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AgieCharmilles LASER P 4000 U
GF Machining Solutions' revolutionary AgieCharmilles LASER 4000 5Ax allows automotive color and trim studios and product and interior design centers to take differentiation to new and higher levels. The machine makes mastering the most complex textures on even the biggest molds an infinitely repeatable, clean and fully digitized process.
Extra-large capacity handles the biggest molds
The AgieCharmilles LASER 4000 5Ax, the biggest laser texturing solution on the market,
enables highly accurate texturing of even the largest workpieces. Thanks to the extra-large, 4 x 3 x 1.5 meter capacity of the AgieCharmilles LASER 4000 5Ax, your distinct textures can easily be applied to oversize molds for end products like truck and auto bumpers, instrument and door panels, central consoles, airbag covers, and headlights, aircraft and luxury yacht interiors, home appliances and big-screen TVs, as well as casting molds and forging tools.
- Very large working area: 4000 x 3000 x 1500 mm, thanks to gantry concept.
- Workpiece weight limit, limited to floor resistance, suitable for the heaviest tools.
- Fully digitized and repeatable process replacing actual manual texturing process
- Better accuracy and definition of the mould texturing
- Unlimited design possibilities
|Machine dimensions width x depth x height
|334.645 x 350.393 x 206.693 in
|X, Y, Z travel
|157.48 x 118.11 x 59.055 in
|Working range
|30 x 30 x 20 m / min
|Workpiece (5-axis machining)
|Maximum workpiece dimensions (W x D x H)
|98.425 x 59.055 x 35.433 in
|Max. workpiece weight
|39.68'0.0 lb
|Tilting Head
|A Axis Speed Angle
|180°/s | 270°
|B Axis Speed Angle
|180°/s | 370°


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Looking for info on Adventures in Didim? Browse our listings of things to do and get the best prices guaranteed.
Family Fun... Fun times and the beauty of the beaches, seas and water attractions in Didim. ...Didim - beaches and water fun times ..... Family fun at Didim Aqua Park, jeep safari, horse safari ,scuba diving and More fun
If you want to take a break from lazing on Didim's stunning beaches there are plenty of options for outdoor pursuits such as ATV riding or horseback riding along the beach
The main resort shopping centre is Dolphin Square, near the centre of the resort front. There are also a large number of shops on the seafront. All the shops are open late at night when the area becomes its liveliest. This is your opportunity to pick up a real bargain, especially if you are good at haggling! If you fancy designer clothes but can't normally afford them then many good copy designer items are on sale. If you are looking for jewellery then you will find that the quality of the gold here is excellent with the prices much cheaper than in England. When shopping for provisions, there are several supermarkets, which cater for most people's tastes, having a wide variety of well-known food, toiletries and kitchen goods. There are also a number of smaller shops that have a wide selection of provisions. If you love markets and haggling, then visit the great selection of markets, Altinkum on a Saturday, Soke on a Wednesday, Akbuk on a Friday, and every night in the summer months Mavisher market
Didim is the 'Gateway to the Land of Oracles' where you can experience such beautiful sites such as the Temple of Apollo which is the fourth largest sanctuary in the greek world, the ancient ruins of Miletus, Priene, Ephesus and the nearby house of the Virgin Mary. These historic sights are easy to find, with many signposts along the way. You can either explore yourself or use the many Companies that offer trips to the various locations.
Didim can offer you a multitude of exciting water sports such as Water skiing, Parasailing, Canoeing, Jet Skiing, Banana boats and Ringos. There's enough variety to make your holiday packed full of fun and excitement!

subset: commoncrawl


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Patrick deWitt
Patrick deWitt's first novel, Ablutions, was published by Granta Books in 2009. He had previously published a short book of random writings and bad advice, Help Yourself Help Yourself. He has also worked as a labourer, a clerk, a dishwasher and a bartender. He now lives with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon. His novel The Sisters Brothers was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2011, and his most recent novel Undermajordomo Minor is now available with Granta Books.


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What is Devcoin?
Devcoin is an ethically inspired cryptocurrency created in 2011 to support open source programmers and writers worldwide. Devcoin will eventually fund all types of developers including hardware developers, musicians, painters, graphic artists and filmmakers. Devcoin is one of the longest running blockchain based digital currencies.
Devcoins can be merge mined with Bitcoin, earned by developing, writing or completing tasks known as bounties, or purchased on various exchanges.


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Back home for a shower and a suit-up. A few thoughts:
- How wonderful it is to come home sweating rather than freezing.
- The fifth person in line was the Phantom First from McDonald – the oral argument was on a Tuesday, but he arrived at 7am on the Sunday prior. I discovered him that day while I was on an afternoon run with the First Lady of First One @ One First. Later that evening, I went back to talk to him. Once there, another two people showed up to scope out the line. The Phantom First was packing his things up after a day in the cold when he realized that his brother, for whom he was keeping a second seat in line, was not coming. He said he'd be back the next morning (Monday) at 4am. I had no interest in competing with that, but the other two were appropriately spooked and got to the Court at 5:30am on Monday morning…with the Phantom First nowhere to be found. Those two–Rob and Larken–became the first ones at One First for McDonald. Last night, then, I was pleased to see the Phantom First return with his brother to claim fourth and fifth in line.
- The best and worst part about this blog is having readers inspired enough to beat me to the Court.
- A largely lawyer/law student crowd this morning, but Dick Heller and Otis McDonald also got in line to see their gun rights cases extended and won, respectively.
- Around 1:30am, we were regaled to some tales, whether true or tall is undetermined, by a man from Noname, Alaska trying to find Union Station. He spoke of white moose and face-licking grizzlies while catcalling the Court police officer on duty.
Gotta get moving to get back to the Court on time for Stevens's last day and the final four decisions. I'll have something more expository about the campout and the decisions later tonight or tomorrow.
Until then, enjoy my 12:30pm liveblog of the Elena Kagan hearings!


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This site is privately owned and is neither affiliated with, nor endorsed by, nor operated by any government agency. Visit healthcare.gov
Call Us For your Health Insurance Quote: 866-932-7461
get a free quote for affordable healthcare online
The Law
The Affordable Care Act offers new benefits, rights and protections that affect you, your family and/or your business.
One of the most celebrated reforms is that ObamaCare requires insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing health conditions.
Even if you have being denied in the past, you or your family member with a pre-existing condition can now enjoy coverage.
Another significant improvement is that insurance companies can't charge more for people with preexisting conditions and can't put lifetime or annual dollar limits on Essential Health Benefits for most life threatening sicknesses.
One should note that all Americans have an option to purchase or be provided with health care based off their income and employment. This way, consumers can buy coverage that fits their needs and their budget.
The official ObamaCare enrollment period ended on March 31, 2014. Important Notice: Its urgent, to avoid future fines and penalties, to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Health Care Act.
North Carolina Individuals & Families: Find out the most cost efficient healthcare insurance for you.
Guaranteed Issue and Guaranteed Renewal
Guaranteed Issue
Guaranteed Renewal
This is a requirement that your health insurance issuer must offer to renew your policy as long as you continue to pay premiums.
The Exception
The only exception is for grandfathered individual health insurance plans. These plans do not have to cover pre-existing conditions.
If you are covered by a plan that existed March 23, 2010, your plan may be "grandfathered."
If you have a grandfathered plan, you can switch to a Marketplace plan and immediately get coverage for your pre-existing conditions.
To find out if your plan is grandfathered check your plan's materials and/or check with your employer or your health plan's benefits administrator.
For more information on this matter visit HealthCare.gov
My options
To check your options you can visit your state's Marketplace. For North Carolina it is HealthCare.gov
You can start by getting a quote or you can go right ahead to the registration process.
Price quotes will reflect any lower costs you may be eligible for based on your income and household size.
To get a premium estimate or quote for ObamaCare in North Carolina visit their website.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can get help online, on the phone or locally.
Visit https://www.healthcare.gov/contact-us/
Individuals and Families living in north-carolina can utilize www.coveredca.com in an effort to secure health insurance for themselves and their loved ones.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the national health reform, which includes new responsibilities and opportunities for employers.
Thanks to ObamaCare, people who don't have insurance or have, but are not satisfied with it, now have new rights, protections and benefits.
Because of the Affordable Care Act, people who have insurance are granted more choices and stronger coverage than ever before.
The Health Insurance Marketplace is sometimes known as the health insurance "exchange." It is a state's price comparison website for subsidized health insurance.
Simply complete the information, and we will inmediately coonect you with a healthcare advisor who can provide the bes options available for you!
We know how important it is to understand what the Affordable Care Act offers. There are new benefits, rights and protections that affect you, your family and your business.


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Cool links! The Ceiling Cat made me laugh and the Mongolian Death Worm is definitely one for future boredom killing "research".
I have just been doing some of the latter and stumbled on this guy's nutty but fascinating site promoting his book about Giants
Unfortunately the first chapter provided doesn't say much about his thesis (I skimmed it) but he does include samples of quotes that he seems to have used and a page of sample illustrations he's used such as his own rendering of a Special Forces soldier's encounter with a troll.
There must be a story behind that last picture because the blog post that put me on this guy included this picture which has to be related:
If anyone else knows or can find anything about this story please let me know because my brain is about to explode...
There's also a page of articles including one by a Boyd Rice which gives a list of all the mythical giants and their stories noting their similarities as well as a list of archaelogical evidence of giants taken from this book..


