The right scuba diving mask can make or break a dive. It is hard to enjoy a dive if your mask is constantly leaking or fogging. The same goes for snorkeling.
Unfortunately, I speak from experience here.
If you too need a new mask, our buyers guide gives you tips on styles, types, fit, choosing, maintaining and buying the best dive mask for you. We also give you our picks for best scuba mask at different price points.
And I will tell you which mask I bought to replace the one I had for over 15 years.
You will also find lots of information on snorkels in this guide. Hopefully it will help make choosing the best snorkel for you a little bit easier.
On this page you will find all the basic info needed to begin your search for the perfect dive mask. It contains a list of the types and styles of masks you can choose from. Most importantly, it also shows you how to get the proper fit for your mask and how to choose the right mask for you.
Now that you have your mask, you will want to protect it so it will be good for many dives to come. Here you will find information on how to care for your scuba diving mask, how to properly maintain it and how to make sure it doesn't fog up while you are diving.
If you wear glasses or contacts, there is no reason you shouldn't have clear vision on all your dives. Find out about getting a prescription scuba mask and how they work on this page. After all, you want to be able to read your gauges and see all those beautiful sights underwater.
A scuba snorkel is a very basic piece of equipment. However, there are now lots of features to choose from - from purge valves to rotating mouthpieces to dry or semi-dry and so on. Which of these features to you want/need on scuba snorkels?
for you? We discuss all the things you should consider before buying this piece of low-tech equipment, from comfort and fit to length and diameter to everything in between.We also give you our picks for the best snorkel and snorkel set.
So should you wear a snorkel while you are scuba diving or not? It's a topic that generates alot of debate. Is a folding snorkel the answer? Read about the debate and folding snorkels here.
A dry snorkel is a popular option. But is it the right snorkel for you? Find out the basics of dry snorkels and the advantages/disadvantages of these types of snorkels. It may or may not be for you.
There are some special considerations you have to take into account when buying snorkel gear for your child. We guide you through the process of getting the best mask, fins and snorkel for your child. We also give you our picks for best snorkeling gear set and best snorkeling vest.
There are a lot of scuba dive masks out there. We waded through many of the options and came up with our best picks for dive masks in different price categories. Hopefully it will save you some valuable time - and money!
See our picks for the best scuba diving mask in this category. This is defined as masks priced over $70. We have a few options for you to choose from - find one that fits your needs.
We give you our picks for the best dive masks that are budget friendly. These are all priced between $30-$70. You can purchase a scuba mask that will give you great visibility at a reasonable price. You won't have to break the bank with these masks.
These are our choices for the best dive or snorkel masks that will leave you with some money in your pocket. All of these are priced under $30 and get rave reviews from users. See if one fits your criteria.
If you don't have time to look at our picks for best scuba mask listed above, we will cut right to the chase here. (Picks will open up to our partner in a new window).
We get asked quite a bit for recommendations for the best dive mask and snorkel. As I say in my guide above, it can vary from person to person.
However, there is a scuba diving mask I have found that wins tops ratings from many wearers.
Our top pick, an Atomic mask, gets the best ratings for snug fit (translate into no leaking), lens quality and range of vision.
It is a frameless and lightweight single window mask. The mask is also a low volume mask that is easy to clear if need be.
You can read many users' reviews of this scuba diving mask and you will see that many people that have had a hard time with fitting a mask, found this one to be perfect with no leaks.
Note: I purchased this dive mask after my old mask of 15+ years started leaking. I have about 10 dives with the mask so far and I have to say I am very happy with the Atomic mask. It is very lightweight and I am in love with its field of vision. I think I will have a hard time going back to another mask that gives me a more limited view.
You can check out this Atomic mask here.
Same thing here, if you don't have time to look at our detailed reviews of best snorkel (and snorkel set (page listed above), we have summarized it here for you.
The snorkels listed below make our list of best snorkel for both value and quality. All have gotten great ratings and reviews from users, so they should work for you too.
If you need a good quality snorkel, there are a few options out there. However, we had to narrow it down to one so we had our work cut out for us.
Cressi snorkel as best overall snorkel and best value snorkel.
It gets high marks from users and has received many good reviews (over 130 as of this writing in December 2015). And, surprisingly enough, it is at a low price point. Who could ask for more?
Pros of this snorkel are high ratings for comfort, ability to keep water out and its purge valve. All things that will make your snorkeling experience that much more comfortable.
We do have another option for you though (OK, we couldn't just stop at one). If you prefer not to have a different snorkel, we chose another snorkel that might be a better fit for you. The good news is that it is also at a fairly low price point. Who doesn't want to save money?
We picked this as the second best overall snorkel.
It has received good reviews for comfort and design. The purge valve is also noted as a nice feature as well as the flexible tubing on the bottom of the snorkel. This is a tried and true model and many people have been using this snorkel for years. You can't get a better recommendation than that.
Note: You can also find this snorkel here if it is not available at the above link (may be a couple dollars more).
Hopefully this guide will help you choose that perfect scuba diving mask & snorkel for you. We hope you have a great clear dive. Have fun!
Looking for recommendations for the best snorkel set? See our picks for best snorkel gear set here.
Do you need other scuba gear and accessories? Check out all our picks for best scuba equipment here.


How do I fix embedded survey form that has stopped sending email notifications?
To my understanding you are having issues with a survey form you are using on your website put there by a web designer whom is no longer with you which you have suddenly stopped receiving email notifications about.
I did some digging and found the actual page your form is on is here http://www.oceantemp.com/1mainframe.htm?join.shtml~main which I traced to this original form here http://www.jotform.us/form/21295674106151 that was embedded there by your web designer.
Currently, the form resides on a Guest Account which explains why it may be unaccessable if the computer original browser cache was cleared as I see there is no listed email address or even an ip address for it.
I did look at your email address for "survey@oceantemp.com" but it is not listed in our bouncelist and unfortunately we can't log into Guest Accounts to see what had happened.
This leaves you with two options to try to fix this problem.
Option #1 - (Recommended) The easiest way to resolve this problem permanently would be for you to register a new account using since the form you showed us on the site matches as proof and we can move it to your new account. Once that is done you can check and update the email notification for it if needed.
Option #2 - Since you are not in the bouncelist and "survey@oceantemp.com" is where you originally said you were receiving the submissions you can try having your email host whitelist jotform if you don't see them in your junk|spam folder and that might fix it as I can see the Guest Account is active. This guide here http://www.jotform.com/help/208-How-to-setup-email-alerts-to-prevent-email-bouncing-related-issues may also help.
The survey page I posted a photo of has a selection called "other" wherein the customer can enter text to elaborate on the survey. This portion of the page is NOT working any longer as it will NOT permit any text to be entered. I asked my new web person to please fix this and he told me that he needs to get into my old account on jotform to fix it.
As I had explained in my original posting, the old web guy set this up for me and is long gone and did not tell me how to get into my old account on jotform.
Q-->can you get me a new username and password to get into my guest account? I really need to get this fixed soon as this is the time of year that I really utilize the survey.
You are very welcome and currently it appears that you've created a new account for "oceantemp". If you would like we can certainly transfer the forms to your current account if you wish. Unless you would prefer to have it entirely on a separate account?
It does not matter to me.... Whatever is the easiest way ...you may certainly transfer the forms over to the new current account if I cant log into the old one as long as it will continue to send email to survey@oceantemp.com and the web guy can fix the "enter text" problem I spoke about.
Was my guy correct.... does the "text" problem have to be fixed on jotforms end?
Hi Kade JM ... What happewnd to you? I have not heard any response since May 19th? are you going to transfer the forms?
Hi Fred, please accept our apologies about no response for the last couple days. I found your previous to last response didn't arrive in our support inbox correctly so I'm glad about the followup response you just wrote us again so that we could continue with your problem.
I went to move the mentioned form "http://www.jotform.us/form/21295674106151" to your current account and found it is deleted. Unfortunately because of that I am unable to transfer it for you.
The reason why it is still showing on your website is because it looks like the full source code was used to embed it there. Perhaps the original account holder the form was on might have logged in and deleted it.
Ok...Im lost ..please tell me what i need to do or what i need to tell the web guy (whos almost never available) to do to get my survey page on my website back up and running... Im basically clueless with most of this stuff so please walk me through it -OR- let me know of you folks can do the work.
Can you please explain where to find the following form on your website?
I have browsed though the site, but have not found it.
Hi Mike ... Yes ...of course, and thank you for helping me!
There are two (2) identical forms located in two (2) separate areas of the website.
When a customer wants to join (sign-up) for the North East region -OR- the Florida Bahamas Region he/she must first select the region they want on the sign up page located at www.oceantemp.com/join.shtml .
After region selection, they are taken to a Terms and condition page and after that they are taken to the page with the form pictured above. After they fill out the form they are taken to the actual orderform or (shopping cart) page.
As I explained to KadeJM, I am getting emails to survey@oceantemp.com however the "text field" where a visitor can enter text is not working on either form. It does not allow you to enter any text.
I've checked both pages, but the forms that are shown were not built using our system.
Can you please confirm if these are the forms you're referring to? Or did I miss a step?
Raul ... The shopping cart pages shown above are not what we are looking for and are PAST the survey form page you folks wanted to see. You had to PASS by the survey form pages to get to the shopping cart pages pictured.
The survey form page we have been referring to is located on the page just BEFORE the shopping cart snapshots you display. You went one click/page too far.
I wrote step by step guidance on May 30th message on how to get to the survey form. Please try again.
Since your form was embedded using the source code, the code for the form itself is still there. However, it appears as though the actual JotForm form was deleted. Since the form was deleted, we cannot update the form or check the settings to make sure it is working.
Normally, we would recommend that you update your notification settings then embed the new code for your form to your page, however, since the form does not exist to update, there is not much we can do.
We can help you to recreate the form if you would like. You can then embed the new form to your page. Short of that, there is not much we can do to update your form.
David Just one qiestion... Im a but fuzy with this stufff... you say it was deleted... was it deleted on my end (my website)? or did it reside off site?
Ok than recreating it would be the way to go then .. Yes... lets do that. What do we need to do?
The form was deleted from JotForm. Since your web designer grabbed the source code of the full, they pulled a full copy of the form and embedded it to your page. This is why the form still appears in your page. However, since the copy the was stored on JotForm was deleted, the form can no longer be edited, moved or updated. You have a copy of it on your site, but it lacks most of the JotForm functionality.
If it looks like the original form, we can help you get the styling to match.


