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I use Siemens headsets which utilize a propriarety low energy radio signal to communicate with each other and a separate bluetooth gateway. I was told that Bluetooth drains too much energy from the small batteries so thay had to choose the gateway approach.
I also agree with you: te lack of being able to configure the audio characteristics yourself with a Smartphone is disturbing. Probably the market for tech enthusiasts that wear hearing aids is too small
I guess the vast majority of people in need of a hearing aid is old enough to have spent the most time of their life without mobile phones at all, let alone smartphones, and are thus not very interested in smartphones in general, or in smartphone-controlled hearing aids specifically. Add to that the security implications of such an interface (imagine someone hacking your smartphone and then disabling your hearing aid in a critical moment so you can't hear something specific — more importantly for the hearing aid producer, you might sue them afterwards), and probably complex procedures of getting them approved (I'm pretty sure hearing aids count as medical devices), there's likely not much motivation for the producers to offer it.
I'm not sure if this is helpful, but the BBC ran an article on hearing aid hackers earlier this year:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18690973 [bbc.co.uk]
The software engineer mentioned in the article runs a blog here [hackandhear.com]
I use Phonak hearing aids, they have an external Bluetooth gateway called iCom which is an small box with an induction loop you have to wear as a necklace. The sound quality is very good when using the phone and both hearing aids are in usage when using the Bluetooth link. This is a big plus in my case since my capability to decipher the spoken language increase significantly when using both ears vs any single ear.
As mentioned, the reason the external box is required (in fact it is almost a battery only) is the required power would drain your hearing aids batteries very quickly if you have to power the Bluetooth chip.
However, with the new BT v4 low-power for medical devices, it is likely this will change in the few next years as the manufacturer will incorporate the new BT chip and convert to the new standard.
The necklace type gateways are better than nothing, however the design could have been much better. In the case the Phonak device, the material the wire was covered with harden with the time and eventually the wire simply break by lack of flexibility at the junction with the plug. I had to replace it at least once a year and the replacement cannot be done by the customer, that means you have to send the box to the company and be deprived of it for about a week. This should have been made field replaceable. At least the audioprothesist could have done the replacement without delay.
In the pas that was true of Bluetooth. However, with the release of Bluetooth low energy this is resolved. In addition there will be things like hearing aid profiles. Until the last year, it would have been very impracticable to use Bluetooth in a hearing aid. Especially given that folks who wear aids want them to be as small as possible.
If you are interested to read about it, it can be found here:
http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Loud-and-Clear.aspx [bluetooth.com]
There are reasons why hearing aids are expensive, yada yada. Yet it does look like they're overinflated. Sounds like a great opportunity for a kickstarter project to me. If you can get to a point where you can develop a hearing at that does as well as existing ones at 1/8 of the price, I'm sure you can find more than 8 people that are willing to pay that 1/8 of the price for them.
When you enjoy your newfound wealth remember me!
Not a karma whore.
They're expensive because the cartel that makes them got them classified as medical devices decades ago. There are all kinds of legal and regulatory hoops you have to jump thru before you can call something a "hearing aid".
You can buy a bluetooth earpiece for $20-$80 that has the exact same parts - condenser mic, speaker element, battery, and opamp/EQ circuit - and has vastly more functionality, including the bluetooth radio system and spiffy LED indicator lights.
Hearing aids are configured with an equalization curve tailored the the wearer's specific hearing loss, but it's not like there are a million different kinds of loss. It's mostly "top down" according to age and environment. Only newborns can hear 20khz. We lose a few thousand before we hit puberty and pretty much everyone loses everything above 12k by their 30's. (by "lose" I mean response is down a considerable number of decibels from our factory abilities). Impact-type noise from construction, artillery, or rock bands can punch holes in what's left, especially in the voice frequencies, but it's not like it's DNA-complicated or something. A simple hearing test can identify your remaining response curve in a few minutes and it isn't going to be that much different from the guy on the next bulldozer on the left or the guitar player on the other side of the stage.
There's no reason an ear doctor or audiologist couldn't give you a "prescription" response curve when you go in for a hearing test that you could load into a device that costs two figures (three if you want it to be super tiny) yourself with an app of some kind. The 4-5-figure price tags are simple price gouging by a "medical" cartel.
Hearing aids do a lot more than just amplify sound. Although your thresholds for different frequencies do go up such that you can no longer hear softer sounds, the limit at which the level is uncomfortable may not change (or it could actually go down). That means your dynamic range is substantially reduced. Hearing aids have to automatic gain controllers that respond to different frequencies. They can do a lot more besides that such as frequency transposition for high-frequency speech sounds.
And then ther
Hearing aids have to automatic gain controllers that respond to different frequencies.
Don't tell the patent attorneys at Dolby Labs about that one. Or about frequency-related volume compression technologies. The Fraunhofer people (MP3 compression) would probably also take an interest.
Ergonomics is a good point, although the number of people I saw the other day with stuff jammed into their ears more or less permanently makes me wonder if they really care.
Frequency transposition is a new one on me, though. About the only circuitry I know of that's likely to fit entirely into a in-ear unit (as
They're expensive because the cartel that makes them got them classified as medical devices decades ago. There are all kinds of legal and regulatory hoops you have to jump thru before you can call something a "hearing aid".
Being an acoustic engineer with knowledge of these matters it sounds to me (no pun intended) that you do not quite appreciate the engineering work that goes into developing these aids, apart from the extensive testing a medical device goes through to make sure it does no further damage to the user.
You can buy a bluetooth earpiece for $20-$80 that has the exact same parts - condenser mic, speaker element, battery, and opamp/EQ circuit - and has vastly more functionality, including the bluetooth radio system and spiffy LED indicator lights.
My fiancée has a hearing aid because of some extraordinal mechanical damage in the middle ear and that kind of damage can not be remedied with a "normal" aid, into which catagory your bluetooth headset would
Yeah yeah, and I sell the finest toothpicks available anywhere polished to sub-micron perfection and carefully balanced with a scientifically designed point, all for only $100 each. What a bargain!
You seem to be saying that in spite of being extremely pricy, you're fiancee's hearing aid isn't even as good as a cheap bluetooth earpiece, much less an expensive one. Meanwhile you ignore that MANY people really do just need a simple boost in some bands with a bit of AGC and that they are currently forced to was
I'm wondering if the gradual loss of hearing fidelity with age is one part of the reason why most people at a certain age stop listening to new music. The music they already listen to is adjusted by their minds to sound like it used to, but new music sounds bad because their ears lack the ability to hear it properly.
I think what it really is the fact that most music is crap and always has been. When we are young we find a list of bands that we like and ignore most of everything else but as we grow older we have less time for doing that and since we already have music we like, we never get past the horribly bad crap that is on the radio this week.
I think it's more likely just a lack of time. Speaking as someone who is 40, I just don't have much time to spend listening to music or looking for new music.
Probably not. I do enjoy new music from the artists I liked before, and even music from a few artists I didn't know before but completely fail to relate to the newest pop sensations for the most part.
It could be that we continue to enjoy some songs from our youth because we enjoyed them at the time but wouldn't if they came out today.
"When you enjoy your newfound wealth remember me!"
"I set aside a million bucks to reward Anoymous Coward, but he couldn't be identified so we gave up and threw it in the party fund.
C'est la vie!"
They like making you dependent on audiologists to set the things up. In turn, their products get sold at MSRP instead of deeply discounted online with DIY setup. That said, I understand the tuning process isn't trivial, and you wouldn't necessarily do a good job unless you're very dedicated to learning about it.
A lot of the hardware cost is due to making them tiny, power efficient enough to run a long time off of rather small batteries and still having enough DSP performance to really process the audio into something you can understand. That's a tough mix, but you're right - if you're willing to carry an outboard processor in your pocket and put up with poor battery life, you can probably cobble together something that works much cheaper. You would need earbuds with outward facing mics - almost like a bluetooth headset, except you want high sample rate bidirectional audio, which is a combination curiously lacking in the bluetooth spec.
Just some thoughts from someone who doesn't actually have hearing aids, but who's heard a little about 'em.
At this price-point ($4500) that hardly matters. Sure, you might need expert help for configuring them optimally. What's reasonable pay for a good audiologist, and how many hours does he need to help you tune them well ? If you said he'd need 4 hours, and he'd cost $250/hour, that still adds up to $1000, leaving $3500 for the hardware, which is utterly ridicolous.
It's a long shitty process indeed. But it's a fixed cost, and not a per-unit cost, thus it's one of those costs that gets less and less relevant the higher number of devices you sell.
I would buy that excuse if they hadn't extended that pricing to include accessories and non FDA mandated equipment as well.
Adapter between a stereo headphone and an induction loop? Can't be more than $15 worth of electronics but they charge $200
Wireless hearing assisted listening system (for conferences) The transmitters start at $3000 in the end my friend priced out an FM transmitter for $150. The receivers? $500 each. In the end we went with $5 FM radios and some.
Hearing assisted doorbell that flickers
There is no reason to run hearing aids solely on batteries. At the price tag current hearing aids have, you could power them with the energy your body emits anyway, via a thermoelectric element or a generator that turns body movements into electricity. Said that I know there are probably no hearing aids out there actually featuring those, that are more than proof of concepts. But as a former poster already said: It looks like a worthwhile kickstarter project.
There is no reason to run hearing aids solely on batteries. At the price tag current hearing aids have, you could power them with the energy your body emits anyway, via a thermoelectric element or a generator that turns body movements into electricity. Said that I know there are probably no hearing aids out there actually featuring those, that are more than proof of concepts. But as a former poster already said: It looks like a worthwhile kickstarter project.
A thermo electric element needs a decent temperature differential to operate. Unless you're willing to tolerate a large heatsink hanging outside your ears (and are willing to accept that the hearing aid will be less and less effective as the ambient temperature approaches body temperature), then you're probably not going to have a thermocouple powered hearing aid. You'd probably be better off with a solar cell outside your ear to recharge the batteries.
Similarly, a generator that is powered by body movement requires body movement and unless you like to wiggle your ears all day long, you're not going to find much movement in your ears for powering the device. If you're willing to accept wires that connect the device to an area of your body that has more movement, then maybe you'd be better off with a bigger battery pack somewhere outside your ear.
If you're willing to accept an implanted power device, there are probably some biochemical reactions that can provide enough power to run the device.
Of all the complaints I hear from dad about his hearing aids, battery life is not one of them. He gets a little under a week of battery life, and given that he takes them out every night, replacing the batteries once a week is not a big deal.
If it's just a racket, why not buy the cheap hearing aids you see advertised all over the place? Less than $200 each.
I'll tell you why: because they're crap. They uniformly amplify the entire sound spectrum, which means that sounds in the range of your hearing that are not impaired, driving you crazy with feedback and overamplification. Real hearing aids selectively amplify the frequencies you need. Mine (which I only paid $2k for) don't actually make sound like they're amplifying sound, more like restoring missing texture.
Mine not only contain sophisticated DSP hardware, they have small radios so they can talk to each other and work together. If you think you can build something like that for less than $1K a unit (which also has to cover the cost of fitting and programming) then go for it.
Like I said: one of the key things that makes them expensive is cramming enough DSP performance in to process the sound into something you can understand.
OK, I should have read past your (rather misleading) headline.
The truth likely is somewhere in-between. I suspect the cost to make these things is way less than $4500, but it may very well be more than $200.
Consumers should have a choice in products, and a choice in whether they need them tuned more extensively or not, and so on.
While I don't have any experience with hearing aids in particular, I've had to deal with other "medical devices" and it definitely is like working with a cartel. You're often just handed something and if you want to actually have some choice
Micups did not get the cheapest digital hearing aid out there. There seem to be three tiers of price/features, and he chose the middle. As I mentioned before, I chose the cheapest at $2K a pair. This included testing (in a fancy soundproofed booth), programming, and fitting. Difficult to see how this could have been done any cheaper.
That said, I agree with you about the pervasive gouging in the medical industry. The most glaring case is scorpion antivenom. Scorpion stings aren't common in the U.S., so mos
I'd think that the "basic" model shouldn't require any tuning at all. Do you even have that choice when using insurance?
As far as antivenom goes - I suspect that the trials to get it approved in the US probably did cost a small fortune. Part of the reform has to be regulatory. If the manufacturer actually had to perform a clinical trial then the costs for that is in the millions of dollars. Then if you sell 10 vials a year you need to charge $3k per vial just to make up that up-front cost in 30 years.
I'd think that the "basic" model shouldn't require any tuning at all.
I can understand that somebody who doesn't use hearing aids might think that, but you could at least read my post all the way through.
I did, and I understand the concerns about not amplifying parts of the range that aren't deficient. However, why not just have a tiny dial that sets a high-pass filter, and individuals could just tweak that on the basic model? Sure, it isn't perfect, but it is better than going without because you don't have $2k.
Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of good enough.
Well, aside from the fact that most users aren't geeks who like to hack everything they own, and the other fact that adding a little dial would add more to the cost than eliminating the hearing test and the programming, I guess it's a great idea.
It really astonishes me: we're all technogeeks here, and we spend our lives playing with cheap modern technology. Yet very few Slashdotters seem to understand why tech is so cheap. Tech can only be sold cheaply when it's produced in quantity. That's why not every g
Maybe a little simplistic. "Good" changes over time as the tech becomes cheaper and people's expectations rise.
Precisely. I'm sick of old people lecturing about the "good old days" especially in reference to product quality and value. How anyone for instance can compare the piles of s*** people drove 'x' number of decades ago or appliances, or electronics, even clothing, food, houses, etc., etc. to modern goods, claim they were "better" then claim they were "cheaper" is beyond absurd.
That's right gramps, you go drive your 1940 Packard, park it in the garage of your 700 sq. ft., drafty and cold cotton fiber insulat
Hey! I'm "old people". Not all of us think history should have ended during our youth.
For that matter, the "way it was meant to be" fallacy is not restricted to old people wanting their youths back. Ron Paul's basic theory is that America was a Libertarian paradise before bluenoses and reformers screwed it up. Yeah, he's old, but he's not that old. And most of his followers are pretty young.
BTW, I drive a 2009 Honda Fit. Beautiful piece of engineering.
Alas, Sir, in this Sarah Palin era, so are you.
You want a standard for controlling, so that everyone can control their aid, but that also opens the door to those that want to control OTHERS aid, without their permission. Sometimes the standards have holes in design, other times the implementation can have bugs. Either way, it's a risk no medical company will take. They prefer a closed protocol, that can not go through external scrutiny (security by obscurity).
Another such example (in my line of work) is usage of ethernet in cars. While ethernet by itsel
Medical devices have these problems on proprietary interfaces, look at insulin pumps with remote control. An overdose of insulin can be fatal to a diabetic, yet anyone with a radio and a computer can adjust the pump to do just that. Oh, I forgot to add, they also don't tell you about it. At least with open standards like TLS at least we have a lot of people verifying it.
We can do security in such devices if we want to, just ask the right people.
Same goes with cars, get the information security engineers bef
Apple has already made iPhones compatible with hearing aids [apple.com] and appears to be looking to refine it with "made for iPhone" aids [appleinsider.com].
Well, you know - given Apple's obsession with groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, it makes perfect sense they'd want to get their hardware working with other devices predominantly used by old people.
some nokia smartphones have had inductive loop support for ages now..
also, they sell a bluetooth thing that goes around your neck and interfaces to the inductive loop hearing aid.
So you are right that some good mics, earbuds, and a DSP could mostly replace hearing aids, with the right programming and calibration. The issue would be size. Those expensive hearing aids fit all that in or around your ear, and get pretty good battery life to boot.
So sure, I could design you something using off the shelf components, but it would be large. It takes some pretty advanced manufacturing to pack it all in to that tiny a package.
You are right that tunability would be a good feature. I'm not sure why they don't have it, may be a mixture of regulations (medical devices have pretty tight restrictions on them), anti-competitiveness, and just lack of adaptation.
So if you want to geek out and roll your own, go for it. Just realize it will end up being a bit bulky. In terms of software implementation it depends on what you want. Good hearing aids work like multi-band dynamics compressors/limiters. They bring up the frequencies you have problems hearing, but make sure to compress things so that loud frequencies don't cause more damage. If you are doing it on a device with a lot of power you might go multi-stage, do noise reduction, EQ, multi-band compression, and brick-wall limiting in that order. That would give you sound superior to any hearing aid out there, and require a fairly beefy processor (by mobile standards).
I think that modern hearing aids have a lot of very complex programming as well. My GF, who is an audiologist, just showed me how aids can be programmed to increase sensitivity in the direction from where human voices are coming -- so if you are driving a car, and someone in the back seat starts talking, the aids automatically increase the gain in that direction.
They are also very good at extracting human voices from background noise, and it's not just a simple frequency filter.
Why are you surprised that there's no Smartphone interface to your hearing aid? There are few people that know enough about audiology to make effective and safe adjustments to their hearing aid, and there's little incentive for the hearing aid companies to provide such an interface, or to collaborate on an industry wide standard. Besides, adding something like Bluetooth would really eat into the power budget of the hearing aid, greatly limiting battery life, while the Bluetooth chipset would take up room that could be better used for more DSP hardware or better microphones/speakers in the unit.
That said, here's a link with resources for finding PC programming software for your hearing aid. You may need to choose your hearing aid based on which manufacturers are willing to provide the software to end users:
http://www.amperordirect.com/pc/help-hearing-aid/z-hearing-aid-program-tools.html [amperordirect.com]
At the last Chaos Communication Congress, Helga Velroyen discussed this and other topics around hearing aid evolution. You can find her talk at ftp://ftp.ccc.de/congress/2011/mp4-h264-HQ/28c3-4669-en-bionic_ears_h264.mp4 [ftp.ccc.de] and a corresponding blog project at http://blog.hackandhear.com/ [hackandhear.com] . While I do not have to rely on hearing aids and thus have not looked very deeply into her activities, I get the impression that she is one of the most knowledgeable persons regarding this topic in the European hacker scene.
I've had to turn my "good ear" to quiet people since my early 20s thanks to countless hours in bands so I can sympathize but there are a number of reasons why you don't see the kind of control your asking for. The most obvious is that most people who need these devices are not technically savvy and would either be turned off by the complicated process of adjusting their hearing aid(s) or would just ignore the feature. You're talking about something that is on the wish list of a very small percentage of a very small market. In 30 or 40 years, that will change as today's tech addicts age and expand the market so that there is enough demand to create the product. But, right now, the market is mostly people who are in their 70s and up. Try to imagine your grandma tweaking her hearing aid with her iphone.
Also, there is a lot that goes into setting up one of those high end hearing aids. I'm blind as a bat and, while I know a lot about vision correction, I know that there's no way I'd be able to grind lenses as well as a pro. It takes a lot of training and experience to do that kind of thing. Something that drives me nuts is those racks of "reading glasses" at the drug store. Sure they're cheap but spending the money for an eye exam and lenses that actually match the individual correction requirements for each eye is soooo much better. $5 vs. $200 is a no brainer for me. I want to see and I want to see well. (Actually, my glasses are closer to a grand because of my insane prescription but I'm pricing it at what a "drug store" buyer would be paying.) Your "earbuds and a microphone" concept is like drug store reading glasses. It's cheap and better than nothing but a far cry from what's possible.
FWIW, most cell phones do support hearing aids in that they'll provide audio to the hearing aid using various methods. Look at the specs of the phones to see which phones support what methods. They'll say "M4" "T3" "T4" etc. to indicate which hearing aid(s) they're compatible with.
Most optometrists or ophthalmologists that are being honest will tell people that otherwise don't need glasses to just use the drugstore models for a while until their prescription progresses to a point (if ever) that a more customized pair is required. Certainly you can't use them because of your particular problems, but that doesn't mean they are a bad option for people overall.
But your overall point is correct... "nice earbuds, a microphone, and a smartphone interface" are simply not going to cut it, un
"I am not convinced that a combination of good ear-buds, good microphone(s), and a smartphone interface couldn't totally replace these overpriced solutions."
Your only choice for this is probably iOS, since Android's latencies are still much much higher than is required for real time audio.
There's also the issue of actually getting a decent mic into the system without a custom preamp... and where would mount, say, an off-the-shelf lavalier? On your lapel? Permanently?
and where would mount, say, an off-the-shelf lavalier
Why not come full circle? Before it was coöpted to mean a type of microphone, lavalier originally meant a pendant that hangs from a necklace.
Someone on my degree course at university had some type of severe disability (cerebral palsy I think) coupled with being pretty deaf and more or less unable to speak. He had a microphone like a pendant, he would give it to the lecturer. I'm pretty certain his hearing aid system was pretty dreadful - despite the mic being on the lecturer, you could hear feedback shriek very often from the other side of the room, from a device in this guy's ear - it didn't seem to bother him though (perhaps the frequency was
Your only choice for this is probably iOS, since Android's latencies are still much much higher than is required for real time audio.
Audio Latency is much better in Jelly Bean [theverge.com], so you're probably better off with Android given how much more hacker-friendly the ecosystem is.
Better, but apparently still nowhere near real-time... IIRC it was something along the lines of 50-100ms, which is too long for real-time audio. There are still threads dedicated to workarounds on XDA-Dev... for JB - the problem is still there.
The same principle could be applied to autism or other conditions that cause sensory overload. Hyperacusis and sensory integration disorder cause irritation, physical pain and difficulty comprehending spoken words. An amplifier containing some form of equalisation and some form of compression and limiting can hugely improve the listening experience - I have experimented with a guitar amplifier, which is not very portable.
Combining isolating, noise-cancelling headphones with a filter / limiter would allow pe
AutoZen: http://www.linuxlabs.com/autozen.shtml [linuxlabs.com]
No matter how much you train with it it won't improve your hearing. But it might make you a more interesting person.
Actually to wrench this back on-topic, it might be a really good synthetic test input for your non-medial hearing helper android app, since it can save to
Even better, this is far enough out there that it could help make your non-medical home hearing test app (I'd pay $0.99 for that) less of a target for selling a medical device withou
You can program/tweak these yourself.
I am not convinced that a combination of good ear-buds, good microphone(s), and a smartphone interface couldn't totally replace these overpriced solutions.
The expensive part of the hearing aid, is not the earbud part, but the microphone part. A cell phone mic is not nearly good enough. Remember, the "good microphones(s)" you would use have to be small enough to fit on what is basically an earbud and sensitive enough to pick up environmental sounds but not too sensitive. Then you need dumb filters (a DSP would be better) to be able to make adjustments), a place to hold the battery and an amplifier.
Now fit it in something that will fit in your ear. There's a reason good hearing aids are so expensive. The best of the current crop are pretty impressive tech.
I don't know much about blue tooth, but can you make a bluetooth receiver small as an RFID that will fit inside an earbud?
I have no doubt that a committed hacker could put together a proper hearing aid out of a set of really high-end earphones, some stuff from Newark Electronics, a couple of microphones out of an iPhone and four dry-cell batteries and a football helmet and a wagon to pull it in.
Making something small enough to wear inside your ear unobtrusively is another story. It might cost you some money.
I've been deaf most of my life. I recently received a Chili Oticon hearing aid (http://oticon.com/products/hearing-aids/power/chili/about-chili.aspx) and a connectline streamer (http://oticon.com/products/wireless-accessories/connectline/about-connectline.aspx) which is a loop connection to the Chili, and picks up Bluetooth, so it was multipurpose, for working with phones and any bluetooth connectable sound sources.
Unfortunately, my hearing crashed worse and now I'm dealing with Cochlear implants... which
Its one of them 200 new features Apple is bragging about.
my ears are ringing from tinitus now, even though I haven't heard anything loud for days. you must protect yourself -- I've been wearing earplugs where necessary since realizing i was losing my top end in my 20's because of extremely loud guitarists and drummers (bassists usually aren't such dicks). being a keyboardist, I have had to compete with the guitars, and I can't stand playing so loud it hurts. just for once i want to be in a band where we play soft. if the audience can't hear, then they should STFU
I wear an Oticon Chili SP9, which is a high power digital aid, programmable by the audiologist. There's a DAI (direct audio input) boot available, which I use with my low-end MP3 player. There's also a much more sophisticated set of devices called "Connectline" http://oticonusa.com/Oticon/Professionals/professional_products/ConnectLine.html [oticonusa.com] based on a gadget that hangs around your neck or in your pocket. It adds Bluetooth connectivity (and limited control of the aid) from the gadget. It only works with certain Oticon aids using a protocol I haven't been able to decode.
The Connectline gadget seemed like a good idea at the time, and I willingly spent the (lot) of extra money, but I find I mostly use the wired DAI boot. The Bluetooth gadget is more of a pain than a help. The battery doesn't last very long (less than a workday) and has to be shut off to recharge, which it does via a mini-USB connector. And it only links to one or two Bluetooth devices at a time. Also, it interferes with the Bluetooth system in my car.
A committee takes root and grows, it flowers, wilts and dies, scattering the seed from which other committees will bloom. -- Parkinson

