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(Posted Message from dumb Christian bitch and my response.)
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of me .
Latest revision as of 22:38, 30 March 2011
Discussions with Theists
So this girl that is a friend of a friend messages me the following on Facebook because I commented negatively on my friend's pro-Christian status.
feel free to explain yourself... I can see that you are atheist according to facebook and I wonder why? Isn't there soo much proof to show that there must be AT least some form of higher power??... Now, i have a few friends who have become atheist because of the way they have been treated by other Christians. I, myself, admit that there are some Christians out there who are soo judgmental and think of themselves as if they were the big deal. I generally despise those type of people. and find this quite disappointing... :/ and religion overall has become this struggle of defining what rules you need to follow and what things you need to do to in order to be "safe" or "spiritual," in my opinion I think religion itself has missed the point of building a personal relationship with Jesus. To a certain extent is simple... There are so many things to say but this is my little "speech" for tonight. now, i would be glad to hear/ read what you have to say so feel free. I will take no offense to what you say, I promise. OH remember also that I am not perfect and all knowing so I might not even have answers to questions that you might ask... :)
My response to this
I disagree with your friends' becoming atheists on account of the way they were treated. That's not typical of most of us who have actually thought about it. Most of us actually just require evidence that is demonstrable. There is no evidence of a Gods' existence one way or another. You believe because you want to, or it makes you feel good, but you don't actually KNOW that God is there. If you do claim to KNOW that God is there, then I'd have to ask you HOW you KNOW He is there. You are an atheist too, if you are being honest, to every other of the THOUSANDS of other Gods that have ever been worshiped by people on this planet. The difference between us is I go one God further. Don't you think it's quite arrogant of you to claim that YOUR GOD is the ONE TRUE God? Except you're not really claiming that because none of you worship your God anymore... Most of you worship Jesus: A man. 'But he's also God,' one might claim and indeed he does say that "My father and I are one," but they are still separate beings. Catholics believe that he LITERALLY is God in the flesh, but that's even more ridiculous to me. Basically what it gets down to it, you are believing in God, because somebody else told you to, and if you don't you'll get to burn for eternity in a place called Hell, which didn't exist in the Old Testament by the way. I wonder if that has something to do with your Zombie Holy Man Jesus.
I said, that your God has a sense of humor, because if your religion is at all true... Which if we're going by the bible, it is clearly not the case. It has been blasted out of the water every single time in terms of standing up on its on in science. I digress... If your religion is true, then your God must have a sense of humor, because he requires that you believe in Him with no evidence, except a book, which has countless other books just like it, and is not backed up historically by any other culture anywhere at any time BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER! He also requires that you obey him and his rules without question and also makes it such that you could do this without realizing it (at least if we pick and choose like all modern Christians do), but still get sent to Hell because you didn't accept Christ.
Your God is an idiot too. It's funny how he didn't have any knowledge beyond that of the people of the age huh? Anyways, any ALL KNOWING ALL POWERFUL being that makes a system as such that evil wins by default is absolutely evil himself or just plain fucking batshit stupid. (You can not be both omniscient and omnipotent, it doesn't work. You would have to be one or the other, and you think your God is both and also omnipresent [presuming you're a typical Christian]). Look, just take into consideration that there are 30,000 different sects of Christianity alone. And YOU think YOUR flavor is right? Cute.
I know based on the bible, that your God is evil. He kills more people and causes far more suffering than Lucifer/Satan, and for very poor reasons if any at all. The God of the Old Testament is completely abhorrent, and very obviously NOT all powerful like He and Christians, claim He is. He made us in his image, correct? He saw that we were "good" as with everything else he created out of nothing (which you can neither demonstrate nor prove, and even if you could, you would then have to explain how God got here), am I right? And He is all-knowing and everywhere at all times yes? Then He KNEW when He made humans that the serpent would trick Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit (which you would think would not exist at all, or be far out of reach of the humans, were your God truly loving), so if He knew we would fall, and MADE IT SUCH THAT WE HAD TO, then your God is the evil one. No God of mine, is one that would have me apologize to Him for being the way He supposedly made me, and expect me to live up to a standard that we will NEVER be able to stand up to. That is EVIL. No person should be told that they aren't good enough, not ever, no matter what. If you tell me that I am full of sin by being simply born, then FUCK YOU. You are the one casting judgment on me before I have even done anything or even laid eyes upon you. And don't hide behind your BOOK and say it's your God's judgment, not yours, because IF YOU BE OF HIM AND ALL OF HIS LAW, THEN YOU TAKE IT AS YOUR OWN BY DEFAULT.
You claim you build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but you do not and will NEVER have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. See, the thing with relationships, PERSONAL, relationships, is that they have to be two-way. You can't one-way street that motherfucker. You could say that his words from fuck-all are where you draw this "relationship" from, but that is still not a relationship. You need to be able to ask the other person in the relationship questions, which you can do, but they also must be able to answer, which Jesus cannot in all cases. If you do hear a voice in your head when you pray, I seriously suggest you get help, because that is a serious mental illness.
And I know that no matter what I say, it's not going to rock the boat with your belief, with all probability. That's also why I didn't put anything on that status anymore. (The main reason was that I didn't wish to hurt anybody.) The problem with you people is that you don't listen to any other point of view, at least not openly. You aren't going to question your faith because of me using logic. This is because it is founded deep in your psyche, and emotion. I recommend you read the bible cover to cover, and don't make excuses for your God when he claims the lives of innocent people.
No just person/being, takes the life of someone for another persons' crimes. That is exactly what you claim Jesus did. I believe that if there is a God, then good people will receive reward, and I also believe that God would look better on somebody like me, who takes their actions in the course of his life as my own. I DID THAT. I cannot say that I did not. And if I was wrong, then I should take the punishment I deserve. However, your God punishes us for eternity for finite crimes. That's also Evil. You however, believe that as long as you accept Jesus, that you will get into heaven, because he's already taken your sins on himself. Well, that's cute, but where's your accountability? Also, this was done thousands of years ago, you had no say in the matter, so to say that anybody owes Jesus anything is complete and utter bullshit. If the God of the Bible turns out to be the true God, I would sooner spit in His face, than worship Him: though I would be an Atheist no more, because He clearly exists. I would rather BURN IN HELL FOREVER, than BOW before such a disgusting being with no respect for human life whatsoever and a moral code that both you and I, are superior to.
If you believe that your God is always loving, then explain why He kills at all. I just can't see how death and destruction is GOOD. How is it good for those He destroyed? Find the good in being killed and tortured for all eternity and justify how the larger percent OF THE WORLD, is destined to be burned forever. EXPLAIN TO ME HOW WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO DESERVE NOTHING BUT LOVE AND RESPECT GET TO GO TO HELL BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WORSHIP YOUR MAGIC SKY-DADDY?!? I'm sorry if I seem a little angry, but I am and have every right to be. Some of my friends believe as you do, and this holds back our friendship. I think we can both agree that if I were to tell you that: you are worthless and will never live up to the expectations of Charles the invisible intangible pink unicorn in my back yard, whom I worship because of the UNICORNIUM (a holy book which explains the awesome nature of Charles), and that Charles will punish you forever and ever after you die without end unless you accept him as your savior and the best looking unicorn in all of the world; I think then we can agree that you would probably take offense and get upset at me at suggesting that there was something wrong with you which you could not even control, AND you'd probably find my belief in Charles to be absolutely ludicrous. That is how I feel about your beliefs and your religion.
I will never tell my children from the day they emerge from the womb of their mother, that they deserve to be punished and are evil and deserve death. I won't tell them that EVER. You may not tell them that at that age, but some do, and even if you don't tell them, it's what your fucking BOOK says. The thing is, you are like most other Christians. You pick and choose the things you like, and skip skip skip over the things you don't. Like that God endorses slavery, rape, murder, and many other evil repugnant acts that you and I are both well beyond supporting. You may claim that I take things out of context, or I didn't read it right. But your God should have been smart enough to make sure to make anything in His ONE TRUE book was written SO WELL that ANYBODY could understand EXACTLY what He meant EVERY TIME. So that there is no disagreement over the exact meaning of this verse here, and this person says it is Z, and this person says it was not Z doesn't ever happen.
If your God gave a shit about us, He might have AT LEAST, done so much as to give us a book that is unquestionably well-written in ANY language and completely impervious and unnecessary for interpretation in the slightest.
Your religion might have more merit if you were all the same brand of Christianity, but as I said, 30,000 different sects (I think it might actually be around 38,000 now, but I know 30,000 has been long since reached). I just cannot believe that anybody still finds the need to believe in fairy tales. Why do adults fight over invisible friends? I am sorry, but I am an adult, and I require testable, empirical, or demonstrable evidence before I am going to claim something to be true or not true, beyond that, I withhold my judgment, even if I will die before any real answer is revealed.
I'm a strong atheist (gnostic atheist) where Yahweh and Christianity, Islam, or Judaism are concerned. However, I am a weak atheist (agnostic atheist) to a God whose properties we do not know and cannot test, but we know Yahweh's properties, Allah's properties, etc...
You can go ahead and think you're better than me and call me a fool. You see, I get a kick out of the foolish calling me a fool. You've been fooled by your religion. Nothing should ever ask you to take your belief in your heart over evidence to the contrary. And that is what faith does. Faith is by definition, Blind Faith. As Martin Luther once said, "Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders".
I don't hate you, nor do I hate Christians individually. I do however despise your religion and what it does to people. And no, not everything is bad, religion does do some good for people, but it does so many times with lies and deceit, and I cannot stand by something that so obviously poisons people. I will tell the truth, even if it hurts somebody's feelings. *Although, in certain situations I will withhold the truth until a more opportune time. (For instance if my grandma didn't know I was an atheist, and she had just had a heart attack and was still weak and vulnerable, I would for her sake not reveal it just then or avoid the question.)*
When I am dead, I am dead. Period. I don't want to live forever. I don't know who thought that up to be a good idea. Seriously, do you want that? I want an end. I don't wish to always be around. I just want to live the one life I have the best I can, make best life I can, spend it with the love of my life, have children, watch them grow and maybe even see grandchildren someday, and eventually die. Would you deny me that because I am not like you? Because I would never deny a person anything because they're not an Atheist.
I believe in people having equal worth in this world, but I do also believe in everybody having superior abilities to one another, but somewhere they cancel out. (For instance one person is an excellent cook but can't make anything useful other than food to save their life, somebody else can't cook anything to save their life, but they can build some useful tools and such.)
Perhaps your friends became atheists for more reasons than just being treated badly, if you ask me, that was just the nudge out the door that they needed to be honest with themselves. After all, many people are closet atheists. At one time, I would have been such that I would have told people that I believed in God for the sake of friendship, because it is a community thing too that people are involved in church etc... However, now I would not. There was also a time when I believed in a higher power, but I now realize that what I really feel when I look at some of the more beautiful aspects of this planet we call Earth, is just the tie that I have with nature and the Earth itself. But I can feel the beauty of a meadow on the edge of a forest on a nice sunny day without the need for a God to be behind it. Yeah, it is what you might call spiritual, but spiritual is not necessarily related to God. It's a feeling. Heightened senses, and the ecstasy of life in your mind, all without the use of drugs, and yeah... This happens. I feel it just thinking about my clearing in the woods with my Johanna where we dance together and are at peace with each other and in nature, but there is no God there and that doesn't make it sad for me. It would do the opposite in fact. I can't imagine the stress you feel knowing that you're constantly being critiqued by an all powerful being that rules you with an iron fist so tight that he'd turn you into salt just for looking back at your former home.
We are ants, and God has a magnifying glass. I said God has a sense of humor. That is because, to God we are nothing more than mindless playthings, an afterthought. At least if you're correct. At least in the bible, God did shit that was demonstrable. Now, when a person breaks any of the ten commandments (or 600-something if you want to be technical) nothing happens, even when they directly provoke God. Nothing happens.
We, us, you, me, people, human beings... We are the ones who matter, who are important, and who make the difference. Not some magical force that was originally intended to explain how the world works like most myths have. Seriously now. We are the ones who have to take responsibility for ourselves, and this world. God isn't going to do it for us because He doesn't exist or is so far beyond us that we are literally as a cell is to us.
I don't really have any questions for you outright. If you want to ask me that's fine. I only ask questions because I try to get people to think, but it fails. You make special excuses for your religion, where in other parts of your life you would not. It's okay to worship somebody who has killed more people than any one person every could. It's okay that this being sends you to a place where you can be burned and suffer for all eternity for finite crimes. It's okay that this God allowed evil to exist... It's okay to forsake other people on the basis of belief alone...
And if you think it's okay for you to do those things, then we cannot be truly at peace with one another, not even individually, unless both parties are ignorant of the others' beliefs. Your religion forbids it.
I am sorry if I hurt your feelings or insulted you personally (although it was likely your religion I was insulting, or hypothetically speaking) in any way as that was not my goal.
You did ask for this. I do hope you'll respond and at least tell me you read this, because I sat here for like two hours. I would at least appreciate that you respond somehow.
This is how she responded to ALL of that.
Hey James, i got your message and I will get back to you as soon as possibly i just need to find time this weekend to re read your message and answer it. I am glad you put your time and effort into this, and to be fair I will do that as well. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me.
She has YET to get back to me and it's been weeks. I WIN.


