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You are here:News» Topics» Fleming Brown 2nd Test: Brendon McCullum puts New Zealand in command against India TOI Brendon McCullum and James Neesham took New Zealand second innings lead to 325 runs at stumps on the fourth day of the second Test match against India. Speed News » There are no Quotes on Fleming Brown
Tag Info New answers tagged Just to add some extra info; there's also a town in The Netherlands where the border between The Netherlands and Germany runs through the length of a street with houses on both sides. The odd numbered houses are Dutch and the even ones are German (or the other way around, I forgot). Top 50 recent answers are included
You are here:News» Topics» Jackie Paris Speed News » "There were 236 passengers on the flight (almost a full load as AI Dreamliners have a seating capacity of 256). The aircraft had to be grounded due to spoiler snag. The passengers have been sent to hotels and will be flown to Delhi at the earliest," said an AI official. Air India's flight AI 142, to be operted on Dreamliner (VT-AND), had to be grounded just when it was to take off from Paris CDG Airport on Saturday night as the aircraft's spoilers -- speed retardation devices on the wings that move up and down -- became unservicable and the aircraft had to be grounded. Male fashion buzzwords you ought to know TOI Show off your mankle, grab a murse, and wrap a mangle around your wrist, guys! Confused? We update you with men’s fashion hybrids to brush up your vocabulary Alain Resnais, legendary French filmmaker, dies TOI There are no Quotes on Jackie Paris
zevrix's Profile Title Last Reply Who eats using sterling silver flatware at home each and every day? Just look up all the healthy properties of silver. It's amazing! That's the main reason to have and, well, use silver flatware. Obviously, if you don't care then you don't need it. (Not that I'm using it right now. Ha. But I grew up on a family where only silver was used.) It's really weird that some people have silver flatware but only keep it for "special occasions". What's the point? It's like having a Brita filter but only use it for special occasions. Feb 25, 2012 zevrix in Not About Food
User talk:Bonner From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Welcome to Bonner, the content-free Bonner that anyone can Bonner, unless the server goes down, in which case no-one can Bonner. 8,491 terrible terrible edits made edit Anything new to the bottom and anything bottom to the new please. BonSig.png (Bonner) Icons-flag-gb (Talk) Jun 9, 16:23 Why did you ban me from IRC when you were being more abusive? GEORGIEGIBBONS 20:46, June 11, 2010 (UTC) 1) I didn't ban you. 2) You don't come here often do you? BonSig.png (Bonner) Icons-flag-gb (Talk) Jun 11, 20:48 I'll be frank, I spend most of the time vandalising Wikipedia. I'm sorry if we have got off to a bad start. GEORGIEGIBBONS 20:51, June 11, 2010 (UTC) Personal tools
Whoknows Wrote: Feb 11, 2013 7:46 AM I know one thing, if the FAT guy from N.J. runs for president I will donate money against him. He is not an example of anyone I wouild want for president. He is worse than the one we have, because he is a traitor to our cause.
The BlackBerry PlayBook (Source: RIM) Comments Threshold By Nortel on 6/7/2012 4:30:31 PM , Rating: 5 Setting: RIM board meeting Topic: Struggling product line Opens with director covering topic of slipping sales figures and segues into the Playbook line. exec 1. -"Our Playbook has been a financial flop with the most popular model being our 16gb model" exec 2. -"We need to get more people interested in the upcoming BB10 phone, how are we supposed to do that when we are selling so many 16gb models" exec 3. -"I agree, we should axe our most popular Playbook model, that will definitively show our consumers how serious we are about the BB10" exec 1. -"Wait, I think we're on the wrong track here, I mean the 16gb model is what our consumers are buying, why discontinue it?" exec2. -"You just don't get it, we need more attention on the BB10; tablet market is over-saturated" exec 3. -"That's it, decision made, we're cutting the 16gb Playbook. Next topic, increasing our golden parachute clauses" RE: setting By The Raven on 6/7/2012 4:51:05 PM , Rating: 3 lol, good one. But am I missing something here? They axed the smaller capacity but not the smaller price right? Isn't this saying that the 32gb model is the same price if not lower than the 16? The 16 gb is obviously more popular because of the lower price, right?
I'll be using what I have. One 160WS strobe, reflectors, one 6x8 foot window. I usually use this set up for portraits of the family. I want to do this in color preferably transparency cuz I just can't read a color neg without a proof print. I'm trying to do a study in color. I am having a heck of a time putting it into words but there will be raw paint pigments, curled color paper and what ever starikes my fancy. I am not interested in shadows but will play with them. Is this something a polaroid test shot would be good for?
Take the 2-minute tour × Instead of drawing a dashed line as follows: share\|improve this question See also tex.stackexchange.com/questions/27258/… – gavenkoa Nov 7 '11 at 22:08 add comment 1 Answer up vote 18 down vote accepted share\|improve this answer What I haven't been able to find in the documentation is how to set the space between the dots or how to set the size of the dots for a dotted line. Do you know where I can find this information? – A.Ellett Sep 26 '13 at 0:16 add comment Your Answer
United States Primland Resort, Blue Ridge Mountains, Va. Readers' Choice Rating: 95.0 Rooms: 97 Service: 97.1 Food: 94.1 Location: 91.2 Design: 97.1 Activities: 93.9 Paeans to the resort are many, and the refrain remains the same: "The closest thing to heaven!" The "gorgeous" eco-conscious lodge houses 26 rooms, while 3 cottages and 11 mountain homes lie further afield. The staff is "enthusiastic and devoted" and guests bless the "five-star equivalent" New American-style preparation of local, organic food in three choices of places to dine—Elements restaurant being the "hardest to resist every night."
Emi Akezawa Emi Akezawa is a anime/manga character in the Baki the Grappler franchise Edit this Page The content below is entirely editable. Baki Hanma's mother. She fell in love with Yujiro Hanma, and vowed to raise Baki to be a warrior like his father. General Information Edit Name: Emi Akezawa Name: 朱沢江珠 Romanji: akezawa emi Gender: Female 1st manga book: 1st anime episode: 1st anime movie: Powers & Battle Rankings Edit Add a power to this list? Attractive Female You propose to remove this. Changed mind? You propose to add this. Changed mind? Associations Edit We don't have any info about Emi Akezawa's related things. Help us fill it in! Top Editors Mandatory Network Submissions can take several hours to be approved. Save ChangesCancel
Who do you identify with? It seems to me that come election time, people would give some thought to what impact electing one party or one person over the other would have on the things most important to them. Of course, family usually comes first, but tied to the family is that one earns a living to provide for the necessities of a family. I am constantly amazed at how easily people are distracted by collateral issues and seem to forget about voting for their own interests or selecting candidates with whom they have much in common. I have noticed recent columns by a retired schoolteacher. He seems to be an intelligent fellow. His pieces are certainly well written, but it comes through loud and clear that he intends to vote against our current president. Most of the reasons appear to me to come from blogs or various sources of political rhetoric. What boggles my mind is how an intelligent, well educated, retired teacher could give serious thought to casting his lot with the candidate of a party whose state platform dismisses and opposes teaching the higher order of thinking, condones cutting public education funding by $4 billion, believes there is too much money being spent on education now, and is generally anti-science. I suppose the retired teacher is no worse than the hourly wage earner who provides for his family through the sweat of his brow yet votes for a party that reveres the wealthy to the extent that money making more money is treated as far better than a worker making money. A party that believes a good business climate is one in which wages are suppressed along with the ability of workers to organize, and that injured workers ought to stop their whining and should just live with their injuries instead of thinking about suing their employers or other wrongdoers. I’m also somewhat chagrined at seniors who would vote for the party who wants to abolish Medicare as we know it and curtail Social Security. As I grow older, I become more and more concerned about health issues. I hear almost daily some ordinary working stiff or retired person make disparaging remarks about the Affordable Care Act, generally referred to in a snide way as “Obamacare.” It still is amazing the average Joe does not recognize the difference between his family’s situation and that of congressmen who have government funded Cadillac medical insurance, or rich folks like Mitt Romney who never give a second thought to whether or not they can provide adequate medical care to members of their family even if stricken with a catastrophic illness such as cancer, kidney failure or similar ailments. Families are driven to bankruptcy on a daily basis for lack of being able to afford or obtain adequate health care. Even worse, there are little children who die every day, particularly in states like Texas, because they do not have access to adequate health care. Most folks who are not rich seem to forget they are one step or one disease away from total disaster for themselves and their families unless the health care problem is addressed. The conservative response, to let the market handle the situation, is a phony and false promise. Who ever heard of the insurance industry figuring out how to take care of a bunch of sick people? It is to their gain to insure those who do not become sick and those who will never make a claim against them. Money and profit drive the private sector, not concern for the sick or the lame. On another front, many veterans fell for the smear of a real combat veteran who ran for president with the “Swift Boat” lie paid for by a multi-billionaire. Now it seems they are trying to peddle as a real American hero a fellow who dodged military service during the Vietnam War in order to pedal a bike through France. I will readily confess my bias, but it doesn’t take me long to figure out I have little in common with a fellow who has a Swiss bank account. Thoughtful Commentary It's a good question, and a solid thing to ponder. Sadly, many good folk are just more concerened about their focus on the world-- family, personal success, and so on. The political world, as serious as it should be, has become the next great Reality Series, entertainment that the masses can participate in. Fox News, for example, bills itself as "entertainment" in places outside the US; otherwise, it would be locked out of some areas for overwhelming bias. I think people are looking for responsibility and maturity from government. When a party can be labeled "The Party of No", and then live up to the name.... there's something seriously wrong. On the flipside of the coin, anyone who expected the President to accomplish everything he set out to do is a bit naive; obstructionism by the respected opposition aside, there are realities that must be contended with, and no amount of pie-in-the-sky rhetoric can change that. All things said, I still have to be a bit optimistic myself-- there is still hope for government to get its gear togetehr and do some actual good work. "Work" in this case being the work of government, and not one shrieking match after another for the benefit of CSPAN, FOX, or any other news channel one cares to name. It's embarassing. Reality Check One alternative view in review of the 'politician' who has developed a whimpering bark and a poor resemblance of a vicious bite is to acknowledge that the constituency HAS educated themselves in spite of all of the mind experimentation perpetuated by those who want to use other peoples money while increasing the rank and file of those dependent on the state. When was the last time that a 'politician' presented AND implemented a workable, fiscally-responsible solution to any issue? . . . . though it so easy to present emotional, bleeding-heart and (B)lue (S)ky visions promising heaven on earth. . . . on some else's dime . . . . and at the expense of personal liberties. The official debt is $16 TRILLION DOLLARS . . . AND continuing to grow . . . while 'politician's believe 'the state' is the answer to everything . . . . as long as more money can be had. Kinda makes one wonder how the United States of America was ever founded on the ideals and visions of our forefathers . . . and had it had once prospered. Post new comment By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.
Honda Insight Honda Insight to be priced from $18,200 Comments Threshold By Spuke on 12/1/2010 10:06:30 AM , Rating: 2 (Need = use the bed, third row, or tow on a consistant basis, if you just use it once or twice a year it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to rent the Home Depot truck for $20 on those occasions) The Home Depot trucks don't have trailer brakes so your limited on how much weight you can tow. In CA it's 1500 lbs. You could put more than that in the bed not to mention it's pricey of you want to take it out of town. It's tough to rent a truck in my area. My wife tried for two months straight to get a truck for our trip last week (our truck was towing our RV and we wanted another truck to tow the horse trailer). Found one place with a truck with trailer brakes but they could not reserve it or guarantee it's availability. Sure enough, when we called a week and a half before to rent it, they had rented it and all of their pickups to the local power company. Fortunately for us, one of our neighbors came to the rescue and let us borrow their truck. Very nice of them!!!! About 80% of truck/SUV purchases are for status and not a real need. Post a link to where you got that info. Thanks. But they didn't, they bought a truck or SUV instead. BTW, large SUV sales are totally niche. They are on par with sports car sales. You should focus on pickup trucks instead as the two best selling vehicles in the US are pickups. If you cut those sales, you would reduce overall fuel usage. Good luck with that. By adiposity on 12/1/2010 11:57:58 AM , Rating: 3 Where I work there are quite a few women in the office. Most of them drive suburbans or SUVs. They use them as commuter vehicles. So five days out of the week, they are driving a 5-7 passenger vehicle with one person in it. Maybe these people qualify as "not needing it." I'm guessing they like the vehicles because a). They have kids and like having room to pick them up b). They go shopping on weekends and need room to put stuff in the back. But the bottom line is they really don't "need" the vehicle they use, for what they mostly use it for. Maybe that's what the original poster was talking about. I owned a Jeep Cherokee for several years because I used the tow package enough that it was worth it. I didn't really "need" it, I suppose, because I could have just rented a truck when it was necessary. But it was more convenient to own. If you are somebody that regularly has to tow more than 1500lbs, I doubt anyone is questioning your use/need of your vehicle. The complaint is against people who consume needlessly (although the 80% figure is obviously just made up). Personally I feel you should be able to have whatever vehicle you want. But people are still entitled to be annoyed that you are increasing the cost of gas by consuming so much of it. By ebakke on 12/1/2010 1:36:24 PM , Rating: 2 Well Jesus folks. By that logic we could say they don't really "need" a vehicle at all, right? I mean, she could've bought her kids each a bike. Or they could just walk. There are two gaping flaws in the OP's logic (and your attempt at explaining it). First, you're making the assumption that you know what/why/how an individual uses their vehicle based on one snapshot of their use. So you see some guy driving to the office in an F-150, but you don't see him hauling construction materials on weekends for his side job. And second, even if some guy's only using a truck to commute, there's only one person who can determine if that meets his needs, and that's the guy driving it. Giving someone else the power to determine what you or I need or don't need is the exact opposite of freedom. Personally I feel you should be able to have whatever vehicle you want. But people are still entitled to be annoyed... Be annoyed, sure. Try to force me into doing anything differently, absolutely not.
Remove this ad Type: Person Page Views: 3486 Fans: 4 Forum Posts: 0 Wall Posts: 1 Photos Uploaded: 0 Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー, Samurai Chanpurū?) is a Japanese animated television series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004 through March 19, 2005 on the television network, Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous television show, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown in the anime and Japanese television communities. The show was produced by studio Manglobe. The word, champloo, comes from the Okinawan word "chanpurū" (as in gōyā chanpurū, the Okinawan stir-fry dish containing bitter melon). Chanpurū, alone, simply means "to mix" or "to hash." Therefore, the title, Samurai Champloo, may be translated to "Samurai Remix" or "Samurai Mashup." The series is a cross-genre work of media, blending the action and samurai genres with elements of non-slapstick comedy. It is also a period piece, taking place during Japan's Edo period. The series is interwoven with revisionist historical facts and anachronistic elements of mise-en-scene, dialogue and soundtrack. The series' most frequent anachronism is its use of elements of hip hop culture, particularly rap and the music it has influenced, break dancing, turntablism, hip hop slang, and graffiti. The show also contains anachronistic elements from the punk subculture and modernism, but less prominently. Like many anime television series, the story of Samurai Champloo is finite in length, and the final episode depicts the end of the narrative without allusion to a successive season. Source: Wikipedia Extended Information Write an extended description!
Skip Navigation Newton's Third Law Best Score Practice Newton's Third Law Best Score Practice Now Newton's Third Law Key Equations Example 1 Watch this Explanation Time for Practice 1. You are standing on a bathroom scale. Can you reduce your weight by pulling up on your shoes? (Try it.) 2. A VW Bug hits a huge truck head-on. Each vehicle was initially going 50 MPH. 1. Which vehicle experiences the greater force? 2. Which experiences the greater acceleration? Explain briefly. 3. You and your friend are standing on identical skateboards with an industrial-strength compressed spring in between you. After the spring is released, it falls straight to the ground and the two of you fly apart. 1. If you have identical masses, who travels farther? 2. If your friend has a bigger mass who goes farther? 3. If your friend has a bigger mass who feels the larger force? 4. If you guys have identical masses, even if you push on the spring, why isn’t it possible to go further than your friend? 4. Analyze the situation shown here with a big kid pulling a little kid in a wagon. You’ll notice that there are a lot of different forces acting on the system. Let’s think about what happens the moment the sled begins to move. 1. First, draw the free body diagram of the big kid. Include all the forces you can think of, including friction. Then do the same for the little kid. 2. Identify all third law pairs. Decide which forces act on the two body system and which are extraneous. 3. Explain what conditions would make it possible for the two-body system to move forward. Discuss in class. Image Attributions Please wait... Please wait... Original text
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia Revision as of 02:50, December 5, 2010 by Cookie6533 (talk \| contribs) Jump to: navigation, search “Damn, this road gets more dangerous everyday!” ~ Oscar Wilde A freeway is a double road that goes a long distance. This type of road go such a long distance, that you could end up at the Mackinac Bridge after a long way's travel. Whenever cars travel on the freeway; they usually travel one direction on each side. If traffic goes against the direction the side of the freeway is assigned to; it will end up in a huge pileup and even the end of the world. Interstate 90 is one of the world's longest freeways as it gets people from New York to Seattle. after this pileup occurred, the camera that recorded this idiot's daredevil stunt got destroyed! And 69 out of 420 people in the pileup died! Due to having a unlimited speed limit, freeways are prone to pileups as random shit is bound to happen. The probability of random shit increases dramatically if you go past the speed of light with a warp drive or some other nutty device. One of the worst pileups to occur on any freeway was the pileup on Interstate 69 in Michigan when a rampant raid of HIV, AIDS virus, genital warts and other STDs created a smoke of fog that caused 105,000 cars to be totalled into twisted metal, but ironically 69 percent survived whereas 45% of survivors never had sex again. 45% of the cars that ended up in the pileup were all made by Detroit car companies as I-69 heads to Detroit. Oscar Wilde's diary Oscar Wilde traveled the freeway so much, he just wanted to escape from every shenanigan of his. Eventually, he was pulled over by a cop who patrolls the roadway. Wilde has wrote in his diary that 404 out of 420 speedtraps set on the freeway are actually vigilante stealth riders that try to make everybody's life a living hell. National defense President Dwight D. Eisenhower built more freeways when he wanted to speed up trade and shipping of military weaponry to defend against enemy attacks. Ironically, most multicar pileups that occur on freeways are basically a sabotage trap to cause havoc. Highway 401 in Ontario has been known to have mass carnage with bottlenecked medians all because the Canadian government had too much farmland to spare since people in Toronto were hungry like hell. Examples of freeways A freeway. See also Personal tools
No recent wiki edits to this page. From the moment he was born, Yoite had been considered an "Angle of Death" by his family. His mother died during childbirth, as a result he was locked away in the basement and not even his half-brother Kodo Tsukasa was allowed to approach him. At the coming of his fourteenth birhtday, Yoite's family had decided to kill him. Slashing his throat and attempting to force Kodo to do the same. After this unsuccessfuly attempt to kill him, Yoite ran away. Everysense wishing he could be erased from existence became his goal. Yoite was then saved by Hattori, leader of the Grey Wolves (Kairoshu). Being accepted in as a Grey Wolf, Yoite A young Yoite trained for a year, studying the Kira technique and ninja skills. Hattori had promised Yoite that this would bring him closer to his wish of being erased. Yoite was placed under the care of Yukimi, another Grey wolf, and is given his name "Yoite". Yoite first meets Miharu Rokujou in the Fuuma village where he and Yukimi were sent to retrieve a scroll of secret arts. Miharu is accompanied by Tobari Kumohira, Kouichi Aizawa, and Raimei Shimizu who try to prevent them from sealing the forbidden scroll. But going toe-to-toe with a Kira user it not something to be taken lightly. Miharu's friends are quickly taken down to a stand still. Raimei and Kouichi are both unconscious and Tobari is barely holding his insides together by using his unseal technique. Miharu is left unable to help them and yells for Yoite to stop. Just then Kotarou Fuuma, leader of the village, shows up and assist. Yukimi had told Yoite that their only mission was to retrieve the secret scroll, not mess around with the Shinra Banshou owner. So, the two leave, forbidden scroll in their possession. Yoite using the Kira technique Later, Yoite kidnaps Miharu and takes him to an old broken down train in a bamboo forest. There he tells him he wants Miharu to grant his wish. His wish to be erased from this world as if he had never exisited. Yoite gets Miharu to agree to help after blackmailing him, saying that if he dies before being erased then Miharu's friends that he had shot his Kira into would die with him. Hair: Black Eyes: Blue Height: 5'11 Weight: 117lbs Age: 16 This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for: Comment and Save
About Us Congress Passes Legislation Protecting Military Dogs ASPCA applauds measure ensuring adoption, veterinary care for retired military dogs December 21, 2012 NEW YORK–The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today applauds the U.S. Congress for passing legislation to protect military dogs. Included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, the measure provides significant steps for the protection of retired military dogs by streamlining the adoption process and authorizing a system of veterinary care for the retired animals at no expense to taxpayers. The Defense Authorization bill now moves to President Barack Obama for his signature. "Military dogs are true heroes—they play a critical role in our nation's defense," said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations. "These amazing dogs have been loyal to us in extreme circumstances and deserve to be properly cared for and adopted into good homes after such unwavering service to their country. We thank Senator Blumenthal and Representative Jones for ensuring these heroic dogs' health and well-being is properly cared for." Military dogs successfully perform many important and dangerous duties that can be difficult, if not impossible, for humans. After years of service, military dogs deserve a safe retirement option and may require expensive veterinary care to treat health issues related to their dedicated service. Establishing a long-term, reliable source of support for that care will ensure that our nation's commitment to the dogs' well-being extends beyond their period of military service. The bill also streamlines the adoption process by standardizing the transfer of retired military dogs from foreign soil back to the United States, where they can be permanently placed into loving homes. "Military working dogs are so crucial to the safety of our service members, and it is our job to provide them with the love and care that they so honorably deserve when they are retired," said Rep. Jones. "I would like to thank Senator Blumenthal for his leadership in the Senate and all the organizations, such as the ASPCA, who have supported our efforts." "I am pleased that this year's NDAA will recognize the importance of military working dogs by providing for their care," added Sen. Blumenthal. "These dogs have saved countless human lives through their vital work and deserve to be honored in this way. I thank Congressman Jones and the organizations that have worked so hard to ensure that these canine heroes receive the care they deserve. I will continue to work with these key organizations to ensure that the Department of Defense implements the provisions of the NDAA that will establish standards of care for retired military working dogs, allow for the transport of retiring dogs working overseas back to the United States, and provide for recognition of their service."
THE MOST REQUESTED: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' hangs in at the top of fiction list The following is a list of the most requested books at your local libraries for the week ending Aug. 4. Most Requested Fiction (* - not yet released) 2. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn (Crown) 4. "NYPD Red" by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little Brown and Company)* 5. "Friends Forever" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press) 6. "Someone Like You" by Judith McNaught (Ballantine Books)* 7. "Zoo" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown)* 8. "A Wanted Man" by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)* 10. "Backfire" by Catherine Coulter (G. P. Putnam's Sons) Most Requested Non-fiction 3. "Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman (Simon & Schuster) 6. "Wherever I Wind Up" by R.A. Dickey, Wayne Coffey (Blue Rider Press) 7. "Yes, Chef" by Marcus Samuelsson (Random House) 10. "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg (Random House) Join the Conversation
I posted the below in a different thread and wanted to post it on it's own as well... Well I've been a little busy so I'm just now getting online but I wanted to chime in a little on the differences between CR and CF and how both provide a service. Paul and I came to a mutual understanding a while ago that both sites provide a great service to the community but in different ways. Paul does a great job of providing recruiting news and analysis and CF does a great job of providing a completely free and unrestricted place for diehards to hang-out. We aren't competitors and we don't look at eachother as such. I actually even exchanged emails with Paul today talking about our respect for each other. One thing Paul and I realized long ago was that there is plenty of room for both of us to exist in harmony. We have a large and growing fan-base and two sites can easily cater to their needs in different ways successfully. I have a full-time job so I can't follow up on all the recruiting stuff and Paul does a great job at that. I have a huge passion for creating a free and friendly place for fans to hang-out and we do a great job at providing that place. I think there's plenty of room for both sites to coexist peacefully and hopefully everybody understands that. We do our best here on CF to only allow positive remarks towards CR and to not allow premium content to be posted. Obviously there are times when we don't know if something was learned from a premium source like CR so we can't always keep things from becoming public knowledge but we do try. There are times we've forwarded Paul info to see if it's something that shouldn't be allowed here and that's about all we can do without moderating every poster for their sources. We do our best and we've become peaceful co-existers and invite all of you to do the same.
Fact of the day Fact of the day Information is the most powerful weapon. Fact N° 2168 Yellowish or reddish skin tones are more attractive to women than traditionally masculine features. Pale skin that lacks the yellowish or reddish hue sometimes called a "healthy glow" is a larger detractor to physical attractiveness than any major facial characteristic, according to a UK study. Vaguely yellow or red skin tones indicate a healthy diet and physical fitness, while pallid skin generally indicates a weakened immune system. The study's female respondents were more swayed by the tint of a man's skin than his features, indicating that perceived health was more important to them than virility or masculinity. Fact N° 2169 There is one pictographic language left in the world. The Library of Congress's Selections from the Naxi Manuscript Collection features the only pictographic writing system still in use today: ceremonial texts by the Naxi people of Yunnan Province, China. The simplified, illustrative system resembles a series of drawn glyphs similar to Egyptian or Mayan hieroglyphs, with many recognizable figures of animals and objects. Practicing Naxi priests, called "dongbas," use this system to produce manuscripts, which are used for standard ceremonies such as funerals and blessings. Fact N° 2170 Spam emails have declined for the first year on record. According to Cisco, 2010 was the first year on record that spam email activity declined -- only by 1.6% in the United States, but historic nonetheless. The decline resulted in a mere 11.1 trillion spam emails sent in 2010, down from 11.3 trillion sent in 2009. The decrease is likely due to the shutdown of major spam senders around the globe. As spam activity decreases, however, malware activity is on the rise; Google processed a 111% increase in e-mail virus transmissions in late 2010 compared to the same month in the previous year. Fact N° 2171 Too much sleep is deadlier than not enough. Sleeping fewer than six hours a night -- and over seven and a half hours a night -- can often be indicative of illnesses or even the cause of health problems. Researchers from British and Italian universities analyzed studies that covered more than one million people and found that those who slept fewer than six hours a night were 12% more likely to die before 65, but those who slept more than nine hours were 30% more likely to die prematurely. Fact N° 2172 Beer keeps you younger, but may give you cancer. There are notable health benefits associated with a moderate level of beer consumption: it raises HDL ("good cholesterol"), helps prevent cardiovascular disease, decreases the likelihood of dementia, and in general counteracts some of the risks of aging. Of course, all of this only applies when people drink in moderation (fewer than five drinks when one indulges; one to six beverages over the course of a week). However, averaging a drink a day also increases your risk for several types of cancer, including lung, liver, stomach, and prostate cancer. Fact N° 2176 Cataract surgery is thousands of years old. Ancient Babylonian and Indian physicians both developed a surgical treatment to remove cataracts. A possible reference to it even appears in the Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian law code dating back to 1700 BC, wherein a successful eye surgeon is said to be owed "10 shekels in money." The Indian surgeon Sushurata, who lived around 800 BC, describes cataract surgery in his Sushruta Samhita. The procedure, called "couching," involved a sharp instrument and the use of clarified butter and continued to be used for hundreds of years throughout Asia. Fact N° 2173 Over 5,000 janitors in the U.S. have doctorates or comparable degrees. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that around 17 million Americans are over-educated for the jobs they have and most of them hold college degrees in fields that don't require them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics nearly 27,000 retail salespeople, 9,200 waiters and waitresses and 7,000 truck drivers have a doctoral or professional degree. More Like This Best of the Web Special Features
Take the 2-minute tour × I'm looking for somewhere to hire a car camper not a campervan. For those who do not know what a car camper is, here's a description from Wikipedia: The car camper is a station wagon converted into a travel home.The rear cargo area is converted into a full double bed area usually with a fabricated aluminium framework. All equipment neccessary to set up a well appointed camp site is stored under the double bed with access through lidded areas under the bed. Unlike a standard station wagon where the camping equipment has to be removed before sleeping or a tent set up the car camper is self contained. (A station wagon is known as an estate or shooting brake in some countries) share\|improve this question I'm Australian and I've never heard the term "car camper" before. Can you explain a bit what such a thing is? – hippietrail Sep 30 '11 at 8:38 add comment 3 Answers This category is also known as "Sleepervans" Jucy Campers is another that use a combination of people movers like Toyota Previas outfitted with camping gear, bed and custom made awning extensions or even rooftop tents. There are plenty of sleepervans and a few Camping Cars for both New Zealand and Australian rentals on motorhomerepublic.com, which I'm affiliated with. share\|improve this answer add comment There is also spaceship. I know in New Zealand the locals aren't fond of these as they don't have a toilet on board and the occupants don't use discretion when it comes to choosing places to go to the toilet. I'm not sure about Australia but in New Zealand there are heavy fines for not cleaning up after oneself. Happy Camping. share\|improve this answer geez, all the debate in the chat room last night about what a car camper is, and I could just have asked you on gtalk! – Mark Mayo Oct 31 '11 at 23:15 Personally I prefer a long wheelbase toyota hilux a little less room still sleeps two. But it will get you just about anywhere with out breaking a sweat. (possibly cheaper to hire, though you then need to buy your own cooker and foam squabs to sleep on) – Stuart Nov 2 '11 at 11:16 add comment There are several online booking sites available that offer car campers in Australia. I'll list some of them: I think with that you should have a broad selection of car campers in whole Austrlia. share\|improve this answer Hmm all of those seem to be either regular station wagons or regular campervans. Only campertravel.com.au mentions "... and fully equipped station wagons Car rentals ..." - Buying a used normal station wagon is pretty normal for long term backpackers in Australia, and it's what I recommend usually. But they don't have the features of a car camper that Wikipedia mentions. – hippietrail Oct 31 '11 at 16:37 But what is the difference between regular station wagons and station wagons? I really don't understand it. – RoflcoptrException Oct 31 '11 at 18:05 There is no difference between regular station wagons and station wagons. There is a difference between station wagons and car campers: "car camper is a station wagon converted into a travel home". A (regular) station wagon has not been converted. Doesn't have the fabricated aluminium framework for the double bed, etc. – hippietrail Oct 31 '11 at 18:08 add comment Your Answer
What Is R&B Music All about? Rhythm and Blues music, or R&B music, was originally race music and included any form of music intended for black audiences which was a combination of jazz, gospel, and blues. Originally, the term R&B was coined in the United States in the late 1940’s as a less offensive marketing term. Originally it focused on boogie rhythms but today it has a different sound that focuses on pop beats and culture rather than the blues, gospel and jazz sounds of previous generations. 1 Additional Answer R n B evolved out of jump blues in the late '40s, it kept the tempo of jump blues, but its instrumentation was sparer with emphasis on the song. It was blues played with an insistent backbeat. R&B was dominated by vocalists like Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, the Drifters and the Coasters among others. Q&A Related to "What Is R&B Music All about" 1. Buy a music software program that will help you manage your tracks. There are many on the market right now, starting at around $100. Some suggestions for software are Cakewalk Rand B music is like rap with some hip hop in it. R stands for rythym and b for blues. from the Africans in Africa getting sent to America, their music was adopted and changed to 1 Research the history of Rhythm and Blues, create an understanding of where it originated from. Ad 2 Understand the importance it has had on society in the past and how it has evolved Rhythm and blues (R & B) is a genre of popular African American music created in the 1940s to Explore this Topic How ‘bout us is a song that was sung by the R & B music group called Champaign back in the year 1981. This group was made up of Pauli Carman, Rene Jones ... Protest music is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of songs connected to current events. It may ... Twenty Genres of Music: Country. Pop. Rock. Hip hop. Rap. Classical. Blues. Jazz. Heavy Metal. Soul. R&B. Folk. Reggae. Funk. Gothic. Disco. Freestyle. ...
Lenovo considering purchase Palm may also simply choose to continue as an independent company. Comments Threshold Palm hardware sucks - this is why it doesn't sell By jameskatt on 4/23/2010 11:39:17 AM , Rating: 2 Palm hardware sucks. This is why it doesn't sell. I think Palm has to do some things: 1. Recruit HTC to make Palm hardware for it - essentially rebrand HTC's cell phones like Google and Microsoft do. This way, Palm doesn't have to do its own hardware. This way, Palm can keep up with Microsoft and Google. 2. Install the WebOS on these phones. 3. Create a developer SDK that can do native apps. The lack of apps is killing Palm. Get Adobe to create app creation tools for it. Sure, Flash apps suck and are generic. But having no apps is worse of all. This may give Palm a chance in the world. Of course, I'll upgrade to an iPhone 4G. By retrospooty on 4/23/2010 12:51:49 PM , Rating: 2 HTC has been making Palms products for well over 5 years. I know for a fact all Treo's since the 650 came from HTC. Palm has no chance as Palm. They need to be bought out by a company that can move faster on multiple fronts. They just arent built to be able to compete in todays tech economy. Considering Lenovo bought the industry standard thinkpad laptop and desktop line from IBM and kept it going with not only keeping the high quality but improving upon it, I welcome Lenovo's purchase and hope it happens. This way Web OS will live on and hopefully better hardware options in the future. By omnicronx on 4/23/2010 3:58:03 PM , Rating: 2 1. HTC has made Palm hardware in the past, still did no help them.(made a lot of palm phones before the pre was released) 2. Would be nice, but they have not faired too badly with WinMo and Android and have a lot invested in the two. 3. Like the Palm PDK? If you've ever looked on the app store, they 3D games there (many of which are basically the same as iPhone versions) are written using the Palm PDK, compiled to native c/c++ code using opengl. The PDK is already publically available , and will soon allow public app submissions.(well from the non big players at least, the big players have had access to the PDK for a while)
2013 Ford Fusion EcoBoost 2.0 Ford assaults the midsize sedan market with the 2013 Fusion • 2.0-liter naturally aspirated (Atkinson-cycle) hybrid 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid For comparison (city/highway): 2013 Ford Fusion Energi 2013 Ford Fusion interior Source: Ford Comments Threshold RE: Impressive... but... By Iaiken on 1/9/2012 12:44:42 PM , Rating: 0 We will NOT buy from ObamaMotors as a matter of principle. Seems like someone needs a history lesson because your facts are backwards. The TARP loans were comprised of a debt-equity swap and it was, in fact, Bush who caused the American people to take an ownership stake in GM. Obama then inherited a GM that was still burning through bridge loans from the US Treasury at an alarming rate. Six months later, GM is forced into court-supervised restructuring after failing to meet key conditions of the original TARP loan in regards to debt reduction. During the restructuring 1, GM petitions Congress for a further 16.6 billion dollars, via debt-equity swap, that will also allow the US government to retain it's equity from the previous loan, Congress rejects the initial plan as it calls for cutting 47,000 jobs. GM petitions bond holders to exchange debt-for-equity, almost all of the the bond holders refuse. GM then comes before Congress with a second plan, but with the government taking a $19.4 billion stake in exchange for smaller job cuts (7000), shutting down Pontiac and selling Hummer, Opel, Saturn and Saab, Congress accepts. Three months later, GM files for bankruptcy protection. The court approves the sale of all GM assets/trademarks to a new entity, bondholders that refused the previous debt-equity-swaps are left to fight over the scraps of the "old GM" (mostly banks and hedge funds). Had even half of these bond holders gone with the debt equity swaps, the government would have only had a 41% stake (20% from Bush, 21% from Obama) in GM instead of the 61% (29% Bush, 32% Obama) it wound up with. So to say that either Bush or Obama deserves most of the credit/blame for the GM fiasco is completely dishonest because GM is still here. GM is turning a profit, has replayed the outstanding loans and is employing 200,000 Americans directly and nearly another 200,000 indirectly (suppliers, dealers, etc). The US Government has since sold half of it's common stock and all of it's preferred stock. By all accounts, it would have been a lot worse if neither Bush nor Obama had done anything. RE: Impressive... but... Very well said, thanks for showing the FACTS! RE: Impressive... but... Sorry - have to disagree with the repay the loan part. RE: Impressive... but...