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Industrial products, comprised of the automotive, manufacturing, distribution, and materials and chemicals segments, is a characteriSed by global connectivity and complexity.
Even smaller organisations must navigate suppliers, logistics and regulations from different parts of the world. Technology permeates all aspects of organisations and leaders are constantly searching for ways to drive innovation in how they design, produce and/or deliver. While challenging, there are enormous opportunities for leaders that are able to see more deeply into the changing landscape and beyond short-term challenges to position themselves for long-term success.
Protiviti partners with leaders to help them achieve greater confidence in these changing environments. We seek to understand the unique strengths, risks and opportunities of your organisation and where you want to take your business. We collaborate with you to build custom solutions that maximise your chances for success and bring a tailored, multi-disciplinary team of professionals that fits your situation and company culture. While the process is never simple, our goal is, to help you face the future with confidence.


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General manager Ken Williams mentioned on Friday as to how Peavy, who has been on the disabled list with a strained tendon in his right ankle since June 13, will get on the mound Saturday. He will start an injury rehab program on Aug. 13 or 15 to get himself back into pitching shape after missing two months of the season. Peavy is expected back pitching at the Major League level in late August, but should that absence extend to early September, what other fifth-starter options do the White Sox possess? Factor in four off-days between Saturday and Sept. 11, and the White Sox will only need a fifth man for five starts — Aug. 10, 25 and 30, and Sept. 4 and 9. Choices other than Carrasco range from Carlos Torres, who came up from Triple-A Charlotte to make a spot-start on July 22 against the Rays, Freddy Garcia or currently disabled Bartolo Colon. Garcia was scheduled to start for Bristol on Friday, but the game was rained out.
July 31, 2009
Sox looking for temporary fifth starter
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text:
Cyler Miles, former Mullen QB, suspended by Washington
Former Mullen quarterback Cyler Miles was suspended indefinitely by the University of Washington Feb. 6 for a violation of team rules, according to the Seattle Times.
According to the Times:
Two players are being investigated by Seattle Police for an alleged assault near campus during a post-Super Bowl incident Sunday night, and a UW source identified the players as Miles and Stringfellow. No arrests have been made, according to King County Jail records.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Washington sophomore started for Mullen in 2011, leading the team to a 9-3 record. He threw for 1,354 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. He was named co-MVP at the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.


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New rules in White River National Forest impact snowmobile users
New rules impacting snowmobile use in the White River National Forest's Dillon Ranger District are in effect.
"There are some new areas that require winter motorized travel to stay on designated routes where it had been unrestricted in the past," said Ken Waugh, district recreation staff officer.
Motorized travel has been restricted to designated routes in the Golden Horseshoe (east of Breckenridge), Sts. John (west of road) and the three forks of the Swan River drainage. The purpose of the restriction is to minimize user conflicts and to protect wildlife habitat.
Due to the White River travel management plan, completed in March 2011, some areas are now completely closed to motorized over-snow use. These areas include Bald Mountain, Miners Creek, Indiana Gulch, Pennsylvania Gulch, Spruce Creek, Frey Gulch and Peru Creek.
There are some areas that are open to motorized over-snow use without restriction. These areas are the Spring Creek area and the area east of Montezuma, which includes Webster Pass, Deer Creek, Sts. John (east of road), Radical Hill and Sheep Mountain. The Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area will continue to provide snowmobile opportunities through a fee permit system.
Winter motor vehicle use maps are available for free at the Dillon Ranger Station or on the U.S. Forest Service website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/
recmain/whiteriver/recreation. The maps show the entire forest, including forest roads, trails and areas designated for over-snow motor vehicle use. "No Snowmobile" signs will only be posted in key areas, not in every prohibited area. Motorized users are responsible for obtaining a winter motor vehicle use map to determine where he or she can ride.
Winter travel on foot, snowshoes, and cross-country skis is not limited to designated routes or prohibited in any area, unless otherwise posted.
The Spring Creek area will be groomed this year through a partnership with the High Country Snowmobile Club (HCSC). The club obtained grants from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife to purchase a groomer and to start a trail grooming program. Club members will volunteer to operate the equipment and provide a groomed trail surface on 15 miles of designated routes in the area. The HCSC will also help with signing the Eagles Nest Wilderness boundary and with educating the public about not entering that area on snowmobiles.
"We are looking forward to the improved signage at the wilderness boundary and helping to educate snowmobilers about the boundary," club president Rich Holcroft said. "These efforts will help to ensure snowmobilers can continue to enjoy the Spring Creek area."
The Dillon Ranger District winter rangers will be educating the public about the new changes, checking snowmobile registrations and responding to snowmobiles in closed areas. Anyone observing snowmobiles in closed areas is encouraged to record detailed information and report it to the Dillon Ranger District at (970) 468-5400.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
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Last week, I got a call from someone regarding he Chestnut Hill Senior Center, or as it is known today, the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment.
After 32 years, I was told, the center would cease to be at the end of this year. For the person who called me, the center's closure was bittersweet. Sure, she had dedicated a great deal of her time to the center's operations, but there was an upside. It seemed to her that part of the center's financial decline was based on the fact that there were many more services and programs serving seniors in the area.
"The nice thing is that we're just not needed now as we once were," she said.
So, just like that, a neighborhood institution will disappear.
The instinct, I think, is to fret about change like this. We can chalk this up to an ever-lengthening list of that which has been lost. And it's easy, when looking at that list of things that have slipped into the past, to worry a bit about the future.
Like the senior center, the Local is facing a bunch of competition, most of it (or, all of it, really) online. A group of CHCA board members and other various stakeholders met Monday night to talk about what the community's response might be.
The big idea, championed as of late by CHCA board member Rob Remus and Hill web expert Gerald Tracey, is to create what they call a community portal – a single website that would be the go-to place for Hillers to get and share information.
During the meting there was a lot of serious conversation about the pros and cons – How would the portal be financed? How could it realistically compete with better financed outside competition? Could it really accomplish the seemingly impossible and unite neighborhood groups that have occasionally been at odds?
These are big questions with no easy answers. What we all agree on is that the community could use a better online presence. And we agree that our local institutions could do a better job of cooperating and communicating. We could all use a way to better engage the community. And we all agree that the cost of doing nothing is probably not acceptable.
Here, again, I think there's good skepticism as well as that old instinctive fear of change. Change isn't always good (or) bad just because it's change, but it is inevitable. The choice we face at this crossroads might not have to be between driving off a cliff or rising to new heights, ever onward and upward. In other words, we can progress without simply throwing away the old, just because it's old.
The community can build a new portal. Or it can enhance the Local. Maybe it can do both. What we do need to be sure of is that the community makes the right choice because the margin of error is getting smaller. I don't think there are many here who want to see the Local repeat the history of the senior center, in which we let the competition start to do our work for us.
We don't want to be not needed any more.


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Welcome to the web pages for Assessment at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville! Please take this opportunity to learn more about SIUE's Office of Academic Innovation and Effectiveness and our leadership in fostering an environment supportive of assessment, promoting student learning, and facilitating excellent teaching. The Office of Academic Innovation and Effectiveness supports many of the primary activities through which the university can fulfill its mission of excellence, demonstrate accountability to stakeholders, and promote student learning. This office is responsible for developing and implementing an integrative assessment system that contributes to academic innovation and continuous improvement on our campus.
At SIUE, assessment is a collective endeavor through which we demonstrate our commitment to improving teaching and promoting student learning. Our mission is to "elicit faculty, staff and student involvement in the development and utilization of assessment techniques that enhance the quality of:
As Associate Provost, my goal is to provide faculty, administrators, and staff with the support they need throughout the process. I am happy to assist with the development of systematic plans for rigorous assessment, analysis of data, and considerations of how to use evidence to inform programmatic decisions. I am excited about the opportunity to facilitate all programs' efforts to achieve their goals, reflect on their practices, and enhance student learning. I am pleased to be a part of this office and hope that you will call on me to help with your assessment activities. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at email@example.com or 618-650-3639.
Dr. Elza Ibroscheva
Associate Provost
(618) 650-3639


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Can someone explain to me why $\alpha' < \alpha$ and $\beta'<\beta$ when point $p_l$ is inside the circle? There is suppose to be a way to see this using Thales' theorem.
Also if $p_l$ is inside the circle defined by $p_i,p_j,p_k$ then how does one show that $p_k$ is inside the circle defined by $p_i,p_j,p_l$.