A popular question posed to me (in general and several times just this week) is: what should I do when my deck is meant both to meet my presentation or live meeting needs and will also be sent ahead as a pre-read or afterwards as a follow-up?
This scenario often leads to a slideument—part presentation and part document, and not exactly meeting either of the above needs. The slideument is typically too dense to put up on the big screen and often not detailed enough for when you aren't there to talk through the material. I've written about this challenge before here.
1. Create two different documents. Ideally, these two situations call for two totally separate work products: sparse slides for when you are talking through the material live and a denser, more detailed report-like document for the version that is disseminated. If it's something really important, consider whether creating two separate documents makes sense.
2. Leverage animation & annotation. If you're working in PowerPoint land (or something similar), you can animate a sequential appearance of elements on a slide, focusing your audience's attention exactly where you want it when you discuss the material live. Then the sent around version would have the final fully-built slide or be a version that annotates via text what you would say in the meeting or presentation. This blog post illustrates this approach using a specific example (from my book).
3. Make use of the Notes feature. If you're working in PowerPoint, make use of the pane below each slide that says "Click to add notes." Leave your slides sparse and put the narrative that you would say for each, or any additional context that is needed, in words in that notes pane. Just make sure to alert your audience of the sent-around-version to look there for details.
Do you have other ideas on how to address this challenge? If so, please leave a comment with your thoughts or suggestions on what you've seen work well.


Improves health outcomes through the continuous growth of both knowledge and skills and promote lifelong learning for the physician, nurses, and pharmacist and for other health practitioners.
The Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program is dedicated to providing faculty staff, students and other healthcare professionals and academicians with educational experiences that enhance clinician knowledge and competence; improve clinician performance and their ability to provide excellent patient care. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to improve patient care and health outcomes.
A mission for the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education (CME) utilized by faculty in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge.
To motivate all MACHS faculty, staff and students to attend CME programs/activities provided by MACHS.
To encourage all Faculty staff to use the chance of attending the conference and symposium sponsored by MACHS or outside sponsors.
To improves quality medical care for patients and their communities.
Generate contract with sponsors to sponsoring CME symposiums.
Coordinate with other universities /college to cooperate in preparing international symposium / workshop / conference.
Lecture/Presentation: present different information in one medical topic in specific time.
Symposium: different presentation presented about one of topic in specific time .
Conference: Open scientific meeting to present different scientific papers related to the specific topic. It can be an international conference if shared by the international medical scientific organization.
General: it is a practical training in general topics to enhance the qualification skills for medical practitioners.
Special: it is a special practical training in medical specialty to enhance the qualification skills for practitioners.
Internal Activities: internal scientific training activity in for the staff in the same or different departments.
External Activities: the medical scientific activity which held outside the Saudi Arabia and the institute send a request for accreditation.
Internet Activities: the scientific medical training can be done through the approved website by SCFHS.
Self-Activity: the activities which depend on self and related to the medical field..
MACHS departments , All other healthcare providers , Students and Community.


Catching up with friends I often get comments along the lines of 'Good on you for taking a risk and leaving your job to start your own business, I wish I could do something like that.' Starting your own business is certainly not the most conservative thing to do, but I don't think it's such a risk.
The best case scenario is we build a good business that we can either continue to work on or sell. We'll have done something we loved and ideally be in a good position financially.
The worst case scenario was that the business failed and we're down $50k in startup costs and a hundred or two more in lost salary, and we would have gone back either to our old jobs if they would have us, or something similar having learnt a lot more than we would have otherwise.
Given we'll work until we're 70 or 80 anyway, what's $50k and a year or two of lost salary now? In our minds the best case scenario far outweighed the worst and we were confident that the odds of the best one happening outweighed the odds of the worst. That seemed like a good bet to us so we did it.
Another thing we did that looks like a risk on face value is Jodie leaving her job to work on Shoes of Prey full time. This does mean Jodie and I have no salary at the moment, however having Jodie work on the business means it's more likely to succeed. Things are currently going well but if that were to change and the business fail, we should hit that point sooner meaning we can move onto something else earlier than we would have otherwise saving Mike and I additional salary that we would have lost otherwise. So it's really wasn't a big risk having Jodie join us full time at all.
A few of my friends work in legal roles, don't enjoy them and plan to leave, they just haven't worked out what they want to do yet. I actually think they're the ones taking the biggest risk. My first job out of university was as a lawyer. I was having a career chat with one of my mentors and he explained that he had been a lawyer for 10 years, he really didn't like it but he had a mortgage and had settled down and gotten married. If he left his legal role to do something else, his salary would halve because his skills were so specialised. He'd left leaving something he didn't like until too late, and now he was stuck with it.
Going down that path is a big risk for a lot of lawyers who don't like their jobs and afraid to look for something else. It's said so much that it sounds cliched, but it really is true, you only live once and work takes up a huge amount of your time. It's worth putting in the effort to find something you like doing, and as I see it, the risk of falling into the trap of spending your life doing something you don't enjoy is a big one that is best avoided.
As I see it, if you plan for it properly, starting your own business is a lot less of a risk than it might first appear. I'm keen to hear other people's thoughts on this.
I couldn't agree more! I think people just aren't used to breaking the mold.
Great post Michael. I'm in the process of working through and planning to make the jump into my own business. I'm finding that on the whole people are hugely supportive, but there are always a few who naturally question the move, lawyers strangely enough :) I do go through stages where I have doubts, but I'm very aware that for me personally, this is the best time for me to make that change! Completely agree with Simone, I'll regret it if I don't give it a go.
ps...I love the blog, it's so interesting to hear your journey with Shoes of Prey. Thanks for sharing!
There are a lot of non-financial risks that drive decisions. For one, fear of failure. Some people just can't handle it, even though the consequences are far less damaging than ever thought.
Law, consulting and banking all do psychological testing to try and find over-achieving but risk intolerant people. That's the segment they are after and that's why you see so many people in those industries who 'are just staying for 2 years' and complain but, most importantly for those companies, never do anything about it.
There are others that are simply scared shitless of being accountable. It's easier to optimize their behavior around office politics and succeeding in that fashion than to face the raw feedback cycle of a startup.
'Risk taking' as a concept is also empty without the discussion of reward. On every basis, starting your own company is likely a better financial reward. But it's a better financial reward because so few people do it. And at the root of that I think is people's fear of failure and fear of accountability.
Thank you so much for writing this. This kind of articulates what is filling my head at the moment.
And to add to the equation, its not only the risk of possible scenarios (worst case and most likely), but also cost of maintaining the status quo. If you don't like your job and stay in it, you're pretty much guaranteed for another 30-40 years of a pretty bad situation.
I agree with the other comments too and fear of failure is a huge issue! However I do think financial risk is the main impediment, but mainly a misconceived notion that you need a lot more money to be comfortable than you actually do. You don't want to change the status quo due to a fear of an uncomfortable reality.
Great post! Risk like everything in life can be controlled but most people just never take the chance. Continued success in your business.
Simone - glad to hear you're enjoying the entrepreneurial journey and I hope nomuu is going well!
Nikiscevak - Great point about the fear of failure, that's definitely a huge influence for people. The chances of your startup failing are definitely higher than most other things you can do career wise and for some people, particularly lawyers, that fear of failure is a major reason not to leave your safe, secure profession and try something else. Personally I think people can place too much weight on the fear of failure, I think even if Shoes of Prey failed from here Jodie, Mike and I would have earned the respect of a lot of our peers for giving it a go and people wouldn't look down on us for having 'failed'. That said, everyone's got to weigh up their own risks and priorities to make their own decisions on what's best for them.
JenTran - Couldn't agree more about needing to weigh up the risk of failure against the huge cost of maintaining the status quo, if you don't like the status quo. If you don't like your job and you're in the early part of your career, I think it's a no brainer to try something else. Work is a huge part of our lives, no point in spending all that time on something you don't love doing if you can help it at all.
Matt - Thanks, and I'm guessing this risk thought process is exactly what you went through a few months back. Glad you made the decision to give your own business a proper go!
I have had lots of friends come up to me and say, "I want to start a business too."
And, I told them to just do it and don't hesitate..!! A career can be picked up again if need be but a business opportunity lost is lost.
After a few moments of determination, the "reality" sets in and the fears of the unknown comes back and they back out of it.
Beautifully written Foxxxy!! I totally agree. I think that the older you get, the more you realize that the only real currency is "time" (not money, or possessions or shiny new toys). I think everyone needs to think about the priorities. I value my time more than anything and I love travel and writing so I've created a life where I have a job that I enjoy but also have lots of time to travel and explore the world :).
So proud of you guys for working so hard on something you enjoy now so that later you will hopefully be financially better off and have more time/flexibility to do other projects/start businesses.
Also most of, if not all, of my friends who are lawyers really hate their jobs even though they make 2x as much as I do in salary which I think is very telling.
Welcome to the Shoes of Prey team Carmen!


