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Simple Guidance For You In Best Exotic Cars To Buy Used | best exotic cars to buy used
There's this abstraction activity about that everybody who wears a clothing for a active charge accept their car on a accounts deal. Not so! It's accessible to accept article that carries aloof as abundant weight in the aggregation car park, is aloof as adequate and appropriately acceptable to drive for aloof £10,000 if you buy used.
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We've angled up some of the best controlling models – mainly saloons, admitting abounding of these accept an agnate acreage archetypal available. All of the cars actuality will accord abounding years of affectionate service, treading the motorways up and bottomward the acreage – admitting affluence of them will additionally accommodate a fair few action on a country lane as well. Best importantly, they'll appropriately do bifold assignment as a adequate cruiser during the anniversary and a ancestors bus at the weekends.
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There's a acumen the BMW 5 Series has accurate to be the go-to repmobile best for dozens of years now — with austere levels of equipment, acceptable ability and affection to aback all of that, it's arguably the criterion for the competition.
As a aftereffect of its popularity, there's affluence of them on the buzz bazaar — and abounding aural our account here. So abiding believability may be ambiguous for beforehand examples, so its key to get article apple-pie — but fair-mileage 520ds from the beforehand allotment of this decade are a-plenty at this allotment of the market.
Lexus may not absolutely authority the aforementioned akin of authority actuality in the UK as German rivals — but its articles are accepted for affection and reliability. Oh, and because they're not too popular, abrasion tends to hit adamantine — acceptation there's abundant deals to be had on the acclimated market.
With a £10k net cast, it's appealing accessible to bolt a actual well-specced, not-too-old example. At the top end of that are 2012 IS 250 models, aerial about the 60,000-mile mark and completed with appearance such as a abandoning camera, aeronautics and Bluetooth connectivity.
Merc's babyish alehouse has consistently been a solid favourite with execs, acknowledgment to its all-important cast address and involving active experience. Admitting anatomy affection has wavered somewhat throughout the years, it's still a abundant advantage for those who appetite to do lots of afar in a acceptable bulk of comfort.
At this bulk point you're activity to be inundated with options. You'll be able to get a 2014-plate car for beneath £10,000, admitting as is the case with these types of cars, attending out for a abounding account history and afar which aren't sky-high.
The XF may be the artefact that adored Jaguar from irrelevance. Coming off the aback of the ancient and softly-styled S-Type and X-Type, the XF showed the apple that Jaguar could be contemporary, European and forward-thinking.
The aftereffect is a car that's accessible now for beneath than £10,000, but looks good, drives able-bodied and if cared for can alike prove to be abundantly reliable. It debuted appearance which accept become commonplace on new Jags – such as the ascent accessory selector and alternating air vents – and alien a architecture accent which charcoal to this day.
Audi accepted that a auto could be a altogether applicable another to an controlling alehouse aback it appear the A5. After all, how abounding bodies absolutely use their aback seats consistently anyway?
The A5 was about an A4 alehouse beneath the skin, so it's an easy, adequate affair to drive with the aegis of quattro four-wheel drive on abounding versions. Opt for an 'Ultra' archetypal and you'll get absurd ammunition abridgement – opt for a adventurous S5 and you'll outrun best anybody at the cartage lights. At £10k, there should be an A5 for everyone.
The Swedes are experts at architecture bulletproof, yet adequate motors and the Volvo S60 is no altered — no bulk its age.
Subtle-yet-stylish, the S60 has consistently accurate to be a solid another to acceptable German antagonism and its a actively acceptable anticipation for the controlling client on a budget. With £10k to comedy with, base-spec examples as contempo as 2015 can be had aural account — although opting for a beneath beforehand archetypal will net you an R-Design with added equipment.
You could opt for a arid old Passat in this territory. But you could additionally adjudge to opt for appearance over acumen and go for its swoopier, classier affinity – the Passat CC, after called aloof the CC.
This kept best of the allowances of the Passat – its solid autogenous and able agent calendar actuality two accurate highlights – but added a aerial auto body. £10k will acquiesce you your aces of the classifieds – we angry up a mid-spec, agent automated archetypal with low breadth for aloof £9,000.
Much like the Mercedes C-Class, the BMW 3 Series is the go-to advantage in the exec car class. Why? Able-bodied it's the aggregate of acceptable looks, cast address and a accomplished ambit of engines which has fabricated it so popular.
Again, you're activity to able to aces from a all-inclusive bulk of cars for beneath our budget, as able-bodied as a array of altered engines too.
Mercedes' E-Class has been about for decades, and it's fabricated a name for itself as the ultimate in mid-range luxury. There's a assertive ambience of chic that the three-pointed brilliant provides – added so than about any added cast – and that's backed up by a absolutely able ambit of engines and a alluringly adequate ride.
You won't bag the latest archetypal with all of its high-tech appearance for our budget, but you'll get the sharply-styled antecedent bearing instead, and that's no bad thing. Opt for one of the V6 diesels for the ultimate E-Class experience.
Sure, the Mondeo occupies a chic beneath the blow of the cars actuality – it's absolutely a boilerplate cast rather than a exceptional or controlling choice. But there's no abstinent that it's abundant to drive, and decidedly able-bodied able in Titanium X form.
While ten thousand big ones will buy you a acceptable archetype of a exceptional car, it'll buy you a almost altercation Mondeo – or one of the best accepted models, benefitting from new tech and assurance equipment. It's additionally a beneath chichi best than abounding here, aggregate in to the army rather than continuing out from it.
Gallery: Ranked: Britain's best driver's cars 2018 [Autocar]
Simple Guidance For You In Best Exotic Cars To Buy Used | best exotic cars to buy used – best exotic cars to buy used
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Thursday April 12, 2018 | 6:30 PM (doors & cash bar at 6 PM)
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front Street W, Toronto
Tickets: $30 General Admission | $25 Student/Senior (w/valid ID)
Listen to the full conversation on CBC The Sunday Edition here:
"Astounding. . . . [A] magnificently comic and sucker-punch-tragic excursion into brilliance." — Gary Shteyngart, The New York Times Book Review
Join us for an evening of reading and ideas with award-winning novelist David Grossman, in conversation with renowned CBC radio journalist, Michael Enright.
Winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize for fiction in translation, Grossman's latest novel, A Horse Walks into a Bar, is a poignant exploration of how people confront life's capricious battering – a searing story of loss and survival.
David Grossman: In Conversation with Michael Enright is presented as part of the Dorothy Shoichet Lecture Series and supported by Media Partner, the Toronto Star.
Community Partners: Centre for Contemporary Jewish Literature at Holy Blossom Temple and Ben McNally Books.
David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous works of fiction, non-fiction, and children's literature. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and has been translated into more than forty languages. He is the recipient of many prizes, including the French Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany, Rome's Premio per la Pace e l'Azione Umanitaria, the Premio Ischia international award for journalism, Israel's Emet Prize, the Albatross Prize given by the Günter Grass Foundation, and the Man Booker International Prize.
Michael Enright's rich, varied and celebrated journalistic career has spanned 50 years, during which he has held key positions in Canadian media. At CBC Radio, he is the senior broadcast journalist chosen to host news specials on events (9/11, the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, the Quebec referendum, Canadian and U.S. elections) and has hosted many of CBC Radio's flagship programs, including As It Happens, This Morning and currently, The Sunday Edition. He was managing editor of CBC Radio News, held editorial positions with Time and Quest magazines, was a political writer for The Toronto Star, and Washington correspondent for The Globe and Mail. In 2012, he was awarded the Order of Canada.
Image at top: David Grossman, photo by Michael Lionstar.

subset: commoncrawl


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Getty Images
'Tis the season for sending gifts to loved ones, so unfortunately, 'tis also the season for holiday delivery scams. Now, FedEx is warning its customers about a particularly un-festive fraudulent email scam affecting many of its customers during the Christmas season.
Since lots of people are in a rush to ship packages in time for the holiday, it's prime time for scam artists to take advantage of the massive amounts of deliveries and the stress that holiday shoppers experience while waiting for their gifts to arrive safely. Now, the latest phony email scam involves a subject line that reads "FedEX: Delivery Problems Notification."
Inside, the email looks scarily realistic, even including a FedEx logo. The message within instructs customers to click links that appear to contain an explanation as to why FedEx supposedly couldn't deliver their packages. The company is urging customers not to open any of these emails and especially not to click on any links inside them.
"These emails can contain links which, when clicked, will connect the user to a site which then infects their computer," FedEx explained on their website. "These links can point to any number of infected websites all over the globe. Some of these sites may look like fedex.com, while others do not."
FedEx instructs customers that if they receive an email like the one below, they should delete it immediately or forward it to email@example.com.
(Photo Credit: FedEx)
The company added, "FedEx does not send unsolicited emails to customers requesting information regarding packages, invoices, account numbers, passwords or personal information."
FedEx also released a list of common warning signs of a fraudulent email that customers could use to spot a scam right in its tracks.
How to Recognize a FedEx Scam
We know the holidays are a hectic time, but please remember to keep your eyes peeled for these red flags on your inbox. The last thing you want is more stress — especially from a scam.
Unexpected requests for money in return for delivery of a package, often with a sense of urgency. Requests for personal and/or financial information.
Links to misspelled or slightly altered website addresses (fedx.com, fed-ex.com, etc.) Spelling and grammatical errors or excessive use of capitalization and exclamation points.
Claims that you have won a large sum of money in a lottery or settlement.
Certificate errors or lack of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for sensitive activities.
h/t WTOL.com
More from FIRST
Don't Fall for the Phony IRS Scam That Happens During the Holidays
711 Million Email Addresses Have Been Stolen — This Is How to Know If You're Affected
How to Avoid the Online Hotel Booking Scam That's Been Stealing People's Money for Years


