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|2011-07-05, 23:32
|Link #101
Comfortably Noxious
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Between the Forest and Shadow Temples
Age: 22
Considering how far the story has come, I'd say episodes 1-58 WERE great, but are no longer because the current episodes are absolutely fantastic. I'd say that by Episode 230, the story becomes more addicting than narcotics, not that I do drugs mind you XD.
I mean; it starts off as an adventure story, kinda kiddy in certain perspectives, save for the language and blood. Eventually, the anime breaks the shonen barrier and flourishes into a genre which really can't be identified...
Oh, and people in the world where One Piece takes place can be fragile like us, or ridiculously strong, somtimes they look it (Bartholomew Kuma, Edward Newgate, Urouge ect.) Sometimes they look like average people (Zoro, Mihawk, Luffy, Sanji, Kid, and on)
|2011-07-06, 07:23
|Link #103
lost ronin
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: in the recesses of my convoluted mind...
when i first saw one piece i thought it was the most idiotic series i've ever seen. the art looked strange and the characters were too quirky for my taste. so i stopped and decided it wasn't for me. but over the years i kept hearing about how good it is and one day, someone from this forums managed to convince me to try it. so after several years since i first saw it, i picked up the manga and to my surprise, i actually loved it! i loved it even more than any series i've read or seen before.
what's so good about one piece? the writing. oda is one of those rare gems who could weave a story that's completely whimsical and yet make you believe that it's possible. his writing is not perfect, of course, but for a critical reader like me, i see very few flaws in it. his story is actually full of adventure, drama, action with very serious and heavy themes and yet he delivers it in a way that is light and refreshing. his dialogues are simple but direct. his characters are complex yet you could relate to them as if they're ordinary people. and his art designs, though initially strange-looking, are actually unique and beautiful on their own. his story might be long but it gets better with age. it starts off slow but once it picks up pace it never stops and you're in for the ride.
|2011-07-06, 19:25
|Link #104
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lucasville-McDermott,OH
One Piece is awesome! what's so good about one piece? the show. I love to watch the show! his story might be long but it gets better with age. it starts off slow but once it picks up pace it never stops and you're in for the ride! Sometimes they look like average people (Zoro, Mihawk, Luffy, Sanji, Kid, and on)!
|2011-07-09, 17:12
|Link #106
Join Date: Jul 2011
well. I'm first discover One Piece from buying volume 3 & 4(Ussop arc) and I just like it..
not stereotype character, adding some humor, and endless ending possibility... its the best!!
well, I agree with other... read/watch until arlong park arc. its the best part!!
|2011-07-18, 14:13
|Link #107
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: nyc
|2011-07-19, 00:13
|Link #108
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Behind You!
Age: 27
if you ask me, there are other anime that has a story much better than one piece,,,
but my heart still chose one piece,,,, its epic!!!
also, the lessons in life that i've learned from one piece is the thing that I wont forget,,
no other anime can beat one piece for me,,
|2011-07-22, 16:29
|Link #109
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Suburban DC
One Piece is great Shonen Action Adventure, with emphasis on adventure. Oda's fanciful designs and ideas seem like something out of a children's storybook, but then you have straight action movie type badassery with the fights and grandstanding.
The story is more detailed and well thought out than expected for something so light, various subplots occur in tandem even if it takes FOREVER for it to move sometimes.
The characters are fun on their own, but are best as a team, I don't think any one character towers above the rest in terms of charisma, both in the Straw Hat group and outside it.
The story is also brimming with humanity. Not just the whole, "believe in yourself and your friends and dreams will come true" or "always give 100%". One Piece stories sometimes address heavy themes like slavery, family, discrimination, hardship and prejudice and societal conflict particualry in backstories of the characters, making them seem much more real and giving the world more weight and believablity. It's kinda Tezuka-ish in a way and I think helps earn praise of people who aren't into simple shonen brawlers.
The manga is great from a story telling perspective, Oda's work just gets bigger and grander in scope with each passing year, yet it doesn't collapse on it's self and has strong continuity. (I first witnessed his great story telling skill during the Alabaster story, my FAVORITE). However, it's never heavy and always welcoming to newcomers (relatively speaking, you'll miss out on some finer details if you don't read from the beginning though).
Art wise..................wow I am conflicted. Oda's early work was FANTASTIC. Low on texture, shading and details sure. But his designs were ALWAYS unique and crazy and fun, his layouts were dynamic and expresions and poses were very powerful much different than most shonen jump work I had seen, or manga in general. You could really see the DBZ influence as he really channeled the power of Toriyama into his drawings.
By the 200s (chapters), his work becomes more detailed. Particuarly in backgrounds. His designs are still awesome, but his pen line is kinda stratchy and not varied enough. He lost his most powerful asset, IMPACT THROUGH CLARITY. With all the effects and details and same level lines, it's hard to tell where figures end and foreground/background begins now. Layout is chaotic and poses/figures aren't quite as dynamic as they used to be. His latest work is stiff and kinda clumsy thanks to bad line choices, all he needs is an inker like they have in American comics and his stuff would be great again.
Voices, Music are AWESOME. Love the orchestrational soundtrack. In light of the art and clarity problems in the manga, the anime clears things up and sometimes turns up the heat on the battles, making for a much more pleasurable experience.
Admittedly for a long while the animation is frankly terrible, characters are badly drawn and movement is stiff beyond belief (think 70s shows). However, by around the 300s, during the Enies Lobby story, the animation gets better on average. A strong crop of animators show up and really up the ante on certain scenes, fights and episodes. This is magnified during the Thriller Bark, Amazon Lily, Impel Down and Marineford Showdown stories which have some fantastically animated episodes.
Meh, par for the course, filler stories. Fun filler but filler none the less. If you're gonna watch any, start with the 4th (Dead End Adventure), a good standard OP movie, and the first to be at actual movie length. The 5th movie, (The Cursed Holy Sword) is nothing special but good for Zoro fans. Animation here isn't Ghibli but it's decent, frankly it's what the TV series SHOULD be all the time.
However, there are two must see movies IMHO.
6th Movie (Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island) is really cool, darker and moodier than the other films but just as engaging with an interesting story. Animation is FANTASTIC too. Lastly, there is the most recent (Strong World), probably the best OP film due to the story and design and main villian (although for me it's a tie with Omatsuri). Oda had a big hand in the production and design of the film along with providing the story and it shows.
Make no mistake, OP ain't high art, it's shonen for godsakes. But it does everything at least a little better than it's competition and has a unique and funky style with epic story and lovable characters. It's been 15 years, but the franchise is still just as fun and engaging as ever.
|2011-07-25, 14:46
|Link #110
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 1431 Highland Drive
Art wise, very interesting. This kind of artwork should be introduced to the DC and Marvel universes.
Another category that should be added are video games which also have original characters such as Blyue with the Mini Mini no Mi.
|2011-07-25, 22:26
|Link #111
lost ronin
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: in the recesses of my convoluted mind...
|2011-07-27, 01:27
|Link #113
lost ronin
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: in the recesses of my convoluted mind...
|2011-07-29, 07:51
|Link #114
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: U.S.
Shonen JUMP isn't the only Shonen magazines, though it is the most popular and action-oriented. There are at least 10 other shonen magazines (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly/quarterly) most notable are Weekly Shonen Sunday from Shogakukan, Weekly Shōnen Magazine from Kodansha, Ace series from Kadokawa, and Monthly Shonen Gangan from Squre-Enix.
FMA is a shonen because it is serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan from Squre-Enix. Personally I still like OP more but I do agree that the story of FMA is borderline shonen and at first glance is more incline to most Seinen story, though at its core it is still a Shonen.
But in addition to Oda's control of his story, and the way see seems to be able to control his reader's emotion at well, I love the chaotic nature of his art. As wacky and crowded it is, not many shonen artist has the control of the panel as he does and the way he fill his panel seem closer to current Seinen action and older (80's) shonen action. I love the way how his art seems to jump out of the panel compare to Bleach (past couple year) and Naruto (after time skip). Might be because of my age, but I find other Shonen Action lack the soul (for lack of better term) in it art after a while but somehow OP kept it going for 13 years.
And not to mention the guy's brain is a gold mind filled with new designs and ideas. Everytime the SH gets to a new place, I'm always in awe and amazed as they are at the sight of view. From Arabasta to Skypiea to Water 7 to Shaobody, even Little Garden, Drum Island, Amazon Lily looks freakin' awesome. And tha't not even mention the characters, as weird as they may be sometime, everyone of them is unique and distinct.
But serious, it is incredible the way Oda able to keep expanding his world and has yet to lost control of it. Too many time you see artist expand his setting and world only for it to fail apart completely or cause once great series to fell into mediocrity (or worse), yet Oda has find a way to keep everything in control, at least so far and that by itself is incredible. And toss in his ability to seemly toy with reader's emotion at well, sometime I can stop but wonder what kind of mangaka he could be if ever decide to so more Seinen type stuff and not confine himself to Shonen rules, not that there is anything wrong with Shonen.
Last edited by Undertaker; 2011-07-29 at 08:15.
|2011-12-17, 00:32
|Link #116
lost ronin
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: in the recesses of my convoluted mind...
|2011-12-17, 00:56
|Link #117
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Somewhere
As much as I enjoy One Piece (currently it's my favorite along with Medaka Box), it does follow a lot of Shonen conventions. It can be a matter of taste; sometimes One Piece may be too over the top or silly for some people. Because it's such an expansive plot, it can be hard to sit through all the way. Some sagas are admittedly more interesting than others.
For me, the characters became a lot more likable as the series went on. While they retain their silly flaws, they do grow as the story goes on. Oda really makes the world come alive with the various historical and mythological references. The animals of the One Piece world are all eccentric. There are some twists which hold you to the story, and I think it's better than the other two of the Big Three.
|2011-12-18, 14:22
|Link #120
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
One thing i like about one piece is that it has revelations that are actually capable of surprising me. Seriously, with most other shounens like Bleach, narutop and a lot of the odler ones, there haven't been that many surprises. Sure they'll reveal something i did not know, but reveal just gets a real "meh" reaction from me; the reveal is either not that epic, or i just plain don't care about what's being revealed. With One piece however, some of the reveals throughout the series have been able to floor me; I get a real "Holy Shit!" reaction"... and that's why I never read one piece spoilers, so i never have a chance of spoiling a good surprise... unlike Naruto and bleach where i know any surprise they deliver will not be all that surprising.
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Title: Paradise Kiss V 1
Author: Ai Yazawa
Publisher: Vertical
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of studying for her college entrance exams. Sadly the prospect of subjecting herself to a meaningless dull life leaves her feeling depressed about the future. In a bout of frustration, Yukari begins to ignore her courses and she begins to hang out with a group of fashion design students. But what Yukari doesn't know is that this circle is known as Paradise Kiss, and they are run by a pair of young designers already making their mark on the Asian scene. Furthermore, while her life is going to soon change, it will not be due to the elite political or commerce based future her family may have hoped for, instead her life may eventually be set in a world of high fashion, with her strutting down the catwalk as the face of Asian fashion!
How lovely to see Paradise Kiss back in print after so long! This series, Peach Girl, and Marmalade Boy are directly responsible for my love of graphic novels. During the hey-day of the US manga craze, there were so many wonderful books being released that it was hard to keep up with them all. There was also a lot of garbage hitting store shelves, in such an overwhelming wave, that buyers couldn't keep up. Then the recession hit, and it was bye-bye to several of my favorite publishers. CMX's demise hit me the hardest, because DC's imprint had licensed some unique titles, and many of the series that I followed were being released by them. When Tokyopop shuttered, I actually became so discouraged with comics that I started reading prose books again. Am I bitter that I will never see the end of I Hate You More Than Anyone or Kamui? Am I upset that Silver Diamond and Demon Sacred were never competed? You betcha! That's one reason why I was so happy to see ParaKiss back in print with a new publisher. This is a timeless story of a high school girl's coming of age, with fun characters and gorgeous illustrations. It deserves to stay in print, and since it's been ten years since it was last published, there is a brand new audience out there just waiting to discover it.
One thing that I love about Ai Yazawa's storytelling style is how she sprinkles humor into her plot when events get emotionally intense. There is so much drama, drama, drama, which I love, and then all of a sudden there is this marvelous little blast of humor – either a joke from one of the characters or a humorous visual to ease all of that tension, just a little bit. It is more evident in NANA (speaking of which, what happened to NANA?), but there are small glimpses in this first installment of Ai Yazawa's classic romance. I enjoy the contrast to the heart-stopping tension, and look forward to seeing how she'll maneuver her characters from emotional trauma to eliciting an chuckle from the reader.
In ParaKiss, Yukari is a high school senior with a lot of her mind. She is cramming for her college entrance exams, and she doesn't have time to get involved with a bunch of weirdos from the local fashion school. Once she meets charismatic George and is caught under petite Miwako's charm, she has no choice but to model for their fashion show. There is so much change in Yukari from the opening chapter, where she is risk adverse and single-mindedly intent on her studies, to the end of this volume, where she is fabricating lies for her parents so she can spend more time with her new friends in their basement studio. She is finally starting to assert herself, and to reject her mother's stranglehold over her. Finally, there is something that she cares enough about to fight against the carefully planned path her parents have laid out before her. Is it in her best interests to get caught up in the lives of these creative and impulsive people? Probably not, but the rush of being with them is intoxicating, and she's not willing to let it go.
George is so far over her head that I worry for Yukari. He is jaded and worldly, while she's lived a very sheltered life. No friends, no boyfriends, few connections outside of her family. George is like a blazing torch, and she is drawn, against her will, to his brilliance. As I read the book this time around, I sympathized more with her confusion over her feelings for George. She's not accustomed to expressing her feelings or hanging out with a guy, and everything that George does sets her world on end. He is intense and self-confident, and he rushes head-first into everything that life has to offer. Yukari isn't prepared for a guy like George, and now that she's caught his attention, she isn't sure how to keep it fixed firmly on her. All of the emotional ups and downs of that first relationship are intensified by George's vivid personality. She doesn't stand a chance against him, and I kept wondering if he was just dicking around with her from the moment he met her.
I love the art. Ai Yazawa's delicate, detailed character designs are distinctive and beautiful. The clothing is also stunning, but how can you possibly have a story about fashion designers and have everybody wearing ugly clothing? You can't, and the clothing take on a life of their own.
If you enjoy drama and that pulse-pounding confusion of first love, give this series a shot. If you enjoy comics with beautiful clothes and beautiful characters, give this series a shot. If you are interested in manga and haven't read any of it yet, this is a good, short (3 volume) title to get you started. It's still as pretty and as moving as it was 10 years ago. As always, Vertical's presentation is top notch, with a new translation and a bigger, bolder trim size than the previous version.
Grade: B+
Review copy provided by publisher