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SNOW HILL – Citing two
ongoing murder cases along with other unfinished business, long-time Worcester
County State's Attorney Joel Todd this week formally filed for re-election,
setting up a rematch of the closest election in county history.
Todd officially filed
for re-election on Tuesday, although he has said informally he would seek to
retain his position as the county's top prosecutor in the weeks and months
leading up to next week's filing deadline. He has served as Worcester County
State's Attorney for the better part of four terms, having started in the
position in 1995 after a 10-year stint as deputy state's attorney.
During his four terms,
Worcester has grown significantly and with the growth spurt, along with the
annual spike in population in Ocean City during the summer season, the criminal
docket in the county has followed suit. However, violent crime in Worcester has
plunged in recent years, a fact Todd was quick to point out this week.
"One of the things I'm
most proud of is that violent crime has dropped dramatically in recent years in
Worcester County, much more so even than the statewide average," he said.
"Violent crime is down 40 percent over that time."
Todd was quick to share
credit for the drop in crime with the various state, county and local law
enforcement agencies operating in the county along with the court system and
pointed to the relationships he has forged.
"I give a lot of credit
to various police agencies in the county including the state police, the
municipal departments and our own sheriff's department," he said. "Working
together, we've been able to make a lot of arrests and gain a lot of
convictions. Our police don't need a tremendous amount of guidance, but rather
just some advice from time to time on how to proceed with certain cases.
Together, we've formed strong partnerships and that has resulted in strong
prosecution and conviction rates."
Todd said his decision
to seek re-election was an easy one, given the unfinished business still on his
"We have two murder
cases pending and I obviously want to see those through," he said. "In
addition, we've had some great success with the drug operation we announced in
Berlin a little over a year ago and we want to continue with that."
Last year, Todd and the
allied law enforcement agencies announced a new initiative aimed at ridding
Berlin of open-air drug dealing, and while the program has claimed some early
successes, there is still much work to be done.
"The plan is to fine
tune what we've started in Berlin and export that program to other communities
in the county and I want to see that through," he said.
Todd's formal filing
this week sets up a rematch with longtime challenger Beau Oglesby, who filed for
state's attorney earlier this month. After a failed attempt in 2002, derailed
over a residency issue, Oglesby filed again for state's attorney in 2006 and
took the incumbent Todd to the limits during the election. Todd led Oglesby by
a single vote when the polls closed on Election Day in November 2006, but there
were still 2,700 absentee ballots to be counted along with provisional and
overseas ballots. When the dust settled, Todd emerged victorious by a mere 14
Despite the close race,
Todd said this week he would continue to focus on the duties of his office and
not a protracted campaign against Oglesby.
"I will continue to do
what I was elected to do," he said. "We have two murder cases pending and
several serious drug cases to prosecute, so I don't have a lot of time to play
politics. I'll campaign when I need to and I'll deal with politics when the
time is right, but I didn't get elected to be a politician. I got elected to
enforce the rights of the public, protect the innocent and convict the guilty."


text:
This is not "glittering prose"
11 comments:
OMG! I didn't think people-who-think-they're-writers actually did this. Sending red,white and blue stars with the ms?? I hate it when people send the stuff in cards for birthdays. But when submitting to agents or editors??
- 3/04/2006
LMAO is just about all I can say/do here. Very professional. You go, Captain America! (No, really...go.)
- 3/04/2006
- Sha'el, Princess of Pixies said...
i was thinking yellow and purple would be nicer. And a box of chocolate. And maybe a thank you in advance for making us both rich by publishing my stuff card. Or a Teddy Bear. Or maybe cheetos. A whole bag.
- 3/04/2006
How about a bottle of gin ?
"I heart Killer Yapp"
- 3/04/2006
- McKoala said...
I hate those things at any time. Who wants to have to fetch the vacuum any time they open a letter? It doesn't make me feel festive, it makes me feel mad.
- 3/04/2006
Who, in his right mind would do that kind of thing? Oh wait--what mind?
How old is the person who sent it? 12? And it's not even April 1.
- 3/04/2006
Duh, everyone knows you send silver stars. Clearly these people don't hang out on enough on line writer websites. I also find enclosing dog cookies helps.
- 3/05/2006
- WagerWitch said...
No no no...
It's March.
It should be yellow stars, blue moons, green clovers!
- 3/05/2006
- Linda Maye Adams said...
It's very common to see stuff like this in the job hunting world. Someone sent a shoe to a prospective employer for the "foot in the door." Everyone thinks it's gimmicks to get a busy agent's attention. What happened to the good story?
- 3/05/2006
- Miss Snark said...
Jim Cramer, the insane hedge fund guy is famous for telling job applicants to bring doughnuts and three good ideas.
Frankly, I'd laugh at the shoe, give the doughnuts to the homeless guy on the pavement, and laugh it all off. Glitter makes me reach for my sidearm AND your address.
- 3/05/2006
- Sarah said...
The Slush God rejected me last month. Sigh. But at least I didn't do that! What baffles me is why anyone would think that was a good idea.
- 3/05/2006


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Haymitch Albernathy, played by the amazing Woody Harrelson, becomes a pot bellied drunk. You wonder why the victor of the 50th Hunger Games would be such a drunken slob. After 2 weeks of his victory, Haymitch's mother, younger brother, and girlfriend were killed by President Snow, as punishment for Haymitch using the force field to his advantage killing one of the opponents leaving him the victor. That murderous act could take the life out of anyone. So this tutorial is in tribute to one of the engaging characters of this already popular movie and bestselling book. I wanted to treat you in this "Hunger Games" tutorial. You can draw Haymitch's 3/4 view, profile or both. I just want you to have fun. Let me know what you experienced by commenting, faving and voting. Much love to you all. I cannot wait to hear from you.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


text:
Jeremiah2911 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 80 designs submitted by 25 freelance designers.
Logo for new website.
What are the 1st images that come to your mind when you think of the EMOTIONS of Divorce and going from angry and bitter to feeling better knowing that there is hope for a better future ahead?
Divorce Recovery and Personal Growth
Desired Style:
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png)
Help, Hope and Healing for individuals going through separation and divorce
Colors: Greens and Blues...Calming, soothing
Theme: Journey toward a better future
Moving on, moving forward
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text: Source: Soundvision http://www.soundvision.com 'I never considered a non-Arab equal to me,' a sister once remarked. 'I know it's wrong, but in the place I grew up in, that was how we grew up thinking.' She had grown up in a country considered "Islamic". Islam is the most anti-racist and anti-prejudicial way of life. Islamic history testifies to the openness Muslims have shown towards people of different cultures and religions. Within their own ranks, sincere and practicing Muslims have always kept their hearts and minds open to their brethren, no matter what their background. Yet, there is a problem in the Ummah today. Prejudices are not the problems of others. They have become the very sad reality amongst a number of Muslims as well. This is not just on the level of small minority Muslim communities in non-Muslim lands. It is also a problem in "Islamic" countries as well. Years of nationalism in theory and practice have diminished the powerful universality Muslims cherished in their societies. First the bad news Laws and customs There are a number of countries in the Muslim world, in which racism and prejudice are in full swing and justified by laws or social customs. These seek to exclude and shun on the basis of ethnicity and in some cases, race. For instance, in certain countries, it is not permissible for children to study at a post-secondary level, even if their parents have been living or working in the country for a number of years. This is usually because of their national origin. In other countries, discrimination is used to exclude those who are not the original inhabitants of the land from citizenship. Discrimination extends to the field of employment as well. In some "Islamic" countries, workers of one national origin are paid less than others although they may excel in their skills, education, and experience. It has been noted that a white or black person carrying an American passport gets better pay than a person of Asian origin carrying the same passport. Written and unwritten laws in some Arab countries prohibit Arab women from marrying a non-Arab. Attitudes and words The discrimination is not reserved to laws though. It's not difficult to hear an uncommon racial epithet used among some Muslims, ignorant or negligent of the Quran and Sunnah's condemnation of backbiting, slander and mockery. Marriage We know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines, and therefore, in Islam, there is no ethnic bar to marriage. He also made it very clear, in his last Khutba, that superiority in Islam is not based on blackness, whiteness, Arabness or the lack of it. Contrast this with, for instance, the Hindu caste system, under which inter-caste marriage is prohibited. Sadly, such Hindu notions still influence a number of ignorant Muslims in South Asia who will not, for instance, marry outside if they are Syed (claim lineage to the Prophet), Shaikh (a business community) or across tribal lines if they come from the "Khans," "Moghuls" or "Jats". While some Muslims may justify this as simply a measure to ensure compatibility between husband and wife, it is Islamically incorrect to discriminate upright Muslims on this basis. The Masjid or Islamic center There have been some isolated cases in which Muslims who have felt so excluded at specific mosques called anti-discrimination hotlines to complain. Alhamdu lillah, all Masjids are open to all people and no Masjid has racial policies. However, racially divided neighborhoods result in an ethnically dominant Masjid type. Usually, negative attitudes of some and language specific Masjid programs cause miscommunication. This is because some people want to make sure their mother tongue survives in America. ...and the good news The prayer: a lesson in Muslim unity Five times a day, every day, Muslims of every cultural and ethnic background stand shoulder to shoulder. There is no issue of who stands where based on their color or ethnicity. On a larger level, to remember that millions of Muslims, everywhere of all shapes, colors, sizes, countries, etc. all face the same place to pray, five times a day, is incredible. Yet this lesson not just in Muslim unity, but in ethno-national harmony, is usually overlooked. The mosque: open to all despite problems Alhamdu lillah, one problem Muslims do not have is membership-exclusive mosques. Any Muslim can pray in any mosque. While those individual Muslims with racism and prejudice in their hearts and minds may not treat them well, they will not exclude them physically from attending or praying in any mosque, anywhere. A brother from the United Kingdom who converted to Islam once mentioned how on a trip to apartheid-era South Africa, while he found black and white churches, he did not encounter black and non-black mosques. That made him start thinking about this curious phenomenon, and he eventually accepted Islam. Muslims united in pain With the latest headlines focused on Chechnya, Muslims in America and abroad have generously donated to help their oppressed brothers and sisters there. There is a keen understanding amongst many Muslims that when it comes to oppression, it doesn't matter if you're a black Muslim, a white Muslim, a Kosovar Muslim, a Chechen Muslim, a Kashmiri Muslim or a Somali Muslim, you are suffering. Imams often make Dua for oppressed Muslims they have never met, no matter what their skin color. Muslims pray along in sympathy and support. Here is another clear example of Muslim unity. All we need to do is now pray and help all human beings who are suffering whether Muslim or not. Muslim American leaders are diverse Can you name the top four speakers and leaders amongst Muslims in America today? If you can, you'll realize that all four are of different racial and linguistic backgrounds. They are invited to Muslim gatherings regularly, no matter what the ethnic background of the audience. These four leaders are: Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African American Muslim; Dr. Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian Muslim; Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, a Sudanese Muslim, and Imam Hamza Yusuf, a Caucasian American Muslim. This shows that a Muslim leader is respected for his knowledge and commitment to the Deen by most Muslims, not his background. Marriage: the litmus test All that said though, the real test of openness to other cultures is marriage. Islam and a growing number of Muslims pass there with flying colors. As mentioned above, we know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines. Muslims, whether in the Muslim world or in North America, are following his example more often today. So you'll find an African or Caucasian-American convert married to an Arab, Indo-Pakistani or Malaysian; you'll find an Indian married to a Palestinian; you'll find a Kashmiri married to an Arab-American, and on and on. There is a keen and growing understanding amongst a number of Muslims, in line with Islam, that what unites hearts and people is Islam, not skin color, ethnicity or territory. Sincerity, knowledge, forgiveness are the cure Curing the disease of racism takes time. It also takes humility, sincerity and requires seeking out the right guidance. It means admitting we were or are wrong, sincerely repenting and making a concrete effort to change. While the planet's approximately 1.2 billion Muslims do have their share of problems with each other, Alhamdu lillah, we still have the tools to eradicate the cancer of racism and prejudice in our midst. Let's begin the process with ourselves, and then help them Ummah do the same.