The objective of my research project is to: (1) to test the hypothesis that tidal currents create predictable energy flow to marine predators by controlling the distribution of organisms at the base of the food web; and (2) to develop a conceptual model of energy transfer that allows one to predict how three types of human disturbance (fishery activity, acute pollution, and chronic pollution) are likely to affect the food web in northern Puget Sound, WA.
Oceanographers have proposed that tidal currents control energy flow to upper level consumers by causing predictable changes in the distribution of small, drifting organisms (plankton) at the base of the food web. Small fish, which eat plankton, should track these tidal changes in plankton distribution. In turn, fish predators should track changes in fish distribution. To test this hypothesis, I needed to quantify the distribution, abundance, and feeding activity of tertiary consumers (seabirds and seals), secondary consumers (schooling fishes), and primary consumers (plankton) versus tidal phase. Sampling periods were designed to quantify rates and locations of predator feeding activity for each tidal phase. I used a 120 kHz, single-beam echosounder to measure tidal changes in fish distribution and relative abundance along predetermined transects. I used a dip net to capture planktivorous fish for identification and diet analysis. I sampled plankton densities at different tides and locations with a fine-mesh net. I deployed a temperature-salinity probe and surface drifters to determine the origin of water and plankton drifting a fixed location on incoming versus. outgoing tides.


Here's what people have asked and answered about working for and interviewing at Ascensus.
The best questions are directly relevant to Ascensus.
Typically, people only write reviews when they have something negative to say and usually because they are just negative in general. It is telling that there aren't more negative reviews based on the number of employees the company has and the amount of change it is consistently going through, which is well needed. Positive work environment with the occasional bad seed that is managed out fairly quickly if needed.
Is a Compliance Servicing Specialist a call center position? Is the position salaried or hourly?
The Compliance Servicing Specialist is a position that handles inbound calls from credit union and bank employees related to IRS rules and regulations surrounding Traditional, SEP/ SIMPLE and Roth IRAs, Health Savings Accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts. The team is part of a product that financial institutions purchase to service their long term savings products that typically require more advanced knowledge to maintain. In other words, you can only call into the team if you pay for the service or are a beneficiary of a deceased owners IRA that the team is processing on behalf of the bank or creit union client. The topics of calls received would be related to clients account owners account such as contribution limits, withdrawal reason codes, excess, conversions, rollovers, recharacterizations and any other type of transactions that can be done. Also, calls come in related to death claims that the team handles on behalf of the bank and credit unions, as well as tax reporting and navigation questions regarding the website provided to complete compliant transactions. The money is held at the bank or credit union, so it is more of a third party administrator partnership to ensure they are staying compliant with federal and state laws as it relates to these complex savings accounts, to avoid IRS penalties or other issues such as lawsuits. This position typically handles 30 to 50 calls a day depending on the time of year (January being the busiest, summer months are the slowest) with an average talk time of around 4 to 5 mins. It also assists with processing death claims and other projects such as follow up on account issues. Eventually leads to a Senior Compliance Servicing promotion (if certain objectives are met within about 2-5 years) that comes with the opportunity to focus more on claim processing versus phone work or other positions on teams that handle the Administration product client onboarding/mergers/terminations, internal training and quality assurance, product management, and government reporting. Not your typical call center because you form close client relationships with frequent callers who express their gratitude for you, have positive client interactions during most phone calls and are overall appreciated and thanked for your service to them on a daily basis. It is very rewarding for a customer service type position. Training is typically 8 weeks with the first 4-6 weeks heavily focused on learning the in's and out's of IRS rules and regulations and system navigation. The remaining 2 weeks are with a mentor shadowing their calls for a week and them shadowing you while you take your first week of calls. Continued training is provided monthly on hot or new topics and personal development is encouraged by allowing time as needed for other training you may be interested in that is offered through the company or outside sources. This is a position that is a long term career with a lot of room for growth. Work from home is allowed whenever needed after understanding of the job is proven, so typically after the first year. The benefits offered are 19 days of PTO with an additional 9 paid company holidays, 401k match of 50% up to 8% contributed, dental, vision and two types of HDHP health plans with an HSA that Ascensus contributes to up to a certain amount based on your plan type. Tuition assistance at 100% for an A, 90% for a B, and 80% for a C in any college class related to a field of work Ascensus has. Also offers legal, adoption and teladoc programs, discounts on fitness centers, AT&T products, and several popular travel destinations. Life insurance of 2 times salary with the option to pay for more up to 5 times salary as well as up to $50,000 for your spouse. Long and short term disabilty and fully paid 12 weeks maternity/paternity leave. Beginning shift is typically 9:30 to 6 with a 30 minute lunch and short breaks as needed, Monday through Friday. Shift changes in 30 minute intervals down to 8 to 4:30 based on turnover. Average length of service for employees on this team is approximately 8 years. Answer: not your typical call center, but technically is a call center.
What would you suggest Ascensus management do to prevent others from leaving?
Why did you leave your job at Ascensus?
What is the most stressful part about working at Ascensus?
Procedures change with minimal warning and not everyone gets the memo.
Hated it. Anxious I would get let go. Confused. Unsure and unprepared.
What is the work environment and culture like at Ascensus?
How did you feel about telling people you worked at Ascensus?
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Ascensus a better place to work?


Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the choices marked A), B), C) and D).
For questions 8 to10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
11.A) Dr. Smith's waiting room isn't tidy. B) Dr. Smith enjoys reading magazines.
C) Dr. Smith has left a good impression on her. D) Dr. Smith may not be a good choice.
13. A) Packing up to go abroad. B) Brushing up on her English.
C) Drawing up a plan for her English course. D) Applying for a visa to the United States.
15. A) To investigate the causes of AIDS. B) To raise money for AIDS patients.
C) To rally support for AIDS victims in Africa. D) To draw attention to the spread of AIDS in Asia.16. A) It has a very long history. B) It is a private institution.
C) It was founded by Thomas Jefferson. D) It stresses the comprehensive study of nature.
17. A) They can't fit into the machine. B) They have not been delivered yet.
C) They were sent to the wrong address. D) They were found to be of the wrong type.
19 .A) He picked up some apples in his yard. B) He cut some branches off the apple tree.
C) He quarreled with his neighbor over the fence. D) He cleaned up all the garbage in the woman's yard.
21. A) File a lawsuit against the man. B) Ask the man for compensation.
C) Have the man's apple tree cut down. D) Throw garbage into the man's yard.
22. A) He was ready to make a concession. B) He was not intimidated.
C) He was not prepared to go to court. D) He was a bit concerned.
23. A) Bad weather. B) Human error.
26. A) His father caught a serious disease. B) His mother passed away.
C) His mother left him to marry a rich businessman. D) His father took to drinking.
27. A) He disliked being disciplined. B) He was expelled by the university. C) He couldn't pay his gambling debts. D) He enjoyed working for a magazine.
30. A) Women. B) Prisoners. C) Manual workers. D) School age children.
33. A) The crop's blooming period is delayed. B) The roots of crops are cut off.
C) The topsoil is seriously damaged. D)The growth of weeds is accelerated.
B) It's an improved method of harvesting crops.
C) It's a creative technique for saving labor.
D) It's a farming process limiting the use of ploughs.
35. A) In areas with few weeds and unwanted plants.
B) In areas with a severe shortage of water.
C) In areas lacking in chemical fertilizer.
D) In areas dependent on imported food.
Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are. Not long ago, researchers learned that 4-day-oldscould understand (36)____ and subtraction. Now, British research (37)____Graham Schafer has discovered that infant scan learn words for uncommon things long before they can speak. He found that 9-month-old infants could be taught, through repeated show-and-tell, to (38)_______the names of objects that were foreign to them, a result that(39)________in some ways the received (40)______that, apart from learning to (41)______things common to theirdaily lives, children don't begin to build vocabulary until well into their second year. "It's no (42)______that children learn words, but the words they tend to know are words linked to (43)_________situations in the home," explains Schafer." 44)__________________________with an unfamiliar voice giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting." Figuring out how humans acquire language may shed light on why some children learn to read and write later than others, Schafer says, and could lead to better treatments for developmental problems. (45)__________________. "Language is a test case for human cognitive development," says Schafer. But parents eager to teach their infants should take note: (46)_________________________ . "This is not about advancing development," he says. "It's justabout what children can do at an earlier age than what educators have often thought."
In modern society, people are destined to cope with a lot of pressure, from either outer world or inner will. The cases of suicide in campus in recent years fully reveal the importance of mental health.
As a consequence, it is imperative for the colleges and universities to take effective actions. In the first place, the authorities concerned should enhance the awareness of college students that mental fitness is of utmost significance to them. It is true that physical factors affect one’s health conditions a great deal, but at the same time, we should not neglect the mental factors. In the second place, the universities should frequently enlighten the juvenile to keep optimistic in their daily life.
Hence, it is vital for us to keep mental health under whatsoever circumstances. All of us have experienced failures. However, some with self-confidence may draw lessons from failure and achieve success, while others are desperately frustrated. When most people are aware of the significance of physical health, we must also remind them of the value of mental health.
Students' mental health has been playing an increasingly important role in our day-to-day life. Indeed, it is widely accepted that it has gained growing popularity among persons in all walks of life. There is a general discussion today about the issue of disorder in brains.
1. C. New explanations for the obesity epidemic.
4. D. It contributes to our weight gain.
5. C. It suppresses their appetite.
6. D. Those who quit smoking.
11. A) He is quite easy to recognize.
12. C) Continue her dancing class.
13. D) The woman may not have followed the doctor’s instructions.
14. C) They no longer suit his eyesight.
15. D) He rushed out of the bath to answer the phone.
16. D) Assembling the bookcase.
17. A) Urge Jenny to spend more time on study.
18. C) The local people feel insecure about the dam.
19. B) Its production and sales reached record levels.
20. A) They cost less.
21. C) It is bound to revive.
24. A) By harassing them.
26. B) The air pressure is low.
27. C) People knew long ago how to predict the weather.
28. B) People can predict the weather by their senses.
29. D) They feel burdened with numerous tasks every day.
30. B) Draw a detailed to-do list.
31. A) They have accomplished little.
32. A) Their performance may improve.
33. B) Increased susceptibility to disease.
34. D) Pay more attention to bodily sensations.
35. C) The relationship between stress and illness.
44 Our air quality now suffers from the effects of pollutants emitted directly from our cars.
45 The problems caused by motorized vehicles in the West are often magnified in developing nations.
46 Movement in some cities comes to a virtual standstill as motorized traffic competes with bicycles and pedestrians.
48. the potential in the U.S.
54. C. They are not necessarily sustainable.
55. A. It will go through radical changes.
56. D. To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.
57. A. They were of inferior races.
58. B. They can do just as well as their predecessors.
59. D. They may forever remain poor and underachieving.
60. C. Prevent them from being marginalized.
61. B. how to help immigrants to better fit into American society.
84 I don't think it advisable that parents deprive their children of freedom （剥夺孩子们的自由）to spend their spare time as they wish.