text: http://www.fightersonlymag.com/content/news/19847-paul-taylor-retires September 20th 2013 Paul 'Relentless' Taylor has retired. The British lightweight pulled out of the upcoming UFC Manchester event this week due to recurrence of old training injuries. Having not fought in over two and half years, Taylor has decided that it is no longer feasible to pursue professional mixed martial arts. Fighters Only has confirmed the retirement with sources close to Taylor's camp and is hoping to speak with the Birmingham man later today. "All his old injuries flared up in training," the source tells Fighters Only. "He's very disappointed not to be fighting on the Manchester card but there's nothing he can do, these injuries just won't go away." Taylor retires with an 11-6-1 record an one no contest. Despite regularly alternating wins and losses he was a huge fan favorite and also a favorite of the UFC top brass because of his fighting style, which gave rise to his nickname 'Relentless'. Originally little more than a pure kickboxer when he joined the UFC in 2007, Taylor went on a steep learning curve and also eventually dropped from welterweight to lightweight. His fights with the likes of Marcus Davis were instant classics. His last fight was with Gabe Ruediger at UFC 126 and resulted in Taylor winning by way of head kick knockout in the second round. If that is to be his last venture in the cage it will stand as a fitting end to his MMA career.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's Hard For Techies Over 40 To Stay Relevant, Says SAP Lab Director 441
New submitter NewYork writes with this chestnut from an article about the role of age in the high-tech workplace: 'The shelf life of a software engineer today is no more than that of a cricketer — about 15 years,' says V R Ferose, MD of German software major SAP's India R&D Labs that has over 4,500 employees . 'The 20-year-old guys provide me more value than the 35-year-olds do.'" The article features similar sentiments from Mukund Mohan, CEO of Microsoft's India-based startup initiative.


text:
The 10 Craziest Looks from Paris Fashion Week
We're not sure exactly where you'd wear some of Paris Fashion Week's spring '13 wild styles.
-PJ Gach
At every fashion week there are clothes that you swoon over and clothes that make you shake your head in wonder. If you saw Zoolander and remember the crazy fashion show in the middle of it… well, these styles surpass those of Mugatu (Will Farrell).
Read on for our picks of the most unusual styles of Paris Fashion Week.
Even the model isn't thrilled that 80s shoulder pads are back.
Read Treat Yourself: Meet Our September Bestselling Designers!
Dries Van Noten
Clown chic.
What aliens would wear, the new Snuggie and more next!
Impasse de la Defense
Will this replace the Snuggie?
Manish Arora
Perfect if you want to look like a Disney character.
Read Cancer Survivor Debbie Merle Designs Vibrant, Go-Anywhere Jewelry
Peachoo + Krejberg
Peek-a-boo, I don't see you!
What to wear when you're hungry and more up next


text:
It is half time in ballet class. After forty minutes of barre work, the teacher tells the dancers to stretch before they begin to work on pirouettes and jumps. On queue, the dancers take to the floor and sit in the ever popular straddle position. Unfortunately, it is likely they will remain in that position until they begin the next combination.
More than just cheering on a football team under the Friday night lights, cheerleading has become a highly competitive sport with routines that include increasingly difficult and dangerous stunts.
During the last decade, the popularity of competitive cheerleading increased dramatically thanks to ESPN-broadcast competitions and popular movies, like the 2000 film Bring It On.
By trade, dancers, musicians and other performing artists are often passionate and exceedingly dedicated to their craft. Therefore, much like athletes, professional and recreational artists have grueling practice schedules and incur repetitive and other injuries. But unlike athletes, performing artists have not had a dedicated rehabilitation team who understand and cater to their unique needs.


text:
Sample answer by USIM LAW undergraduate 1050643
The fact of this case Zarina and her husband, Zarul and both of them are Syafie sect. Zarina at the period of marriage was uncooperative and left her matrimonial home. The issue here, whether Zarina has the right to claimed for Mutaah.
According to section 2 of interpretation Islamic Family Law Act 1984, "mutaah" refer to consolatory gift that is reasonable according to hukum Syara', given to a divorced wife.
Refer to the case Haji Ali v Aishah where the wife had claimed for mutaat after left the matrimonial home by the reason diffirnt opinion with the first wife. On the defence, the husband claimed that the wife refuse to comeback when he applied for it. The learned Judge on this case had made an issues, whether the nusyuz had been applied upon the wife and whether the husband had capability for the mutaah, where at that time he was ill and jobless. Then, the Judge had made the decision by stated eventhough the wife had nusyuz upon the husband, she still have the right on claiming the mutaah.
According to Section 56 of the same act, a woman who had been divorced without just may apply for the court to mutaah.
On the reported cases, the court was held that mutaah is a consolatory gift from the husband to the wife. The wife may claim for mutaah on the divorced which not defect on the part of her, or divorced injustly. The payment of mutaah also is to help the wife on the living after she had been divorced by the husband.
In the other reported cases, the wife had claimed for mutaah after she had been divorced by the husband. On the defence, the husband stated he had been forced to married with the wife as the displinary action on him. The husband also mention that the wife on the period of marriage failed to do the house duty where she can't cook and washing his clothes. The court held, even though the wife had failed on her duty, she still has the right for mutaah as a consolatory gift.
Furthermore, on the reported cases, the wife had made a claimed to the husband. On the defence, the husband mention that the wife also failed to the duty of household where he will keeping his bed room by his own and also the wife had failed for cooking meals on him. By the cause of that, he had refuses to paying the mutaah. But, the court held that, the mutaah is a gift to the divorced wife and she has the right for the claiming.
For the conclusion, by refering those cases and Zarul's case, as a wife, Zarina has the right for the claimed of mutaah upon Zarul where they had living together for a certain period of time. As a husband, Zarul must giving or on his duty to give the mutaah or a consolatory gift to Zarina even though the amount is not too much.
[Marks earned: One (1) out of Twenty (20)]