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Saving Time and Perfect Finish with Mark V and ST Max 495
Jérôme Gandolphe has his own painting company in the South of France, employing one employee and one apprentice. The company mainly focuses on new-builds and renovation projects. They regularly have special projects, such as the maintenance of a castle.
Gandolphe has been using a Mark V and an ST Max 495 for a wide variety of jobs: painting facades, interior walls, floors and plastering walls.
Jérôme: "I've compared Graco units with other units on the market. The ease of use combined with efficiency made it an easy choice for me. In addition, the finish is perfect and the machines are indestructible!"
After in-depth training, he gained lots of practical tips and tricks and he was able to go it alone. That was some three years ago.
His most recent project is a new-build house with a living area of 320m2 or 1,220m2 of walls and ceilings. In just two days, the entire house was painted with a primer, plastered and painted with a finishing coat using the Mark V.
"My Graco machine helps me save lots of time, but also delivers a perfect finish."


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Kentucky Landscape Census
Go Directly to the Request for Quotation Document
Go Directly to the Request for Quotation Clarifications
Go Directly to the Information on the KLC Bidder's Conference
Building on previous work in other OGC initiatives and technical working groups, selected KLC participants will work collaboratively to extend and "ruggedize" existing standards into a robust and complete interoperability framework for implementing multi-vendor enterprise, as well as enterprise-to-enterprise, solutions in government and business.
Participants will work in the following areas:
- Common Architecture: Develop Geography Markup Language (GML) Application Schemas for selected layers of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Framework Data Layers.
- Web Services: Deploy a reference implementation composed of OGC(TM) specification components for Web Map Services, Web Feature Services, Web Coverage Services, and Catalog Services.
OGC Kentucky Landscape Census Pilot Project Request For Quotation and Call For Participation
This call seeks technology developers interested in an Interoperability Initiative to develop and deploy a reference implementation of OGC-based services at the state level in the U.S. The OGC Kentucky Landscape Census (KLC) Pilot Project advances OGC Web Services (OWS), the set of OpenGIS® Specifications that comprise the interoperability framework for the emerging "Spatial Web." The implementation will become the basis for the Commonwealth's contribution to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Map.
Proposals are due by November 18, 2004.
Click a link to download the .zip archive:
Original OGC KLC RFQ (doc format).zip
Original OGC KLC RFQ (pdf format).zip
OGC Kentucky Landscape Census Pilot Project (KLC) RFQ Clarifications
Clarifications will be posted here as they are received.
Download the Clarifications Document #2
Download the Clarifications Document #3
OGC Kentucky Landscape Census Pilot Project (KLC) Bidder's Conference
A Bidder's Conference (a conference call) will be held, as announced in the RFQ, on October 29, 2004. Questions for the call must be sent to bidder [at] opengeospatial.org by 2200 GMT on October 27, 2004. Additional information about the Bidder's Conference including time and telephone number will be posted here when determined.


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Paint recycling offered at Kelly Moore
Provided to the Tribune
Kelly Moore is offering paint recycling as part of a statewide program.
Through the American Coatings Association, paint manufacturers created PaintCare, a nonprofit that administers state programs. PaintCare will arrange for recycling and proper disposal of unused paint and conduct public education about proper paint management.
Funding for the program will come from a recovery fee applied to the purchase price of paint sold in California. The fees are as follows: free for a half pint or less; 35 cents from a half pint to 1 gallon, 75 cents for 1 gallon, $1.60 for 1-5 gallons.
Kelly Moore is located at 2317 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe. For more information about the recycling program, visit http://www.paintcare.org.


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They wanted to open a burger restaurant with a difference, where their chefs make burgers by hand on a daily basis using their 100% prime Scotch beef, which is then hand pressed by them to ensure that diners enjoy the tastiest and freshest burgers around.
The food is handmade in their restaurants using over 48 seasonal ingredients and only the freshest produce, which is locally sourced where possible. They go to every length to ensure that their high standards are maintained and are proud to say that their food tastes great.
Please Note: The 2 for 1 offer is valid on meals from Sunday to Thursday all day, but is unavailable all day Friday and Saturday. The tastecard restaurant discount is excluded on bank holidays and celebration days - including, but not limited to: Valentine's Day, Mothering Sunday, Father's Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The tastecard discount is also unavailable throughout December. The offer is valid for up to two people dining, and is only valid on burgers and salads. Small burgers, sides and desserts are excluded from the tastecard restaurant discount and additional patties & extras will be charged at the menu price. The cheapest or equivalent dish will be discounted from your bill. This offer may be used for larger groups — for example, a group of 6 would need to present 3 tastecards to be eligible. There is no need to book in advance, however, you must mention that you would like to use your tastecard when being seated. The tastecard restaurant discount is not available at the Wembley restaurant on event days.