subset: commoncrawl


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Picture 6 of 8
Jim Carmichel's David Miller Co. rifle. Jim, noted Outdoor Life Shooting Editor who replaced Jack O'Connor in that position, wrote that after more than two decades of use since sighting in the rifle, the point-of-impact was still where it had always been. Photo by Mustafa Bilal
These rifles from the book Custom Rifles: Mastery of Wood & Metal by our sister publication Gun Digest are enough to make any gun geek drool!


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RxVote Campaign Night #2
Sep 17, 2008
from 06:00 PM to 08:00 PM
|SHAC Wednesday Clinic
|Contact Name
|Jonathan Wells
|Add event to calendar
AMSA is taking part in a national non-partisan campaign this fall to improve the health of all Americans by increasing voter registration and the civic engagement of both health workers (this includes us) and patients, especially those coming from underrepresented communities. As medical students, practically what this means is that AMSA nationwide will be working through community health centers, clinics, and hospitals to reach out with voter registration. You can read more about the campaign here (http://www.amsa.org/rxvote/).
AMSA@UNC will be doing our part in RxVote campaign by registering voters every Wednesday night at SHAC until the October 10th deadline. We will be setting up a table from 6-8PM each evening in front of the clinic with voter registration forms and participants will be on hand to answer any registration questions and to collect completed forms.
You do not have to be an official AMSA member to take part in this important community service and civic duty!
If you are interested in participating in the RxVote Campaign, please contact Jonathan!


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posted March 6, 2012 at 02:01 amHey, while on my boat, I was on Paul and Storm's podcast along with my fellow webcartoonists and Paul F. Tompkins. ĀThey've put that podcast up on the Internet now for you to enjoy! ĀSo enjoy it. Or else. Also I guess I'm in Joel's comic again.
Tagged: leslie, robin desantoTweet