How HRT can keep men's bone young - and stop mood swings Twice a year, Bernard Collen has a pellet implanted under his skin, and for the next six months it secretes testosterone designed to keep his bones healthy, his memory sharp and calm his irritability and mood swings. Bernard, a 55-year old business analyst, is one of a growing number of men in Britain who are on male hormone replacement therapy. Research increasingly shows that testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, can protect men's bones from osteoporosis just as the female hormone oestrogen in HRT offers some protection from the bone-thinning disease for women. TRT is also being used to help ease other symptoms of ageing, including tiredness, irritability and the effects of stress. There are suggestions that it may have a protective effect against heart disease and dementia, too. Although osteoporosis has long been seen as a degenerative condition that affects only women - as a consequence of hormonal changes triggered by the menopause - new research shows that men are increasingly suffering. A conference of specialists claimed that osteoporosis now affects one in 12 men in Britain. A third of hip fractures occur in men, and one in six aged over 80 will have a fracture at some time. Osteoporosis in both men and women costs the NHS more than £1.7 billion a year. Just why the disease is increasing in men is not clear. One theory is that it is as a result of men living longer; another is that health expectations are now higher, so men are more likely to seek help. Yet another theory is that the increase is due in part to the decline in jobs involving manual labour, because regular exercise is strongly protective against fractures. 'It is increasingly apparent that osteoporosis occurs in men,' says Dr Roger Francis, bone specialist at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. 'It is no longer seen by doctors as a disease solely of women.' Osteoporosis occurs when the biological processes that clear away old bone are faster than those that make new bone. The result is that the holes in the honeycomb structure of the bone get bigger, making it more prone to breaking. The sex hormones, oestrogen and testosterone, play a key role in the bone-forming process, and both decline with age. In women, the decline is rapid as a result of the ovarian changes at menopause, but in men there is a much slower and less noticeable reduction in testosterone production. By the age of 50, a man's testosterone level may be as low as a third of the level he had in his early 20s. Some men may experience no apparent ill-effects from this decline, while others will have severe symptoms. Reduced testosterone production can result not only in osteoporosis, but also a drop in muscular strength, energy and libido, as well as depression, and joint and muscle pain. There can also be an increase in upper body fat, anaemia, and some loss of mental agility. So they can combat osteoporosis and other age-related conditions, an increasing number of men are turning to TRT, which is now available in a range of formulations, including oral capsules and pills, skin patches, injections, and slow-release, implanted pellets. Dr Francis says: 'With older men we are aware of the potential for side- effects it may have on the prostate, in that testosterone may promote the growth of malignant cells. Because of that, we monitor this group of patients six-monthly or yearly.' Dr Malcom Carruthers, a Harley Street specialist in men's health, says the number of men who could be helped by TRT is huge. 'About 50 per cent of men in their 50s, and 60 per cent of those in their 60s could benefit,' he says. 'We want to make it more widely known and more widely available. 'We are at a turning point in the history of HRT for men. Research data is now very much in favour of testosterone treatment being effective and safe.' For Bernard Collen, TRT has changed his life. 'It should be as essential for men as it is for women,' he says. 'The effects of low levels of testosterone really started in my 40s. At the time I was a flower buyer at Covent Garden market in London and it was a very stressful job. 'It meant getting up early in the morning, and running around in circles organising things, and I felt tired most of the time. 'I was irritable and had tremendous mood swings. It was so bad, it got to the point where my stepson thought I hated him - and my wife thought I was having an affair. 'I didn't know what was happening or what to do about it, but my wife heard about TRT and, although I was a bit suspicious, I went along and had a blood test, and the treat-ment was explained to me. 'After just two weeks I felt much calmer, and much more in control. At work I was more assertive, decision-making was easier, and it seemed to improve my memory and mental agility. Life is now completely different.' The National Osteoporosis Society helpline: 01761 472721.
Software giant's former tech chief is uncertain how Windows 8 will fare I. The Man Who Might Have Been CEO Ray Ozzie at Microsoft [Image Source: Software Development Times] Metro Apps in Windows 8 III. The "Gloom and Doom" Scenario PC in the trash [Image Source: Sync-Blog] Source: Reuters Comments Threshold Post-desktop world By DrApop on 3/9/2012 10:19:59 AM , Rating: 2 It may still be several years away but I think the value of an OS is slowly diminishing. As we begin to transition to more web apps there may be less of a need for a monster sized OS. It will be more of just an interface rather than the bulk that it is now. Some will still want the big hulking, fastest processor, fastest video card, 800W power supply, 16 gigs ram, and 3 tb harddisk with the heavy duty OS. But I think most would be happy with a smaller scaled OS, use internet apps, and play angry birds. Not to mention that there are a number of apps for video and content creation available on the net (albeit limited in strength). But for the vast number of users...including most business users, something like google apps or Zoho apps would work fine....and you don't need a bloated behemoth of an OS to run it...and it runs on all OS's that allow internet access. And as far as I am concerned...the metro UI looks like crap and I don't like it. But that is just me.
Ok religious people he's 5! He has no concept of sexuality. He could probably dress like a princess for a year and turn out fine when he gets older. I mean after all boys think girls are yucky till they reach that certain age, and nobody worrys about calling them gay because of that. Tags: nuttery, religious Views: 25 Reply to This Replies to This Discussion My 7 year old daughter was C3PO for Halloween. it did garner some comments, but who cares? Halloween is for kids and they should be happy in their costumes. Let the kid dress as he wants. C3PO got comments? Wow what did they say. If she dresses up like a panicky robot that she might turn into one. That reminds me of Kindergarden when they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and i said a robot. They said no I couldn't be one and I was sad. 15 minutes left to edit your comment. They said it was a boy's costume. Apparently, these are not die hard Star Wars fans or they would know that C3PO is a model number and comes in both the male and the female gender - if a robot can have a gender. Sometimes mothers of girls do get comments that their daughters are too boyish. I know I do. My daughter loves robots, science, cars, extreme sports and exactly all the wrong things for a girl. Girls are supposed to play only with the stuff in the girl aisle and heaven help you if they want to hang out in the action figures and the skateboards. People can be so narrow. I dressed as an 1800s saloon girl for Halloween. No one commented that I was going to go turn tricks on a street corner afterwards. >.X There's such ridiculous fear of people not being black and white in the religious minds. Everyone has to be easily categorized. What is really disturbing about this is how derogatory to women it is. I agree with the mother and have seen many girls dressed as male characters and no eyes were batted, but let a boy dress as a girl and it is just the worst thing ever. So, what is so bad about being a girl? This kid's mom rocks. This reminds me of some clients at work who let their son dress himself(sometimes in "girly" colors/prints), and wait for him to ask for a haircut before they take him in. He sits better than most kids his age, and I suspect it's because he actually wants the to have his hair cut. That's not to say that I think ill of the parents when their really young child freaks out/can't sit still during a haircut...but I'm way off topic here. Still I think it's really cool of them for not letting other people's creepy habit of assigning sexuality to a freakin' little kid stifle him. It's sad how accurate the Onion can be. Oh my, what would they say about my husband?? He dressed as a 'blind date', complete with lipstick, platform heels and a sexy black dress. Support Atheist Nexus Donate Today Help Nexus When You Buy From Amazon Badges \| Report an Issue \| Terms of Service
Nintendo silences the competition with a killer lineup Comments Threshold RE: Star of E3? By Lazarus Dark on 6/16/2010 9:42:00 PM , Rating: 2 I'm a dedicated Nintedo fanboy. Although, I actually skiped the Gamecube and had an xbox, I kindof regret it, I got bored with the xbox in a couple months and gave it to my little brothers. I freaking love my Wii, but I freely admit, I've been jealous of some of the 360 features. Thankfully I'm rectifying that tomorrow as I can't resist the $100 price for the Arcade at Walmart (after $50 gift card inclusion). Though, honestly I'm not sure I'll really buy much games for it, I love the Netflix streaming and other media features. (funnily, I've actually been using a 360 controller for my PC for quite a while. It works fantastically for Portal and many other games.) So, there were a lot of interesting announcements across the board. Kinect looks uninteresting to me... but maybe if they get some more interesting games for it. I hate Sony with a passion, so sorry I dont care at all about anything they do. Most notably missing: NO ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT NEXT GEN. (aside from 3ds, but i'm talking about home consoles). This is dissapointing to me, as no current console is capable of 1080p120hz... RE: Star of E3? By afkrotch on 6/16/2010 10:19:09 PM , Rating: 2 1080p 120 hz? Huh? 1080p is a game issue, not a console issue. 120 hz is a tv issue, not a console issue. Both the 360 and PS3 support 1080p, it's whether the game developers make such. Both the 360 and PS3 push out an HD signal. It's up to the TV to display the 120 hz. RE: Star of E3? By Lazarus Dark on 6/16/2010 10:34:43 PM , Rating: 2 The 360 and PS3 cant do 1080p 120hz as far as I've heard. Currently, the PS3 can only get 3d 1080p at 60hz (which is a headache inducing 30hz per eye) You are probably thinking about 3d movies. 3d movies only require 1080p @ 48 hz to work (2x 24hz video feed)This seems to work fine for movies, but everyone says 60hz per eye is necessary for games (120hz total) RE: Star of E3? By afkrotch on 6/16/2010 11:37:58 PM , Rating: 2 BD players don't output 120 hz. Neither do HD-DVDs. They all push 24 hz, just like your 360 and PS3. It's not a problem with the device pushing the picture, it's the device driving the picture. For this whole 60 hz per eye, that's 3D. That's the point of those stupid glasses. Each lense is essentially a 1 pixel screen, which turns completely black or clear. It will display 60 hz for one eye, then turn it off for the other. It does this in time with the TV, to give you the 3D effect. Doesn't have crap to do with what is being outputted from the device. Only what is displaying it. RE: Star of E3?
David Cameron promotes a switch to "green" energy sources Comments Threshold RE: interesting... By TomZ on 9/11/2007 5:46:16 PM , Rating: 3 While it's true that standby mode does waste power, the solution is to drive device manufacturers towards lower power consumption. For example, pass a labeling law that states that all devices are required to disclose their standby power so that consumers can compare them. This approach is already used in other areas, e.g., electric appliances, to help consumers understand the power consumption and cost. On the engineering side, there's a lot that can be done in the typical device to reduce standby power. For example, replacing transformer-based cell phone chargers with smarter circuits that cut input power consumption when the phone is not plugged in. They would cost a little more, but maybe consumers would think it is worth it? RE: interesting... By Keeir on 9/11/2007 10:00:59 PM , Rating: 2 Yes, that is probably the "best" solution in that it will be the most effective without removing choice. But without reading the actual text of the "ban" mentioned by M. Asher, I can't know if its an actual out and out ban, or a ban on calling this high-power standby as an "off" state. RE: interesting... By dever on 9/12/2007 2:58:20 PM , Rating: 2 Even better than a "law" would be third party, private enterprises that reviewed products and gave ratings. If a good rating was given, manufacturer's could license the use of the rating for their product packaging and marketing.
• Palgrave Macmillan email/print EmailPrint Kelly Forrest KELLY FORREST is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma, USA. Kelly is a licensed mental health counsellor in Washington State and a certified coder of the Adult Attachment Interview. Her research interests include identity, trauma, dissociation, attachment, narrative and memory. cover Buy Moments, Attachment and Formations of Selfhood Dancing with Now Palgrave Pivot What moments are people remembering from their lives? How do moments influence the way people think about themselves? What are moments telling us about the... Kelly Forrest Sign Up Now!
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Bitcoins on the rise Source: BitCoin Magazine Comments Threshold RE: Not for me By Solandri on 2/28/2013 5:45:00 PM , Rating: 1 Heh, the same thing happened with a friend and Pokemon cards in the 1990s. I and most of my adult friends thought they were stupid and ignored them (parents were forced to buy them by their kids). But one of my friends (who thought they were stupid) realized their value wasn't what we thought it was worth, it was what its fans though it was worth. He made a small fortune importing them and selling them to retailers.
Take the 2-minute tour × Basically, I'm concerned that if I use a microphone---or, the microphone function on a headset---the speaker-sound will feed back in to the microphone as well. Use case: playing computer games with friends. I want to communicate with voice, but I'd also like to get the immersive experience of my 5.1 speaker system. Music or sound effects will constantly be going on in the game, and I don't want to transmit those over the microphone---just my voice. Also important, when my friends' voices come out of the speakers, I don't want to transmit those either. So, do microphones these days do some kind of background-noise cancellation? Would a headset work better? (And if so, can I use it for only the voice function?) What about a Bluetooth thingy; would one of the products made for cell phones be good at noise cancellation? share\|improve this question add comment 4 Answers up vote 1 down vote accepted To eliminate echo from your side you have three options: 1. Use headsets and DO NOT use your 5.1 speaker system - sorry. 2. Use push-to-talk. 3. Try using dedicated software to cancel the echo. There are several software products that can be installed. It is a very complex mathematical task but basically what they are doing is subtracting the audio coming out of the speaker from the audio entering in your mic. This is called AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation). You can google for it. I am personally using SoliCall Pro to do this task. share\|improve this answer I believe some microphones specifically made for voice chat have this feature built in. – oKtosiTe Jan 20 '11 at 10:46 add comment Usually this isn't a problem, particularly if you use push to talk rather than voice activated. Feedback may be an issue if you have the mic a long way away (and hence high levels on it to compensate), but i've used the mic from a cheap ($1) headset laying on my desk for the last few years after my old mic (a full studio boom mic) broke, and apart from a little less quality, there's no difference. Then again, if you have your speakers way loud, it may be an issue. edit: That said, a headset will do you better overall, but then you have to wear it just to chat to your mates when not gaming, so its swings and roundabouts. share\|improve this answer I agree; I have a 5.1 surround sound setup as well, and as long as I use push-to-talk it's not too bad, but you can't do voice activated or leave the mic open. – Herohtar Jan 19 '11 at 21:22 add comment A headset will eliminate the possibility of feedback problems. Your friends may notice the benefit more than you do. Latency in the system may mean that your microphone feeds back to them a delayed echo of what they have just said. This can be very difficult to talk over. share\|improve this answer So if I used a headset for the mic ("input") but the speakers for "output", this delayed echo wouldn't occur? Or would I need to use the headset's headphones, i.e. use the headset for both input and output? – Domenic Jan 20 '11 at 2:41 The problem is sound getting from the loudspeakers to the mike. The simplest solution is to use headset or headphones for listening. – RedGrittyBrick Jan 20 '11 at 10:17 add comment Here's an interesting point: Even the cheapest integrated sound cards today do things such as echo and noise cancellation. Many will even cancel all sounds coming from the computer, including fan noise. For example I have Realtek ALC268 on my laptop and have no problems with feedback and microphone is around 15 cm away from speakers. If your card doesn't have such features, you may want to consider getting one that does. Since you mention that you want immersive experience of your 5.1 speaker system, it would be a good idea to get a good card to go with speakers. Also, I had 5.1 setup in the era before there were sound cards with such fancy capabilities and I never had any problems with feedback, but the sound effects did go through. share\|improve this answer add comment Your Answer
or Connect AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › DIY Speakers and Subs › Looking for Amp/Wiring Advce for 4 x 18" SI Flat Pack Combos New Posts All Forums:Forum Nav: post #1 of 9 Thread Starter I had started a newbie thread to get some guidance on how I could improve my 'HT woofage' and received tons of valuable feedback. I have narrowed it down to building 4x subs with 18" SI woofers and Erich's 4 ft flat packs, probably 2 each co-located in the front and rear. The DIY FAQ thread has great information for a newbie like me. Still in this thread, I am looking for more advice and recommendations for the amplification, as well as the wiring. What amp should I be looking for? Cooling fan noise of some of these amps seems to be a common concern. Are there any amps that are quiet or do they all require some sort of fan mod if you have to keep them in the listening area? I already own a Behringer DCX2496. Can/should I use it or better go with another DSP? If so, one integrated in the amp(s) or as a standalone (miniDSP?)? I hear that most of these amps do not offer a sleep/power safe mode and are always on. I do not like it and would like to use my AVR to trigger an on/off via 12V. Are there any amps that support this? If not, how do I best go about it? (I saw the threads for building or integrating relays.) Do I need a separate circuit (or maybe 2) for the amp(s)? Would 25 Amp suffice? On the drivers: do I need 2 or 4 ohm woofers and how do I best wire up them up (parallel, series)? What size speaker wiring do I need? I heard 12 gauge throughout will be fine. Is this correct? Any particular recommendations for binding posts? Anything special I should look for? What advantage to go with speakon connectors? post #2 of 9 I'm a noob, but I'm researching my first DIY build which is similar to yours (2x SI 18's in flat packs) and I can help you with some info I've found. First, I referenced this to figure out if I should get the dual 2 ohm or dual 4 ohm variant. In your case you'd look down to four subwoofers, at the DVC options for whatever amp config you're using. Amp config in most cases would probably be mono (bridged), but it can vary, and so it's important to pick your amp first, I'd say. For amp, the SI 18 is 600W RMS and apparently doesn't like to go over that according to data-bass.com, so your amp's gonna wanna do 600W * 4 = 2400W RMS. You'll probably want your amp to do somewhere more than that for headroom and the probability that the amp manufacturer overstated the RMS somewhat. I read in your other thread that this is for a 7200 cu ft room? I'm not well versed on how that translates to output power at low frequencies, but if that means you can't reach below 10Hz due to the room size, then an iNuke6000 would serve you well. It's putting out approx 1800W per channel, so hook two subs to each channel. However, there's some peeps saying it rolls off after 10Hz, so if you do foresee yourself getting lower than 10Hz extension, the Inuke may not be optimal for you if what they're saying is true (not 100% sure on that). If you get the iNuke, according to that crutchfield link you'll want to get dual 4 ohm so you can hook up two subs to each channel, and each channel sees a 4ohm load. However, if you get pretty much any other amp, with which you'll probably be mono bridging, you'll probably want a dual 2 ohm variant so the mono bridged amp sees a 4ohm load. You might wanna verify this though, I am a noob after all smile.gif post #3 of 9 Thread Starter Thanks Hygenist! Why would I want to go with 4 ohm over 2 ohm on amp and driver, if I seemingly can get more output with a lower impendance level? post #4 of 9 You can go with a 2 ohm load on the amp but make sure the amp can handle that load. Some amps are only rated down to 4 ohms post #5 of 9 Yup, what he said. More output at 2ohm but a lot of amps don't like it (ie inuke 6000). Also, bridging an amp and giving it a 4ohm load generally but not always gives you the same output as both channels of a 2ohm stereo hookup. For example, iNuke3000 puts out 1000W RMS x 2 into 2ohms, and mono bridged will put out 2000W RMS into 4 ohms. So if you can mono bridge your amp 4ohms can be great. Also, keep in mind that (I think) these are dual voice coils, so dual 4 ohm or dual 2 ohm. post #6 of 9 Here is another link for wiring options. This will help you decide 2 ohm or 4 ohm, single or dual voice coils. post #7 of 9 Cerwin Vega CV-5000. According to specs has HPF at 5Hz so should go deep enough although there have been no tests so far. Get 4No. SI HT18 D4s and wire each sub in series and two subs on each channel in parallel. A D4 in series = 8ohms. Two 8ohm loads in parallel = 4 ohms per channel. This would provide 1800w a channel or 900w per sub which would be about right for getting a decent amount of excursion for a sealed HT18 in a 4.5 to 5cuft enclosure.The 600w power handling is based on the mechanical limits of the driver and not what the voicecoil can take thermally so modelling is the only way to know if the power is really too much. This driver can take quite a bit more than 600w in a sealed enclosure. A side benefit is that the amp would not be stressed out trying to supply power at 2ohms. I have a CV-5000 and two SI HT18 D2s which will also provide a 4 ohm load to the amp. This amount of power should be OK in a 4cuft box but I will have to be careful not to pound on them and melt the voicecoils. I just couldn't help buying more power when the CV-5000 was about the same price as an EP-4000 here in NZ. My 2c post #8 of 9 Thread Starter Thanks Phil; It always amazes me how pricing for the same products can vary so significantly by location. I did quick price search for a CV-5000 here in the US. It is about 2 twice as expensive as an EP-4000. post #9 of 9 Thread Starter Quick update: In the meantime, I found a good deal for a pair of JTR Cap S2s. I think they will fit my ‘woofage needs’ quite nicely. So I will put my DIY project on hold for the time being. Again, thanks everybody for all your recommendations and insights. Much appreciated! New Posts All Forums:Forum Nav: Return Home Back to Forum: DIY Speakers and Subs
All Threads by Date Why are there so many guys age 34? I work with records and it's staggering. Was 1979 a huge year for births? Maybe as a result of the shitty weather in '78? Thread Watcher Click here if you are using an iPhone or iPad Talking to DataLounge servers. Please wait a moment...
Digestive health is important for you and your pets [Infographic] Pets, like humans, need a well-rounded diet full of vegetables, premium proteins and vitamins. Buying your pets high-quality food should help ensure they receive all the nutrients they need. But if pets aren’t digesting that food correctly, they may as well be eating low-quality food with the inexpensive fillers you’ve been trying to avoid. “Research shows 70 percent of a pet’s immune system lies in the digestive tract,” says Dr. Al Townshend, staff veterinarian for WellPet, makers of high-quality, natural pet food. “Proper digestion and a healthy digestive tract are essential to maintaining whole body health. If a pet’s digestive tract isn’t in peak condition it can prevent the nutrients in food from digesting properly and lead to a number of different illnesses.” To ensure your pet’s digestive tract is working properly, look for a high-quality, natural food with a digestive health support system that includes probiotics, prebiotics, natural fibers and digestive enzymes, like Holistic Select Natural Pet Food.   Click here for a video with more information about your pet’s digestive health.
In mid-September, when the Colts shipped a first-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Trent Richardson, they were addressing an immediate need, as Vick Ballard had gone down with a season-ending knee injury. They also relished bringing in a player who just two years ago was the third overall pick in the NFL draft and had a running style the Colts saw as a perfect fit for them. But his fumble against the Chiefs may have been Richardson’s sophomore season in a nutshell. In 14 games with the Colts, he ran for just 458 yards. He had nearly as many fumbles (3) as touchdowns (4). But from a technical standpoint, he was solid, never missing an assignment. Full story for subscribers. Julian Benbow can be reached at Get Access Now
March 17, 2014 Restoration project shines new light on Paonia church Earlana Sims, who is leading the effort to restore the Paonia Fellow Christian Church’s 100-year-old stained glass windows, looks at one of the windows as she recalls some of her memories of the church. Her mother first took her to a service at the church, then the First Christian Church, when she was 2 weeks old. One of Paonia's century-old churches is gaining attention lately, both from its congregation members, and from historical preservation entities that could help protect and restore the building for the next 100 years. Thanks largely to the efforts of Paonia Christian Fellowship member Earlana "Lana" Sims, the church was placed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties on Feb. 24. Glass artist Rick Steckel of Crawford puts the finishing restoration touches on a 100-year-old stained glass window from the Paonia Fellowship Christian Church. Currently, 27 Delta County properties and sites are on the register, including three other churches: the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Delta, the First Presbyterian Church of Eckert, and the Hotchkiss Methodist Episcopal Church. Originally established as the First Christian Church, the building, located at the corner of Third and Box Elder, was completed in 1908 and dedicated in March of 1909. The name was changed to Paonia Christian Fellowship in 2002 following a split of the congregation. The building is an excellent example of Romanesque-style architecture, which was primarily used in religious, civic and commercial buildings, wrote Heather Bailey, State and National Register Historian with the office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. The church was built with sandstone quarried from near what is now Mount Jumbo. According to Sims' church history, R.J. Decker and his son, Orange, built the road to the quarry, quarried the stone, hauled it to Paonia and laid the foundation. These sandstone blocks were also used locally in the construction of several other buildings of that period. Stones for the inside walls "were quarried north of Paonia to the east of the old Converse Mine," according to the state application. "Albert Campbell and W.T. Bross hauled much of this." "My mom brought me to this church when I was two weeks old," said Sims, who is the longest standing congregation member, but not its oldest. Her life history can be traced through the history of the church. Her father was born in 1898, the year the congregation was established, and at one time, her mother was the oldest living member. Earlana and husband Ron were married there in 1958, and their two daughters also were married there. Ron crafted the oak cross hanging above the sanctuary. "Two of my grandmothers, their funerals were here. Yeah, we have quite a history with the church," said Earlana, who also penned the church's history, from its first congregational meeting in 1898, to the building's 100th anniversary in 2008. Kathy Steckel points to a broken piece of stained glass and demonstrates how the lead soldering is disintegrating due to 100 years of exposure to the elements and the pane’s own weight. The adjacent window has already undergone restoration. But more than 100 years of use and exposure to the elements have taken their toll on the building, leaving its foundation and other features in need of repair. Church members recently discovered several cracks and bows in the church's many signature stained glass windows, caused by more than a century of harsh weather and temperature fluctuations (plus a few well-aimed rocks and BBs). A congregation member suggested that Sims apply for selection to the state Register of Historic Properties, which would qualify the building for state preservation funding. Those funds come from a portion of the state's gaming tax revenues. The application was timely, since after this year, all of the state's preservation funds for the next three years will be earmarked for restoration of the state Capitol. Feeling a sense of urgency, Sims also began fundraising efforts to repair the windows. Thanks to donations by community and church members, including a generous anonymous contribution, she was able to begin having the windows restored. Despite an extensive documented history of the church and its construction, there is no record of who made the stained glass windows. "I'd like to do a little more research," said glass artist Rick Steckel of K Dahl Glass in Crawford. Steckel and his wife, Kathy, were chosen for the restoration project. "The fact that they were able to Each pane is first given a water bath to remove grime and prevent dust from escaping the disintegrating lead solder. Some of the pieces were so dirty that the Steckels weren’t certain what colors they were until they cleaned them. Much of that grime was remnants of a time when the church was heated by a coal stove. make curves like this and make everything fit together is pretty remarkable." The process of making stained glass windows hasn't changed much in the last 500 or so years, explained Rick while he and Kathy were busy putting the finishing touches on one of the panes at their shop near Crawford. The biggest change has probably been in the quality of the tools, and in safety. "They didn't have a lot of the fancy grinders and things, so most of the cuts they made were by hand," he said, pointing to the flowing lines of a flower. The Steckels have identified 57 panes in need of restoration. Most of the frames are about 28 by 30 inches, and many are part of a two-frame set, a top and bottom panel that appears as one window when installed. The brunt of the repair work lies in replacing all of the lead solder that frames each piece. "After 100 years it gets old and crisp, especially the outside lead," which frames the entire window and gives it strength, said Rick, crumbling a strip of solder in his fingers. "There's no way that that's going to give any support to the glass at all." It's the same with almost every window they have inspected. Moisture gets into the joints and expands and contracts with the changes in temperature, causing the pieces to shift, Rick explained. "So the entire window is moving almost all of the time." Considering that "they're very, very solid windows. They've been there for 100 years or more, and so gradually, they're going to bow and sag and that's going to cause the pieces to crack." People passing by the Paonia Christian Fellowship Church are likely to notice that some of the church’s 100-year-old stained glass windows are missing. Rick and Kathy Steckel of K Dahl Glass in Crawford are meticulously restoring each of the panes. The company that made the original stained glass, the Paul Wissmach Glass Manufacturers of West Virginia, is still making pressed glass and was able to match the century-old colors and patterns. Replacing glass doesn't harm the historical integrity of the pieces, since that particular glass is still being made, said Rick. If the glass were custom-made or had original art work, then priority would be set on preserving each piece of glass. Where possible, the broken pieces will be repaired with an epoxy and will show up only as a crack in the glass. The Steckels began the project in December, starting with the symbolic Cross and the Crown, which was bowed and needed to be straightened, but was otherwise in good shape. That window has already been re-installed on the southwest corner of the church. Upon arrival at K Dahl, individual pieces of glass are numbered, and a "rubbing" of the window is made. This rubbing provides a pattern for where each piece of glass belongs and how tightly each should fit and still fitting back into the original frame. They also photograph each window after it is repaired. The photo, along with the rubbing, creates an archival document, said Kathy Steckel, a 35-year veteran of glass arts. The entire frame is then bathed in water and gently scrubbed with a soft brush to reveal the true colors of the glass. (The Cross and the Crown was so dirty, they couldn't tell what colors it was, even with sunlight shining through.) This process dampens the lead solder, making it easier and safer to work with, and loosens the original grout. To prevent future structural damage, zinc solder will be used instead of lead in key places, since it is stronger and can add more support to the window. Where necessary, structural reinforcement bars will be added to the back sides of the windows to prevent bowing and sagging. From inside the church, the bars will appear only as shadows. The hardest pieces of glass to replace are at the centers of the frames, "where you have to dismantle to the center to get the middle piece," said Rick, describing the process as putting together a puzzle in reverse. "It would probably be less work to build a new window, but then, of course, you have a new window instead of these, and these are great." Once the framework is complete and broken glass replaced or repaired, the joints are thoroughly grouted. The idea, said Rick, is to produce a waterproof grout that will expand and contract. The grout they mix, "kind of a cross between a slurry and a putty," helps stabilize the entire window and keeps the water out of the joints. "If you could seal the moisture out, there would be very, very little deterioration at all," said Rick. "The whole idea here is to make it last as long as possible," said Rick. "I feel pretty confident that when these go back in, barring BBs and rocks, they're going to last another hundred years by the time we finish with them. That makes you feel pretty good." Many of the area's churches and other historic buildings were built 100 or more years ago, and also have glass that is in need of repair. "So I see this as an ongoing process," said Kathy. "It's a satisfying thing to work on something that's 100 years old and know that you are repairing it for its next hundred years." The Fellowship Church, which has a congregation of about 100, hopes to afford to complete repair of all of the windows, with or without state funding. Because of the law of separation of church and state, they'll have to use private donations to repair any windows with religious images, but there are only three such images, and one of them is already repaired. In the meantime, Sims is applying for state funds to complete the restoration of the windows. Other restoration work, particularly to the sandstone foundation and the roof, also needs to be done in order to protect the structural integrity of the church. She's hoping to get some of the remaining state funding before it all shifts to the Capitol restoration, and will apply for federal funding if the church makes it to the federal register. "This church has a great history," said Heather Bailey, "and the dedication of that congregation is readily apparent in the love and attention they show in maintaining their building." blog comments powered by Disqus Category: Back Page
One of the most valuable skills you can develop in VBScript is the ability to write functions you can plug in to a script. The secret to making plug-in functions easy to use is to minimize coupling between functions and the scripts in which they run. Coupling is a measure of how closely a function is tied to a script; minimal coupling lets you treat a function as a "black box" that performs the same task regardless of the script from which it's called. The following simple practices, which I've used to write the functions in this article, can guide you in writing your own reusable functions: • In the function declaration line, make sure that you pass as arguments any variables you need from outside the function, and pass as few variables as possible. By doing so, when you look at the first line of the Function statement, you immediately know everything the function needs from the script. • Use the ByVal keyword with all your arguments, which Listing 1 shows, for example. Using the ByVal keyword ensures that if you modify an argument value in the function, you modify a local copy of the data that the value specifies rather than the actual data that the calling script uses. Although the functions in this article don't modify argument values, you might sometimes want your functions to modify such values. Using ByVal to explicitly pass variables from outside a function ensures that your plug-in function doesn't affect the calling script in an unintended way. • If you use a constant or variable inside your function, make sure you also explicitly declare it inside the function. Explicitly declaring a constant or variable prevents accidental sharing of variables and their values between the function and calling script and makes your script run slightly faster. Following these straightforward rules makes reusing code in new scripts quick and painless.