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A major collection of archive Helmut Lang is being exhibited at PFW
Jan 17, 2018 | By Samuel Trotman
Jan 30, 2012
This week we highlight the key denim looks to emerge from the Paris F/W 12 runway shows.
Dries Van Noten combined some of the season's key trends in his F/W 12 collection with an indigo palette enlivened with tightly controlled brights. The designer once again turned to denim, albeit tackled as only Dries can, splashing a fresh selection of psychedelic graffiti laundries onto jackets, shirts and pants. Trucker jackets had a familiar feel reminiscent of his S/S 11 collection – but with cleanly dip-dyed sleeves and in a monochromatic palette. The more basic looks were given his utilitarian spin with slick coated pants teamed with officer jackets, creating a seamless fusion of slightly offbeat and certainly sophisticated.
Amidst the moody Edwardian themes this season, Issey Miyake presented an uplifting take on 90s grunge. The men's design team at Miyake created the illusion of layering via a variety of techniques, assembling crisp denim fabrics against slouchy, boxy separates in the house's signature pleated fabrics and updating denim assortments with painterly brushstrokes using a traditional Japanese technique. Tailored denim blazers and roomy cropped pants grounded the collection, while deconstructed outerwear jackets and flight suits (tied at the waist) provided a more contemporary feel.
Julius remained its same dark self, but offered a pared down, on-the-go collection, composed of ergonomic pants, deconstructed jackets and screen-printed pants. With this collection, designer Tatsuro Horikawa worked subtly, with long and flowing, but asymmetrical and oversized silhouettes. The use of matte coatings in almost all of the denim pieces paired simultaneously with the distressed leather jackets and tough industrial boots. The color palette used for this collection began with black and dark grays used in blocks, with off-white and splashes of greys highlighting the otherwise monochrome palette.
Junya Watanabe certainly didn't shock attendees at his F/W 12 runway show. The designer's appetite for durable workwear seems unabated, yet each season he seems to drive the detailing forward and inject newness into key heritage items. Raw indigo denim featured more heavily this season and stark white topstitching – a nod to 30s deadstock railroad attire – adorned both jackets and jeans. Contrast reinforcements, details and pocket play took archival pieces into 2012 and dockyard styling gently pushed the hunting theme he loves so much into a slightly different arena.
Japanese brand Kolor is gaining increased recognition in the European market for its mix of casual elegance and eclectic, tactile fabrications. For F/W 12, the brand focussed on subtle flashes of laundered and sun-faded indigo to inject a quirky yet rustic quality to smarter velvets, pinstipes and wools. Sleek single-breasted blazers were updated with frayed chambray collars and a dapper outdoors vest was given a cinched denim back. Plackets, cuffs and clean patch-and-repair details gave this non-denim collection real indigo appeal.
News emerged of Kris Van Assche's collaborative capsule with Lee just days before his Paris runway show; blogs were buzzing with anticipation to see what the Belgian designer and head of Dior Homme would create for the jeanswear giant after Lee's previous collaborations with Vivienne Westwood and PPQ. Van Assche stayed true to his sleek and contemporary attitude with a tight color palette and clean lines. However, clear archival workwear references were noted with the clinical chore shirt/jacket silhouette and vibrant Chinese blue as a key highlight color. The designer drew inspiration from uniforms, merging the attire of the working classes with that of the executives as a comment of the polarization of the classes.
Know what's next. Become a WGSN member today to benefit from our daily trend intelligence, retail analytics, consumer insights and bespoke consultancy services.


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With only one full day left of our trip, at the top of our list is a visit to Victoria Falls. After a big breakfast at the main camp with our new friends and a re-fixtured back window (these people are saints), we head off to the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park entrance to walk the boardwalks and trails across the river from Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls, or "The Smoke that Thunders," is not only huge—incomprehensible in size from being so close to it, but also loud and WET. Continue reading
Tag: botswana/zambia diaries
Botswana/Zambia Diaries, Day 8
We wake up before the sun for our 5:30am guided drive through Chobe—our last of the trip. It is cold, especially on the 8-minute drive from the lodge to the park gate. They supply us with blankets, and we end up just throwing them over our heads.
There are 9 of us in our truck and about 10 trucks just from our lodge alone—many more than there were on yesterday's drive. This is when the whole safari thing can start to feel a little bit like Disney World. Continue reading
Botswana/Zambia Diaries, Day 7
Our first morning at the Chobe Safari Lodge is fantastic. We spend it reading, relaxing, drinking coffee and not cleaning out a refrigerator. This is the first day we don't have to pack up our camp or drive our truck at all. Instead, we spend a lot of our time dealing with animals that have decided to use our campsite as their second home.
Warthogs are no longer difficult to photograph, because there's a group of them that, after head-butting me in the leg to try and get me to drop my bread (I might have egged them on), decide to nap in our camp. Continue reading
Botswana/Zambia Diaries, Day 6
After listening to something scrounging around in our trash all night, we wake up early to get out of Chobe National Park. It's not that Chobe hasn't been beautiful, but our time here has been surprisingly difficult: too expensive and too crowded to stay, too difficult to drive, and our game drives through this area of the park have been relatively empty.
Botswana/Zambia Diaries, Day 5
After so many good days in Moremi and camping on the Kwhai River, we wake up excited to see what Chobe—which boasts the largest population of elephants in Africa—has to offer us. That is, besides elephants. Continue reading


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Definition of Yoke:
- In a literal sense, the word 'Yoke' means a bar of wood, so constructed as to unite two animals (usually oxen), enabling them to work in the fields, drawing loads, pulling instruments used for farming.
- In Bible, it is figuratively used as a symbol of
- Slavery (1 Tim 6:1)
- Servanthood (Lev 26:13:"I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high." Also Jer 27:8-12)
- Submission, Forced Subjection
- Burden, Load
- Oppression (Is 9:4)
- Bondage to Sin (Lam 1:14: "My sins have been bound into a yoke, by his hands, they were woven together…")
- The Plowman (farmer) binds the yoke upon the neck of the oxen, so that it would not fall off or be shaken off. Yoke bound around the neck of man would cause his strength to diminish, one may waver and fall under the load of yoke.
Mt 11:28-30 – "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Acts 15:10 – Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?2 Cor 6:14 – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?Gal 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery."
- Saint Paul in Gal 5:1 and Peter in Acts 15:10 talk about the yoke of bondage that the Law brings, the yoke that no one can carry. The requirements of the Law are beyond our capacity
8:2 – "Because through Christ Jesus, the law of spirit has set me free from the law of sin and death."
- Christ Jesus has set us free from the yoke of bondage through the law. Jesus took upon himself the yoke of Law and fulfilled it. Therefore, through him, we can be set free from the yoke of sin and death. (Matthew 11:28-30)
- Jesus invites all who are under the yoke of Law or sin and offers the true rest for their souls.
- We may visualize this as Jesus being the master or a farmer and us being yoked with a lighter load. But that is NOT the right picture.
- Farmers used to yoke the young ox with the old experienced ox to train them. The old ox will take the major load and the young one will be walking along and learning from him. If you read this verses in light of this, it gives a wonderful picture.
- Jesus is helping those who are exhausted, weary and burdened from carrying the load by themselves! What a comfort, peace and rest to know that Jesus is right with us, walking with us, teaching us and strengthening us side by side!
Bible lesson:
- We may be under the yoke of sin, oppression, guilt, failures, anxieties (1 Pet 5:7), or worries. Jesus has set us free from the yoke, we just need to come to him and cast our heavy burden on him. And he will give the rest for our souls. (Also check out Christian Discipleship: Seven Conditions)
(Also check out: Yeast in the Bible, Salt in the Bible)
Check out our eBook, The Miracles of Jesus Christ – 7-part Bible Study Series on the Healing Miracles of Jesus Christ for Small Groups & Personal Study.


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A variety of Sky Watch Friday scenes. Enjoy your around the world viewing of great sky features.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sky Watch Friday
Posted by LV at 7:22 PM
Labels: skywatch friday
25 comments:
- High Heeled Life said...
Meme , you have a new blog look .. it is so sweet!! ah the clouds to float away in them...Happy Thursday ..HHL
- July 29, 2010 at 7:38 PM
- Betsy from Tennessee said...
Great pictures, LV. Looks like there were storms around, huh?????? But--I love seeing the clouds --and that blue sky in spots....
Love your new blog look... Very nice!!!
- July 29, 2010 at 8:07 PM
- Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita said...
Great pictures and I love the look of the new background! It's so cute! Thanks as always for your kind words on my post today. I would have lost over 10,000 photos if I didn't have that back-up. And you know how I love my photos!
- July 29, 2010 at 8:21 PM
- Ruth's Photo Blog said...
Beautiful skies.I am fascinated by clouds.
- July 29, 2010 at 8:56 PM
- Annesphamily said...
Terrific! I meant to tell you before I love the new blog design. That little duck is "quacking me up"!
You post the best sky photos. Anne
- July 29, 2010 at 10:34 PM
- farmlady said...
Clouds are wonderful! Love the blue sky peeking through.
Also love the cute new Blog look.
- July 29, 2010 at 10:50 PM
- Regina said...
Lovely skies LV.
" Happy SWF weekend "
- July 29, 2010 at 10:58 PM
- Keetha Denise Broyles said...
I LOVE photographs like your top one where leaves make a natural frame.
- July 29, 2010 at 11:23 PM
- Bella said...
Hi Meme ~ Love your photographs, especially that last one. The clouds and the blue sky are so pretty. Hope you have a great weekend!
- July 29, 2010 at 11:29 PM
- J Bar said...
Great shots.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
- July 30, 2010 at 12:05 AM
- Elizabeth said...
Love the blue sky peeking through the clouds LV. Have a great weekend :)
- July 30, 2010 at 3:43 AM
- soulbrush said...
that second one is fantastic. hello from a young 62 in london. i admire you and look up to you. wow!!!
- July 30, 2010 at 6:00 AM
- Brenda Leyland said...
I liked those photo you posted. The first one where the trees frame the photo is neat. I especially loved the third one, the blue is so intense, makes me want to 'bite' it.
Thanks so much for stopping by my site and leaving a footprint in my comment box. Always lovely to meet new friends. I love your spunk!
- July 30, 2010 at 10:04 AM
- Mike said...
Beautifully framed shots :)
- July 30, 2010 at 10:37 AM
- Danica said...
Beautiful sky! Happy Friday!
- July 30, 2010 at 11:05 AM
- Ashley Sisk said...
Such beautiful skies.
- July 30, 2010 at 11:26 AM
- Manang Kim said...
Hi LV looks like rain is coming. Last two days ago it did rain in my area I was happy about it for my veggies they need it. Have a happy weekend!
- July 30, 2010 at 11:26 AM
- This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- July 30, 2010 at 11:31 AM
- This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- July 30, 2010 at 11:32 AM
- This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...
LV: I love a cloud filled sky, how neat. Much better when you can spell.
- July 30, 2010 at 11:33 AM
- George said...
You've captured some neat clouds for Skywatch. Beautiful pictures.
- July 30, 2010 at 12:10 PM
- Ann said...
LV - I've been in Colorado for a week now on vac--seeing our Son and his family. I've missed posting-I'm checking out posts on my Sons laptop. I love the new header-----so cute.
- July 30, 2010 at 4:53 PM
- Al said...
Very pretty skies. Well photographed!
- July 30, 2010 at 7:25 PM
- Genie Robinson said...
I am a skywatcher, too. Love taking those photos of all the blue and white and then going back to marvel at what I see. Am in the middle of quilting a red and blue quilt, but maybe I need to take a break and take out the camera for some pink photos for a bright, cool Saturday.
- July 31, 2010 at 6:04 AM
- Icy BC said...
Love your sky watch photos!
- August 3, 2010 at 8:08 AM