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An Unencrypted Look at FileVaultby FJ de Kermadec
When Apple introduced Panther and its 150 new features, who would have thought that FileVault, an extra-strength security technology, would raise so many questions and lead to so many debates?
Indeed, many reviewers have written about it and many troubleshooting or technical pages have been published. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the technology that powers FileVault, about its effectiveness and safety.
Over the course of this article, I'm going to walk you through FileVault and try to explain how it works, and what it can (and cannot) do for you. In the end, I hope that it will help you answer one important question: "Should I use it?"
The Competition
Related Reading
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
Before talking about the FileVault technology, let's say that there are indeed many ways to encrypt the data you store on a hard drive. Some laptops even provide you with an extra button that takes care of that.
But these features are often extra unneeded buttons that trigger proprietary software that triggers special commands -- in other words, they are not fully integrated into your workflow and can cause many issues.
The strength of FileVault lies in the fact that it is fully integrated into Mac OS X, at the lowest level: the operating system itself takes care of performing the tasks on the fly, without relying upon add-ons.
In fact, the "building blocks" that power the FileVault system have existed in one form or the other since the first release of Mac OS X and, therefore, have been tested by many users. Some of them, such as the disk-image mounting system, have undergone a face lift and have been improved with the Panther release, but one cannot say that Apple uses new and untested systems.
How Does FileVault Work?
When you use the Security preferences pane to turn on FileVault for your account, Mac OS X places the entire contents of your Home folder into a safely encrypted disk image. It then takes care of encrypting and decrypting data on the fly, making the process transparent to most applications, which won't even realize what's going on.
FileVault uses a special disk image format: USDP or SPARSE. These files have a .sparceimage extension. Their specificity is that the resulting volume expands as needed to accommodate more data without requiring you to manually create a new image and copy data back and forth -- or requiring the system to do so.
When you log into your account, Mac OS X mounts the encrypted disk image in place of the regular Home folder. To access it, applications use the same path and, therefore, do not change their behavior.
In fact, the "magic" of FileVault really lies in the way the filesystem mounts the image, making it look and act as if it were a folder, normally located in the hierarchy. A closer look at the vault reveals that it is in fact a volume mounted at the root level of your computer -- like other disk images, in fact.
Whenever you work on a file that is stored inside of this disk image, you will work in a protected encrypted environment where files are never written in an unencrypted form. Given the fact that most applications even store their user-related cache files or auto-saves in your Home folder, you do not have to worry about data leaks as much as you would with other systems that can give a false sense of security.
As soon as you log out, the disk image that was taking the place of your regular Home folder is unmounted, and all of your data is "swallowed" into a single file, the disk image file that contains the virtual volume.
At this point, your data cannot be retrieved. It is of course stored in this file, but secured by 128-bit encryption.
To other users, your home folder has become a single disk image file that is visible, just as your regular home folder would be. However, to access its contents, they would have to know your FileVault password.
Against Which Threats Does FileVault Protect You?
If your laptop is stolen, it's easy for a malicious user to peek inside of your hard drive. Even with extra firmware passwords, they can crack open the case, extract the hard drive, copy it to another computer on which they have administrative access, and scan its contents.
Once your hard drive has been copied to another computer, it's less able to defend itself. In more technical terms, the UNIX permissions scheme that was set up on your Mac does not apply anymore.
This is where FileVault enters the scene. Even though it doesn't prevent hackers from accessing the hard drive and reaching the Home folder, it does make the contents of Home a pile of nonsense, unless they can crack the encryption or guess your password -- more on that later.
Of course, the rest of your hard drive is not encrypted, and malicious users will be able to access it easily. However, no personal information should be stored outside of your Home folder unless 1) you use some strangely written applications that do not respect the Mac OS X architecture or 2) you chose to save sensitive data in a non-protected area manually.
In a nutshell, FileVault prevents others from accessing the data stored in your Home folder while you are not logged in.
Threats Against Which FileVault Cannot Protect You
Some users have turned on FileVault, thinking that it will protect them against hackers or viruses by encrypting their data.
However, it is important to keep in mind that, as soon as you log in, Mac OS X decrypts the data so that you and your applications can access it. Therefore, once you are logged in, a hacker or a virus can steal information as easily as when it is not encrypted.
To protect yourself against these threats, you should use an updated anti-virus application, a good firewall, and secure passwords.
Note that this is not a design flaw. There are other safeguards built into Mac OS X (such as the permissions system) and FileVault was not designed to protect you against hackers and viruses.
Also, FileVault in itself does not protect you against laptop theft. You should still take every possible measure to ensure that your computer is physically safe. When traveling, be alert -- especially at airports, when going through security checks or in waiting lounges. At home or in your office, always use a security cable or lock your computer in a safe.
How Secure Is FileVault?
FileVault is in fact a very secure system, designed for professional users who use their computers for a specific purpose -- and not for everyday general entertainment.
The encrypted disk image it relies on uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (or AES), widely considered to be fast, strong, and secure.
More cryptography information may be found in the excellent O'Reilly book Web Security, Privacy and Commerce, by Simson Garfinkel and Gene Spafford.
Of course, the weakest part of the encryption scheme is the password that you choose. Indeed, it should be a strong one, consisting of as many different characters as possible and as long as possible. The good news is that, in Panther, the Keychain utility includes a built-in "password checker" that can analyze the password that you suggest and criticize it.
Also, for maximum efficiency, you should turn FileVault on before you copy any data back to your computer after the installation. Indeed, this will not only make the process faster but also ensure that no data remains on the hard drive (even if it is not available through the catalog any longer) and could be retrieved in an unencrypted form by a "recycling" utility.
Of course, you should also turn auto-login off. Otherwise, your FileVault would open immediately as soon as the hacker turns the computer on! It sounds silly, but a few users don't always think about this when they get ready to travel. To turn this option off, you can use the Accounts and Security preferences panes, available through the System Preferences application.
Provided that you use a real 128 key, you can pick it from 3.4 x 10^38 different keys. According to Apple, when the system is used at its best, it could take as long as 149 trillion years to crack such a key on a computer able to recover a DES key in a second. Pretty impressive, huh?
Pages: 1, 2


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HDFL - The run of impressive wins finally ended for CKS Swifts after suffering a 57 point loss to Edenhope-Apsley in their Horsham District Football League preliminary final clash at Natimuk on Saturday.
After defeating the Saints three weeks ago and with few changes to the team over the past month, Swifts would have been confident that this year they could go one further than 2011 and have a tilt at the premiership.
Kicking with the breeze, the Baggies got off to a promising start with coach Paul Hanns booting the opening goal of the match.
Saints responded minutes later, with Dylan Vanzini taking advantage of a teammate's kick that dropped short.
Ricky Whitehead was at his damaging best through the middle and kicked Swifts second goal, while Hanns added another major.
Scott Carey, who was coming off a best on ground performance the week before, hassled his opponent and roved the ball through for a goal to help Swifts to a 19 point lead at quarter time.
Hanns lauded his players for a 'really good start' but outlined what Swifts needed to do to maintain the lead.
"We need to get numbers around the footy and forwards get in front - work to get that front position. Backs and midfielders - be smart and get numbers to where the ball is going to go," Hanns said.
However, the first quarter was to be the Baggies highlight for the afternoon.
Edenhope-Apsley scored quickly, with Vanzini getting the better of Jakob Davis while Bernie Kealy was keeping Swifts forward Jeremy Joiner quiet.
The Baggies struggled to get the ball going into their forward 50 and a goal to Addison Milner saw Saints hit the front midway through the second term.
Swifts only score in the second quarter was a behind to Carey. The Baggies had no answers to the challenges thrown at them and two quick goals saw Saints take a 29 point lead at the main break.
The margin blew out to 35 points after a goal to Vanzini in the opening minute of the third quarter before Julian Carr booted the Baggies first goal in 50 minutes of play.
Whitehead and Liam Nuske kicked successive goals to peg the margin back to 17 points and it looked as though Swifts were going to mount yet another comeback.
Hanns urged his players at the three quarter time break to 'play with passion and give something back to the supporters.'
It just wasn't the Baggies day though, with Saints piling on six unanswered final quarter goals to run out winners 16.12.108 to 7.9.51.
Swifts president Robert Carey said Edenhope-Apsley 'were just too good.'
"They took advantage of the wind in the second quarter and played a very smart game once they got in front," he said.
Mr Carey singled out defender Owen Phillips, in his 200th game for the Baggies, as playing one of his best matches.
"Owen didn't do a thing wrong," he said.


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Rather than try to match the Kings' defensive prowess, Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau is positioned to double down on his team's potent scoring ability Thursday night in Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference semifinals at Staples Center.
With Anaheim trailing the series two games to none, the Ducks on Thursday morning promoted offensive-minded defenseman Sami Vatanen from minor-league Norfolk, and Boudreau said Vatanen (six goals, 15 assists in 48 regular-season games) could play.
"He's an option," Boudreau told reporters Thursday morning. "He brings more of an offensive game, if we decide to go that way. Power-play guy."
The Ducks ranked second in the NHL with 266 regular-season goals, and have scored three times or more in half of their playoff games.
The Vatanen move follows Boudreau inserting forward Kyle Palmieri (14 goals, 17 assists) in place of rookie Emerson Etem, who was shipped out to join Norfolk in the American Hockey League playoffs in Newfoundland.
Additionally, Boudreau has kept defensive-minded forward Daniel Winnik on the bench, relying instead on hard-shooting Jakob Silfverberg.
In this series the Kings, who allowed the fewest goals of any NHL team during the regular season, rallied from a 2-1 deficit with seven seconds remaining to win Game 1 in overtime, then won, 3-1, Monday, with goalie Jonathan Quick making 36 saves.
"They're not making it easy," Boudreau said. "They're a great team. That's why they won a Stanley Cup two years ago, because they're very good defensively. That's not a very easy house to crack. We're trying what we can do, and hopefully … they'll work."
Boudreau and the Ducks are seeking an early lead, saying they're prepared for an intense opening 10 minutes, expecting the Kings to doggedly pursue a 3-0 series lead.
In the first round the Kings became only the fourth team in NHL history to recover from a 3-0 series deficit and advance.
The Kings have thus far kept Anaheim's first-line stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry goal-less.
Kings defensemen Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin and Coach Darryl Sutter said they were keeping a sharp eye on the duo, given their talent.
"We can do a better job against Getzlaf's line, I don't know why people think they aren't playing well," Doughty said. "We need to spend more time in their zone."
Sutter said, "Ryan Getzlaf, in this series, has outplayed us, we need to be better against Ryan Getzlaf."
Vatanen, meanwhile, said the flight from Newfoundland lasted nine hours. He arrived in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon.
"Let's go and have some fun," the jovial Vatanen, 22, said. "I try to make some jokes with the boys, relax the feeling here. I hope I bring that and some energy."
Asked if the jokes went well, Vatanen cracked, "I think so, look at them, they're all smiling."


