text:
Posts Tagged 'consumer'
I was Right on the Markets, Wrong on the Economy
Today's market and US economy seem to be suffering from multiple personality disorder:
The outgoing, optimistic Mr. Market is focusing on a slight but steady improvement in job growth and stronger spending, particularly by more affluent consumers.
His gloomy friend, Ms. Economy, says GDP growth remains weak, unemployment looks intractable, and the housing catastrophe will depress overall consumer spending for years to come.
Who's right? Well, both, of course, and the outcome of their battle will determine how far the current bull market will go and how long it will last.
Count me among the optimistic for the next couple of years, at least, although I think we could see a correction in the weeks ahead, as I've written here.
But I'm still looking over my shoulder every time stocks make new highs, because the bears have some powerful arguments on their side – and they've often been right.
Here is additional coverage from the St. Peterburg Times:
"The legal action marks another chapter in a storm over the validity of documents foreclose on millions of American homes. Earlier this fall, Bank of America and other temporarily halted foreclosure proceedings because of evidence that many documents errors and fraudulent statements.
Since I'm a put-your-best-foot-forward kind of guy, I'll begin with what I got right.


text:
Lisaraye A Gold Digger? Says She Needs A Man With A Whole Lot Of Money On Foxxhole Radio [Audio]
KevinProductions reports "LISARAYE TALKS ABOUT WHAT A MAN NEEDS TO HAVE BEFORE STEPPING TO HER ON FOXXHOLE RADIO SHOW! "
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The rocky road to m5
I knew in advance from the release notes that I will have troubles with the content provider because android.net.ContentURI has gone and was replaced by android.net.Uri. What I did not expect, however, is that because of minor schema changes, the layout and manifest XML files also require quite an amount of handwork. What was previously
[ListView id="@+id/android:list"
now has to become
[ListView android:id="@+id/android:list"
(XML mangling because of the blog engine limitations)
This required 7 changes in the layout files of the rather primitive application. The Android manifest was also changed for good. Gone are the class and value attributes and now everything is a name.
[activity class=".SyncExample2" android:label="SyncExample2"
[activity android:name="SyncExample2" android:label="SyncExample2"]
Overall, 6 changes in the 21 lines of the Android manifest file.
Updating the content provider was really painful. The replacement of android.net.ContentURI with android.net.Uri and other class changes required 20 changes in the very simple content provider with 229 lines. I marked all changes as comments so you can review them in the code.
You can download the example program from here.
And when I thought that everything was done, it turned out that the NotificationManager (that I used fortunately at two places only) has also changed. Transient notifications are widgets nowadays and are created like this:
Toast.makeText(this, "message", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
In order not to make it boring, the documentation remarks merrily that android.widget.Toast may not be the final name of the thing. And I did not even mention the changes of the undocumented API that the content provider list views use - well, one uses undocumented API at one's own risk.
Overall, seemingly minor changes of API "beatification" cause significant work even on smaller programs. As a bonus, you may marvel at the new UI. Installed applications went to the main screen.
And look at this horizontal menu!
5 comments:
- likon said...
Yes, they've done a lot of changes...
One thing that I can't understand is the purpose of sync providers and content providers in your example...
- February 18, 2008 at 1:10 AM
- Gabor Paller said...
Oh, it was just my actual example program at hand. I had just written the sync example (see one blog entry below, titled "Synchronization in Android") and I was curious about the porting effort.
Porting the sync part would have been too time-consuming as it uses mostly unpublished API. So I ported the UI part which in itself is really not very useful.
But the purpose was to evaluate the porting effort, not to do something useful. :-)
- February 18, 2008 at 7:14 PM
- likon said...
Ok, thank you for the answer!
By the way.. I have tried to make couple of activities and now I can't understand two things:
1) How should be organized "context" information in the Android? For example, user signed in - where it is ok to store information about his authorization?
2) How should be organized service methods?.. from the previous example - method that takes data from login dialog and makes authorization can require a lot of time and should be done outside of activity.. May be you can point me on some tutorials - it'll be very cool ))))
- February 18, 2008 at 9:15 PM
- Gabor Paller said...
First of all, regarding tutorials, anddev.org is a great place. You can find its link on the left-hand side column.
You can pass information from activity to activity in the intent's "extra" field which is a Bundle. You can see an example how invocation information is passed from activity to activity in the example program of the this blog entry.
Regarding connection of long-running services and activities, check this entry:
Look for how the Bluetooth discovery simulator updates the UI of the main activity
- February 19, 2008 at 12:53 AM
good work keep it up
- May 27, 2011 at 8:26 PM