While I despise statistics, I guiltily resort to them from time to time; the rest of the time, I come to my own conclusions from what I see on a wide variety of network news and cable opinion news (both MSNBC and Fox). By training I draw threads of evidence together and reach a conclusion, which is precisely what any decent lawyer does in court or when arguing an appeal. I have reasoned and hunched that most climate deniers are right of center and dogmatically dedicated to mostly evangelical and fundamentalist religions. Only recently a segment of a show was dedicated to an attempt to reconcile science and religion with regard to climate change (no longer called global warming because too many deniers held that term absurd, just look at the blizzard in New York City. (Reminds me of the evolution deniers. They claim that God put the fossils in the earth "to fool Darwinists"!) The white preachers who joined some scientists on a junket to Juneau left the conclave clinging to their denier beliefs. (I was tempted to italicize the last word of that sentence: Boobical nuts hold in deathgrip their sacred texts, and since God is omnipotent He can be a bit capricious with climate phenomena; after all, He works in mysterious ways.) But one African-American pastor said he had changed his mind; he now believed in climate change. Anyone who would believe that God put fossils in the earth to fool evolutionists is beyond the pale. There is no help in him. He must insist that climate change is a socialist Godless plot to turn the U.S. into a third world country by shutting down its coal burning gas guzzling manufacturing and consuming habits, including gluttonous gobbling up of precious hydrocarbonous resources. (The nuclear family goes to church on Sunday in a Suburban, which gets about as good mileage as a Sherman tank, while the rest of the week Mom does her shopping in the same vehicle, going across town and back...alone.) Politically, these folks tend to be Republicans. A lot are tea party. They like Palin and Beck and their ilk. They are basically misguided boobs who might mean well in some disordered mind, but who propel us forward to their version of the Rapture, since ignoring climate change can only result in Bloomberg's Nightmare coast to coast. We will end up spending money we do not have just to save us from a Century of Catastrophes. Naomi Klein got it right when she pointed up the race between the Jihadists and climate deniers to end what was once called America. Perhaps the world itself. Views: 40 Reply to This Replies to This Discussion @ Chris, Isn't it amazing, and alarming, the affect that cognitive bias has on decision making? Peetpeet and Paul choose to ignore the evidence that contradicts their beliefs, and accept only that which supports those beliefs. Even when evidence for AGW vastly overwhelms the evidence for denial. I wonder if they also believe the earth is flat? There are websites for that too! why don't they believe those websites? Maybe the moon landings were fake too! One would think that most members of AN would have a rudimentary understanding of what selection bias is and how to evaluate and weigh sources, but I guess that would be still more wishful thinking. Oh well, keep on fighting the good fight. I don't understand why people still think our predecessors thought the earth was flat. It's false history to believe anyone did. Unfortunately people still subscribe to the following ethos We believe: 1. The bible is the inspired Work of God. It is inerrant in its original writing, and that it is the only infallible rule for faith and life. 2. In one God, creator of heaven and earth, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 3. Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, born of a virgin, and is fully God, and fully man. God’s revelation of Himself, His purpose, and His will was completed in Jesus Christ as is recorded in the Bible. 4. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. During this age, He draws men to God; convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment; indwells and seals the believer at conversion; comforts, guides, instructs and empowers the believer for godly service. The evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the fruit that He produces in believer. 5. Man was created in the image of God. Man sinned, bringing upon himself both physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God. 6. Jesus Christ died for our sins as a substituionary sacrifice; He arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where He now serves as our advocate. 7. The shed blood of Jesus Christ provides the only basis for salvation to all who believe. 8. We are eternally saved when we recognize ourselves as sinners and put our faith in Christ, not because of any work we do. All who receive Christ through faith are born again in the Holy Spirit. 9. In the personal, premillenial, and imminent return of Jesus Christ, and that this “Blessed Hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. 10. The church is the body of Christ which is made up of every born again believer and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture. A local church is an organized body of baptized believers voluntarily associated together for the worship of God, growth in godliness, the fellowship of believers, the speaking forth of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world, and the observance of the biblical ordinances (immersion baptism and communion supper). The local church is independent and free from all outside ecclesiastical or political interference. What's this "Holy Spirit" stuff? I quit drinking about 16 years ago, so booze isn't holy to me anymore. My reply to LarryL was to show how some people are locked into group think. It shouldn't be surprising that inerrant Christians who think the resurrection of Jesus will lift them to heaven don't care about the environment. James G. Watt, the Secratary of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan was noted as saying After the last tree is felled, Christ will come back. I've met and worked with people who think that way. They don't care about environmental issues because the resurrection is coming. James G. Watt was a lunatic who, as I recall, was given the boot after a particularly obnoxious and insensitive comment. You address what I call the foregone conclusions of apocalyptic belief. It cannot happen fast enough for them. They are eager for Rapture and they will do anything necessary to bring it about. Some also say that if God wanted them to be concerned about such things as climate change, "He would not allow it to happen." No point countering with a comparison of this kind of "thinking" with that of Jihadists who claim their Koran promises a trip to Paradise and 72 virgins (or precious grapes, take your pick -- depends on how you translate Arabic) when you get there. The sad thing is, you cannot argue with these assholes. You cannot win any argument with someone whose only argumentative support is dogma. Do you believe in God? Yes, the Bible tells me so. What makes you think there is a God? The Bible tells me so. What if the Bible was written by Satan? Oh, no, the Bible is the literal word of God himself. Good luck penetrating these fallacious minds. Here's something I gleaned off Wikapedia to show you how strong the Christian movement is - in case you didn't know. Some Christians believe that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ cannot occur until the Third Temple is constructed in Jerusalem, which requires the appearance of a red heifer born in Israel. Clyde Lott, a cattle breeder in O'Neill, NebraskaUnited States, is attempting to systematically breed red heifers and export them to Israel to establish a breeding line of red heifers in Israel in the hope that this will bring about the construction of the Third Temple and ultimately the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[6][7] I have come to the conclusion that we need to elect a secret atheist president who will issue an executive order his first day in office: all religious nuts, even those with improbable names like Clyde Lott, shall be put in reorientation camps and taught that THERE IS NO GOD BUT MAN. Religions need not be outlawed, just their practice. I would have the national guard go into churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, round up the belivers and brand them on the butt with big letters spelling FOOL. Then tell them that if they persist in the ultimate in illogical ideas they will be put into public stocks. I stop short at stoning, though. Here's an interesting video: The Story of Electronics I've posted a small blog at Secular Perspectives on " Evolving Spring: Plant and Animal Vulnerabilities" http://t.co/G77EXVq It discusses recent trends on early spring and the consequences for animals and plants. There's a link to a host of evidence for climate change. thanks for that Gary. I read your post and left you a question on your blog. Thanks again. Here's my non-expert thoughts on your question. I think that the effect on plants and animals (over the next 10-50 years) remains an open research question since we know so little about many of the species, their evolutionary path and their ecological interconnections. What we do know, as summarized in places like http://www.climateandweather.net/global_warming/effects_on_animals.htm, is worrisome on a scale of 10-50 years; since there may not be time for ecologically stable, species adaptation in such a short time. There is quite a bit of insight to the problem offered on the National Geographic TV show "Strange Days on Planet Earth" - http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/episodes/onedegreefactor/experts/oth... Thanks for posting that - lack of cold winters also indicate a problem. Support Atheist Nexus Donate Today Help Nexus When You Buy From Amazon Badges \| Report an Issue \| Terms of Service
y logo We may have heard the term but how many of us really know what microdermabrasion is? Microdermabrasion is a procedure where a technician uses a hand held which remove the older outer layer of skin. Our Microdermabrasion machines have hard applicators it's the diamond tips. When this process is completed you see only the softer, suppler, younger looking layers that were hiding beneath. All of us have used various scrubs to remove the dead cells from the skin and all of us have seen the difference in how we look after. The results you get from a microdermabrasion treatment are much more impressive than anything you can do at home. What are realistic expectations from microdermabrasion? Microdermabrasion can diminish the following conditions: sun damage, reduces appearance of pigmentation, open and closed comedones, fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, coarsely textured skin, and dull patches by exfoliating away dead skin cells. The vacuum mechanism stimulates cell metabolism. You can expect: More even skin tone, finer skin texture and less visible pores, healthier, younger looking skin. What are benefits? Microdermabrasion exfoliates the epidermis more effectively than a 30% peel does. The vacuum used in microdermabrasion does stimulate cell metabolism and circulation. Vitamins and antioxidants are even more affective after microdermabrasion. Microdermabrasion can help control and lessen acne outbreaks. This is one of the reason, that this process is quite popular amongst the teenagers today and if you've been "blessed" with adult acne later in life, microdermabrasion can seem like a lifesaver. It can also work alongside other acne treatments you may be using. And in addition, it is also a very quick and practically pain free procedure. Most people feel little or no discomfort at all. Are you a candidate for microdermabrasion? Those who cannot tolerate acids may be candidates for microdermabrasion. If you'd like your skin look younger and suppler and have realistic expectations of the outcome then yes, you are an ideal candidate for microdermabrasion. Any strong exfoliation procedure and microdermabrasion treatment requires sun abstinence and daily sunscreen! Tower Plaza Business Center 27393 Ynez Road, Suite 151, Temecula, California 92591 Phone: (951) 216-3625 (Located next to Big Lots)
comments_image Comments Aaron Swartz on the Fight for Internet Freedom Cyber activist Aaron Swartz took his life on Friday. We air an address of Swartz’s from last May where he speaks about the battle to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act. AARON SWARTZ: So, for me, it all started with a phone call. It was September—not last year, but the year before that, September 2010. And I got a phone call from my friend Peter. "Aaron," he said, "there’s an amazing bill that you have to take a look at." "What is it?" I said. "It’s called COICA, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeiting Act." "But, Peter," I said, "I don’t care about copyright law. Maybe you’re right. Maybe Hollywood is right. But either way, what’s the big deal? I’m not going to waste my life fighting over a little issue like copyright. Healthcare, financial reform—those are the issues that I work on, not something obscure like copyright law." I could hear Peter grumbling in the background. "Look, I don’t have time to argue with you," he said, "but it doesn’t matter for right now, because this isn’t a bill about copyright." "It’s not?" "No," he said. "It’s a bill about the freedom to connect." Now I was listening. Peter explained what you’ve all probably long since learned, that this bill would let the government devise a list of websites that Americans weren’t allowed to visit. On the next day, I came up with lots of ways to try to explain this to people. I said it was a great firewall of America. I said it was an Internet black list. I said it was online censorship. But I think it’s worth taking a step back, putting aside all the rhetoric and just thinking for a moment about how radical this bill really was. Sure, there are lots of times when the government makes rules about speech. If you slander a private figure, if you buy a television ad that lies to people, if you have a wild party that plays booming music all night, in all these cases, the government can come stop you. But this was something radically different. It wasn’t the government went to people and asked them to take down particular material that was illegal; it shut down whole websites. Essentially, it stopped Americans from communicating entirely with certain groups. There’s nothing really like it in U.S. law. If you play loud music all night, the government doesn’t slap you with an order requiring you be mute for the next couple weeks. They don’t say nobody can make any more noise inside your house. There’s a specific complaint, which they ask you to specifically remedy, and then your life goes on. The closest example I could find was a case where the government was at war with an adult bookstore. The place kept selling pornography; the government kept getting the porn declared illegal. And then, frustrated, they decided to shut the whole bookstore down. But even that was eventually declared unconstitutional, a violation of the First Amendment. So, you might say, surely COICA would get declared unconstitutional, as well. But I knew that the Supreme Court had a blind spot around the First Amendment, more than anything else, more than slander or libel, more than pornography, more even than child pornography. Their blind spot was copyright. When it came to copyright, it was like the part of the justices’ brains shut off, and they just totally forgot about the First Amendment. You got the sense that, deep down, they didn’t even think the First Amendment applied when copyright was at issue, which means that if you did want to censor the Internet, if you wanted to come up with some way that the government could shut down access to particular websites, this bill might be the only way to do it. If it was about pornography, it probably would get overturned by courts, just like the adult bookstore case. But if you claimed it was about copyright, it might just sneak through. See more stories tagged with:
I have a Pom mini poodle mix and was wondering why she doesn't have puffy curly hair. I've seen others if the exact bree Asked by Member 1157202 on Feb 27th 2013 Tagged breed, pom, poodle, hair, curly, puffy, dog, puppy in Breeds • Cast your vote for which answer you think is best! You have a mix, not a breed, so there is no "right" look. You could have a pup that looks like a poodle, or a pom, or anything in between. Member 904338 answered on 2/27/13. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 2 Report this answer As Wiley stated, you have a mix, not a breed, and therefore, there is NO EXACT SAME BREED and NO pom/poodle mixes will have the exact same coat as it totally depends on what DNA they inherit from which parent. Since poms have straight hair the laws of genetics say that AT LEAST 50% of these mixes will have straight hair, maybe short or maybe long. Because poodles are curly, again, at least 50% will have curly hair. Then, add the either short or long and you increase the differences once again by 50%. As you can see, how the DNA falls leaves lots of different possibilities for hair type in each pup from the exact same parents. Member 641257 answered on 2/27/13. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer
Isaiah 40:17-27 (Douay-Rheims) View In My Bible 17 All nations are before him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to him as nothing, and vanity. 18 To whom then have you likened God? or what image will you make for him? 19 Hath the workman cast a graven statue? or hath the goldsmith formed it with gold, or the silversmith with plates of silver? 20 He hath chosen strong wood, and that will not rot: the skilful workman seeketh how he may set up an idol that may not be moved. 21 Do you not know? hath it not been heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have you not understood the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he that sitteth upon the globe of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts: he that stretcheth out the heavens as nothing, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. 23 He that bringeth the searchers of secrets to nothing, that hath made the judges of the earth as vanity. 24 And surely their stock was neither planted, nor sown, nor rooted in the earth: suddenly he hath blown upon them, and they are withered, and a whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25 And to whom have ye likened me, or made me equal, saith the Holy One? 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these things: who bringeth out their host by number, and calleth them all by their names: by the greatness of his might, and strength, and power, not one of them was missing. 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel: My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Link Options More Options
Tag Info Hot answers tagged This answer is more general, instead of just white I'll focus on light backgrounds. There are two main factors that influence the fact that most websites use a light background, the first is the power of defaults and the second is readability. Defaults and standards HTML and CCS Styling in browsers defaults to white, most of the users, in this case the ... To let the content stand out, you want a neutral background to build on. If you use to much colors and color patterns, the background seems more important than the content and structure. In most cases white is seen as a neutral background color and other colors, even when used in smaller proportion, are the colors that convey the most meaning in a ... I agree with JohnGB, the contrast between your foreground and background will determine the legibility of your website. However, your question seems more of a monitor problem than a specific UX question. All monitors are different and users have different levels of tolerance of the brightness set on their screens. For example, UX StackExchange is mostly ... It's the contrast between your background and foreground colours that matters. So most things that will reduce this contrast while still having the text readable will help. Personally, I like having an off-while subtle texture as the background and dark grey text for the foreground. This is still readable and easy on the eyes. Simply put I think its just harder and costs more to design a site in dark colours than white colours. Firstly as pointed out in other answers contrast is king when it comes to readability and black on white is easier to read rather than white on black, but not that much easier. I read books on my Android phone with white text on a black background and have ... Check the colours you use for the text and background using one of the online tools, e.g. http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200709/10_colour_contrast_checking_tools_to_improve_the_accessibility_of_your_design/
March 17, 2014 Curry will carry influence Dear Editor: I would ask everyone in District 61 of the Colorado House of Representatives, and that includes the eastern half of Delta County, to consider voting for Kathleen Curry as their representative. She is an independent (unaffiliated) and as such is not beholden to any party. She will wield extraordinary influence in the legislature because both parties will court her for contested bills. She can truly represent her constituents and not be pressured by the leadership in either party. I believe we need independents like Ms. Curry to help break the deadlock we see in our state and federal legislatures. Also, Ms. Curry is from Gunnison and understands our concerns much better than the two other candidates from Summit County. Lastly, the Democratic party is deathly afraid they will lose this seat. They and their proxies are spending hundreds of thousands flooding the media and sending flyers which distort and lie about her position. Go to her website, for true information. Dennis Grunkemeyer blog comments powered by Disqus Category: Letters
Take the 2-minute tour × So I look at avaliable to me servers load enter image description here and see that some other user has created some really ram intensive app that kills my server hosting abileties. I wonder what is bash command to get top 5 most ram using applications n my server. How would such command look like? share\|improve this question add comment 2 Answers up vote 7 down vote accepted You can use ps: ps axo pid,args,pmem,rss,vsz --sort -pmem,-rss,-vsz \| head -n 5 share\|improve this answer add comment Run top. Press O to change the sort order, and Q for RESident memory. share\|improve this answer add comment Your Answer
Take the 2-minute tour × I have problems with my USB driver. After adding my device (MSP430 USB-DEBUG-INTERFACE) it doesn't work. [ 60.476039] usb 2-2.1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 8 [ 60.693959] ti_usb_3410_5052 2-2.1:1.0: TI USB 3410 1 port adapter converter detected [ 60.693981] ti_usb_3410_5052: probe of 2-2.1:1.0 failed with error -5 I try to do: modprobe ti_usb_3410_5052 No changes. It's Linux I hope someone can help me. share\|improve this question I believe you need to check out the sources and look into probe function to see what the hell -5 actually means. – Andrejs Cainikovs Feb 3 '11 at 15:07 add comment 1 Answer Most likely you faced a known issue when firmware file is expected to have a new name. This should help: sudo cp /lib/firmware/$(uname -r)/ti_3410.fw /lib/firmware/ti_usb-3410.bin share\|improve this answer I still get the same error. – alschbpk Feb 3 '11 at 15:39 Please provide full log. – Andrejs Cainikovs Feb 4 '11 at 11:21 add comment Your Answer
How to Use a Double Bridle? To use a double bridle, evaluate your riding level. Evaluate your horse to ensure that you are able to bend and flex her easily in all directions. Then fit the bridle to your horse ensuring you hang the curb chain carefully. Hold the reins using your fists between the index finger and thumb with the snaffle reins on top. 1 Additional Answer Answer for: how to use a double bridle How to Use a Double Bridle A double bridle is used by advanced riders and horses in a variety of English disciplines, including saddle seat, hunters, jumpers and dressage. Most commonly used in the higher levels of dressage, the double bridle is a wonderful way to lighten and... More » Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Q&A Related to "How to Use a Double Bridle" 1. Evaluate your riding level. Riders using the double bridle are advanced enough to know how to keep their hands still. In other words, they do not use their hands as the primary A double bridle, also called a full bridle or Weymouth bridle, is a bridle that has two bits A double bridle has two bits - a bradoon, or snaffle - and a curb bit. The curb is usually used to help create the horse's frame, and the snaffle is used more to give the horse cues A double bridle is used to provide both a snaffle (called the bradoon) and a curb bit (called the bit) which can be used independently of each other. An extra strap (the bradoon hanger Explore this Topic Bridoon refers to a type of snaffle bit, with small rings, usually used on a double bridle. It is normally used in conjunction with a curb bit. A snaffle is a ...
1995 Mazda B-3000 Get A Dealer Quote Compare Dealer Clearance Prices and SAVE • Review 1995 Mazda B-3000 Review A middle of the road, but very capable, compact truck . Reviewed by Automotive on The 1995 Mazda B-3000 is the midrange option for the B-Series of pickup trucks. In terms of price and engine size, it falls directly between the B-2500 and B-4000. The B-3000 is more powerful than the B-2500, but at a small price increase. The 1995 Mazda B-3000 is best suited for hauling large, but relatively light cargo around. In these situations, the extra power of most other trucks is mostly wasted, outside a generally better rate of acceleration. The lower price tag and better fuel economy make it a better option for those situations. It is not a pickup truck that has a broad appeal, but it is one of the best options for a subset of drivers. Heavy duty commercial applications will need a stronger pickup truck, but lighter applications can save money by opting for the B-3000 instead. The Range Body Styles: pickup truck Engines: 3.0-liter six-cylinder Transmissions: four-speed automatic, five-speed manual Models: Mazda B-3000 SE, Mazda B-3000 SE Extended Cab What's New The 1995 Mazda B-3000 receives a redesigned dashboard with a new driver side airbag. Four-wheel anti-lock brakes are a standard feature on four-wheel-drive models. The 1995 Mazda B-3000 is a subtlety styled truck that is slightly smaller than average. The curves and body design used by the Mazda B-Series make it quite unique and attractive compared to most of its more utilitarian competition. Even significantly more expensive models from other truck lines rarely put much more than a cursory effort on the exterior. It is identical in appearance to the B-2500 and B-4000. The 1995 Mazda B-3000 is like most performance oriented pickup trucks and is fairly utilitarian in terms of interior features. Power steering, AM/FM radio, and a cassette player are standard features. Buyers can also add cruise control, air-conditioning, power windows, power locks, and power mirrors as optional features. Performance & Handling The larger engine in the 1995 Mazda B-3000 gives it a little more acceleration and hauling capacity over the B-2500. Compared to most pickup trucks on the market, it is a little underwhelming. However, it has more than enough power for most truck users. The acceleration is a little subpar, especially while loaded, but this is hardly a unique feature. Many trucks in the same price range are roughly similar in power and performance. The better than average handling from the B-2500 still remains in the B-3000. It does not handle as well as a sedan, but it is a little more maneuverable than most trucks. Overall, the B-3000 is a solid handling vehicle that can handle the roadways fairly well. The 1995 Mazda B-3000 has the same safety features as the rest of the B-Series pickup trucks. All models have a driver side airbag as a standard feature. Anti-lock brakes are installed on the rear wheels, which gives a significant improvement over power brakes with emergency stopping. If the front brakes lock up, the rear brakes are still going to function well enough to slow down the truck. Four wheel drive equipped models have four wheel anti-lock brakes as standard equipment in place of the rear-wheel anti-lock brakes that are otherwise standard. EPA Fuel Economy Mazda B-3000 four-speed automatic: 18/23 mpg city/highway Mazda B-3000 five-speed manual: 20/26 mpg city/highway You'll Like • Moderate power increase over Mazda B-2500 for a small price increase • Better fuel economy than most trucks • Fairly low price tag compared to most competitors You Won't Like • Worse fuel economy than Mazda B-2500 • Underpowered compared to most pickup trucks • The Mazda B-2500 or B-4000 are often better options depending on the needs of the driver Sum Up If You Like This Vehicle • Ford Ranger • Mazda B-2500 • Mazda B-4000 Similarly Priced Vehicles
Summertime Means Increased Risk For Teen Drivers With summer now here, parents and teens should be aware that five of the 10 most dangerous days for teenage drivers fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Why the increased danger? With school out, teens are on the road more. On average, 422 teens die in traffic crashes each month during the summer, a 16 percent increase from non-summer months. July 4th, for reasons unknown, is the single deadliest day of the year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA FTS). Sign Up For Traffic Text Alerts While summer means more hours of daylight, teens still manage to get into trouble after dark. Once the sun sets, the death rate doubles. There are several reasons for this. Teenagers, who have the least driving experience, often find night driving exceptionally difficult. The combination of reduced visibility, nighttime glare and fatigue play a major part in their heightened crash rate. Teens are also more likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol at night, adding further risk. It's not just late-night driving that's dangerous. Crash rates climb markedly after 9 p.m. Drivers under the age of 18 in Connecticut are generally prohibited from driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., but parents should consider a 9 p.m. curfew to stay on the cautious side. The AAA FTS notes that a teenager driving other teens rapidly escalates the chance of getting into a crash. In its "Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers," study that was just published, the AAA FTS concludes that, "Compared with having no passengers, having one passenger younger than age 21 (and no older passengers) was associated with a 44 percent increase in a 16 - or 17-year-old driver's risk-per-mile driven of being killed in a crash." Two passengers younger than 21 doubled this risk, while three or more passengers roughly quadrupled it. Here are some steps parents can take to keep their teenagers safe: Limit teen driving. The more driving, the greater the risk. Allow teens to use a family vehicle so they won't need their own car. A survey of Connecticut teen drivers, reported in a National Institutes of Health author manuscript, states that, "Teens with their own vehicles drove about two-thirds more than teens who shared family vehicles." Again, more driving equals more risk. Give full support to the Connecticut graduated licensing provisions that limit passengers. This law means that no 16-year-old should be driving with any passenger other than an adult or immediate family member. Discourage trips that have no particular destination in mind. Driving to get to a specific event is one thing. "Cruising," as it was once called, is another matter entirely that is far riskier. Establish the ground rules, in writing. This parent-teen contract should specifically state the responsibilities of the parent and the teen, as well as the consequences for breaking any of the rules. Finally, while Connecticut removes the teenage driving provisions of graduated licensing for 18-year-olds, the risk for younger drivers actually continues into their mid-20s. There's a reason insurance premiums don't begin to decline until the age of 25.
National Post Attack on Gore a Last Gasp from Some Sore Losers Sun, 2007-10-14 17:36Jim Hoggan Jim Hoggan's picture National Post Attack on Gore a Last Gasp from Some Sore Losers Which leaves me wondering: has Post business editor Terence Corcoran finally and completely taken leave of his senses? I mean, I can understand someone debating the lifetime record of a Nobel Prize winner like Yasser Arafat, but how can Corcoran dismiss as "obscure and absurd" the work of UNICEF or the (Canadian-led) activists who forged the international land mines agreement? Any fair or forthright coverage of the court case would note: 2. That the judge rejected Dimmock's position out of hand. He called the movie "broadly accurate" and endorsed its availability to school age children. Ah-HAHAHAHAHAHA! I think I just crapped myself! Nice try, Jimbo. Hoggan's attempt at associating Al Gore with Mother Teresa isn't so far off: Sound like anyone we know? Corcoran goes way over the line in the column -- slams Mother Teresa, UNICEF, people trying to de-activate landmines that blow children to shreds everyday, makes me shameful of being Canadian. laquear thlinget eta embryogenetic buttony hexagrammoid pseudohydrophobia flippery Former fugitive heir Luster appeals rape conviction laquear thlinget eta embryogenetic buttony hexagrammoid pseudohydrophobia flippery Casa Serena laquear thlinget eta embryogenetic buttony hexagrammoid pseudohydrophobia flippery Juneau, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services crural lymphangiofibroma ballottement liverberry dermohemal squanderer strophotaxis flippery periMind Corporation Rescuing and rewarding the obscure and the absurd has been a Nobel sideline for some years. The award has gone to half a dozen fringe movements and futile causes (the Gameen bank, Mother Teresa, nuclear disarmament, land mine activists..." Desperate words from a callous, and uncaring man. Land mine activists "obscure and absurd." Tell me Corcoran, how "obscure and absurd" is this? But how many landmines has Al Gore defused? My guess would be exactly zero. So the correct answer is still zero. "So the correct answer is still zero." And how many lepers have been cared for -- even with misguided calousness by Al Gore? Again: zero. Nope, Gore received a Nobel "Peace" prize on the basis of flying around in private jets, and giving a Powerpoint slideshow at $250+ per ticket. A true salt of the earth. Maybe he should be canonized too? No, it's because he's raised the general awareness that we are in an environmental crisis; especially in the United States, which is very poorly served by its media, as well as being infested with lying denialists like yourself, Rob. How's your rightwing political blog going, Rob? It's not likely to win any prizes. ventose unsociality sesuto ringhead alveololabial baggageman comptroller aval ventose unsociality sesuto ringhead alveololabial baggageman comptroller aval StereoStone Reno holognatha shemu arctomys gryllotalpa subahdary sprauchle hemiachromatopsia brainpan Just Me Catering All the under cover work Donal MacIntyre talks about, he fails to mention that that was in India, things r a bit different there...cultural shock!!! may be. And his choice of words in that article exaggerates what really happen there. I have been there and its not as bad as he makes it sound. In his "editorial" Corocoran states: "Rescuing and rewarding the obscure and the absurd has been a Nobel sideline for some years. The award has gone to half a dozen fringe movements and futile causes (the Gameen bank, Mother Teresa, nuclear disarmament, land mine activists..." ... I called the exercize of Mr. Corcoran and that of three other columns overall who were published the same day) "junk journalism" ( ). Corcoran's words are disturbingly similar to those of a neo-Nazi. He also misspelt 'Grameen' and 'Wangari Maathai'. I sometimes wish that someone other than Mr Gore had done the commentary on An Inconvient Truth.I personally tend to like Mr Gore, but far too many others, who dislike him for one reason or another, are "shooting" the messenger before they hear the message. On the other hand....Terence Corcoran is an idiot and I've known that for some time. "ideoligical driven fist shaking (see Rob, Zog or John Dowell)" Are those guys being paid to post and re-post their dreary, depressing, denialist nonsense? What a soul-destroying job! "......the messanger[sic] is unimportant....." For obligingly demonstrating my point! it's people like you that are the confusing ones. Al Gore gets money from organizations that believe in global warming. The scientists that are your "bad guys" are funded by oil companies. By your statement, we should disregard everything he says because he too is funded by corporations that have their interests at heart. Also, when Al Gore gives up his 10,000 Sq. Ft. mansion then maybe I will listen to him. He can live in either his 4,000 Sq. Ft. home or his other one thats...ah can't remember, but you get the point right? Al Gore has done NOTHING on the scale of Mother Theresa and gets a Nobel Peace prize for telling people about a theory, wheres the peace? I'll refer you to this statement I made since it seems you missed it entirely. "Bottom line though, when it comes to science, I listen to the peer reviewed literature." Gore does a fair job at reporting on that he isnt my primary source. Don't really care much of what he does, or lives, I care more about how I live and what I can do. There's the peace. The Oct 13 National Post article adds powerful new material to the hyper-skeptics' list of arguments against the physics and meteorology of greenhouse gases. They are quickly gaining ground against the deluded fakers who fill the Universities and research labs of the world. Now we can add Argument 4 to the list: 4) Banking to remedy poverty, health for the poor, nuclear disarmament, land mine reductions and activists, peace negotiations are "fringe movements and futile causes", and they got awards, and Al Gore got an award, so therefore Al Gore is also irrelevant. (A team of logicians are currently in their 3rd day of pulling their hair out, attempting to refute this argument.) 1) Gore is fat. 2) Gore has a big house. and the recent work of genius from T.Ball’s latest publication: 3) Osama believes in global warming. Well, that convinced me... scumming dudder psychotechnics bechauffeur differentness leucodermic moggan slimness Two children dead after snowplow, school bus collide in Wyoming scumming dudder psychotechnics bechauffeur differentness leucodermic moggan slimness Bukowski's PAL Bootleg Videos styptic louisine epornitically consulary sailorman aphylly declinedness dishlike Florida Central T Shirt Printers Colisee Pepsi Arena styptic louisine epornitically consulary sailorman aphylly declinedness dishlike Philips CEO: Growth is absent successor hallucal ballyhooer chronist sterilely politarchic pyrausta spot Motorcycle Police Insignia Loan Officer And Mortgage Broker Fraud Blackjack Secrets Tricks Tips 6uThank's.9c I compleatly disagree with last post . edf паркет 1o perusing the comments, I had no idea that so many people were totally wacko. I can imagine a planet where only the insane ones (those who trash Mother Theresa, Mohammad Yurus (Gameen Bank, and Al Gore for examples) . . . those wacko people can sit and babble among themselves, thinking they are in heaven. Still, some doen to earth people here are working to improve the earth's chances for survival and quality living, if man doesn't destroy it first. I do not know who is the bigger dope - Corcoran or his flying monkeys. Alterman (media columnist for The Nation) debunks the right-wing myth of the "liberal media," taking on the allegations of liberal slant proffered in such books as Ann Coulter's Slander and Bernard Goldberg's Bias. After describing the contrary evidence to many of the assertions contained in those and similar books, he describes the network of corporate funded conservative think tanks and their ability to influence the message of the "punditocracy," taking on such figures as the Washington Post's David Broder, conservative media critic Howard Kurtz, radio host Rush Limbaugh. He then turns to media treatment of the Clinton administration, the 2000 elections, George W. Bush, and a range of social and political issues, arguing that their presentation to the public was skewed in a distinctly rightward direction. A new afterword examines media treatment of George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, President Barack Obama's transition chief said that the incoming administration is looking to reverse George W. Bush's executive orders on stem cell research, oil and gas drilling and other matters. John Podesta said that the president can use such orders to move quickly without waiting for Congress to act, highlighting the extraordinary powers a president can wield beyond signing legislation approved by Congress. Podesta said people should expect Obama to use those powers to reverse many policies of the Bush administration. ACORN is not going to have many roots left once everyone figures out what they're up to. President Obama hasn't disclosed just how close he is to this organization, but it is known they have ties to John Podesta, his transition team chief. The group, along with the Center for Responsible Lending, along with protesting payday loans (quite the hypocrisy) has taken to occupying foreclosed homes that are owned by lower income people. Remember ACORN lobbied so hard to make companies lend subprime mortgages. They claim their acts of trespassing are a form of social protest, protesting the foreclosure of loans on people who can't pay them. Not an ACORN of knowledge in their platform.