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DRC home :: Events :: Feedback :: Wallpaper :: Advanced Search
HERSHEY, Pa. -- The 46th Annual Banquet Northeast Division Awards Banquet
Special Recognition - NHRA Northeast Division Sponsors - Lucas Oil, Summit, JEG's, Sony & PC Richard& Sons, MXI Industrial, Select Performance, Glick Fire Equipment, VP Race Fuels, Classic Auto Body, Royal Pet Cremation, Hoopes Fire Protection, R Champlin Crane & Excavating, Havis, Micro Strategies.
12th Annual Northeast Division Distinguished Service Award - Steve Rhoads
Image of Youth Award -Vinny DiMino
2012 50th Year Anniversary Award - 2012 marked the 50th anniversary Maple Grove Raceway and Quarter Aces Dragway. Congratulations on 50 years of success!
2012 National Dragster Contributor Award - Pete DeSalvo ESTA Safety Park
National Dragster's "Be a Winner/Be a Member" - Atco Raceway
NHRA JDRL Eastern Conference Finals
2012 Northeast Division JR. Dragster Championships
8-9 Year Old - Cody Drummond - US 13 Dragway
Northeast Division Summit ET Finals
VP Race Fuels Race of Champions
Street Winner - Paul Werner - Maple Grove Raceway
Luzerne County Community College High School Challenge
High School Champion - Austin Argoe - Cecil County Dragway
Summit ET Finals Eliminator Champions
Street Champion - Ed Talbert - Mason-Dixon Dragway
MX Industrial/Magnaflux Top Sportsman Shootout presented by Select Performance
The top three point's earners are:
MX Industrial/Magnaflux Top Dragster Challenge presented by Select Performance - 2012 MX Industrial/Magnaflux and Select Performance returned as sponsors of the class.
The top three points earners are:
Pro Stock, Inc. Pro Stock Snowmobile - 2012 was the third year for this exciting class. This series features 1000 cc snowmobiles racing heads-up on a pro tree.
The top three points earners are:
Northeast Division Annual Awards
Northeast Division Person of the Year - Claire Laterza
Wrench of the Year - Phil Szupka/ Frank Aragona, Sr
ET Driver of the Year - Vinny DiMino
Driver of the Year - Lincoln Morehead
Best Supporting Sponsor - PC Richard & Son
Dragstrip of the Year - Atco Raceway
Hall of Fame
Tonight's inductee is very familiar to every racer in the Northeast Division. As the perennial Announcer - Bob Frey has been a great ambassador to NHRA Sportsman Drag Racing.
JEG's All Stars
TAD - Karen Stalba
Northeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Lucas Oil National Champions
Lucas Oil Division Standings SST 1 - Chris DePascale 2 - Casey Grubb 3 - Don Garbinski SG 1 - Mike Sawyer 2 - Matt Schurman 3 - Jason Kenny SC 1 - Alan Kenny 2 - Jason Kenny 3 - Chris DePascale Stock 1 - Donald Pires 2 - Donnie Carroll 3 - David Ficacci SS 1 - Lincoln Morehead 2 - Joe Santangelo II 3 - Bryan Worner Comp 1 - Frank Aragona, Jr. 2 - Sal Biondo 3 - Szeve Szupka TAFC 1 - Todd Veney 2 - John Anderika 3 - Eric Lourie TAD 1 - Rich McPhillips 2 - Dan Mercier 3 - John Finke


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In light of recent violence, the Meridian Housing Authority is cracking down even more on crime.
Housing authority officials and police met for the second day in a row Thursday to develop an even more effective strategy to address the problem.
"Public housing is safe in Meridian," said MHA
executive director, Ron Turner.
Turner says that's the bottom line. Four full-time Meridian police officers serve as liaisons for MHA. They patrol the agency's 9 sites throughout the week. Turner says the problem is not public housing residents.
MHA officials also say the recent crimes that have occurred in and around public housing sites have been random and because of that, they're hard to anticipate.
Furthermore, they stress that many of the perpetrators have not been residents, but instead, outsiders coming in wreaking havoc.
"These are individuals who have basically been banned from our property, but they still have come on our property," Turner said. "We're making plans to beef up our liaison security with the police department."
Currently the Meridian Housing Authority has 307 individuals on its 'Banned List.' Most of those are banned from the Eastern Gardens complex.
"We have some plans in place to look at the possibility of doing guard shacks and hopefully receiving funding so we can have somewhat gated communities to eliminate some of the traffic flow," said Turner.
In the meantime, Turner says it's important for MHA residents to report all information that they know about criminal activity on the property to city police.
"It's going to take everyone," said Turner.
Other proposals being considered to make public housing in Meridian more safe include: enhancing security lighting, increasing the number of police liaison officers, providing more enrichment programs for youth and implementing one-way streets in some areas.
MHA officials say when these and other proposals take effect will be determined by the agency's budget.


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Discussion in 'The Bar' started by baltimore mike, Dec 17, 2012.
5 schmoopy
4 bearscat
3 chriza
2 bm
1 hal
another list i'm not on.
maybe next time.
Did you vote yourself #2?
2 outta 5 is correct.
Scatty and The Chriz
Thought we were bros????
HAL is less than a God, but more than a man
lambert would be number 6
Still a fag either way
BM used to have a crush on Bro but he calls Bro a fat Reggie now because he ignores Mike and his advances.
That list actually goes in order from fat to thin
fuck that yonkers freak
Wait a minute, it makes sense.
My text buddy


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New commitment to enabling access to technology and capacity building will help smallholder farmers in developing countries.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Syngenta International AG to support agriculture and food security activities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Under this MOU, USAID and Syngenta will further collaborate in research and development and smallholder capacity building, working with key agriculture and food security partners including scientists, entrepreneurs, policy makers and other donors. Syngenta and USAID already work together in many countries and will broaden their relationship through this MOU.
This commitment advances agricultural development and food security goals set by developing country governments and supported by USAID through the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future, which is part of the U.S. contribution to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.
As announced in May 2012, Syngenta has committed to invest over $500 million over 10 years in Africa. Under the MOU, Syngenta and USAID together will build the capacity of smallholder farmers to adopt and safely use technologies that increase their yields through training, demonstrations and other approaches. With USAID, Syngenta will work in specific New Alliance countries and explore ways to increase growers' use of technologies in crops such as potatoes and will expand smallholder access to tools such as crop insurance and seed treatment.
"Every night, nearly 870 million people in the world go to bed hungry," said USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. "Scaling the adoption of innovative technologies like drought-tolerant seeds and crop insurance can build the foundation for sustainable food security. By strengthening our partnership with Syngenta, we can reduce hunger and undernutrition across three different continents and help bring the end of extreme poverty within reach."
"Our collaboration with USAID is part of our ambition to enable a worldwide step-change in farm productivity," said Mike Mack, Chief Executive Officer, Syngenta. "Public private partnerships such as this, drawing on the strengths of each party, will be catalysts for transforming agriculture by improving knowledge and technology in farming especially in developing markets."
Announced by President Obama at the 2012 G-8 Summit, the New Alliance is a shared commitment between African governments, G-8 members and the private sector to work together to accelerate investments in agriculture to improve productivity, livelihoods and food security for smallholder farmers. Feed the Future is the United States' contribution to this global effort. Feed the Future supports countries in developing their own agriculture sectors to generate opportunities for economic growth and trade, particularly for smallholder farmers, many of whom are women.
Last year, the U.S. Government's Feed the Future initiative helped more than 7 million food producers adopt improved technologies or management practices that can lead to more resilient crops, higher yields, and increased incomes. The initiative, led by USAID, also reached nearly 12 million children last year through nutrition programs, which can prevent and treat undernutrition and improve child survival. To learn more about Feed the Future, visit www.feedthefuture.gov.
Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 27,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.


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The DeKalb Women's Club will hold its first meeting for 2013-2014 on Oct. 4.
Officers for the coming year are: Co-presidents Paula Bryner and Judy Maxwell, vice president Rosalie Hewitt, secretaries Joan Richoz, Audrey Bowden and Linda Liston, corresponding secretary Donna Deegan, treasurer Margaret Phillips and director Ellen Engstrom.
The club is a women's service organization that awards scholarships to graduating DeKalb High School seniors and offers support to local community organizations as well as Heifer International and SMILES.
The club meets at 1 p.m. the first Friday of the month from October through May in the fellowship hall of Trinity Lutheran Church in DeKalb. A variety of programs are planned for the year.
For more information, call Paula Bryner at 815-754-0661.