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Delrose Mendosa
Delrose and I caught up via video-chat to discuss her music and Raz Mataz Magazine's upcoming Music Almost Famous show.
Raz Mataz Magazine (RMM): How would you classify the music that you write and play?
Delrose Mendosa (DM): I don't really have a defining style. I guess I'm more towards a folk-pop kind of genre. Some people tell me I have a Dixie Chicks style. But I don't really write on demand, so I don't think I have a particular style.
RMM: Do you find that certain environments are particularly conducive to songwriting?
DM: Mostly I get inspired when I'm outside or when I'm travelling. It's that down time when I'm not stressed that I get inspired. And people that I meet, friends and family, things that happen in life. The days when I say I'm going to write a song – it never happens. So really it's kind of random.
RMM: Do you have any broad topics or themes you like to write about?
DM: I pretty much write on emotion There are times when I will write something down on paper but it will never become a song, or maybe I'll have a melody or chord progression that won't turn into a song. If I try to force lyrics on to music, or the other way around, it loses its meaning. So what I've been doing lately is having a recorder on, and just jamming and humming along. That way it really captures the emotion, rather than having something on paper and then trying to find lyrics or music to fit that.
RMM: So your music and lyrics are strongly connected.
DM: Yeah. I try to make the music sink in with what I'm saying. It's all about the rhythm. And it might change depending on who is playing with me.
RMM: So how does playing with other musicians influence your songwriting? Some of your songs are solo and some have other players.
DM: I used to be in a band, so some of my recordings are with that band. Now I'm more of a solo act. I've been lucky enough to be part of the Red Moon Music Collective, which allows me to network with really amazing musicians. Those jam sessions are a progression; I play a song and people can just jump in. That makes a big difference.
RMM: Do those jams influence your songwriting?
DM: The jam sessions are more just integration for me. It's a reason to keep singing and playing. Sometimes I collaborate. Awhile ago I had a song that I was working on and I played the guitar part for my friend, and asked her to write down whatever came to her. That ended up being the first verse of that song. So I guess you could say I'm a sporadic writer.
RMM: Do you hesitate to share your songs until they're fully developed, or do you let the ideas bounce around as the song is growing?
DM: I used to be really paranoid about letting people hear my songs, because they share so much feeling. But I've been performing for three years now, so that's helped me get over that. But either way it's nice to have people hear your music. Sometimes, what I do now, is put a song together and then upload it to Soundcloud or Youtube. Then once it's out there, it's too late to retract it! So then it's pretty much a song.
RMM: You mentioned different venues having an impact.
DM: If it's an open mic situation, then I find it's easier to go as a solo performer – I can just plug in. It's easier to coordinate. But with Red Moon, I get up there and there are a bunch of guys I jam with on a fairly regular basis. They know a few of my songs, and a few of them are coming to the gig on Friday.
RMM: So you will be playing with some other musicians on Friday.
DM: Yeah. One will be playing percussion. He plays mostly the cajon. And I have a friend playing bass. So I'll be with those two guys.
RMM: Let's talk about your musical background. How did it all start?
DM: I've been singing since I was little. My dad was a guitar player and we used to sing along with him. Ten years ago when I was living in Japan I got really into music. I spent quite a bit of time at karaoke bars there [laughs]. And when I was living there, I told one of my friends that I had always wanted to be a backup singer for a band. I was just joking around, but the following week she saw an ad for a band that was looking for backup singers. So she said to me, "You have an audition!" I said, "Audition for what?!" And she just told me where to show up. So I went in there, did the audition, and I got the part! Then later I formed a trio with the other two backup singers, doing covers. So it's been on-and-off for the last ten years, getting more into the songwriting for the last five years.
RMM: What a great story! And how did you get into guitar?
DM: When I was in high school, one of my cousins played. So I learned the chords from him, and it's been on-and-off since then. I didn't really work on it until the last five years.
RMM:You mentioned that the rhythm of music is important to you, and I find your guitar playing to often be very percussive. You don't have a background in percussion, do you?
DM: [Laughs] I feel like I'm not coordinated enough to play drums, but maybe I have better luck with guitar.
RMM: What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
DM: All kinds. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston. U2 is a big influence. When I got older I got into listening to Amanda Marshall. She is one of the biggest influences in terms of my singing style. Also Bic Runga. She's from New Zealand, and I discovered her music when I was travelling. I love her voice. Singing along to her music definitely influenced my style.
RMM: Tell me about your travelling and how it influenced your music.
DM: I've done quite a bit of travelling all around the world. My favourite travel spot was New Zealand; I wrote a song about New Zealand. I feel like it's my second home – I have a big connection with the nature, the people. I have a big emotional connection to that place.
RMM: Has your songwriting style changed over the years?
DM: Oh for sure. As I've been practicing more guitar, I've developed some new techniques. And these [Red Moon] jam sessions are great. Anything goes, and I've been very lucky to play with these amazing musicians.
RMM: What are your plans for the next year or two?
DM: My goal this year is to try some different venues. I'm always looking for opportunities to play. I'm quite excited to play a full set! And I'd love to do some touring.
RMM: And a full-length recording perhaps?
DM: I hope so! It's always a work in progress for me. Every song I write is different. But I'm hoping that with luck I'll get to release a full album!
RMM: How do you feel about this gig coming up?
DM: I'm honoured to be playing alongside Pete Eastmure and the other guys. I'm very excited.


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Strategic Planning: Where Are We Now?
As you think about where your organization is as you create your strategic plan, you want to look at your foundational elements (mission and value) to make sure that nothing has changed. More than likely, you won't revise these two areas very often.
Then, you want to look at your current or strategic position, which is where you look at what's happening internally and externally to determine how you need to shift and change. Here are your foundational elements:
Mission statement: The mission describes your organization's purpose — the purpose for which you were founded and why you exist. Some mission statements include the business of the organization. Others explain what products or services the organization produces or customers it serves. Does your mission statement say what you do? Why does your organization exist?
Values statement and/or guiding principles: This statement clarifies what you stand for and believe in. Values guide the organization in its daily business with its employees, customers, partners, and community. What are the core values and beliefs of your company? What values and beliefs guide your daily interactions? What are you and your people really committed to?
SWOT: SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These elements are crucial in assessing your strategic position with your organization. You want to build on your company's strengths, shore up the weaknesses, capitalize on the opportunities, and recognize the threats. (You may or may not choose to include your SWOT in your strategic plan but as supporting documentation.)