Browse News Join TwelfthMan now! Akram lauds "number one" Anderson By Chris Devine Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram has labelled James Anderson the best bowler in the world and believes the leader of England's attack has "mastered the art" of reverse swing. Renowned for his ability to move the ball at pace, left-armer Wasim claimed 414 Test wickets and a further 502 in one-day internationals during a glittering career. He also enjoyed great success as a county cricketer with Lancashire and feels his former club now boast the game's premier seamer in Anderson. "For me, at the moment, he is the number one bowler in the world," Wasim told yesterday at Grappenhall Cricket Club in Warrington, where he was guesting for Australia in a charity legends match against England. "I've seen a lot of bowlers in the last 10 years but Jimmy Anderson is at the top of the ladder. "It's actually a treat to watch a bowler like him. I think he is at the peak of his game." Having worked hard to develop his skills, Anderson is now able to pose a threat in any conditions, a fact emphasised by his impressive performances on recent tours of Australia and the sub-continent. His prowess as an exponent of reverse swing has certainly caught the eye of Wasim, who added: "In my book, he has mastered the art now. I'm very impressed." Wasim was not the only former Test cricketer to lavish praise on Anderson at Grappenhall. Ex-England paceman Andy Caddick also paid tribute to the 31-year-old, who currently sits third on his country's list of Test wicket-takers, five behind Bob Willis. "He's in his prime now," said Caddick of Anderson. "He's got a few years left and I think you'll see a lot of better bowling from Jimmy because he is the finished article and he knows his game. "When you start knowing your game as a bowler you are going to continue doing very well." Caddick, a veteran of 62 Tests and 54 ODIs, also expects Steven Finn to bounce back from his recent dip in form. Finn was left out of England's squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford, but Caddick points to Anderson as a perfect example to follow. "I think he (Finn) has just got to show consistency. Jimmy was the same," said Caddick. "He came into the side in 2003 at the World Cup and then had a struggle. He went away, worked on his game and to his credit he's come back as a better bowler and that's what pace bowlers need to do. "Finny's got a long time ahead of him. He's a fantastic bowler.He bowls wicket-to-wicket, has got tall levers, hits the wicket hard and bowls at 90mph, so you can't be a better bowler than that." Investec Ashes highlights
Max Baucus approved as China ambassador by US Senate US Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana speaks with reporters alongside his wife, Melodee Hanes (right), after being confirmed by the US Senate as the next US Ambassador to China at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, 6 February 2014 Max Baucus led efforts to help China's entry into the World Trade Organisation Related Stories The US Senate has unanimously approved Senator Max Baucus as the new US ambassador to China. The Senate confirmed Mr Baucus, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to the post, by 96 votes to zero. The Democrat Senator is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and supported China's admission into the World Trade Organisation in 2001. He replaces Gary Locke, former commerce secretary and the first Chinese American in the position. Speaking after the confirmation vote on Thursday, Mr Baucus said: "The relationship between the US and China is one of the most important in the world and we, both China and the United States, need to get it right." Developing "confidence and trust" between the two sides would be "a top priority", he added. Mr Baucus has represented Montana at the Senate since 1978, but had announced last autumn that he would not be seeking re-election. He was nominated as ambassador to China in December. Senators from both parties praised Mr Baucus for his work. The 72-year-old is experienced in US trade policy, but is considered to have less experience in military and security issues. Tensions in the region have risen over territorial disputes between China and its neighbours in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Mr Baucus is also known for his work on Mr Obama's health care bill, which he said was "helping millions of Americans". More on This Story Related Stories More China stories
Are Canada's Tar Sands in Peril? Tue, 2009-01-13 19:38Mitchell Anderson Mitchell Anderson's picture Are Canada's Tar Sands in Peril? Go here to find out more details about DeSmogBlog's FREEE monthly book give-away. The times they are a changing. At his confirmation hearing today, Dr. Steven Chu, the Nobel laureate physicist and incoming head of the Energy Department, warned of the dire consequences of unchecked global warming. In her confirmation hearing, Senator Hillary Clinton said that climate change is an "unambiguous security threat" and pledged an energy policy to reduce our carbon emissions. In contrast, Harper’s own credibility on climate change is almost laughable: Many suspect that Harper is now lobbying Obama for a continental energy policy that would give a “pass” to Alberta tar sands. Given the enormous expectations on Obama to bring in real and green change, it is unlikely that he will want to be associated with this tarry mess. To say that the tar sands project has a credibility problem is an understatement: There is also no legal requirement for tar sands producers to invest in the highly touted and dubious carbon capture and storage technologies. A recent leaked government memo showed that not even the Alberta government believes this is viable solution the massive carbon emissions from the tar sands. The laundry list of reasons why Obama will not want to hitch the US energy wagon to the tar sands only grows longer. A variety of prominent environmental groups in Canada and the US today co-signed a letter to the incoming president and his cabinet urging him to reject any overtures from Harper to exempt the oil sands from meaningful regulation of carbon. Today there was an article in the New York Times detailing the declining economics of the tar sands, and the glaring policy inconsistencies with Obama’s stated energy, environmental, and security goals. Much of the tar sands oil is simply uneconomic to extract if oil prices stay low - something that is bound to continue given the protracted global economic slump. Beyond the obvious environmental issues, long-term production of tar sands oil depends on the whims of world oil prices, adding to the uncertainty of long term supplies. It is little wonder why Harper is lobbying the US so strongly to keep this bitumen boondoggle going. After billions of dollars of investment, this project remains almost entirely dependant on the US market. The NYT article detailed how tar sands producers lack the pipeline infrastructure to send their oil elsewhere if the Obama Administration decides it is too unethical to buy it. It seems increasingly doubtful that Obama would be inclined to compromise his substantial green credibility so early in his presidency by climbing into a tarry bed with Stephen Harper. It remains to be seen how effective Obama's administration will be on AGW. Will we see a binding cap and trade system or will we see token measures with reductions promised many decades into the future? In regards to the oil sands, emissions will play a role but that will likely be balanced by concerns over America's security of supply. Eliminating Canada's oil sands as a US energy source would necessitate putting America's energy security more heavily into the Middle East's hands. Unfortunately, what the writer does NOT mention in their story is that the Government of Alberta has recently severely tightened their environmental rules to now require MASSIVE recycling of a lot of the natural resources...particularly water....that are now being used to extricate the oil from the tar sands. The writer correctly points out that Alberta is now running out of fresh water. Not only is explosive human growth in the province now tapping into that vital resource, but the increasing demands of the oil extrication process are doing so as well. This, coupled with many years of drought in western Canada are all conspiring to now place HUGE demands on the watershed there...demands that are clearly unsustainable over the long haul unless something is done to control it.( website design) What the writer also doesn't tell us is that all of these companies are now being forced to build HUGE plants to RECYCLE most of the water used in these processes to drastically cut their net use of that resource in the extrication process. I know this to be true because I have a brother-in-law who is now directly involved in building one of these recycling plants and bringing it online in the region. Clearly, we seo need to strike a balance between our near-term need for fossil fuels, and the impact that need has on our environment. Conservation and building more fuel-efficient vehicles is certainly part of that answer. However, unless we all want to start peddling bicycles to and from work (and then freeze in the dark when we get there!), until such time as the energy-efficient production of alternative fuels can be brought online and made commercially viable, we are STILL going to be stuck with burning coal, oil and natural gas in order to live our lives. That fact, in turn, means we need to continue looking for cost-effective ways to minimize the impact the exploration, extrication and use of these fossil fuels has on our environment. its really good to Mr. President working as sensibly as was expected of him. i work in a website designing company but was really worried about this issue myself. thanks for bringing it to the forefront. read more
Samsung UE-40C5100 Incredible picture quality due to its 'LED' technology - Samsung UE-40C5100 LCD TV Product Type: Samsung 3D LCD TV Newest Review: ... The TV features 4 HDMI slots, 2 USB ports, optical audio, ethernet port, a headphone jack, and an aerial socket to complete what Sam... more Incredible picture quality due to its 'LED' technology Samsung UE-40C5100 Member Name: businesselite Samsung UE-40C5100 Date: 20/07/11, updated on 26/08/11 (125 review reads) Advantages: Super Thin, Incredible picture Disadvantages: None The new Samsung UE40C5100 40" LED TV can be summed up in one word "awesome"! I know what your thinking and let me explain why this "awesome" device is soo "freakin awesome!" Sorry guys it happens to me all the time while describing my new TV I just can't help it, an overwhelming feeling of joy comes over me and I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. First off this TV is of the LED type. Basically there are 3 types of televisions these days, Plasma, LCD, and the newest which is LED. LED's are crisper in picture quality, take up less space, and don't require as much power as the other two but they cost a little more as you would expect from a newer technology. When I first opened the box to reveal my TV the first thing I noticed was how "incredibly thin" it was. Samsung says the with is only 27mm, that comes out to only a little over 1 inch guys! The look of the TV is of a glossy contemporary design. I like the look because it makes it seem of high quality and it also easily matches the decor of any room. In the box there is a back plate that attaches to a glass stand then the TV can be easily mounted on top of that. The TV is light but I would still recommend on having another person to help you position the TV to go on top of the glass stand. The TV features 4 HDMI slots, 2 USB ports, optical audio, ethernet port, a headphone jack, and an aerial socket to complete what Samsung calls "Wireless setup". With this feature setting up the TV was a piece of cake as it programmed in lots of "FREEVIEW" channels and it easily found my home network. This TV is really a lot more than just your average TV, its more like a wireless entertainment system because you are able to stream all your local media through it. From anything like music, video, pictures, or any type of Internet media its all possible. The picture quality is superb and with its wide 178 degree viewing angle no image is lost no matter where you view it from. With fine tuning of the settings you can even get the picture quality even clearer thanks to Samsungs "Hyper Real Engine". And if that werent enough Samsung also has its unique "Eco Sensor" technology to easily accomodate the room. So when its dark in the room the TV will automatically brighten and vice versa when its light in the room. The speakers on this unit are suprisingly adequate considering how thin the TV is. I would recommend hooking the television to an external reciever and using the recievers speakers for sound because the internal speakers have to be small considering how small the TV is and I would guess it wouldn't take a lot to blow them. But if your just watching your favorite tv show or news show the internal speakers will do. That pretty much sums it up. So if your one of the people thats looking to buy a new television set I would recommend going with this one because of all the cool features I just mentioned but if you decide not too, definitely consider at least going with an "LED" type because it might cost a little more but in the long term you save on electricity and you also get an overall better picture quality. "FREEVIEW" -Method of getting free channels to the Tv through the Aerial socket. "HYPER REAL ENGINE" - Enabled by Super 3C Realization, the picture is as unrivalled as it is unbelievable. This way, you're never just watching a movie, you're living it. Every moment will ring truer, go deeper, feel stronger, look richer. "ECO SENSOR" - Samsungs technology that measures the intensity of the room's light and automatically calibrates the brightness of the image on the screen Summary: Best TV I have ever owned by far! Processing/Quality: Processing/Quality Reliability: Reliability Ease of use: Ease of use Installation: Installation Sound quality: Sound quality Features: Features
11:03AM \| 05/09/03 Member Since: 05/08/03 2 lifetime posts Help! I need advice... I have a driveway that is just 6 months old and its surface is wearing away and showing the stone-like base. I believe they call it spalling. What is the best way to stop the deterioration? Is there some kind of sealer that will stop this? I've heard of a product called Masonry Saver. Will that work or is that just a short term solution? Is there a better product out there? Does it need to be ripped out? Can we salvage this driveway? The driveway was poured in the summer during the drought, so it did not have excess rain on it. I live in North Carolina where the weather is not so severe, although we did have a week long ice storm in December. In order to protect our driveway, we chose to let the ice melt naturally and did not use any salt or plows to break up the ice, so I doubt weather had anything to do with the problem. I have heard that this problem is often due to too much water in the concrete mix. Is this true? What else could cause this? Where can I go for help if the contractor won't repair this? I need a second opinion on the extent of the damage. How should I go about this? I want to save this driveway if at all possible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 10:18AM \| 08/21/07 Member Since: 06/07/07 5 lifetime posts It may be that there was too much water in the concrete mix. I am not an expert in that, but what ever may be the cause, the concrete is now there and there isn't anything you can do to it to repair it. I think the only thing you can do is to seal it against water penetration. See what Tim Carter has to say about siloxane sealers and concrete. Here is our own siloxane sealant Post a reply as Anonymous type the code from the image Post_new_button or Login_button Thinking Green Year Round More_clips Get the Adobe Flash Player to listen to this audio file. Newsletter_icon Google_plus Facebook Twitter Pinterest Youtube Rss_icon
PARIS—A major Edward Hopper retrospective in Paris reveals that the 20th century painter famed for his rendering of American life drew inspiration from France. The show's curator Didier Ottinger told the Associated Press on Monday that Hopper was ''a lifelong Francophile" who first visited Paris in 1906. That was just after an important exhibition of the influential Fauvism movement known for its strong use of color. Ottinger said he clearly took influence from participating artists like Henri Matisse even though Hopper's palette is more muted. "You can see it in his large, solid color masses," he said. The illuminating collection includes some 128 Hopper works—such as lonely masterpieces "Gas,""Hotel Room"and "Soir Bleu"—alongside 35 comparative works from French artists who influenced him. Hopper, who died in 1967, took two other trips to the French capital in 1909 and 1910, exploring its salons and grand museums, such as the Louvre. Among the other artists featured in the exhibit is Edgar Degas, whose work, the exhibit catalog suggests, encouraged Hopper to incorporate dramatic angles into his own paintings. This technique later became one of his artistic signatures, such as in his most famous work "Nighthawks" from 1942, which resembles a still from a film noir. "He always used to say, even late in his life, that he was a post-Impressionist. France was so important for him," added Ottinger. The exhibit, which draws from collections in the United States, Spain and France, opens at Paris' Grand Palais Wednesday and runs through January 28. Thomas Adamson can be followed at http:/ /
Welcome Visitor: Login to the siteJoin the site Short story By: Munna It's a confession of heart mired in love .The story also reveals falling standards of morality in our society . Submitted:Oct 15, 2013 Reads: 702 Comments: 1 Likes: 1 Night was towards its nadir. Only Radha and I were there in the dingy room arguing over merits and demerits of certain aspect, staring into nothingness during moments of silence that too often interrupted our conversation. Of late, it has become extremely difficult for me to appease Radha. With her strange notions she always manages to put me on the knife-edge. Later, she repents over her harshness but by then damage has become irreparable. As a damage-control measure Radha, for few days, distances away from too much of twisting but as I am about to regain equanimity she is back to her usual business with a bang. These days intense debate is going on over the place of marriage in my life. "So you have decided not to get married," "Will you please let the cat out of the bag?" She demanded with a stroke of sarcasm. "I thought that by now you would have guessed about it. If you haven't let me tell you that in absence of right partner I have put this issue on the backburner", I replied in a cool and calm way. "What a pity! Yaar can't you be little pragmatic. Why are you always hell-bent on emulating a self-destructive logic? You are now well past marriage age. Think about your anxious parents…" she said before being interrupted. "Well, lend me your ears," I said, seeking her attention. After a momentary silence I said: ' Just like other obedient sons and daughters of present age! They pretend to be close to their parents but on their back care a damn about their reputation. They are always up to confrontation but for the world's sake they project a sober picture of their maddening lives, keep marrying in the name of providing relief to the parents but once this tamasha gets over they immediately abandon their parents. And for rest of their life parents live a lonely life; neither the society not their faithful children show up their faces. Only the other day I read about a lady who died after fighting a long battle with a dreaded disease. Do you know what their sons were doing when her heart must be burning with a desire to see them? They were relaxing in their apartments in Canada, came back after seven or eight months after so many reminders? "No, I did not mean that, what I am trying to convey is that your parents be greatly relieved once you get married. After all, haven't they raised you up amid comforts? Aren't you ashamed over your callousness which has burdened their hearts with additional pain besides those emanating from worldly concerns", said Radha stubbornly. "I understand it all! You are trying to make suspect myself. But remember, you could no longer fool me by spooky versions, "said Radha caught in whirlpool of contradictory emotions. I was smiling being aware of the fact that she was on the brink of losing ground. "Radha at least you should not be mindless in criticizing my stand point. Parents, Chachas, Mamas, friends and other near and dear ones have put to sleep their analytical faculty, drugged their discrimination having given way to compromises. It doesn't hurt me at all as I know well that such relations are guided by second-rate convictions, frequently changing color to remain in sync with the duniya. Don't you think concerns like marriage, job and etc. must be perforce choice of an individual, more so if he or she has attained a level of maturity? The only factor that should be given utmost importance is that whether it leads to beneficial changers for people around or not. If it doesn't violate the above-mentioned condition, I don't feel anyone has the right to question about its worth." "Now look at the fate," trembling with passion I was saying, "of married couples, those who in the eyes of world have been sincere in honoring the wishes of their parent. Be sure, I am not trying to pass a moral judgment on one of the most respectable institution established by our forefathers with great care. But one cannot ignore the degeneration that has wiped away its finer aspects. They quarrel over trivial issues, hurl choicest abuses at each other, emotionally and intellectually so wide apart yet living together for fulfillment of physical desires, meaningless union but could not separate owing to societal compulsions and much more but still in the eyes of the world they belong to honorable class of purples. Why? Just because they are the by-product of time-tested institution! In other cases husbands and wives are living shattered lives thanks to the ups and downs of the realistic life, existing merely as instruments with no time to exchange compliments. In some exaggerated examples both the partners are found trapped in immoral affairs. Reason-not satisfied with each other desperately needs a change coupled with experimentation. I wonder in age of so many revolutionary isms it would be highly unfair to treat immoral as immoral. Give it a respectable place or simply vanish." I said all this with a provocative smile. Not willing to give her room to cast stones at me I went ahead with my views "What hurts me is elders stubborn refusal to learn lesson from their past mistakes. Having witnessed the consequence of pursuing faulty line of action they are ready with another set of perverse notions. The most shameful thing is that they don't regret at all. I am horrified over the dullness of these 'experienced' brains that are so cocksure about efficiency of their worn-out ways and means. It was indeed grave mistake that I came to assume that repentance would have shed some wisdom in their consciousness." For some reason, this greatly moved her. Refusing the emotion let loose on her head she said: "Forgive me, I wasn't aware of the seriousness of the crises. Yes, you are right that one should not expect anything worthwhile from people with a very limited vision. But I am more concerned about you. In all this drama it's you who have suffered the most, being the victim of events, which were not entirely your own making. Let them resort to such desperate remedies, at this point of time, I would like to know about your steps to diffuse the crisis." "But suppose such a holistic version refuses to materialize in your life?" she questioned thoughtfully. She was aware of the fact that rudeness of life does not provide humane approaches many chances to germinate. "Radha, you are now loosing your sense of proportion. Is it sin to go beyond the dictates of men whose thinking ability is covered in cobwebs? It is crime to provide life and vibrancy to your prized affairs? Perhaps, it's better to move alone than to be part of nightmarish experiences all your life under the veneer of traditions and rigorous social customs." Radha half-whispered to herself and for a while allowed the silence to reign. She was unsuccessfully trying to conceal her tears, something that was preventing her to go ahead with the conversation keeping herself in the same state of mind she exclaimed, "I am afraid you would not be able to survive for too long in the world reserved solely for dogs! I know well that sensitive souls like you cannot survive without a companion. When that was the matter, why didn't you find one molded in your perception?" "Well, a chance encounter had dragged me towards such a soul but before it could blossom it succumbed to the primitive-thoughtlessness of the pseudo-crusaders of the society. These perfect spoilsports who are mired in unspeakable affairs come to attain a sacrosanct position in these matters, on their verdicts innocent souls are mercilessly butchered without given a slight chance to communicate their intentions. As the days pass away, souls like us slowly get reduced to ashes amid gross activities of average everyday life. "I am eager to know her name, my dear fellow." Radha insisted. "What is in the name? To me she was simply your reflection! That's all," I suddenly said, looking straight at her face. "Hm-that's all right- but what about your friends? Why didn't they conceive a strategy to pull you out of the mess?" she asked, blushing with gloomy eyes. "It's a sad reflection but I could not resist myself from making a confession that they were enemies masquerading as friends. It seems strange but they left no opportunity like bunch of cheap crooks, to create nuances at defining moments. Worse, after causing the debacle they were little ashamed in delivering a suggestion to view the whole episode as hand-work of destiny. It was indeed misplaced trust on these determined liars, who with help of their half-truths, spelled doom for me. Though I wanted to retain the illusion of recognizing them as friends for a longer time, however, their sincerity towards shrewdness made it impossible." "Radha! I find myself trapped in the body. I don't want to get identified with fifth of this sort, an identification that has now little meaning for me except initiating cycle of meaningless cause and effects. Give me blue, for survival." I said in a distinct tone. "Blue? What does it stand for?" asked Radha in a trembling voice with a cold smile. "Radha you seem to have fallen in league of present day politicians who so easily forget their promises! I am surprised to find you so forgettable a person. Just a little while ago haven't I attributed it to you as your intrinsic nature?" no sooner had I asked this I found her shaking from head to foot. Hearing this a smile, dipped in divinity, flashed across her face. The night has changed her tempo, inviting the dawn to unfold its magic. Meanwhile, Radha has embraced my consciousness that placed me in her domain - unending stretch of blueness that came to annihilate our distinction, making us one forever.
Oklahoma Man Pleads Not Guilty To Bank-Robbery Charge An Oklahoma man accused of robbing a Fort Smith bank, one he told police he’d rob again given the opportunity, made his first appearance in Sebastian County Circuit Court on Wednesday. Kelly Odis Kincaid Jr., 66, of Spiro was assigned a public defender and pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery. Kincaid is being held on a $15,000 bond. Kincaid is accused of walking into First National Bank, 5201 Rogers Ave., May 3 at about 5:45 p.m., approaching a teller and telling him to fill a plastic sack he handed him with money. Because he kept one hand in his pocket during the robbery, the teller thought Kincaid was possibly armed. However, Kincaid described the hand as “crippled” and insisted he kept it in his pocket because he wanted the bank employees to think he was an “able bodied man,” according to a police report. Kincaid told investigators if he was armed he would have shown his weapon during the robbery. He conceded it was reasonable for the teller to think he was armed when he kept one hand in a pocket, according to the report. He blamed Congress for his decision to rob the bank. “If Congress did their job, old men like me wouldn’t have to rob banks,” Kincaid said. Kincaid was arrested at his Spiro home May 6, after two employees identified him in a photo lineup. Police recovered $6,205 of the $13, 512 taken during the robbery, according to the report. In addition to gambling away a significant amount of money at a local casino, Kincaid told investigators he also sent his sister $1,000 he owed her and paid another $2,000 debt. When he demanded money, Kincaid expected the teller to threaten to call police, forcing him to flee with no money, but instead the teller put money in the bag. “All he had to do was say he was calling the law and I would have flew out of (there),” Kincaid said, according to the report. If he gets out of jail, Kincaid said he would go back to the same bank and “rob the same stupid (person) that gave him the money this time,” according to the report. Robbery is a Class B felony punishable by five to 20 years in prison.
Three Signs That You're Too Close to Your Husband (Time for a Girls' Night Out!) Signs You Are Too Close to Husband Photo: Getty Images You married him, so of course you want to spend your life with him. But every waking moment? Most relationship experts will warn that this might be an unhealthy goal. And if you find that you and your husband have become glued-at-the-hip after the wedding, you might ask yourself if you need a little healthy space (read: an afternoon out with your girlfriends or an overnight getaway to a spa with your sister). Time apart can help keep things alive and fresh and can improve your bond in the long run. Here are a few signs that the two of you may be getting a little too close for comfort: 1. You've lost track of your friends' lives. Remember when you knew every detail of your friends' love lives? How you would keep up with each other like dissecting the latest episode of Scandal? If you've lost track of your nearest and dearest since the wedding, listen, the alarm bells are sounding. Yes, new marriage has a way of being exclusive and inwardly focused for a time, but the happiest couples know that depending on their spouses for everything isn't healthy and keeping their friendships alive and well is key. Who do you need to call to catch up with? 2. You're fighting has increased. Yes, fighting is normal (and here's how to deal with the most common fights in the first year), and most couples have an average of 312 fights a year, according to the latest research (surprising, right?), but if the two of you are bickering more than normal, (especially if the arguments are a bit more heated than "I can't believe you forgot to take out the trash again!") it could be a sign of relationship malaise. The best remedy? A little time apart. Plan a girls night out pronto! 3. You feel sad when he suggests he has plans of his own. One of the biggest benefits of being married is that you'll never have to feel lonely again; you have someone to spend every Saturday night with, someone to dance with at weddings, someone to hold your hand while Christmas shopping, and someone to be there for you, always. But here's a secret to the happiest, most successful couples: Maintaining a life outside of marriage is key. Making a point to regularly see friends (with or without your spouse) and encouraging your spouse to do so when he feels the need can make for the most thriving relationships. Next time he announces that he's having beers with his college buddies, instead of feeling cut out, make plans of your own and see how your confidence (and trust in him) fuels both of your happiness. Sarah Jio You Might Also Like: See hundred of real weddings we love 3 Ways to Feel Calmer Right This Second Give Yourself a Happiness Makeover (6 Awesome Ideas!) Thank You for Signing Up! Check your e-mail inbox for the latest updates from Give a Subscription to Brides Magazine as a Gift Subscribe to Brides magazine
Take the 2-minute tour × Currently we use a MediaWiki installation for writing documentation, but several of us find the markup format horribly arbitrary and awkward, with a mixture of Wiki tags and XML in the text, and the lack of any quick formatting buttons for things like ordered or unordered lists, different heading levels, quick embedding of images, tables, code samples, etc. Sites like LiveJournal provide most or all of this while still generating backwards-compatible markup so it's not like there's a technological impediment here. There are other niceties that we'd like to see, such as being able to pick a category from a list (ala Wordpress) or maybe being able to apply syntax highlighting to code samples, etc. Do Wikis exist that provide a decent range of these features to make life easier on the editor? Something with the features and presentation of WordPress but the page organisation of a Wiki would be perfect. (WikiMatrix returns several candidates, but among them is MediaWiki, which quite clearly is not a WYSIWYG interface except in the most tenuous fashion. I'd rather not dig through each one if it's plain that WikiMatrix is not being entirely stringent about its criteria.) share\|improve this question There is a CKEditor plugin that you can configure to MediaWiki that eases your work – Ram Sep 24 '09 at 11:26 add comment 6 Answers Foswiki might suit your needs. It has a WYSIWYG editor and has a syntax highlighting plugin. share\|improve this answer I find Foswiki extremely powerful yet easy to use -- a rare and great combination. It works very well ouf-of-the-box, and can be customized when you needs grow. It's also very mature and has many useful plugins. I recommend you try out the VMware download; it has everything ready to run, and is perfect as a proof-of-concept. – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun Jan 14 '10 at 11:06 add comment Wikiwig is as free wiki (GPL) with wysiwyg features. (or) have look on this page : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%5Fof%5Fwiki%5Fsoftware share\|improve this answer add comment ScrewTurn Wiki 3.0.2 has WYSIWYG, syntax highlighting as a plugin, categories, subsites,... Highly recomended. share\|improve this answer add comment WikiMedia WYSIWYG editor page reference. In 2009, there is no available 'ready-to-go' package for incorporating full WYSIWYG into the MediaWiki software. The problem is that any WYSIWYG editor would have to know wikitext grammar, and no full grammar for wikitext exists - the "parser" doesn't parse, it's a twisty series of regular expressions. So present WYSIWYG editors either have to (a) reverse-engineer as much of a grammar as they can, or (b) forget wikitext and just write HTML. A proper grammar is not sufficient for a proper WYSIWYM editor, as opposed to WYSIAYG (what you see is all you get), but it is necessary. A proper grammar is a highly-desired thing for many other purposes as well, and present efforts are at "promising vapourware" status. See Markup spec. For a list of existing extensions providing some degree of WYSIWYG support, see Category:WYSIWYG extensions share\|improve this answer anyone care to explain the down vote? this answer was not meant to be pessimistic, just an observation I agreed to working with various wiki markups. – nik Sep 24 '09 at 17:18 probably because it isn't an answer to the question at all. What you've provided is just background as to why things are the way they are - it doesn't give any information about how to fix the problem. That reference could have been a good comment on the question, but it's not answer. – Michael Kohne Jun 21 '10 at 11:09 add comment Try DokuWiki (needs php, and store wiki in FS, supports hierarchical namespaces, however WYSIWYG is a plugin), or XWiki But better go to http://www.wikimatrix.org and run the wizard. However, evaluate carefully, because having a feature does not means it has the feature the way you want... ps: sorry I do not have any reputation to post 3 hyperlinks (ZOMG) share\|improve this answer add comment We use the FCK Editor for MediaWiki and generally it works very well, especially for tables and copying from Office documentation. share\|improve this answer add comment Your Answer
Take the 2-minute tour × I've been using LaTeX and R for a few years now, but am only now bringing them together via Sweave. As I put the document together, I run my R code in its own session to verify that it works properly, then add it to the Sweave file. Then, I Sweave the file in R. This goes fine, since all the R code has checked out. When I compile the TeX file, though, there are almost invariably errors that I have made. Finding an error in the TeX file, tracing it to the Sweave file, and re-Sweaving and TeXing isn't that difficult. It does become a pain when there are multiple errors, meaning multiple reruns of Sweave and pdftex. It would be simpler if I could fix all the errors in the TeX file, which can be rerun alone simply, and have them transfer into the Sweave file, rendering it ready for a final Sweave and TeX compile. Any tips on how you handle this workflow? One tip is to not make any errors, but, as an economist, I believe that the optimal number of errors is probably greater than 0. Thanks! Charlie share\|improve this question add comment 4 Answers up vote 6 down vote accepted I also use sweave (a few months) and latex (20 years). With a reasonably fast machine, the optimal scheme is simply to rebuild often. I use "make" (on a unix-like machine) so that only the chapters whose Rnw file has changed get rebuilt into tex files. That saves a lot of sweave time. Alternatively, you can edit the .tex file and work away at errors, and put your results back into the .Rnw file when you're ready. But that's error-prone. If you run sweave-latex often, and fix errors as soon as you see them, then you won't make so many errors. The other advice is to use a decent editor (e.g. emacs) that does a lot of the work for you, e.g. finishing off parenthetic blocks, begin/end environments and so forth. That prevents 2/3 of the errors you're likely to make. share\|improve this answer Emacs has aucTeX mode for LaTeX and ESS (Emacs Speaks Statistics) for running R in an emacs buffer. plus the parenthesis matching and automatic addition of \end tags means emacs is a really good option for working with TeX and Sweave. – Seamus Jan 23 '11 at 18:52 add comment Dan above has probably the right answer. Just to add that, to make code execution cheaper and easier, you might look into the cacheSweave and pgfSweave packages on CRAN, which may be more convenient than setting and unsetting the eval switch in code chunks. share\|improve this answer +1 I was about to post quite the same answer; caching Sweave results is especially useful when dealing with large data sets or complex models (I used to work with genetic data during one year or two). – chl Jan 23 '11 at 18:19 I want to throw knitr into the discussion. It's cleaner than Sweave and implements cacheing automatically. – gmacfarlane May 25 '13 at 23:14 Yes. My answer was posted early in 2011. Two years later Knitr is probably the best solution, unless you specifically need Sweave for R package development or something. – Kieran Jun 4 '13 at 16:33 add comment Depending on your R code, some R calculations may take a long time and rebuilding often is prohibitive whereas the TeX part by itself is typically negligible. To deal with this, you can exclude R code from being executed (once you know that it works) by assigning FALSE to eval: # potentially expensive R code here You can also set eval globally to FALSE and enable it locally (<<eval=TRUE>>=) only for the R code that you are working on. This would be a good way when you are mostly dealing with TeX problems: share\|improve this answer Seems like caching would be a better way to handle this? – Ari B. Friedman Nov 16 '11 at 16:07 add comment Part of the issue is the time it takes to compile a Sweave document. The existing points are all good, i.e.: • try to minimise errors • consider eval=FALSE when extensive iteration of a tex section is required and the R code chunks are time consuming • consider sweave caching options • use a fast computer • use a make file and divide up the document into multiple Rnw files so that only updated Rnw files need to be rebuilt With regards to making corrections, Duncan Murdoch has a prototype of software to enable forward and inverse search for sweave documents: Given that its development status is Alpha, I haven't tried it yet. share\|improve this answer add comment Your Answer
Macau Sands Interesting development: Macau stocks got slammed last night. Wynn Macau fell 5%. Sands China fell over 4.4% SJM lost 5.8%. There is reportedly a crackdown happening on allegedly corrupt Junket Operators, the companies that bring in high-rollers for the casinos for a fee. Says FT: Pang Yufeng and Qin Xi Xin, two individuals who bring high-rollers from the mainland to the VIP rooms in Macau casinos and then collect the gambling debt in return for a commission, were arrested in recent weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal. Reuters also reported that more than half a dozen of these agents were arrested at Wynn Macau’s properties last month, possibly in relation to money laundered by Bo Xilai, the disgraced former Chongqing chief. Hoffman Ma, deputy chief executive officer of Ponte 16, a Macau casino, said he didn’t believe that any recent arrests would have to do with Xi Jinping being at the helm in Beijing. He said the VIP sector started to slow down half a year ago, which was a sign that a general crackdown against illegal fund flows had begun in Macau. Macau is seen as something of a tell on China as a whole. Gaming revenues are a decent proxy for the total economy. A crackdown on doing business may be a sign of a more aggressive move to stamp out corruption. Jim Chanos has made a big point about Macau as essentially functioning as China's big money laundering destination.