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News Feature
Originally published in Island Ad-Vantages, July 5, 2012
New hires approved for Island schools
Architect reviews library renovation plans
by Jessica Brophy
At the Monday, July 2, regular monthly meeting, the Community School District school board approved several new hires for the coming school year.
School board member Stephen York said there were "fine candidates" for every position. All three hires were unanimously approved.
Deborah Ladd was hired as a fifth-grade teacher. Ladd has served for several years as a principal, and "decided her first love was working with students," said elementary school principal Mike Benjamin. Ladd was hired at a salary of $55,646.
Kimberly Thomas, a graduate of St. Joseph's College, has a BA in education and will work in the middle level as a reading teacher. Thomas was hired at a salary of $30,709.
Katharine Fodnaess was hired as the K-12 nurse at a salary of $52,162. Fodnaess is also trained and certified as a math teacher, though there are no immediate plans for her to teach within the school.
The board also approved a reduction in force, terminating the position of half-time certified librarian Marcia Schatz (3-1, York). A half-time library aide will be hired.
Early renovation plans for the library
Architect Mike Sealander of Sealander Architects shared initial designs for a library renovation. Sealander was hired at a sum of $4,000 to design the two-phase plan and to oversee the first phase of renovation.
The plan is part of an overall effort to transition the library from study hall and book space to a multi-media hub for the school.
Much of the conversation centered on the library's mezzanine, which is currently unusable due to state fire laws.
The mezzanine is tricky, explained Sealander. It needs to be slightly smaller to conform with state regulation. Sealander recommended reducing the size of the mezzanine, and removing the large center spiral staircase and instead using a straight staircase against the east wall (farthest from the library entrance). This would "open up" the space, said Sealander, who also suggests low stacks and enlarged windows as part of the overall renovation.
York raised concerns about access for students with disabilities. Sealander explained that the mezzanine would house the server room, and several computer stations currently required for some standardized tests. The space would also be used for computer-intensive group work, said Sealander. The space will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but will not include a lift for students who are wheelchair-bound or unable to climb stairs. Instead, explained Sealander with the support of technology coordinator Markus Ford, accommodations will be made for any students on the ground floor of the library. Several testing stations will also be set up on that floor as well. Sealander said any funds dedicated to reducing barriers for those with disabilities might be better served in other capacities, such as bathroom renovations or other renovations.
Pilot behavior rubric discussed
Middle-level math teacher Josh Frost and special education teacher Billy Voisine shared the new "Behavior Rubric" developed by a committee with teachers and administration, with the help of Stan Davis, an expert on anti-bullying efforts. The rubric standardizes infractions and spells out specific consequences.
"We're focusing on actions that may cause harm," said Frost. "We can't use the word 'bully,' we need to focus instead on specific actions."
The behavior rubric classifies incidents as high, medium or low potential for harm. Incidents were classified for the rubric based on student input from a survey completed by students in grades 2-8.
"This will place everyone on a level playing field," said Voisine, who said there currently are some inconsistencies from classroom to classroom.
Board member Skip Greenlaw asked about extending the new behavior rubric to the bus. "I think there are a lot of problems on the bus," said Greenlaw. "At least, that's what I hear from my grandkids."
Superintendent Robert Webster said discipline on the bus is handled by the bus company and any changes to that would need to be part of the contract with the bus company. Greenlaw suggested that Webster look into the issue.
Empty English class issue resolved
A recommended .33 reduction in force of high school English teacher Lee Lehto's position was voted down unanimously at the June 14 CSD special meeting.
The reduction was recommended by administration when a course of Lehto's failed to enroll any students. A class size policy passed earlier this year said any high school elective enrolling less than five students would be cancelled.
At the July 2 monthly meeting, the board terminated Lee Lehto's continuing contract upon her resignation. Lehto has accepted a teaching position at George Stevens Academy, according to a press release. Marion Austin, whose teaching position had been reduced to one U.S. history class, will take over for Lehto, bringing her to full time teaching status. Austin is qualified to teach social studies and English courses at the high school level.
Other business
York, who requested a task force be started to explore the issue of multi-age classrooms, suggested turning the issue over to the new superintendent and asking him what support or information he would need to start looking into multi-age classrooms. York said he wants to hear back by October on the issue. The board agreed unanimously.
The board awarded a bid for heating fuel to Eaton Oil company at a pre-buy price of $2.929 on the condition that was the net delivered price, as there was some confusion about whether the bid included all taxes and delivery fees.
The bus fuel contract was awarded to R.L. Greenlaw with a 20-cent markup. The current "pay as you go" price is $3.58 per gallon. The milk bid was awarded to Garelick Farms.
The board meets next on Tuesday, August 7 at 5 p.m. at the high school.


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The Deluxe Dome Top Bird Cage has a super tough baked on powder coat finish that is 100% non-toxic and bird safe!
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Inside, you'll find 3 stainless steel feeder cups and a perch, removable seed catcher and most importantly, plenty of room for your bird to spread his wings. Additionally, your Dome Top Deluxe Cage comes with a convenient stand that is easy to move, since it comes with rolling casters. Available in Small and Large and Three Designer Colors.
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Chattanooga City Council Chairman Yusuf Hakeem released a strategic plan outlining the priorities of the council that identified reducing crime, repurposing vacant city property, promoting small business, finding additional revenue sources and supporting vocational education as key priorities.
Seven of the nine-member City Council started their first terms in April and met in a strategic planning session late last year, according to a news release.
"Each City Council is different and it is important that we make the most of our time together as a legislative body," said Hakeem said in the release. "Through the process of developing a strategic plan, we have focused our attention on the issues that matter most to our individual districts and how those interests affect the City as a whole."
The City Council adopted a new mission statement: "To promote an ethical, inclusive environment which enhances and sustains the well-being of the people," as well as a shared vision statement: "To be the regional center for economic development accomplished through innovation, sustainability and partnerships, creating a dynamic environment in which to live, work and play," according to the news release.
Mayor Andy Berke noted that the council and his administration are committed to improving all aspects of Chattanooga.
"Whether it's ensuring safer streets, smarter students, a growing local economy, stronger neighborhoods, or a high perfoming government, we each have a role to play in the success of our great city," the mayor said in the release.


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Next week is a relatively quiet one, but as one of those few releases is the splendid-looking XBLA action-RPG Bastion, I won't complain. Hardcore strategy fans can look forward to Supreme Ruler: Cold War, deranged comics fans can get movie tie-in Captain America: Super Soldier, I guess, and Smurfamaniacs are treated to, ah, The Smurfs Dance Party.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel also arrives, but only on consoles. As is frustratingly becoming common with publisher Ubisoft, the PC version has been quietly delayed by several months with no explanation as to why. It's now expected in September.
Here's the list of next week's releases:
- Runespell: Overture (download)
- Supreme Ruler: Cold War
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
- Call of Juarez: The Cartel
- Captain America: Super Soldier
- Dead Block (PSN - $9.99)
- Fast Draw Showdown (PSN - $9.99)
- Bobby Carrot Forever (WiiWare - $8)
- Captain America: Super Soldier
- Just Dance Summer Party
- The Smurfs Dance Party
Nintendo 3DS
- Antipole (eShop - $4.99)
- Kung Fu Dragon (eShop - $1.99)
- Trollboarder (eShop - $1.99)
- Antipole (DSiWare - $5)
- Captain America: Super Soldier
- Kung Fu Dragon (DSiWare - $2)
- The Smurfs
- Trollboarder (DSiWare - $2)


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BILLERICA -- On a night when selectmen voted to maintain the largest property-tax shift allowed by state law between residences and businesses, the bulk of Monday's meeting's energy revolved around a heated debate of whether to change board policies and procedures following last month's failed Town Common redesign proposal.
Selectman Dave Gagliardi drafted a report outlining the proposed changes, which would include censuring any member if he or she is found to have "persuaded or in any way interfered" with the authority of any department head or subordinate.
Another proposed change includes banning the introduction of any information presented at a meeting that was not first provided in members' packets, unless a majority of the board votes otherwise.
Lastly, Gagliardi also proposed a measure that would require board members to first contact the town manager prior to reaching out to town counsel regarding any inquiries.
Selectman Mike Rosa was the most vocal opponent of the proposals, as they appeared to suggest his actions were what forced Gagliardi's hand.
Last month, as selectmen were debating which day of the week would be most suitable for the Town Common referendum, Gagliardi introduced two memos penned by Town Clerk Shirley Schult indicating her preference to hold the townwide vote on a Monday.
At the same meeting, Rosa introduced an internal email Schult sent to Town Manager John Curran that showed her staff would not be opposed to holding the vote on a Saturday.
Rosa accused Gagliardi of intentionally "bypassing" the third memo, but Gagliardi responded that he was unaware of the internal email until Rosa introduced it at the meeting.
Once Monday night's meeting adjourned, resident Virginia Musker approached Gagliardi and accused him of singling out Rosa. Gagliardi said his proposals were not about Rosa, and that he "didn't just pull this idea out of thin air."
Rosa called the proposals "divisive," and said it would do nothing but "pit board member against board member."
Monday night was the first reading. The proposals will be read and debated again when selectmen meet on Dec. 17.
In other news, the average homeowner can expect to witness an $87 bump on their next property-tax bill after selectmen voted unanimously to endorse Chief Assessor Rich Scanlon's recommendation to keep the highest business-residential shift allowed under state law.
It will be seventh straight year in Billerica for a 175 percent shift, as Scanlon explained that the measure has a lower impact of any alternative on current rates.
Pending authorization from the state Department of Revenue, homeowners can expect to pay $14.31 per every $1,000 of assessed value in their next tax bill, an increase of 39 cents over the current rate.
Business owners can expect to pay $32.89 per every $1,000 of assessed value, a bump of 96 cents.
Follow Evan Lips at Twitter.com/evanmlips


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Valerie Harper is "getting pretty close to a remission," but it is likely only temporary and she is still dying, her doctor says.
"I'd say that we're getting pretty close to a remission. It defies the odds," neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeremy Rudnick, Harper's physician, is seen telling the actress in a clip from an NBC documentary about her cancer battle, set to air Sept. 19.
Harper said in the program, which was previewed on Thursday's edition of "Today," how she underwent traditional chemotherapy, as well as having acupuncture and drinking medicinal Chinese tea to slow the disease's progress.
But Rudnick explained the cancer will probably "develop resistance to the therapy" and "it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."
"Going from having three months to live, or less; we're into our sixth month, and now there's even hope beyond right now we're looking at ... " said Harper's husband Tony Cacciotti.
"We're looking at Christmas!" added Harper.
Since announcing her diagnosis, Harper has published a memoir, taped an episode of "Hot in Cleveland" with her former "Mary Tyler Moore Show" cast members and starred in a TV movie.
TMZ reported Wednesday she also is to compete in the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars," although neither Harper nor the show's producers have confirmed her casting.
"Life is about buying time," Rudnick said in the documentary.
Harper is best known for her work on the sitcoms "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda" and "Valerie."