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Concert performances were different every time. The venues were different and the selection of songs to sing varied according to the venue and the anticipated audience. Some concerts were heavily promoted and others seemed to be word of mouth. So, before the concert, there was a rehearsal, then clothing changes, maybe another warm-up, all the while there is a stage and sound equipment to be set up as well. Musicians tuning up. Taking into consideration the various elements of the weather and lighting. When setting up for an outdoor performance, the chorus is "on" as the audience begins to gather. To draw folks in as well as entertain before the concert, the musicians would play. Tonight, one of the songs, "Sooth Me", drew in people nearby, as well as one little girl in blue.
Tag Archives: Whatcom County
Reflections After the Tour: Images First
"Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions." Peter Hoeg
I look at these photos and find it difficult to even describe the daily pace of this tour! From Matej giving us history on the big bus while Antonia gave similar talks to the little bus crowd, to a guided tour of an old part of a town, to special lunches prepared for us, more tours of castles, more history, on and off the bus, singing in amazing venues, sometimes for our own pleasure, sometimes for informal performances and sometimes for formal concerts, then late night dinners following concerts or travel to the next city. Wow! Here are a few images from the first few days in Zagreb, Pregrada, Samobor. More to come in the next few days as I process it all.
Day 11, July 4: Slunj, Croatia
"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." Aldous Huxley
The day began with boarding buses decorated with American flags and banners. After announcements, we noted it was the Fourth of July. We sang patriotic songs and talked about being American. Charlie talked about being in Africa during the draft of men during the Vietnam Nam conflict. We have been on tour in other summers when we find ourselves not home on Independence Day. As we listen to history of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Croatia from our guide, we are grateful to be from America.
We drove about four hours to the Plitvicka National Park, a natural wonder with several lakes that spill over in glorious waterfalls. This is a very pristine park, the pride of Croatia. Interesting experience to be in this beautiful setting with probably 6,000 other people (they expect 10,000 visitors daily in the high season!). One wants to capture the beauty in a photo, but rarely snaps a shot that doesn't have a human walking through.
Our guide was Blanka Turkalj-Dupanovic, who was so enthusiastic about the park and the preservation that's been done. She invited us all to her family farm/dairy the next day!
Journal Comments by Members
Following are some comments written in a journal we pass around on the bus.
Talked with a lovely young woman multiple times in Kalnik, she sat with a friend at a table near ours on the deck. She came to the concert and would love to visit Washington! Such wonderful people.
People of Kalnik in the audience really like Lipi Lisi. Thoroughly loved our singing – invited us to return.
While walking in Zagreb in front of a group of teenage French boys I enjoyed hearing them practice their English with the sentence "I would like some more wine, please."
The magical sound of singing in a cathedral fills me.
Lovely, friendly people! Beautiful hills, farming communities and full, 100% employment!! Loved hiking up to ruined castles. Love getting time with many different chorus members.
On our way to Slovenia. Very lively chatter on the Big Bus today – reminding me of a morning chorus of small sparrows.
What words can describe the JOY!?!? Thank you ALL!
Looking out at the audience singing their songs and ours. And their joy of singing and swaying to our songs.
Day 5: Kalnik/Lake Bled June 28, 2016
The day began with a little check in with folks to talk about how things are going. We shared ideas about how to connect with local people more. One suggestion was to pull children aside because they are often able to speak English (it is taught in most schools) and they can translate with parents. It was a good day to just check in with people about dealing with typical travel stresses and remaining flexible.
Our tour guide gave us some history of the area, noting that Slovenia is bordered by Italy, Austria and Hungary and became its own country in 1991. There is a large Austrian influence on food, language and music.
In Lake Bled there is an island with a church on it. Rowboats took us over in groups of about 20. The boats have been built and rowed by members of one family for generations. The chorus sang inside the church which led to one of the magical moments of this tour.
As the choir sang, I turned around and noticed a woman with tears streaming down her face. This of course made me also feel teary. She was recording the music. She put her camera down and I reached for her hand, not knowing if she spoke English and just said, "Keep recording. You will be happy." She understood and replied, "Oh it is too much emotion!" She of course kept recording and as they sang To My Old Brown Earth, a Pete Seeger song, she and I looked at each other as they sang the line '…and now I'm yours and you are also mine', the tears were flowing for both of us. After the concert, we hugged one another and then exchanged information. I told her about the Chorus and the mission of spreading peace and connection through music. It turns out she is a teacher of teachers from Ireland and she squeezed my hand and asked me to tell the Chorus that they touched her heart. It was just one of those tremendously powerful moments that is what the tour is all about! Magical!
When we left the Island, we drove a ways and then stopped for dinner at the Asvenik Museum of accordion music. Lots of interesting information, including this bit: they have amazing costumes and were told that the men's costume costs $2500 and the women's $3000!
At the restaurant, next door to the museum, we were greeted with plum brandy, a now understood welcoming custom with entertainment by a polka group. The music was really fun and we had another great experience.
The Gathering
I love to travel, but hate to arrive. Albert Einstein
I think a number of us felt quite differently from Dr. Einstein today! We are here! Such wonderful words to declare!
The stories of missed flights for a variety of reasons including these two: a strike of employees in Belgium and a bomb threat in Paris. Then there are a few items that seem to have gone on a bit of a walk: a guitar and a keyboard. We are confident the instruments will find their way to us and the travelers who are still in transit will eventually arrive!
It was fun to be standing at our gate in Munich, Linda, Alicia and I, to turn and see George, LaVonne, Jim and Dave arrive to fly the last leg of the trip with us! And then to arrive at the Hotel Laguna and be greeted with hugs from Charlie! Yes! We are here! As we signed in, Geof and Liz came into the lobby and soon there was a party to head out to dinner, across the street for a meal that sounded so good, yet we were hot and tired and just couldn't eat much. The restaurant owner asked if something was wrong. When we replied we'd been traveling for two days he laughed and said he understood and was glad it wasn't the food! People have been arriving in small groups all evening. Two people had been biking all day and told us about a market that is on top of a hill with a lovely view. Two more have been to museums. Others headed out for pizza nearby. We are really here and Tour begins tomorrow!
Countdown to Departure…Continues
"The gladdest moment in life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands." Sir Richard Burton.
We had our final rehearsal Thursday night at Boundary Bay in the Mountain Room. A few members were missing as they have already left for Croatia! Two singers were sitting outside BBay having a quick tutorial on using new cameras.
Some of the behind the scenes activities leading up to departure have included designing, ordering and distributing T-shirts for the tour; making sure all the music is distributed; checking flight schedules; checking passports, arranging rooms. The musicians are packing up instruments, sound boards, microphones and stands. Some singers will be carrying the instruments overseas for the musicians, distributing the load, so to speak.
The sunlight was streaming into the Mountain Room, getting into the eyes of the singers, so our wonderful musician/singer Paul Klein goes the extra mile – here he is hanging a blanket up over the window!
Here are a few more images from that rehearsal