When we reported that the Mirasol low-power color displays were pushed back to early 2011, that wasn't technically correct -- Qualcomm just informed us that the company's cranking out panels even as we speak, and will ship them to OEMs this fall. So what's actually going to happen in Q1 2011? The formal release of Mirasol devices, of course. Representatives told us that the 5.7-inch, 220ppi XGA color display will appear in multiple products with multiple partners next year, and that they "will be in devices that are converged and look a lot more like a tablet PC than an e-reader." Following that, they said, the company will turn its attention to developing Mirasol for smartphones. We couldn't get Qualcomm to comment on a rumored $2b Mirasol plant, unfortunately, and there's no word on that color Kindle, but we imagine all will be revealed at or shortly after CES next year. Mirasol displays slated for 'converged devices' in Q1 2011, followed by low-power smartphones
Innovation & Design The Mini Hummer Is Quite Mighty I always thought you'd have to be dumber than a bag of hammers to buy a Hummer, the gas-guzzling behemoth that General Motors (GM) adapted from a military vehicle. So call me dumber than a bag of hammers. I'm giving a five-star rating to the new Hummer H3, the smaller, less expensive, and relatively environmentally friendly version. (To be exact, the base price is $29,500, and it runs 16 miles per gallon in the city and 19 on the highway.) Of course, it's a qualified five-star rating because Hummers -- even this one -- are niche products that aren't for most people. Let me explain. The new Hummer is a wonderful vehicle for people who live in the rural snowbelt and urbanites who regularly venture into snowy areas for ski weekends or snow-shoeing or to drink fine cognac by the fire in their mountain cottage. It's especially good for families with young kids who want to feel safe, secure, and in-control in inclement weather. You can go anywhere in the Hummer H3 (believe me, I did). With GM's Onstar service (which puts you in touch with an operator at the push of a button) and satellite radio (with its many local weather reports), there aren't many emergencies you couldn't handle. SHARED CHASSIS. To me, it's an ideal second vehicle for someone with a smaller car that gets better mileage. A lot of shoppers seem to agree: Hummer sales overall have soared 90% this year through November, to 48,648. Of that number, 56% (more than 27,000) are the new H3s. Unfortunately for GM, the H2's sales have fallen 16%, to 21,104 -- about the same fall-off suffered by other big GM SUVs, such as the Yukon. One reason for the success of the H3, which shares a chassis with GM's Colorado pickup truck, is that it costs a lot less than the H2, which starts at $53,855. My loaner H3 listed for just $33,335. That included the optional automatic transmission with stability control, a $1,695 option, as well as such standard equipment as power windows, mirrors, and door locks, a six-speaker sound system, air conditioning, traction control, 32-inch Goodyear all-terrain tires, and one free year of Onstar service. The test car had cloth seats, but you can upgrade to leather upholstery, power-adjustable seats, and MP3-compatible sound for $3,230. An off-road package with a special transfer case and suspension goes for $1,175. Other options include a power sunroof for $950, XM satellite radio ($350), and an engine block heater ($50) for especially cold climes. VANISHING CARS. What the Hummer isn't good for is urban driving. It's a little like cruising around in a small Brink's truck. The hood is wide, high off the ground, and hard to see over. The cabin's roof extends way out in front of the driver, so you often have to lean forward to see overhead stoplights. Side visibility isn't great, either, because you're up high and the windows aren't very big. How does that play out on the city street? Forget about parallel parking. I drove my test H3 around Montreal, home to lots of compact cars, and found that small cars completely disappear when they're close to the Hummer's rear. You'd have to get out and guesstimate when backing into a parking space. Also, the H3 may be 17 inches shorter and 6.5 inches narrower than the H2, but it's still huge. Outside the city, though, the H3 is a blast. I picked up my test car up in New Jersey, brought it home to rural Pennsylvania, and woke up to discover that a foot of snow had fallen. I took the Hummer out and headed into every unplowed road I could find. I headed off-road down a steep slope into a river basin and onto a logging-style dirt path. One night with my neighbor Ken Cole, who owns an H2, I took it up a steep gravel road into the forest in a foot of snow. At one point I backed it half into a ditch with half the rear bumper leaning against a boulder -- in a foot of snow. I never would have dared doing any of these things in my Ford Explorer. HOW TO CLIMB STEPS. In the Hummer, I never had the slightest fear of getting stuck. The H3 has nine inches of ground clearance, only slightly less than the H2, and the big tires really grip. Let's be clear, for hard-core off-roaders who want to climb over big logs and boulders, this isn't the vehicle of choice, It's not as rugged as the H2. But it's the only family wagon I've encountered with an owner's manual that includes instructions for climbing 16-inch steps, and GM claims it can ford a 16-inch-deep stream at 20 mph. For average drivers who want a rougher and readier alternative to an SUV, it's perfect. The H3 has a fair amount of storage space behind the rear seats, which fold down for added space. But legroom is limited in back. I took my neighbor Fred Ostrick, a retired New York fireman, out for a spin with his brother Joe sitting behind him. These are two tall, plus-size guys, and they were really crammed. The H2 is supposed to accommodate five passengers, but four adults -- or two adults and three kids -- is more realistic. IT'S NO LEXUS. I also did nearly 1,000 miles of highway driving with the H3 and found it a surprisingly comfortable cruiser. I was struck by what a normal vehicle it is -- not all that different from a big SUV. It's no Lexus, but the ride is smooth, and the big, bulky seats are reasonably comfortable. The interior and controls are utilitarian but clean in their design. Critics of the H3 gripe that its 3.5-liter, 220-horsepower inline five-cylinder engine isn't powerful enough, but I disagree. The H3 cruises along easily at 70 miles per hour and will accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 9 seconds by my count, which is slow but adequate. This isn't supposed to be a Ferrari. What the H3 shows me is this: GM may be in deep financial trouble, but it isn't giving up. The H3, which is built in Louisiana, is one of a string of great new models pouring out of the company these days. If you need a rugged vehicle with decent road manners that won't break the bank, check it out. The Epic Hack (enter your email) (enter up to 5 email addresses, separated by commas) Max 250 characters Sponsored Links Buy a link now! blog comments powered by Disqus
Take the 2-minute tour × I see it is possible to use add_filter with the body_class function, but I'm needing to add one to the get_body_class function. How can I add a filter to a function that is not included in the list of already available filter hooks? share\|improve this question add comment 1 Answer up vote 2 down vote accepted The body_class() function simply calls the get_body_class() and creates a HTML class string from it. function body_class( $class = '' ) { So, the body_class filter applies to both functions. share\|improve this answer Thanks for the reply. I saw that in /wp-includes/post-template.php, and this is working, but I'm confused as to why. I added add_filter('body_class', 'my_handler'); in the plugin I'm writing. When I called get_body_class in a page template, it correctly returned the filtered class string. Perhaps I'm not understanding filters correctly, but if body_class is calling get_body_class (and not the other way around), why is this filter, which is added to body_class() also applied to get_body_class()? Just curious. – robertwbradford Dec 12 '11 at 18:02 add comment Your Answer
Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide faced increased pressure to resign Monday after four days of rioting led by armed rebels killed as many as 40 people and led to widespread looting. Prime Minister Yvon Neptune accused the opposition of trying to mount a coup to overthrow Aristide, who won legislative elections in 2000, but international observers called the vote seriously flawed. Three major centres, Gonaives, St-Marc and Grand Goave, were under control of the rebels on Monday, as well as several smaller towns. In a number of places, rebels or opposition groups set fire to police stations and blocked roads. The capital, Port-au-Prince, remains under government control. At least 69 people have died in Haiti since September, when anti-Aristide sentiment turned into violent clashes. The latest round of violence has killed an unknown number of people, with estimates ranging from 18 to 40. Haiti's population of eight million occupies one-third of the 650-kilometre-long Caribbean island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republic taking up the other two-thirds.
Font size: Contact us: mauro conti crocevia, Italy mauro conti Dear HLPE, the report on biofuels do not take in deep consideration the difference between high prices and price volatility. Indeed speculation plays a minor role, since financial market deregulation anc correlation between oil a commodities has not been take in the proper consideration Please see the attachment (pg19-22) Mauro Conti
Fight to regain Olympic foothold continues for wrestling The world wrestling community cleared one hurdle on Wednesday when wrestling was named as one of three finalists for inclusion into the 2020 Olympic Games less than four months after being removed from the list of core sports that will remain after the 2016 Olympics. Wrestling, an original sport at the very first Ancient Olympics, as well as one included at the start of the Modern Olympics in 1896, still has a fight ahead of it before the final vote that will take place from the full membership of the International Olympic Committee during the Sept. 7-10 session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When the executive board of the IOC removed wrestling as a core sport in February, it sent shockwaves through not just the wrestling community, but the sporting world. Olympians from other sports like gold medal cyclist Marty Nothstein, swimming's Mark Spitz and Janet Evans, speed skating's Apolo Anton Ono, soccer's Landon Donovan, and gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner have spoken out to keep wrestling in the Olympics. "I think it's pretty cool when you have other sports, and big names in other sports, saying that this is wrong, that wrestling needs to be in there," said former Lehigh University wrestling coach Greg Strobel, a current assistant athletics director at the school as well as a former U.S. Olympic coach. Former NFL player Mike Golic and actors like Billy Baldwin, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Modine, Channing Tatum and Tom Arnold also have spoken up in support of Olympic wrestling. Even more impressive, U.S., Russia and Iran stand side-by-side, hand-in-hand to keep wrestling in the Olympic family with 177 nations joined together to promote the sport. The fight now isn't about getting included for the September vote, but about reaffirming to the general membership of the IOC that wrestling belongs on the Olympic stage. "By making the decision to remove wrestling from the core sports for 2020, the IOC executive board forced wrestling to make some radical changes to make it better," Strobel said. The first thing FILA, the world governing body of wrestling, did was remove former president Raphael Martinetti who was viewed as dictatorial and out of touch with the Olympic family. New president Nenad Lalovic of Serbia is being assisted in a vice presidency role by former Allentown High star and world champion Stan Dziedzic, both ever-present at high-level meetings with IOC officials. Strobel said that once Martinetti was removed from power, rule changes were instituted almost immediately to do away with the puzzling overtime clinch rule, plus rules have been added to make scoring more recognizable, as well as penalize stalling. Instead of three one-period matches, the score is cumulative, as in the folkstyle periods that are familiar to all U.S. wrestlers. Strobel said the rules are still evolving to encourage more scoring and less stalling to make it more appealing and understandable to non-wrestlers. Wrestling survived its semifinal matchup in front of the IOC executive board, getting past other sports like karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. The finals take place in September against squash and a combined baseball/softball bid. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has already stated that his league will not shut down at any time in the summer to make its players available for the Olympics. Squash? I'm growing it in my garden right now. If squash makes it, you know why an antiquated cavalry sport like Modern Pentathlon is among the 25 core sports, which also includes tennis (isn't the Grand Slam enough for the pros?) and badminton (in which competitors deliberately tanked matches to get easier draws during the London Olympics). The IOC lists judo and taekwondo as separate sports. The IOC should instead list martial arts and include judo, taekwondo and karate, and then do as it does with cycling and gymnastics: you can add more disciplines, but you gain no additional slots for athletes. That's one of the reasons wrestling is down to so few weight classes. In fact, the IOC could go one better and define "hand-to-hand combat" as a sport which includes the disciplines of wrestling, boxing and the martial arts. Additions within the discipline will receive no extra athlete slots. But first, wrestling needs to regain its foothold within the Olympic family. "There is a lot of work ahead, but we're up to the challenge," USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender said following Tuesday's vote by the executive board. "The entire wrestling world needs to continue to push forward. We need to continue diligently and make upgrades and changes to the sport to ensure that we are successful in Buenos Aires." Wrestling has rallied through a variety of websites as well as extensive use of social media to promote the sport's efforts to remain in the Olympic program. You can check out some of the information yourself at Wrestling is in the finals for Olympic contention. It's the third period of the match. The wrestling community has trained hard for this fight. It's a fight for its Olympic life, and if you're fan of UFC and other mixed martial arts, you know better than to bet against a wrestler. Live Olympics blog Medal Count
Don’t be ugly See article Readers' comments I completely agree with the author of this article: Google has noticeably improved the design and aesthetics of its products, especially android. This makes Android way more attractive than before and it is now on par with IOs (and in my opinion better as a phone OS) Comparing Apples and Googles is just silly. Apple is a niche computer maker who is so successful at it that people have forgotten it. Google is a well maintained server farm successfully moonlighting as an ad-broker. They may compete on overlapping vanity projects but they aren't true competitors. Apple understands that way better than Google. Garib Singh Nice article and it surely rings true. I use an IPad and run most my work on Chrome and the Gmail applications. Just +1ed your article too ;) Two points. First, as one commenter noted, Foursquare has been on Android for years- do your homework. Second. Google has always been known for their focus on design. The original Google search page will go down in the Web Design Hall of Fame, should such a thing ever exist. Its uncluttered and focused design was, at the time, revolutionary. Mark in SF Unfortunately for Google and those that would like a heads up display on their glasses, the optical physics that make it possible to overlay an image in focus a few centimeters from the eye also require that the glass be as thick as it is wide. With current technology, that means the display is always going to be very small and awkward looking (like Google Glass), or so bulky as to be impractical. This photo helps to understand: Ios demise is near. Android is too cool o be ignored and the apps availabe are almost the same of ios Under Steve Jobs (especially after his stints in Pixar Animation and NeXT Co, where the latter was bought over by Apple... and his comeback to Apple...) and his team of tech geeks, Apple's products and its features can be summarise as following; Aesthetics appeal >>> Love at first sight in the eyes of the beholder - the buyers, which leads to their willingness to shell out $$$ to get a piece of these sleek assembled with aesthetic appeal products, (the Mar and Venus relationship principle). :) Algorithm >>> Effective (and seamless) connectivity and navigation from one interface to multiple interfaces, with great apps features that either appeal to the needs and wants of users or lure potential buyers/users to cultivate or be influenced by those needs and wants. David Ogilvy's famous quote summarised the meteoric rise of Apple and its subsequent domination in the tech industry after the return of Steve Jobs aptly, 'If you hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become a company of giants'. P.S: These giants can either be academic inclined, have innate qualities or abilities, have vast and rich work experience etc or a combination of all the points mentioned. Its good that google is focusing on design and IT core/BACKBONE development than a classified ads portal it says it deployed to Africa , when alot of startups alreay handle it in most part of AFRICA & ASIA in Africa we have www.NeedsHub.com , tradestable.com.ng , olx.com and many more and the same across asia Connect The Dots Basic tips on Aesthetics for Google Goggles: -Symmetry is normal. The Face is symmetrical. Do not make an one-eye patch. Or one sided glasses. -Sunglasses make one look detached but cool. Sunglasses at night can be ultracool. -A one piece Terminator goggle can be desirable. And may be necessary for heavy duty athletic tasks. -Know that people will use it 12 hours a day in all variety of activity. Take it jogging. -Dark classic colors that parallel fashion, not bright fruity colors for eyewear. -Men cannot wear pink. They would feign to even touch a pink device...it may turn them gay. -Forget the simple white minimalism of Apple. Eyeglasses are never white. It is too conspicuous. -Women's fashion is separate and distinctive from men's. There are no unisex fashions. -Eye wear is fashion. If it is functional but ugly as nerd glasses, women will NEVER wear it. -Titanium and brushed metal wire frames are hot. -Make them prescription customizable. -These must substitute for eyeglasses, not be a separate option extra pair. -There are thousands of eye glass frame designs...why not use existing designs? -You must go through hundreds of frames before you find the perfect frame. -Like eyewear stores, you probably need to stock over 1000 different options for even normal undemanding customers. -Pay attention to how it fits and feels on the nose bridge. This is very variable with different faces. -Do not make augmentation obvious...allow them to blend in with camouflage. -Some people are right eye dominant. And some are left. The Augmentation must be able to accommodate handedness. -Make them water resistant because it rains. -Make them compatible with contact lens, hats and 3D Movie glasses. Or have a 3D mode for theaters. -Make them light weight...no more than current eye wear. -Batteries must at least last one day of charge: 14 hours. And overnight charge on the bedside cradle. Battery augmentation for long days? -They should not be evil, but bad boy toughness is desirable. Great Design is Simple......But thoroughly thought out. I think personally that the new Google designs are stunning. Google maps for iOS is probably the best example though perhaps slightly jarring in the iOS ecosystem. Google now is beautiful and has functionality far beyond the very limited Siri (the voice recognition is also better). I find iOS simple and quick but a bit of a pain. I still hate the back button is top left which is so un-ergonomic on larger screens and the tendency towards skeuomorphism is terrible (podcasts and calendar in particular). The greater use of gestures in Holo Android such a swiping makes it considerably faster to accomplish tasks. Android 2.3 and before was ugly but I think 4.0+ is both more functional better looking than iOS. Also I hate that the Economist android app is so shit. I paid for the economist I just prefer android. Why is the app so crap? Best piece if interested in Google new design language Latest blog posts - All times are GMT Bitcoin: New money Free exchange 2 hrs 53 mins ago The Economist on China: Weekly round-up Analects March 17th, 4:34 Products & events
Testing India's graduates The engineering gap See article Readers' comments xxx hardcore you sound as though you have a chip on your shoulder, and thats ok. Your time might be more constructively spent however, venting out in the presence of a clinical psychologist, rather than on the internet.""" Thank you for your advice. But The Economist forums are for everyone to give their opinion. I do not recall a policy saying that different opinions are not allowed. Are you one of the "engineers" this article talks about? Perhaps you are a case-in-point? USA has 1710 best higher educational institutions in consideration of 6000 best of the world. India have only 50.Then how India producing double size of quality Engineers or Techies compare to USA? Even China has 552 best institutions among 6000,40 might be considered as world class and 200 as Asian standard. If the test is the outcome of tech revolution of Indian quality its alarming. Some third grade surveyors made Indian IITs and IIMs among world best. But as per Webometrics, the Spanish higher education institution surveyor (which might be considered as the best) found not a single institution of India among 500 best institution for last 8 years and only 4 among best 1000 institutions, which you consider as class, 10 among Asian standard and 31 among Sub-continental standard. Nobody with any experience in outsourcing will find this surprising. But I wonder why anyone at all finds it surprising. Do people flock from Germany, Britain and the U.S. to study computer science at Indian universities? Of course not. And why would anyone seriously expect that an MS degree would mean exactly the same thing in each country in the world? xxx hardcore Also, Indian companies cannot innovate. This is NOT my opinion (so please don't delete this comment) but the opinion of the NY Times: Indians are granted about half as many American patents for inventions as people and firms in Israel and China.""" The NY Times says its for 'cultural reasons,' which is the politically correct term. I have used Indian freelance programmers. Overall the quality is several grades below programmers in Western countries. They are good and reliable for simple task, at least a lot more reliable than the Eastern Europeans. If you search hard enough you will find good Indian programmers. For more complicated task I usually use an experienced Indian programmer (in his mid 40) if he is available. He is better than your average Western programmer with 6-7 years experience. Our company shut down its back office in London and started a new support centre in India. The support centre in India is filled with qualified accountants and other highly qualified professionals. Three years later, the headcount in India is three times that of London before, the infrastructure dismal, and no one in our Africa, Latin America or Asia offices can understand the heavy accent of the support staff in India. India and China may produce engineering graduates by the millions, but I am afraid that MIT and Standford have nothing to fear for the next 100 years. Worthless degrees issued by diploma mills do not equate to a real education. As a software product/consulting organization in the Business Intelligence (e.g. complex database query/analytics) space, I find it ironic that 50% of our business is providing products and consulting to companies in the US who are either US offices of India based consulting organizations or are US based software companies with a large portion of Indian based founders and employees with substantial offshore development back in India. This irony extends to include that one of our key founders is a Canadian born Hindu. Personally, I've never been impressed by the skills that University Graduates display from so-called Software based degrees from any country. In North America may employees of companies like ours are former employees of companies like Microsoft, IBM or many other large software organizations where they acquire in-depth skills that they take out to the market place. While my experience with Indian software engineers has been excellent, India based software engineers who are limited to working in India have a handicap that's difficult to overcome. Gautam Agrawal Menonin has made an point. We are assuming that American graduates will come out with flying colors on tests such as the one prepared by Aspiring Minds. That is a big assumption! Nevertheless the key point the tests have brought out is that the IT Industry must not ignore the colleges outside the top 100 when looking for new hires. It would be useful to know how American engineering graduates do on this test? That would be a more useful basis of comparison. Now why is this conclusion so insightful! Given the huge disparities in income levels should you have expected anything else? The more relevant questions would be :"Is the quality of Indian tech workers improving fast enough? " Do we see sustained improvements in the average competency levels of Indian tech works in successive cohorts of graduates? What is the quality/price ratio that enables Indian business' to maintain growth rates and sustainable competitive advantage? How much additional training investment is made by firms to plug skills deficits among new hires?" In the early stages of the IT boom conventional wisdom of analysts, economists, business magazines was that the country would very quickly run out of qualified tech workers. What was ignored was that changes in economic policies and exposure to competition could lead to a strong supply response as well as incentivize firms to invest in training. So far despite periodic gloomy predictions the supply response keeps happening. Firms and the market have been able to overcome many deficiencies and tackle many bottlenecks. Is this increasing responsiveness of the skills market and of firms coming to an end? That is the critical question. In fast growing, reforming and structurally changing economies merely looking at the stock situation at any one moment in time can be misleading as can be a reliance on past data from a very different economic environment. Latest blog posts - All times are GMT Bitcoin: New money Free exchange 2 hrs 12 mins ago The Economist on China: Weekly round-up Analects March 17th, 4:34 Products & events
WHO'S in charge here? As the jittery Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's outgoing prime minister, pushes through a constitutional change to cap budget deficits, it looks increasingly as if Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the conservative opposition, is already in the driving seat. Demands for a German-style “golden rule” deficit cap have long been a mantra for Mr Rajoy's People's Party (PP). Hitherto, they have met with Socialist scorn. Now the two parties plan to write a cap into the constitution before parliament is dissolved on September 27th. It is the first big change since the document was drafted in 1978, three years after Franco died. Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría of the PP solemnly announced the new cross-party agreement on what she called “one of the main structural reforms needed by the Spanish economy”. From tone and content, a first-time visitor might have divined that the PP was already in power—which, according to opinion polls, it will be after a general election due in November. Mr Zapatero's latest U-turn, like previous pirouettes on pensions, labour reform and spending cuts, was a response to the markets and to Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. The German chancellor and French president jointly demanded golden rules across the euro zone in August. Spain will now get there before France. Only Germany currently has a constitutional “debt brake” in its Basic Law. If Spain needs EU help to keep sovereign-debt yields down, it can at least tell suspicious Germans that it is an eager, obedient pupil. In private, Mr Zapatero reportedly told Socialist critics this was the “least harsh” option left as sovereign-debt yields soared and the European Central Bank bought Spanish bonds in large quantities. But what will voters make of it? Some want a referendum. Opponents say the cap, which would limit the structural budget deficit to 0.4% of GDP from 2020, would tie the hands of future governments too tightly. Unions have called demonstrations. But there are get-out clauses for recessions or national crises. And with the actual figure to be established by a separate—and more easily alterable—law, wriggle-room is guaranteed. Socialists fear that Mr Zapatero has handed the PP an early electoral gift. But Spaniards remain Eurofanatics, and the socialists hope they will get credit for this step towards euro-zone economic integration. “If Europe is to adopt measures, we should be in the lead group,” says Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the Socialist candidate for prime minister. What the measure will not do is plug Spain's current deficit hole, likely to be 6% this year. Moreover, 2020 is light-years away in political terms, and with 21% unemployment Spain's more urgent need is for growth. Though Mr Rajoy has scored a victory, the economy needs much more than his golden rule.
By Mark Monmonier. University of Chicago Press; 310 pages; $17 and £11 AS WELL as being one of the world's most handy conversational openers, the weather is ever more something that people enjoy watching on television and reading about in their newspapers. The Weather Channel, an American cable channel that shows nothing but weather analysis around the clock, attracts legions of “weather junkies” with insatiable appetites for pressure diagrams, temperature charts, satellite loops and Doppler radar scans; and no daily newspaper is complete without an elaborate and colourful weather map. Mark Monmonier, a geographer at Syracuse University, traces the history of visual representations of the atmosphere, from the first map of trade winds, which was sketched by Sir Edmond Halley in 1686, to modern television and newspaper graphics. Appropriately for someone who is best known for having discovered a comet, Halley used tiny comet-like marks to indicate wind direction, an idea that did not catch on. The first recognisably modern weather maps appeared in the early 19th century, when proto-meteorologists stitched together eyewitness accounts of large storms to construct maps after the event. But it was only with the growth of the electric telegraph network in the 1850s that readings could be collected from a wide area quickly enough to follow the weather as it changed. Forecasting was the obvious next step, but it required the development of new theories to explain the weather's behaviour, a process that, as Mr Monmonier explains, was not without controversy. Lewis Fry Richardson, an English meteorologist and mathematician, was ridiculed for his suggestion in 1922 that it might be possible to predict the weather using an army of thousands of mathematicians, sitting at desks in a vast arena and passing slips of paper to each other. Richardson was ultimately vindicated with the advent of the electronic computer, which speeded up calculations and made numerical modelling of the atmosphere possible. But it is the maps, rather than the history or theory of forecasting, that Mr Monmonier is primarily interested in. He ends his book with a blast of cartographical analysis, and suggests that weather maps have created the template for other representations of volatile geographic phenomena such as the incidence of crime and disease. He may well be right. But weather maps are a special case. As soon as the first daily maps appeared in the Times in 1875, some people, it seems, could not get enough of them. Never mind if the forecasts were wrong, or the maps showed only yesterday morning's weather. Mr Monmonier demonstrates that from that moment, the move towards today's elaborate round-the-clock weather coverage was inevitable.
Why cancelled, lol, loooks good #1ratavaqueraPosted 1/30/2008 7:49:52 PM This game looks sweet, but cancelled, : (, i hope they can make a new one, i wouldnt care if it was too old. #2Rash_WarriorPosted 2/7/2008 3:57:55 PM its not canceled Currently Playing: Resident Evil 4, Mega Man X (snes), Counter Strike, Kingdom Hearts II #3XWAKEXPosted 2/13/2008 9:41:08 PM yea it's actually on hold right now. They might go back to it in the future. Your words are as empty as your future- Mass Effect #4CwallaceyankeesPosted 2/14/2008 1:08:36 AM The point is that it is almost undoubtedly cancelled for the regualr Xbox. They could still bring a version of it to PC or 360 or something, but definately not Xbox. #5Red_JesterPosted 3/10/2008 2:24:42 PM That isn't all of their cancelled games. So yes, it's still entirely possible for Ghost to be cancelled. I'm right about everything every time. 60% of the time. #6OemeniaPosted 3/31/2008 2:58:42 PM Blizzard have realised they ultimately do not need the console market. The PC market is more than enough to keep them affloat. Also, who knows, we might see a Starcraft 2 port, especially with the recent explosion in console RTS and i can tell you that they all work perfectly XBL GT = Oemenia
Jolla's got a big problem, and the company knows it. The small Finnish startup has grand plans to upend the smartphone paradigm with its modular phone and unique gesture-based OS, but that foreign approach has left some users confused. The MeeGo-derived Sailfish OS relies entirely on swipe navigation -- there are no soft keys onscreen -- and the current tutorial does a poor job of explaining how it all works. "Many people have difficulties because we suck," said Senior Designer Jaakko Roppola here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "We're not very good at the first-time user experience." That candid admission may ring true for the startup now, but what Jolla is exceedingly good at is listening to and quickly addressing community feedback. That eagerness to please has not only led to recent improvements in battery life and connectivity for the nascent operating system, but also the integration of a user-created WiFi hotspot option. Jolla MWC 2014 See all photos 10 Photos Marc Dillon, Jolla's co-founder and an ex-Nokia engineer, paints the operating system's rough edges as a by-product of getting the first Sailfish device, a modular, two-part design that adds customization via swappable backplates, out to market within six months from announcement. He sees the launch commitment as paramount to the company's current success and traction with users. That tight turnaround and focus on the core OS experience is mainly why Sailfish's gesture tutorial left users confused. Although, Dillon's quick to point out that Jolla's not entirely to blame for the lack of clarity. "I did find that a lot of people didn't go through the tutorial for one reason or other," he said, adding that the company might just keep the tutorial persistently exposed to alleviate concerns. "[Jolla's] ultimate target is to make a device that is powerful enough for a power user, but simple enough that anyone can use it after they learn just a couple of tricks." So who is the typical Sailfish user? "They know who they are," Roppola told me with a big smile; a response that indirectly points to early adopters. Dillon corroborated this take, saying that "[Jolla's] ultimate target is to make a device that is powerful enough for a power user, but simple enough that anyone can use it after they learn just a couple of tricks. And [for] people that are becoming frustrated with their smartphone ruling their life." If that sounds like a neat marketing message, it is, but it's also not entirely off the mark. Though Dillon might want to rethink that latter bit, as Sailfish's deeply invested community is responsible for some clever software hacks and hardware innovations. That end-user experimentation has led to the creation of e-ink, wireless charging and physical keyboard covers for its Other Half smartphone, some of which are on prominent display at Jolla's MWC booth. It's one of the reasons why future incarnations of Jolla's Sailfish devices will retain that two-part modular design. As Roppola explained to me, the company wants to avoid the "culture of throwaway devices," which a shift to a unified design might encourage. He believes that the Other Half's unique design, which imparts new software functions via swappable backplates, leaves it open to repairs and augmentation not possible on the current crop of smartphones. Though Jolla is focusing its attention on the existing Other Half smartphone, Dillon assured me there is a device roadmap for Sailfish. New form factors are on the way, but much of the heavy lifting will be done through manufacturer partnerships. "The way that we as a company scale out to lower price points and higher price points is by partnerships," he explained, hinting that Sailfish could be scaled down to work on a smartwatch. Dillon even took some potshots at manufacturers caught up in Android's market dominance, saying that those companies have no choice but to compete either "with price or go with flash." Sailfish, then, offers big-name manufacturers an alternative: uniquely branded Sailfish devices that highlight their content on a dedicated home screen pane. Jolla's partnerships with Angry Birds maker Rovio, Finnish clothing company Makia and cloud storage company F-Secure -- all announced just this week -- are the first concrete examples of these planned partner tie-ins. Dillon wants to position Sailfish as a platform for app integration and cited Facebook and Twitter on iOS and Android as an example of this strategy. Rather than merely host apps, Dillon hopes Sailfish will offer developers a mobile platform that allows for a deeper platform integration, not just a redundant app port. "What I'm looking for now and what I believe the smartphone world is going to is a level of integration where ... [users] can actually have a seamless integration inside of the device so they can go beyond the application," Dillon said. It's an ambitious strategy that, unfortunately, isn't bolstered much by the three companies currently on board. Rovio's back cover prominently features an Angry Birds illustration, and imparts a themed wallpaper, as well as a content stream featuring user comments and photos. It's not really all that exciting. Makia's implementation is much the same and comes off as a direct-to-consumer promotional channel. There's certainly potential for manufacturers and developers to really take advantage of Dillon's app-integration proposition, but nothing's achieved that vision yet. To spread the Sailfish message beyond early adopters, Jolla has an Android launcher in the works. The idea behind this is to encourage users to make a switch by offering a custom Sailfish-like home screen on top of Android. And in the event that hook is enough to convert some users over to Jolla's side, the company's also planning to release the entire OS as a free, flashable download for Android devices. Understandably, that option -- currently set to release before Q3 -- will target more advanced users. And in the interest of avoiding bricked phones and tablets, Dillon said the company's restricting that rollout to select devices to ensure an optimized experience. Sailfish is still in its early days and despite talk of future form factors, flashable ROMs and partner tie-ins, Dillon claims its number one priority is the Other Half and "continuing to deliver software updates." To that end, Jolla's fourth software update for Sailfish should be hitting devices sometime in the first week of March, bringing with it several UI refinements and stability fixes. Dillon wasn't able to fully elaborate on just what exactly that entailed, but if the company's dedication to its vocal user base is any indication, it's likely the fulfillment of a long wish list. Breaking the smartphone mold isn't easy. Just ask Jolla
National recovery plan for the Black-eared Miner Manorina melanotis 2002 - 2006 Conservation of old-growth dependent mallee fauna Prepared by David Baker-Gabb for the Black-eared Miner Recovery Team, February 2001 (Revised February 2003) 3. Conservation Status The Black-eared Miner has been listed as Endangered (ANZECC 1991; Garnett 1992), and Critically Endangered (criteria C2a, D1) (Collar et al 1994; IUCN 1996). The species is classified as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (amended May 1991) and the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, and is listed as a threatened taxon under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. The discovery of large numbers of Black-eared Miners in the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve and recovery actions such as land purchase for reserves has led to the status of the bird being changed from Critically Endangered to Endangered (criteria B1+ 2bde, C2a, D) (Garnett and Crowley 2000). 4. Decline and Threats Most data on the species' decline come from Victoria. Black-eared Miners were once considered either common or locally common within their mallee habitat prior to 1940 (Wilson 1912; Howe and Tregellas 1914; Favaloro 1966; Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990). However, there have been few recent records. In Victoria, the decline of the Black-eared Miner has been in the number of colonies, the numbers of birds within colonies and the quality of birds (Considine 1986; Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990, 1994). This decline has continued despite the retention of a considerable area of apparently suitable habitat within conservation reserves (LCC 1989). Joseph (1986) summarised the decline of the Black-eared Miner in South Australia and considered the species very nearly, if not already, extinct. However, following sightings of hybrid miners in the extensive mallee habitat of the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve north-west of Renmark in the early 1990s, surveys were conducted in this region in 1996, which resulted in over 80 sightings of miners (McLaughlin 1996; Backhouse et al 1997), and over 200 colonies are now known from this area (Clarke and Clarke 1999b). Although containing many hybrids, over a third of colonies contain mainly phenotypically pure Black-eared Miners. In New South Wales the Black-eared Miner was less well-known, with only eight likely records up until 1985 (Franklin 1996). However, hybrid birds were observed in 1997 and 1999 in two areas of the Scotia Mallee region adjacent to the border with South Australia (Boulton and Clarke 2000a). Four major causes of decline of the Black-eared Miner have been postulated. Clearing and habitat fragmentation A major factor implicated in the decline of the Black-eared Miner is the loss and modification of suitable habitat (Favaloro 1966; Schodde 1981, 1990; Joseph 1986; Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990, 1992). In Victoria, Johnson (1989) and McLaughlin (1990, 1992) identified the most fertile dunefield soils as being important to Black-eared Miners. Historically, these soil types have been selectively cleared for agricultural use, primarily wheat production (LCC 1987; Blakers and MacMillan 1988), and conservation reserves in the Murray Mallee substantially under-represent the vegetation of fertile soils. Clearance and modification of vegetation has also favoured a range expansion of the Yellow-throated Miner which prefers open habitats (Schodde 1981, 1990; Joseph 1986; Starks 1987). Prior to widespread clearing in the Murray Mallee, the Yellow-throated Miner occurred infrequently in open woodlands (Chandler 1937; Ashby 1922; Joseph 1986; Emison et al 1987; Starks 1987). However, it is now abundant and commonly recorded occupying shelter belts and roadside vegetation adjacent to cleared farmland (Emison et al 1987; Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990, 1992). Immediately post-clearing, Black-eared Miners were known to occur in remnant patches of mallee scrub, such as shelter belts adjacent to roads and fences (McGilp and Parsons 1937; Rix 1937; McGilp 1943). They occupied these areas prior to expansion into this vegetation by Yellow-throated Miners. Observers who recorded Black-eared Miners in these habitats did not record Yellow-throated Miners (Starks 1987). Black-eared Miners were apparently rapidly eliminated from these remnants, due possibly to a combination of competition, introgressive hybridisation or reduced population viability (McLaughlin 1994). Clearing of habitat still remains a threat in some parts of the Black-eared Miner's range, though nowadays it has much less impact than in past decades. There are controls on the clearing of mallee on private land in Victoria, although some small-scale clearing still occurs. Further extensive loss of habitat through land clearing is also possible in New South Wales. In South Australia, while there are clearing controls for both public and private land under the Native Vegetation Act 1991, exemptions in the Act mean that clearing for mineral exploration and extraction, and public utilities such as power lines can still occur. In addition, joint proclamation of conservation reserves under both the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and the Mining Act 1972 makes it possible for mineral exploration and mining to proceed within conservation reserves. Therefore, much of the habitat of the Black-eared Miner in South Australia is potentially still under threat from clearing. Habitat degradation Total grazing pressure from domestic stock and feral and native herbivores is sufficiently high on most reserves and pastoral properties that it limits the regeneration of many mallee plants and encourages the growth of woody shrubs (Forward and Robinson 1996). Strategic closure of artificial water points is a key means of reducing total grazing pressure and enhancing biodiversity conservation (Landsberg et al 1997). Dams and their associated clearings and degradation attract Yellow-throated Miners and so they are a threat to Black-eared Miners which do not need permanent water (Clarke and Clarke 1999b). A program to decommission all artificial water points or make them unavailable to herbivores is under way in the core of the Black-eared Miner's range in the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve. Most dams in Victorian and New South Wales mallee reserves where Black-eared Miners occur have been decommissioned. An exception is the private reserve, Scotia Sanctuary, in western New South Wales which contains small numbers of Black-eared Miners and numerous artificial water points. One of the major causes of decline in this species is introgressive hybridisation or 'genetic swamping' by the conspecific Yellow-throated Miner (Schodde 1981; Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990). Black-eared and Yellow-throated Miners were clearly separable on phenotypic characters before extensive clearing occurred after 1950 (Clarke et al in press). Starks (1987) proposed that miners exhibiting intermediate plumages resulted from hybridisation between the two species, not because Yellow-throated Miners moved into uncleared areas, but because Yellow-throated Miners were able to colonise habitats newly created by land clearing, and come into contact with populations of Black-eared Miners then occupying remnant stands of mallee. Starks (1987) further proposed that hybrid birds created in these situations were physically and behaviourally intermediate, and as such were able to move into areas of uncleared mallee and become incorporated into colonies of phenotypically pure Black-eared Miners. McLaughlin (1992) demonstrated that habitat occupied by breeding Black-eared Miners is significantly structurally dissimilar from Yellow-throated Miner habitat, and that the two species are predominantly allopatric. However, colonies of distinctly intermediate-plumaged miners were found to occupy a range of habitat types that in structure overlapped both Black-eared and Yellow-throated Miner habitat. This suggests that although Yellow-throated Miners and Black-eared Miners would not normally come into contact (as would have been the case when Black-eared Miners were occupying remnant habitat), the flow of genetic material between the two species is maintained by the presence of hybrid miner colonies (these colonies would not have been present prior to extensive land clearing). In this situation, the hybrid birds in these colonies are able to act as a 'genetic bridge' (Sibly 1961). The range of the Yellow-throated Miner now encompasses the distribution of the Black-eared Miner. In most areas Yellow-throated Miners and hybrids are more numerous than Black-eared Miners, and the Black-eared Miner now represents an insular population. Under these conditions, uncontrolled genetic introgression will eventually result in the loss of the biological and genetic diversity contributed by the Black-eared Miner (eg Cade 1983). Hybridisation is occurring in all Black-eared Miner populations, but it has been particularly severe in small (eg 20,000 ha) reserves in Victoria such as Annuello and Bronzewing. Habitat fragmentation by extensive wildfires has probably promoted the more extensive hybridisation exhibited in Murray-Sunset National Park than is seen in the relatively intact populations in Bookmark Biosphere Reserve. Hybridisation has been extensive in the Scotia mallee in western New South Wales. Mallee habitats are some of the most flammable habitat types in the semi-arid zone, and rates of litter accumulation in these habitats may be sufficient to support large sustainable fires every 10-20 years (Noble 1984). Black-eared Miners prefer mallee vegetation that has not been burnt for at least 40 years (Starks 1987; McLaughlin 1990, 1992), and habitats of this age possessing suitable structural characteristics are now uncommon throughout the historical distribution of the Black-eared Miner (eg LCC 1987), except in the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve. In New South Wales, occasional large-scale intentional burning of leasehold land has occurred, ostensibly to increase productivity for pastoral activities (Hodgkinson et al 1984; Noble 1984; Choate 1989; MacLeod 1990; Muir 1992). Although conservation and other reserves that recently supported or still support Black-eared Miner and hybrid populations are large (several hundred thousand hectares), the potential scale of wildfire in mallee habitats suggests that even the largest reserves may be consumed by fire (Benshemesh 1990,1999, Clarke and Clarke 1999b). Single wildfires have burnt many hundreds of thousands of hectares of Murray Mallee vegetation in most decades (LCC 1987; Noble et al 1980; Noble 1984; Blakers and MacMillan 1988), and large wildfires remain one of the most serious threats to the Black-eared Miner (McLaughlin 1990, 1992). Habitat fragmentation from both large wildfires and extensive clearing accelerates the decline of small, isolated colonies of Black-eared Miners by impeding the dispersal of young independent females from colonies. Even in the relatively intact Bookmark Biosphere Reserve where female nestlings outnumber males, adults in colonies are male-biased as a consequence of more dispersing females being lost from the population. The loss of just a single breeding female resulting in the disintegration of small, isolated colonies has been recorded in Victoria (Boulton and Clarke 2000b). Fire management planning to address the threat from large wildfires is more advanced for sites with Black-eared Miners in Victoria and New South Wales than it is for the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve in South Australia. The lack of a regional fire management plan for Bookmark, and a full complement of appropriate on-ground works, is one of the gravest threats now confronting the Black-eared Miner.