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The Emergent Digital Practices program at the University of Denver brings together art, design, media, culture and technology studies in a hands-on, collaborative environment.
EDP is currently accepting M.A. and M.F.A. applications for the Fall quarter 2013. Priority consideration for admission and financial assistance will be given to those who submit complete applications by January 20, 2013.


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Inspired by the scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" where the body cart is being pushed through the city during the plague as the mortician cries "Bring Out Your Dead". As one man ambitiously tries to deliver a not quite dead elderly man to the cart hilarity ensues. Here's a look at who's being (or has been) written off for dead in the sports world, and what the final prognosis might be.
"I'm Not Dead Yet" – Despite reports to the contrary these guys are not dead yet, but may have one foot in the proverbial grave and another on a banana peel.
Cam Newton – Superman has become the Super-Sulker but he's not dead yet, not by a long shot. Still there are plenty of reasons to be concerned. Newton's post-loss body language has been unbearable. We can all appreciate that the kid wants to win, but he'll have to do some growing up before he can become a leader of men. Cam took everyone (including himself) to task in the wake of the Panthers most recent defeat, but mostly seemed to point fingers at his offensive coordinator. Newton is looking for a game plan that authors blowouts but will sooner or later have to learn that life in the NFL doesn't work that way. In 3 of his 5 losses this season, Cam has had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game in the final 5 minutes. If he intends to be the star he's being cast as, he'll need to get comfortable in those situations. It'd also help if Newton stopped shaking off teammates' efforts to celebrate TDs with him while clearing out space to do his ridiculous Superman dance.
Cam Cameron – Sticking with Cams, reports of the demise of Cam Cameron might be a byproduct of Ravens fans wishes more than anything else. In the wake of the Ravens most recent disappointment against the Houston Texans however, another long and introspective look at this offense might be long overdue. Cameron was "under fire" by owner Steve Bisciotti last season and managed to survive. There's no reason to believe the Ravens will make a change before seasons end, but in the event that it doesn't end in the Super Bowl, this season could very likely be Cameron's last.
Maurice Jones-Drew – Remember MJD calling out Jay Cutler a couple of seasons ago for surrendering during the playoffs due to an MCL injury that didn't look that serious on TV and didn't require surgery. Last week in a game the Jaguars lost in overtime to a less than spectacular Oakland Raiders squad, MJD watched from the sidelines while nursing a foot injury that didn't look that serious on TV and that apparently won't require surgery. This on the heels of his extended and controversial holdout from training camp while trying to earn a new contract or force a trade won't buy Jones-Drew much empathy as he watches from the sidelines for the next couple of weeks at least.
Lance Armstrong – Maybe the Lance Armstrong fiasco will give us a long overdue chance to examine ourselves. He lorded over a sport that was rampant with doping and drug use, and while he adamantly proclaimed being above it throughout his once storied and undeniably dominant career. Now having given up the fight and having been stripped of all of his career accolades Armstrong also finds that those who rode his coattails to success and fortune aren't set to stand by him in the hard times. It's still impossible to ignore all of the good that Armstrong has done in his career, and it seems only a matter of time before he'll inevitably bounce back in the court of public opinion…but it doesn't look like it'll be terribly easy, or any time soon for that matter.
Dirk Nowitzki – Just as the world was ready to close the book on the legacy of Dirk Nowitzki he surprised everyone and cemented that legacy by winning an NBA championship. He backed it up however by showing up for a lockout shortened NBA season the following year out of shape, and now looks ready to miss at least the first few weeks of this season as he recovers from ankle surgery. It may now be safe to close the book on Nowitzki's NBA legacy. It appears he got that title just in the nick of time.


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User talk:Snake yo!
| This is the talk page for User:Snake yo!. Please leave a message.
Always sign off your messages using four tildes (~~~~ ) to automatically add your signature.
Hi, welcome to Grand Theft Wiki! Thanks for your edit to the User:Snake yo! page.
Please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! -- Gboyers (Talk) 20:21, October 26, 2009
Hey. Welcome to GTW. A few things I wanted to point out. You don't need to edit each section individually - you can see you edited the SAPD page loads of times. Just hit the edit button at the top of the page, and you can edit the whole thing in one go. You can also press the "Preview" button instead of hitting save every time. Think of the save button as "I'm finished editing, publish my edits". You don't need to tell us every page that you clean up - but if you think it's good enough, you can remove the {{cleanup}} tag from the top of the page just by removing that bit of code. Hope that helps! Gboyers talk 21:20, December 3, 2009 (UTC)
- No problem. Don't forget to sign your talk-page comments using four tildes (~~~~). Also, with the SAPD article, it doesn't really need information on wanted levels (that is at Wanted Level in GTA III Era) - it should have descriptions and screenshots of the vehicles, officers and buildings. Reckon you're able to help? Gboyers talk 21:38, December 3, 2009 (UTC)
- It's just a suggestion - you could always just write the descriptions, and use images we have already. Look at the Police Car etc, and maybe some images you could use in articles like San Andreas, Las Venturas etc. Gboyers talk 21:48, December 3, 2009 (UTC)


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Giclee fine art print of my visionary impressionist style painting entitled Cosmic Life Tree. This art print is a visionary impressionist landscape, which is based upon a cosmic view of the tree of life.
Paper: Printed on thick 10mil matte fine art paper with archival pigment-based inks.
Size of Paper: 8.5" x 11", 13" x 19", or 17" x 22"
Size of the image is slightly smaller than the paper size and varies by the dimensions of the original painting.
Watch this video to see a 360 degree rotating view of my prints and learn more about my printmaking process: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KrystleCole?ref=hdr_shop_menu#about
It is EASY to find a frame for this art print!! 8.5" x 11" or 13" x 19" frames can be found online and in stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. 17" x 22" frames can be found on amazon.com. There is a thin white border around the image, so no matting is necessary. Simply place the paper print in the frame.
About the Artist: My name is Krystle Cole. I am a visionary impressionist painter from Wichita, KS. I actively exhibit my paintings in regional and international exhibitions. I focus on creating colorful paintings of cats, dogs, surrealist landscapes, and abstract paintings.
1-2 business days
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
I package my fine art prints in clear archival poly bags. Then, depending on the size, I either ship the print rolled securely in a tube or laying flat in a bubble pack envelope with rigid mat board supports. All orders are insured and will be replaced if damaged during shipping (but this rarely happens!).
I package my original paintings with extra care. Each painting is wrapped in wax paper, then a layer of foam wrap. After which, it is sandwiched between two sheets of cardboard and secured with tape. This cardboard/painting packet is then wrapped with bubble wrap. It is placed in a heavy duty cardboard box that has at least 2 inches of space around the painting where I add more bubble wrap and/or bubble bags. All orders are insured. I've shipped all over the world and never had a painting damaged in transit (knock on wood!), but if it were to happen, I could paint another similar piece to replace it or refund the order total.
I love to paint custom pet portraits :)
More info on pricing, sizes, and turn around time can be found here: http://www.krystlecole.com/commissions
I make each print as it is purchased. So, if you need a print with specific dimensions that I don't offer in my listings, I'm happy to provide a custom print that will fit your frame or wall space. Please message me to order. Prices will vary depending on size.


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Just to make sure everyone here followed the same procedure I did. The new battery trick...its not really a trick. That was actually explicitly listed as a REQUIREMENT in the instructions for flashing the firmware. Canon was fairly explicit about the fact that the firmware upgrade would not fully "kick in" until the camera was powered off and the battery removed for a little while.If you flashed your 7D and have not yet powered it off and removed the battery, do so now. It is a required part of the upgrade procedure.
You can roll it back
Micos the latest version is 2.0.5, should you not try that first before downgraded?Regards


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From start to finish, the Bachelor of Arts Completion Program provides an unparalleled experience that helps you do more for your career, family, and community.
Non-credit classes offer diverse, interesting topics from politics to the arts, nature to technology. Stimulate your mind and reawaken your curiosity−all for the love of learning!