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|Method of and device for speech signal coding and decoding by parameter extraction and vector quantization techniques
|Resisting the effects of channel noise in digital transmission of information
|De Marca
an LPC analysis module for converting input speech to linear predictive coding (LPC) parameters for each of a sequence of LPC frames;
an LSP conversion module for converting the LPC parameters to corresponding line spectrum frequencies (LSP) data, and
a vector quantization and interpolation (VQ/I) encoder module for encoding the LSP data into vector indexes for transmission,
wherein said VQ/I encoder module includes vector quantizing means for computing weighting coefficients for the LSP data, each of which is the product of LPC spectral amplitude and a predetermined factor, and means for applying said weighting coefficients to said LSP data.
a vector quantization and interpolation (VQ/I) decoder module for decoding said incoming signals into corresponding line spectrum frequencies (LSP) data;
an LSP conversion module for converting the LSP data to corresponding LPC parameters; and
an LPC synthesis module for converting the LPC parameters into output speech.
The present invention relates to a speech coder which operates at low-bit-rates, and particularly, to one which employs improved data reduction processing from and to LPC analysis and synthesis, respectively, of input and output speech signals.
An effective low-bit-rate speech coder should have the characteristics of high speech intelligibility, speaker independence, ease of real time implementation and short throughput delay. To maintain low-bit-rate transmission and simultaneously achieve these goals is conventionally considered contradictory.
Various speech encoding algorithms and techniques have been proposed for encoding and decoding low-data-rate speech parameters from and to speech signals. Techniques for vector quantization of line spectrum pairs (LSP) data converted from standard linear predictive coding (LPC) parameters derived from input speech signals has been suggested, for example, in "Application of Line-Spectrum Pairs to Low-Bit-Rate Speech Encoders", by G. S. Kang and L. J. Fransen, Naval Research Laboratory, at Proceedings ICASSP, 1985, pp. 244-247. A tree-encoding technique using adaptive or time-varying quantization was disclosed by N. S. Jayant and S. A. Christensen, Bell Laboratories, at IEEE Transactions on Communications, COM-26, September 1978, pp. 1376-1379. For transmitted speech signals encoded by vector quantization, an improvement in decoding performance at the receiver end by optimization of the codebook for decoding words from the incoming signals was disclosed in "Improving The Codebook Design For Vector Quantization", by Y. J. Liu, ITT Defense Communication Division. at Proceedings IEEE Military Communications, 1987, pp. 556-559.
However, the prior art proposals leave much to be desired in terms of achieving high intelligibility and reliability at low data rates, e.g. 400 bits-per-second (bps), and particularly for speaker independent speech coding in communications over a high frequency (HF) channel in a hostile environment. In the prior systems, LSP coefficients are computed by fast Fourier transform (FFT). Also, the group delay function is utilized as weighting coefficients to compensate for distortion in the vector quantization. The latter is a time consuming process which may require even more time than that required to compute the LSP coefficients.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a high quality speech coder at low data rates of about 400 bps, and particularly to provide reliable communication over an HF channel in a hostile environment. It is a specific object to provide a speech coder which employs faster and more effective data reduction processing techniques, including vector quantization from LPC parameters, interpolation, and trellis coding for improved speech coding results.
In accordance with the invention, a speech coder system and related method comprises an encoder which includes an LPC analysis module for converting input speech to linear predictive coding (LPC) parameters for each of a sequence of LPC frames, an LSP conversion module for converting the LPC parameters to respective line spectrum frequencies (LSP) data, and a vector quantization and interpolation (VQ/I) encoder module for encoding the LSP data into vector indexes for transmission, wherein said VQ/I encoder module includes vector quantizing means for computing weighting coefficients for the LSP data, each of which is the product of LPC spectral amplitude and a predetermined factor, and means for applying said weighting coefficients to said LSP data.
In the preferred embodiment of the speech encoder, the vector quantization and- interpolation module outputs one vector index for every two LPC frames in order to reduce the transmission bit rate. On the receiving side, the transmitted LSP data is decoded to LPC frames, and the missing frame is interpolated from the adjacent frames. The speech coder system also includes trellis coders for coding the pitch and gain parameters of the LPC frames, respectively. The trellis coders include means for adaptively tracking successive sequences of a predetermined number of pitch or gain parameters, detecting a minimum distortion among the predetermined number of parameters in each successive sequence, and correcting the parameter for the corresponding LPC frame in accordance with the minimum distortion detected in the corresponding sequence of parameters.
The invention also encompasses a corresponding decoder having a vector quantization and interpolation decoder module and pitch and gain trellis decoders for decoding a transmission from the encoder into corresponding LPC parameters, and an LPC synthesis module for converting the LPC parameters into output speech. As a further feature of the invention, the speech coder system for a low-bit-rate communication link includes a universal codebook for encoding and decoding speech signals according to stored (trained-in) vocabularies of codewords classified according to a plurality of speaker gender and/or accent types. The codebook is employed to automatically identify a sending speaker's gender and/or accent type and load the corresponding type of vocabulary of codewords in order to more intelligibly encode and decode the speaker's speech.
The above objects and further features and advantages of the invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings, of which:
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an encoder for a low-bit-rate speech coder system in accordance with the invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a decoder for the low-bit-rate speech coder system;
FIG. 2 is a state diagram for the encoding of line spectrum pair (LSP) data showing a series of computational subroutines;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an enhancement to the speech coder system using a universal codebook having vocabulary modules in different accents for encoding and decoding;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an adaptive tracking trellis gain coder used in the invention;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an adaptive tracking trellis pitch coder used in the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the subroutines used in decoding the LSP data transmitted from the encoder.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described herein using a standard linear predictive coding (LPC) algorithm for converting speech signals into and from frames of LPC parameters. The LPC parameters are postprocessed in accordance with the improved data reduction techniques of the invention. The result is an improved low-bit-rate speech coder which has the desired properties of high intelligibility as well as high resistance to jamming and channel noise. The preferred embodiment is intended for communication at 400 bps over a high frequency (HF) channel, and thus some error protection strategies are also applied. After error protection, the final transmission rate is increased from 400 bps to 600 bps. However, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention are equivalently applicable as data reduction techniques for other speech coder configurations, e.g. those operating over different communication channels, at different transmission rates, and/or with different LPC conversion algorithms.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a speech encoder at the transmitting side of a communication channel has an LPC analysis module 10 for digitizing and processing input speech signals into reflection coefficients and gain and pitch parameters. LPC conversion techniques are well known in the speech processing field, and reference is made to the available literature for detailed explanation thereof. The reflection coefficients RC are converted into line spectrum frequencies (LSFS) data, or so-called line spectrum pair (LSP) data, by an RC-to-LSP conversion module 11, as described further herein. LSP conversion techniques are well known, for example, as described, in "Application of Line-Spectrum Pairs to Low-Bit-Rate Speech Encoders", by G. S. Kang and L. J. Fransen, Naval Research Laboratory, at Proceedings ICASSP, 1985, pp. 244-247. The LSP output of the module 11 is processed through a vector quantization and interpolation (VQ/I) module 12, as explained further below, into vector indexes having a reduced number of spectral bits for transmission over a communication channel to a decoder at the receiving side. The gain parameters of the LPC module 10 are encoded by trellis coding via trellis coder module 13, and the pitch parameters via trellis coder module 14, into a reduced number of bits for transmission.
The decoder shown in FIG. 1B follows the reverse process from encoding. The incoming spectral bits of the transmitted signals are converted to LSP data via vector quanitzation and interpolation (VQ/I) decoder module 15, then processed into reflection coefficients RC via LSP-to-RC conversion module 16. The gain bits of the incoming signals are decoded through a gain decoder 17, and the pitch bits through a pitch decoder 18. The restored LPC parameters are then converted into output speech signals through an LPC synthesis module 19.
Good reproduction of spectral information can provide the high quality speech output desired in low-bit-rate speech coding. There are two important issues in good spectral quantization: one is feature selection, and the other is encoding technique. In the preferred embodiment, LSPs are selected as the feature vector, and improved vector quantization and interpolation techniques are applied for encoding the LSPs in a reduced number of spectral bits for transmission. Vector indexes are sent out once for every two LPC frames, and upon reception, the missing frame is restored by interpolating from two adjacent frames using information supplied by interpolation bits. The interpolation bits which supply information about how the information for adjacent frames are combined are also sent out every two frames. Gain and pitch bits are decoded to give gain and pitch values every frame.
LSP conversion and encoding are carried out by modules 11 and 12 on the transmitting side, and restored by modules 15 and 16 on the receiving side. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the roots for the LSP data are computed using a new fast algorithm, instead of FFT as taught in the literature. The LSP data are generated starting with an LPC filter. Two filters, a sum filter and a difference filter, are used. The sum filter has the property of symmetry, while the difference filter has the property of anti-symmetry. The roots of the sum filter and difference filter form the line spectrum frequencies (LSFS). For easy solution of the roots, both sum and difference filters are converted to a polynomial containing real roots only. The three important properties of the resulting LSFS are: (1) the roots of the sum and difference filters are interlaced; (2) all roots are located on a unit circle; and (3) the spectral sensitivity of the LSFS are localized, i.e. an error in one LSF causes spectral error only at that particular LSF.
In FIG. 2, a state diagram for the LSP encoding shows the series of computational subroutines which are called in sequence. In subroutine 20, reflection coefficients RC are derived from input speech signals by an LPC algorithm. In the preferred system, the reflection coefficients RC are an array of 10 single precision variables. In subroutine 21, the reflection coefficients RC are converted to LPC coefficients. Subroutine 22 computes the 10th order sum polynomial for the line spectrum frequencies corresponding to the LPC coefficients, subroutine 23 converts the 10th order sum polynomial to 5th order, and subroutine 24 computes the sum polynomial roots, finds the arccosine of these roots, and orders them. Subroutine 25 computes the 10th order difference polynomial for the line spectrum frequencies, subroutine 26 converts the 10th order difference polynomial to 5th order, and subroutine 27 computes the difference polynomial roots, finds the arccosine of these roots, and orders them.
At subroutine 28, the sum and difference polynomial roots are combined and ordered in an array RTL of 10 LSP coefficients which are single precision variables. At subroutine 29, the LPC spectral amplitude is computed as an array WEIT of 10 weighting coefficients which are single precision variables, and a scaling variable MINEXP is selected for the WEIT array. In the invention, the LPC spectral amplitude is used for the weighting coefficients in order to provide a significant advantage in time savings over the conventional use of group delay function as the weighting coefficients. At subroutine 30, the weighting coefficients WEIT are applied to the array RTL of LSP coefficients to derive the output vector indexes. The vector indexes are sent once for every two LPC frames to provide an output of spectral bits in accordance with the desired low bit rate of the speech coder. The subroutine computations are explained in further detail below.
Subroutine 21 converts the array RC of 10 reflection coefficients to linear predictive coding (LPC) coefficients A according to the following formula: Akk =RCk k=1,10 Alk =Alk-1 -RCk Ak-1k-1 k=2,10,l=1,k-1
In the above equation, the superscript represents the iteration number. During the computation, the A array is single precision, whereas after computation, the A array is converted to double precision.
The subroutine 22 computes the sum polynomial coefficients. The input ALP is an array of 10 LPC coefficients which are double precision variables, and the output PL is an array of 11 sum polynomial coefficients which are double precision variables. In a first step, an 11th order polynomial is computed according to the following formula: P(1)=1 P(12)=1 P(k)=ALP(k-1)-ALP(12-k) k=2,6 P(k)=P(13-k) k=7,11
The array P of 12 coefficients are double precision variables. In a second step, the llth order polynomial is reduced to 10th order according to the following formula: PL(1)=1 PL(k)=P(k)-PL(k-1) k=2,6 PL(k)=PL(12-k) k=7,11
The array of 11 PL coefficients are double precision variables.
Subroutines 23 and 26 reduces the 10th order sum polynomial and difference polynomial to 5th order. The input COE is an array of 11 coefficients which are either sum polynomial PL coefficients or difference polynomial QL coefficients, and the output COEI is an array of 6 coefficients which are either sum polynomial P1 coefficients or the difference polynomial Q1 coefficients. The 5th order polynomial coefficients are computed according to the following formula: ##EQU1## During the computation, the input COE array is double precision, whereas after computation, the output COE1 array is single precision.
The subroutine 25 computes the difference polynomial coefficients. The input ALP is an array of 10 LPC coefficients which are double precision variables, and the output QL is an array of 11 sum polynomial coefficients which are double precision variables. In a first step, an 11th order polynomial coefficients are computed according to the following formula: Q(1)=1 Q(12)=-1 Q(k=ALP(k-1)-ALP(12-k) k=2,6 Q(k)=-Q(13-k) k=7,12