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Chimney Bluffs: Sculpted By Nature's Hand | News
Even if you have been to this little known park on Lake Ontario, a return visit guarantees it won't look the same.
Chimney Bluffs State Park is one of New York's most unique landscapes, and it's very nature keeps it in a state of constant change. The towering bluffs were carved by erosion both past and present. The hills, known as "drumlins" were initially formed by receding glaciers over 12,000 years ago, and continue to be sculpted under Mother Nature's hand.
Joe Keeler is the park's manager. "When the wind and the waves and rain and snow all wear on the face of these drumlin hills, then this is what you get, is these type of structures, these pinnacles and spires."
The constant battle against the elements is one the bluffs will always lose, and that creates it's very nature. The land is always changing because of the constant wear of the elements, and a visit to the park can be quite different each time, as Keeler explains, "Normally they'll come out to a point, there'll be a point and then a horseshoe shaped depression, and there'll be another point, and off these points there'll be these spires that develop, and the hollow part here is where the rain and the wind and the ice and everything just hammers away on them, and it becomes a little gully, and it keeps washing them out , then the sides keep falling down, it's kind of like a series of horseshoes."
The inevitable march of erosion will one day create a very different landscape here, even the changes from year to year can be somewhat dramatic, geologically speaking. "We lose about three to five foot average, from the shoreline to the top of the bluff here, we lose three to five feet,says Keeler, it regresses that much further back to the south. So you know, over time this one will become flatland."
The park provides stunning views from very different perspectives. A stroll along the beach gives an impressive view of the towering cliffs and also an interesting look at the stones left over from the erosion process. Take a walk along the trails above the beach and the vista becomes breathtaking, and the unique and transient scale of the bluffs can be appreciated. Keeler says, "There's so many different shapes and sizes of them, one may fall apart entirely, and then a new one starts. There's very unique things. I've seen boulders half the size of a car sitting on top of one of these things , and they'll stay there for a period of time, maybe a couple of months, it all depends, and finally it washes away, and it comes down, but those sights are possible."
Chimney Bluffs is just another example of the diversity of parks throughout the state. It's one frequently overlooked, but well worth the effort to discover. Keeler concludes, "There's many people folks who come to Chimney Bluffs because it's a straight shot through Upstate NY, they'll be coming from Pennsylvania, and they come straight up, they just come up to see the lake, and say, hey, I've seen Lake Ontario, but, while you're here, you better come and hike the trail, and either come on up on top and take a look, or walk the shoreline and take the view from down below. Either one is grand, and worth the sight, for sure ."


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Island getaway for singles
Single travellers with an eye on the Cook Islands can join a trip with new travel group Gathering Holidays. Aimed at 28- to 45-year-olds, the trip includes a lagoon cruise, stand-up paddle-boarding and a "speed-friending" event.
There is also an optional donation of time as a volunteer in orphanages, schools, refuges or animal shelters.
The trip departs Australia on March 15 and costs from $2399 a person twin share, including six nights' accommodation. See www.thegatheringholidays.com.
Short stops extended
A short break in Beijing or Shanghai is now possible with China's announcement of visa-free entry for transit tourists. The Consulate General of China in Melbourne has confirmed that since January 1, citizens from 45 countries, including Australia, have been allowed a 72-hour stop en route to their destination. Shanghai has had a 48-hour visa-free system since 2000.
New paths to enlightenment
While many pilgrims follow the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela (the Way of St James), a distance of almost 800 kilometres starting on the French side of the Pyrenees, one Australian tour agency is leading groups in a comfortable fashion on the lesser-known trails.
Diane McDonald, of Travel Enriched, says the trips include the Camino Portugues, starting in Lisbon, and the Camino Finisterre, from Santiago to historic fishing villages along the rugged Atlantic coast. Another walk follows the Camino Mozarabe from Granada.
McDonald, who left her desk job to spend two years researching the areas, says the trips are for people who may consider themselves least likely to take such a journey.
"We provide opportunities for those who want to experience being on The Way without having to walk long distances, backpacking and staying in hostel dormitories," McDonald says. A typical day starts at about 8.30am. The walks follow forest and farming tracks and go through hamlets and vineyards. Transport between hotels is organised for luggage and those who want to walk less. Accommodation is in family-run hotels.
Trips are 10 to 15 days and cost from $2295 a person, twin share, departing April, May, September and October. See www.travelenriched.com.au.
Driving tips for Euro trips
Travellers to France, take note: carrying two unused breathalysers in a vehicle is compulsory, according to a new guide for Australian drivers about navigating Europe's roads. Car rental company GlobalCARS has developed the guide for such matters as driving on the right side of the road. It includes information about drink-driving laws, insurance requirements, traffic fines and emergency telephone numbers.
Lake begins dry run
There have been some stunning images of South Australia's Lake Eyre in flood in recent years and now its waters are receding, photography trips are enabling people to shoot a different view. Flinders Ranges is also included in the package.
Led by Air Wilpena with photographer Peter Elfes, who spent four years documenting the lake and the central and eastern desert regions of Australia, the trip includes four nights at the Wilpena Pound Resort, walking and four-wheel-drive tours and workshops by Elfes.
Aerial photography will be on the schedule on the flight to Lake Eyre, with an overnight stop at Marree and return via Andamooka.
Six-day trips depart June 4 and October 22 and cost $4475 a person. See www.airwilpena.com.au.
Safely in the danger zone
Excursions to Chernobyl, the Ukraine town that was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, are being offered by Australian tour group Travel Directors. A spokeswoman says the visit to the exclusion zone, through the abandoned town of Pripyat, is by a local guide who provides insight into the impact on the community.
"The visit to Pripyat is particularly eerie, because the abandoned fun-fair was quite extensive and brand new - it was due to be opened a few days after the explosion. So it never operated," she says. There is also a stop at the reactor and the monument to those who died.
It's part of the 27-day tour Beyond the Black Sea, which costs $13,947 a person, twin share, and departs August 30. See www.traveldirectors.com.au.
Drawn to new heights
The works of British artist Ben Eine have made it to Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class with the launch of a commercial gallery at 10,000 metres.
Eine's work gained prominence when British Prime Minister David Cameron presented one to President Obama on his first official state visit in 2010. Works on display - and for sale from £2500 ($3800) - are on flights between London and New York. Gallery in the Air runs until February 28.
Send news to email@example.com


text: GNU stroke allows a user to alter specific components of a file's time stamps. It offers an extensive syntax to dynamically specify the date and time components to be altered. It can change a file's modification, access, or change time. It is a potent alternative to the conventional "touch" utility.


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Ray Willis scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half, including 13 of 13 from the free-throw line as the Eagles surged past the Wildcats 75-66.
DAYTONA BEACH -- North Carolina Central coach LeVelle Moton didn't feel like his team was tough enough in the first half.
The Eagles made up for it in the second half, surging past Bethune-Cookman 75-66 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball game Monday night at Moore Gymnasium.
Ray Willis scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half as the Eagles (10-7, 3-0) shot 61.1 percent from the floor (11-of-18) and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line (23-of-28) after halftime.
Willis went 13-of-13 from the line in the second half.
"In a hostile environment like this gym, you throw away the schemes. It's all about toughness,'' Moton said. "I didn't think we were tough in the first half. In the second half we stopped slapping at the basketball and we were strong at the rim.''
Junior forward Stanton Kidd added 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting for N.C. Central. Adrien Coleman led the Wildcats (6-12, 1-2) with 18 points but struggled to find his shots.
"I believe they out-toughed us in the post,'' Coleman said. "They took us out of what we want to do.''
The Wildcats, who led 32-28 at the half after battling back from an early 10-point deficit, hit just 9-of-25 field goals (36 percent) in the second half.
"They shot layups and we were struggling to score. That catches up to you,'' B-CU coach Gravelle Craig said. "They came out in the second half and said, 'We're going to drive the ball and get it inside,' and we didn't offer any resistence.''
After giving up their lead early in the second half, the Wildcats tied the score at 40 on Alex Smith's dunk with 13:42 remaining. But N.C. Central went on a 21-7 tear to take its biggest lead of the game at 61-47 with 4:39 left.
A 3-pointer by B-CU's Brandon Stewart pulled the Wildcats to with six (68-62) with 51.6 seconds left, but the Eagles hit 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute to clinch the victory.
"When we don't shoot well from the outside (5-of-17 from the 3-point line), we have to score in transition,'' Craig said. And they shot 54 percent (for the game), so we weren't able to get out and run.''
Kidd scored 10 of N.C. Central's first 12 points as the Eagles jumped out to a 14-4 lead. The visitors scored their first 10 points on layups and dunks.
The Wildcats went on an 11-3 run to pull to within 17-15 on Smith's dunk off a steal by Kevin Dukes. B-CU took its first lead of the game at 27-26 on Dukes' 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the first half.
Javoris Bryant added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, while Smith had nine points, six boards and four blocked shots.
"We don't need to make excuses, we just need to make adjustments,'' Craig said. "It's all about getting ready for three games in March (at the MEAC tournament).''
The Wildcats will hit the road for a pair of games at South Carolina State on Saturday and Savannah State next Monday.


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Spurred by the horrific suffering in Haiti, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS) has joined forces with 13 other freethought groups or associates, to collect donations to non-religious relief organizations. Those participating are Atheist Alliance International, Atheists Helping the Homeless, Atheists United, The British Humanist Association, James Randi Educational Foundation, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, New Humanist magazine, Pharyngula, Rationalist Association, Reasonable New York, The Reason Project, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, The Skeptics Society and Unreasonable Faith.
I'm happy to report on the recent launch of the Foundation Beyond Belief, a meta-charity helping atheists and freethinkers to do good (and I love that logo!). The Foundation was the brainchild of Dale McGowan, the secular parenting author whom I've interviewed before. There are some other familiar faces on the board of directors as well, including fellow blogger Hemant Mehta of Friendly Atheist.