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|9 years ago :: Apr 29, 2009 - 4:51PM #1
Has God given up the right to punish through giving free will? If so, there is no hell.
It is said that God gave man free will.
This to me, means that God gave man dominion over himself and over the earth. Without any restrictions or coercion from Him.
The idea then that He would mean that we must do as He says or go to hell cannot be a true concept if the term free will is to mean anything.
If we as parents give or allow our children to have freedom when they leave our homes, then that means that we give up any right or responsibility to punish them.
To keep things simple, let us say that the rules of my home includes making the bed.
I notice when visiting my children in their home, that they have chosen not to make their beds.
I then would be out of line to reprimand or punish them for not making their beds. They are free to do so or not if they have free will.
This seems right. It is no longer my place as a father to punish them. They are free and have dominion over themselves.
God then should not and would not hold a hell over our heads to demand compliance to His rules.
Is free will with consequences from God, hell for non compliance, free will at all?
Is being free to only follow His rules free will?
Has God given up the right to punish free men?
Do we truly have dominion on earth?
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|9 years ago :: May 02, 2009 - 6:31PM #2
There is an ancient tradition which states that all who are in Hell choose to be there.
Another thought, if you jump off a cliff it is not a violation of free will if you fall to your death even if your will was to fly.
And yet another thought, if you follow Satan by following his rules, well Satan may well gain power over you.
"So long as there is squalor in the world, those obsessed with social justice feel obliged not only to live in it themselves but also to spread it evenly."
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|9 years ago :: May 04, 2009 - 9:55AM #3
If faced with a God then any that would not obey and chose hell would likely be insane.
If God is not there to give his commands then to not obey hear say is normal.
It is to the one who cries wolf to show the tracks or the shit.
It is not to others to prove that there is no wolf.
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|9 years ago :: Aug 06, 2009 - 2:46AM #4
First, let me send you a greeting of peace (as Salaamu Alaikum / Shalome Alaikom).
Secondly, Thank You For Posting That Question. Very good question! Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. Free Will...God's Punishment...yeah, let's get to the bottom of this, shall we?
What we call God (The Almighty Creator or The Creative Forces) is very serious about Man having free will. So serious, in fact, that their will be no intercesion or intervention. You have the freedom of choice to do what ever it is that you wish. You are not forced into submission of God's will. Nope. It's a very clear thing; the subject of free will has no limits. The only thing God wants us (the created beings) to do is follow the commands and laws that were sent via Angelic beings and prophets. And hey, even if you don't believe in any of that, there is still universal law that we all have to live by. It doesn't even matter what you believe in. Universal Law is something we can not get around no matter what. What's universal law? Karma...simply put. And then there is the whole "cause and affect" law too. Oh!...I almost forgot about this one; Love. Love?...you may say just like Tina Turner, What's Love Got To Do With It? Well, all of the other universal laws are based on Love. They have to be in order to do God's Will. And that's why God will never stop you from doing whatever you want to do. Because you can't fake your way into the heavenly realm. Nobody can go through the motions and get into the heavenly realm with God. Your heart and mind must be in accord with the will of God. We all have fallen short of God's will. But that does not mean that we should give up. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE KARMIC DEBT AND THE FIRST CAUSE.
Now, as far as punishment goes, we do have to deal with that at the end of all our running around on this Earth doing whatever we wanted to do. That is something you don't have to worry about until all of existence is over and done with.
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|9 years ago :: Aug 07, 2009 - 12:16PM #5
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|8 years ago :: Apr 23, 2010 - 7:23PM #6
God doesn't punish, because God doesn't judge. See John 5:22 "The Father himself judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the son.
It is not in the nature of God to punish, but only to love.
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|8 years ago :: Apr 23, 2010 - 9:25PM #7
You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? 8Do something to show that you have really given up your sins. 9And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. 10An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.
38"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
41"He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."
Jesus came not to judge, but to healed the sick. Once they know the truth and still do wicked, then they'll be judged.
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|8 years ago :: Apr 25, 2010 - 9:52AM #8
In Christianity the Father is the son. Monotheism means one.
Reincarnation is not a Christian dogma.
Who is your God?
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|8 years ago :: Apr 25, 2010 - 9:54AM #9
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|8 years ago :: Jul 03, 2010 - 1:14PM #10
I would proffer the observation there can be no free will within the dominion of Omniscience. Nor can there be when sacred texts outline, per those writings being said to be authored by god, rules of conduct and punishment for non-compliance to said rules.
Therefore, I believe what salvation defines is that one is seeking to be saved from god. That creator of heaven and hell who applied the curse of sin upon the first born of his creation that Omniscience would know would come short of it's glory and expectations in the garden. Thus, to seek to be saved is to seek to be saved from the god that made one a born sinner and being Omniscient and Omnipresent can not be Omnibenevolent when it is also the Omnigenetic (creator) of hell.
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Developing Innovators: Licensing & Entrepreneurship at Stevens
There are students at Stevens Institute of Technology who are able to see their dreams come to life and – while still in school – have a stake in a company interested in developing their ideas.
The Stevens Entrepreneur and Enterprise Development Program (SEED) bolsters the next generation of technology innovators by blending a technical education with first-hand commercialization experience.
"Most universities in the United States follow a philosophy of straight licensing a technology as soon as it shows any promise," says Malcolm R. Kahn, Vice President for Enterprise Development & Licensing at Stevens. "What we have been working towards is actually trying to take the technology out of the laboratory and prove its efficiency in the field."
The idea for SEED was born out of Stevens' Technogenesis® program, which promotes innovation, creative thinking and applying ideas to real life situations that can help solve the challenges today's world faces.
For the students who participate in the program – undergraduates from the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science and Howe School of Technology Management – it is a chance to learn practical skills and thinking rather than curriculum from a textbook. It is a real chance to blend a business education and technology development.
SEED is an 18-month program that begins with the junior year where students work for credit and have a full-time internship with a company where they work directly with a CEO, and are engaged in the development of a University-created technology followed by the testing of a product in the field for real customers and eventual marketing.
"This is a total engagement program," says Kahn. "The creation of knowledge and the dissemination of ideas are important. We have de-risked the process and created value to provide these real work experiences for students."
Over the last decade the SEED program has seen improving success and Kahn cited two startups that were developed at Stevens.
The first is ID8 Systems, which was developed by five technology students and four business students and implemented initially within the University. ID8 is an active stock market and collaborative exchange that is tailored to the needs of an organization. It operates like a real stock market and is based on each employee selectively using their initial simulated back-roll to IPO their own ideas and invest in the ideas of other employees. The system creates an environment of collaborative innovation that is both competitive and inclusionary. When it was first tested inside Stevens, Kahn said they had a 40 percent participation rate among students and it is now being presented to other universities.
The second company to be developed by Stevens is InStream Media. It is a sophisticated suite of algorithms and Internet applications based on psycho-linguistics, information theory, and advanced text mining that can identify deceptive text contained in emails, social networking sites, blogs, SMS, advertisements, and more. Accuracy rates are typically over 96%. The product can also identify author's gender from text among other advanced space-time text analytics.
"We can tell if people are telling the truth or not, of if they are embellishing," explained Kahn.
Kahn cites the tangible benefits of this program in how the students who participate have an extra advantage when searching for a job. They can cite working with a startup company, where decisions are made at light speed and mistakes are made and then fixed quickly, proving versatility and a passion for entrepreneur work.
"We are developing innovators. So much of the world is focused on pure research, but research doesn't become an innovation until it solves real world problems. That's what we're doing," explained Kahn.
Currently the company has an iPhone application and continues to work with original equipment manufacturers to add the service to their products.
There are students working on senior design projects hoping to create a spinoff company. One of those is called CADeyes, which has created site and contour maps and as-built drawings of both exterior and interior of building structures. Kahn said it has potential to help both real estate companies and construction firms.
"After we are able to prove it beyond just an experiment in the lab, we can actually increase its value three to five times," says Kahn of the overall SEED program.
Stevens continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and education through the Enterprise Development and Licensing program by giving students interested in engineering and business a chance to immerse themselves in a program.
The alternative is for students to just take classes, learn software or designs and then go into an industry where they are simply told what to do.
"We do not want to create engineers alone," said Kahn. "We want entrepreneurs and innovators who will take their skill and turn it on a product and hopefully wind up running companies."
As proof, Stevens is proud to count a large number of CEOs among its prestigious alumni. Graduates also rank high among job recruits.
As technology management grows as a field so does the desire of employers to count fresh, innovated, creative workers among their ranks. Those graduating from the SEED program already have experience managing not only products but also people.
There is also a noble effort on behalf of Stevens through SEED to bring some semblance of manufacturing back to the United States. Kahn, in a recent interview, said he believes it is what the country needs move forward.
"You can't generate wealth and growth without looking at technology," he said. So, Stevens is giving the country just that with experienced graduates.
From undergraduates to PhD candidates, the Enterprise Development and Licensing program is teaching students to use their applications in the real world and to solve the important problems facing citizens.
"Engineers build things and engineers solve problems," said Kahn. "We are offering students the chance to learn about technology that grows the world."


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but unlike his position during the investigation of President Clinton and of the allegations that he lied under oath and violated the law, Senator McCain doesn't think that the Bush administration's breaking the law and null and voiding our treaties should be investigated or punished.
Apparently, in Mr. McCain's world as well as in other GOPer's, it's only unlawful when a DEMOCRAT violates his oath of office.
Here is John McCain in his own hypocritical and outrageously partisan words:
"But we are not asked to judge the President's character flaws. We are asked to judge whether the President, who swore an oath to faithfully execute his office, deliberately subverted--for whatever purpose--the rule of law," - John McCain arguing for the impeachment of Bill Clinton for perjury in a civil suit, February 1999.
"Anyone who knows what waterboarding is could not be unsure. It is a horrible torture technique used by Pol Pot," - John McCain, October 2007.
"We've got to move on," - John McCain, April 26, 2009, reacting to incontrovertible proof that George W. Bush ordered the waterboarding of a prisoner 183 times, as well as broader treatment that the Red Cross has called "unequivocally torture."
So let's get this straight: John McCain was a defender of the rule of law when Mr. Clinton lied under oath about sexual misconduct, but believes we should "move on" concerning the issue of the Bush administration breaking the law and torturing.
There is no defending this rank hypocrisy and stupidity.
More hypocrisy, this time from John Boehner:
House GOP leader John Boehner has called on the Obama administration to release unspecified intelligence documents that supposedly will demonstrate that torture has been effective.
But Boehner won't say whether the CIA should release a key classified report that is said to find no proof that torture foiled terror plots, according to his office.