The array Q of 12 coefficients are double precision variables. In a second step, the 11th order polynomial is reduced to 10th order according to the following formula: QL(1)=1 QL(k)=Q(k)+QL(k-1) k=2,6 QL(k)=-QL(12-1) k=7,11
The array of 11 QL coefficients are double precision variables.
Subroutines 24 and 27 determine the real roots of the respective 5th order polynomials. The input CN is an array of 6 polynomial coefficients in single precision, and the output is an array RTA of 5 real roots in single precision, and an array RP of 5 real root index. The polynomial roots are determined in two steps. In the first step, five approximate roots are determined between -1 and 1. The entire range between -1 and 1 is divided into 128 intervals. The approximate roots are found by searching through the intervals with a sign change in polynomial value. In the second step, the more accurate roots are determined based upon the approximate roots. If FR(i-1) and FR(i) are the polynomial values at point i-1 and i, and XR(j-1) is the approximate jth root, then the improved root is computed as follows: ##EQU2##
Next the 5 root angles are computed, as below, and ordered according to their magnitude: RTA(j)=COS-1 (RTS(j)) j=1,5
The subroutine 28 orders the roots in increasing magnitude. The inputs are RTA, an array of sum polynomial roots, and RTB, an array of difference polynomial roots, which are combined and ordered into an output RTL array of 10 line spectrum frequencies as an output vector for vector quantization. Because of the interlacing property of line spectrum frequencies, the ordering can be simply done according to the following equation: RTL(2k-1)=RTA(k) k=1,5 RTL(2k)=RTB(k) k=1,5
Subroutines 29 and 30 compute and apply the LPC spectral amplitudes as weighting coefficients at the line spectrum frequencies. The inputs are the array A of 10 single precision LPC coefficients, and the array RTL of 10 single precision line spectrum frequencies. The output WEIT is an array of 10 weighting coefficients in single precision, and MINEXP is a scaling factor of the weighting coefficients. The weighting coefficients WEIT is a product of the term WEGS, an LPC spectral amplitude, and WFRE, a perceptually based factor, as follows: WEIT(k)=WEGS(k)*WFRE(k) k=1,10
In computing the LPC spectral amplitude WEGS, a real component REALP and an imaginary component IMAGP are computed and combined as follows: ##EQU3##
The perceptually based factor is given as follows: WFRE(k)=1 RTL(k)<0.25 WFRE(k)=1.0-0.5*(RTL(k)-0.25)/0.75 RTL(k)>0.25
In the above computation, four mathematical functions, sine, cosine, arccosine, and square root, are required. They are all computed by approximation using the same interpolation technique. First, the input value is searched to locate three nearest points in a table of values. Next, an interpolated value is computed using a parabola passing through the three points. Other suitable techniques for computing values for these mathematical functions may also be used.
As shown in FIG. 3 (top part of the diagram), a codebook can be utilized to transmit words having a predefined spectral bit configuration which would reduce the incidence of reception of unintelligible speech and be more readily identified by the receiver. The codebook is provided with a given vocabulary of codewords for which LSP vector indexes have been generated and stored during a training sequence. The vocabulary may be selected to correspond to the range of words a speaker may use in a given environment. In using the codebook, the LSP vector output from the encoder 40, as previously described, is compared with the codebook of stored codewords, at block 41, and the optimally matching codeword is selected such that the distortion from the input vector is computed to be a minimum. The distortion is computed as follows: ##EQU4## where Ck, k=1,10, represents each codeword with 10 LSP coefficients and WCk, k=1,10, represents the weighting coefficients associated with each codeword. The stored codebook index corresponding to the optimal codeword is then sent out to the receiver, as indicated at block 42.
The success of the vector quantization technique can depend on the quality of the codebook. An algorithm for codebook design using clustering in the training sequence through a non-iterative codebook initialization procedure is described in "Improving The Codebook Design For Vector Quantization", by Y. J. Liu, ITT Defense Communication Division. at Proceedings IEEE Military Communications, 1987, pp. 556-559. A database consisting of 54 male speakers is utilized to include all phonemes of English and normal English accents. An initial codebook is designed by selecting only one codeword initially from the training data base, instead of choosing all codewords at random. The desired number of codewords is subsequently generated through clustering. The initial codebook is then optimized through an iterative procedure. During the design of the codebook, a unique perceptual distortion measure is adopted. The same distortion measure is utilized as the perceptually based factor in the weighting of LSP data in the vector quantization technique described previously. As a result, better speech intelligibility is reproduced.
The codebook may be enhanced to work for other accents and female speech patterns, i.e. for greater speaker independence, by including a plurality of vocabulary modules for each accent in a so-called universal codebook. The size of the universal codebook depends on the number of accents and range of words and performance desired. The universal codebook is utilized for encoding a transmission from a speaker and decoding at the receiver. Referring to FIG. 3, a speaker inputs an initial speech sample to the speech coder system, as indicated at block 43. A speech processor is used to identify the speaker's accent using a recognition algorithm similar to those used conventionally for voice recognition or speaker identification. The processor need only identify the accent, not the speaker or the speech, thereby making its task simpler.
Based upon the identified accent, the corresponding vocabulary module is selected, at block 44, for comparison to the LSP vectors output by the encoder for the input speech. The predefined (standardized) codewords of the universal codebook corresponding to the input speech are sent to the receiver in order to provide more reliable word identification since spurious spectral information generated by differing accents is reduced or removed from the code indexes transmitted. A code signal identifying the vocabulary module corresponding to the speaker's identified accent is also sent to the receiver, as indicated at block 45. At the receiver, blocks 46 and 47, the vocabulary module code is used to select the corresponding vocabulary module of the universal codebook for comparison to the transmitted indexes, as indicated at blocks 48 and 49. The stored LSP vectors in the selected accent are then output to the decoder 50 for restoration to output speech in that accent. In this system, the accent is automatically determined by the system and not by the speaker. The universal codebook provides no degradation in speech intelligibility due to different accents in low-bit-rate transmission.
Trellis coding is employed to encode the pitch and gain data from LPC analysis into pitch and gain bits for transmission to the receiver (see FIG. 1). A "fake process" trellis coder has previously been employed, e.g., as described in "A Multiple Rate Low Rate Voice CODEC", by J. Rothweiler and J. Carmody, Proceedings ICASSP, 1985, pp. 248-251. In this process, a table look up (M,L) search is performed to achieve optimum match between the input data and the coded data. The table together with certain parameters such as search depth and prediction gain are estimated from a training data base.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, adaptive tracking techniques are utilized to track the input data variations closely, instead of depending upon a fixed table. A block diagram of the operation of an example of the adaptive tracking trellis gain coder is shown in FIG. 4. At block 51, the gain data from the LPC analysis module 10 of the encoder is fetched and stored in sequence in a buffer for a predetermined number N of frames, e.g. a history of gain for three frames. At block 52, a symbol pattern generator generates an N-symbol sequence. For the example of N=3, each symbol ranges from 0 to 3, and there are 64 possible three-symbol sequences with two bits per symbol. At block 53, the three-symbol sequence is adaptively tracked, and three output gain values are generated according to the following formulas: Dk =Dk-1 f+δ Gk =βGk-1 -Dk SYM=1 or 2 Gk =βGk-1 +Dk SYM=0 or 3
The factor f is set equal to 2.8 for input symbol (SYM) equal to 0 or 3, and is set equal to 0.39 for input symbol equal to 1 or 2. The factor δ is set equal to 5 for input symbol equal to 0 or 3, and is set equal to 1 for input symbol equal to 1 or 2. β is set equal to 0.9.
At block 54, the distortion between the input gain sequence GIk, k=1,3, from block 51, and the adaptively generated gain sequence Gk, k=1,3, from block 53, is computed according to the following formula: ##EQU5## The optimum symbol sequence among the 64 possible sequences having the minimum distortion is searched, as indicated at block 55, and the search is terminated when all 64 symbol sequences have been used, as indicated at block 56. The first symbol of the optimum three-symbol sequence is then selected for output as the gain bits for transmission. At block 57, correction is made for possible trellis gain error, as happens when the output gain is zero for a nonzero input gain. Because of the three-frame history used in the search process, each frame is tracked three times. The correction logic selects the gain whenever the single frame distortion is minimum for any of the three possible candidates.
A block diagram of the similar operation of an example of the adaptive tracking trellis pitch coder is shown in FIG. 5. At block 61, the pitch data from the LPC analysis module 10 of the encoder is fetched and stored in sequence in a buffer for a predetermined number M of frames, e.g. a history of pitch for four frames. At block 62, a symbol pattern generator generates an M-symbol sequence. Each symbol ranges from 0 to 1, and there are 16 possible four-symbol sequences with one bit per symbol. At block 63, the four-symbol sequence is adaptively tracked, and four output pitch values are generated according to the following formulas: Pk =βPk-1 ±Dk Dk =0.04Dk-1 +2 Dk =0.04Dk-1 +0.1
The plus sign is for input symbol 1, while the negative sign is for input symbol 0. If there are three continuous frames with input symbol equal to 1, then Dk is computed as in the first given equation, otherwise it is computed as in the second given equation.
At block 64, the distortion between the input pitch sequence PSk, k=1,4, from block 61, and the adaptively generated pitch sequence Pk, k=1,4, from block 63, is computed according to the following formula: ##EQU6## The optimum symbol sequence among the 16 possible sequences having the minimum distortion is searched, as indicated at block 65, and the search is terminated when all 16 symbol sequences have been used, as indicated at block 66. The first symbol of the optimum four-symbol sequence is then selected for output as the pitch bit for transmission.
Certain unavoidable errors may occasionally exist, for example, when a frame with a very weak gain appears between two frames with a very strong gain. These errors can be postfiltered in the decoder. The gain decoder performance obtained in a working example is demonstrated in FIG. 7, which is a plot of the input gain and the decoded gain for the word "SHOAL". The close match is evident in the plot during the entire duration of the word. The average S/N was computed to be about 27.5 db.
The incoming bit stream sent from the encoder at the transmitting side of a communication channel is received by the decoder, and is decomposed into four fields: interpolation bit, pitch, gain, and vector index. Pitch and gain are decoded following the routine used in the transmitter. The vector index is decoded by search through the universal codebook to determine the LSP codeword, which is then converted to LPC coefficients, as described further below. The frame is decoded to be voiced if the vector index is greater than a given threshold, otherwise it is unvoiced.
For every two frames, the voicing and the LSP coefficients are interpolated. If the interpolation symbol is two or three, voicing is the same as the previous frame. The LSP coefficients are interpolated using an interpolation factor for the previous and future frames. A suitable factor, such as 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, or 0.9, is selected depending upon the expected speech environment and the communication channel. The interpolated LSP coefficients are obtained by adding those of the previous frame multiplied by the factor f, and those of the future frame by (1-f). If the interpolation symbol is zero or one, voicing is the same as the future frame.
A state diagram of the subroutines for decoding the LSP vector indexes is shown in FIG. 6. At subroutine 70, the incoming signals are parsed and the LSP data are interpolated into frames. The LSP data are sent once for every two LPC frames, and the LSP coefficients for each missing frame are interpolated as discussed previously. The LSP coefficients are then decoded into LPC coefficients. In the decoding process, the input is an array RTL of 10 line spectrum frequencies in single precision, and the output is an array AZ of 10 LPC coefficients, and a scaling factor ISCA of the LPC coefficients. First, the 5th order sum polynomial roots are computed, as indicated at subroutine 71, from the input line spectrum frequencies according to the following formula: RTS(k)=COS(RTL(2k-1) k=1,5
As indicated at subroutine 72, the 10th order sum polynomial coefficients CK(j), j=1,11, are then synthesized first by computing the four coefficients G1, G2, G3, and G4 in double precision from the input array R of 5 line spectrum frequencies in single precision: G1=R1 +R2+ R3 +R4 G2=(R1 -R2)(R3 +R4)+R3 R4 +R1 R2 G3=G1/4+(R1 +R2)(R3 R4 +0.5)+(R3 +R4)(R1 R2 +0.5) G4=(R1 +R2)(R3 +R4)/2+(R1 R2 +0.5)(R3 R4 +0.5)+0.125
Next, the polynomial coefficients CF(j), j=1,11, are computed in double precision according to the following equations: CF(1)-1 CF(2)=-2(G1+R6) CF(3)=4(G2+G1)(R6)+1.25) CF(4)=-8(G3+(G2+1)(R6)+G1/4) CF(5)=16(G4+G2/4+G3)(R6)+0.25) CF(6)=-16(G3+2)(G4)(R6) CF(7)=CF(5) CF(8)=CF(4) CF(9)=CF(3) CF(10)=CF(2) CF(11)=1
Finally, the 11th order sum polynomial coefficients PZ(j), j=1,12, are synthesized as given below: PZ(1)=CK(1) PZ(j)=CK(j)+CK(j-1) j=2,6 PZ(j)=PZ(13-j) j=7,12
As shown at subroutine 73, the fifth order difference polynomial roots are computed from the input line spectrum frequencies, as follows: RTS(k)=COS(RTL(2k) k=1,5
Following the same procedures as described for sum polynomials, the 10th order difference polynomial coefficients CD(j), j=1,11, are then synthesized, as indicated at subroutine 74. The 11th order difference polynomial coefficients QZ(j), j=1,12, are then generated as shown below: QZ(1)=CD(1) QZ(k)=CD(k)=CD(k-1) QZ(k)=-QZ(13-k) k=7,12
After obtaining both the 11th order sum polynomial coefficients and the 11th order difference polynomial coefficients, the 10 LPC coefficients are then derived as follows: AZ(j)=(PZ(j)+QZ(j))/2 j=1,10
The LPC coefficients are in single precision with a scaling factor changing from frame to frame.
The speech coder system was tested using both Diagnostic Rhyme Tests (DRT) and informal listening tests. DRT tests were performed on clean speech to determine the inherent speech intelligibility of the coder design. Informal listening tests were performed to determine the effects of various acoustic and speech variations. The test results indicate that the speech coder system provides high quality speech coding at 400 bps, and shows that it is feasible to obtain high speech intelligibility at low-bit-rate transmission while maintaining minimum complexity.
The specific embodiments of the invention described herein are intended to be illustrative only, and many other variations and modifications may be made thereto in accordance with the principles of the invention. All such embodiments and variations and modifications thereof are considered to be within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.


