city planners are hoping to turn Wuxi into a high tech hub, the air is breathable, the streets are broad, and many of the suburban districts look like a bucolic Google campus writ large.

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / November 6, 2012

A man fishes outside the office of Wuxi's 5-30 incentive program which has brought dozens of foreign-educated Chinese scientists to the city. The city of 5 million people is unknown outside China, but it is seeking to escape its national image as one of the worst polluters in China.

Peter Ford

Enlarge

Wuxi is one of those cities ? and there are dozens of them in China ? that almost nobody outside the country has ever heard of, but turn out to have nearly 5 million people living in them.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

What makes Wuxi even more striking is that the city fathers have pinned their hopes for the future on high tech. That means this is not the sort of town you imagine when you think, ?5 million people in a Chinese city.? The air is breathable (indeed the authorities are decommissioning coal-fired power plants near the center of the city), the streets are broad, and many of the suburban districts look like a bucolic Google campus writ large.

Things are not necessarily what they seem, however.

The city?s shiniest success story, until recently, was Suntech, the biggest manufacturer of solar panels in the world. But the company has been hit hard by a downturn in the industry, and saddled with debt has been laying off workers in the past few months.

Still, Wushi has other strings to its bow. While many other Chinese cities have made a name for themselves on the strength of a particular product (?Yiwu ? Sock Capital of the World?), Wuxi has broader appeal. For example it has focused on measuring instruments, which nowadays means digital measuring instruments, another high tech business with good export potential.?

Once, the worst polluter in China

But all this represents a bid by the city to escape its nationwide image as one of the worst polluters in China. For Wuxi built its prosperity on thousands of chemical factories along the shore of Lake Tai, the third largest freshwater lake in China.?

For years they have poured phosphates and other effluents into the lake, sucking out the oxygen and killing the fish and shrimp for which the lake was famous. In 2007 the waters of Lake Tai became so eutrophic they were covered with a thick layer of luminous green, foul smelling pond scum. More than 2 million people were deprived of cooking and drinking water for nearly a week. Each spring the scum re-forms, though rarely as badly as five years ago.

The local government has repeatedly promised to enforce stricter pollution controls, and repeatedly failed to do so, according to environmental nongovernmental organizations. In fact even as Lake Tai was fouling up in 2007, the best known local activist was being jailed for three years on what he insisted were trumped-up charges of fraud and blackmail. Since he got out of prison, reporting that he had been tortured, he has kept his mouth shut.?

(Read Peter Ford's piece on China's polluted lake)

It is not hard to see why. The authorities in Wuxi want to present the world with a clean, modern, international image that will attract traders and investors. And anyone who threatens to sully that image by drawing attention to inconvenient truths had better watch out.

( Interested in more? Read Peter Ford's piece on China's reverse Brain drain here.)

??The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting funded travel in China for this project. Multimedia and reporter blogs about the project can be found on the?Pulitzer Center website.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/GOoa4DDJa0c/Why-Wuxi-is-not-your-ordinary-Chinese-city

gcb mary j blige dionne warwick patricia heaton arsenic and old lace leslie varez ward

Fishing and Creating New Family Memories | recreation and sports

Fishing is a wonderful way to spend time and has many benefits.First, you are spending time out on the water getting into nature.Many times you are the only one on the water.Second, it gives you the perfect opportunity to spend time with friends or family.Do you remember the first time that your dad took you fishing?It was your time together.You and your did not do much talking when out on the water, but you still loved spending time with him.It sealed a bond that you still have to this very day.

Learning how to use electric fish scaler is not hard.All you need is a good fishing rod and bait.Also, brush up on the fishing laws for your state.Check to see what types of licenses are required, if any.Some states have these at places like a sporting goods store.You can get a temp or perm license.Quite naturally, this will depend on how often you like to fish.But, neither license will cost a lot of money.Chances are a license was not required when you were a child.You were most likely on the private property of a friend or relative.However, be sure that you get your license and make sure that you only fish in designated spots.

If you don't know of a good spot to fish, then ask someone for their picks.Ask around the sporting goods store.Someone always can tell you about a good place to fish.If you are new to the area, you might even strike up a few new fishing buddies.A new round fishing memories for you to store.

Tons of people like to go fishing with the family.It is a major form of recreation.You can enjoy nature, mellow out and just have a great time.It provides the opportunity to spend time with your family.There is one thing that the average person hates about fishing and that is having to clean the fish afterwards.If you have a good fish scaler like scaler mate, this would not be such a problem.Get the yucky stuff out the way so that you can spend more time with the family doing what you like to do.This will give you more fishing time.

Finally, fishing is a good stress reliever and good for bonding with your family.It is not hard to do.With the right rod and bait, you will be on your way to a peaceful and relaxing afternoon that the whole family will love.Fish with your family and loosen up.Catch a few fish and then get ready for the family fish fry.