February 19, 2013, 11:26 am Content Cover Image Mexican (or Brazilian) Free-Tailed Bats, Tadarida brasiliensis, emerging from Carlsbad Caverns, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. (Source: Nick Hristov) The term endotherm refers to animals (birds, mammals, some fishes and insects, and even some plants) that are capable of generating sufficient amounts of heat energy to maintain a high core temperature (e.g. 37-40 °C in birds and mammals) by metabolic means – usually derived from aerobic activity of locomotor muscles in animals and by unique biochemical mechanisms in plants (e.g., skunk cabbage). Endotherms differ from an ectotherm because they typically have core temperatures above that of the surrounding environment, whereas the core temperatures of ectotherms depend on external sources of heat – primarily from solar radiation. caption Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis). (Photo: J.S. Altenbach) Endothermic animals, birds, and mammals that regulate their core body temperature at a relatively constant level are referred to as homeotherms (Greek homeo = similar). To maintain a constant body temperature, a homeotherm must balance heat loss with heat production. Heat loss is minimized in most mammals by having a thick coat of fur or thick layer of subcutaneous (beneath the skin) fat, whereas heat loss is promoted by sweating, panting, or by seeking shelter in cooler environments. Endotherms are sometimes referred to as "warm-blooded," but this term is inaccurate and misleading, as is the term "cold-blooded" for ectotherms. For example, the body temperature of a small tropical fish in warm water or desert lizard on hot sand (both of which are considered ectotherms) may have body temperatures higher than birds or mammals in the same environment-largely because of the insulation provided by feathers and fur and associated behavioral and physiological heat-dissipating mechanisms that prevent their body temperatures from increasing above critical temperatures. Many ectotherms are able to regulate their body temperature behaviorally, by moving into and out of sunlight. Most endotherms are homeotherms, but by definition, some large reptiles (crocodiles and some of their extinct relatives-dinosaurs), as well as some large fish (tuna) and night-flying moths, are considered endotherms, because of the metabolic activity of skeletal muscles that generate large amounts of heat. However, because these endotherms lack a layer of insulation and do not have a thermostat that regulates either heat production or heat dissipation, they are considered poikilotherms (Greek poikolos = changeable). Some mammals and birds that at times have high and well-regulated body temperatures, but at other times they are more like ectotherms and are referred to as heterotherms (Greek hetero = different). Heterothermy is characteristic of small hibernating rodents and bats. Further Reading Kunz, T. (2013). Endotherm. Retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152422 To add a comment, please Log In.
It's the first Legend of Grimrock 2 screenshot It's outside. Developer Almost Human has released the first screenshot of Legend of Grimrock 2. The big news is stuff is happening outside. Grimrock 1 was set in a mountain. It's also taken from a slight diagonal angle, which is weird because one of Grimrock's big things was that you turned in right angles. This could just be a camera catching that perspective while swivelling between quadrants, of course, and a regular tiled grid seems to be evident on the floor, but by god I'm going to read too much into this whether you want me to or not. It's also very pretty. Grimrock 1 wasn't ugly, but it was a functional beast. A blog post from a few days ago sheds a little more light on what Legend of Grimrock 2 won't be - it won't be a roguelike or a geographically expansive adventure. Both ideas were explored but ultimately chucked away because they didn't fit what Grimrock was about. Legend of Grimrock 2 was originally DLC for Grimrock 1, until Almost Human decided to flesh it out into a new game. Unfortunately there's no release date yet. Legend of Grimrock 1 arrived in spring 2012 like a breath of fresh RPG air. "Middle-aged role-players should need no encouragement to plunge into Grimrock's depths," wrote our Dan Whitehead, "but for new players discovering the genre through sprawling epics like Skyrim, its robust reliance on the strength of squares will make it a refreshing experience." Comments (21)
Tuna Seafood Enchiladas By Montana Heart Song on March 26, 2008 25 Characters Max Enter Time: You can create up to five timers 1. 226.79 g cream cheese 2. 1 (113.39 g) can mild diced green chilies 3. 4.92 ml cumin 4. 1 (396.89 g) can chunk style albacore tuna, drained 5. 1 (304.75 g) can campbell's Campbell southwest-style pepper jack soup 6. 3 tomatillos, skinned finely chopped (optional) 7. 1 (793.78 g) can la victoria mild green enchilada sauce 8. 10-12 medium size corn tortillas 9. Pam cooking spray 1. 236.59 ml shredded monterey jack cheese (optional) 2. 2 sliced Avocados 3. 14.79 ml lemon juice 1. In mixing bowl, add cream cheese, mild diced green chilies (the whole can), cumin. Mix well until smooth. Add the tuna, if large chunks, take a fork and split. Mix lightly. Add the soup and tomatillos and mix. 2. In large diameter sauce pan warm the enchilada Sauce. 3. Spray Pam on 9 X 13 pan. 4. Preheat over 375*. 5. Dip each tortilla in the sauce quickly, drain over saucepan and fill with a spoon of tuna mixture.on the lower portion. Roll up, and put in pan, seam side down. 6. If you are going to cook immediately pour the enchilada sauce over the top. 7. Cover and bake 20 minutes. 8. Last five minutes of baking, sprinkle shredded cheese down the middle if desired. 9. Garnish with sliced avocados dipped in lemon juice for each individual serving. 10. Note: If making ahead and refrigerating, do not pour the enchilada sauce over the dish until it is ready to go in the oven.
Is it time to buy coffee? The current level for commercial interest is one of the most bullish net commercial positions in history only seen two times since 1986: Nov. 28, 2003 and Dec. 12, 2008. Both set off massive bull market moves. Commercials have loaded up on coffee and the latest surge has taken them to historic bullish high ground. This has only been seen two other times before in 2003 and 2008. Both times preceded fantastic multi-year bull market moves. If history is a guide, all-time highs could be achieved over the next few years. Despite all the bearish factors that have been the basis for the bear market in coffee prices over the last year that included Europe falling into the abyss (reduced coffee demand), large demand switch from Arabica to Robusta, a crashing Brazilian real, slowing coffee demand in Brazil, record Robusta production in Vietnam and record Brazilian crop, the commercial interests are long and see great long term value. As always, in order to make money in a commodity you have to see the bullish fundamental picture coming before everyone else does and before such bullish underpinnings begin to get priced in the market with higher prices. It is very hard to buy when everything seems bearish but that is the nature of the beast. If it was easy everyone would be trading commodities. All my homework indicates that a new bull market is about to begin. The same contrarian streak that allowed me to buy the last bull market in coffee despite widespread bearishness in 2010 is at work here and now. The prudent play is to go long December 2012 coffee and place an option collar around it to reduce downside risk. With uncertainty around U.S. elections, global central bank money printing or lack thereof, possible Chinese fiscal stimulus or lack thereof, possible war with Iran, possible Europe implosion, banking system crisis and possible worsening global recession, the macro picture offers huge risks to any long position. Of course these risk factors have been in place for many years and will remain in place for years to come. With a contract as large as coffee and with the higher volatility typically seen in coffee one should remain focused on risk control. An option collar is a perfect vehicle to do this. Here is the trade: Buy 1 Dec. ‘12 coffee futures at $1.6310 closing Friday price, buy 1 Dec. ‘12 150 put at 3.03 closing price, sell 1 Dec. ‘12 180 coffee call at 3.10 closing price. What this does is essentially give you a $1.50 floor under your straight long position at no cost as the buy and sell for the options are essentially the same premium. Should the coffee market collapse because of a macro event then the puts will appreciate dramatically minimizing your loss to at most the difference between the executed futures price and the put strike. One would then have the flexibility to take the put option off at a large profit and ride the coffee futures market back up. If the coffee market takes off as the bullish fundamentals take hold in a money printing environment, then profit can be made up to the short call strike. Once prices move over $1.80 the profit potential is capped. Of course the flexibility exists that if one felt the bull market in coffee was getting underway you could take the short call off and let the futures run higher to capture further gains. What is great here is that a substantial profit would already be in place that would dramatically reduce the risk of being naked long as one can apply a trailing stop strategy to manage risk. One could also apply a different collar at a higher strike price level to bracket it once again. The whole point of using an option collar strategy is that it allows for a calculated loss that is quantified and allows for flexibility. About the Author Shawn Hackett Shawn Hackett Shawn Hackett, commodity broker and author of the Hackett Money Flow Report newsletter (, is a nationally recognized agricultural commodity expert with more than 18 years of money management experience. comments powered by Disqus
Start your profile Close window The Bones Royal • 2,246 • 143 Everyone’s tags More tags The Bones Royal Natives of the Lower East Side of New York City, The Bones Royal are an earthy, soulful and passionate stripped-down three piece. Foley Stewart writes songs in his east village bedroom and brings them down to the dark and dirty basement of cake shop, a local club the band uses as a rehearsal space during the day. Bassist Shane Bastien and Drummer Terry Moore makeup the heavily jazz, blues, and country influenced rhythym section. The last pieces are the three-part harmonies, which the band work on meticulously. After playing all around manhattan and brooklyn, they decided to go the DIY route and record an album by themselves in an apartment on Stanton Street. This album found its’ way to Rich Kleiman, head of Allido Records and all-around player, who handed the music off to Mark Ronson. The two enthusiastically invited the Bones to use Mark Ronson’s studio to develop their sound. This resulted in their current 3 song EP. Top Albums Listening Trend 143listeners all time 2,246scrobbles all time Recent listeners trend: Create a profile
Aaaaaand that's 5 level 90s. #21EDarienPosted 3/21/2013 9:07:03 AM Hak posted... Just a heads up for you... after Cataclysm, 58-60 is actually faster in Blasted Lands than it is in Hellfire Peninsula, and then you can skip straight to Zangarmarsh, and Howling Fjord is faster than Borean Tundra due to the quest hubs there having quests that are all completed in smaller area clumps than in Borean. A level 78 would get roasted in Hyjal. Stat inflation being what it is, even a fresh level 80 can have a hard time completing the first few quests in Hyjal until they get a few quest reward items. A level 78 would get roasted, particulary with the slightly larger aggro area, and quests like having to kill the ogre and slavemaster, then loot the bags before the next group arrives. Yeah, I'd heard that about Blasted Lands, but by the time I'm done with the demon hunter quest, I'm usually 58. I tried going over to that Worgen area once, it was ok, but I never really tested it for speed. I'm sure if I learned the quests and all, it'd go quicker like you're saying, but I never took the time to do it. I'll try it next time I'm at that range, though. As for stat inflation, I believe you, except for all the Cata greens that require 78. I don't much bother with them myself because it doesn't let you in and quest that early, but if it did, then a single higher leveled main can get a few of those to help boost up the fresh 78. I have a hard time with some of those beginning quests myself, because I don't utilize the Cata greens. But those would actually make it possible. Oh! Borean vs Fjord. Is it? Does it matter for faction? I've always just gone BT because of the blue weapon at the end. Plus I like the lore there. I did some of Fjord my first time in, but then I found out about the blue in BT and never did Fjord again. I'll have to try that out too, then, since the blue weapon doesn't matter as much these days as it did back in Wrath. #22I think I am a phonePosted 3/21/2013 9:29:14 AM Paranoia keeps things interesting. #23B1g_ClownPosted 3/21/2013 11:43:55 AM >plays a girl blood elf >is a guy irl >has a horrible monitor >ugly/dumb ui #24BonzoForLyfePosted 3/22/2013 12:04:41 AM Your gameboy color looks better than mine :/ Dispatch, Steve Nash, Fight Club.....'Nuff said #25Genocet_10-325(Topic Creator)Posted 3/22/2013 11:48:59 AM BonzoForLyfe posted... Your gameboy color looks better than mine :/ Half the people in this topic don't know how to click 'view raw image'. Formerly known as The_Great_Geno. MapleStory IGN: Leaphetamine, Scania
[Haskell-cafe] ";" in do Albert Y. C. Lai trebla at vex.net Thu Dec 30 17:47:58 CET 2010 On 10-12-29 11:40 PM, Daryoush Mehrtash wrote: > Why do people put ";" in do {}, or "," in data fields, at the > beginning of the line? There was a time I did this to help the auto-indenter. More information about the Haskell-Cafe mailing list
No recent wiki edits to this page. Reed Richards is one of the smartest humans on the planet, possessing knowledge of everything from mechanical engineering to alien biology. After leading Sue, Johnny and Ben into a date with cosmic radiation during a flight into space, he also gained the power of elasticity and the ability to stretch and twist his body into any size or shape. He and his fellow shipmates decided to form the Fantastic Four with their newfound powers, taking on extraterrestrial villains from the Skrull Empire to the Sub-Mariner. In several videogames, Reed Richards usually takes on his "Mr. Fantastic" alter-ego, the superhero who leads the Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four games Mr. Fantastic was a playable character in video games featuring the Fantastic Four group. Marvel Ultimate Alliance In both games, Mr. Fantastic is a playable character, using his powers to hit enemies faster and farther away than other melee-based heroes. In the second game, echoing Marvel's Civil War story-arc, Mr. Fantastic is locked into the pro-Registration side, meaning he will be an ally or an enemy depending on your choice after Act 2 of the game. As the Fantastic Four are friends of Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic has appeared in some Spider-Man games like Web of Shadows and the Spider-Man game based off the 90's animated series, but only in cameo roles. This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for: Comment and Save
Using a Charizard in battle is usually life or death? #21evillockePosted 5/23/2013 8:14:58 AM Chaos_Missile posted... Hierarchy225 posted... Something that I've always thought about in the back of my mind. When a pokemon loses a battle they usually fall unconscious or "faint". But then I think about Charizard and its tail. If the fire on its tail is extinguished it dies. Period. What happens if a charizard fights in the rain or any pokemon with a water move gets a lucky hit and splashes on the tail? Isn't that a OHK rather than a OHKO? How do you faint when you're facing with:- a) an fissure that you fall into before the crevice closes up b) absolute zero temp with little chance of thawing(speaking of which, does Sheer Cold work on Ice types? How?) c) Getting drilled in the chest d) Self-Explanatory: Where is that pic... #22EnferolunosPosted 5/23/2013 8:17:47 AM ITT: People take pokedex entries seriously Skarmory would slap the hell outta you
...what is the best Legendary #1Grimmjow222Posted 11/30/2012 8:54:40 PM Be proud, that after receiving my blade you still retain the shape of a human. Kuchiki byakuya PSN: mascarade2 #2down585Posted 11/30/2012 9:08:15 PM It depends on your playstyle, for me it's different for every character I use. Salvador - duel infinities Maya - two Fer Maggie Gaige - striker PSN down585 #3aenimisPosted 11/30/2012 9:29:23 PM I am all about the tumtum skullmasher. With maya 2.4mil criticals is all I ever wanted from a sniper rifle. Vie Victis! #4jorgeammoPosted 11/30/2012 10:11:53 PM The Sticky Homing Bonus Package - Now obsolete because of the Sticky Homing Meteor Shower. I love lobbing grenades and picking off the sraps with a Jacobs. #5russellbaldwinPosted 11/30/2012 10:14:59 PM Dual penetrating Unkempt Harold always pops into my head when anyone asks for a "best of" They're just pure destruction, in a little pistol. PSN = russellbald #6liinnPosted 11/30/2012 10:28:18 PM Fun factor wins over anything for me. I would pick Deliverance as the best orange. #7o0_GunBullet_0oPosted 11/30/2012 10:38:28 PM +1 to Deliverance #8AnthonyBrock2Posted 11/30/2012 10:42:05 PM Bouncing Bunnies always make me rofl. #9TallulahSoiePosted 11/30/2012 11:30:24 PM AnthonyBrock2 posted... Bouncing Bunnies always make me rofl. Bouncing Bunnies always make me rofl until they turn around and blow up in my face. Anyway, my vote goes to Hellfire. I like SMGs. Even though I stopped using it because it was a bad version of it. M good touch was better and I'm too lazy to farm anymore. I actually don't usually rock legendary weapons. Usually purples (moxxi's guns etc). Borderlands 2 is turning out to be Borderlands MMO pre-alpha. I didn't pay $90 to be a beta tester. #10DrachenBarenPosted 11/30/2012 11:36:37 PM Plenty of legendaries are debatably the best, but I'd have to give my vote to the Infinity. Never reloads, effective for every character minus Anarchy Gaige, permanently capped magazine gives it a lot of various bonuses on characters. The recoil may seem like a curse at first, but it actually makes landing lots of crits during spray and pray easier, and on larger targets it's a complete non-issue. It even has a relic that almost feels specifically designed for it (Sheriff's Badge). Again, plenty of guns that are still holy carp awesome, but if I had to pick a single best... yeah. Formerly DXW131415. Updated Username with merger.
Sticker Star is now the best selling PM game in Japan, in only two months. #21AkaneJonesPosted 2/6/2013 4:28:42 PM Please compare Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time & Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story before making any judgment on it's sales. #22RazieruPosted 2/6/2013 4:40:03 PM What doesn't easily give them a gasm? A simple card trick will even have them in awe. I am the thing that keeps you up at night, the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind. #23pikachupwnagePosted 2/6/2013 5:04:28 PM Marsford posted... This shows it's a game people like, but that doesn't negate that most fans who like the series for its RPG aspects were disappointed. This man speaks wise words. #24Delirious_BeardPosted 2/6/2013 5:12:40 PM Why did the original and especially TTYD sell so few? You suck, Japan. #25CcroybbPosted 2/6/2013 5:18:28 PM Handheld games sell way better than console games in Japan, you need to look no further than Monster Hunter for proof. If Sticker Star had been on Wii/Wii U it wouldn't have sold as well. #26EndgamePosted 2/6/2013 7:30:02 PM it's no secret that the japanese have **ing terrible taste see: One Piece and Dragon Quest, the that always sells #27Dark_ZenoPosted 2/6/2013 7:32:53 PM Endgame posted... it's no secret that I have ing terrible taste see: Fire Emblem and Dragon Quest, amazing games that I always b** about selling well "but if you're the kind of person who thinks that anything with primary colors is for kids than nothing will change your mind." - Arucard05 #28HejiruPosted 2/7/2013 5:05:40 AM Rurouni720 posted... Hejiru posted... twistedreality1 posted... Hejiru posted... Sales =/= quality. Lot of good games on that list Lotta bad/mediocre ones too, which was my point. Doesn't mean most poor selling games get a free pass at quality, especially when the opposite can be the exception. And again, that's not the point. I was pointing out Sticker Star being a well-selling game does automatically make it good. I never said poor-selling games are automatically good. That's changing the subject. One does not imply the other. #29masa8munePosted 2/7/2013 5:27:46 AM TC dit you not make another topic defending PM:SS ?? i don't hate the game i never played it because everyone said it's decent. Currently playing: Re:R, Mario kart 7, Tales of symphonia, Naruto clash of the ninja revulution 1/2 #30LonelyGoombaPosted 2/7/2013 7:37:16 AM appealing to the biggest audiences will always lower the quality of the product Please check out my YT channel, even if you hate it, thats fine.
Review by rubsnick "Even more Giant Monsters!" What could I say about Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (from here on will be abbreviated as MHFU)? It is a game that could destroy lives and suck the very life out of a person playing it, or in most cases said person's sanity! But alas I kid, I kid; In all honesty this game is about killing giant enemy crabs over and over again! Oh c'mon I couldn't help the pun! But yeah giant enemy crabs are just one of the many species of monsters in MHFU. In case you were wondering this is a giant expansion upon what was MHF2. MHF2 and MHFU are essentially the same game when it comes down to the gameplay and graphics but that's not why they made this game… See long ago there was a game called Monster Hunter it sold awesomely in japan but like crap in the US, so Japan got a sequel with a whole lot of new monsters and weapons and monsters. Alright that's nice and all but what does this have to do with this game? Well MHF2 was basically a port of MH2 but for the PSP, but to fit on the PSP Capcom cut out a lot of content. So what the US got was 2/3 of MH2…. Until now! MHFU is MH2 and MH1 combined. It has all the classic monsters and many new ones and new subspecies of older monsters, It also tossed in a couple of monsters from the MMORPG Monster Hunter. The graphics are unchanged since MHF2 but they are still freaking awesome, they are some of the best graphics available on the PSP they are just utterly amazing, from the beautiful skies to the beautiful fire breathe of doom that the Gravios expels to the texture of a wall and the land everything is just so well done. The animations are great they are no framerate hiccups and everything is just perfect with the sole exception that you can walk trough monsters and if they are big enough you can see their hollow insides…which kind of ruins all the “realism” the game has going for it. Story? XD That's funny this game has no story. You where a hunter who was going to visit the village and replace the retired one on your way there you get your ass handed to you by some big giant T-Rex wyvern thing (Tigrex) which you will proceed to own later on in the game. Other than that no plot what's so ever, unless you count the little descriptions of the quest that they put just so you can know why you are taking said quest. Story sucks but then again this game isn't about story. Sound: 10/10 BUY HEADPHONES! The sound is effing amazing from the headphones. The screams of the monsters rock you can hear them every time you hit with a elemental status you hear what it's supposed to be. If it's electricity you hear electrical surges, if its fire you hear explosions, if it's Ice you hear ice crystals breaking. Even the soundtrack is awesome, if it's all nice and calm then there is no music but when your in the middle of a heated battle the music is pretty epic and fits the mood/setting. All in all the sound is just simply amazing. Game play: 9/10 This is the bread and butter of the game! They are several different weapons in the game: Hammer, War Horn, Sword and Shield, Dual Swords, Long Sword, Great Sword, Bow Gun, Bow, Lance, and Gun Lance. Each weapon has its weakness and strength. For example the Great Sword is slow and clunky but it makes up for it with its sheer attack strength and ability to charge one attack while the Sword and Shield provide defense and quick attacks. The game is just amazing and the battle system is really deed you could literally be hours just practicing on your weapons and creating new weapons. This game has several types of quest that you will be doing: Gathering- you go around looking for the item that they sent you to look for and deliver it back to the base Hunt- you either kill of Capture the monster(s) they tell you to. Slay- Kill what they tell you to kill Epic Hunting Quest- This is a new quest added just for MHFU. Instead of carving parts off of the monsters you carve off Potions and supply, you also have to kill 2 or more main monsters. Those are the main types of quest in this game you go around doing that and making better weapons and armor to kill the next thing monster, rinse and repeat and your hours will go by in a flash. Now for your character, You have a Health Bar and a Stamina Bar, You eat Rations or Steaks to raise the stamina an Potions for the Heath. You're Stamina goes down after you do several activities for an extended period of time like slashing or running. The controls for your character are rather clunky but what do you expect from a guy wearing armor? You will spend most of your time repeating quest and trying to learn how to kill the monster. Each monster has pattern study these patterns and you will find opening. Each opening varies depending on the weapon. For example if you use a Sword and Shield you could go for a opening that a greatsword couldn't. With a slower weapon you have to make each slash count and make sure that what you are doing is worth the risk, many monsters are actually easier with certain weapons and you should not stick to one weapon if not expand and learn to play with multiple that will make the game really fun. Multi-player: 10/10 The multi player for this game is amazing, It's the game but Multi-player, you have the same missions as the main game but you can take them on with your friend and team up (or you can do it solo) and do everything just as the main game . While you can do these mission alone it's more fun and slightly easier and everything you do with Multiplayer counts towards your Single Player. The multiplayer in this game is actually much better then the last one, now you have something called Adhoc Party via the PS3 so you can actually play online with anyone. It's simple to set it up and works on any PSP. You could also use a PC with some specific hardware (pretty cheap no more then $20) Added Content to Unite- 8/10 Capcom managed to add a ton of stuff to this game. All of the maps of MHF1 and MHF2 are in this one version, all of the monsters and some new ones. The feline comrade also helps hunters who solo, (These are little cats that you train and help you do stuff think of it as a Artificial Multiplayer) If you're thinking “But I already have MHF2 why would I get this one?” Well you have about 200 Hours of additional content, you can install part of the game into your memory stick making the game load almost instantly and you can import your MHF2 save without losing anything whatsoever, all in all it's a no lose situation. Replay Value: 10/10 Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will last you well over 100 hours. You are constantly doing the same missions to get better armor and weapons so you can beat the next monster. Most of the quest last around 20 minutes minimum on your first try and that will rack you a lot of time also. The game's multi-player is also very good and worth all that time and effort to just go out with you friends and kill a giant dragon then dancing on its corpse. With very long missions and the need to do them more then once and the multi-player of the game this is a game that will last you well over 100 hours. Buy or Rent: Buy You will not get the most out of this game in one Rent so you should buy. Final Score- 9.8 I cannot give a game a 10/10 just because there is no perfect game but this comes close to it, the lack of story really ruins it for me if it had a good story then it probably would be a 10, but if I round it off it will be a 10 out of 10! Go get this game! Reviewer's Score: 10/10 \| Originally Posted: 08/12/09 Got Your Own Opinion?
A Fantastic Experience, A Few minor Missteps - User Reviews - www.GameInformer.com Switch Lights The lights are on A Fantastic Experience, A Few minor Missteps There is a purpose to every game, an intention that every developer pursues. Some are just quick cash-ins, and others are highly polished and thought out pieces of art. The Witcher 2 is definitely in the latter category. First, on the difficulty. The game is very difficult for most gamers today. Even the "weakest" enemies can overwhelm and kill you, but this is not a mistake of "unbalanced AI" it is completely intentional. The level of difficulty makes every decision you make even more important, but more on that later. Combat requires a defensive mindset, patience, and strategy. Don't let this deter you, it becomes much easier after the first third of the game. This is one of the best RPG's I've played from a choice perspective. Every choice you make can lead to difficult combat or a peaceful resolution. Leveling choices are diverse and set up for diverse gameplay styles. The story is fantastic from start to finish, and I cannot wait to play a sequel. There was some poor decision making on CD projecktred's part in the crafting/alchemy parts of the game. Inventory management is terrible and what plants and monster parts correspond to what alchemy ingredients is pretty hit or miss, or requires use of computer guides. The mapping system also leads you in the wrong direction frequently. But overall this is one of the best RPG's I've ever played, blowing anything else out of the water. No one has commented on this article.