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By Ben Golliver
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Celtics forward Kevin Garnett sound ready to move forward after chippy play during a Monday night game at Madison Square Garden turned into a postgame confrontation. We now wait to see whether NBA commissioner David Stern is similarly willing to let bygones be bygones.
Anthony and Garnett engaged in some rough play and trash talk on the court, earning double technical fouls during the fourth quarter, before Anthony sought out Garnett at the Celtics' locker room and team bus to continue the conversation after the game. CSNNE.com captured video of Anthony waiting by the Celtics' bus with a number of security guards standing in between him and the door as Boston's players loaded up after the game. Anthony did not meet with reporters after Monday's game and Garnett downplayed the events as "heat of the battle" fare.
The Associated Press reported from Knicks practice Tuesday that Anthony believes his postgame actions should not warrant discipline from the league office, which could include a fine and/or suspension. The NBA league office plans to investigate the incident.
"Nothing happened for me to be suspended,'' he said. "I wanted to talk to KG. I think it was something we both needed to get off our chest and see what really the problem was. No altercations, it was just some words and a conversation that we needed to have.''
"It's over with for me. Whatever happened last night, happened. The words that was being said between me and Garnett, it happened, can't take that away,'' Anthony said. "I lost my cool yesterday, I accept that, but there's just certain things that push certain people's buttons.''
Anthony also indicated that he felt Garnett's trash talk crossed the line, but that the two All-Stars are ready to move on.
"There's certain things that you just don't say to men, another man," Anthony said. "I felt like we crossed a line, but like I said, we both have an understanding right now, we handled it the way we handled it. Nobody needs to know what was said behind closed doors, so that situation was handled."
The Associated Press reported on Monday night that Garnett didn't see anything unusual with the exchanges.
"Listen, heat of the battle, man. Guys go back and forth. He's trying to get his team to go, I'm trying to get my team to go, both teams are colliding, not to mention that it's the Knicks and the Celtics," Garnett said. "Just what it is, man."
The New York Daily News reported Monday that Garnett was unsure why Anthony was waiting for him by the bus and that Knicks coach Mike Woodson helped defuse the situation.
ESPNNY.com reported Tuesday that Anthony and Garnett communicated "over the phone following the bus incident" to hash out their differences.
From a disciplinary standpoint, Anthony made the best of a bad situation and did himself a number of favors on Tuesday. He took responsibility for his actions, made clear his intentions, offered a fairly rational explanation for why he reacted so unusually and expressed a willingness to bury the drama and move forward. All of those statements should play well with Stern, who surely wasn't thrilled to find out that video of the Big Apple's biggest basketball star anxious to continue the dialogue in the parking lot was circulating on Monday night.
The Knicks don't play their next game until Thursday, when they visit the Pacers in Indianapolis, so the league will have a few days to determine its course of action. In the event Garnett faces disciplinary action for his role in the exchange, the Celtics next play Wednesday against the Suns in Boston.
Anthony's most noteworthy prior suspension dates back to his days with the Nuggets in 2006, when he was suspended for 15 games for his role in an on-court fight with the Knicks. He was also suspended by the Nuggets for two games in 2008 following a DUI arrest.
The Celtics defeated the Knicks 102-96. Anthony finished with 20 points, five assists and three rebounds and shot only 6-of-26 from the field in 37 minutes. Garnett had 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals in 38 minutes for the Celtics, who won without the suspended Rajon Rondo. Boston improved to 17-17 with its third consecutive victory. New York fell to 23-11.