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For almost a quarter century, the Hifonics name has stood for large, powerful and reliable amps and woofers. Recently a very large and heavy carton arrived here at the lab from the good folks at Maxxsonics, and inside was a new Hifonics Colossus amplifier. But rather than the usual big monoblock amplifier, the Colossus provides a new twist to the formula, in that it's actually two mono amplifiers in a single chassis which can be used separately like the left and right channels on a stereo amplifier, or can be bridged together for maximum power on a single channel. Either way, with a 1600 watt per channel rating into 1 ohm or 3200 watts when bridged into 2 ohms, this amp certainly maintains the large and powerful traditions!
One look at the Hifonics Colossus amplifier is all it takes to know this is a serious piece of kit. Measuring 23.8" x 10.8" x 2.7" and weighing in at over twenty pounds, the Colossus lives up to its name. The amp looks good, with a brushed natural color aluminum top, surrounded by a meaningful black extruded aluminum heatsink which uses vertically oriented fins to improve natural convection cooling. Upping the bling factor even further, the Hifonics and Colossus names light up in a bright blue whenever the amp is turned on. But it's not only big, heavy and powerful, it's also loaded with features that you'd expect from a high performance subwoofer amplifier. On the signal input and control end of the amp you'll find the usual RCA inputs and outputs, as well as a DIN-style balanced input. Useful controls are plentiful; there are pots for gain, phase adjustment, subsonic filter, and low pass crossover, as well as a parametric EQ with adjustable boost, frequency and filter Q.
On the opposite side of the Colossus are the power and speaker connections, with 1/0 gauge connections for the battery and ground cables, and heavy duty speaker terminals that will easily accept 10 gauge speaker wire. A built in system diagnostics monitoring circuit provides the user with important operational information regarding thermal protection, short circuits, as well as a three-stage clipping indicator.
Inside the Colossus I found what can fundamentally be considered as two separate mono amplifiers, each with its own dedicated pair of power supply toroids, MOSFET switchers, and output devices. The amp is designed so that the dual amplifiers share a common ground output, and by internally inverting the phase of one channel, the design became bridgeable. For those of you who crave technical details, the Colossus uses a total of sixteen 1,200µF high temp capacitors for the power supply, and there are eight 2,200µF caps to store energy for the output section. The dual power supplies implement a total of 16 high current MOSFET devices, while each channel's output comes from six more MOSFETS, for a total of twelve output devices. The double-sided glass epoxy PCB is a stout affair, with a hybrid mixture of both surface mount and through-hole parts used. Output filtering is also robust and was obviously designed for the high current output (in excess of 50A to the speaker) the amp was meant to deliver. There are also output relays used to prevent unwanted turn on or turn off noises.
Amplifiers like this require more than mere mortal woofers, and I was fortunate enough to have four very high power handling pro audio woofers on hand that I decided would be a good choice to really give the amp a workout for the sonic evaluation. With each of my four 15" woofers loaded in separate sealed enclosures of 4.5 cubic feet each, the listening room resembled a concert PA system! These woofers are 2 ohms each, so I paralleled two of them to each channel of the Colossus, which would allow me to exploit the full power potential of the amplifier. This is where the dual mono design showed its merit – if it had been a conventional single channel mono amplifier I would have had to resort to a higher load impedance, or change to 4 ohm woofers. But with the dual channel design, the woofer impedance was easy to deal with, and the connections were simple and easy. After connecting the amp into my system and getting the crossover adjusted, I began listening to a few of my favorite bass tracks. If you've never experienced a subwoofer system with what seems like almost unlimited power, you should. To have so much authority and output available on the lower registers brings a whole new level of excitement and enjoyment to listening to music. For example, one of the tracks I played was the intro track on the 1990 IASCA test disc. This track is the opening to the "Phantom of the Opera" by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The track begins with some every realistic sounding thunderclaps, and after playing the track, I had my neighbors running outside to see why it was thundering…while the desert sun was shining brightly! Yeah, it was that real. Real fun, that is!! On tracks with deep bass, like the BTO classic "Not Fragile", the bass sounded probably better than it did back when that track was recorded in 1974. With this much power available, getting strong, deep powerful bass is effortless, and you begin to understand just how much energy there is in the lower registers. To say the least, the power the Colossus delivered was inspiring and a whole lot of fun! There is one note of caution, however. Amplifiers with 3 kilowatts of output power require a serious woofer system to properly handle the massive amounts of power (and heat) that they generate. I'd suggest a woofer system with a continuous power handling rating of at least 4,000 watts to properly and reliably handle an amp as powerful as the Colossus.
Performance/Bench Measurements
On the bench, the Colossus amplifier provided some pretty potent numbers, although in some cases it did fall just slightly short of the actual advertised power levels. But when you have an amplifier that can honestly deliver over 3,100 watts of clean power, does it really matter if it was rated to do 0.1dB more? I don't think so. The amp measured quite well in all respects, with very respectable full-power efficiency numbers, and all the filters worked precisely as expected. I did note that when you set the filter Q of the built-in parametric EQ to the widest setting, it covers such a wide frequency band that it becomes more like a gain control than an EQ. But when you tighten up the Q, the variable boost and frequency adjustments can be very useful in getting things tuned to suit your particular installation. With an amplifier capable of this much current, making sure things like the short circuit protection works properly is a lot more critical than it would be with a smaller amp. I mustered up some courage, and with the amp putting out over 1,000 watts, I dead shorted the outputs. Instantly, the amp went into protection, with no drama and no crazy current draw. One the short was removed, the amp simply went back to doing its thing, as if to say, 'Hmmph…is that all you got?' Nice.
If you are thinking about getting what many would consider to be the ultimate power source for your subwoofer system, the Hifonics Colossus should be on your amplifier shopping list. With an incredible amount of power, the convenience and flexibility of the dual-channel design, and all the built-in tuning and control features, it's a strong candidate to be the cornerstone in a serious system. And if a 3,000 watt subwoofer amplifier hadn't really crossed your mind, you probably have never heard what that kind of power can do. You'll only need to experience it once to form a lasting memory of what real bass performance is all about.
600x2 @ 4 ?
1100x2 @ 2 ?
1600x2 @ 1 ?
2200x1 @ 4 ?
3200x1 @ 2 ?
Actual Measured Power
@ 12.6V Battery
555 x 2 @ 4 ?
1017 x 2 @ 2 ?
1566 x 2 @ 1 ?
1440x1 @ 4 ?
2381x1 @ 2 ?
Actual Measured Power
@ 14.4V Battery
555 x 2 @ 4 ?
1017 x 2 @ 2 ?
1566 x 2 @ 1 ?
2052x1 @ 4 ?
3130x1 @ 2 ?
Tecnical Data
Signal to Noise Ratio referenced to 2V output. (CEA-2006A)
Signal to Noise Ratio referenced to full 4 ohm output.
THD+N at rated power (2? Bridged)
CEA-2006A rated 4 ohm Power (minimum power per channel developed over the entire intended audio bandwidth)
502 watts
Maximum Efficiency at full 2 ohm power per ch.
Idle Current
Input Sensitivity
231mV- 10.3V
Maximum Current @ full power, lowest rated impedance
Frequency Response (-3dB)
14Hz – 263Hz
Low Pass Crossover
35Hz – 250Hz
Bass EQ boost
Variable Boost
Variable Freq
Variable Q


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With no warriors left who are capable of beating Itto physically, the Yagyu resort to coercing a ninja to use the secret five prong technique against the Lone Wolf.
A noblewoman who was forced into prostitution after her fiancé and family were murdered at their wedding, asks Itto to kill the man responsible, a spurned former suitor.
Ogami Itto and his young son Daigoro arrive in a town known for its hot springs, but the entire village has been taken over by a gang of murderous bounty hunters.
Poisoned after a surprise attack, Ogami must face a deadly gauntlet of Yagyu assassins in order to fulfill a promise made to a dying man who saved Daigoro.
A meeting on the Assassin's Road causes Itto to remember the events leading up to his wife's murder, and why he chose to bring his son with him on his mission of vengeance.
Multiple stories interweave as Daigoro becomes lost while seeking medicine for his father and is befriended by a young woman who is being sold into service by a loan shark.
When his father is delayed for multiple days after an assassination goes awry, a desperate Daigoro wanders off and falls into the hands of a ruthless gang of criminals.
Itto is hired to assassinate a gunsmith who has reportedly developed a repeating rifle, a weapon that could completely destabilize the balance of power in Japan.
Itto accepts an assignment to stop a shipment of gold, assassinate a government official, kill an entire team of covert agents and prevent a small clan from being framed.
As Lord Yagyu prepares to send his last and strongest son, Gunbei, to kill Itto Ogami, the events of Gunbei and Itto's previous duel are revealed.
A scheming magistrate's plan places Itto in the middle of a war between two Yakuza families, one of which is lead by the daughter of the leader of the other.
While the Yagyu set a trap for Itto, a group of con artists pose as Lone Wolf and Cub and a disgraced Samurai takes on the role of Ogami.
As Itto waits for an opportunity to assassinate a sadistic Lord, he and Daigoro observe the life of a young boat woman who must sell herself to support the man she loves.
While Itto tracks down the killers of a young woman's entire family, Daigoro becomes caught up in a policeman's hunt for a notorious female pickpocket.
Itto accepts a job that will protect the location of a secret gold mine, but the task is complicated when a rival swordsman takes Itto's target's son hostage.
Itto must deal with a well-wishing doctor and a group of shadow ninja when he's tasked with killing a group of assassins who're targeting the Shogun's lover.
Itto returns to a spot on the banks of the Shinobu River where he once executed the lord of a Clan, and faces a samurai he defeated in a duel four years earlier.
Government officials convince Asaemon the Beheader, one of the few swordsmen in Japan with a level of skill close to Ogami's, to kill Itto in combat.
Itto meets Sakon Shino, a beggar samurai who has given up killing for a life as a street performer. Shino urges Itto to give up his assassin life, for the sake of his son.
The Lone Wolf and Cub have their work cut out for them when a seemingly simple job turns into a deadly game of lies and intrigue.
The Lone Wolf and Cub rescue a woman who has sold herself into prostitution in order to stage her revenge on her murdered brother's evil fiancé.
Desperate to keep their clan from being dissolved, the family of a murdered Lord fake the real killer's murder and ask Itto to verify their false claim.
Assassins from the Kurokuwa clan stage a non-stop series of attacks that lasts for days, slowly steering an exhausted Lone Wolf and Cub into a deadly trap.
Itto is hired to kill a samurai who has allegedly turned his men against Lord Norikatsu, but the true reasons turn out to be far more complex and deceptive.
Ogami mysteriously joins a group of "the unclothed", men with the unusual job of carrying people and baggage across a river where bridges and ferries are forbidden.
After being thrown off a cliff during a battle with the Yagyu assassins, Daigoro searches for his now missing father while avoiding his family's many enemies.
Itto tries to follow the trail left by his missing son, Daigoro, while fighting off the forces of Lord Retsudo and his Yagyu assassins.
With his three legitimate heirs dead, Retsudo Yagyu plots to impregnate his illegitimate daughter while sending her brother to fight Itto.
In honor of a woman who saved his son's life, Itto goes to assist a group of farmers who have been conscripted by the ruthless Lord Ichige and his brother.
With no warriors left who are capable of beating Itto physically, the Yagyu resort to coercing a ninja to use the secret five prong technique against the Lone Wolf.
Itto is hired by a Clan Lord to kill a spy who seduced and impregnated his daughter, while Daigoro befriends the woman's now four year old son.
To carry out an assassination, Itto must pose as a new head clerk… and to do that he must leave Diagoro alone in a cave during the middle of winter.
Itto is betrayed by an employer and forced to spend many days on the run before he can return to Daigoro, forcing the three year old to fend for himself.
While Daigoro suffers from an illness that distracts Itto, a group of desperate villages conspire to kill the Lone Wolf and Cub in order to pay off their taxes.
A dogged Police officer tries to solve the mystery of why a Samurai's daughter became a prostitute and hired Itto to kill a loan shark and his wife.
A prospective employer sends 5 sword masters men in search of the Lone Wolf & Cub. To learn what the actual assignment is, Itto must find and slay all five.
Itto faces an ethical dilemma when he is asked to assassinate a beloved local doctor who many believe to be a living incarnation of the Buddah.
Against the will of her clan, a woman hires Itto to kill three legendary guardsmen who are escorting her brother to Edo for trial.
Genshichi Tsuji wishes to test the dedication of his three successors and hires Itto in secret to cut off their right arms.
The authorities respond to a robbery and capture Itto. Giving a false name, he is quickly tried and sentenced. Why is he so willing to go to prison?
The brazen criminal activities of those under a samurai's employ can no longer be tolerated. To stop their reign of terror, Itto is hired to eliminate the gang's leadership.
Itto is hired to eliminate a man's ex-fiancee, but there's a catch: She must take her own life in penance.
Jinza carries messages of such importance he is authorized to kill those who stand in his way. If Otoshi is so desperate to end his life, why would he spare her?
Mamesho and his daughter, Chie, are on a journey. On their travels, they find themselves repeatedly crossing paths with Itto and Daigoro. Is this a sign of things to come?
Itto and Daigoro come across a starving Kinpachi on the road. Daigoro offers him food, but could this act set off an unforeseen chain of events?
One does not become an assassin without making enemies. That is the reality Itto faces when a lord issued orders that his life be taken.
Conspirators hire Itto when an attempt on Lady Onami's life fails. How will they execute their plan with her cunning wits and bodyguards in the way?
Itto terminates a secret agent, but before the man dies, he asks the Lone Wolf for a request that will take the assassin to a village where only women live.
The Mito clan have little recourse but to hire Itto to dispose of Mondo Bessho for his political views. But what will Itto do when the clan plans on killing him as well?
The kojunin have a ritual where they bury their best swordsmen alive. For what purpose does this serve and what does it mean for those left behind?
When Itto fails to return, Daigoro goes searching for his father. When an old woman comes to his aid, will she end up taking him in as her own?
Itto saves the life of a young child by dismounting Lady Kanae from her stampeding horse. When he refuses to apologize for his actions, she vows not to forget the insult.
Sayaka burns with hatred over the death of her brother, Shobei. When Retsudo orders her to take Itto's life, she eagerly accepts the vengeful mission.
Retsudo has powerful friends, including the Shogun himself. To deal with Itto once and for all, the Shogun places the Guards of the Black Gate under Retsudo's command.
The magistrate increases the reward for the Lone Wolf's head when bounty hunters demand a higher price for such a dangerous target.
A failed ambush plays right into Ryuza's hands. Can Itto survive the bounty hunter's "genuine hell"? Meanwhile, Torizo cross paths with Itto once again.
Itto regularly accepts assassination requests, but rarely does he receive a cancelation. What does the Yagyu have to do with it and what is the extent of their influence?
Osen is determined to escape a Yakuza-run brothel. Will an encounter with the Lone Wolf finally give her the chance she seeks?
Believing that the Daijoji clan is acting under the orders of the Yagyu, Itto attempts to avoid needless bloodshed. But is that a luxury an assassin can afford?
The Lone Wolf wanders, cutting down any bounty hunter in his path. Now, it is Akane's turn. If she fails, her sisters must succeed in her place.
An old woman finds a small boy trying to catch fish by the shore. She teaches him how only to discover the boy wanted to feed his sick father, who is known as the Lone Wolf.
People always have a reason for their actions. Some desire to save others. Others desire to save themselves. As for Itto? There is only the grudge.
The latest plan to ensnare the Lone Wolf involves restricting the number of bounty hunters sent after him.
Legend tells of a flower that would bring happiness to any who picked it. However, can there be any happiness for Miyo?
Sakai would rather sacrifice his lands than have his men senselessly cut down by the Lone Wolf in someone else's crusade. It is precisely for that reason he must now die.
Itto's inevitable journey to Edo is nearing its end, but there are only a few routes left that he can take. His enemies know this and prepare...
An intentional snub signals that The Shogun's patience towards Retsudo is wearing thin. With only 10 days to kill Itto, Retsudo hatches a plan with an unlikely ally.
Oshun and Abe prepare to snare Itto and Daigoro in their trap. They don't care how far they have to go or whom they have to hurt!
Abe learns the truth and takes matters into his own hands as Retsudo schemes. Meanwhile, Itto runs into a lordless samurai.
Cornered and desperate, Abe flees from Retsudo's wrath. The poisoner's only hope? Assassinating Itto before his pursuer catches up.
Itto and Retsudo's paths will cross at the Haccho river. Will that be where their fates are finally decided?
The floodgates are opened, and the city of Edo is in danger. In the face of such a catastrophic threat, two mortal enemies are forced to work together.
Abe watches as Itto and Retsudo resume their duel, hoping the poison he applied to their swords will finish them off. What will the two do when they realize this treachery?
Retsudo is summoned to face the shogun. Meanwhile, the bounty on Itto's head may have been rescinded, but that doesn't mean everyone will tolerate his presence.
Itto waits while Retsudo is on trial. Meanwhile, the Grass starts mobilizing...
No matter what Abe does, Retsudo somehow finds a way to foil his assassination attempts. Abe may have the upper hand for now, but Retsudo is a patient man…
Itto and Daigoro's paths cross with a man known as Bunshichi. What's his reason for stealing all that money?
The fate of the Yagyu and the Grass are intertwined; One cannot exist without the other. It is for that reason the Grass launches one, final attempt on Itto's life.