Det1's forum posts #1 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - I just hope it's genuinely irrational polishing the game up rather than say, 2k finding the material covered in it too controversial and forcing them to tone it down. #2 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - #3 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - @Hellstrom said: @mostman said: @Hellstrom said: As i said in the chat. I don't understand people saying "I wonder what Apple will do now". They will do what they've always done. Apple is not some incredibly innovative corporation. What they've mastered is marketing techniques. Google, & Microsoft in this decade alone have been a lot more innovative and moved industries forward. Far more than Apple, with all that said, RIP. Though i'm atheist so.....yeah. I always hesitate to reply to these comments, but here I feel I must. You couldn't be more wrong. I realize its fashionable for people to buy into the claim that all Apple does is market retreaded technology - but that opinion is utter bullshit. Apple has moved the needle forward on technology more that Google ever will and possibly even Microsoft. You are confusing the words "innovation" and "creation". See, they are different. Was the iPod the first digital music player? No. Was it even the _best_ on all accounts? No. Did it sell the best? Yes. Did marketing alone cause this? No. A simple, approachable, easy to use product was the cause. Not faster. Not bigger. Not shinier. Just easier to use. If Apple hadn't managed to sell the shit out of the iPod, where would we be today in regard to music online? Do you still buy CDs? Do you miss CDs? No? Thank Apple. That's innovation. Moving the needle. You live in a world made better by Apple, and by extension, Jobs. I could list many examples where this is true. Hate on them and their fanboys all you want, but make sure you take a look around before you sell them short. You are thinking small. "What have they made faster, what have they made bigger, what have they made shinier", (well, ok, I'll give you that last one :) - You need to think larger than that. Are you kidding? Please name this technology they moved forward. Please don't let it involve MAC or Ipod. Even their MAC operating system has changed & innovated little since Unix. Their Ipod software was not even developed in house. They are a company who overcharge on products that do much less than their contemporaries. Its something the Apple fanboys can never accept. Marketing is EXACTLY the reason Ipod sold so much, nothing else, not innovation. Not even close, Apple simply found a great way to make lesser technology "for dummies", overcharge for it and sell it to the masses. Both Microsoft & Google have done much more innovation in this decade alone. Like it or not, people do need usability in their software. Is apple a deplorable company that overcharge for foxconn (read: mass produced at the cheapest cost with no regard to quality) hardware, perhaps going as far as to designing them to break within a certain amount of time to force more sales when it comes to certain products? Yes. Do they market the hell out of their products to be contrary to what the products are actually made of (see: above) through pretty wrappings? Very much so. Is this deceitful and worthy of scorn? Definitely. Does this make people need usability any less? No. At the end of the day, products do need to be used by people. Usability and looks(software) are fair game. As much as I hate apple (and steve jobs' role in creating/transforming a company into, well, apple), credit due where it's due. Usability and visual is important, and they brought it into perspective. Whether apple overcharges for their closed off market is another issue. Besides, for all the bad things that apple does (and there's a lot of them), jobs himself actually believed in his products and talked to tech press (even the ones critical of him) despite his success. I can respect that. The rest of the things he did after his return to apple, not as much. #4 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - This has got to be one of the most boring games I have ever had the displeasure of touching. #5 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - >flamethrower made out of wood Am I the only one who's a bit startled by this strike of retardation? #6 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - slow day in the news? I guess this IS an interesting way to approach reward/punishment in games though. #7 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - So what went on behind the scenes? they changed stuff, right? #8 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - This sounds like one of those talks from one of those higher-ups who don't get the details on things or is just trying to make things sound good. The truth is that while it's easy to just say "we're gonna hire a bunch of guys and make them innovate", simply forcing them to focus on one franchise limits the amount of space and direction they can wriggle in. Take the GTA series - another franchise with ridiculous staying power that made COD level profits. After GTA 3, they had to make everything bigger, crazier and better - vice city. After that, SA. After that, they got flaked HARD for GTA4 precisely because it didn't feel like GTA. COD is pretty much stuck in the same spot - it's precisely because people have an expectation that innovation would be difficult, and there's only a similar array of directions for the franchise to head toward while other franchises that put more time inbetween releases (team fortress)/is straight up fresh(portal) can innovate and create gameplay that is unrestricted by previous interpretations of their genre. Think about it. The multiplayer in BLOP mainly extended itself over MW2 mainly by its inclusion of new modes, new weapons/killstreaks/killstreak handling/weapons/maps/etc. None of these are revolutionary in the sense that they don't change the feel of the game - you don't feel the difference you felt moving from halo to COD or TFC to TF2 or even COD2 to COD4. And if a next-big-thing comes along, all the staying power is just gonna vanish (see: how UT3 died). They're gonna have to change their game eventually, and it'll ruin their staying power. Then again, maybe COD players really are just that dedicated. who knows? #9 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - I spam USA over and over again after I win/lose a match. Like this. Well, at least before bad company 2 had those damn spam filters put in place. Asshats. #10 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) - This sounds eerily similar to the GBA->DS transition. Well, I hope we get an yggdra union (or hopefully something better) out of it.
Review: Endless Space by on The turn-based strategy genre has long counted sci-fi galactic settings among its repertoire. The Masters of Orion series and the Galactic Civilizations series are both excellent (not to mention the masterful Alpha Centauri), and for faster-paced real-time play Sins of a Solar Empire has in recent years been at the top of the heap. So what does Endless Space bring to the table? Primarily this: since Galactic Civilizations, there has yet to be a killer turn-based space faring game. Second, Endless Space innovates in the genre in interesting ways by combining gameplay aspects successful elsewhere but as of yet not introduced into this specific medium. Third, no other contemporary 4X strategy game in space feels as authentically sci-fi compared to this. Endlessly interesting technologies, beautifully rendered planets with diverse bonus phenomena, a synth-heavy score; rather than add a coat of paint, the science fiction universe laid out in Endless Space is aesthetically superb and imbedded into just about every aspect of play. Endless Space is a sci-fi geek's wet dream - which is not to say is without its blemishes, far from it. Despite the incredibly useful and clear UI (User Interface: menus, etc) some important parts of play feel surprisingly under-communicated. For instance, there are a variety of different ways to win (most all of them traditional), but you'll have no idea what goes into it or what these ways are; only a percentage on that victory's likelihood - a tab for victory conditions would be quite useful. Also, there's no encyclopedia, which would've been especially helpful in a game world which is almost entirely fictional yet incredibly deep and complex. See a wormhole you want to pass through? You need the right tech, but sadly that involves visually looking at each of the over-100 individually to find it, hoping you might recognize it. Finally, even on the easy settings, the early hours of play including perhaps the first few entire games, will feel as confusing as exhilerating precisely because of the complexity and lack of hand-holding. If you can't do experimentation and trial and error, Endless Space is not for you. However, for those bold enough to brave the outer reaches, and are intrigued by the freedom the game offers, Endless Space is just what you've been waiting for. It's rare to laud a game initially based on UI, but in this case Endless Space deserves special recognition. This game was built for your computer; that means that mouse right and left clicking and hovering are the prime modes of interaction with the screen, and moving through charts, planets, maps, etc is slick and intuitive. Hitting the Esc key or Enter is never a requirement, and the controls are so intuitive that you'll wonder why just about every other PC strategy game doesn't flow as well - it just works, an astounding accomplishment in its own right. Zooming around the galactic map is therefore surprisingly enjoyable rather than a chore, with information boxes popping up under solar systems as you near them, expanding as you approach to reveal even more. Upon clicking on a star, you move to the Solar System map which is a better and more appealing version of what you'd see in Galactic Civ or MoO3. Even better, you can zoom to any planet and get your sci-fi senses buzzing with planet-art that makes Mass Effect planets look like stone-age 8-bit bowling balls. A wide variety of planet types can be found, each with the possibility of positive or negative bonuses (not unlike the effects of 'moral dilemnas' in Galactic Civ) and resource bonuses, which are revealed given proper research. Each of the currently eight playable races has an intriguing mixture of strengths and weaknesses (each of which can be adjusted) and moral alignments appear as well, though the depth of them does seem illusory. Diplomacy and trading options require research, but feel responsive, balanced, and intelligent once explored. Moving an armada to your border planet alongside a neutral empire will cause suspicion immediately, trades for techs and resources is intuitive, and each race feels interesting to play with. Heroes also join your empire (as in MoO), are upgradable, and can support either solar systems or fleets, depending on your interests. In either case, heroes provide massive bonuses and are crucial to success. Then there's the technology tree, a feast for your imagination but likely a bit more frustrating for your reasoning. There are many innovations here, but primarily they consist in a Witcher 2-esque branching system with four main poles. This means that making strides in one area does not require advancement in another, something quite different than your typical Fraxis tree. Furthermore, advancements on different core paths are linked, such that one must reveal a resource in one area before one can use that resource for a military, industrial, or terraforming upgrade elsewhere: webs within webs. Furthermore, each technology feels significant and presents its details with a simple mouse-over, with zooming in and out working precisely the same as with the map. However, the lack of an encyclopedia here, and the creativity of the technologies (part of the game's strength), also means you'll definitely feel like you're in the dark at first, presented with a wall of very interesting but deep material to work through, which can be intimidating and frustrating without patience. The depth here is worth the patience, but the superb UI ought to be have extended to this area as well, or perhaps the tutorial ought to have done more to flesh out a first game concretely. Combat in Endless Space is quite interesting and innovative as well, with less of the drawbacks the tech tree has. Ships are customizable (in content, not appearance aside from initial form - so no Galactic Civ crazy constructions) and doing so is, again, quite intuitive and clear. Fleets can be created and expanded and lead by heroes, can combat enemy ships and invade solar systems, and rely on the principle of strategic skill over statistics alone. In the first place, combat consists of six periods with three main phases (long, medium, and short range), during which a different weapon type will be more effective (there are three main types in the game) and the same holds for defense - a little paper rock scissors, except for the card system. Each phase requires you to pick a card from a growing list, each of which presents a maneuver and counters a different maneuver (for instance: sabotage, engineering, defense, retreat, etc). The variety is great enough, and the perks and drawbacks of each are intriguing enough, that rather than feel flat, combat feels much more alive than any other turn-based game, where a bit of skill and luck might turn the tide, or sink you. The battles themselves take place in that system's space, displaying grand vistas highly reminiscent of Star Wars (but with less ships etc.), blowing Sins of a Solar Empire out of the water. Endless Space is a fantastic real-time strategy space faring game, standing tall alongside the genre's greats, and besting them in more ways than one. Endless Space isn't an indie throwback, it's a forward-looking game built to stand on the shoulders of its predecessors. While the complexity is mitigated in most ways by an exceptionally well-thought UI, it's staggering in other ways, meaning Endless Space is long-form, requires failure and replay to learn, and could be intimidating to those new to the genre. For veterans, however, Endless Space feels timely, and perhaps a little timeless. Critical Reflection: Bulletstorm by on "Killing as an art form!" proclaims doggedly likable space pirate and protagonist Grayson Hunt, as he accidentally causes an elevator to crush a mutant, only to get in and ride it up. Thus Grayson condenses Bullestorm's essence: killing as creative act. Bulletstorm is on the one hand a game of pure spectacle. Like Bayonetta, it is its excessiveness which is entirely pleasurable, the degree to which it achieves a sublimity whereby the rational mind is surpassed by the vision before it. The only response is, did that really just happen? The sequence when Hunt and cybernetic partner Ishi storm the miniature city, attaining the stature of Godzilla in a world harkening to Japanese cinema, is one of many fine examples. Bulletstorm may not be as psychedelic as Bayonetta, but in place of the surreal it substitutes the exaggeration of a summer movie blockbuster. Only this exaggeration isn't concerned with reality at all, only with stretching it as far as it will go. It is the pure spectacle of Bulletstorm that gives the breath of inspiration to all the killing that needs to be done. For killing itself desires to become spectacle too. The reigns are handed to the player, the brush and oils to the artist who might conceive in her imagination a form which her being works to unfold in the material itself. A corkscrew-like projectile punctures the momentarily aloft mutant, stunned by a kick to the head which is submerged already in a pumpkin-like pod, and carries him through space past the devilish spikes and into the mouth of a giant man-eating plant. To achieve a moment whereby the artist, staggered by her composition, steps back and asks herself, did I just do that? At times, the production surpasses even the mind who accomplished it. If the player experiences moments like these, even in brief, she links her consciousness to all the players who have gone before, those skilled enough for their play to pass into beauty in every game. In this, Bulletstorm may not be unique. What is precisely unique about Bulletstorm is the game's explicit and constant push to make the player realize it. As with all ideas, however, its significance is in the degree to which the execution follows. It is on this level that I think Bulletstorm both succeeds and fails. Bulletstorm at times seems to merely provide training wheels to the flourishing biker. For each weapon there are already designated forms by which the player might achieve a creative act. Points are earned by the originality of the kill, but it is an originality already thought, contained in the game's own systems. Though initially the creative impulse is helpfully guided by these forms, there may come a point where the creator says to herself, why only these? Certainly, Bulletstorm tries to ameliorate the problem through secret and special kills, often based on local context (always a source for the inspired creator), but even this are limited in number if not scope. In sum, the game can only reward the players creation to the extent that it is foreseen, hence already created, the simple chemical consequence of the elementary parts. What a creator really wants to realize, however, is not what is foreseen but the unforeseen original act. Thus the ideal of creation discovers its limit in a playground circumscribed by a pen. Bulletstorm is simply not designed with enough openness to account for the unforeseeable, in a way that perhaps Scribblenauts is. Certainly, this is due in part to the limited horizon of the game world which proceeds by its relatively simple components: grab, kick, shoot, in conjunction with the environs of burn, shock, melt, fall, chop. Perhaps if the creator is felt a little empty, missing that color which would achieve just the right contrast, it is due to this calculable limitation. That being said, Bulletstorm presents enough sublimity in its playground to keep any artist occupied for at least one time through its course. Whether it achieves what Grayson proclaims it does, however, might belong to the eye of the beholder. Review: King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame by on On the one hand, King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame is brilliantly conceived, has a compelling role-play component, and displays a wonderful aesthetic. On the other hand, the real-time strategic battles don't function properly, the engine is finicky, and despite the beautiful broad brush strokes there isn't much content or complexity below the skin. To be sure, King Arthur II has many problems – so much so that at times the whole thing becomes far too tedious and bothersome. However, if a player can stomach the bad, there is a surprising level of rewarding experience to be had here. Developed by Neocore Games and produced by Paradox Interactive, King Arthur II sequels King Arthur (2004, PS2) and King Arthur: Fallen Champions (2011, PC). It has multiple modes of gameplay, namely real-time combat juxtaposed to a semi-strategic overland management. The later is composed of diplomacy, research into lore, and troop movement. In a way the game resembles the Total War series, though with a fairly robust role-playing element layered into the management section. Heroes, like generals, gain experience and learn new skills, but can also be assigned fiefdoms which depending on their development add significant boosts to their army. Troops also level up, with gained statistical (numbers) increases and perks. Troops can be recruited once you have possession of a town or landmark from which they can be cultivated, the towns able to be upgraded and developed in the winter season (in which no troop movement is possible) for bonuses as fiefdoms. On top of that, players can craft new weapons and equipable items at special forges from loot that you collect through battle and role-playing missions, which can buff heroes exponentially. Guiding the player through the experience is a poorly communicated narrative which sets tasks for the primary hero, William Pendragon, son of the ailing King Arthur, and other special heroes the player recruits rather further into the game. The overarching narrative is unfortunately very shallow, positing significant events with little context or attention to delivery. As such, it mostly stands as a framework with which to guide the player through the game. The overland play is not 'open world' per se, as only by following through the missions does the player progress, with very few exceptions. Diplomacy offers a little spice to overland management, as depending on certain factors you can gain alliances with smaller kingdoms which grant different opportunities, from the financial to the militaristic. Of course, you can always forgo diplomacy and just run all the other kings out if you like. Interaction with other kingdoms and the occasional random enemy troop suffice for what isn't scripted in the game. The best part of King Arthur II is most definitely the missions themselves. Though they're not without fault, they present an interesting storytelling twist on top of a compelling reward system. Though a few consist only of battles, and some simply the possibility of one, by far the majority of missions the player engages in pertain to the unfolding of the, albeit very weak, plot. Yes, you will encounter some of the fabled heroes of legend, but they're too shallow to sympathize with. It isn't the plot which is compelling; rather it is the Choose Your Own Adventure style of the missions as they unfold. Circumstances lead to decisions which in turn divide into further decisions and consequences. For instance, when William Pendragon enters London, a whole host of possibilities open up from government overthrow, backroom dealing, and cordial diplomacy, each of which has its own minute complexities. While unfortunately these events give little context for what a character might do, who to trust, or general motivations, that doesn't stop them from being surprisingly engaging. What replaces context (which ought give some motivation or momentum) is the desire to gain specific bonuses towards your 'morality', possibilities for expansion, financial gain, and military assistance among others. The morality system is also original, composed of four quadrants granting bonuses via right/tyranny and Old Gods/Christian God. The consequences of mission decisions often turn on a possible reward which is instantly practical: troops, cash, or power. In a real sense, these are the core narratives of King Arthur II; the Arthurian plot be damned. It's unfortunate, then, that the combat is as thin as the teetering plot. Anyone expecting a Total War caliber RTS will be disappointed. Squad movement and organization is very similar, but the A.I. is generally very poor, on top of being much too overaggressive. Battles are won and lost on mobbing your army against smaller fragments of your opponent's. Unfortunately, once the A.I. of a squad is in battle with an opponent, or even near an opponent, directing them to take any action is off the table. Combat becomes strangely mindless and a matter of brute force, assuming the player doesn't charge an army of archers against some dragons or some such nonsense. There are few complex scenarios either, for instance where danger could come from multiple directions or there was a need to take down castle's walls. Camera movement is also more annoying than it ought to be, as especially during the set-up phase the camera can't move back behind the troops. Just getting a good view to organize can be a chore. The troop interface is also a tad too large to see the on screen action, aggravated by the lack of camera freedom. Though the addition of heroic powers employable on the battlefield seems promising, even that doesn't do enough to really make the combat more than tolerable, at best. The auto-battle button will likely see far more use than normal. It's a double ill fortune then that the combat is so poor because King Arthur II looks so great, especially in combat. Though the frame rate can chug on higher settings, the landscapes are marvelous. At times a rugged wilderness with tremendous use of the vertical dimension, at other times a hellish wasteland with horns breaking the dry ground's crust, this theatre has a grand stage. The overland map is equally exquisite. All of Britain is laid bare, carved into fiefdoms and transversed by verdant hills and valleys, cracked plateaus, and desolately smoking black ranges. The sound design comes through most in the game's score, much of which is reminiscent of a sort of mystical world, voices pitched to high fantasy but the beat driven by a darker insistence. Most of the mission texts are fully voiced, all by the same actor who does a passable job at least, with a quality reminiscent of listening to an audiobook. The overall aesthetic of a dark fantasy world seems to teeter on the edge of a truly great instantiation, with only a matter of shallow and inane content holding it back. Narrative or no, King Arthur II could have used more flesh on its bones, a complexity of character or a life beyond a trope. In the end, it's very hard to care about any of the heroes or the narrative events, at times making even the enjoyable missions feel entirely arbitrary – clearly, an opportunity was missed here. Still, the art and sound do wonders to make the time spent with King Arthur II enjoyable, and in their own right are quite superb. Sadly, the game's engine is rather finicky, especially on high setting. Running the game on a high-end laptop (which runs Witcher 2 beautifully) the game crashes incessantly. Dropping all the settings can help smooth things over, but doesn't seem to ditch the problem altogether. On top of that, the load times are be atrociously long even for a game of its kind, and other quirks seem frequent, for instance the experience of a line of shadow falling over the overland map in sync with the player's camera movement. As such, King Arthur II, if it is to be recommended (and I think it can be) ought to be recommended only to a role-playing audience, those interested in making interesting role-playing decisions and reading a good amount of text. The world is certainly beautiful, but rather shallow on both a strategic and investment level. Yet some of the role-playing elements are really satisfying, from the interesting mission structure to crafting and leveling each hero. King Arthur II is almost a really good game, one that just can't quite make it, with one too many problems. Still, an interesting dark fantasy world is hard to come by. That it could be more than a fine diversion is unlikely, however. Alice: Madness Returns - A Critical Reflection by on If there is one thingAlice: Madness Returnsseems to suggest it is that of an identity. Though American McGee's name is no longer in the title proper,Alice: Madness Returns(2011) is undoubtedly the product of a continuation of his vision, originally asAmerican McGee's Alicereleased in 2000. Clearly, it is unusual for the director's name to appear in any title (Sid Meier's Civilizationa fine exception), and it speaks to an ownership and interpretive vision of a source material to which the name most often attached would obviously be Lewis Carroll. ThisAliceis McGee's, as a distinction from Carroll's. The question of interpretation is thus at the forefront, as a sort of 'cover', the like which is most often found in the music industry – except in this case the 'cover' crosses the boundaries of genre, from book (and film) to video game. What does it mean to translate across genres in such a manner? Is it important that American McGee does not even direct the game but is down solely for the game's concept? And most of all, what kind of identity doesMadness Returnscarve out for itself? The first and most outstanding aspect ofAlice: Madness Returnsis the depiction of Alice Little herself. Playing as a skinny, pale, impotent girl become active and powerful is a rather profound experience, especially given the bulking protagonists surrounding the game on all sides – even 'Fem-Shep' seems infinitely more 'male' than Alice. The realization of Alice is thus of some import, and inMadness Returnsshe forms the center of the game in a manner rarely seen. Typically, the avatar is void, a husk for the incarnation of the player, yet here Alice seems rather to be in the state of becoming whole in an uncommon manner. Much of what brings Alice to life are not so much the contents bestowed upon her (narrative towards self-salvation), but rather the differences between the different Alices – from the mundane Alice of the 'real world', clad in black and white, poor, powerless (even the way she runs in the 'real world' is frail) who transforms into an entirely different Alice once in Wonderland: an Alice whose very clothing, movement, and face are transformed into an woman of action (idealized for sure, but not necessarily sexualized – though sexualization does have some import for the narrative). It is not in the narrative but in the very depiction of transformation, the differences taken together, that compose her being. Thus, themyriad dressesand compositions of her being are one of the great joys of the game, as are the incredibly varied artistic style implimented – the purely aesthetic as substantive being. Certainly, there is a sense of an inside/outside dualism between Alice and her environments, but one transcended in the end in the becoming of Alice figured in the becoming of London-Wonderland (it is the cheshire cat who calls it 'Londerland'). Of course, there is a tradition of reading the original text as a representation of the 'real world', in which each character is figured to represent the real in some way. This is not out of line with American McGee's interpretation which, though it rarely draws a one-to-one correspondence between the characters of Wonderland and those of London, explicitly makes Wonderland into the unconscious state of Alice, in such a manner that to 'save Wonderland' is to save herself. Unfortunately, this correspondence comes off too easy, both because it is not rigorous enough (Wonderland is just an excuse to platform and fight, with barely a narrative to behold) and perhaps at the same time too rigorous (is not Wonderland as Alice's unconscious far too cliché? and therefore not that interesting?). The relationship between Wonderland and London, between Alice's unconscious and consciousness, feels deeply flawed. But what to make of this flaw, and what might it say concerning the game's effects? In part, I think it is the result of poor writing. Though the voice acting inMadness Returnsis generally good (again, especially the voice of Alice, Susie Brann) the writing is devoid of the life of the source material. The cheshire cat is a fine example; whereas in the books the cat is cryptic but in a Socratic fashion, always questioning Alice on her presuppositions, inMadness Returnsthe cat more often than not is simply a commentator, dispensing a 'wisdom' in nuggets that have no real place, rather than one who puts Alice to the question. At one point he states, "purity of heart is to will one thing" (google the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard) but the effect is the same as if he had said "looks like it might be rain", that is, it has none – it is purely arbitrary. Other times, especially towards the end when the cheshire cat urges Alice onward, his statements become entirely redundant, urging Alice to take a position of power towards her foes. But is Wonderland really a space of powerfulness or rather of something else? The attention to power seems to sweep away the paradoxes that once populated its landscapes, in favor of self-help self-realization – even the 'power' of the unconscious wilts in this light. At times, I felt as if there was an audience – specifically the category of 16 year old emo-types – due to the cat's running commentary on suffering, but with a lack of intensive suffering on the part of Alice as action-hero, its effect seemed trite. If the writing feels arbitrary, however, it is at least in part because the game itself is far too recognizableas a game. In the Disney film, one of the most profound moments is the simplest – when the cat disappears and the smile remains, an effect without a cause, an object devoid of contextual sense,an image without referent, but a more powerful effect for it. There are times when theMadness Returnsyields such objects, for instance the rolling doll's head which detaches the player from any simple body, or the change in perspective given by becoming a giant, the castle yards now so many toothpicks. Yes, the art design has its moments of brilliance but on the whole the world seems built around transversing its space (which makes its space feel empty, merely for passing by) rather than accumulating around substantial moments (which are few). Thus the implicit question: what kind of interpretation ofAlice in Wonderlandis given by a platformer? As such, I won't be the only one to say that every single level, even every good moment in the game, is stretched out far too far, levels going for far too long and wearing their welcome. For a game which seems to indicate meaning in all directions,Alice: Madness Returnsfeels weirdly devoid of life and signification. Rather than effects without causes, the effects are tied too easily to causes (the parallel narrative of Alice, the fire, and abuse) to which they don't relate, or to causes which are entirely obvious (the 'gamey' feel of the enterprise – the "real" cause: platforming). The narrative landscape is simply unmoving, as if all that really matters is the variety of Alices in their myriad outfits. All of which brings me to the aesthetic ofMadness Returns. For my part, while there are moments of sheer brilliance in the aesthetic landscape (the 'house of cards' level, the watercolor platforming, the level of the dolls) the game's emptiness is profound. In this way, it is reminiscent ofBayonettain that the entire content of the game is essentially filled by the protagonist herself, though I would argue that the world of Bayonetta is a greater reflection of the protagonist than Wonderland is. Furthermore, as inBayonetta, there is a strong sense of the protagonist's style which becomes significant in its own right – stylebecomes substantive whereas what is otherwise the game's substance no longer matters. Like Bayonetta, Alice is (I think) a powerful example of femininity in games, though in an almost antithetical manner, orphan rather than divine witch. Yet with both of them, what is interesting is that it is the perceived which becomes all important, it is the look of the character which has the character's being, it is the tone and vibe, the resonance of the character that comes to be profound. As in Nietzsche, it is the mask which is the truth of being. Where I thinkMadness Returnsfalters, then, is not on its (somewhat archaic) gameplay but in its inability to carry this idea through on all sides (whereasBayonettalargely succeeded in this endeavor).Madness Returnsis a game desperate to find some profundity in the becoming of Alice as she traverses Wonderland, and yet it is precisely this significance which eludes the game proper – is it any wonder that there is virtually nothing compelling the play and moving it along? Even the surprising end-game reveal does little to communicate any meaning to the entire endeavor, but functions more as an excuse – a reason to finish playing rather than go on. In short,Madness Returnscannot come to terms with what it wants to be; it is without identity – a strange thing to say of a game which seems to indicate nothing but an identity, be it American McGee's or Alice's. Review: Dear Esther by on Dear Esther is a compelling game. Originally a Source mod, downloadable to use with Half Life 2, it has finally been released bythechineeseroom on Steam as a game complete unto itself. The experience of Dear Esther is of a singular vision – rather unlike anything else out there – and it will definitely stretch your definition of 'game'. The player moves through the environment making encounters along a path which piece together into a meaningful context in such a way that the real and dreamlike seem to coincide. Superb aesthetics and sound design, along with well-executed voiced passages makes the world come alive. Despite the game's brief duration, while it lasts it has a power all its own. To review a game likeDear Estheris a difficult task because, on the one hand, it is in many ways a purely aesthetic game: one interacts by movement alone, slowly progressing along a generally linear path. On the other hand, the aesthetics themselves involve a technical description that could easily make the experience of play out as its skeletal components, robbing the descriptive terms of their power. With that in mind, taken separately, each ofDear Esther's component pieces stand up very well on their own. The primary (in-game) interactivity takes place via the players movement. Environmental designs guide the player through a course of sorts, which passes by numerous events and objects. Certain of these spark a well-voiced narration that, though when put together reveal a sort of meaning for the encounters you have, on their own bend towards the poetic, relying as much on the sense of the words and word combinations as any determinate signification (ie, narrative writing). Movement is smooth and almost surreal. There is no 'running': movement has been slowed in a way that requires the player to take it all in. The is also no physical self to perceive – footsteps are heard only softly – and the camera flows up and over obstacles as if afloat. This lends the player's perspective a dream-like quality which dovetails well with the contextual environment that builds up around you. While not technically excellent, or no more so than the Source engine the game is built from,Dear Estheris visually exceptional. The environment feels hand crafted; each rock unique, the physical landscape sweeping from beaches up to plateaus authentic, lending a realism to the exploration that counters moments which seem to leave reality, giving them additional weight. As much of what the player encounters involves remnants of past events, it is especially impressive thatDear Estherachieves a strong sense of a time having already past, now seen as having accumulated the environment's changes. Furthermore, the level design despite its general linearity does an excellent job of pacing. There always seems to be a sight or event hidden around the corner or seen from a distance, continually drawing the player along. Even more impressive, however, is the sound design and score. Blending the environmental sounds of a lonely northern island with instance-initiated gentle but urgent musical scores, the sound easily sweeps along the player. The shifts in music and tonality are such that they create a sense of ascribed meaning to the events as they unfold, though on a repeated playthrough will underline different moments based on your different movement through. The score's effectiveness is helped by a rather wide variety of instrumentation – from piano, violins, and cellos to electronic noises and pulses. The ambient sounds are equally engaging. From the wind to the waves, the sound does a superb job of localizing the player, compounding the sense of reality which anchors the game's otherwise unreal sensibilities. Finally, the voice acting itself performed by Nigel Carrington is just outstanding. Occurring repeatedly in 'instances' throughout the game, the narrator's lines are delivered authentically and with purpose, never melodramatically, and in such a way as to build on each other, like a spoken poem. Taken as a whole, each of these components come together for a special and perhaps profound experience. The joy of play is as much in the soaking up of the aesthetics as it is putting together bits and pieces of notes and objects and senses to create a meaning throughout one's time. Yet how does one ascribe meaning to a chain or series of chance events but by making each event necessary?Dear Esthereven intimates a sensibility which is almost 'meta' in regards to itself, though never in a distracting or noncontexual way. In fact, most of the interaction withDear Esthereffectively happens at this secondary level between the player and the game, rather than through the player's character who is essentially a blank slate or purely perceptual organ. In other words, much of the interaction is by way of the player's own interpretation of the unfolding events. It is not unlike the experience of a game likeMystbut is certainly not 'puzzle' oriented, and therefore more essentially open to interpretation, as with any purely artistic expression. Put simply,Dear Estherwould fit right in at any contemporary art installation. Certainly, what the player 'gets' out of it or even if the game is convincing will depend to a certain extent on one's disposition. That being said, the aesthetic excellence of the game and the way in which the scattered meanings are woven together ought to be enough to give even the action-only gamer pause. Quality speaks for itself, andDear Estherhas it in spades. By far the biggest drawback is the brevity of the experience, which clocks in at around an hour or so. If you're ok with a one-time only experience that will stay with you long after, however,Dear Estherdeserves all the time it has to give you. . . . . "We are not like Lot's wife, you and I; we feel no particular need to turn back. There's nothing to be seen if we did. No tired old man parting the cliffs with his arms; no gifts or bibles laid out on the sand for taking. No tides turning or the shrieking gulls overhead. The bones of the hermit are no longer laid out for the taking: I have stolen them away to the guts of this island where the passages all run to black and there we can light each others faces by the strange luminescence." Apologies on Being Gone and Best of 2011 by on Wow, I haven't posted to Gamespot on Months, and here I used to be such a good member. First, to the few who might have noticed my absense, I've largely moved myself over to the startup where I (along with another mystery gamespotter) have been writing. Recently I took on the Reviews Editor position, and have generally been writing weekly reviews, analysis, criticism over there. If you want to see my recent history, go here (no my real name isn't TechnologoDoom...). For a while I was still double posting to this blog, but man that get's old. However, I'd like to keep it to talk about more personal matters game-wise, inappropriate for that venue. In other news, I'm studying Philosophy in Belgium, did Christmas in Berlin and New Years in Amsterdam. Not too shabby all around. PS - Happy New year to everyone. If you want to talk Gilles Deleuze, I'm writing my thesis on his 'Proust and Signs'. but enough about that. Here's my Top 10 Games I Played in 2011 (This is NOT the best OF 2011). Good lord I played a bunch of games, but the new and exciting thing this year was my new gaming laptop which i took with me to Belgium, and the whole world of PC gaming I've missed out on since roughly 2004. Likewise, there's a bunch of console only games from summer-fall that will be on this list next year i'm sure (Catherine, Dark Souls in particular). Furthermore, a few of the huge AAA games that released this year really did not cut it for me (see my articles on RobotGeek: Portal 2 and Batman Arkham City). Here's what did: 10. The Void I put it on this list NOT because it's functionally playable - I'm convinced it's not possible to get anywhere close to what I think is the end, much less off the first few islands. It's here because it's mindbendingly beautiful (aurally and visually) and creative, an experiment, argument for 'games as art' (which I won't get into, and don't believe in really) in the manner of it's sheer creation of another world which is a singular viewpoint, an expression of one. Anyway, I rage quit this game. 9. Terraria If you own a PC you've probably seen or played this already. and it's great - a really focused platforming minecrafty spelunker of a game. Definitely enjoyed it, but haven't stuck around for all the updates. Probably one i'll go back to at some point. 8. The Third Age - LOTR Mod of Medieval 2 Total War Being a (relatively minor) LOTR geek (I go more for intellectual sci-fi) didn't stop me from playing this ubermod of a game. Sure it's old, but the Medieval 2 game still works well on its own merits (having played it for hours and hours) and the mod really then takes what's great about the original, tweaks it all up, but somehow retains the core ballances needed to keep the Strategic gameplay compelling. That's just darn impressive! If you're a LOTR fan, buy M2TW in order to play this mod. 7. Shogun 2 Total War The first TW game I played, and technically the best. Beautiful overland maps, compelling realtime combat, etc etc. I only wish you could play more factions... and that Steam would let me use my current location in Belgium to buy the new expansion! (I should get back on that) 6. Arx Fatalis Released to Xbox and PC in 2002 (? - same year as Morrowind... all brown too) a now forgotten RPG gem. Morrowind is still my fav game of all time, and so I don't mind playing an outdated FP RPG, which is Arx Fatalis. Except that the magic system of scribing figures in space to cast is rather hard, it's also pretty darn cool. It's rare to go back 10 years and still feel like the system works, that it's still playable. For me, not only was it playable, but it was one of my favs all year. 5. Civilization V This shouldn't be this high, but darn if i didn't log so many crazy hours into this game. Everyone seemed disappointed with 5 comared to the beloved 4, but this iteration is better. Hexes are better. Not stacking units is better. I could go on. It could use some big expansions like we saw in the last game, but as is Civ V is just hands down a great Strategy game still. Now if only they would make Alpha Centari 2!! 4. HItman Blood Money I wasn't prepared to like this game, but bought it on a Steam sale and gave it a run. Turns out its one of the most amazing games i've played in a while. The openess of the executions is fantastic, the set-piece locations are aesthetically on-the-money, the gunplay is smooth, just great all around (See my review here at GS). I'd be shocked if Hitman Absolution was better than this. Shocked. 3. The Witcher 2 The most perfect union of technical sophistication and aesthetic artistry, this game is hands down gorgeous. I can't stop looking at Triss' hair (on her head, please). Or the catapults. Or the flames. Or anything really. It's just great to look at. Thankfully, it's also a much better set of combat rules than the first Witcher, though it's still darn hard. I got slaughtered so much at first it was embarracing. The end could've been tighter, and I have a few nitpicks, but overall one of the best RPGs of this generation... since Dragon Age Origins i'd say (depending on whether you count ME2). 2. Neverwinter Nights 2 (and Mask of the Betrayer Expansion) Old school RPG. I was in D&D heaven with the sequel to Bioware's old **c. Gotta say, I still love all the *lore, the stats, the plotting my characters, it's endlessly gratifying. And NWN2 plus expansion was well over 100 hours of pure D&D CRPG bliss. The Mask of the Betrayer expansion, in particular, was mindblowingly great in my estimation. I can't believe I missed this game. Makes me want to go back and play Baldur's Gate all over again. 1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim So much was stellar this year in my collection that putting Skyrim first was harder than I thought it would be. Read my review if you like at RobotGeek, but I thougt the game tremendous. I still play it (on my second character, 160 hours in) and consider it superior to two other Bethesda games I adore: Fallout 3 and Morrowind. Is it perfect? nope. But it's the greatest instanciation yet of the idea Bethesda has about FP RPGs, worlds, and roleplay. And whereas Oblivion, in my estimation, was always interesting but never compelling, Skyrim brought the bacon back from Morrowind this time. I know there's folks out there who think it's far to long and far too boring. I have no reply, because those are what the game in many ways is: long-form role-play, and if you want quick content, it isn't your game. PS - it's such a gorgeous game, i'm tempted to start a blog of just amazing skyrim pics. That's all. hopefully I post again before the next semester ends! Dead Island: Know Thyself by on (Dead Island's visuals rely more on style than on technical brilliance - which is mostly the same in all other aspects) There's something to be said about the success of games relying equally on nailing appropriate gameplay mechanics for a specific genre as well as refining those mechanics to what's appropriate, given the new and original elements in a game which separates it as a unique instanciation within that genre. In other words, games, like any of the broader "arts", need to take from what's around them to define themselves as much as they need to strip those expectations in light how that game positions itself in its context. In light of that, few games I've played recently make so many missteps on this account as Dead Island. In taking the RPG formula and inserting it into an action-adventure game, one of the most prominent effects of playing Dead Island is how obviously some of the RPG tropes simply fail in this context, as if Techland simply didn't have a good sense of how to refine its unique position amid genre expectations. Genres in the "arts" writ-large have always acted as a source of meaning-context for new forms. Especially in cinema, but in painting and philosophy too, genres are what allows us to have expectations for a game which gives us initial understanding to approach the new, while at the same time allowing for variations on that central theme. The rise of the Western or Musical in cinema are perfect examples of this. I would not be the first critic to note, however, that game genres themselves feel woefully inadequate to the extraordinary divergence of games in the last decade. It's becoming harder and harder to situate a game within a given gameplay context, in large part because many developers are doing an admirable job at stretching what they've inherited into new and interesting forms. So much so that at times it feels as if the genres themselves are crumbling, replaced by a more singular and visceral sense of inheritance - like those games we call "Metroidvania" in style. Or take Limbo - it's hard to boil it down essentially into its component pieces of puzzle, platform, etc. Part of the reason that game is successful is that while it combines genres in new and interesting ways, it clears a space for itself at the nexus of such mergers. Here, mechanics which were taken from the core genres themselves find a home which is entirely appropriate to the new space forged by Limbo - a space which accomplishes as much on an existential plane as it does on a physical one. (Here's the only menu that is both aesthetically pleasing and informative) Unfortunately, Dead Island fails to properly gauge its relation both to its inheritance (the RPG, the Zombie-Action game, and the Brawler, primarily) as well as to its own unique composition amidst those contexts. So while Dead Island is, at least in terms of primary mechanics, an Action-RPG, it fails to have a sense of which RPG mechanics to leave behind in the bold new space they've created: the Zombie Action-RPG. One might think: why not simply lift the same mechanics from Dragon Age or Gothic II, plop them down, and paint them anew in Zombie highlights. Essentially, that's what Dead Island did. The inventory management system, for one, is simply atrocious. Perhaps if Dead Island had taken from the still-clunky Fallout 3, instead of from Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the inventory system would be in better shape. Yet, Dead Island's inventory system is everything wrong with the game - it's bulky (a clear lift out of RPGs from at least 5 years ago if not longer), it's non-sortable, and it's ugly (doesn't fit the aesthetics of the other game menus, which are quite nice). It's as if no thought went into its incorporation other than the question "which Action-RPG inventory system should we simply rip-off?" It was torn and patched into the game without so much as a reflection, it seems. How Dead Island works with RPG "numbers" is equally telling. On the one hand, you have weapons which deal certain types of damage and have statistics associated with them (handling, durability, etc.) as well as enemies with health and stamina bars above their heads. On the other hand, these numbers seem meaningless except in relation to themselves - as purely a means to see if this knife in my hand is deadlier than the crowbar on the ground - as a communication of "progression" in the game. RPGs have used this system for decades successfully. So how does Dead Island screw it up? First, whereas in games of the D&D lineage, where the numbers on the surface only mattered in context to the numbers under the hood (base stats, AC, and the like), Dead Island proffers only the surface numbers which apart from the rest lack all context or meaning. If this knife deals 200 damage and this club 100 force, I still have no idea which is better - I simply have to count how many strikes it takes to bring down a zombie, because none of the under-the-hood stats are revealed. What's worse, however, are level caps assigned to weapons. For instance, at any level, say 10, you may have an item in your inventory which is only usable at level 15, say a crowbar. That my character needs to be, artificially, at level "15" to use a crowbar is patently absurd. Have many RPGs used that system over time? Yes, though not without mitigating senses of appropriateness. It's one thing to have a "real" barrier, say like a skill, which is needed to use an object. It's another thing to need to be at a certain "artificial" level to use a crowbar. The crafting system falls on the same broken design - that I need instructions to know how to attach nails to a stick. It simply reveals the absurdity - the gaminess - of the whole enterprise. And one of the things Dead Island does best is remind you constantly: you're playing a game. (The flimsy knife requires level 14 to use. Can someone explain this to me?) Not all the fumbling with context is on the RPG-side of the game, however. An equal part of the game's shortcomings result from a failure to give the zombies any weight: Respawn in the same location upon death means a very low sense of punishment for failure, as well as inflating the already impending sense that these zombies aren't scary at all - if anything they're just one more barrier between you and your goals. They could just as easily be rats in a dungeon or wild boars in a forest - there's no "sense" to them. All of which leads me to say that Dead Island is a perfect example of a game which has no sense of itself. It can't place itself in context appropriately to what it takes from the past, nor from what new experiences it forges. Dead Island is entirely blind and dumb to itself. As such, you won't be surprised to read that it feels like a bunch of mechanics slapped together, with the hopes that slaying zombies will do enough to wash everything else in enough blood to hide their glaring flaws. I'm not saying that the game isn't worth playing, or that there aren't moment of enjoyment to be had. As an educational experience, however, Dead Island shines. Moving to Belgium tomorrow by on Hey all, FYI, i'm moving to Leuven, Belgium (outside of Brussels) tomorrow! Should be pretty exciting. I'll be studying in a one-year graduate philosophy program, before ideally returning to the states for more school. screw the US, europe here i come :) can you name the philosphers? TRAUMA (PC/Steam) - Review by on TRAUMA - 8/10 "TRAUMA has the wonderful ability to transmute the totally ordinary into an extraordinarily magical experience." - - - Indiecade and IGF finalist, TRAUMA, has been on the indie scene's radar for a while now, and has finally been released on Steam. Though you'll likely get an hour or two's worth of play, you'll be rewarded with some surprisingly moving moments and a sense of real discovery. As a women lies in her hospital bed, she moves in and out of consciousness, to remembrance, dream, and back again to awake. The journey, in four stages, is open to your whims, as you can complete any part of the game in any order. That said, all the stages are connected and are necessary to progress through the whole entirely. The play occurs through a sort of revised point-and-click. Images float before a black backdrop, and by moving the cursor to and fro, you'll draw out of the image other images which connect to the previous one. Moving around in the world, then, and examining "objects" (which are often not really objects in the traditional sense) is certainly a point-and-click affair. Yet you also learn the ability to inscribe symbols on the screen which turn you left, right, back you up, or turn you around, and eventually you'll learn secret abilities which allow you to progress through each stage's multiple endings. As a mechanic, mousing through images and pictures and occasionally inscribing symbols works quite well with the overall simple nature of the presentation. As images of remembrance, all extremely local and yet simultaneously etherial, the tool is used more as a way of discovery than the typical "puzzle solving" in ***cs like Myst. Certainly, you'll need to "solve" specific solutions, but the tone here is much more exploratory. In these four worlds of dream/remembrance, each is composed of serial pictures of landscapes which though initially often seem mundane (a road at night, an old factory at sunset, etc), flower and unfold into strange and metaphysical landscapes. It's this congruence of the ordinary and the extraordinary that's so powerful in play, and it's easily the remarkable aspect of the game. The hospitalized woman's voice speaks to you (herself) as you explore, in a calm but thoughtful tone, as soft piano plays behind it all. The setting, then, becomes surprisingly moving, as the women's voice, the transcendental pictures, and the events which unfold all serve in an understated manner to draw you in compellingly. As a relatively simple experience, TRAUMA lets you discover on your own how to proceed, though it does give you hints as you progress though a variety of Polaroid images scattered through each level. Some teach you the mechanics of drawing symbols to maneuver through the world while others are hints to the multiple "solutions" for each stage. Each of the four stages has four different endings, each of which is able to be experienced multiple times, with the game "ending" when you complete each for the final "Road Less Traveled" stage. If you're a completionist, though many Polaroids are difficult to find, upon completing all the endings for a stage you're granted a new sense which allows you to judge the distance to each remaining Polaroid. It's a useful addition, though as the Polaroids themselves are useful only in helping to obtain all the endings, it's a modest gift.