Source: http://recreationsportsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/11/fishing-and-creating-new-family-memories_9.html

erin andrews erin andrews Pepco tour de france instagram Magic Mike Anderson Cooper Gay

Source: http://chamarasilva47.blogspot.com/2012/11/fishing-and-creating-new-family.html

rose bowl 2012 sat cheating scandal hangover cure lebron james engaged auld lang syne end of the world 2012 pink martini

Medical devices powered by the ear itself

ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) ? For the first time, researchers power an implantable electronic device using an electrical potential -- a natural battery -- deep in the inner ear.

Deep in the inner ear of mammals is a natural battery -- a chamber filled with ions that produces an electrical potential to drive neural signals. In a recent issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, a team of researchers from MIT, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) demonstrate for the first time that this battery could power implantable electronic devices without impairing hearing.

The devices could monitor biological activity in the ears of people with hearing or balance impairments, or responses to therapies. Eventually, they might even deliver therapies themselves.

In experiments, Konstantina Stankovic, an otologic surgeon at MEEI, and HST graduate student Andrew Lysaght implanted electrodes in the biological batteries in guinea pigs' ears. Attached to the electrodes were low-power electronic devices developed by MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL). After the implantation, the guinea pigs responded normally to hearing tests, and the devices were able to wirelessly transmit data about the chemical conditions of the ear to an external receiver.

"In the past, people have thought that the space where the high potential is located is inaccessible for implantable devices, because potentially it's very dangerous if you encroach on it," Stankovic says. "We have known for 60 years that this battery exists and that it's really important for normal hearing, but nobody has attempted to use this battery to power useful electronics."

The ear converts a mechanical force -- the vibration of the eardrum -- into an electrochemical signal that can be processed by the brain; the biological battery is the source of that signal's current. Located in the part of the ear called the cochlea, the battery chamber is divided by a membrane, some of whose cells are specialized to pump ions. An imbalance of potassium and sodium ions on opposite sides of the membrane, together with the particular arrangement of the pumps, creates an electrical voltage.

Although the voltage is the highest in the body (outside of individual cells, at least), it's still very low. Moreover, in order not to disrupt hearing, a device powered by the biological battery can harvest only a small fraction of its power. Low-power chips, however, are precisely the area of expertise of Anantha Chandrakasan's group at MTL.

The MTL researchers -- Chandrakasan, who heads MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; his former graduate student Patrick Mercier, who's now an assistant professor at the University of California at San Diego; and Saurav Bandyopadhyay, a graduate student in Chandrakasan's group -- equipped their chip with an ultralow-power radio transmitter: After all, an implantable medical monitor wouldn't be much use if there were no way to retrieve its measurements.

But while the radio is much more efficient than those found in cellphones, it still couldn't run directly on the biological battery. So the MTL chip also includes power-conversion circuitry -- like that in the boxy converters at the ends of many electronic devices' power cables -- that gradually builds up charge in a capacitor. The voltage of the biological battery fluctuates, but it would take the control circuit somewhere between 40 seconds and four minutes to amass enough charge to power the radio. The frequency of the signal was thus itself an indication of the electrochemical properties of the inner ear.

To reduce its power consumption, the control circuit had to be drastically simplified, but like the radio, it still required a higher voltage than the biological battery could provide. Once the control circuit was up and running, it could drive itself; the problem was getting it up and running.

The MTL researchers solve that problem with a one-time burst of radio waves. "In the very beginning, we need to kick-start it," Chandrakasan says. "Once we do that, we can be self-sustaining. The control runs off the output."

Stankovic, who still maintains an affiliation with HST, and Lysaght implanted electrodes attached to the MTL chip on both sides of the membrane in the biological battery of each guinea pig's ear. In the experiments, the chip itself remained outside the guinea pig's body, but it's small enough to nestle in the cavity of the middle ear.

Cliff Megerian, chairman of the otolaryngology department at Case Western Reserve University, says that he sees three possible applications of the researchers' work: in cochlear implants, diagnostics and implantable hearing aids. "The fact that you can generate the power for a low voltage from the cochlea itself raises the possibility of using that as a power source to drive a cochlear implant," Megerian says. "Imagine if we were able to measure that voltage in various disease states. There would potentially be a diagnostic algorithm for aberrations in that electrical output."

"I'm not ready to say that the present iteration of this technology is ready," Megerian cautions. But he adds that, "If we could tap into the natural power source of the cochlea, it could potentially be a driver behind the amplification technology of the future."

The work was funded in part by the Focus Center Research Program, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and the Bertarelli Foundation.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Larry Hardesty.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Patrick P Mercier, Andrew C Lysaght, Saurav Bandyopadhyay, Anantha P Chandrakasan, Konstantina M Stankovic. Energy extraction from the biologic battery in the inner ear. Nature Biotechnology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2394

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electricity/~3/3viNtkgk1ko/121108151730.htm

kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions oscars nba all star game 2012 academy awards 2012 nominations

Tentacled snakes born at National Zoo

Eight tentacled snakes were recently born in captivity (Wikicommons)Indiana Jones and Samuel L. Jackson may need to start their own group therapy session: Eight tentacled snakes were recently hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

These babies belong to an aquatic species of snake native to Southeast Asia, formally known as Erpeton tentaculatus, according to the Mother Nature Network.