Across 48 states and the District of Columbia, teachers in high-poverty school districts were about twice as likely to still be learning the ropes as teachers working in the most affluent districts in 2011-12, although the number of such trainee teachers is overall fairly small, according to a congressionally mandated report just released by the U.S. Department of Education.
States reported that 1.5 percent of public school teachers are still completing their preparation—but are nevertheless considered "highly qualified" under federal law, according to the report. That amounts to about 35,500 teachers in all who fall under the category of what I'm going to call "interns" for the sake of brevity.
Proportionally, teachers in high-poverty districts were more likely to be interns (2.3 percent), as were special education teachers (1.9 percent) and teachers in urban settings (2.2 percent). Teachers in federally supported English-language learner programs were less likely (1.3 percent) to be interns.
The Coalition for Teaching Quality, a diverse collection of education organizations that has long argued that these teachers should not be allowed to be called "highly qualified," said that despite the small numbers, the teachers are still having a potentially negative impact—and that the disparity for high-poverty districts is alarming.
Assuming 25 students in each of the interns' classes, these teachers are reaching about 800,000 students, the group said in a statement.
"It reaffirms the same patterns we've seen in past data sets on fully credentialed teacher distribution: high-poverty students get the short end of the stick, with the least trained and least experienced teachers," it said.
Under that 2002 regulation, teachers in alternative-preparation programs—typically career-changers or those in programs like Teach For America—were permitted to be deemed "highly qualified" under NCLB, even though they were still being prepared.
Critics saw that as false advertising—and argued that these teachers were disproportionately being assigned to the most vulnerable students.
The compromise to keeping the provision in a subsequent spending bill? This report.
You're probably tired of hearing this from me by now, but teacher data is notoriously hard to parse, and this report is no exception. For one, the report doesn't say anything about how teachers who entered the profession through an alternative program and have now completed their preparation are faring. It only captures a snapshot of how many were at one point still in training.
For another, the report emphasizes that the states' reported data are in pretty bad shape. Most states, the analysis says, can't connect a teacher's credentialing route to his or her course assignments. And so there are a lot of states that couldn't submit data meeting the Education Department's specifications, or could not report on some of the specific populations (special education and ELL teachers). Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the Bureau of Indian Education failed to report any information at all.
So, for example, the finding for ELL teachers could be way off: Only 16 out of the 48 states that reported said they had any such teachers still in training, which stretches credulity a bit, given the demand for such teachers.
Meanwhile, what does the research say about teachers coming from different routes? Generally, it indicates there's more variation in quality among traditional and alternative programs than between them. It's therefore hard to prove, from a research perspective, that these 35,500 teachers are on average worse than "fully prepared" teachers. But much of this debate, of course, has to do with perceptions of fairness. Were you to ask any parent which teacher they'd prefer for their child—an intern or one who has completed his or her preparation—I'm pretty sure we'd all know the answer.
The report also includes some interesting factoids underscoring that the drive for alternative programs has much to do with market demands. Proportionally, most of these teachers were in high-need fields like science (26 percent), foreign language (25 percent), middle school (24 percent), and multiple-subject teachers (24 percent). Very few (9 percent) were in elementary education or in early childhood education (also 9 percent).
Also worth mentioning: In its statement, the Coalition for Teaching Quality had especially tough words for the Obama administration for not acting to close the loophole— and a special zinger for New Mexico, which was recently the first state ever to win additional HQT flexibility from the feds.
"With the recent New Mexico waiver, the [Education] Department has gone a step further and let one of the worst offenders off the hook," the group stated.


A Wisconsin man is challenging a blood draw performed while he was asleep that was used as evidence against him in a drunk-driving case.
In more than half of U.S. states, there are laws on the books that sanction warrantless blood draws from unconscious intoxicated-driving suspects.
A Wisconsin man is challenging a blood draw performed while he was asleep that was used as evidence against him in a drunk-driving accusation.
And now the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear his case, which could have ramifications for how courts interpret the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures.
When the police found Gerald Mitchell, he was wet, shirtless and covered in sand.
Less than an hour earlier, officers from the City of Sheboygan Police Department had received a call from someone who claimed that Mitchell appeared to have been driving drunk. Mitchell admitted to as much when the police found him, saying that was why he had parked his car and headed to the beach, according to court documents.
The police then drove Mitchell to a nearby hospital for a blood draw. On the ride over, Mitchell fell asleep and would not wake up despite police attempts to stimulate him.
Mitchell remained too incapacitated to answer questions when the police read from a consent form. Despite that, a police officer directed the hospital staff to take his blood without seeking a warrant. When they took his blood, Mitchell was asleep.
"Mitchell did not awaken during the procedure," the Wisconsin Supreme Court wrote in its opinion upholding the constitutionality of the blood draw.
Mitchell challenged the blood draw but was rebuffed on the grounds that the search was lawful.
Three of the justices on the court found that Mitchell had implicitly consented to the search by driving his vehicle, relying on the implied consent laws on the books in the state. Two other justices found the search lawful in a concurring opinion that nonetheless deemed consent while unconscious a "metaphysical impossibility," reasoning that consent was not required.
The search took place in Wisconsin but would have been legal in many other parts of the country. In more than half of U.S. states, there are laws on the books that sanction warrantless blood draws from unconscious intoxicated driving suspects, according to Mitchell's lawyers, who asked the high court to take up his case.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court did just that in an order announcing it would review the Wisconsin court's decision. The justices are expected to rule on the matter by late June.
But, in that case seven justices also found that similar laws penalizing drivers who refused blood tests were not lawful, a possible boon for Mitchell.
"[If] criminal penalties for refusal are unlawful because they too heavily burden the exercise of the Fourth Amendment right to refuse a blood test, can it really be that the state can outright abolish the very same right?" Mitchell's attorneys asked.
But Wisconsin has argued that a search is less intrusive for a suspect who is not conscious, because their cooperation is not required. The state also pointed out that in drunk-driving cases, the breath test option can be made unavailable "due to the driver's own egregious misconduct of driving after drinking so much that he eventually passes out."
The court has not yet scheduled a day for oral arguments.