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Edmund played by Michael Gould
King Lear (2001)
Written by: William Shakespeare
Michael Gould returned for his second Theatre Season at the Globe, playing Edmund in the 2001 production of King Lear. He appeared in the Globe's first Theatre Season as Leontes in The Winters Tale.
latest updates
This is Michael's final blog post. This week he reflects how he feels at the end of the run, the changes he has made to the performance while the run has continued, and he looks ahead to taking King Lear to Japan.
In his penultimate blog post, Michael discusses how the re-rehearsals have changed the run and the audience's reaction to Edmund, as well as his reflections on how Edmund relates to the other characters and the audience.
In his seventh blog post, Michael discusses the process of re-rehearsing the play, the exercises performed to keep the play fresh and what changes to the play and his character have emerged.
In Michael's sixth blog post he discusses developing Edmund further, the variery of audience reactions to the play and how he responds to reviews.
This is Michael's fifth blog post. This week he discusses the transition from rehearsals into performances, the effect this transition has had on his character and the pros and cons of interacting with the audience.
In his fourth blog post, Michael discusses rehearsing on the Globe stage, Edmund's relationships with other characters and his effect on the play as a whole.
In his third blog post Michael discusses fight choreography and Edmund's relationship to the other characters in the play.
In his second blog post Michael discusses how private research and group work inform character, and the ever changing nature of the play text.
This is Michael's first blog post. This week he discusses returning to the play, the different decisions about Edmund he has to consider and how the play will develop through rehearsals.