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
Bauer Performance Sports Announces Record Second Quarter and Six Month Results
Revenues increase by 9% in the quarter and Q2 Adjusted EPS up 43%
By: Marketwired .
Jan. 9, 2013 05:30 PM
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 01/09/13 -- Bauer Performance Sports Ltd. (TSX:BAU) ("BAUER" or the "Company") today announced financial results for the second quarter and six months of Fiscal 2013 ended November 30, 2012. All figures are expressed in U.S. dollars.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months Six months US$ 000,000's except per share ended ended data and % November 30 November 30 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Change Change vs. vs. prior prior 2012 2011 year 2012 2011 year ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue $109.6 $100.3 9% $257.9 $242.7 6% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Profit 38.4 33.6 14% 98.7 93.1 6% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusted Gross Profit(i) 39.7 34.2 16% 100.7 94.4 7% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusted EBITDA(i) 14.2 9.3 53% 52.1 44.2 18% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net Income (loss) 6.1 8.2 (26)% 22.1 30.9 (29)% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusted Net Income(i) 7.3 4.4 64% 30.2 25.3 19% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earnings per share (diluted) $ 0.16 $ 0.26 (38)% $ 0.61 $ 0.98 (38)% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusted EPS(i) $ 0.20 $ 0.14 43% $ 0.84 $ 0.80 5% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)Note: Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are non-IFRS measures. For the relevant definitions and reconciliations to reported results, please see "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this news release and in the Company's MD&A for the second quarter.
Revenues grew by 6% (9% excluding the impact of foreign exchange) to $257.9 million in the first half of Fiscal 2013 led by strong performance in several ice hockey equipment categories driven by recent new product launches. The new BAUER RE-AKT helmet helped drive 16% growth in helmets, while the success of the new BAUER NEXUS product line helped drive 11% growth in under-protective category revenues. Partially offsetting these gains was a 7% decline in goalie revenues due to the earlier launch of the new goalie product line in the 2012 Back-to-Hockey season as compared to the prior year. Lacrosse revenues increased significantly driven by the addition of sales from the recently acquired Cascade Helmets Holdings, Inc. ("Cascade") and apparel revenues grew by 27% driven by BAUER's new line of performance apparel and bags. Overall revenues from the North American market grew by 6% in the six month period ended November 30, 2012 compared to the same period last year, while sales outside North America grew by 8% in the same period. Second quarter revenues grew by 9% (10% excluding the impact of foreign exchange) due to the addition of Cascade and Inaria International, Inc. ("Inaria") revenues and continued growth in ice hockey equipment and related apparel categories, partially offset by lower sales to NHL teams as a result of the NHL lockout. Notably, apparel revenues were up 50% in the quarter (43% excluding the impact of Inaria). Revenues from the North American market were up 11% while sales outside of North America were up 5% in the second quarter.
Adjusted Gross Profit in the six month period ended November 30, 2012 increased by $6.3 million, or 7%, to $100.7 million. Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of revenues increased slightly to 39.0% for the six month period ended November 30, 2012 compared to 38.9% in the six month period ended November 30, 2011. During the second quarter of Fiscal 2013, Adjusted Gross Profit increased by $5.5 million, or 16%, to $39.7 million and Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of revenues increased to 36.2% from 34.1%. The increase in Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of revenues for the quarter and first half of Fiscal 2013 was driven by higher margins on ice hockey equipment, the impact of the Cascade acquisition and favourable other cost of goods sold, partially offset by the impact of higher product costs and unfavourable foreign exchange.
Year-to-date Adjusted Net Income increased by $4.9 million, or 19%, to $30.2 million and second quarter Adjusted Net Income increased by $2.9 million, or 64%, to $7.3 million. The increase in Adjusted Net Income was driven by the increase in Adjusted Gross Profit, continued benefits of operating leverage in selling, general and administrative expenses, and a favourable impact from the Company's hedging activities.
Adjusted EPS increased 5%, or $0.04, to $0.84 for the six months ended November 30, 2012 compared to the same period last year and second quarter Adjusted EPS increased 43%, or $0.06, to $0.20. Fiscal 2013 Adjusted EPS includes an unfavourable impact from the higher number of common shares outstanding as a result of the share offering in June to fund the Cascade Acquisition making our Q1 and YTD Fiscal 2013 Adjusted EPS figures not directly comparable to the prior year. Excluding the impact of the Cascade Acquisition, YTD Adjusted EPS would have been approximately $0.88 or a 10% increase over the prior year. For the full fiscal year the Company currently expects the Cascade acquisition to be accretive to Adjusted EPS, however due to the seasonality of Cascade's business - a significant amount of Cascade's income is generated during the second and third fiscal quarters of the BAUER's fiscal year - the income from Cascade in the first fiscal half does not yet offset the dilutive impact of the higher number of common shares outstanding.
"BAUER continues to deliver strong results in hockey, lacrosse and our related apparel businesses," said Kevin Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bauer Performance Sports. "Our newly launched hockey equipment products and our further investment into both apparel and lacrosse are key ingredients to our current and future success. We expect that these investments, combined with our comprehensive marketing strategy and recently launched brand building initiatives, will continue to fuel our exceptional performance. Like the millions of hockey fans around the world, we are excited that the National Hockey League is returning to action. Bauer Hockey maintains an important and valuable relationship with both the NHL and its players, and the recent agreement is welcome news for everyone involved."
The Company continued to deleverage as its leverage ratio, defined as net indebtedness divided by EBITDA, was 2.69 as of November 30, 2012 compared to 2.73 as of November 30, 2011. As of November 30, 2012, BAUER had working capital of $215.1 million compared to working capital of $179.6 million as of November 30, 2011, an increase of 20%. This increase was driven by the acquisitions of Cascade and Inaria, and sales growth of 18%, 4%, and 9% in the three most recent quarters (which include the entire "Back to Hockey" 2012 booking season).
Other Recent Highlights
-- During the week of October 1, 2012 the Company held its annual BAUER World event, where leading retailers from around the world were able to see and experience the newest BAUER gear, including BAUER's latest VAPOR line of skates, new team apparel and a new line of goalie equipment. In addition to unveiling new products, the Company also launched several key corporate initiatives including: -- An objective to grow hockey participation by 1 million new players by 2022 through a unique multi-year program. Partnering with Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and led by a cross-functional team, including Mark Messier, who joined forces with BAUER as a result of the Company's recent acquisition of Cascade, the initiative will take a leadership role in both growing participation and increasing player safety. -- The unveiling of the "OWN THE MOMENT" brand campaign, a fully integrated global initiative that focuses on the numerous moments in hockey that make the sport truly unique and special. The campaign is the first BAUER brand campaign in more than 15 years. -- On October 16, 2012 BAUER closed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Inaria, a global provider of team sports and active apparel for Cdn$7 million in cash. The acquisition marks the Company's entrance into the growing jersey market and provides BAUER with full team apparel capabilities, including the design, development and manufacturing of uniforms for ice hockey, roller hockey, lacrosse, soccer and other team sports, enabling the Company to become a "one- stop-shop" for its global retail partners' equipment and team apparel needs, for both ice hockey and lacrosse. -- On October 17, 2012 funds managed by Kohlberg Management VI, LLC (the "Kohlberg Funds"), BAUER's largest shareholder, completed the sale of an aggregate of 4,140,000 common shares of the Company (the "Offering") at a price of Cdn$9.90 per share. A syndicate of underwriters completed the Offering on a bought deal basis. BAUER did not receive any proceeds from the Offering. Immediately following closing, the Kohlberg Funds owned the equivalent of 41.0% of the issued and outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis (approximately 33.8% on a fully diluted basis).
Adjusted Gross Profit, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income/Loss and Adjusted EPS are non-IFRS measures. For the relevant definitions and reconciliations to reported results, please see "Non-IFRS Measures" noted below and in the Company's MD&A for the most recent period. Working capital as used above includes trade and other receivables, inventories, and trade and other payables.
The Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and MD&A for the period ended November 30, 2012 have been filed with applicable regulatory authorities and are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website.
BAUER will hold its conference call to discuss its financial and operating results on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 am ET. Kevin Davis, President and CEO and Amir Rosenthal, Chief Financial Officer will host the call. Following management's presentation, there will be a question and answer session for analysts.
To access the call, please dial 1-888-437-9445 or 1-719-325-2429. The conference call will also be accessible via webcast at www.bauerperformancesports.com.
A replay of the conference call will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on January 10, 2013, until midnight ET, January 24, 2013. To access the replay, dial 1-877-870-5176 or 1-858-384-5517, followed by passcode 6094323.
To participate in the live audio webcast, please visit the Company's website at www.bauerperformancesports.com. The webcast will also be archived on the Company's website.
Bauer Performance Sports Ltd. (TSX:BAU) is a leading developer and manufacturer of ice hockey, roller hockey, and lacrosse equipment as well as related apparel. The company has the most recognized and strongest brand in the ice hockey equipment industry, and holds the top market share position in both ice and roller hockey. Its products are marketed under the BAUER Hockey, Mission Roller Hockey, Maverik Lacrosse, Cascade, and Inaria brand names and are distributed by sales representatives and independent distributors throughout the world. Bauer Performance Sports is focused on building its leadership position and growing market share in all product categories through continued innovation at every level. For more information, visit www.bauerperformancesports.com.
Adjusted Gross Profit, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, and Adjusted EPS are non-IFRS measures. Adjusted Gross Profit is defined as gross profit plus the following expenses which are part of cost of goods sold: (i) amortization and depreciation of intangible assets, (ii) non-cash charges to cost of goods sold resulting from fair market value adjustments to inventory as a result of business acquisitions, and (iii) reserves established to dispose of obsolete inventory acquired from acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA (net income adjusted for income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, losses related to amendments to the Company's credit facility, gain or loss on disposal of fixed assets, net interest expense, deferred financing fees, unrealized gains/losses on derivative instruments, and realized and unrealized gains/losses related to foreign exchange revaluation) before restructuring and other one-time or non-cash charges associated with acquisitions, pre-IPO sponsor fees, costs related to share offerings, as well as share-based payment expense. Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income adjusted for unrealized gains/losses related to derivative instruments and unrealized gains/losses related to foreign exchange revaluation, one-time or non-cash charges associated with acquisitions, amortization of acquisition related intangible assets for acquisitions since Fiscal 2012, costs related to share offerings, share-based compensation expense, and other non-cash or one-time items. Adjusted EPS is defined as Adjusted Net Income/Loss divided by the weighted average diluted shares outstanding.
Reconciliations of these non-IFRS measures to the relevant reported results can be found in the Company's MD&A for the second quarter of Fiscal 2013.
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. The words "may", "will", "would", "should", "could", "expects", "plans", "intends", "trends", "indications", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "likely" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words or other comparable words or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions, including those described herein and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors: inability to introduce new and innovative products, intense competition in the equipment and apparel industries, inability to introduce technical innovation, inability to protect worldwide intellectual property rights, inability to successfully integrate recent acquisitions, decrease in ice hockey, roller hockey and/or lacrosse participation rates, adverse publicity, reduction in popularity of the NHL and other professional leagues of sports in which our products are used, inability to maintain and enhance brands, reliance on third party suppliers and manufacturers, disruption of distribution chain or loss of significant customers or suppliers, cost of raw materials and shipping freight and other cost pressures, a change in the mix or timing of orders placed by customers, inability to forecast demand for products, inventory shrinkage or excess inventory, product liability claims and product recalls, compliance with standards of testing and athletic governing bodies, departure of senior executives or other key personnel, litigation, employment or union related matters, inability to translate order bookings into realized sales, fluctuations in the value of certain foreign currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar, inability to manage foreign exchange derivative instruments, general economic and market conditions, changes in consumer preferences and the difficulty in anticipating or forecasting those changes, natural disasters, as well as the factors identified in the "Risk Factors" section of BAUER's Annual Information Form dated August 29, 2012 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this news release, and we have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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text: The Motor Inn car dealership in Knoxville has been approved as a General Motors sales and service franchise. General Manager Aaron Axtell tells KNIA/KRLS news the approval process is something they have been working on for more than seven months now and the entire company was very excited to finally receive the good news Wednesday morning. Axtell says this means Motor Inn has met all the requirements and been recognized by General Motors as a GM dealership and will now be able to sell and service Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles. He adds that the dealership will have a larger parts and vehicle inventory at the Knoxville location within 7-14 days. Axtell says without the support of the Knoxville community, the company would not have continued through the long process toward approval from GM and he looks forward to improving moving forward in providing quality service to the area.


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Bob Ladouceur is stepping down as (Concord, Calif.) De La Salle High's head football coach.
With 399 wins, 20 unbeaten seasons and countless championships in 34 seasons, Ladouceur is calling it quits as the head man at the program he built into a national power.
Ladouceur, 58, is best known for guiding the Spartans on a national record 151-game winning streak from 1992-2003. His teams have won 28 North Coast Section championships, five CIF state championships (since 2006) and have finished No. 1 in various national rankings at least seven times.
He leaves with an overall record of 399-25-3.
School principal Robert Wickman made the announcement regarding Ladouceur, and also announced that assistant Justin Alumbaugh is taking over as the Spartans' head coach.
The announcement was made Friday at the school's theater. Joining Ladouceur and Alumbaugh on stage were athletic director Leo Lopoz and assistant coach Terry Eidson.
"It's a good time," to step down, said Ladouceur, who received a long standing ovation before he spoke, adding that Alumbaugh is "in complete control" of the team.
The news isn't a huge surprise after Ladouceur acknowledged last month that he was considering stepping aside after the 2012 or 2013 season.
De La Salle recently wrapped up a 15-0 season in December with its fourth consecutive Open Division state championship.


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Add an entry to Today@MC
Entries will only need to be submitted once and you may preselect dates to run - so no need to remember to submit an entry for a later publication date. Entries may only be run up to three times. HOWEVER, no entry should run more than two consecutive days. All announcements MUST be submitted by 12 NOON on the day before they will appear in the newsletter.


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We asked former Chicago Bear, Dallas Cowboy and Bears and Saints Head Coach Mike Ditka his thoughts on the President's comments. "I think everybody's entitled to their own opinions on that. You could say 'If I had a son I wouldn't want him to drive a car either.' You know, I'm not making light of the fact. Football is a contact sport. It's a collision sport. People hit each other very hard. The bodies have gotten bigger, faster and probably stronger in a lot of ways. The equipment has become so sophisticated now that almost the helmet that was kinda for protection has become a weapon where you have no fear to strike with your head. That's what has caused a lot of the problems. I understand the comment; a lot of parents are probably saying the same thing. If I have my 'druthers, do I want my kid to hit a baseball or shoot a basketball or play football or kick a soccer ball. I mean you might pick one of the other options."
We also had a chance to ask the same question of former Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Cris Carter. He was not quite as politically correct as Coach Ditka was. "Well, I've been watching politics lately. He is the President, the most powerful man in the free world, but what he knows about the National Football League, I think, is still limited, and I'd just be a little careful on trying to be an expert on everything. I played 16 years in the National Football League; did not have one concussion. What Obama doesn't understand is football's not a game about getting hit; it's a game about NOT getting hit. That's how you avoid it (a concussion), and that's how you keep playing. It's the most popular sport for a reason. You look at some of the other sports, I mean, the (injury) numbers are horrific; soccer, girls' injuries. Do we have a dilemma? YES. Are we gonna get it better? ABSOLUTELY, but we have the best game going Obama, and I voted for you twice!"
There is no doubt the discussions about the dangers of the game will continue, but there is also no doubt the NFL IS the most beloved sport on the planet and it WILL remain so!