User-generated content (UGC) videos are uploaded by users and creators. These videos are not always professionally curated and could exhibit perceptual artifacts. For the purpose of this dataset, we've selected original videos with specific and perceptual quality issues, like blockiness, blur, banding, noise, jerkiness, and so on.
These videos have a wide array of categories, such as “how to” videos, technology reviews, gaming, pets, etc.
Since these videos are often captured in environments without controlled lighting, with ambient noise, or on low-end capture devices, they may end up exhibiting various video quality issues, such as camera shaking, low visibility, or jarring audio.
Before sharing these videos, creators may edit the video for aesthetics and generally compress the captured video for a faster upload (e.g. depending on the network conditions). Creators also may annotate the video or add additional overlays. The editing, annotating, and overlaying processes change the underlying video data at the pixel and/or frame levels. Additionally, any associated compression may introduce visible compression artifacts within the video such as blockiness, banding, or ringing.
For these reasons, in our experience, UGC should be evaluated and treated differently from traditional, professional video.
Processing and encoding UGC video presents a variety of challenges that are less prevalent in traditional video.
For instance, look at these clips shown below that are heavily ridden with blockiness and noise. Many modern video codecs would target their encoding algorithms based on reference-based metrics, such as PSNR or SSIM. These metrics measure the fidelity of accurately reproducing the original content roughly pixel for pixel, including artifacts. The assumption here is that the video that acts as the reference is “pristine,” but for UGC, this assumption often breaks down.
In this case, the videos on the left ends up having 5 Mbps bitrate to faithfully represent the originally uploaded user video content. However, the heavily compressed video on the right has a bitrate of only 1 Mbps, but looks similar when compared to the 5 Mbps counterpart.
Another unconventional challenge can come from a lack of understanding of the provided quality of the uploaded video. With traditional video, quite often a lower quality is a result of heavy editing or processing and an un-optimized encoding. However, this is not always true for UGC, where the uploaded video itself could be sufficiently low quality that any number of optimizations on the encoding operation would not increase the quality of the encoded video.
How is the dataset put together?
This dataset is sampled from millions of YouTube uploaded videos licensed under a Creative Commons license. Only publicly shared videos from uploaders are sampled.
The sample space the videos were chosen from can be divided into four discrete dimensions: Spatial, Motion, Color, and Chunk-level variations. We believe that this dataset reasonably represents the variety of content that we observe as uploads within these dimensions.
For technical details on how this dataset was composed, the coverage correlations scores and more, please refer to our paper on dataset generation in arxiv (also submitted to ICIP 2019).
Where can I see and download it?
This UGC dataset can be explored over various content categories and resolutions in the explore tab of media.withyoutube.com. The video preview will be shown when you mouse-over the video, along with an overlay of the attribution.
Various content categories are separated out for simplicity of selection. HDR and VR formats are available in addition for each resolution. Though some high frame rate content is present as part of the offering, it is not currently separated out as a category. Frame rate information is embedded in the video metadata and can be obtained when the corresponding video is downloaded.
Videos can be downloaded from the download tab of media.withyoutube.com page. Here you will also notice the CC BY creative commons attribution file for the whole set of videos. Details about the video download format along with the link to the Google Cloud Platform location are available on this page.
Additionally, three no-reference metrics that have been computed on the UGC video dataset by the YouTube Media Algorithms team are available to download from this page. These three metrics are Noise, Banding, and SLEEQ. Explanations of each were published in ICIPs and ACM Multimedia Conferences.
We are excited to launch a large-scale dataset of public user-generated content (UGC) videos uploaded to YouTube under a Creative Commons license. This dataset is intended to aid the advancement of research on video compression and quality evaluation.
We created this dataset to help baseline research efforts, as well as foster algorithmic development. We hope that this dataset will help the industry better comprehend UGC quality and tackle UGC challenges at scale.