text:
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- A Jacksonville man has been convicted in a wreck that killed his girlfriend.
The Daily News of Jacksonville reported that 41-year-old Michael Eugene Kincaid was convicted Thursday of felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired and careless and reckless driving.
Judge W. Allen Cobb sentenced Kincaid to 20 to 36 months in prison.
Police say Kincaid was driving in Jacksonville with Terri Denise Padgett when they crashed on April 1, 2012. Both were thrown from the vehicle and Padgett died at the scene.
Prosecutors said Kincaid's blood alcohol level was 0.16, twice the legal limit in North Carolina.


text:
I probably posted various pics before, but I made a page that I'll be updating as I go along.
I split the block today, and cleaned the crank up. The rod bearings definitely need to be replaced. The crank bearings are ok, but I'm going to replace them anyway. I need to get the cylinders honed, and I'll be set to put her back together
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ej22t teardown and rebuild pics
Started by Legacy777 , Jul 01 2005 11:31 PM
2 replies to this topic
Posted 01 July 2005 - 11:31 PM
Posted 04 July 2005 - 07:48 PM
That is a nice set of pics, and it looks like you got some new tools, too!
I'd like to put a turbo into my 96 legacy, but now that I see how big a job it is, I guess I'll stick to my wimpy 135 hp engine.
I'd like to put a turbo into my 96 legacy, but now that I see how big a job it is, I guess I'll stick to my wimpy 135 hp engine.
Posted 04 July 2005 - 08:30 PM
It'd be less work if I wasn't completely rebuilding the motor, but for me, I might as well. You could always buy a built motor...
Still, I think the motor swap will be much less work then the AWD & 5spd swap
Still, I think the motor swap will be much less work then the AWD & 5spd swap
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I appear to be slightly obsessed with ARKit. You see, what Apple has unleashed with this new AR platform is a real opportunity for developers of all stripes to get really creative with what these technologies may actually mean.
More than Pokemon
Think about reactions shortly after WWDC in June. Adam Fingerman, Chief Experience Officer at ArcTouch noted the platform potential: "With App Store distribution and in-app purchases, it's a much more attractive platform for brands and businesses looking to create augmented experiences."
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
from Computerworld http://www.computerworld.com/article/3208804/apple-ios/apple-s-arkit-is-accelerating-ar-development.html#tk.rss_all