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Georgetown will head into its next fiscal year with a balanced budget that requires no tax increase for residents.
Georgetown will head into its next fiscal year with a balanced budget that requires no tax increase for residents.
The Town Council unanimously approved the roughly $6.1 million budget at its April 10 regular meeting.
Resident Tony Semeraro thanked the council for steering clear of a tax increase.
"I think what it projects is good stewardship, but also stability, especially for the business community," Semeraro said. "That's something we can trumpet a little bit, because it shows we're trying to use our resources wisely while we're still improving the town."
The initially proposed budget showed a projected deficit of $385,839, which was eliminated by several changes made by the council earlier this month.
On the revenue end, the council agreed to a $100,000 reliance on real estate transfer tax funds. In previous years, said Town Manager Gene Dvornick, the town's reliance on this fund has been zero. The council also agreed to use about $117,000 in sewer impact fees to offset debt.
To cut expenses, the council removed from the proposed budget a new part-time receptionist position and several vehicles requested by town department heads.
The town's 2 percent spending cap was also eliminated.
"We had instituted a couple years back that, as a town, we would not appropriate any more than 98 percent of our anticipated revenues," Dvornick said at an April 8 budget workshop. "We've not been able to do that as of yet, due to the economic downturn."
The current fiscal year ends on April 30, and the new budget goes into effect the next day.
During the budget process, the council received updates on Georgetown's past, ongoing, and future infrastructure projects, some of which are taken into consideration when the town allocates its funds.
Water Service Line Replacement
The $2.2 million water service line replacement project, which is intended to address main breaks and leaking service lines, has been completed. The project, which began in August 2012, was funded by a loan through the Delaware Division of Public Health's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The loan approved for Georgetown comes with no interest and the principal was forgiven entirely at the completion of the project.
South Railroad Avenue Well and Treatment
The $1.5 million South Railroad Avenue well and treatment project is currently underway. An existing well located next to Sussex Correctional Institute that has high iron levels will be abandoned for a new well on South Railroad Avenue, in an area with lower iron levels. Dvornick said the town has conducted testing to identify locations for the wells; however the wells have not been drilled and the treatment facility has not been constructed. It is unclear as to when this project will be completed, but Dvornick said a pre-construction meeting at which the project will be discussed is scheduled for this week. This project is also funded by a loan through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, therefore its principal will be forgiven upon completion.
King Street Water Treatment Upgrades
The $3.3 million King Street water treatment upgrades project is currently in its design phase. The upgrades will bring the water treatment plant into compliance with more stringent, state-mandated quality standards proposed to take effect in 2014. Dvornick said work will not begin on this project until the South Railroad Avenue well and treatment project is complete. This project is also funded by a loan through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, therefore its principal will be forgiven upon completion.
Inflow and Infiltration
The $1.7 million inflow and infiltration project has only made it through the initial study phase. The project will address additional flow into the town's system from storm water runoff and groundwater infiltration through leaks in pipes. Because replacing all of Georgetown's sewer lines will cost far more than $1.7 million, Dvornick said the town is "doing a little bit at a time" and is focusing on problem areas. The lower cost fixes, Dvornick said, will be completed and the town will figure out where to go from there, depending on its money situation. Of the $1.7 million that was approved by residents in a December 2010 referendum, $839,000 is a grant and the rest is a loan that must be repaid.
Meter Replacement
Funding leftover from the water service line replacement project has been approved by the state for use to replace the town's water meters with models that have a longer battery life. Dvornick said the town will replace meters until they run out of money. The meters have been ordered, installation should begin within the next two weeks, and the project is anticipated for completion by July 3.
Margaret Street Improvements
The $199,700 first phase of the Margaret Street Improvement project is expected to go out for bid within the next two months. Dvornick said the streets sees a lot of pedestrians, but there is no curb, gutter or sidewalk. The project will be done in three phases. The town has been approved for a $139,790 grant from the state's Community Development Block Grant program. The program requires a 30 percent project total match, therefore the town will be responsible for $59,910. The match will come from state municipal street aid, which does not have to be repaid.
Town Hall & Annex
It's been estimated that the town will have to spend as much as $1.7 million to renovate Town Hall and convert the building next door into municipal offices. However, before the town can do anything, a referendum must be held to get permission from the residents to borrow that money. Dvornick said the referendum will be held in the fall of this year.


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DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – Along rows of cubicles at the General Motors Technical Center in suburban Warren, engineers knew for years about faulty ignition switches in small cars. Safety officials in the same complex knew, too. So did the lawyers downtown.
That knowledge loitered inside GM for at least a decade until this February, when the company recalled 2.6 million cars to repair the switches. During that time, at least 13 people lost their lives in crashes tied to the problem. Why that delay happened – and who is responsible – should be revealed Thursday, when a report by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas is made public.
"I think we're going to get some bombshells out of the presentation," said WWJ Auto Analyst John McElroy. "Reportedly, there's going to be executives who are going to be fired in both engineering and policy planning, and in the legal department as well. I think we're finally going to get to the bottom of how this went so wrong for so long."
The report, paid for by GM with the promise of an "unvarnished" inquiry, also will address just how high in the company knowledge of the problem reached. Valukas isn't expected to place blame with CEO Mary Barra. She has denied knowing the details until Jan. 31.
Valukas is expected to find that the problem never reached the highest levels of the company because of GM's bureaucratic structure, and questionable decisions by lower-level employees. He isn't likely to say individuals intentionally covered up the switch problem, though he is expected to recommend that some people resign from the company.
"The real question I think is why did this one problem slip through the cracks, or are there other problems that slipped through the cracks," McElroy said. "During the same timeframe that we're talking about, General Motors did hundreds of other recalls involving all kinds of other issues. So, why was GM very proactive with those and not in this?"
The ignition switches can slip out of the run position, shut off the cars' engines and knock out power-assisted steering. This can make steering difficult and cause drivers to lose control. Congress and the Justice Department are investigating the delayed recall, too. Criminal charges are possible.
Here are three questions the Valukas report will have to answer:
Q: Why did it take so long for GM to recall the cars?
A: Documents show that GM engineers knew about a problem with the switches as early as 2001. GM for a long time contended there was no safety problem because the cars could still be steered manually even if the switch slipped out of position and the engine stalled. Proposed fixes were rejected as too time-consuming or costly – Barra has said that GM had a culture that picked cost savings over safety. A copy of GM's organization chart that dates to 2011 showed safety was four rungs down from the CEO. Experts say that's too low, and the bureaucracy may have stopped the problem from getting high enough for senior executives to take action.
Q: Who knew about the problem?
A: GM already has suspended two engineers with pay for their roles in the case. One, Ray DeGiorgio, denied under oath in a lawsuit deposition having approved any revisions to the ignition switches. But a document released by Congress shows that he signed off on a change to make the switches harder to turn and told the switch maker not to change the part number. This would make the change harder to trace for investigators. Two senior engineers, Jim Federico and John Calabrese, retired from GM after the recalls were made public. Safety reported up the chain of command to Federico, and Calabrese was his boss.
Q: What did Barra know?
A: Barra has said she knew of an investigation into the Chevy Cobalt compact car in December, but didn't know details until Jan. 31, the day GM decided to start recalling the cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reviewed thousands of GM documents while investigating the case, found nothing to counter that. But for three years, safety reported up the chain of command to Barra in her old job as product development chief.
Experts differ on how unvarnished these types of investigations are.
Companies often hire law firms with established relationships to do investigations, and they seldom find fault with management, says Erik Gordon, a business and law professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. After all, the firms want to keep the business, Gordon says.
GM has a long history with the law firm chaired by Valukas, Jenner & Block. The firm was lead outside counsel in GM's $23.1 billion initial public stock offering in 2010. It also was involved with GM's 2009 bankruptcy. In addition, Valukas was lead counsel in a government investigation of pension accounting that ended with no allegations of misconduct, the firm's website says.
But John Coates, a professor at Harvard Law School, says often the only way to get investigation results quickly is to hire a lawyer who is familiar with the company. Corporate investigations don't always conform to the company's strategy, he says. Investigations happen more often now, creating a lucrative business line for law firms. If a firm finds no criminal wrongdoing, but it comes out later, "it is their personal reputation at stake," Coates says.
TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Data integrity first
Multi-threaded code can be complex. With the advent of java.util.concurrent, multi-threaded code can now usually be written at a higher level than was previously possible. However, multi-threaded code can still be complex.
One should likely treat the basic thread-safety of a class as being fundamental. Performance optimizations and "tricky" code should likely be avoided unless they are really necessary.
As usual, when faced with various implementation decisions, one should weigh carefully the pros and cons, such as:
- will the maintainer be comfortable maintaining the code? Would a simpler implementation suffice?
- is each performance optimization really worth it? Has its benefit been measured, and is it significant?
Would you use this technique?