jjrage's Darksiders II (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360) review Darksiders II Blurs Genre Lines The original Darksiders truly was a surprise to many when it hit store shelves in January of 2010. It was quickly applauded for delivering a game not unlike the ones seen in The Legend of Zelda series, albeit with a darker tone and combat more akin to God of War than anything seen in latter-day Zelda titles. That was two and a half years ago, and Darksiders has gone from cult hit to full-on franchise. However, not content with retreading the same formula with the sequel, Vigil Games has stepped out of the box a bit to blur the lines of the action-adventure genre with Darksiders II. Sure the game is still highly derivative of the Zelda games, but it's so much more than that. The first thing you'll notice about Darksiders II is that the game isn't really a sequel in the traditional sense. The protagonist is no longer War, but War's brother and fellow horsemen of the apocalypse Death. The game itself takes place concurrently with it's predecessor. War has been blamed for prematurely starting the apocalypse, leading to the destruction of humanity, however Death is certain that his brother could not be responsible for this, and begins a quest to resurrect humanity and absolve his brother of wrong doing. Darksiders II's primary quest will send Death across multiple realms in an effort to gain access to the Well of Souls, where he hopes to resurrect all of humanity. However unlike the original game, Darksiders II isn't quite as linear. In addition to the story quest, there is a plethora of side quests for Death to complete, all with their own unique rewards. You'll be aided on these quests by Death's trusty steed Despair. Unlike War's horse Ruin, Despair is available from the game's outset, although I found myself using Despair far less than I ever used Ruin, thanks to the addition of a fast travel system. The combat system has also been greatly improved from the original Darksiders. Death isn't quite as burly as his brother, and is a more agile fighter as a result, using dodges instead of blocks and counters. Death's primary tools of destruction are dual-scythes, although you'll acquire other secondary weapons that range from quick-striking claws to the slower two-handed hammers and axes. I gravitated towards the larger weapons early in the game, as I found the powerful and long-reaching attacks to be useful, but as the game wore on and dodging became more important, I began to prefer the quicker scythes and claw weapons. Much like the first game, Death has a more powerful form - Reaper form - which allows Death to dish devastating and large-scale punishment to his foes. Also returning is the lock-on targeting, which frustrated me from time to time, as it would occasionally place the camera directly behind Death, obstructing my view and leaving me unable to see certain incoming attacks. This issue isn't helped by the game's frame rate, which gets awfully spotty during some of the boss fights. In addition, there is one section of the adventure where the game briefly transforms into second-rate third-person shooter. The first Darksiders also featured a segment like this; I didn't like it then and I liked it even less in the sequel. The game spends most of the game emphasizing Death's quickness and agility, and then suddenly plucks you out of that environment and has you lumbering around with a two-handed cannon. The aiming of the gun is imprecise, and the lock-on targeting is unavailable while it's in your hands. This isn't just a short section of the game either - it takes the place of a full-blown dungeon. I didn't find this part of the game to even remotely entertaining, and was very thankful when it concluded. The game's combat is also supported by a two skill trees. As you level up, you'll earn skill points which can be placed on either side of the tree. One side of the tree focuses on direct combat, granting you attacks which can siphon health from your enemies or increase Death's combat strength for a short time. The other tree improves Death's magical abilities, allowing you to spawn minions to fight by your side. Perhaps the biggest change to the Darksiders formula is the addition of a color-coded loot, a system that should be intimately familiar to anyone that's played a modern MMO. Enemies and chests have the chance to drop this loot, and vendors have a plentiful stock of it as well. Each piece of loot comes with an array of statistical affixes, most of which coincide with the game's two skill trees. Items that feature strength and critical damage bonuses will be useful to those that prefer the combat tree, and items heavy in arcane power boosts are preferable for folks that chose the magic tree. The game's rarest loot comes in the form of "possessed" weapons. Possessed weapons can be upgraded by "feeding" other items to the weapon, allowing it to gain power as well as one stat affix from the item it was fed. These changes aside, the formula from the original Darksiders is still intact. You'll still find yourself in dungeons full of puzzles that can only be solved - and bosses that can only be defeated - through the use of conveniently acquired items. Fans of the first game will instantly recognize Death's Death Grip as the equivalent of War's Abyssal Chain, which in itself was essentially The Legend of Zelda's hookshot. Death also gets his own unique puzzle-solving tools, such as the Soul Splitter, which splits Death into two entities allowing him to flip multiple switches at once. Darksiders II didn't have the benefit of coming out of left field like it's predecessor, but the combination of Zelda-style gameplay with the new loot system, improved combat, and far more interesting protagonist provides an equally engaging experience. Other reviews for Darksiders II (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360) Darksiders II has no dearth of depth, but suffers from its size. 0 Darksiders left our anti-hero War contemplating his options as his brothers (and sister) caught the last few express meteors to Earth to help in what promised to be an Alamo style stand-off between the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and apparently every other force in the universe. Darksiders 2 doesn't quite pick up there, however, electing to roll back the clock a few years before the first game begins and follow the redemptive arc of War's more emaciated and guilt-ridden sibling Death instead... 3 out of 3 found this review helpful. This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for: Comment and Save
Praline Apple Crisp Recipe Video Preparation Time20 MinCooking Time6 Hr 0 Min Ready In6 Hr 20 MinDifficulty LevelEasy Main IngredientInterest Group Granny smith apples/Braeburn apples6 Large, cored, peeled and sliced Cinnamon powder1 Teaspoon Quick cooking oats1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs), uncooked Brown sugar1⁄3 Cup (5.33 tbs), packed All purpose flour1⁄4 Cup (4 tbs) Butter1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs), diced and chilled Pecans1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs), chopped Toffee bits1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs) Nutrition Facts Serving size Calories 296 Calories from Fat 159 % Daily Value* Total Fat 18 g28.1% Saturated Fat 7.5 g37.3% Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 28.2 mg Sodium 64.8 mg2.7% Total Carbohydrates 35 g11.5% Dietary Fiber 4.5 g18% Sugars 24 g Protein 2 g3.9% Vitamin A 5.7% Vitamin C 0.15% Calcium 1.6% Iron 2.8% *Based on a 2000 Calorie diet 1. In a bowl, place the sliced apples and toss it with cinnamon powder and mix well. 2. In a cooker, which has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, place the apples. 3. In another bowl, place together oats, brown sugar, flour and butter and mix together using fork or pastry cutter, until the mixture gets crumbly. 4. Add pecans and toffee bits and stir well to mix. 5. Spread the oat mixture over the apples in slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. 6. Serve Praline Apple Crisp with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
The Horse Forum The Horse Forum (/) - Horse Training ( - - arena location, thoughts ( HayburnerHeights 02-02-2009 09:20 PM arena location, thoughts I have a delima, I have 2 different spots I can have a outdoor ring set up. One spot is near the barn, solid clay. Size would be roughly 50 x 75 feet, Pretty open area. I set up a ring years ago there, then moved it to spot mentioned below the current spot is a little softer ground, ring is 60 x 110 feet, Problem is its right next door to our neighbors property and there is a hedge row about 10 feet from the side of my ring. The neighbors dogs constantly go through the hedgerow and spook my horses when we are trying to ride (hedge row is about 10 ft wide, consists of trees, long grass & brushey undergrowth). One of their dog houses is right on the other side of the hedgerow also, so the one dog can still raise heck without leaving their yard (one is tied, the other dog runs loose) I would almost rather move it up toward the barn, but am concerned that the ring won't be large enough for two us to ride comfortably. sandy2u1 02-02-2009 09:28 PM I would be concerned about the dogs too. Not just the spooking...but are they gonna be barking the whole time you are riding? if so...that would be so annoying HayburnerHeights 02-02-2009 09:39 PM Originally Posted by sandy2u1 (Post 243911) They usually stop after a bit, I've chased them back over the hedgerow a few times with the lunge whip. They are just a pain in the rear end. :-( rosie9r 02-02-2009 10:27 PM Can you talk to your neighbors about moving their dogs farther from the hedge? Or put up a privacy fence on that side? I would like a bigger arena personally, so you dont feel cramped or wont be able to really work your horse. (just like you can only do so much in a round pen.) Miss Katie 02-02-2009 10:54 PM I would tell your neighbour that you are having issues with their dogs venturing onto your land, and ask them to either tie both dogs or put up a fence. It is your land after all. As for the barking, if it is excessive is there someone to report it to?? Otherwise, if they stop after a while I dont see it as being a problem. Its just something the horse has to get used to. xilikeggs0 02-02-2009 11:50 PM Either call animal control when the dogs come onto your property, or put up a fence. appylover31803 02-03-2009 12:02 AM I would suggest going over and talking to your neighbors. Say that not only is it dangerous for you and the horses, but to the dog too. If they don't seem to care, see if you can put up a fence in that location. I would rather have more room to ride, then less, though I dont know if I would always want to deal with the dogs everytime I ride ~~anebel~~ 02-03-2009 12:59 AM Put up a fence and the next time the dogs come running through, boy are they and their little heads getting a surprise! Ir even one strand of electric will have the dogs thinking again about running through to your property. I also like the animal control idea. Be rude about it. I would not put up with neighbor's dogs on my property, regardless of where my horses and riding arena were. I would opt for the larger space. And if possible I would actually put in a base, pack it and get some footing on there. It's a bunch better for the horses. HayburnerHeights 02-03-2009 05:40 AM our stupid little dog barks alot too, Its not the barking that spooks the horses and they do stop. Its the hedgerow wandering by the Jack Russell Terrier and occasional trip by the bigger dog. The horse think its a lion coming through there. They are pretty good neighbors overall. They are just "old school" type people and are retired from the working world (a long time ago) Everyone just stays pretty much to themselves around here. They really don't have a lot of room where they are as far as their yard goes.(its just a small lot) Its just the way their house & lot are designed it means their main back yard is right next to my ring. I thought about talking to them but I can just see their dog darting out under their feet anyways. They are older folks and not as quick as they used to be Thats why I was kind of leaning towards moving the ring. Miss Katie 02-03-2009 08:59 AM I think a fence would fix the problem, and they seem reasonable so maybe ask if they will split the cost with you. They sound like they dont mean you no harm, just dont know any better. Im sure if you talked to them everything will work out the best for both of you. Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5 Copyright ©2000 - 2014, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Ice storm memories from our readers -A A +A Jill Glasscock-Dean My Papaw died during that ice storm. Half the family didn’t have electricity trying to prepare and deal with a funeral. Kevin Ford came to my parents’ house and spent the afternoon picking up and hauling off massive amounts of tree limbs and debris in the cold without being asked. It was a huge act of kindness during a very somber time. Amy Riney How could I ever forget the ice storm of 2009?! It was my senior year at Marion County High School, and the storm just happened to coincide with my 18th birthday. At the time, I thought the end of the world had come. The excitement of school being cancelled soon diminished when it became apparent that our days off wouldn't be any ordinary snow days. Lack of electricity, heat, and scarce water made for a potentially dangerous situation. Luckily, my family scavenged up a kerosine heater and a couple lamps from the basement. My mom was able to cook a large pot of navy beans and some cornbread using the heater. Of course this took several hours, but the wait was well worth the hot food. I had never been so happy to eat beans and cornbread in my life! I played countless hands of cards with my dad, and we all soon adapted to waking up and going to bed with the rise and fall of the sun. Within a week our electricity had been restored. The pine trees in our backyard looked rather horrendous, but we had made it through the storm in good condition, (and dare I say it?!), I had actually enjoyed being trapped inside the house with my parents. The storm had brought us together, literally and figuratively, and made for some good, old fashioned bonding time. Barbara SpaldingDanville HighwayLebanonThe first thing that comes to my mind about the ice storm five years ago is how close my husband and I came to dying. We were overcome with carbon monoxide, and when I couldn't get my children here in Lebanon by phone, I called my son in Greensburg, never thinking to call 911. When he got here and called 911 we were taken to the hospital. I just want to thank all the people that helped us, ambulance people, hospital staff and especially my children and grandchildren for all their help. These people kept us alive. Thanks again to good help in Marion County. Ollie Mae Wicker It feels like only yesterday the 2009 ice storm came through and transformed our beloved county into what appeared as a stranger to us. I can recall sitting awake the entire night at the window and listening to the falling ice that sounded just like a steady hard rain. The pine trees in the yard bent slowly towards the ground. With the passing of the hours those big limbs began to crack. In the distance I could hear the terrible breaking of larger and older trees slowly falling to the ground with one huge and final crash. I thought of movies and shows where trees only fall like that when someone cuts them down and yells, "Timber!" The morning light revealed what appeared to be a world encased in crystal. A magical wonderland like in a fairly tale. But, this was no fairy tale. We had no means of contact with the outside world since the ice had knocked out the power and phone lines. My husband quickly bundled himself up and took his chain saw in the four wheel drive. It took hours for him to cut a path to the main road where he soon met up with county road crews, the National Guard, and the fire departments. They joined together the next few days attending emergency meetings, clearing roads, passing out water, taking people to shelters, and doing welfare checks on the elderly and handicapped. When my husband left each day, I had no clue when I might see him again. The days seemed to run together. Things had to be done and no thought was given to the clock. Our simple, country, style of living meant that we had the basic needs here at home. There was gas heat, plenty of kerosene for heaters and lamps, candles, bottled water, lots of warm blankets to snuggle up in, shelves full of books to read, board games and cards to play, and a pantry full of canned garden foods. Oh, and plenty of hot coffee! Many found their way up our hill during those days where they could stay warm, take a hot shower, and get a big bowl of chicken or vegetable soup. Destruction appeared everywhere around us but there was a mightier force living within us and among us here in Marion County. In all of the ice and cold we found love, commitment, hard work, and dedication to one another. Love for neighbors, friends, community, and strangers. A way of life where people look out and care for one another. A place where we make it through because we do it together. My memories of the ice storm are memories that live on in the heart more than the head. Thank you Marion County. Doug Thomas The ice storm was not all bad. My mother-in-law spent a week at our house because Terri's parents' home was one of the last ones in the area to regain power. I got an awesome home-cooked meal every night and even the laundry done. It was awkward at first, but it was a memorable time having her parents spend so much time at once with us and finally be dependent upon us for a change. It’s a Great Life if you don’t weaken By Martha Young New Pioneers Originally published Feb 23, 2009 Ice storms and economic storms have a way of jerking us out of our routine and bringing focus to the elemental basics of life. Since our life on the farm here is slowly getting back to normal, we are reflecting on the past month as a way to appreciate what we have and looking to what is important and what is extra that we could do without. A list of positives and negatives seemed to put the storm in perspective. Positive: Neighbors sharing equipment, water, gas and groceries. Negative: A half mile of road covered with tree limbs and ice, requiring the chain saw to get out to the highway. Positive: Four redbirds shining in sunlight in a crystal tree. Negative: Maple tree tops upside down in the yard, covered with ice. Positive: Rescue of the abandoned lamb left in the snow, named “Lucky” by the grandchildren. Negative: Dealing with feed for farm animals through downed trees and power outage for a week. Positive: Helping hands from Steve and Shannon for the farm work, water and food. Negative: No running hot water for showers, laundry, or toilet use. Positive: A local merchant’s delivery truck with generators (after a fruitless search in Louisville for a generator) and the generous effort by the local store and staff to take care of everyone’s need. Negative: Sows having pigs in the worst of the weather. Positive: A heritage breed of hardy pigs that gave us 25 little red wriggling piglets. Negative: Three kids cooped up for a week without TV or electronic games. Positive: Four generations of hands around the kitchen table at grace. “Bless us O Lord” Negative: Cooking from a power strip without blowing the generator. Positive: Sausage, apples, blackberry jam, and country egg breakfasts. Positive: Spaghetti, lamb and beef meatballs, and sauce from last summer’s tomato harvest. Negative: Rooster Bob did not survive the storm and was our first animal casualty. Positive: Wrapped in blankets telling stories by candlelight. Positive: Great-grandmother’s riddles for the children: “As I was going to St. Ives…” Positive: The RECC truck lights in the early dark morning outside the house, a belated Christmas present. Positive: Seeing the grandchildren learn about living a life without electricity or running water, and how much they enjoyed no baths for a week.As we adjust back into a life with electricity and water, we realized that if we had to get by without the TV, and without many of the other conveniences, we could survive and live on the land. Paring life down to essentials forces a discipline and creates simplicity from distractions. As the country faces economic storms ahead the lessons from the ice storm may translate into choices for the future that will make our families, communities and country stronger. “It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.”
New! Read & write annotations I say how can it be that man owns the land, can we possess the sky, the wind, the call of the seasons ? Man does not own the earth, but rather the earth owns man, we’re merely caretakers of the wild for our children. We must show reverence for nature, the ground we share, and the spirit of the wild. We must respect each new sunrize. Take a deep breath, feel the spirit of the wild. Feel our instincts, feel the heart of the hunter. Each new day, each new sunrize can bring the renewal of life, the renewal of the spirit. Keep your senses alert, learn to appreciate the value of that sign. The excitement of that smell, that sight…the aroma of the woods. Cherish the beauty of our brother the eagle, the deer, our blood brother the bear. As the new sun warms our new day, thrill at the adventure of being one with nature. As the majestic buck melts out of the swamp, feel the spirit come alive. Hold tight to your bow and arrow, grab the spirit, Feel it's presence, feel the spirit of the wild. Hey, there he is, in the wind…. The sensual stimuli, the thrill that will cleanse the soul, Go ahead, feel alive. The sunrize is on fire, as our senses, our very lifeblood is on fire. Share these sensations with your friends, Share ‘em with the children, For life is a series of sunrizes The spirit of the wild. Let it inspire your heart and soul, Challenge the good, natural hunter within you, Challenge yourself….to connect. Be an asset to nature. Take each day, take each sunrize step by step. Sunrize by sunrize. Take it to heart. Embrace the spirit of the wild. Embrace each and every sunrize Rise into the sun. Seize it. In the wind, he’s still alive…. Lyrics taken from Correct \| Report Write about your feelings and thoughts Min 50 words Not bad Write an annotation Add image by pasting the URLBoldItalicLink 10 words Annotation guidelines:
Slive: SEC will discuss going to nine games semerson@macon.comMay 2, 2013 Georgia football coach Mark Richt, left, greets Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive after a news conference announcing the launching of the SEC Network in partnership with ESPN, held Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Atlanta. ATLANTA - This much is clear: SEC football coaches by and large oppose going to a nine-game conference schedule. This much is also clear: They're not the end-all, be-all. If commissioner Mike Slive decides they need to go to nine games, they likely will go to nine games. "The league will make a decision," Slive said. "In light of the playoff, in light of changes, we oughta be discussing how we schedule. Whether we change it or not is another matter. This league didn't get to be where it is without opening the door and looking at everything and making sure that we're doing everything we need to do to be as good as we can be." The creation of an SEC Network has led to yet more discussion of the conference moving to a nine-game football schedule. It was a hot topic on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency, with coaches once again voicing their opposition, and their commissioner essentially saying: We'll see. That doesn't mean the conference will go to nine. But remember, two years ago most coaches (with the exception of Georgia's Mark Richt) were against oversigning proposals. But they passed anyway, in large part because Slive favored them and got the presidents and athletics directors on his side. So this will be discussed later this month at the SEC meetings in Destin, Fla. And it may go beyond that. Slive is at least hopeful for a shorter-term solution: Only the 2013 football schedule has been announced, so the conference needs to announce something soon on 2014 and beyond. Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity said last week he expected a three-year schedule (2014-16) to be revealed soon. "Soon, I hope," Slive said on Thursday. "Hopefully before (Destin)." Those will be eight-game schedules. Any nine-game schedule will require larger debate - and there will be debate. The only head coach who has gone on record preferring a nine-game schedule in Alabama's Nick Saban. "I’m for playing nine conference games; I was the only person that spoke out in favor of it last year," Saban said on Thursday in Atlanta. "If you increase the size of the league and the number of teams you have in the league then you’ve got to play more games. There are those out there that say well we have fixed, tough conference rivalries outside of our conference that makes our schedule too difficult to play that many games, but my answer to that is if you take the fans into consideration, we should take th five best leagues, put them all together and everybody’s got to play everybody because strength of schedule is going to be a big part of what happens in the future. So let’s make everybody play everybody. And the fans really want to see good games." Some other coaches have said they're open to it, including Mark Richt and Steve Spurrier. But many more coaches are stridently opposed to anything but eight games. "I'm not for a nine-game schedule. I don't think it's best for our league," Florida's Will Muschamp said. "It's too challenging with the in-state rivalry we already play. You add a ninth game (in the SEC), it's too difficult." Florida, Georgia and South Carolina each have an in-state non-conference rivalry. But South Carolina's Spurrier is a bit more open than Muschamp. "The three of us have a pretty tough game already," Spurrier said. "But it could go to nine. Whatever they say is fine with me." Vanderbilt's James Franklin described himself as a "huge believer" in keeping it at eight games. His reasoning is that it allows more flexibility for programs like his that are trying to rebuild, as well as the powerhouses trying to build up their playoff resume'. "You go to nine games, and people are gonna be less likely to play the out-of-conference games, the big games out of conference that people are playing now," Franklin said. "Eight games allows everybody to solve their own problems, and what I mean by that is if you think you're in a position to play for a national championship and you want to schedule a tough out-of-conference schedule for strength of schedule, then go do that. If you're trying to build a program it allows you to do that as well. It's my belief that the stronger the conference is at the top to bottom, the better it is for everybody. And I think eight games creates flexibility for everybody to solve their own issues." Georgia's Richt has also leaned towards eight games, but on Thursday he deferred to Slive. "That's for our commissioner to decide.," Richt said "We have our meetings coming up. I mean just hearing him say that means we're gonna discuss that." The benefit of a nine-game schedule is it would allow more room for the three most heated permanent cross-division rivalries: Georgia-Auburn, Tennessee-Alabama and Florida-LSU. Slive was asked if those needed to be protected. The commissioner thought for a second before answering. "We have (protected them)," Slive said, looking at this reporter, smiling, and adding: "So far." In other words, the heated debate over scheduling at last year's meeting has not settled down. Those at schools with cross-division rivalries, like Georgia and Auburn, want to protect them and do so within an eight-game format. Those who don't have an arch-rivalry in another division would prefer mixing it up. LSU's Les Miles, for instance, has suggested determining the non-division schedule by random computer generation. Saban has expressed concern that under the current 6-1-1 format (six division games, one permanent cross-division rival, one rotated cross-division rival) a team may only see another SEC team once every six years. Getting rid of the permanent cross-division rivals would make it more flexible. But there's a lot of pressure to keep those rivalries. "I'm sensitive as far as the history is concerned with Alabama-Tennessee and Georgia-Auburn, so I understand that," said Muschamp, who played at Georgia. "I'll be honest with you, I'm really divided on the whole thing as far as that's concerned. And we've had some young men that'll sign with the University of Florida, they'll never play some opponents. Coach Spurrier, when we were at the head coaches meeting last year down in Destin told me what a great rivalry and he enjoyed playing and coaching in the Florida-Auburn game. That was a huge game. Again, there's good arguments on each side, and I'm good with whatever they decide other than a nine-game schedule." Commenting FAQs \| Terms of Service
Jackson's off the board (Kotchman too) The Nationals just confirmed that they have reached agreement with free-agent pitcher Edwin Jackson on a one-year deal. Various reports place its worth at approximately $10 million. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to tweet the news, saying that Jackson was spotted at the airport as he arrived in town for his physical. Heyman didn't specify which airport. Plenty of people fly into Dulles on their way to Baltimore. Forget it. Jackson wasn't going to sign with the Orioles unless they were willing to exceed executive vice president Dan Duquette's three-year comfort zone. And I never was given an indication that they were prepared to do it, especially for the money that Jackson had sought. The Orioles weren't going to give him $15 million per year. Once it became apparent that agent Scott Boras would seek a one-year deal and send his client back into the free-agent fray next winter - a strategy that has worked for Boras in the past - the Orioles were officially out of the running. As I kept saying, pitchers like Jackson and Roy Oswalt aren't going to view Baltimore as the ideal destination when trying to pad their stats and become more attractive to other teams. The American League East isn't a desirable spot, and it looks a lot worse from the basement. Jackson reportedly turned down a few multi-year offers, so today's decision is a gamble. He's a .500 pitcher with a career 4.46 ERA and 1.476 WHIP whose stuff doesn't match his output. But he could win big in D.C. and really strike it rich next winter. The Nationals have an abundance of starters and could trade John Lannan, who will be paid $5 million this season after losing his arbitration hearing today. They still don't know who's playing center field. I fully expect the Adam Jones trade rumors to start up again. At least the Edwin Jackson rumors and speculation will subside. He's off the board - for one year. NOTE: According to multiple reports, the Indians have reached agreement on a one-year, $3 million contract with free-agent first baseman Casey Kotchman. The Orioles had some interest in Kotchman while attempting to add another hitter to their lineup. blog comments powered by Disqus Rocket Fuel

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