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It's like the blind leading the blind.
Clarke Community Interim Superintendent Steve Seid said this was a good analogy about setting an upcoming school budget and not knowing how much allowable growth school districts would receive from the state.
Allowable growth is the maximum increase for school budgets.
"It's about not knowing income, and you have expenses that need to be spent and prioritized," Seid said in a telephone interview with the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune Feb. 28.
During a Feb. 25 Clarke Community School Board meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution requesting the Iowa Legislature set a 4 percent allowable growth rate for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years prior to consideration of education reform measures.
Seid and Clarke School Board President Gerard Linskens signed the resolution.
In the resolution, it states, "over recent years, the failure of the Legislature to provide sufficient and increased annual funding to Iowa's school districts has a cumulative effect and significantly threatens the ability of Iowa schools to meet the current needs and demands of improved student achievement.
Be it further resolved, to ensure appropriate annual educational funding and fiscal solvency the Clarke Community School District Board of Education resolves that to prepare for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 years, the Legislature should, as statute dictates, approve allowable growth in the first 30 days of the 2013 Legislative session."
According to Seid, the resolution the school board approved originally started with the organization School Administrators of Iowa, which is based in Clive.
The organization's Executive Director Dan Smith had sent it to districts asking it be presented to school boards for approval.
4 percent
"Four percent is typically an amount that would definitely help districts with their finances," Seid said. "The resolution is promoting 4 percent for the next two years."
However, at the state level, there is a tug of war about how much allowable growth there should be. In recent years, school districts have had to deal with 0 percent allowable growth.
Generally, state officials approve allowable growth a year in advance.
During 2012 Legislative session, the Legislature failed to set fiscal year 2014 allowable growth.
Gov. Terry Branstad recommended the Legislature delay setting the 2014 rate until the 2013 session, after work on the Teacher Leadership and Compensation task force was completed and acted upon in the 2013 Legislative session.
Conflicting sides
During the current Legislative session, the Iowa House has passed a 2 percent allowable-growth plan. The Iowa Senate has approved 4 percent allowable growth.
"Initially, Gov. Branstad wasn't interested in allowable growth, but has been acceptable with what has been looked at recently with some of his educational reform in place," Seid said. "Realistically, we can only be hopeful at this point."
Clarke Community School District has to certify its budget by April 15.
"Obviously, it makes it a challenge when you don't know what your school funding will be before you certify," Seid said.
Numerous school district in Iowa have approved the School Administrators of Iowa resolution.
Seid said the allowable growth situation has been difficult, but he is hopeful guidance from the state will come soon to allow the the school district to continue the education Clarke students and their families deserve.
However, there is always the reality that 0 percent allowable growth could happen again to Iowa school districts.
If that happens, Seid said, "We'll have to continue providing the highest-quality programs with less resources, and that's where you really put the pencil to the paper and be as creative as you can, without impacting instruction as much as possible."


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Paying homage to the illustrious history of the Manchester United no. 7 shirt, Nike is debuting the Manchester United Collection, a Nike Sportswear apparel range inspired by the flair, leadership and will to win that the club's no. 7s have embodied through the ages. This range of off-pitch clothing has been designed with the club's heritage, colours and character in mind.
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1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer. Photos by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.
Building a car with monster horsepower and a mind-numbing top speed is not particularly difficult, assuming that money is no object. Making that car docile enough to serve as a daily driver in the real world, with functional amenities such as air conditioning and a factory stereo system, presents an entirely new set of challenges, one that (generally) does not coexist with a goal of establishing a high speed record. One of the best-known exceptions to this rule was the 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer, which will come up for sale this coming January.
The roots of the Sledgehammer Corvette can be traced to another top-speed Callaway project, the Top Gun Corvette that scored a top-speed victory at Car and Driver's "Gathering of Eagles" high-speed throwdown. The Top Gun Corvette achieved a maximum speed of 231 MPH, easily besting the other entrants, but leaving Reeves Callaway with a laundry list of things to improve on his next über-Corvette. Atop that list were two critical factors: improving the low-speed driveability and retaining the factory-delivered options. Furthermore, the next Callaway Corvette would be driven to and from any high-speed testing event, further demonstrating the capabilities of the car (instead of just the endurance of its driver).
The Sledgehammer Corvette began life as Callaway Corvette #88-051, but didn't remain in that form for long. Before the car was ready for testing, changes would be made to its engine, suspension, bodywork and interior, all ensuring that the Sledgehammer would meet or exceed the expectations of Reeves Callaway. Starting with a four-bolt "Bowtie Block," the Callaway staff added unique pistons and connecting rods, Brodix heads, a surprisingly mild custom camshaft and a pair of Turbonetics T04b turbochargers, fed through a pair of relocated intercoolers. Pushing 22 PSI of boost, Callaway estimated the engine would be good for 898 horsepower and 772 pound-feet of torque, which, on paper anyway, would give the car a top speed of 252 MPH.
To ensure the rest of the Sledgehammer was capable of delivering comparable performance, suspension changes included lowering ride height by one inch, repositioning the lower control arms, bolting on Koni shock absorbers and fitting 17-inch Dymag magnesium wheels shod with special Goodyear tires. Outside, the Sledgehammer became the first Callaway Corvette to wear the Callaway Aerobody package designed by Paul Deutschman and Deutschman Design, and this reshaped bodywork was essential to the car achieving its 250-plus MPH top speed goal. Not only did the Aerobody design look good, but it also improved cooling airflow, intake airflow and overall aerodynamics compared to a stock fourth-generation Corvette.
Inside, the Sledgehammer retained much of its stock configuration, with most changes (such as a leather-covered roll bar, five-point harnesses for driver and passenger and a fire suppression system) made in the name of safety. Monitoring and data logging equipment was added as well, but otherwise the Sledgehammer retained the same power locks, power windows, power mirrors, sport seats, Bose audio and air conditioning the car was delivered with. In keeping with Callaway's design goals for the Sledgehammer, the car was driven from Callaway's Old Lyme, Connecticut, offices to Ohio's Transportation Research Center (TRC) for its proposed date with destiny.
Despite the steps taken to ensure that the Sledgehammer was well-sorted before reaching the TRC, problems arose. At around 135 MPH, the car developed a misfire that had engineers chasing a nonexistent ignition gremlin; the fault was ultimately traced to clogged injectors from a bad tank of gasoline. Next, just below the 200 MPH mark, an oil leak developed, but was quickly remedied, allowing the team to press on with testing. At the 215 MPH mark, the Sledgehammer seemed to stumble, as if the stated 250 MPH goal would be out of reach, and the engineering staff at the TRC impatiently asked the question, "How fast do you expect this car to go?"
When Callaway chief engineer Tim Good advised that the car was designed to go in excess of 250 MPH, his response elicited snickers from the TRC staff. A few improvements to the Sledgehammer's frontal aerodynamics were made (using racer's tape, of course), and the Sledgehammer was soon lapping at a partial-throttle speed of 248 MPH. In disbelief, a TRC asked if the car was capable of going faster, and at 3:45 p.m. on October 26, 1988, he received a definitive answer: The Callaway Sledgehammer, driven by John Lingenfelter, put down a lap at 254.76 MPH, establishing a new closed-course speed record (that would last for 25 years) in the process. Callaway was hardly an unknown entity prior to the Sledgehammer's record-setting performance, but the car certainly helped to strengthen the tuner's reputation as a builder of premium quality, no-compromise automobiles.
Scheduled to cross the block at Mecum's Kissimmee auction, the Sledgehammer is expected to sell for $750,000 to $1 million. In 2004, the Sledgehammer Corvette sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $221,400, below its projected value of $250,000.
The Sledgehammer Corvette is being sold as part of the Richard Berry Callaway Collection, which also includes a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway convertible; a 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Callaway Speedster; a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Callaway Speedster; a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway convertible; a 1997 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway C12; a 1997 Callaway C7R GT1; and a 1997 Malibu 20-foot Corvette Callaway Supernatural speedboat.
Fans of the fourth-generation Corvette won't be disappointed by the rest of the offerings in Kissimmee, either, as other lots expected to cross the stage include a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport coupe; a 1986 Corvette Indy Pace Car, driven by Chuck Yeager; a 1990 Corvette ZR1 with 23 miles, never dealer-prepped; a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport convertible with 11 miles; a 1995 Corvette Indy Pace Car, driven by Bob Jenkins; and a 1993 Corvette 40th Anniversary convertible with a six-speed manual transmission and just 16 miles on the odometer.
Mecum's Kissimmee auction will take place January 17-26, 2014. For additional details, visit Mecum.com.
UPDATE (27.January.2014): The Callaway Sledgehammer reached a high bid of $600,000, but this failed to meet the established reserve price.
Whoa, close to a million! That's quite an engineering marvel for sure, but I'll take a 2014 Corvette, an XK-120, a Gallardo, a Quattroporte, a.. (insert several other cars here; plus a nice garage to house them all for the same price).
And STILL an ugly, late-'80s 'Vette. You cannot make chicken salad out of chicken faeces.
Can I get an Amen to that?
The rearview is still a lot cleaner than the Camaro based behind of the latest Corvette…or is Chevy calling it a Camvette now…LOL
Late C4 is one of the better looking Vette's. Cleaner than the ridiculously overdone Mako and soooo much more attractive than the awkward looking C5 and C6 (to say nothing of the current monstrosity).
I like the C4 style the most even over the 1960's models.
Well, this car has an interesting history that will endure along with it, multiplying its collector value. When you see the videos, learn the story and then stand right next to this car (it was on display at the Corvette Museum last spring, along with all the other Callaway Corvettes coming up for auction) you are simply in awe. And this car really is the best iteration of the C4; all the aerodynamic tweaking had the effect of correcting most of the visual flaws and turned it into something beautiful.
Mr Lingenfelter, sadly missed.
Agreed. Also, so cool that he was the driver when the car broke 254. As for those who think the C4 is ugly. we (Corvette guys) all have our favorites, but there is no such thing as an ugly Corvette except maybe the C7 (the tail light designer should be working at McDonalds).
That car was a remarkable engineering advancement for its day. Horsepower, whether factory or hot-rodded, is pretty cheap today, but in the 1980s you had cough up a lot of cash to get 300 HP. Of course, this car was only technically a "daily driver", but it was still a milestone.
My favorite Callaway was the C7R in it's first version, with the rear-mounted radiators and the internal front wing. You know you've got some cool technology when the FIA bans it! Wouldn't want those AMG guys getting upstaged by knuckle-dragging Americans now, would we?
I used to love reading C\D supercar shootouts and remember reading about the Sledgehammer vette. I always thought that if this was a foreign car it would have gotten more attention. Always wondered how many of these were made. My favorite vette.
Oh Jeez, I was way off, I thought this might be Peter Gabriels Corvette! D'OH!
I want to be your "sledehammer"!
……….a 254mph closed course lap was an amazing feat, but relatively obscure, even to enthusiasts…….for instance, I doubt many (including myself) know the name of the present record holder. Top speed records were front page news in the 20's and 30's, but by 1988 there were so many classes and sub-classes, that even Guiness had trouble keeping track. On the other hand, it only takes one (two, actually, this is an auction) well-heeled fan to drive the price close to Mecum's estimate…….and in this case I hope the car does remain a trailer queen…trying to duplicate that feat 22 years later, without the original engineering team, and those "special" Gatorbacks no longer available, sounds a bit daunting, even for the bravest buyer…….that zero-mile 1990 ZR1 sounds a little more practical, 175mph is fast enough for me…..
Ray, these are some of the more current 'Big Dogs' when it comes to production speed. Some of these will probably look like bargains compared to what the Callaway Sledgehammer will bring. The price for exclusivity seems to keep going up.
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 267 mph (429 km/h), 0-60 in 2.4 secs. Aluminum, Narrow Angle 8 Liter W16 Engine with 1200 hp, base price is $2,400,000. (The original Bugatti Veyron had a top speed of 253 mph, priced at $1,700,000 with 1001 hp.)
Hennessey Venom GT: 260 mph (418 km/h), 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, has a 6.2-liter LS9 Turbocharged V8 Twin Turbo V8 Engine producing 1200 hp, with a price tag of $950,000. (The Venom GT has yet to be tested and proven, but could possibly hit a top speed of 275 mph.)
Koenigsegg Agera R: 260 mph (418 km/h), 0-60 mph in 2.9 secs. 5.0-liter V8 Engine with twin turbo's, housing 1099 hp. Base price is $1,600,000.
SSC Ultimate Aero: 257 mph (413 km/h), 0-60 in 2.7 secs. Twin-Turbo V8 Engine with 1183 hp, base price is $654,400.
9ff GT9-R: 257 mph (413 km/h), 0-60 in 2.9 secs. The 4.0 Liter flat-6 Twin-Turbo Engine with 1120 hp, comes with a base price is $695,000.
Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo: 248 mph (399 km/h), 0-60 in 2.8 secs. Twin Turbo All Aluminum V8 Engine with 750 hp, base price is $555,000.
Koenigsegg CCX: 245 mph (394 km/h), 0-60 in 3.2 secs. 90 Degree V8 Engine 806 hp, base price is $545,568.
McLaren F1: 240 mph original price is $970,000 (easily over a million now)
Zenvo ST1: 233 mph Base price: $1,225,000.
Pagani Huayra: 230 mph $1,273,500.
Gumpert Apollo: 225 mph Base price: $450,000.
Noble M600: 225 mph Base price is $330,000.
Aston Martin One-77: 220 mph Base price: $1,850,000.
Ascari A10: 220 mph $650,000.
Lamborghini Aventador: 220 mph , 0-60 in 2.9 secs. $379,700
……2nd generation ZR1's are good for close to 200mph, had full warranty, are infinitely more driveable, and went for around a hundred grand……much better value than any of these, or the (estimated) million dollar Callaway imho.
Yep. 'tis true. And you can get it serviced somewhere near you rather than somewhere on the continent. 🙂
C4 Corvette is the best platform dollar for dollar on the road today. You can buy an 1988 six speed for $5000 all day. They are great cars.
……and the 1st generation ZR1 is the bargain among C4's, fairly nice ones around for $mid-20's….. very experienced friend of mine turned one into a trackday weapon recently, massive brake and cooling upgrades, and he now runs with the latest trick cars…….be interesting to see what the zero-miler goes for……….it's not the only one out there, quite a few got put away brand new, expecting huge appreciation that never happened…….the ZO6 ended that party, and the 2nd gen ZR1 drove the nails in the coffin. .
Lotus did a very nice job when they transformed the rather pedestrian C4 into the ZR-1. It was the first high volume American production car that could match the best supercars out of Europe. The ZR-1 was so potent that GM took about 15 years to offer a Corvette that was equivalent, the C6 Z06. I really think that the ZR-1 should be called the Lotus-Corvette as in Lotus Carlton, Lotus Omega, Lotus Cortina, Lotus Talbot, and even a Lada. Lessons learned in the ZR-1 are still included in Corvettes, e.g. stiffened chassis, widened track, aluminum block, aluminum A-arms, lowered clearance, big brakes, fatter tires in front, even fatter in the back, and even an active suspension design. There is no substitute for good design and the ZR-1 was proof.
I'm not a Corvette guy but you do get a lot of car for the money in a C4. If I were into vette's I'd probably snap a 4th gen edition up before the prices go up.
The six speed transmission was first offered in 1989, the 1988, was offered with the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission.
can you say sleeper?
Unless it's the light , the hood looks to be a different shade than the rest of the car. I worked for a car paint supplier that specialized in color matches, and I notice those things.
If I feel the need to go 254 miles an hour, I'll do it in a plane and NOT a Corvette, thank you very much!
You would think for that price the paint on the front end would match the door…
Thank-you ,bob !
Does that count as patina? 🙂
Curious; what's "unique" pistons, rods, heads?
The experts bot some dirty gas! LOL.
I once saw an interview where he variously referred to it as the Sledgehamster and the Hedgeslammer. Gotta love anyone who can build something like this without taking himself too seriously.
All of you negative people are ridiculous! In 88′ in cost over $400K to build this one of a kind. And the record stood for over 25 years. Not a bad accomplishment! So embarrassed were Ferrari and Porsche that they didn't even say goodbye, just packed up and left. Hell, they weren't even street legal cars then. Can't wait to see the Sledgehammer II estimated at close to 300 mph! Of course it's unnecessary, but who doesn't want the sickest ride on the block. Oh, and by the way, the ZR-1 is on it's 3rd generation, not 2nd! (see 1971). The next Sledgehammer should be all BLACK!
Fantastic analysis – I loved the specifics ! Does someone know where I might be able to get a blank 2013 IRS 1120 form to fill in ?
This is, in my opinion as a Corvette writer, the Ultimate Bad-Ass C4 Corvette! Indeed, no other STREETABLE Corvette has achieved such an extreme speed. Remember, the Callaway team drove the car from their shop in Connecticut to Ohio, set the records, and drove the car home! While the L98 engine was a one-of-a-kind, maxed out Callaway Twin Turbo, it was still a classic small-block Chevy engine. Amazing!