Rashi comments: Rabbi Nathan says: Why did the Nesi'im see fit to be the first to contribute here, whereas concerning the work of the Mishkan, they were not the first to contribute [but the last]? However, the Nesi'im said as follows, “Let the people contribute what they can, and then we will complement whatever is missing.” When they saw that the people had supplied everything-as it says, “And the work was sufficient for them” (Exod. 36:7)-they said, “What is left for us to do now?” So they brought the shoham stones and the filling [stones] for the ephod and the choshen. Therefore, [in order to make amends,] here they were first to contribute. And because they were not commanded to do so, but offered the wagons themselves, Moshe did not accept them from their hands until he was instructed to do so by the Omnipresent, as it is stated, "Take [it] from them, and let them be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting."
It seems puzzling why Hashem did not command Moshe to arrange for wagons to carry the Mishkan in the first place. The beams of the Mishkan were too heavy to carry, so how could they transport them by hand? And if the Nesi'im would not have donated the wagons by themselves, there would have not have been any way for them to carry the beams on their journeys and transport them from place to place. Why, then, was this not explicitly commanded by Hashem?
I would like to suggest, with siyatta d'Shemaya, that Hashem intentionally did not command them beforehand in order to give them the opportunity to initiate the offer and demonstrate their desire to do so on their own. Hashem tested them to see if they would realize on their own that the wagons were necessary and thus they would offer to donate them, or would they again now be indifferent and wait until Hashem commands them explicitly. When one's heart is burning with love of Hashem, he wishes to be the leader for all matters of sanctity. He must be like Nachshon, who showed alacrity in serving Hashem, and not wait for others to do it, or to receive an explicit command from Hashem. Since the Nesi'im had been lax in contributing toward the Mishkan, they wished to correct this, and now they hurried to perform the mitzvah, and they took the initiative to donate the wagons in order to carry the Mishkan.
Hashem commanded Moshe Rabbeinu, a"h, "Take [it] from them," because His whole purpose was to test them whether they would demonstrate alacrity in the service of Hashem and initiate to do something on their own, or would they just wait until Hashem would command them to provide the wagons. Indeed, the Nesi'im passed the test and immediately volunteered the wagons, because one whose heart is burning with love for Hashem and His Torah will take the initiative to do more in the service of Hashem, even without being explicitly commanded to do so.
Therefore, the Torah elaborated extensively regarding the korban of the Nesi'im, and listed in great detail what each of the Nesi'im brought. Likewise, the Torah records in detail about the donation of the wagons, since all this stemmed from their heart's desire and from their good will.
Since they came on their own initiative and good-will and demonstrated love of Hashem to be the first in matters of sanctity, Hashem favored their donation very much, and the Torah did not spare words to publicly tell their praise. From this we learn to show alacrity and contemplate how to improve more and more the service of Hashem, because this proves one's love for Hashem.
How does a person's heart become aroused to take the initiative and demonstrate alacrity in all matters of sanctity?
The answer is by getting excited over the service of Hashem and the study of Torah. And as David Hamelech says (Tehillim 55:15), "In the House of G-d we would walk excitedly." David felt great excitement and enormous yearning to enter the Beit Midrash, and his aspiration in life was (ibid. 27:4), "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of the Lord and to visit His Temple every morning." On one hand, to always be in the Beit Hashem all his life, yet on the other hand, he wished it to be like "to visit His Temple," so that every time it should seem to him like coming for a visit, which is something exciting and new, and thus the excitement and enthusiasm for matters of sanctity would not fade. In this way he would not get caught in the trap of acting out of habit, because then his Torah would be like lip-service, G-d forbid. This then was the request of David Hamelech.
If a person feels such excitement in his service of Hashem, naturally his heart yearns to take the initiative and invest more in Torah and mitzvot, and he becomes the leader in all matters concerning mitzvot and sanctity.
If a person experiences such enthusiasm while sitting in the Beit Midrash, he must continue to feel this even when he is outside, when he leaves the confines of the Beit Midrash. He should always live surrounded by sanctity, and should not leave his lofty conduct only for the Beit Midrash and go outside devoid of spirituality. He should make sure that his sanctity accompanies him every step of his life, as it is stated (Mishlei 3:6), "Know Him in all your ways."
I found an allusion to this in the pasuk (Bamidbar 4:21), "Take a census [lit. raise] of the sons of Gershon, of them too." "Gershon" is derived from the word "hitragshut," or excitement. This implies that one who serves Hashem with excitement and emotion, and his heart burns with the love of Hashem, he merits being raised above all others, and he becomes the first and foremost in all matters of sanctity and is assured of advancing constantly in spiritual achievements.
Similarly, the Nesi'im, whose hearts were full of love for Hashem and enthusiasm to fulfill His will, demonstrated alacrity and were quick to initiate the contribution of the wagons and offer sacrifices to Hashem, Who loved them very much for this donation.
I once spent the night at the hospital bedside of a man in Argentina. When I stood up from the hard plastic chair where I had spent the night, I turned to open the door of the room to air out the place and stretch my legs a bit. The day was Tishah b’Av, the day we mourn the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. As such, I wanted to go to the Beit Hakeneset for Morning Prayers, the reading of Megillat Eichah, and the recitation of the kinot.
Just then, a white-bearded, black-robed priest made his way down the corridor. When he noticed me, he seemed to be startled. After a moment, his stance turned to real fear. I was wondering what he was afraid of. In order to calm him down, I smiled at him and wished him well.
But the priest was going from bad to worse. His entire body began trembling. I stretched out an arm to steady him and keep him from falling. Slowly but surely, he regained his equilibrium. He then began stammering in Spanish. I told him that I did not know the language. I am fluent only in French, English, and Hebrew.
Since he had initiated this conversation, I decided to turn the tables. I asked what he thought was the answer. He tried to evade responding, but I would not let up. Finally, he spoke. “The difference between Jewish clergymen and those of other religions lies in the fact that the Jews have the true Torah. When the truth stares you in the face, you become afraid.” He then lifted his hems and left the room.
A non-Jew who never received the Torah might admire the Jewish rituals. But this admiration does not give him a ticket to join our nation. Conversely, there are righteous converts who join our nation. They contained a spark of a Jewish neshamah. Since this spark stood at Har Sinai, together with all of Bnei Yisrael, after they recognize the truth of Torah, their neshamot bond with the neshamot of our nation, and they convert according to halachah.
A person should be cautious that his family should not hear him utter any derogatory remarks about his fellow, because if he himself transgresses, besides for the transgression itself, he also causes great damage to his family, because he will not be able to teach them to abstain from doing so. Generally, the behavior of one's family in these matters reflect the conduct of the head of the family himself. Therefore, he himself must be very careful in this matter, and then it will be good for him in this world and in the Next.
The connection to the parashah: The haftarah describes the nezirut of Shimshon, and the instructions of the navi to his mother concerning the nezirut. This is similar to the parashah which discusses the subject of the nazir and its mitzvot.
"Whoever witnesses a suspected woman," Rashi comments: in her disgrace, "should withhold himself from wine" (Sotah 2a).
Where could a person have seen a Sotah in her disgrace? It was in the Beit Hamikdash. And what was a person doing there? He went there to become more spiritual and refined. Was he in such danger there, to the extent that he would be affected by the scene, and not even by witnessing the sin, but only its punishment?
Rabbi Yisrael of Salant, zt"l, explains that seeing the Sotah is not the reason; it is a signal. He must ask himself: Why was it orchestrated from Heaven for me to see this? Why was the woman brought out precisely now? This was a sign from Heaven that it was not sufficient for him to make a one-time pilgrimage to the Beit Hamikdash, but he should also become a Nazir and withhold himself from wine.
This is as the navi says (Tzefania 3:6), " I have cut off nations; their towers [lit. corners] have become desolate," Sometimes Hashem destroys a nation entirely, and sometimes only a corner, whereas a district or city are demolished and become desolate. And sometimes, as the navi states, "I have destroyed their streets so that no one passes by. Their cities have become waste so that there is no man-so that there is no inhabitant. And why is this? Hashem says, " I said, "Surely you will fear Me, you will accept reproof," and Rashi comments: I brought retribution upon the nations so that you should see and fear, as He concludes, “I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me.’” The navi continues, "and her dwelling shall not be cut off," that the homes of Jewish people should not be destroyed. Not only that, but Rashi explains, "All that I ordained upon her: And all the good that I ordained to bring upon her shall not be cut off from her."
A Jew living in China engaged in an import business. He set out on a business trip to Europe, and of course, he stopped on the way in the city of Radin to receive the blessings of the saintly Chafetz Chaim. He arrived and introduced himself.
The tzaddik's face lit up and he asked: What is doing in China?
The tzaddik responded: "This is the plight of many in our times. I hear this from the Jews in North America and South America, South Africa and Australia. It is a difficult challenge, but one can overcome it. For people like you I wrote the sefer "Nidchei Yisrael." Take it as a gift. Study it and teach it to others. What else is doing in China?"
The man dared to ask: "Rebbi, what does it have to do with us?" The Chafetz Chaim answered, "If someone would stand up on a podium in the center of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and begin speaking in Yiddish, who would he be addressing?
The man answered: "The Jews, of course!"
"Why?" the Chafetz Chaim queried. "Aren't the Jews the minority in the big city?"
"Indeed!" the man agreed. "But only they understand the Yiddish language."
"Exactly!" the Chafetz Chaim explained excitedly. "These disasters are signals from Heaven. Who is Heaven signaling? Only those who "understand the language"… What do the Chinese understand about the Attribute of Justice prevailing? It is intended for us, so that we should repent and do teshuvah. But how will we know about the disasters? Therefore, Hashem orchestrates events that a Jew from China should come to Europe and stop in Radin to report to us, so that we should take the lesson to heart and do teshuvah before it is too late…"
The parashah discusses the issue when a married woman secludes herself with a man, and her husband suspects her of sinning with him and brings her to the Kohen to have her drink the bitter curse bearing waters, in order to ascertain whether she sinned. The Torah states (ibid. 5:27-28) "And it shall be that, if she had been defiled and was unfaithful to her husband, the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter, and her belly will swell, and her thigh will rupture. The woman will be a curse among her people. But if the woman had not become defiled and she is clean, she shall be exempted and bear seed."
Chazal say (Avot 4:21), "Jealousy, lust and honor remove a man from the world."
It is important to know that Chazal did not only determine that these vices remove a person from his portion in the World to Come, but they also remove him from this world. This is because an arrogant person will never admit his mistake and acknowledge his sin. Even when he will be in a situation where the noose is tied around his neck, he will still continue going head-on trying to justify himself, until he destroys himself.
It seems to me that this was the evil of the suspected woman that eventually destroyed her. Because of her arrogance she did not admit her bad deeds and she was not willing to accept blame. Therefore, even when she knew that she would inevitably die after drinking the bitter waters, she still stood her ground, denying any wrongdoing, declaring brazenly, "I am clean of sin," because this is the way of an arrogant person. Arrogant people are willing to remove themselves from this world and from the World to Come, so long as they do not admit their mistake.
For this reason, this parashah is read immediately following the Festival of Shavuot – the Festival of the giving of the Torah, so that a person will realize how despicable the vice of pride is, since it removes him from the world. Moreover, whoever is arrogant, the Torah does not reside within him.
Therefore, the parashah of Sotah and Matan Torah are contiguous. It teaches people to be aware of the vice of arrogance and to make sure to distance themselves from it greatly. One should make sure to acquire the virtue of humility, which is the root of all virtues, and thereby merit that the Torah will reside within him and become his acquisition.
During the end of Rabbi Shmuel Aharon Lieder's life, when he was old, he began to suffer from impaired vision. His doctor suggested getting medical treatment that would restore his vision. But to the surprise of his family, Rabbi Lieder refused to undergo the treatment, saying, "This is an incredible opportunity from Heaven! If I cannot see, I will not transgress in guarding them from seeing forbidden scenes. Is there a greater blessing than this?"
The children were taken aback, and nevertheless, it was hard for them to witness his failing vision. They turned to the Chief Rabbi of Bnei Brak, Rabbi Moshe Leib Landau, shlit"a, and he hurried over to Rabbi Lieder's house and ruled that his duty requires him to make an effort to repair his vision and thus he should undergo the treatment. In order to convince him more, Rabbi Landau offered him a segulah as a gift. He should count the strings of his tzitzit every day, string by string, eight on each corner, totaling thirty-two strings, because it is a segulah for healthy vision. Rabbi Lieder began to do so and later testified that since then his vision had improved immeasurably.
It is incredible how a person almost ninety years-old feared so much for the kedushah of his eyes, that it was worth losing his vision, in order to guard the sanctity of his eyes. It is also a good idea to adopt the segulah of counting the threads of the tzitzit, in order to maintain the good health of one's eyes for many years.
The most central place in our body, whose sanctity and purity we must guard carefully is the brain. As the most central organ in the body, the supreme commander of all other organs, and the primary data processor, the importance of refinement and perfection of the brain is critical. The brain is the chief commander, and according to the brain everything else runs, and it is the automatic system that controls us. In order to begin becoming sanctified, one must begin specifically with the brain, to elevate it and purify it.
In the medical world, the brain is accorded supreme importance, because it is the central "processor" and "server" in our lives. Therefore, great thought is invested in maintaining its health and optimum function, so that it can perform its various critical functions best. The brain comprehends, analyzes and stores what we read and learn, and later, when we need to withdraw the information that we learned, read, or heard, the brain's role is to identify the information from the past that is relevant for the moment, and take it out of our memory, process the information and use it.
The most influential factor of the brain is the eyes. It is not by coincidence that the eyes are the closest organ to the brain. It testifies to the importance of what we see and at the processes taking place deep in our brains. Chazal say that the eyes see and the heart covets. This implies that what we see has a great influence on our desires and aspirations; in other words, what we see turns into our aspirations and desires, which is something that draws us and we connect to.
The word "Koh – this is," means "Kacha – this is how," that is, how to bless the people. It is strange that first they were instructed about the blessing to recite, and afterward they were instructed how to recite it.
Meknes was a city full of learned, scholarly people. The Rav of the city was not pleased with many of the community members, since the scholars of the city considered themselves superior in authority to him and argued with him on every possible occasion. There was often controversy between the Rabbi and other scholars.
Once, when Rabbi Chaim Hakatan came to visit the city, the Rav of Meknes conveyed his displeasure with the scholars of his city, since they did not accord him sufficient honor and disputed his halachic rulings.
On one occasion, when Rabbi Chaim met one of the scholars who did not accord honor to the Rav of the city, he admonished him and told him that this behavior did not reflect the ways of the Torah. On the contrary, he was desecrating the honor of the Torah in this way. He added that anyone who showed contempt for the Torah will ultimately be held in contempt by others.
Rabbi Chaim wisely remained silent, not responding to the tirade. He attempted to get the man to go into an empty side room with him so he could explain to him his error. Since the rude man would not budge, Rabbi Chaim turned to all the people in the room and asked them to leave.
The scholar realized that a holy, awesome man, who perceived the absolute truth, was standing before him. There was no point in denying his words or contradicting them. He fell to the tzaddik’s feet and kissed his hand, tearfully begging his forgiveness.
The congregants, who were waiting outside, were invited to the seudat mitzvah that the contrite scholar arranged in honor of Rabbi Chaim. Facing the Rabbi of the city and all the people, he expressed his regret and begged forgiveness for all his misdeeds. He solemnly resolved to be careful to protect the honor of Torah leaders.
Rabbi Aharon Chassin, zt”l, author of the sefer Mateh Aharon, who served as Rosh Av Beit Din in Mogador, was an eye witness to this event.