text:
Napier's original conceptualization of the logarithm was as a relationship between an arithmetic progression and a geometric progression; a point moving with zero acceleration and a point moving with negative acceleration. This is problem II in Book I of Maria Agnesi's Analyical Institutions. Agnesi uses ratios and proportions to describe the problem but shifts to fractions in her example solutions.
Does anybody have a historical reference to what might be called differential ratios? I'm thinking of ratios or proportions with a 'dt' term that were solved with non-arithmetic reasoning involving for example the mediant.
Attempts to find inchoate logarithms before Napier, for example in the work of Wallis, have as far as I know been fully discounted but the link between Napier's thinking and Agnesi's problem is so obvious one imagines that a ratio formulation of the logarithm might have existed.
Thanks for comments and insight.
Cheers, Scott


text:
Tranzyme Pharma Announces Top-Line Results of TZP-102 Phase 2b Trial
Preliminary Analysis Indicates Trial Did Not Meet Primary Endpoint
Tranzyme to Host Conference Call Today at 8:00 am ET
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tranzyme Pharma (Nasdaq:TZYM), today announced top-line results of the preliminary analysis of the first of two Phase 2b trials assessing the safety and efficacy of its oral ghrelin agonist, TZP-102 in diabetic patients with gastroparesis. The results, which evaluated patients who were given a single daily dose of 10 mg of TZP-102, 20 mg of TZP-102 or placebo for 12 weeks indicate the trial did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint.
"We are understandably disappointed with the results of this trial; however, our second Phase 2b trial known as DIGEST is ongoing. In DIGEST we are evaluating a 10 mg dose of TZP-102 administered three times daily before meals, rather than once daily as in the trial just completed. We anticipate announcing top line results for DIGEST in the first half of 2013," said Vipin K. Garg, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tranzyme.
The primary efficacy endpoint of the trial was the change from baseline in the Gastroparesis Symptom Daily Diary (GSDD) composite score during the final two weeks of a 12-week treatment period. The GSDD composite score reflects the mean severity of the four principal symptoms of gastroparesis: nausea, early satiety, bloating and upper abdominal pain. During the two-week pre-treatment period, the mean baseline GSDD score across all treatment groups was 3.56. Patients who received either placebo or once-daily dosing of TZP-102 for 12 weeks demonstrated a reduction in the severity of their symptoms, and thus a reduction in their GSDD scores of -1.46, -1.70 and -1.43 for placebo, 10 mg of TZP-102 and 20 mg of TZP-102, respectively. Neither the 10 mg dose group nor the 20 mg dose group of TZP-102 reached statistical significance versus placebo. Both doses were well-tolerated.
Conference Call Details
Tranzyme will host a conference call today at 8:00 am ET. To participate in the live call, please dial (877) 670-9784 (U.S. and Canada) or (970) 315-0430 (international), five to ten minutes prior to the start of the call. A live audio webcast will also be available in the "Investors" section of the Tranzyme Pharma website, www.tranzyme.com.
A replay of the conference call will be available from today at 11:00 am ET through November 21, 2012. Investors may listen to the replay by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S. and Canada) or (404) 537-3406 (international), with the conference id 68345812. The webcast will also be archived for on-demand listening for 30 days at www.tranzyme.com.
TZP-102 Phase 2b Study Design
Two hundred and one (201) patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and a confirmed diagnosis of gastroparesis, documented by the presence of both chronic symptoms and delayed gastric emptying, were enrolled in a Phase 2b, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study in the U.S. and Europe designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TZP-102. Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or one of two dose levels of TZP-102 (10 or 20 mg) given once daily for a treatment period of 12 weeks.
About TZP-102
TZP-102 is an orally-administered ghrelin agonist with highly-differentiated "first-in-class" potential for the treatment of chronic gastrointestinal dysmotility disorders such as gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia and refractory GERD. Ghrelin is a hormone produced mainly by cells of the stomach which has a highly potent and direct role in stimulating GI motility. TZP-102, discovered by Tranzyme using its proprietary macrocyclic chemistry technology (MATCH™), targets the same receptor as the ghrelin hormone. Tranzyme is currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of TZP-102 in diabetic patients with gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is a debilitating, chronic condition that has a significant impact on patients' lives and for which there are limited treatment options. In recognition of the critical unmet need, the FDA granted TZP-102 a Fast Track designation for the treatment of gastroparesis in diabetic patients.
About Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach) is a serious, debilitating condition that affects approximately 4% of the general population and up to 12% of patients with diabetes. It is a progressive disorder characterized by persistent nausea, vomiting, dehydration and difficulty digesting. Gastroparesis results in complications with diabetic medicine, making it difficult for patients to control nutritional and blood glucose levels. Currently, there are no safe and effective treatments for gastroparesis. Earlier prescription medications for this indication were withdrawn from the market or must carry a "black box" warning due to serious side effects.
About Tranzyme Pharma
Tranzyme Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel, mechanism-based therapeutics for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders. While approximately 40% of people in the U.S. are affected by these persistent and recurring conditions, which disrupt the normal movement of food throughout the GI tract, there are a limited number of safe and effective treatment options. Tranzyme is developing TZP-102, an oral ghrelin agonist for treating the symptoms associated with chronic upper GI motility disorders. Enrollment is ongoing in DIGEST, a second Phase 2b trial evaluating TZP-102 given prior to meals in diabetic patients with gastroparesis. Top-line data for this study are expected in the first half of 2013. By leveraging its proprietary drug discovery technology, MATCH™, Tranzyme is committed to pursuing first-in-class medicines to address areas of significant unmet medical needs.
Further information about Tranzyme Pharma can be found on the Company's web site at www.tranzyme.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release may include statements which are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, which are usually identified by the use of words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "seeks," "should," "will," and variations of such words or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act and are making this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, including the timing of the availability of data from our clinical trial of TZP-102, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control including, without limitation, risks related to enrollment and successful completion of our trials, risk of unforeseen side effects, risks related to our collaborations and risks related to regulatory approval of new drug candidates. Further information on these and other factors that could affect the company's financial results is contained in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time, including our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 which was filed with the SEC on November 9, 2012, and subsequent filings with the SEC. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Corporate Inquiries:
Susan Sharpe
Director, Corporate Communications
(919) 328-1109
Investor Inquiries:
David Carey
Lazar Partners, Ltd.
(212) 867-1768