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Name: NOOK Color
What it is: An Android tablet for readers from Barnes & Noble with a 7-inch high-resolution VividView color touch screen and eight text sizes to customize reading. The Android platform lets it run apps ranging from games to travel, plus it allows email and Web browsing. The backlit display reduces glare and optimizes brightness for reading outside. It also includes built-in social networking features, including Nook Friends, to help you swap books.
The good: I was surprised how the brightness adjustment on the NOOK Color's backlit display made the screen easy on my eyes whether I was in a darkened airplane cabin or traveling in a shuttle from the airport. Color images in magazines, children's books and travel guides really pop. I love tapping the screen to turn pages rather than clicking a button. It costs significantly less than an iPad and other tablets, and is perfect for travelers who prefer reading and checking email to watching videos. You can watch videos, but they aren't as rich as on an iPad.
The bad: Although music sounds pretty good while reading with the Pandora app playing in the background, tunes I dragged into the NOOK Color from my iTunes library didn't sound as good as on an iPod.
Cost: $199
Available from: barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor


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Proc Info
- Procs on landing harmful abilities and spells, and melee/ranged abilities and swings
- 0.92 BASE RealPPM, but the RealPPM increases with the iLevel of this trinket (source)
Ghostcrawler: 0.92 RealPPM on landing harmful abilities and spells, and melee/ranged abilities and swings.
- Proc rate multiplied by 0.1 for non-melee specs. Proc rate multiplied by 0.25 against player controlled units. Proc rate multiplied by 1/(1.15^((528-ItemLevel)/15) for the various Item Level versions of the trinket.
- 22 sec ICD
- Source
How it Works
- It converts all of your stats into the highest stat, reducing the values of your other 2 stats. However, a recent change will have it giving you a 200% increase to the best stat.
- Example: Say you have 6000 Mastery, 3000 Crit and 2000 Haste before the proc
- After the proc you would have a buff of +10,000 Mastery, -3000 Crit, and -2000 Haste
Ghostcrawler (update #1): At proc time, it checks how much crit, haste, and mastery you have (yes, this is a snapshot, and does NOT include the mastery raid buff). It finds which is the highest of those 3 (tie breaking rule: crit trumps haste trumps mastery), and gives you a buff of +[sum of lowest two stats] to your highest stat, and -[lowest stat A] and -[lowest stat B]. For example, if you have 6000 mastery, 3000 crit, 2000 haste, and the proc goes off, it gives you a buff that provides [+5000 mastery, -3000 crit, -2000 haste]. It does not continue adjusting that buff as stats change during its duration. Yes, this means that if you have a temporary buff to a stat that is not your highest (even with the temporary buff), and that temporary buff falls off during Re-Origination, you *could* end up with negative rating. In this obscure edge case, negative crit does reduce your crit chance, negative mastery does reduce whatever it normally does, and negative haste is ignored.
Ghostcrawler (update #2) We're going to make some changes to this trinket based on testing and feedback. Our goal was to make it decent if you didn't game it at all but offer some opportunities for enhanced benefits if you did. We're going to try to meet that goal better with these changes:
- 10 sec duration (down from 20 sec) but with double the proc rate.
- Increase your highest secondary stat by 200% of the sum of your two lowest secondary stats. For example: you have 3500 mastery, 5000 crit, 7000 haste. Rune procs, and you get [-3500 mastery, -5000 crit, +17000 haste]. Same logic as before, just double the size of the buff to your highest stat.
Ghostcrawler (update #3) The proc frequency changes based on the ilvl of the trinket:
541 ilevel = 112.88% proc multiplier
535 ilevel = 106.74% proc multiplier
528 ilevel = 100.00% proc multiplier
522 ilevel = 94.56% proc multiplier
502 ilevel = 78.49% proc multiplier
463 ilevel = 54.57% proc multiplier
This counts for both Unerring Vision and Rune of Re-Origination.