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Reports suggest that both Facebook and Apple employees—and likely others, including Twitter—visited an infected Web site laden with malware, which exploited a vulnerability in Java. Now the cause has been identified, here's what you can do.
The root cause is reportedly one iPhone development Web site that became infected with malware, which was then able to dump its malicious payload on vulnerable machines. If those infected machines were connected then to a corporate network, that network will likely have been infected.
===> It's absolutely vital that you do not visit this site in any way, shape or form as it may still contain active malware that could lead to infection. <===


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Yet, this doesn't explain why I can't sleep at 11:30pm when the house is dead quiet. {sigh}
The quiet could be the problem, actually. When it's quiet, then every little noise (and thought) is more prevalent. Some people even have tinnitus and are not conscious of it, and that keeps them awake. I would recommend trying white noise, as it performs a similar service as the "brain static" mentioned in the article. I personally use a fan. Or you can pay a fair bit of money for a more precise white noise generator.
Actually, I'm fairly confident that I have "Delayed sleep-phase disorder". [wikipedia.org]
I usually go to sleep between 02:00 to 04:00. I don't have to be exhausted, I can just lay down and go to sleep like a normal person. If there's nothing scheduled, I'll be awake between 11:00 to 13:00.
I worked one job where they really didn't care when I slept as long as I got all my work done. That was perfect. I'd send my "end of day" emails sometime around 03:00, and show up to the office bright and shiny at noon.
Attempting to work "normal" hours has been a problem for me for a long time. I talked to my mom about it, and she confirmed it. I rarely managed to sleep before midnight. I was a complete zombie going to school, and wasn't usually completely coherent until around noon.
The problem is this. If I work by my schedule (awake 11:00, sleep 03:00), I'm fine. If I force myself to wake up at say 7am, I'm a zombie until noon, and exhausted for the rest of the day. It worked fine when I was a kid. Someone was always around to make sure I woke up. Being an adult on my own for many years, if I'm living with someone I have a chance of actually getting out of bed. If I don't, it doesn't matter how many alarm clocks there are, or how loud they are. Somehow I manage to turn off some alarm clocks sometimes. I've woken up with my cell phone in my hand (I set the alarm on the phone too). When I've been with someone, they've told me that I fumble with things until they shut up. If I can't make it shut up I just roll back over and go back to sleep.
If I'm on my normal schedule, I can wake up normally to an alarm clock at odd hours. So, if there's something unusual going on at 6am, I can be awake and not groggy.
Sometimes, if there's something going on, like I have work that must be completed, I can work through a whole night, and still be perfectly coherent the next day. I won't be tired until about 3am the next morning. Something like this:
Wake Sunday at 12:00
Do early work Sunday night from 23:00 Sunday to 03:00 Monday.
Sleep 03:00 Monday
Wake 11:00 Monday (Beginning of the "normal" day)
Work through 03:00 Tuesday
Sleep 03:00 Wednesday
Wake 11:00 Thursday
Sleep 03:00 Friday
Wake 11:00 Friday
Sleep 03:00 Saturday
Some employers consider it a problem. If you have an employee who can work fine from Monday at noon (allowing showering and driving to work), and they don't feel the need to stop until early Wednesday morning, why complain? That gives 38 hours of work before normal employees even come in on Wednesday morning. It was pretty easy to comfortably work about 70 hours a week, but I only did it as needed.
I've tried all kinds of different sleep environments. I like the dead silent rooms best. No white noise, no outside noise.
I've slept in all kinds of places, including airliners. The time has to be right though. If I take an early morning flight (departing at 7am), I can stay awake the night before, get to the airport, take a nap in the terminal until I hear commotion around me which is my hint to wake up. No problem at all. Once I get to my seat on the plane, I can go right back to sleep, and not wake up for anything until the plane lands. Then I am wide awake and perfectly normal, even though the whole night was interrupted sleep.
At once house I lived in, I had two window air conditioners at the head of the bed. The house had terrible insulation, and one simply wouldn't cool it down. During the summer, they ran pretty much constantly, and they were anything but quiet. I didn't notice noises from outside though, because the white
Ah, the life of a night owl.
I know it sounds weird, but you might try keeping a sleep journal. It could help you collect data and maybe see what's going on. I just started using a program called SleepChart [supermemo.com]. Seems like it will take a long time to gather enough data, but maybe it will be helpful.
IANAD or anything, though. Just someone else who isn't a morning person.
Looks like nobody's mentioned polyphasic sleep [google.com] so far, so I guess I'll do it:
Polyphasic sleep is sleeping in multiple phases in a day. So you don't sleep for 8 hours, and stay awake for 16. Instead, you spread your sleep out over the day.
Although spreading 8 hours over multiple stretches might be beneficial for some, reducing your total sleep time is where it gets interesting.
A article in Time Magazine from 1943 [time.com] describes how Buckminster Fuller devised a system (called Dymaxion sleep) where he slept a half-
Buckminster Fuller devised a system (called Dymaxion sleep) where he slept a half-hour every 6 hours, sleeping 2 hours in a day. That gives an amazing 22 hours a day to do stuff
This is all well and good until you end up in a bag in the Hudson River http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheFriarsClub.html [seinfeldscripts.com]
I've always had the same problem and only when I got really serious about running (between 35 and 45 miles a week, about 9 miles every other day) have I have something approximating a normal sleep schedule. It may have been exhaustion and exercise addiction, but my body would wake up promptly at 4 or 5 am without an alarm clock. YMMV.
I'm also going to try the white noise thing, but I thought I'd throw out another option for you.
The problem is this. If I work by my schedule (awake 11:00, sleep 03:00), I'm fine. If I force myself to wake up at say 7am, I'm a zombie until noon, and exhausted for the rest of the day. It worked fine when I was a kid.
Nothing has changed since you were a kid, you just have settled into a different rhythm. All you need to do to get onto the same 9-5 pattern as everyone else is force yourself onto it. That means getting up at 7am everyday until your body is used to it. It might take a month, it might take 6 months but eventually your body will realise this is what you have to deal with and deal with it.
I used to be in a very similar situation to you, I think everyone who has had a period of being to set their own hours nat
Or you can pay a fair bit of money for a more precise white noise generator.
Or you can write the output of
Sorry, I'll try to be quieter.
Yet, this doesn't explain why I can't sleep at 11:30pm when the house is dead quiet. {sigh}
Let me know when 1:00 becomes a problem and we'll talk.
Don't worry, I'll still be awake. Well, I am still awake. Damn. 1am already.
"Yet, this doesn't explain why I can't sleep at 11:30pm when the house is dead quiet. {sigh}"
You haven't expended enough energy. I find that many people that can't sleep also don't exercise or have sedentary lifestyles. If you add exercise to your life you can bet you'll get tired eventually. You should really only go to sleep when you're tired, when you feel sleepy. I used to have trouble falling asleep until I added walking/exercising an hour or two a day.
Expending energy goes a long way to solving sleep problems.
You'd think it would work like that, huh?
I used to do a heavy workout every morning. It was about 90 minutes of weight lifting. Then I'd shower and go to work. It was fun doing it, so I looked forward to it. Well, until my last car accident, where the doctor told me not to lift anything heavy for quite a while. So much for morning exercises. That didn't help get to sleep early though.
If I completely exhaust myself during the day, say doing heavy physical
I'm not saying there aren't people with genuine sleep problems but it's a lot easier to to fall asleep and get sleepy when you've actually exerted yourself to some extent.
I find the endorphine rush that accompanies a good workout only serves to delay the sleep even worse. Much like the OP, I find it difficult to sleep before 2:00 or 3:00. I can sleep fine from this point until 12:00 the following day, but if I force myself to conform to a "regular" schedule, sleeping at 2300, and waking at 6:00, I am typically groggy and incoherent until well after 11am. On mornings when I can gather the mental energy and focus on a good workout, I'll awake at 6:00 and run a few miles or
I exercise regularly and I get tired, but it doesn't help me sleep, I would need to be totally exhausted and still I would wake up again rather quickly.
I'm usually running 2H (on top of regular exercising, which is 1H with break every 2 days) when I'm not sleepy which I believe is rather long. Rest of the day I'm work at a desk in a office which is not a lot of exercise of course...
Wouldn't being a sound sleeper be a liability in the Darwin game? I would think that waking up when there's unusual stimuli would be something helpful to keep from being lunch for a nocturnal predator.
Possibly, yes, but not everyone has this deep sleep ability, and humans are social animals. it is possible that a balance between deep sleepers and light sleepers offered other advantages. maybe the light sleepers would hear something, then wake the deep sleepers and they could all run away, while if it was a false alarm that woke the light sleepers in the tribe, the more rested heavy sleepers would still be up for a long days hunting...
(thats probably not even close to being right, but its just an example of what could have been the case - where variety benefits both sides.)
Alternately, we recognize that our primitive ancestors weren't stupid, and came up with concepts like taking turns staying awake and looking out for trouble while everyone else slept.
I wondered the same thing. Perhaps the benefits of greater memory consolidation (ability to remember dangerous situations/locations, places where food might be found) and higher IQ (potentially improved ability to obtain food, plan attacks and defenses) can outweigh the disadvantage of sleeping heavily (reduced ability to defend oneself when asleep).
Alternatively, perhaps this capability has evolved more recently, since we moved away from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and into fixed civilizations. Obvious
'I was going to get hotel-style curtains to cover them because I hated light so much,...'
Get a sleeping mask, it needs much less material.
Also, order a tryout bag of ear plugs, so that you can try different models until you find one that fits. I tried 2 dozen until I found one that works for me.
All ear plugs hurt in the beginning if you wear them for 8 hours or so, it needs at least 2 weeks until your ears are used to it.
With mask and plugs I sleep through everything, anywhere in the world, airplanes and tr
I actually do earplugs when going on trips with my wife - it seems that we both snore pretty good, but when I'm out of my environment I get pulled from sleep much easier. Earplugs rock. But I have still to find some that don't make my ears feel like crap in the morning; mainly feels like wax buildup etc.
When you're in a crowded place, like a small winter hut with lots of other warm bodies, it's a serious benefit: more sleep means you need less food in winter, and you're better rested for t he day's needs.
People can also lean what sounds are "safe" and what requires "waking up right now": ask anyone who's babysat children for extended periods, or whose partner snores.
People can also lean what sounds are "safe" and what requires "waking up right now"
The fastest I've ever been awakened, and one of the larger adrenaline jolts I've had, was hearing a child's fear-of-death scream in the middle of the night while camping. Not at all like typical tantrum-style screaming (which, if it wakes me, leaves me in a groggy/annoyed state) -- this was like something grabbed my hindbrain and pulled me out of bed, fight-or-fl