text:
NJ Eyelid and Brow Lift for HeavyUpper Eyelids*
- Age:
- over 60
- Gender:
- Female
- Ethnicity:
- White
- Height:
- 5' 6" - 6' 0"
- Weight:
- 150 - 199 lbs
- Gallery:
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Procedure Details
This woman had significant brow and upper eyelid ptosis which obstructed her peripheral vision. A vision field test pre-operatively confirmed this defect. She underwent a bilateral brow lift and a bilateral upper blepharoplasty or eyelid lift to improve her field of vision. Her photos were taken 6 months after the brow and eyelid lift and she is very happy with the outcome of her surgery.More
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The after picture was taken 6 months after a brow and upper eyelid lift. More
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*Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary from person to person. The photo gallery contains unretouched photos of actual Peer Group patients.


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Impacted Canines, Exposure or Extraction
An impacted tooth simply means that it is "stuck" and cannot erupt into function. The maxillary cuspid (upper eyetooth) is the second most common tooth to become impacted. The cuspid tooth is a critical tooth in the dental arch and plays an important role in your "bite". The cuspid teeth are very strong biting teeth and have the longest roots of any human teeth. They are designed to be the first teeth that touch when your jaws close together so they guide the rest of the teeth into the proper bite.
Normally, the maxillary cuspid teeth are the last of the "front" teeth to erupt into place. They usually come into place around age 13 and cause any space left between the upper front teeth to close tighter together. If a cuspid tooth gets impacted, every effort is made to get it to erupt into its proper position in the dental arch. The techniques involved to aid eruption can be applied to any impacted tooth in the upper or lower jaw, but most commonly they are applied to the maxillary cuspid (upper eye) teeth.
Early Recognition Of Impacted Eyeteeth Is The Key To Successful Treatment
The older the patient the more likely an impacted eyetooth will not erupt by natural forces alone, even if the space is available for the tooth to fit in the dental arch. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that a panoramic x-ray, along with a dental examination, be performed on all dental patients at the age of seven to count the teeth and determine if there are problems with eruption of the adult teeth. It is important to determine whether all the adult teeth are present or if some adult teeth missing.
This exam is usually performed by your general dentist or hygienist who will refer you to an orthodontist if a problem is identified. Treating such a problem may involve an orthodontist placing braces to open spaces allowing for proper eruption of the adult teeth. Treatment may also require referral to an oral surgeon for extraction of over-retained baby teeth that are blocking the eruption of the all-important eyeteeth.
If the eruption path is cleared and the space is opened up by age 11-12, there is a good chance that the impacted eyetooth will erupt with nature's help. If the eyetooth is allowed to develop too much under the surface (by age 13-14), the impacted eyetooth will not erupt by itself, even with the space cleared for its eruption. If the patient is older (over 40), there is a much higher chance that the tooth will be fused in position. In these cases, the tooth will not budge despite all the efforts of the orthodontist and oral surgeon to erupt it into place. Sadly, the only option at this point is to extract the impacted tooth and consider an alternate treatment to replace it in the dental arch (crown on a dental implant or a fixed bridge).
What Happens If The Eyetooth Will Not Erupt When Proper Space Is Available?
In cases where the eyeteeth will not erupt spontaneously, the orthodontist and oral surgeon will work together to get these teeth to erupt. Each case must be evaluated on an individual basis, but treatment will usually involve a combined effort between the orthodontist and the oral surgeon. The most common scenario will call for the orthodontist to place braces on the teeth. A space will be opened to provide room for the impacted tooth to be moved into its proper position in the dental arch. If the baby eyetooth has not fallen out already, it is usually left in place until the space for the adult eyetooth is ready. Once the space is ready, the orthodontist will refer the patient to the oral surgeon to have the impacted eyetooth exposed and bracketed.
In a simple surgical procedure performed in the surgeon's office, the gum on top of the impacted tooth will be lifted up to expose the hidden tooth underneath. If there is a baby tooth present it will be removed at the same time. Once the tooth is exposed, the oral surgeon will bond an orthodontic bracket to the exposed tooth. The bracket will have a miniature gold chain attached to it. The oral surgeon will guide the chain back to the orthodontic arch wire where it will be temporarily attached.
Shortly after surgery the patient will return to the orthodontist. A rubber band will be attached to the chain to put a light eruptive pulling force on the impacted tooth. This will begin the process of moving the tooth into its proper place in the dental arch. This is a carefully controlled, slow process that may take up to a full year to complete.
Exposure and Bracketing of an Impacted Cuspid
These basic principals can be adapted to apply to any impacted tooth in the mouth. It is not that uncommon for both of the maxillary cuspids to be impacted. In these cases, the space in the dental arch will be prepared on both sides at once. When the orthodontist is ready, the surgeon will expose and bracket both teeth in the same visit so that the patient only has to heal from one surgery. Because the anterior teeth (incisors and cuspids) and the bicuspid teeth are small and have single roots they are easier to erupt if they get impacted than the posterior molar teeth. The molar teeth are much bigger teeth and have multiple roots making them more difficult to move. The orthodontic maneuvers needed to manipulate an impacted molar tooth can be more complicated because of their location in the back of the dental arch.
What To Expect From Surgery To Expose & Bracket An Impacted Tooth
The surgery to expose and bracket an impacted tooth is a very straightforward surgical procedure that is performed in the oral surgeon's office. For most patients, it is performed using laughing gas and local anesthesia. In selected cases it will be performed under IV sedation if the patient desires to be asleep. The procedure sometimes just takes 30min to complete. This will be discussed in detail at your preoperative consultation with your doctor.
You can expect a limited amount of bleeding from the surgical sites after surgery. Although there will be some discomfort after surgery at the surgical sites, most patients find Tylenol or Advil to be more than adequate to manage any pain they may have. Within two to three days after surgery there is usually little need for any medication at all. There may be some swelling from holding the lip up to visualize the surgical site; it can be minimized by applying ice packs to the lip for the afternoon after surgery. A soft, bland diet is recommended at first, but you may resume your normal diet as soon as you feel comfortable chewing. It is advised that you avoid sharp food items, like crackers and chips, as they will irritate the surgical site if they jab the wound during initial healing. You should plan to see your orthodontist several days or weeks after the procedure to activate the eruption process (applying the proper rubber band to the chain on your tooth). As always, your doctor is available at the office and can be contacted after hours if any problems should arise after surgery. Simply call Tampa Bay Jaw and Facial Surgery at 813-264-2286 if you have any questions.
Tampa Bay Jaw and Facial Surgery
Dr Hamilton and his staff were warm, welcoming and patient. They were willing to answer any question we had as well as offer additional support. The office staff is exceptional as well. I feel comfortable with his office and would return, if needed.
- melissa H