Mar.14 (GMM) A few days ago, Red Bull's team boss said Jenson Button - not the other McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton - is a more likely championship challenger for 2012.
On the eve of the new season, Christian Horner has now told British reporters that - with Hamilton's current contract expiring this year - it is "difficult to envisage Lewis in our team".
Hamilton, the 2008 world champion who had a tumultuous 2011 and was famously beaten by Button in the drivers' points standings, insists he doesn't mind.
"It's the first time I've heard of (the remarks) but they definitely don't wind me up," the Briton is quoted by the BBC.
"There are a lot of opinions, and everybody has their right to an opinion, but it doesn't really affect me.
"It doesn't really matter at the end of the day when I go out and do the job."
In fairness to Hamilton, he sounds confident and refreshed heading into the new season, has patched up his relationship with his girlfriend, and appointed Didier Coton to look after him in the paddock.
"Lewis was a child prodigy -- this is the problem," 1996 world champion Damon Hill told the Sun. "When you have been brought up from an early age to be a product, at some point something will crack."
Another pundit, former McLaren driver David Coulthard, urged Hamilton not to be put off by Red Bull's apparent lack of interest in his services.
"I don't think Lewis will ever be out of demand for the top teams," said the Scot.
"What are Lewis' other options? I don't think Mercedes are waving around a cheque book -- I'd be surprised if Michael (Schumacher) and Nico Rosberg are in the top-four earners in formula one.
"You also want a competitive car and if McLaren give him that, then he will probably stay," said Coulthard.


How do I keep weight off? Most sprints should not last more than 30 seconds. You might have to work a little harder with a hand-push lawnmower. Lifting weights can also protect your metabolism and hormone levels, which often decline during dieting 15 When you cut down fats with carbs, you restrict yourself from almost al satisfying foods, which leads to starving, feeling stressed all the time, and not being able to carry out daily life activities.
I am on day four and I am very discouraged. Avoid foods that you think you may be intolerant to. Four Pounds in Two Weeks While you can lose more than 2 pounds in a week, it's not recommended unless suggested by your doctor.
High-intensity interval training HIIT is another very effective training method. The meals and snacks must strictly comprise fruits, as these contain more water, essential nutrients and less fat. Increasing your daily activity is a great way to burn extra calories and lose more weight.
To lose weight you need to cut back on fatty, high-calorie foods.
Running on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 6 mph: But we understand the allure. Get out your calculators or one of these Calorie Counting Apps and Gadgets and follow along because the answer to this question is all about numbers.
On the second day, eat all the vegetables you want. Four pounds in two weeks may not seem like much, but it can make a difference in how you feel. Although it's not a long-term fix, this can kick-start your weight loss journey and motivate you im gonna burn this fat more sustainable long-term changes.
Wait 15 to 20 minutes and eat a big meal with the foods on that day's menu. Increase the duration with each passing day.
There are many different protocolssuch as a hour fast with an 8-hour feeding window, or a hour fast with a 4-hour feeding window. Fat deposits under your skin make you grow in size and weight.
Can I continue the diet after the first week is over? Day 2 and 3 Go Veggies! Day 6 and 7 A plateful of healthy diet can bring about a lot of difference in your day weight loss program.
A serving of prepared frozen french fries, which is about 3 ounces, has calories, while a medium baked sweet potato has only calories. Let us tell you a way of losing weight in 10 days, in fact, a detailed guide on how you can achieve this.
Don't be too disappointed if you don't lose all ten pounds. While there are some diets that claim they can help you lose a lot of weight fast, they're usually not the safest, and you'll end up regaining most of the weight as quickly as you lost it.
Jill Corleone, RDN, LD Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Do be careful, however, to follow the diet exactly.
Here are just a few general examples based on a person who weighs pounds. To lose two pounds per week, you must drop 1, calories per day.
Choose lower-fat proteins, such as chicken and fish. To really burn calories in a short period of time, you might want to consider interval training. Drink cold water at 4 a.
First thing, you need to do away with misconceptions breeding in your mind and push aside all the unnecessary advice you have received in your life. Yes, but you will have to spread your meals out.
Use a calorie counting tool to keep track of the amount of calories and nutrients you are taking in. So you're not starving, you might want does turinabol burn fat split the calorie deficit between diet and exercise, decreasing your daily intake by calories and working out to burn another calories.
Don't drink your calories: Instead, opt for water, zero-calorie drinks, tea or weight loss cosmetic. Here are the 7 steps you should weight loss cosmetic in order to lose 10 pounds in a week. A cup full of fiber-rich foods, fat burner for male as barley, raspberries, pears and whole wheat pasta can help cut hunger between meals.
Do you have high blood pressure? Yes, only if you feel satisfied with less food. While we know enough to ignore quick-and-dirty, fast-fix, starvation diets, though, what about a healthy weight-loss plans—how much can you really expect to lose in 30 days?
You may need to do this aggressively in order to lose so much weight in just one week. Reduce all snacks and don't eat anything after dinner. For flavor without calories, squeeze a little how to lose weight lying in bed into your fizzy water. Be Active Outside of the Gym In order to burn extra calories and lose more weight, you can also increase your daily activity.
Losing one pound of body fat is equivalent to 3, calories. What is your body-mass index BMI? Cutting Calories to Lose the Weight Besides keeping tight tabs on what you eat, there are things you can do to cut calories from your daily intake.
In fact, some of my clients who use this look like they've been on a three- or four-week diet after just one week. Where is the soup recipe? Weigh and log the foods you eat. Vitamins that help in weight loss The easiest answer to how to lose weight in 10 days is below given day by day food guide that you need to follow for your ten-day weight loss routine.
Eating more protein also helps. Contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidents 56 Coffee with or without milk Lemonade recipe on the dedicated page for day three of this diet Do You Need to Lose Weight? If you mess up or cheat a little, just repeat the day and continue on from there. In addition to the calories burned during your workout, building muscle tones your body so you're burning more 15 pounds weight loss diet while at rest.
This can be as simple as a piece of paper or fat burner for male phone app like My Fitness Pal.
If you must eat soup outdoors, make sure it is not processed as they are filled with calories.
Can I substitute anything for rice?
Day 1 Eat only fresh fruits with a high level of antioxidants such as lemon, oranges, etc. On the second day of the diet, eat any type of vegetable you want, as much as you want. Some things to consider are: You ought to understand the depth of im gonna burn this fat problem and learn the ways to fight it with precision.


BAY MINETTE, Ala. -- Two weeks after he announced his decision to play football at Alabama on national television, star wide receiver Julio Jones found himself in a new position -- that of a key prosecution witness in a capital murder trial.
Wearing a gray hoodie emblazoned with an Oklahoma logo, Jones testified Tuesday that he witnessed the gunshot murder of a longtime acquaintance who was identified as a drug dealer. The slaying occurred in Baldwin County not far from Foley High School, where Jones became one of the nation's top football recruits.
Jones, 19, said he and his best friend, 18-year-old Lugene Gibbs, watched from across a street as Labarron McDonald, 27, fatally shot Gibbs' uncle, Marlin Lashane Phipps, 33.
• NBA -- Maurice Cheeks and the 76ers agreed to a one-year contract extension, giving the former NBA star through the 2008-09 season to reach the postseason for the first time as Philadelphia's coach.
Harris' ankle has kept him out the past three weeks.
• Minneapolis police are investigating a nightclub incident involving New Jersey player Richard Jefferson.
Sgt. Jesse Garcia says Jefferson allegedly put his hands on a man's neck until he lost consciousness after the man asked the uninvited player to leave a private party that he was hosting at the posh Graves 601 hotel before dawn on Jan. 27.
• COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- Having lost its final appeal, Ohio State will pay former coach Jim O'Brien almost $3 million for wrongfully firing him.
The Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear Ohio State's appeal of the coach's lawsuit against the university, signaling an end to a lengthy court battle.
• NASCAR -- Robby Gordon was docked 100 points and his crew chief was suspended for six races and fined $100,000 as NASCAR penalized 10 teams in its three different national series for infractions found at Daytona International Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of seven drivers penalized for Nationwide Series infractions, and six crew chiefs were suspended. Todd Bodine, winner of the Truck Series race, and two crew chiefs were penalized.
The harshest penalty went to Gordon, who had an unapproved front bumper cover on his No. 7 Dodge during opening day inspection for the Daytona 500. The deduction of points drops him from ninth in the standings to 40th.
• COLLEGE SWIMMING -- Clemson has suspended swimming and diving coach Christopher Ip for using an ineligible swimmer in two meets earlier this season.
Ip will miss the men's and women's Atlantic Coast Conference championship meets the next two weekends, the school announced. Clemson reported the infraction to the ACC and the NCAA.
• MLB -- Roger Clemens has pulled out of an ESPN sports personality weekend at Disney Hollywood Studios. The decision comes a week after Clemens gave testimony to a congressional committee about his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.
Clemens says in a statement, "I believe my current participation could be a distraction."


Manchester United 4-0 drubbing of Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday might have been best team performance by any club this season. It was certainly Manchester United's best team performance. Striker Wayne Rooney, scorer of two of United's four goals, said it best: "Growing up I used to love watching Brazil and the football we play is similar to the football Brazil play. To play in this team, I love it." Hyperbole? Far from it, says the Independent's Ian Herbert: Rooney's comments might have been an understatement.
Eighth-place Aston Villa, a club that still has a chance of qualifying for Europe next season, has one of the Premier League's better away records. But United dominated all facets of this game, especially in the second half -- at one point, Rooney applauded a cross-field pass from Paul Scholes before it had even reached him.
"In terms of the Premiership ... that was really great stuff," Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill said, suggesting he could find no fault with his own players. Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the first -- a back heel hit hard between the legs of his defender and passed the goalkeeper -- "has gone on to be exceptional," O'Neill exclaimed before warning that "Roma is another day." That said, Saturday's thrashing could be no better preparation for the Champions League quarterfinal. Roma, meanwhile, had a much tougher weekend, forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Cagliari while losing captain Francesco Totti to injury.