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Letter: Congress must pass real reform of health care system
While it is encouraging that Senate and House committees are beginning to seriously consider health care reform legislation, it is critical that the U.S. Congress take action and pass real health care reform in the next few months.
America is facing a health care crisis caused by a combination of skyrocketing costs and an insurance system that leaves 47 million of us without any coverage. The current health care system is endangering both our economy and our health, and voters have made it clear that they want change. According to a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, 70 percent of Americans surveyed believe the health care system needs major changes, if not a complete overhaul.
Health care reform legislation must guarantee quality, affordable health care to all U.S. residents. It is universal coverage that will determine the humanity of our system, and all Americans must have health care coverage, including the choice of a quality, affordable public insurance plan.
In addition, it is essential that comparative data on treatments, benefits packages and medical outcomes be made publicly available so that individuals can make informed health decisions.
Congress needs to take additional strong action to reduce the costs of health care for individuals, businesses and communities. As a nation, we are spending $1 out of every $6 we earn on health care. Legislation must provide effective cost controls, equitable distribution of services and allow for efficient and economical delivery of care. Offering everyone the choice of a government-administered health insurance plan like Medicare that would compete with private health insurance plans will be key.
Achieving this kind of comprehensive, system-wide reform will take a shared effort by citizens and Congress. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Rep. Collin Peterson need to support real health care reform.
Mary Lindstrom, President
Willmar Area League of Women Voters


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Note: Arrest or citation for a crime is not a determination of guilt. Guilt or innocence is always determined in a court of law.
Dec. 28
11:25 a.m.- William Ray Rhoades, 21, Marshalltown, arrested at the Tama County Jail, Toledo, on a warrant for violation of terms of probation by the Tama County Sheriff's Office. Released at 1:20 p.m. after serving time.
Article Photos
12:20 p.m.- Douglas Harry Hala, 38, Toledo, arrested at the Tama county Sheriff's Office on a charge of 4th / 5th degree criminal mischief by the Sheriff's Office. Shipped out on Dec. 31 at 11:45 a.m.
1:15 p.m.- Paula J. Hernandez, 39, rural Toledo, arrested in the 300 block of Meskwaki Road on a warrant for violation of terms of probation by Meskwaki Nation Tribal Police.
10:21 p.m.- Sherri Lynn Larison, 35, Traer, arrested in the 600 block of North Street, Traer, on a charge of violation of conditions of pre-trial release by the Tama County Sheriff's Office.
Juvenile arrested by Toledo Police. The Arrest Press Log contained no other information.
Dec. 29
8:47 p.m.- Phillip Tarrell Davis, 22, Toledo, arrested in the 100 block of North Broadway, Toledo, on two charges of assault on a police officer, jailer or health care worker and on a warrant by Toledo Police
Dec. 30
6:45 a.m.- Asia Renee Roberts, 18, rural Tama, arrested at US. Highway 30 and Tama County Road T47 North on charges of 1st offense drunken driving and failure to maintain control by the Tama County Sheriff's Office. Released at 2:10 p.m. on personal recognizance bond.
Dec. 31
2 p.m.- Jeremy Lee Burgess, 25, Vinton, arrested at the Linn County Jail, Cedar Rapids, on a warrant for violation of terms of probation by the Tama County Sheriff's Office.
5:10 p.m.- Ted Eugene Meader, 29, Tama, arrested in the 400 block of Oswego Street, Tama, on a charge of sex offender registry violation, 2nd or subsequent offense and on a warrant by Tama Police.
Jan. 2
10 a.m.- Chad Dewayne Webber, 18, Cedar Rapids, arrested at the Tama County Courthouse, Toledo, on a charge of disorderly conduct by Toledo Police. Released on Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. after pleading guilty.


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Pope Francis Visits Brazil In First International Trip
Pope Francis returned to the warm embrace of Latin America, landing in Brazil to begin his first international trip as pontiff.
A huge crowd cheered as Pope Francis, in his first international trip as pontiff, walked onto the tarmac in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to begin a weeklong journey in the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation.
The Argentinean-born pope, who has made a name for himself as a humble, unassuming pontiff, was greeted with applause, a choir and a bouquet of flowers.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff waited on the tarmac for the pontiff to step down the stairs from the no-frills commercial airliner that was specially booked for him.
Once on the streets, frenzied crowds of Roman Catholics mobbed the car carrying Pope Francis.
Ecstatic believers forced the closed Fiat to stop several times as they swarmed around during the drive from the airport to an official opening ceremony in Rio's center. A few security guards struggled mightily to push the crowd back in scenes that at times looked alarming.
Francis, however, looked calm. He rolled down the window on the back passenger-side of the car where he was sitting, waving to the crowd and touching those who reached inside. At one point, a woman handed the pontiff a dark-haired baby, whom he kissed before handing it back.
After finally making it past crowds and blocked traffic, Francis switched to an open-air popemobile as he toured around the main streets in downtown Rio through mobs of people who screamed wildly as he waved and smiled. Many in the crowd looked stunned, with some standing still and others sobbing loudly.
Idaclea Rangel, a 73-year-old Catholic, was pressed up against a wall and choking out words through her tears. "I can't travel to Rome, but he came here to make my country better ... and to deepen our faith," she said.
At the airport earlier, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vigorously shook Francis' hand after he descended the stairs following a no-frills commercial flight that arrived about 4 p.m. He made no public statements.
Reaching the end of the red carpet full of church leaders and other dignitaries, Francis and the Brazilian president paused to be serenaded by a choir of about three dozen young people singing an anthem linked to World Youth Day, a semi-annual event uniting hundreds of thousands of young faithful from around the globe. Before singing, the kids robustly yelled soccer-like chants in the pope's honor.
During his stay, the 76-year-old pope will meet with legions of young Catholics converging for the church's World Youth Festival in Rio. More than 1 million people are expected to pack the white sands of Copacabana for the Mass celebrated by Francis. He will also visit a tiny chapel in a trash-strewn slum and make a side trip to venerate Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida.
Earlier on the flight from Rome, Francis expressed concern for a generation of youth growing up jobless as the world economy sputters. He warned about youth unemployment in some countries in the double digits, telling journalists there is a "risk of having a generation that hasn't worked."
Brazil and much of Latin America is a region with more faithful than any other in the world, but millions have left the church for rival Pentecostal evangelical churches or secularism.
A poll from the respected Datafolha group published Sunday in the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo said 57 percent of Brazilians age 16 and older call themselves Catholic, the lowest ever recorded. Six years ago, when Pope Benedict XVI visited, a poll by the same firm found 64 percent considered themselves among the faithful. In 1980, when Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to visit Brazil, 89 percent listed themselves as Catholics, according to that year's census.
Pentecostal evangelicals stood at 19 percent of the population in the latest poll, rising from virtually nothing three decades ago by aggressively proselytizing in Brazil's slums.
Based on reporting by The Associated Press.
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Medicare fraud charge filed against former owner of York practice
The former owner of York Township-based Leader Heights Healthcare has been charged with running a Medicare program after his license to do so had been revoked.
The civil health care fraud lawsuit was filed against York resident Kurt Bauer, 61, by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
It says the practice formerly known as ChiroCare Center received approximately $3 million from Medicare between 2008 and 2013. That's a problem, because Bauer was excluded from Medicare after the Pennsylvania Department of State revoked his chiropractic license in 2008 "for an inappropriate relationship with a patient," the news release says, but he allegedly retained ownership of the practice until 2009 and continued to be involved in its management and administration "until he learned of the government's investigation in 2013."
The release also says Bauer falsely informed Medicare that he had retired.
The lawsuit is based on the False Claims Act, under which "a person that causes the submission of false or fraudulent claims to the government is liable for three times the government's damages, plus civil penalties for each false claim," the release says.