It depends. We're social animals, after all, and tend to gather in groups (tribes, packs, what have you). I remember hearing a study years ago of birds that line up on a branch (or wire)--the ones in the middle of the line all fall fully asleep, but the two birds at either end of the line will only fall half-asleep--literally. One half of their brain (and body) remains semi-alert, while the other half--the half adjacent to other birds--sleeps normally.
Basically, if you're part of a group, you don't need
to keep from being lunch for a nocturnal predator.
<p class="concept_nazi"> That would be supper then as nocturnal predators are unlikely to be out for a meal around noon... </p>
Two words for your wife... cattle prod
Your description matches my experience almost exactly, though the negative effects haven't been as pronounced for me. I've found having a fairly consistent wake-up schedule helps. Once I get into a routine and am in the habit of waking up at a certain time, I'll keep doing so regardless of when I go to sleep.
It was worst in college, when I had absolutely no set schedule. I would do just what you do, sleep through my alarm even though it was on buzzer or staticy country music at full volume for 2 hours st
My wife also complains sometimes that I sleep like a log. I doubt I'm comparable to you.
But anyway, if I was you, I would first try to have regular sleeping hours (don't put it off), and then talk to a psychologist or something. You should be able to condition yourself to wake up with a particular stimulus.
Anyway, glad to hear your wife understands. Good luck.
You need to buy an alarm clock that has a light. Problem solved.
I'm a log-sleeper too, with the added disadvantage of being hard of hearing too. My bedroom has two alarm clocks, a radio on top volume attached to a timer, and two 200-watt lights over my head, and even if I get a full 8 hours of sleep it still regularly takes 15-20 minutes of all that for me to wake up.
I have nothing to add, other than it's nice to know that it's not just me, I'm not broken or anything, there are other people out there who experience the same thing.
Dude, I totally agree. After a good nights rest,
I always wake up with a "sleep spindle".
(He-he... he-he... he said "sleep spindle".)
some lucky people have an extra helping of a certain kind of brain static that essentially blocks out noise and other stimuli
Time now to invent an implanted device which generates such static... perfect for when the mother-in-law is visiting.
My memories of going to sleep as a child are of tossing and turning every night in bed.
My parents bought my brother a waterbed when he outgrew his twin bed. I thought I'd fall asleep quicker in a waterbed than my old mattress, so I pestered my parents endlessly until they relented and bought me a waterbed too. It didn't help.
I learned about self-hypnosis, lucid dreaming, and "mental imagery" when I was 17 years old. One style of self-hypnosis calls for relaxing the physical body, then relaxing the mind. I was fascinated by the prospects of "internal senses".
I tried to relax in chairs and on the bed (such as for a "nap") as best I could, but the only relaxation I experienced was fleeting. I'd feel good for a half a second, then I'd notice feeling good and I'd pop out of the relaxation and be stuck in my overly tense body once again.
Some of the web pages on dreaming (1999 or so) and books that I read talked about a "drifty-dreamy" hypnagogic state between sleep and wakefulness. I tried to relax as best I could in bed. I always passed out before I noticed anything.
I left for college the next year, and developed something like lupus (lots of inflammation). I thought I had an RSI, but the P.A. and M.D. at the campus health center said there was nothing wrong with me that a little exercise wouldn't fix. I didn't believe them, so I started my own search for answers.
Many years passed, and I eventually I ended up in the hands of a capable Osteopath who specialized in hands-on therapy. I told him my story: head trauma when I was 17 y.o., swelling and pain in forearms, etc. He did his thing, and over a course of about a year he gradually helped my body's structures move back into their proper place.
Other disciplines look at a bone that's out of place as if it's a problem. One maxim from early Osteopathy was that "muscles move bones, and nerves control muscles". So rather than directly popping a bone back into place, a skilled osteopath will evaluate a patient to see what causes a structure to be malpositioned.
The good doctor likened a case such as mine to peeling an onion: stored trauma comes off a layer at a time.
One night after a few months of regular treatments, I opened my mouth to brush my teeth and noticed that the constant clicking noise in my jaw (TMJ) was no longer present. I opened and closed my mouth a few times in disbelief. The clicking had been with me for about four years at that point...
I also noticed that I no longer had to "try" to relax in bed before I passed out - most nights I quickly fell asleep.
Good sleep comes from having a balanced body, and hands-on therapies are one way to restore balance. There are others that I've found useful, but that's a much longer post.
Attention Insomniacs: Watch for my replies in this thread & story - I'll try to get some more information online shortly. I just want to get this comment posted while the story is still fresh.
Good sleep comes from having a balanced body, and hands-on therapies are one way to restore balance.
Yeah, I find masturbation can help me sleep sometimes too.
Yeah, I find masturbation can help me sleep sometimes too.
Sex usually helps more than masturbation. If you can get it... I personally couldn't get laid until after my Osteopathic experience.
About 3.5 years ago I had a rather intuitive insight, and pulled a proverbial needle out of a haystack. That is, the intuition suggested I do something that I hadn't ever done before. I followed the suggestion & met the girl.
And after carefully reading the instructions, and inflating to the correct PSI, they lived happily ever after. The End.
About 3.5 years ago I had a rather intuitive insight, and pulled a proverbial needle out of a haystack. That is, the intuition suggested I do something that I hadn't ever done before. I followed the suggestion & met the girl.
Did you trim the haystack so that she could find your needle?
Change from a depth first search, to a breasts first search?
One style of self-hypnosis calls for relaxing the physical body, then relaxing the mind.
My grade school science teacher used to be a psychologist and worked in a locked down mental ward.
I think it was in 5th grade that he had us all lie down and walked us through progressive muscle relaxation. [wikipedia.org]
A few kids fell asleep, and a few kids were hypnotized. He had them cluck like chickens, then woke everyone up and continued with the lesson.
PMR works like a charm for most people.
Relaxing your body naturally leads to a relaxed mind.
and books that I read talked about a "drifty-dreamy" hypnagogic state between sleep and wakefulness.
I suffered from hypnagogic hallucinations for about a year. That and narcolepsy. All of this was brought on by extreme sleep deprivation due to a rather severe case of multi-symptom insomnia.
The interesting thing about them, the hypnagogic hallucinations, is that you really feel like you are two places at one time. For me it was like a split consciousness. I would be coding at my computer in the morning,
Hm. I have something like this: If I am persistently disturbed while I am trying to sleep (for example, by construction noise or loud music nearby), I will often fall into a super-deep sleep that lasts a minimum of 3 or 4 hours.
So the noise will wake me up a few times, but then my brain seems to switch off outside stimuli and go into hibernation.
This plus snooze-alarm is a very bad combination.
... if you find yourself, say, in a post-Apocalyptic predicament and need to return to hunting and gathering and living less protected. Being able to wake up when something goes bump in the night could be the difference between seeing another sunrise or not.
Every 7-8 months or so, I experience a dream that seems to last 3 or 4 hours, and seems like it was written like a well-made movie. I wake up out of it, thinking a long time has passed, and it's only 3-4 hours elapsed. Other, ordinary dreams seem dull in comparison and run me through the whole night.
Is there a name for said type of dream?
I live in a big city apartment in the downtown core. I can generally sleep through anything. The thing I notice though is that human voices will always wake me up.
I don't live far away from the fire department, so I'm quite sure that sirens are going off at all hours of the night but I never hear them while I'm sleeping. I find that even though its much quieter, people talking, screaming or even faint whispering (like my alarm radio starting to turn on) is enough to wake me up.
I noticed this after the last
So there's a real, scientific reason why I sleep through things like...
Hurricanes; tornadoes; multiple 747's, 777's, and other misc. big aircraft coming in to land right over me; gunfire; noon sun shining on my face...
Now if only they could find why I'm almost hyper at 3am, and that I like it.
This is an interesting study, but the conclusion it appears to draw is erroneous at best.
Take this quote, from one of the study's investigators: "During sleep, our neurons are busy doing very complicated processing, including, this study shows, generating sleep spindles to protect us from being awoken from noises in the environment."
EEG is such a broad average that it tells us very little about what the brain is doing, just like looking at the NASDAQ doesn't tell you very much about how one company or a group of companies are doing. To suggest that our brain is "generating sleep spindles" is myopic; sleep spindles are a symptom of what the brain is doing during sleep: replaying memories temporarily held in the hippocampus and consolidating then into cortex.
The correlation between producing lots of "sleep spindles" and having relatively good memory makes sense in this light, as does being hard to wake up during sleep, as a brain that's attending to memory consolidation won't be as sensitive to external stimuli (just like when you're concentrating while conscious). But to suggest that sleep spindles function to protect us from noises in the environment makes no sense at all. Evolutionarily, it's more advantageous to wake up when you are being attacked, or are otherwise in peril. If anything, this research would suggest some kind of limiting factor to the overall intelligence of a society that deals with the environment in that way.
As you say, it may be beneficial to wake up "during an attack", but by the same token it's not very adaptive to wake up every time some random animal a mile away makes a loud mating call. Then you end up tired and unfocused when you go out hunting the next day and a tired hunter may end up being a hungry hunter. There's a balance in there, somewhere. Too deep is bad, but too light is just as maladaptive.
My dad has harnessed this power and uses it consciously when somebody tries to talk to him.
It's sort of spam filter.
Now semiseriously this might help you sleep but wouldn't it also make you more vulnerable and exposed when sleeping. Noise can be an indicator of danger. Evolutionary wouldn't the early human actually benefit from light sleep? Or to put it into modern context wouldn't you like to be woken up if someone is breaking into your house? What I am saying is that I am not sure I would call these peopl
I've been playing around with an F/OSS binaural beat generator called Gnuaural [sourceforge.net]. Interestingly, some of the "schedules" (frequency vs time) for meditative purposes include periodic bursts of higher-frequency beats (about once every 8-10 minutes) to keep from falling into a sound sleep. I noticed in the article that these "spindles" occur on the order of seconds rather than minutes. It would be interesting to modify a Gnuaural schedule to make the high-frequency bursts occur more often in order to achieve a "deeper" sleep for light sleepers.
Did anyone else notice that the EEG machine used to measure the ability to ignore noises was muted?
I found that when my baby < 1 year old is in the same bed I wake at the slightest movement/sound, otherwise I sleep very soundly.
I'm either worried I'd smother him, or some other protective instinct overrides this function.
1 1 was a race-horse, 2 2 was 1 2. When 1 1 1 1 race, 2 2 1 1 2.