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Category Archives: Melissa Rosenberg
Reflections on Breaking Dawn, Part 2
What with one thing and another, including personal preference, I waited this long to see Breaking Dawn, Pt. 2. I am riding a giddy high now, partly induced by the emotional soundtrack, which I stayed to listen to until the … Continue reading
Posted in Breaking Dawn, Melissa Rosenberg, Movie, PG-13, Renesmee, Sex, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight Saga Fiction, Vampire Bella Tagged breaking dawn, Jacob and Renesmee, movie, twilight 6 Comments
Breaking Dawn, The Movie
[Warning: strong opinions and spoilers below….] I finally got to see the movie Breaking Dawn, Part I, and with the excuse of having a related blog, I thought I'd take a minute to express some opinions about it to get … Continue reading
Posted in Breaking Dawn, Honeymoon, Jacob, Melissa Rosenberg, Movie, PG-13, Sex, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire Bella, Wedding Tagged breaking dawn movie 10 Comments


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cs: A tryptech blog. New York- Johannesburg- London. The editorial policy can be summarised as 'footnotes'. Images, podcasts and text all premised on living in our respective cities. It's christopher steenkamp.
nd: Oh hey dude!
cs: Hey guy.
nd: Coool like a day in the life kinda thing or on particular subjects?
cs: Obscure or definitive, researched or intuitive, I want to think of the space as an exhibition. There's a London based cat named Bradford Keen, philosopher, writer and comedian, who will cover that end and Murray will smash Cape Town. Posts can range from a doodle to a sentence to a photo to an essay.
nd: Rad! So we don't necessarily explore the same subject matter or topic in three different cities, kinda peripheral, stream of consciousness, Boroughs, Joyce.
cs: Why wouldn't you get it?


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Tech Happy Hour Teaches Investing
In tonight's session, at the Grand Valley State University, University Club located on the Pew Campus, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about venture capital investing in social initiatives.
Paul Timmers, the local representative for the Noaber Fund will discuss the company's two initiatives and how the company not only invests in technologies, but also in societal issues.
The Noaber Fund has two initiatives, first to invest in new technologies that will have a positive impact and the second is to also apply those technologies to populations that have an extreme need for assistance.
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to network before Timmers takes the stage at 5 p.m. Upon the conclusion of the informational session at 5:45 p.m., those in attendance will have the opportunity to enjoy the happy hour of socializing.
The Tech Happy Hour is an opportunity for technology driven individuals and companies to have the chance to come together to meet, discuss and network in a comfortable setting, while also gaining insight on a different subject each month.


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Sponsors: NIH NICHD, Dana Foundation, Montel Williams MS Foundation
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 300,000 adults in the United States and up to 2 million worldwide 1. It is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disorder that typically results in injury to the myelin sheaths, the oligodendrocytes, the axons and the nerve cells themselves in both the brain and spinal cord 2,3. The CNS lesions that occur in multiple sclerosis can cause many clinical deficits, depending on their location and extent, often affecting locomotion to a great extent. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging techniques provide a means for diagnosing and identifying new lesions in individuals with MS. However, the correlation between conventional MRI and clinical symptoms of MS is poor, possibly because conventional imaging modalities do not produce a quantitative evaluation of tissue and are relatively insensitive to specific underlying pathology such as demyelination and axonal damage 4,5. Therefore, it may be valuable to use alternative imaging techniques, such as magnetization transfer (MT) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to quantify the extent of demyelination and axonal damage (and recovery), and track white matter pathways in the brain and spinal cord. These studies will incorporate measures of MT and DTI for the evaluation of white matter integrity; in addition we will evaluate sensorimotor impairments of sensation, strength, spasticity, and ataxia, and relate these to locomotor function. These studies will test the general hypothesis that, in MS and following an acute exacerbation the pattern of white matter damage is predictive of locomotor recovery. These studies will investigate: 1) whether specific white matter tract abnormalities that occur following an acute exacerbation of MS correlate with specific sensorimotor impairments and features of their walking patterns, and 2) whether damage to specific white matter tracts (i.e., the corticospinal, dorsal column medial lemniscal and tracts to and from the cerebellum) can predict the recovery of locomotion after a relapse of MS. Results will, for the first time, provide important new insights into how sensorimotor impairments relate to mechanisms of locomotion as well as the role of white matter fiber tract changes during exacerbation and subsequent recovery of locomotion in people with MS. We think that studying the neurobiology of these changes (i.e., myelin and axon integrity) will lead to both theoretical insights into rehabilitation of individuals with MS and to novel treatment strategies based on biological rather than empirical principles.


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The new readability test
We are always looking to improve our reach and the quality of our offer to our readers. We do this by using a number of WordPress plugins which help our authors stay on track in terms of making sure the headlines match the topic, and that the topic of the article is clear to readers. Some of the efforts we make is around improving search engine optimisation. (SEO). At times making our articles appeal to search engines isn't always easy because if we were true to SEO principles 100% then we might have to compromise on the meaning within the article. So we are always striking a balance. There is, however, a new test which authors need to be aware of and that is readability.
Maximise searchability
To maximise our searchability, we use a WordPress plug-in called Yoast SEO which some of you might use on your own WordPress blogs. Basically, the Yoast plug-in sets out a checklist which optimises the reach of our articles.
Recently, Yoast also introduced a "readability test" which describes a set of rules which ensure an article is readable to the widest possible audience. Yoast contends this is an important aspect of SEO because search engines are becoming more intelligent and it is able to read patterns in the text which can indicate a well-written article.
So if you are posting a new article, either on the Network or on your own website, you might want to think about the following rules set out by Yoast.
- Use subheadings to divide up your text.
- Try to use shorter sentences. Yoast recommends no more than 20 words per sentence, interestingly for up to 75% of your article.
- Your writing needs to comply with the Flesch Reading Ease test, around 60 to 100 is considered fairly easy to read.
- Paragraphs should be fairly short.
- Sentences should contain a transition word or phrase and finally
- No more than 10% of sentences should contain a passive voice.
So why does it matter to you? Well the better constructed your article, the more likely Google is to feature it in search returns!


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LittleBird is India's first curated baby furniture and equipment rental platform. All the products being rented on our platforms are designed in house and produced under our strict supervision to ensure that each product surpasses all quality expectations for your baby.
We believe that every child deserves the best, and with our rental plans you can do that. No longer do you have to worry about buying expensive pieces of furniture for the short duration that babies need it for, nor do you have to get bored with one design because you are stuck with it.
With LittleBird you can opt between renting or buying individual pieces of furniture, our 'Grow With Us' packages, complete rooms designed with different themes and our curated range of Baby Gear.
Let us take care of the little things, while you focus on loving your little one.Contact Us
We at Little Bird Rentals understand your babies' needs and so we designed baby equipment rental plans that are flexible and grow alongside your baby.
Baby products are not needed for very long - so by renting you have the use of the crib for the time you need it for a fraction of the price to buy.
Our homes are getting smaller by the day. With our rental options you have nothing to store or sell when you no longer need it.
Latest Designs for each rental. When you rent from Little Bird Rentals, you can be assured it has been updated to the latest specification.
Renting is recycling. Every product rented means less trees and less energy is required to make each one.
To ensure the safety of your child each piece is lovingly cleaned and sanitized by our team. And if any of the parts needs replacement, that's what we do.
Awesome Products at a very good price. Recently hired cuckoo room items from them, all the products are very beautiful and of durable quality. Read More
LittleBird really went above and beyond all my expectations when I rented a car seat for my stay in Delhi. Great value and customer service! Read More
Loved the professionalism of your team. Speedy responses to all queries and of course the product itself was great, felt like a brand new piece. Our experience was so good Read More
My children loved the stroller! I'm usually not very comfortable with 'renting', but this experience has made me a believer. The whole process was quick, smooth and seamless. Keep up Read More
Really useful service, very helpful team.My grandchildren were coming into town, and these gents provided me with a fantastic price for renting a crib for 2 months. All the best Read More
We look forward to helping you with your queries.