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FRANKFURT, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Daimler received more than 30,000 orders for its flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury car in less than three months since the model was launched, the company said on Friday. "The new S-Class has already jumped back into the lead in terms of new vehicle registrations in Germany and its neighbouring European countries," said Ola Källenius, the new head of sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars. Last year the company sold over 65,000 ...
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NGAUS formed in 1878 with one goal in mind - work with Congress to better equip the militia. Today, our mission remains the same. But our role has expanded and evolved as the Guard has grown from a hometown militia to an operational reserve that serves as a homeland force and in overseas operations. As one of the largest military lobbying organizations, we work to transform our members' ideas into legislative action and provide states and our members unified representation before members of Congress and their staff on the association's legislative priorities.
What Has NGAUS Done For You Lately?
Legislative Agenda Starts With the States
NGAUS doesn't sit in Washington, D.C. and decide what's important for the National Guard. We listen to our members. Our lobbying efforts begin with an annual resolutions process that originates with our state associations. Delegates to the annual NGAUS General Conference debate and approve resolutions, which NGAUS prioritizes for the next congressional cycle. See our legislative resolutions for fiscal year 2019.
NGAUS Petitions Congress
The NGAUS legislative department, which is the lobbying branch of the association, presents the association's legislative priorities directly to members of Congress and their staff. NGAUS staff works with stakeholders, including the National Guard Bureau (NGB), state associations, the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) and industry representatives to unite support around common goals.
Legislative Alerts Highlight Timely Issues Requiring Action
When issues of importance to the National Guard heat up on Capitol Hill, NGAUS sends out Legislative Alerts with details about the issue at hand and actions you can take, such as contacting your members of Congress to provide input and support on legislation under consideration.
NGAUS Provides Tools for Grassroots Advocacy
Each Legislative Alert contains a sample letter that you can send to your Congressional representatives or customize as you like using our Write to Congress feature, which also allows NGAUS to track the number of letters submitted from each state.
Speaking Up (NATIONAL GUARD, April 2017)
Personal calls, letters and emails from Guardsmen to Congress can provide the extra push required to get legislation considered
Member Action Strengthens Our Voice
Because NGAUS members are located in over 3,200 communities across the U.S. and in every Congressional district, NGAUS speaks with a unified voice to Congress and has the influence of a major voting bloc. NGAUS's team of professionals knows the legislative process, the key players and how to ensure the voice of the National Guard is heard, but we are most successful when our members are engaged and active on the issues.
NGAUS makes it easy for you to stay informed and jump into action when needed to contact your representatives on Capitol Hill. Together we can be successful in lobbying for modernized equipment, increased readiness and improved benefits.


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|2013-05-16, 11:34
|Link #4366
U mad?
Join Date: Apr 2012
Furuichi with those tissues is so good.
Hm, after thinking a bit, Furuichi did give Oga those tissues (actually, Hilda took them), so why does he still have tissues left?
Hecados is actually the first demon he contracted with the tissues and we haven't seen him contracting the same demon twice in the tissue arc.
So what if Furuichi kept those used tissues for emergency situations? Assuming each pair of tissues contract to a specific Behemoth squad member, did Furuichi keep those used tissues in his pocket the whole time?
Other thought, Furuichi gains the King's Crest, which eliminates the side effect of the tissues. So they become a (sort of) permanent boost for him?
Edit 1: Looks like Behemoth squad's current mission is to shut down that Solomon company and they already fought?
Edit 2: Himekawa took that Busujima's number, but Busujima wasn't shown with the Takamiya's contractors last chapter, so it looks like he doesn't a King's Crest currently?
|2013-05-16, 12:15
|Link #4369
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
|2013-05-16, 12:23
|Link #4371
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
I don't think he has more tissues left.
It just the the one he put into his nose.
His power/time will eventually run out. He will beat a few, but won't get the Magician or Takamiya.
In the end he will be beaten up, but atleast it wasn't that one sided.
But Furuichi is quite something huh? Like 0 Atk but lots of Health Points...just look at the blood he lost on the floor.
Or he put the tissues right before getting a beat up, would make more sense.
|2013-05-16, 12:33
|Link #4372
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Chances are if he loses he'll be unable to put another in his nose or he's unlucky with his picks and doesn't get someone strong enough.
|2013-05-16, 12:49
|Link #4373
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
You know I am starting to think the King's Crest is the only Crest that requires utmost loyalty to your leader while other Demon's crest can be given if the leader wants to. I mean, it seems strange. Takamiya's crew seems to fear him than loyal to him, Also in light of the realization that the group giving all these upstarts their Demonic power is the Solomon group. The Behemoth 34 Pillar Division seems to know the Solomon group as well.
Also Furuichi may be wrong about Himekawa, maybe he does indeed know the connection of the Solomon group and what they done to him and his fiance.
|2013-05-16, 13:06
|Link #4374
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Under the 7 seas
I wouldn't be suprise if Himekawa already knew about the Solomon group and only joined the Fallen Angels to get more info like he told Oga the last chapter and knowing that Furuichi is the brains of the group had him kidnapped so he could tell him what is happening but without really tell Furuichi in person given that Fallen Angels would have kicked him out. Either way Furuichi being all sneaky that he saved a Tissue or 2 orr he is re-using the old ones. Would be better if he made a contracted with Hecadoth or Angie. Sadly we all know he will be getting his ass kicked or he may pass out.
Last edited by shalala; 2013-05-16 at 13:23.
|2013-05-16, 13:45
|Link #4376
Not A Loli-con....
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Somewhere in the 11th dimension
Furuichi seems to have the highest highs because he has the lowest lows imo. This makes him freaking awsome when he decides to man up. I'd be willing to bet he slaughters the peons and escapes or has an even fight with them. .... Although if he'd pulled the super rare Jabberwock card.... it probably would have ended in slaughter so those minions are pretty lucky.
|2013-05-16, 15:14
|Link #4377
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
|2013-05-16, 15:24
|Link #4378
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Though there's a decent chance he'll do the smart thing and try to escape if he's able to.
|2013-05-16, 15:43
|Link #4379
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
|2013-05-16, 16:04
|Link #4380
Not A Loli-con....
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Somewhere in the 11th dimension
|gag, shounen, slice of life, violence
|Thread Tools


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In justifying his decision to cut $1.5 million out of public education spending in 2013-14, City Manager Alan Bergren said school district leaders can apply to the state for a waiver that would allow them to divert money designated for student achievement to daily operating costs.
In justifying his decision to cut $1.5 million out of public education spending in 2013-14, City Manager Alan Bergren said school district leaders can apply to the state for a waiver that would allow them to divert money designated for student achievement to daily operating costs.
But a member of the statewide Board of Education and two local superintendent say no such pathway exists.
"That's the first I heard of anybody suggesting supplanting Alliance District funding to pay for general operations," Killingly Superintendent Kevin Farr said, speaking of Alliance District funds."The whole intent was to provide remedial programming to help raise the level of achievement for our students."
Norwich alderman Charlie Jaskiewicz, who is also on the state Board of Education, said Alliance dollars cannot be redirected.
"It's special financing to enable struggling districts to reach new and higher achievement goals," he said.
Norwich is one of 30 districts in the state invited to take part in the Alliance program, aimed at closing the achievement gap in Connecticut's worst performing school systems.
In an email to The Bulletin Tuesday night, state Department of Education spokewoman Kelly Donnelly said Alliance District funding cannot be used for any purpose other than pre-authorized spending on improvement plans, citing a comment from Debra Kurshan, the department's chief turnaround officer.
"I am concerned about our ability to manage this type of devastating cut as we have already eliminated any non-mandated programs and services from our district," Superintendent Abby Dolliver wrote to city officials regarding the possible $1.5 million cut after hearing from the state education administrators.
If Norwich officials adopt Bergren's $116.5 million spending plan in its current form many other departments would escape deep cuts in the next fiscal year.
But Dolliver says the proposal to flat fund education spending in 2013-14, would have dire consequences for the district.
Bergren's suggested $70.38 million allocation to the school system does not take into account an extra $1.5 million needed to pay for a Norwich Free Academy tuition hike, officials say.
Last month, the Board of Education endorsed a $71.8 million budget that includes no new money for public school spending, covering only the NFA increase.
The result of Bergren's proposal to flat-fund the school district?
"I'm still trying to quantify it so people understand the seriousness of it," Dolliver said. In real terms, to include the $1.5 million in tuition increases in a flat funded budget could mean 20 full-time teachers lose their jobs.
Laying that many off would cripple city schools, Dolliver asserts.
"I can't run a district with that," she said.
But in remarks to reporters on Monday and then before the City Council later in the day, Bergren said the school board endorsed budget would add nearly a full mill to the property tax rate, which already faces a 5.16 percent increase, or 1.37 mills more, in 2013-14.
And for the first time in more than five years, city administrators are putting money into the capital improvement fund for the Board of Education. Bergren has recommended $400,000 to qualify the district for a $4 million federal grant to upgrade its telecommunications systems — a concession that Bergren said reflects City Hall's commitment to the schools.
He called on state leaders to devote more funds for public education and pointed to an expected $1.7 million more in aid to Norwich next year to help bridge the gap. But $1.02 million of that is for Alliance District programs and cannot be used for anything else.
"I recognize that Alliance District funds have restrictions that impede the ability of school districts to pay for general operating costs," Bergren told aldermen. "It is up to the state of Connecticut to ease the restrictions on these funds."
More than once, Bergren mentioned the district's ability to apply for "waivers" or an "amendment" to its Alliance District funding, allowing some of the money to be funneled away from academic improvement initiatives to offset day-to-day expenses.
Dolliver said she doubts state education officials would be willing to change the funding mechanism for designated Alliance districts.
"If that happens, any school reform initiative is over, in essence," she said.