Who cares about getting to the other side when a bridge is this delightful?
Early morning in Coimbra, central Portugal, and the sun peeks out over the Rio Mondego before disappearing behind banks of low cloud and squally rain. This bothers Cecil Balmond, the renowned structural engineer. You have to see the bridge before the sun goes down, he says. But by the time I step on to the bridge, it is bathed in the kind of light that would make the most voluptuous baroque church in Portugal look a little dull.
The brand new Pedro and Ines footbridge over the Rio Mondego, linking two new urban parklands at Coimbra, is a quiet sensation. Coimbra is a small university city reinventing itself with vigour, and if that sounds like a contradiction in terms, then the bridge exemplifies it. Its structure is revolutionary, yet rather than showy; it is effortlessly elegant. It is also the stuff of engineering sorcery.
The bridge is the fourth to cross the river at Coimbra, and it provides a walkway between two expanding new districts in a highly imaginative way. The two spans - one rising from either bank of the river - launch themselves at different points across the water, as if destined never to meet. They do, but only by performing a dance - the twist, you might call it - over the middle of the river. It's as if two separate and parallel bridges had been the order of the day, but, at the last moment, someone had ordered them to join together. This join between the two spans forms a gloriously unexpected public space at the centre of the bridge, encouraging people to stop, look, chat and generally while away the day.
When the sun comes out, the intriguing asymmetrical structure of the footbridge is etched across the Mondego. The ice-cream coloured glass panels running either side of the pedestrian deck light up, splaying kaleidoscopes into the water below, and bathing the bridge and those crossing it in soft pinks, blues, greens and yellows. When the sun retreats, the bridge is decorum itself, cool, white and almost still.
After years of constructing buildings for architects such as James Stirling, Philip Johnson, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind and Portugal's own Alvaro Siza, Balmond is now designing in his own right. He is, he says, in conventional terms the "architect" of the Pedro and Ines bridge, while his Portuguese collaborator, Porto-based Antonio Adao da Fonseca, is the engineer.
Balmond's flamboyant signature is writ brightly in the asymmetrical design of the bridge, while the feet-in-the-water, firmly-on-the-ground practical engineering is very much a reflection of the more sober-minded Fonseca.
"I've looked at many pedestrian bridges," says Balmond, "and what I've noticed is that people often rush across them. It's as if the design of the bridges themselves makes people feel they have to hurry, that they have a very linear journey and the sole point of the bridge is to get from one side to the other. But there is another point: that of dawdling and looking and dreaming. We've designed the bridge so that it's something of an adventure, a way across a river that doesn't insist on haste."
If the bridge's central "piazza" encourages pedestrians to stop and stare, so, along the way, do its zig-zag timber balustrades. At first these seem a little perverse. A bridge that appears to dance, a bridge that even threatens not to meet in the middle, is curious enough, but handrails that push this way and that, like a jogger's elbows, are surely a design detail too far. But as you stroll across the bridge, each zig and zag proves to be a point where two people at a time can lean on the bridge as if in their own private space. This is a clever conceit, and it works well.
I don't doubt that Balmond wanted to make a bridge different from any other, and the design decisions he has made prove, at each new twist and turn, to be perfectly logical - assuming, of course, that you are happy with a non-linear logic. Balmond and members of his advanced geometry unit at Arup are working hard to demonstrate that there is a world of structures, rooted in nature, and yet waltzing happily around Cartesian certainties. Balmond has for some years been seeking new forms of architecture and decoration reflecting new research into forms that are not obvious. The Pedro and Ines bridge is one small step in this new architectural adventure.
Coimbra is an ideal setting. It's a city dominated not by industry or shopping, but by a university, with research at its heart. It has a fairytale history, run by Germanic tribes, Moors, then by Christian kings, who reaped the superficial rewards of early imperial exploration and invested in some of the most flamboyant of all European baroque design. Now, it's a city reinventing itself with imaginative new design and architecture.
The truly clever thing about the appearance of the bridge, as you approach it from either side of the city and along both banks of the river, is that it looks no more than a simple structural arc. A very elegant one, but nothing out of the ordinary. It's only as you cross it, and turn from either side into the central "piazza", that you are aware of how ingenious it is. Standing in the centre you can look to either bank and see that the way you arrived is not the same as the way you will depart: the deck shifts across the water. This is something new in bridge design.
"The big worry," says Fonseca, "was the lateral forces at play on the bridge. In playing a game of the imagination, we need to work hard to ensure stability. Actually, the bridge is allowed to move just a little from side to side to maintain its posture, and you can just feel this if you stop when everyone else on the bridge is still walking."
Presumably, it won't wobble, like London's formerly bouncy Millennium Bridge over the Thames? Fonseca says not, and walks me to points on the bridge where, hidden from view, powerful dampers promise to keep any sudden movements well in check.
This is a joyous design. For the record, it is 274.5 metres long and 4-metres wide, and cost €3.5m. But a list of mere statistics - this much steel, that much concrete - could never conjure its special magic, its sparkle, what Balmond likes to call its "incandescent softness".


Itanium: New Opening for Linux?
Intel's new Itanium chip is getting muffled yawns from some quarters, but for Linux vendors, the architecture could represent a sterling opportunity to make much-desired inroads into high-end computing environments.
Intels new Itanium chip is getting muffled yawns from some quarters, but for Linux vendors, the architecture could represent a sterling opportunity to make much-desired inroads into high-end computing environments.
At the very least, this years rollout of Itanium servers and workstations will help Linux developers get their collective foot in the door in enterprise accounts — if not actually win the business of customers that might have otherwise chosen Microsoft Windows or Unix operating systems (OSes).
Caldera International, Red Hat, SuSe Linux and Turbolinux all plan to release their 64-bit versions of Linux for the Itanium processor this summer.
Rob Enderle, research fellow at Giga Information Group, said information technology shops that run Linux are by nature early adopters of new technologies, so they would be more receptive to kicking the tires on a new microprocessor architecture such as Itanium and would also choose to test it with Linux.
"This is an opportunity, because of the timing, for the Linux folks to move in and around Microsoft," Enderle said. "Initially, youd expect to see Linux get a lot of mind share from this."
Itanium is the first in a new family of chips that represent Intels bid to break into corporate data centers, where very high-performance applications typically run on relatively expensive Unix servers or mainframes. Analysts, however, expect sales of Itanium systems to be modest. Intel has been treating Itanium as something of a trial run, with hopes of getting much greater traction with the next processor in the family, McKinley, which is slated for release in the first half of 2002.
The Itanium chips 64-bit architecture breaks from Intels traditional 32-bit architecture, providing the ability to handle applications that require much more memory: Itanium can support thousands of terabytes of physical system memory, Intel said, whereas the 32-bit chips, which include the Pentium line, have a limit of about 4 gigabytes of memory. The Itanium chip took seven years and $1 billion to develop.
Intel has teamed with Linux vendors to bring the open source OS to the new chip. And those vendors are eager to raise Linux to a high-performance platform. "We now have a chance to offer Linux as a first-class operating system across the whole spectrum, from embedded applications to the enterprise," said Michael Tiemann, chief technical officer at Red Hat. Intel was one of the first equity investors in Red Hat in 1998.
Tiemann said Red Hat has had roughly equal access to the developer prototypes of Itanium as Microsoft has had, "plus or minus a week."
"I think IA-64 [Itanium] gives us an opportunity to open a lead against Microsoft," he said. "Weve got the momentum, and the fact is, because we had equal and early opportunity to work on this, were starting from a position of strength."
But not everyone thinks Itanium will level the playing field for Linux. Mark Hudson, director of worldwide marketing for Hewlett-Packards business systems unit, said HP generally recommends running Linux only for basic access applications, such as Web serving. For business-critical databases and other business applications, he said, "nothing can scale like HP-UX, which we think will be the most robust Unix operating system available for Itanium."
Intel is enlisting several partners to bring the new chip to market. HP, which co-developed the chip, last week announced a two-processor workstation and four- and 16-processor servers with Itanium chips, due later this summer. HP lets customers choose Windows, Linux or its own HP-UX Unix OS with its systems.
Compaq Computer, Dell Computer, IBM and Unisys also announced plans to introduce Itanium-based systems in the next few months.
Meanwhile, Dan Kusnetzky, IDCs vice president of systems software research, said that while early adopters of Itanium systems may test them out with Linux, that doesnt mean Linux will be selected as the platform for the final deployment of a companys production application.
"I dont think [Itanium] is a broad opportunity for Linux to knock somebody else out of the room," Kusnetzky said. "But it might let Linux enter into enterprises where they didnt previously have the key to the door."
With Itanium, Intel has targeted as its prime competitor Sun Microsystems, which has a very strong presence with its 64-bit UltraSPARC-based servers running Suns Solaris, a Unix OS. Intel and Sun actually had an agreement to port Solaris to Itanium, but the relationship soured early last year.
Intel said it will bring "Intel Architecture economics" to the high-end computing arena by providing a widely supported chip architecture produced in large volume. "The price points of the Itanium systems coming out are a huge departure from anything in the enterprise space," said Lisa Hambrick, director of marketing for the Itanium processor family at Intel.
Although apples-to-apples comparisons are difficult, machines carrying Itanium chips appear to be less expensive.
But Chris Kruell, group marketing manager for computer systems at Sun, disputed Intels pricing claims, saying Sun realizes the same economies of scale that Intel does.
Intel has also worked closely with Microsoft, which developed a 64-bit server program scheduled to ship on the first available Itanium-based PC servers this summer, as well as a workstation version, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, that will be available in the fall.
Technology Editor Charles Babcock contributed to this report.