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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beyond Mason-Dixon Line
Posts: 35010
�...Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?� he said at a Saturday conference in Vatican City. �Is it licit to hire a hit man to resolve a problem?� ...�. From here.
Interesting analogy. I�m gonna let it soak in for a spell.
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Dumbfucksville!
Posts: 18802
I think it's an absolutely moronic analogy!
Why is that?
You need to be told? Well, I ain't gonna do it.
quote:Originally posted by GoFuckYourselves!
You need to be told? Well, I ain't gonna do it.
quote:Originally posted by GoFuckYourselves!
You need to be told? Well, I ain't gonna do it.
(That rooster in the back looks like my grandmother!)
Registered: Oct 2007
Posts: 6016
I have to agree that it is a fucking moronic analogy. The difficulty with the abortion debate is that you're talking about two lives, not one, which makes it very, very different from a simple case of murder. To further complicate things, in most places the fetus doesn't have legal status as a person, whereas the mother does. Unfortunately, women have also historically had the legal status of chattels, so our rights to govern our own bodies as we see fit seems a little confusing to some folk. Not that surprising given some people still think slave ownership is OK too.
Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Aotearoa
Posts: 19847
I don't think that hitmen and an abortion are the same things but in both cases, problems are solved. Providing you hire a professional hit man (or hit woman) that won't get caught or roll on you when questioned by authorities. I suppose the same could be said when choosing an abortion doc, one wouldn't want their snatch to accidentally get ripped out in a back alley clinic.
So what I'm supposed to be getting from this is that The Pope is telling us we get what we pay for? I could have told you that.
This anti-abortion thing is gaining momentum. Seriously? That's so fucked up. So, so fucked up. Regardless of how icky abortion is, how cute babies are, how bad it makes you feel for personal and religious reasons, if it's not your body FUCK OFF AND MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS. Women must have autonomy over their own bodies, it's that simple. Fuckers. How about instead of telling women what they can and can't do, they focus their energy on creating a society in which better choices can be made.
Registered: Apr 2005
Posts: 15291
Part of what we are seeing is the death throes of religion in the US. Unfortunately, what is replacing it is not intellectualism, but general, apathetic agnosticism about EVERYTHING.
Being vacuous is now a virtue. Even tones of voice have become drab vocal fry. I fucking hate this place.
The Kardashians and their cult aren't exactly helping prove that women are intelligent enough to be given choices about reproduction. All these vacuous young women who put three inches of crap on their eyebrows and try to paint their cheekbones white just kill me. I want to slap the dumb out of each and every one of them. Seriously, I was raised to believe a woman's place is in the kitchen and her worth is determined by whether or not she is attractive enough to marry a wealthy man (seriously, my Dad was old old school) I had to fight so damn hard to get an education and I thought we were making some progress until recently, where we seem to have started running backwards.
I find it odd that it coincides with the "me too" movement, and where old timers are having their bottom touching sins of the past brought back to haunt them. It seems a bit like the thinking behind sharia law, where women are sacred and shouldn't be touched and stuff, but lets just cut off their clits and give them no rights to keep them that way.
You chaps probably don't watch things like the Handmaid's tale? It's actually very good and worth a look. Or just read the book.
Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Sun
Posts: 33020
quote:Originally posted by Muffy
The Kardashians and their cult aren't exactly helping prove that women are intelligent enough to be given choices about reproduction.
Amazing sentence to read in 2019.
quote:Originally posted by Muffy
The Kardashians and their cult aren't exactly helping prove that women are intelligent enough to be given choices about reproduction.
Well shit, if women want to be treated like autonomous, rational agents then perhaps they should dispense with the Barbie doll routine. I'm just sayin'. That being said, it should still be their choice, it just doesn't really help, IMO.
There are those who say men have no standing to discuss abortion; that a woman is lord and master over all things pertaining to her body; that men have no dog in the hunt because only women are biologically capable of carrying a child; that a fetus is not a human; and so on.
I am a man. Many, many years ago, I was a fetus. Unlike Brettsie, I have never yearned for gender reassignment. Lastly, since I am a heathen, it goes without saying that I am not Catholic.
Okay, okay, okay. So, what about that silly Pope? Especially when abortion is pondered in conjunction with a �beating heart�, there is one thing that I cannot get my head wrapped around. To explain:
Imagine you�re pregnant with �Oops�. By the time you get around to making an appointment at the clinic, Oops has a heartbeat. You arrive and everything is going smoothly. Well, you�re on the table, ready to go. But, just as the doctor is about to �pull the trigger� he has a seizure and falls to the floor. While he flops, wobbles and foams at the mouth, you cry out to the nurse, �Hey! What about me? Somebody needs to finish this!�
Nurse yells back, �Do it yourself! I�ve got to tend to him!�
For a moment, forget laws. Morals. Religion. There is one thing I am absolutely certain of - I could never �pull the trigger�, myself. So, while I don�t necessarily agree or disagree with the Pope, I understand his analogy.
I'm in the grey zone between thinking it should be legal, but have an uneasiness about aborting a viable (able to live outside the uterus) fetus. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but making all abortion illegal can't be right.
JEB, I suppose the reason men don't really get a say is that they never actually have to pull the trigger. It's easy to have a hypothetical point of view when you know the hypothetical situation will never apply to you.
Soo..... stretching the limits of thinking hypothetically, let's say you were out for your evening jog one day when a group of thugs jump you. You try to fight them but there's too many. They rape you. Roughly.
You limp, sobbing and ashamed, to the nearest police station where they unceremoniously make you strip and hand over your blood-soaked underpants. You're then led to a room, where a rough looking medical assistant tells you to spread your legs so he can scrape your privates while he snaps on a pair of rubber gloves in a "I wish I didn't have to do this every day" type fashion.
After you've been processed, an officer takes you home and gives you a well-practised little speech about how they will do everything they can but, 9 times out of 10, they never find the people responsible.
Six weeks later, you're still having nightmares and episodes of PTSD. You don't go out anymore. Your friends all wonder why you're so quiet and skittish all of a sudden. You tell your father what happened. You can see his heart breaking and the look of rage in his eyes. You know he'll never look at you the same way.
You break things off with your significant other. Them wanting sex and you not being able to explain to them why you're not in the mood is just too much of a headache at the moment. You have to try and get your life back together.
You notice your period is late. You get a home pregnancy kit and, to your horror, it's positive. You know you don't want to keep the child, but you can't even think of it as a child as it's all just too much to deal with. You can't tell anyone. They'll judge you. Abortion is illegal where you live and you can't risk anyone knowing.
Your head and guts are all snarled up. You never thought you'd get an abortion. You love babies and your little nephew is a delight. You always wanted to be a parent, one day. But you just know, deep down, that if you have to carry this "thing" inside you for 9 months you'll go crazy. You never asked for this. You never did anything wrong.
You end up finding out how to get a back alley abortion. Do you pull the trigger?
If you still say no, then congratulations, your life has just been changed forever.
The next nine months will be spent explaining to people how you got knocked up. Strangers will come up to you and congratulate you and ask you whether you know if it's a boy or a girl. If so, they'll want to know if you have a name picked. If you tell people that you don't want to keep the child and are looking at adoption options, you'll see a flicker of judgement pass across their face before they say something trite like "oh well, parenting isn't for everyone".
Yiu have to balance the pain of giving up a child against the pain of being reminded of the circumstances of conception before you can decide whether to adopt the baby out. Ultimately, that won't be a hard choice though as when the baby starts to kick, it reminds you of how you were kicked and beaten when they raped you. You vomit.
You meet a nice couple. They tell you how happy they'd be to take the baby but please make sure you don't smoke, drink or take any recreational drugs because they don't want you harming the baby.
Your belly swells and gets stretch marks. You don't mind them so much, but you dread the thought of having to explain to everyone who sees your stomach from that point on why you don't have a child when your body says otherwise.
You have to stop working because you can't keep up with the physical demands anymore. Your sick days have already been used up. You weren't going to be eligible for maternity leave any way, as thats for the express purpose of "looking after your child", which kind of rules you out. You worry about the medical bills, and who will be there to help you when you go in to labor.
The big day finally arives. You go through a gruelling birth and dutifully hand over the child to its new parents. You get one night to yourself, alone in the hospital, your body feeling like it has been torn apart, before you have to go home and worry about your mounting debt and the eviction notices sitting on your kitchen table.
You sit there, with a gun in your hand, wondering whether this time you'll be able to pull the trigger.
Alt ending 1:
You decide to pull the trigger and get the back alley abortion.
It doesn't go too well, you bleed to death. Your family are all shamed by the circumstances of your death and have to deal with that while they make your funeral arrangements.
Alt ending 2:
You decide to pull the trigger and get the back alley abortion.
Al is going well until some nosey evangelical snaps a photo of you coming out of the clinic and reports you. You're dragged in for blood testing and medical examination that confirms that you have just had an abortion.
You're sentenced to death.
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 53161
Women are Property.
Move along now...
quote:Originally posted by fubar
I'm in the grey zone between thinking it should be legal, but have an uneasiness about aborting a viable (able to live outside the uterus) fetus. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but making all abortion illegal can't be right.
Abortion is not a hot button topic for me, fubar. But, if I was asked to describe my current thinking on it, I think your position would fit mine on all four corners.
quote:Originally posted by fubar
I'm in the grey zone between thinking it should be legal, but have an uneasiness about aborting a viable (able to live outside the uterus) fetus. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but making all abortion illegal can't be right.
This is the reason why I find Abortion so silly.
Because this is every single day.
Baby Roosters naw.
We want plump delicious females!
Seriously. If you eat meat and is pro life, you are so confused.
But we are better than Chickens.
Ah the Human Privilege.
There are Humans in this world I find more worthless than any of the baby roosters in that video. But let's give them a chance to be that asshole.
They all grow up to be cocks, LF.
Gross video. I was eating lemon curd on toast when I played it. I gagged a little.
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by Professor Geraldine Downey, Director of the Center for Justice at Columbia University
Young people with a criminal history may face a lifetime of marginalization but we can support their transition to adulthood through education, says Geraldine Downey, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Justice at Columbia University.
Downey's interests lie in how people's identities are shaped by experiences of rejection, whether because of something about them as a person or because of their membership in a stigmatized group. Her scholarship has been published in Psychological Science, Child Development, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.