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DPS elections: Debating the direction of the Denver School Board (3 letters)
Re: "Vote to continue reforms in DPS," Oct. 11 endorsement editorial.
I found it odd while reading the Denver Post endorsement of Denver School Board candidates that the name of candidate Meg Schomp was not even mentioned in the entire editorial. She is a highly qualified, intelligent and compassionate advocate who as a board member would listen to both sides of any issue before making a well-informed decision based solely upon what is in the best interest of all Denver children — especially those at risk. It is my hope that the voters of District 3 in central Denver perform their own due diligence regarding Schomp by attending a candidate forum instead of being tempted to simply follow the advice of the Denver Post Editorial Board.
Rick Callahan, Denver
This letter was published in the Oct. 17 edition.
We have heard both candidates for District 4 speak and will be voting for Roger Kilgore. Whittier Elementary has done a turn-around in our district in a way that he envisions, with strong parent and neighborhood involvement. He is not part of the reform movement, which hands our schools over to private companies to improve, though he supports charters that are doing well. He states that the district should be taking the lessons from those that are successful and implementing them in all schools in Denver. He envisions a strong school in every neighborhood, teaching that does not just "teach to the test" but offers art, music, gym, etc., to meet individual student needs at a pace they can learn. Kilgore advocates for every student with specific programs, not just platitudes, he has experience working with DPS already, and he has never supported vouchers that take our children out of public school. We hope voters will look at his platforms before casting their vote.
Judy Danielson and Eric Wright, Denver
This letter was published in the Oct. 17 edition.
Re: "Denver Public Schools election offers voters two paths," Oct. 15 news story.
In response to the ongoing presentations of both sides of the Denver School Board elections, I write as a citizen deeply concerned about the inequities in Denver's inner-city schools.
For several years I have prepared story times for the primary children at Whittier Elementary, a school with dedicated staff but lacking many of the resources available in other Denver schools. This ECE-8 school has a small library but has had no library staffing for the past six years; thus none of the 319 students can check out books. It has also added no new books to the library in that time. Every Monday I take the newest and most beautiful books from public libraries so that these young children might be inspired to love reading.
I ask the new board hopefuls: How can we continue adding new schools and updating certain area schools without ensuring that our inner-city children have all they need to soar?
Diana Howard, Denver
This letter was published in the Oct. 17 edition.
For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here. Follow eLetters on Twitter to receive updates about new letters to the editor when they're posted.


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Offered Programs
- Systems Management: This is Western Kentucky University's professional major for career-focused students. Modern organizations are growing more complex and need people who have a "Systems Perspective". The SM program emphasizes practical managerial skills, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and computer fluency suitable for a 21st-century knowledge worker. This major is not a college of business program; it is in University College.
- Computer Information Technology: This is an exciting field of work and study that includes many diverse, technical areas such as Web design and programming, database administration, and computer network administration and security. This is an online program! All classes are taught via the Internet. This major is not a college of business program; it is in University College.
- Business Informatics: This program is currently in development! It will be a business degree which also exposes students to information technologies.
The Computer Information Systems minor is a smart choice! Almost every profession is using computers, networks and specialized application software more and more. A CIS Minor will compliment your major by teaching you how to use today's hottest applications. This program is not for people who are hard-core computer types; they should pursue one of the majors listed above. This CIS Minor is for people pursuing non-IS disciplines who want to be better competitors in their chosen profession. Click here to learn more about the CIS Minor.
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GreenBytes: Virtual Storage Appliance For Virtual Desktops
GreenBytes vIO is a virtual storage appliance version of the Providence, R.I., company's desktop virtualization solution, the IO Offload Engine. The vIO offers additional virtual desktop deployment flexibility utilizing existing infrastructure resources, enabling enterprises and service providers to scale their virtual desktop environment as their businesses require. GreenBytes' zero latency inline deduplication technology lets IT deliver full-featured persistent virtual desktops at cloud-scale, providing end users with a virtual desktop experience similar to the physical desktop performance they expect, with up to 97 percent less storage space required compared to traditional solutions.


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By Kerry Magro Jun 29, 2012 0
When I was 14 years old I had my first kiss. It was during a slow dance to the song "Back at One" by Brian Mcknight. It was a kiss full of emotion and a slight bit of shock that it was actually happening. Looking back now, though, the reason I remember that moment so well wasn't because it was my first but because of how I remembered that song playing in the background.
If autism has given me any one gift I think it's the ability to retain information in unique ways that most other people can't. I can remember Howie Day's song, "Collide," playing in the background at our school gymnasium when I fell in love for the first time. I remember when I was 10 and was listening to "I Want It That Way" from The Backstreet Boys. (Yes, I wanted to be the sixth member of their boy band way back when!) The morning of the first day I switched schools to a private school for students with learning disabilities. Even while I'm writing this article I'm listening to a playlist of R&B Slow Jams that I listened to while studying for my first test that I got an "A" on in high school. For me, a long list of moments in my life can be broken down one way or another into a song.
I think this type of focus has contributed to my overall development and it serves as a constant reminder of why we must continue to play to our strengths while at the same time working on our weaknesses. I think too often people in our lives focus on "deficit-based learning" where we look at how to address our weaknesses without focusing on our individual strengths as well. I see this as a huge problem especially for autistic adults.
Regardless of my weaknesses, I've always stressed that my abilities (like retaining moments in my past through music) have been basically like superpowers to me. Sure I may never be able to fly, walk through walls, or turn into a green rage monster whenever I want, but having those powers would take away one of the greatest gifts I think anyone is ever given and that's individuality. If we could start considering everyone as superpower-based on his or her own strengths we would be so much better off.
Think about it. A collection of "Avengers" that consists of everyday heroes of all different abilities. A lot of people look up to these comic book characters as role models when, in reality, every time someone looks in a mirror they are looking at a potential hero full of endless possibilities.
So regardless of what your strengths are, just remember to play to them as much and as well as possible. Even if you don't know your main strengths, focus on pushing yourself to understand what they are. Get out there, ask questions, and remember to look towards your loved ones for guidance if all else fails. One thing about being an adult is having the confidence in yourself to advocate for your specific needs. This can be tough but one thing I've noticed through being an autistic adult is that the only way you can fail in this is if you don't try. Hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." Please remember to take your shot because it can truly lead your way to greatness.


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White Council
This article or section needs expansion and/or modification. Please help the wiki by expanding it.
The White Council, or Council of the Wise, was a group of Elves and Wizards of Middle-earth, formed in 2463 TA. to contest the growing power of Dol Guldur at the request of Galadriel.
First White Council
The First White Council was formed after Sauron's defeat in Second Age 1701. The council did not include any of the Istari who had yet to come to Middle-earth. The main decision of the council was to abandon Eregion in favor of Imladris.
Second White Council
The Council's head was the Wizard Saruman the White. Other members of the Council included Gandalf the Grey, Galadriel, Círdan the Shipwright, Elrond Half-Elven, and Radagast the Brown.
In 2851 TA. the White Council met to decide on whether to act on Gandalf's discovery of the identity of the Necromancer but Saruman disuaded the others. Eventually Saruman relented and in 2941 TA. Sauron was driven out of Dol Guldur only to re-appear in Mordor. The Council last met in 2953 TA., at this meeting Saruman insists that the One Ring has been swept out to sea.


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Im pretty sure he's at FS
ive read on here that they have two different depth charts and each one has them listed the opposite. anybody know where he played in the game vs atlanta today?
|Thumbs Up
|Received: 6
Given: 3
Im pretty sure he's at FS
Didn't you already make this thread?
Resident Celebrity
sorry actually i made this one not knowing i put it in the news section instead of the discussion forum. i didnt know how to change it or delete it.


text: The KCSUPERFANS have taken over the player signing at SportsNutz this year and all the money will go to various charities. For $15 a person you will get a free mexican lunch from Di Cardlos, free autographed Superfan posters, an autograph from Jamal Charles, access to the biggest party in the midwest including a band, face painter, cartoon artist, all of the Chiefs Superfans and Brigade Superfans. The party will be at SportsNutz Hyw 40 and Blue Ridge Cutoff in Independence,Mo from 12pm to 4pm. Jamal will be autographing from 2pm to 4pm. Look forward to seeing you all there!!!


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Jay Arnold Anthony
The family of Jay Arnold Anthony, 73, announces his passing away early in the morning on September 6, 2012. Jay passed away peaceably in his sleep at the Valley Care Center in Okanogan, Wash. Jay has resided at the care center since suffering a stroke at his home in Riverside, in 2007. The family would like to extend our appreciation to the "angels of mercy" who attended to Jay's needs while at the center.
Jay was born in Wilbur, Wash., on August 20, 1939, at the Johnston Hospital. Jay was the ninth child of ten to be born to James Fredrick Anthony and Jamima Ann Hodgen. Jay and his younger brother George were the only two born in a hospital.
Jay's childhood was spent living with his parents and attending Nespelem schools. When Jay was a senior, Nespelem High School consolidated with Coulee Dam High School. Jay graduated from there in 1957. Jay worked at various jobs throughout Okanogan County, but finally settled in and worked many years as a bartender at the Riverside Tavern in Riverside, Washington. He was well liked and made many, many friends in the Riverside, Nespelem, and Omak areas.
Jay is survived by his brothers Fredrick Junior and George Everett Anthony and their wives Julie (Fred) and Joan (George). Special mention is made of his two nephews Scott and Ryan Anthony (Fred's boys) who have lovingly bedeviled him since their births in 1976 and 1978. He is preceded in death by his parents James and Jamima Anthony, and his siblings: Albert, Loren Leslie, Eleanor May Graves, Myrtle Alice Rinker, Marjorie Lee, Lila Eunice Johansen, and William Ellis.
A graveside service will be held at the Nespelem Community Cemetery, located on "the Flats" just outside of Nespelem, Washington on Friday, September 14, 2012 at 1 p.m.
Online condolences may be shared with the family at http://www.legacymemorial.info.
Legacy Memorial Funeral Home has been entrusted with caring for the family.


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With virtually no brain activity, he makes A's and B's
North Port High School student Manny Galan is surrounded by the four Zumba instructors who will lead Sunday's "Zumba for Manny" fundraiser for him and his family, clockwise from left, Rhonda Sodnik-Demko, Lynda Suth Leonard, Laurentz Bastias and Carolina Molina.
Manny Galan poses for a photo several months before the 2010 health incident that changed his life.
Millie Galan's son is a medical mystery.
At 14, Manny was a healthy Heron Creek Middle School eighth-grader. He loved math and science, played soccer and seven different instruments, and was in the school band.