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Slavko Lovric is the Chief of Police of Travnik. He works in the heart of the old city at the main police station. Lovric, a Bosnian Croat, has 146 officers under his command, a majority of whom are Bosniaks, reflecting the ethnic composition of the municipality.
Travnik's police force today is ethnically mixed, though this was not always the case. At the end of the war there were two police forces in the canton, one Bosniak, one Croat, with separate uniforms, insignia, offices, budgets and command structures. They operated in areas that "their" respective army controlled at the end of the war. Citizens had either "Croat" or "Bosniak" licence plates on their cars. Freedom of movement to respective "other" areas was restricted; in the early post-war days it was dangerous to move into territories controlled by other ethnic groups.
Between 1997 and 1998, 13 returnees were killed in Travnik municipality. The unification of the police forces, therefore, was a hotly contested issue. Initially, there were serious problems. Two Croat policemen were killed in Travnik in 1998 and in 1999 another was badly wounded in a car bomb explosion. Since then, however, the situation has improved dramatically.
Today Central Bosnia is very safe. Across the whole canton, there were only seven murders in 2005 and 2006, all of which have been solved. None was ethnically motivated. Ethnically-motivated crime, in fact, is noticeable by its absence: only three cases of "provocation of racial or ethnic hatred" were reported in 2006; two had been reported in 2005.
Fortress and old town of Travnik. Photo: Alan Grant
Nowadays, says Lovric, the major security issue is car theft. The problem became particularly prevalent after 2000.
"At the time we had hardly any information systems with which to make checks, but now things work much better as we have excellent cooperation with INTERPOL and the RS police. But it is still a problem."
However, even this problem appears manageable. There have been 210 cases of car theft in the canton in 2006, down from 239 the previous year.
The overall clearance rate for crimes is around 65 percent – a good result, by international standards.
While police patrols – in order to win the confidence of ordinary citizens – have been ethnically mixed since 1997, the Travnik force has started to relax this practice over the past year. Slavko Lovric explains:
"We no longer see people viewing the police from a national perspective. We have no complaints about discrimination because of ethnicity."
- Website of the police in Travnik (in Bosnian-Croat-Serbian)
June 2008


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text:
Roe letter claims Consumer commission stopping Buckyballs sales "without consultation or input from the company"
Buckyballs and Buckycubes, tiny rare earth magnets manufactured in China and sold by the Maxfield & Oberton Co. of New York, are intended to be adult desk toys. They're marketed as "the amazing magnetic desk toys you can't put down," and have received rave reviews in magazines like Maxim, Wired, Esquire and People.
They've also been swallowed by children and have been the cause of emergency surgeries.
In July, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in filing only its second administrative complaint in 11 years, charged that their design poses a "substantial risk of injury to the public."
U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Phil Roe, both R-Tenn., and five other members of Congress, wrote to President Obama on Oct. 1, saying the CPSC "is penalizing our nation's brightest innovators and job creators through excessive and selective enforcement."
The congressmen go on to say that they learned of the Buckyballs case during a recent hearing. They say CPSC "overreach and lack of flexibility has virtually eliminated these products and the jobs associated with their sales and distribution." They ask the president to review the case and for the CPSC to continue to work cooperatively with the company.
They point out that 2.5 million of the small magnetic cube and ball toys have been sold in the past three years. Then they say that the "CPSC is working, without consultation or input from the company, to eliminate this product by stopping the sale of their products by directly approaching its retail partners and requesting a recall."
We asked Blackburn's communications director, Mike Reynard, for supporting evidence that the agency was acting without consultation or input from the company. After conferring with staffers, Reynard sent a USA Today story indicating the CPSC has been intervening with retailers to end sales of the magnets as it pursues its lawsuit. He said the lawsuit itself showed the agency is "done working with the company."
In a followup email message, Reynard wrote: "You can't say you're working with someone when you are actively suing them to kill their product. That might be the administration's idea of a cooperative working relationship but it isn't for most Americans and business owners. CPSC should be working with Buckyballs to resolve any concerns around these limited cases when compared to the 2.5 million units sold. Clearly they have pushed to get this product off shelves as the USA Today story confirms specific vendors who have pulled the product."
Roe spokeswoman Tiffany McGuffee said Roe takes the same position.
Then we looked at the lengthy letter from Maxfield & Oberton CEO Craig Zucker laying out its case against the CPSC's actions. It notes the "extraordinary lengths" the company has taken to prevent misuse of its products, including "warnings, education, labeling, retailer sales restrictions and continuous cooperation with the CPSC – right up until literally the moment they turned on us."
Zucker's letter explains the toys went on sale in March 2009 and were originally labeled for use by those 13 and older. When the federal rules for children's games changed to include those 14 and older, the company entered into a May 2010 voluntary recall of all the toys with the original labeling. It went on to create a "comprehensive safety program" and began labeling the toys with a warning: "Keep Away From All Children."
The company also required retailers to agree to rules for placement of its products in their stores, with new signs. It designed a Magnet Safety website in March of this year and met with three CPSC commissioners and staff in April to discuss the expanded safety program. The company also created a medical advisory group and, along with its competitors, created the Coalition for Magnet Safety.
But on July 10, the commission voted 3-1 to file the administrative complaint after, it said, "discussions with the company and its representatives failed to result in a voluntary recall plan that CPSC considered to be adequate." The CPSC said that, despite the warnings and labeling, people were still ingesting the magnets, sometimes after placing them on tongues or on cheeks to resemble piercings.
The CPSC warned that when two magnets are swallowed, they can be attracted to each other through stomach or intestinal walls, resulting in serious injury requiring surgery. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said in an interview that gastroenterologists have said the injuries often resemble "a gunshot to the gut" but without entrance or exit wounds. Wolfson noted that both Maxfield & Oberton and a Denver-based company, Zen Magnets, were sued after they failed to provide adequate suggestions for making their products safer. They were the first such complaints since the Arkansas-based Daisy BB gun company was sued in 2001.
"Due to the number of ingestion incidents received by CPSC staff since the 2010 recall announcement and 2011 safety alert, CPSC staff seeks the remedies outlined in the complaint to stop further incidents and injuries to children," the agency said in a statement. Those remedies include stopping the sale of the toys and providing consumers with refunds.
Our ruling
Blackburn, Roe and their fellow letter writers are concerned that the "nation's brightest innovators and job creators" are being penalized by an overzealous consumer protection agency. We'll leave it to others to determine whether the sellers of Chinese magnetic balls qualify as the nation's "brightest innovators," and also decline to determine the truth of the letter writers' assertion that the agency's first administrative complaints in 11 years suggest "excessive and selective enforcement."
Those are opinions, but it is possible to see whether the CPSC failed to consult or seek input from the company.
The lengthy record laid out by the company's CEO establishes there was, in fact, much consultation leading up the agency's conclusion that the toys are inherently unsafe. We rule the Congress members' statement False.