text:
I told you, a lot of stuff is happening lately for Flash developers. I am happy to announce that we just posted a new Flash Player 10.2 Beta on labs. I will not cover here all the questions that are covered already in the FAQ and release notes but I would like to focus on the new features introduced in this new beta:
- Internet Explorer 9 hardware accelerated rendering support – Flash Player takes advantage of hardware accelerated graphics in Internet Explorer 9, utilizing hardware rendering surfaces to improve graphics performance and enable seamless composition.
- Stage Video hardware acceleration – A new method for video playback in Flash Player allows developers to leverage complete hardware acceleration of the video rendering pipeline, enabling best-in-class playback performance. Stage Video can decrease processor usage by up to 85% and enables higher frame rates, reduced memory usage, and greater pixel fidelity and quality.
- Native custom mouse cursors – Developers can define custom native mouse cursors, enabling user experience enhancements and improving performance.
- Support for full screen mode with multiple monitors – Full screen content will remain in full-screen on secondary monitors, allowing users to watch full-screen content while working on another display.
Obviously, there is no much code I can show you regarding IE9 GPU compositing, the Flash Player does this automatically by leveraging the new GPU compositing APIs on IE9 to actually render the Flash Player frames as surfaces and push them on screen through Direct3D9 whatever wmode value you use. Note that graphics computing is still done by the CPU but we use GPU APIs to composite and blit the Flash Player frames on screen. It is similar to what we did in the past with CoreAnimation on MacOS with Safari. This will improve rendering performance on existent content without any modifications.
Concerning Stage Video, this feature has been sneaked at FOTB earlier this year and at Max last month by Tinic. We are very happy to announce that YouTube is already leveraging Stage Video. This will dramatically change the way video performs in Flash and bring native video performance on MacOS, Windows and Linux. For more infos about the YouTube work, check the Flash Player team's blog post.
To get an idea of how StageVideo performs, you can try the StageVideo enabled players here.
Make sure you are running it with Flash Player 10.2 beta.
I wrote a complete article on Devnet which goes into the details of StageVideo and wrote a very simple video player to illustrate how the StageVideo APIs work.
Here is a snaphost of the demo using Stage Video, playing the Big Buck Bunny movie in 1080p on my MacBook Pro :
For comparaison, here is a 720p video playing on YouTube, using about 40% of my MacBook Pro CPUs with Flash Player 10.1 :
Now, let's browse to same video with Flash Player 10.2 with Stage Video, CPUs usage drops to 9% :
Pretty cool, hu ? If you make the test on YouTube, make sure you wait a few seconds, some ActionScript logic in the YouTube player makes the CPU usage go wild for a few seconds before reaching its normal state.
For info, the performance improvements are way bigger if you overlay content on top of video. In some cases, CPU usage can drop from 200% to 10% using Stage Video, check my first post about Stage Video for more infos.
While listening to my track and browsing the web through another tab, the pause and resume feature introduced in Flash Player 10.1 stops rendering the frames and only decodes sound. Flash Player CPU usage then drops to 5% :
But that is not all, we added another nice feature related to cursors. A highly requested feature. The idea is simple, no more Mouse.hide() or onMouseMove handler or startDrag to have a custom cursor. You can now directly work at the OS level and assign your own custom native bitmap-based cursors. Here is a little code sample which illustrates the idea:
// we create a MouseCursorData object var cursorData:MouseCursorData = new MouseCursorData("myCursor"); // we specify the hotspot cursorData.hotSpot = new Point(15,15); // we pass the cursor bitmap to a BitmapData Vector var bitmapDatas:Vector.<BitmapData> = new Vector.<BitmapData>(1, true); // we create the bitmap cursor var bitmap:Bitmap = new zoomCursor(); // we pass it to the bitmapDatas vector bitmapDatas[0] = bitmap.bitmapData; // we assign the bitmap to the MouseCursor object cursorData.data = bitmapDatas; // we register the MouseCursorData to the Mouse Mouse.registerCursor(cursorData); // whenever we neeed to show it, we pass the alias to the existing cursor property Mouse.cursor = "myCursor";
Pretty cool? But wait, there is even better, you can also pass a series of BitmapData objects, then pass a specific frame rate and get automatic native animated cursor:
// we create a MouseCursorData object var cursorData:MouseCursorData = new MouseCursorData("myAnimatedCursor"); // we specify the hotspot cursorData.hotSpot = new Point(15,15); // we pass the cursors bitmap to a BitmapData Vector var bitmapDatas:Vector.<BitmapData> = new Vector.<BitmapData>(3, true); // we create the bitmap cursor frames var frame1Bitmap:Bitmap = new frame1(); var frame2Bitmap:Bitmap = new frame2(); var frame3Bitmap:Bitmap = new frame3(); // we pass it to the bitmapDatas vector bitmapDatas[0] = frame1Bitmap.bitmapData; bitmapDatas[1] = frame2Bitmap.bitmapData; bitmapDatas[2] = frame3Bitmap.bitmapData; // we assign the bitmap to the MouseCursor object cursorData.data = bitmapDatas; // we register the MouseCursorData to the Mouse Mouse.registerCursor(cursorData); // we just pas a frame rate cursorData.frameRate = 1; // whenever we neeed to show it, we pass the alias to the existing cursor property Mouse.cursor = "myAnimatedCursor";
Very simple, but so cool. Game and RIA developers will love this feature.
Another addition, we enhanced the full screen behavior by allowing one screen to stay full screen while working on the other screen. This feature was also highly requested by the community and video industry. Very nice feature for Hulu, YouTube and other video websites.
A lot of people expressed the need to actually detect if the current context allowed the SWF to go full screen. This would allow you to detect this at runtime and react appropriately. Departing from Flash Player 10.2, you will be able to use the allowFullscreen property on stage:
if ( !stage.allowFullScreen ) throw new Error ("Please use the allowFullScreen HTML tag.");
Finally, a little improvement regarding Flash Player version info in the context menu, Here is what you have today when right click, no way to know which exact version you have running :
Here is what you will get starting from 10.2 :
I agree, it was about time. But yes, way easier now
To use those new APIs you need to use the special build 18623 of the Flex SDK 4.5, from the Hero Stable Builds table here.
You also need to use a specific compiler argument –swf-version=11 to target SWF11.
I hope you guys will enjoy those features. Give it a try and let us know about bugs or any feedback you may have, thanks!


text:
These questions were provided for us from Jazziegeorgie.
1)Why did Bella want to try cliff diving? Do you think it was because she wanted to hear Edward's voice again or she wanted to be "absolutely free", unthinking, and utterly irresponsible? OR do you think there was another, deeper issue?
2)Why wouldn't Billy tell Jacob what was going on with Sam, and Jacob's friends? (as to why the were acting strangely). Do you feel Jacob could've handled and understood the truth if he was told at the beginning of New Moon?
3)Another albino comment is made, not by Bella this time but by Jacob.
"I've never seen anyone paler than you except for---," Jacob says.
Why do you think Bella's paleness is mentioned yet again? Is it a comparison between the "light" side and the "dark" side, an innocent comment on Jacob's part or something else?
4)Bella calls Jacob her "fix" on page 162. A fix is something to make you feel temporarily better in regards to your physical or emotional health. Do you think Bella realizes that her close friendship with Jacob, throughout the first ¾ of the book, might only be temporary? Did you think he would continue to be her fix throughout "Eclipse" if something upsets her about Edward?


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