Scientists say it is the only known species of snakes to have tentacles, which are used to sense vibrations from fish swimming by. The snakes are relatively small, usually growing to lengths of about 20 to 35 inches.

The tentacled snake spends almost all of its life hiding in murky waters, and scientists say its venomous fangs are not a threat to humans.

Beyond its unusual sensory devices, the tentacled snake has some other impressive evolutionary traits?as well, including the ability to predict where a startled fish will maneuver, allowing the tentacled snake to literally guide the prey into its open mouth. A 2009 report from Science Blogs explains in detail how tentacled snakes use their sharp senses and incredible speed to trap their prey.

"I haven't been able to find reports of any other predators that exhibit a similar ability to influence and predict the future behavior of their prey," Vanderbilt University professor of biological sciences Kenneth Catania said in a statement.

You can watch video of the tentacled snake capturing a fish here.

And in unsettling development for those suffering from ophiophobia, or the fear of snakes, the tentacled snakes also reportedly grow very quickly.

"Within a few hours of being born, the snakes were already acting like adults," Matt Evans, a keeper at the Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery Center, said in a statement. "Instincts took over, and they were hunting. We don't know much about this cryptic species, but we're already learning so much just watching them grow."

For those living in or visiting the Washington, D.C., metro area, four of the baby snakes are currently on display at the National Zoo's Reptile Discovery Center.

An up-close image of a tentacled snake (Kenneth C. Catania/Wikicommons)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/tentacled-snakes-born-national-zoo-223619788.html

red tails heidi klum heidi klum red tails trailer joe pa dead laura dekker stephen colbert south carolina

Twisted Endings and A New Start

Princess who had to save themselves but became cursed in the process, and passed it to their children...is there any one who can break the curses?

Owner:

Game Masters:

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

---

---

Can I reserve ariel's daughter please? THX. :)

If change is a part of life, why does it seem both cruel and gentle? -Tohru Honda (Fruits Basket)

xLevesquex

Member for 0 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Abridged, Adantas*, Ahri*, Alasund De'astio, ali_rox96*, alight*, Angel's Whisper, Aniihya*, Animality Opera, Arcayne, Arch_Demon666, ArhaHitomi888*, Armageddon*, Ashes, barney_fife*, BBClock*, BrienaSkysong, BumbleDrop*, Caeruleus Lupis*, Calvazara*, Celaira*, Chloe De Luca, Chrome Shiny, Cienpher, Colors of Iris*, cosmopolitanlove, crilith, Crooked Thoughts, cucumbersome, cyanheadbands, delfiler, DestroytheOrcs, Digital_Muse*, dimon lord*, DuBois_Scarlett*, DustAndEchoes*, emotionless, EnigmaticallyEerie, Exabot [Bot], ExcellaStorm, FamishedPants*, FollowerOfDarkPaths*, Frozen Soul, Geeky Panda*, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Guilty Carrion*, Gypsy*, Heather1205, hellgirl**, HereMeNow, HitoriRaven*, Hyperiant*, Imbecile, Jakeperkins, Juular*, KrazyTigger, krumbla*, KulasLightShadow*, Kuroe, Layla*, Lloyd999*, Lornedo, Lux_Disraeli*, macheteshark, Magix, Marcus*, Marionette*, masato22*, Mela, Merchant*, Mishie, misstoniann*, mjlavalleejr*, Mr. Crow*, MSNbot Media, Nekohina*, nightwolf, NotAFlyingToy, OpalePhantasmagoria*, Patcharoo*, Porecomesis*, qbsuperstar03, RedWolfe*, Robinwing*, Rougeshadow*, RydeDawg*, Rylie Renae, Sage Akia, SakuraXx*, SarcasticIrony*, shadereen*, Shi-chan, Shiki29*, Shiva*, silverx, SkullJester*, Something?*, Sorella*, StormRider*, SuperNinjaRoo, Temperance*, Tenill, The Cynic*, The Painkiller, The Shadow*, The*Lucky*Teacup, Tiko*, TwiliXDragon, Tyce, Vanessa*, Vejisama*, Velgreth763, Vestiline, VitaminHeart*, WadeJackel*, Whispers..x*, wolfoftheage*, X64, XavierDantius32, Yahoo [Bot], YokoKitsune*, Yoru-Senpai, Zenia, zolzol*

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/SWEUdqsGl-I/viewtopic.php

st louis weather guinea bissau google stock google stock china gdp dont trust the b in apartment 23 johnny damon