text:
Very small rocks DO float! At least the Buoyant Rock from Copernicus does. This volcanic pumice stone has so many air pockets it's actually less dense than water, so it floats. The first time I saw pumice, I thought it was fake! Actually, it's a natural foam made by molten rock ejected from a volcano. This kit includes a fact card. Warning - rocks are small and can pose a choking hazard. Keep out of reach of those under 3.
© Copyright 2017 Kidstructive Fun
Ecommerce Website Design by Off the Page Creations


text:
Circular cropping values in PTGui
Every time you have to fill in the cropping values in PTGui for circular fisheyes you always
have to start from the beginning to approximate where these values are situated.
In the following images you can see an explanation of these values in portrait and landscape
The values used are from a Canon 10D and a Sigma 8 mm Lens.
Values for landscape orientation
Values for portrait orientation
How about a table with values for all common camera and lens combinations?
Peter Nyfeler (Pitdavos)


text:
|Gene-Eden-VIR: Laboratory and Clinical Studies
Gene-Eden-VIR includes five natural ingredients. Laboratory and clinical studies showed that
these ingredients have an antiviral effect, specifically, during the latent phase. Some of these studies are
listed below.
1. Cinnamon
2. Quercetin
3. Catechins
4. Licorice
5. Selenium
The following section presents detailis of some of the scientific studies that tested the five Gene-Eden-VIR ingredients. The results of these in vitro and in vivo studies show that these ingredients decrease the latent viral load in the infected host.
A. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA)
Licorice, which has been used for thousand of years as a flavoring agent, is derived from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. The licorice root contains glycyrrhizic acid (GA), also called glycyrrhizin, or glycyrrhizinic acid.
1. KSHV, PEL cells, induced apoptosis
The following in vitro experiments show that GA treatment induced apoptosis of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cells that harbor a latent Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) [i]. The apoptosis decreases the number of cells harboring latent foreign polynucleotides in an infected host, which decreases the latent viral load in the host.
The experiments used twelve different human cell types. Five cell types, BC-1, BC-2, BC-3, BCBL-1, and BCP-1 are B-cells derived from different body cavity-based lymphomas. BC-3, BCBL-1, and BCP-1 cells harbor a latent infection with KSHV but not. BC-1 and BC-2 cells harbor both KSHV- and EBV. The examples also used primary human keratinocytes from Clonetics at the second passage. CB33 cells lymphoblastoid cells infected with EBV. Ramos cells (ATCC) are Burkitt lymphoma cells that are negative for KSHV and EBV. SLK are a KS-derived cell line negative for KSHV. KS2616 are cells prepared from a KS lesion of a HIV-negative patient. The KS2616 cells are positive for KSHV.
KSHV latent genes determine the virus persistence. Therefore, Northern blot analysis was used to measure the effect of GA treatment on the expression of three KSHV latent genes in four different KSHV-positive B cells. The there genes were the KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1, ORF73), the KSHV cyclin protein (v-cyclin, ORF72), and the viral FLICE-inhibitory protein (v-FLIP, K13). All KSHV-infected cells, including PEL cells, express LANA-1. This protein enables the KSHV genome to be present as an episome in latently infected cells. LANA-1 binds to p53 and inhibits the p53-induced apoptosis. LANA-1 also binds the retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor protein (Rb), which possibly inhibits the Rb-induced cell cycle arrest. V-cyclin binds to and activates the cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (cdk6), which leads to phosphorylation and inactivation of p53 and Rb.
The cells were treated with two active and nontoxic GA concentrations (3 and 4 mM). The expressions of the viral gene in treated cells were than compared to those in untreated cells. The example used BC-3 and BCBL-1 cells, which are infected with KSHV, and BC-1 and BC-2 cells, which are co-positive with KSHV and EBV.
On the basis of the growth curves, the BCBL-1 cells were treated with GA for 2 days, the BC-3 cells for 3 days, and BC-2 and BC-1 cells for 6 days. Different times were needed since the cells grow in different rates. The filters were hybridized with a probe specific for LANA-1. This probe detects the LT1 transcripts only. The results showed a dose-dependent decrease of the LT1 transcripts in n all GA-treated cells. Two additional probes that are specific for v-FLIP and v-cyclin were then hybridized. These probes detect the LT2 transcripts. The results showed a decrease in LT1 with an increase in LT2 transcripts. As control the transcript level of β-actin in the GA treated cells were assayed. The results showed similar levels of b-actin in these cells.
The decrease in LANA-1 transcripts in the GA-treated cells might suggest a change in the activity of the LT1/LT2 promoter in these cells. To determine the effect of GA treatment on the LT1/LT2 promoter, BJAB cells were transiently transfected with a reporter gene that expresses luciferase under the control of the LT1/LT2 promoter. The results showed similar level of luciferase expression in untreated and GA-treated cells. These results suggest that GA treatment does not affect the LT1/LT2 promoter activity.
Expression patterns of LANA-1, v-cyclin, and v-FLIP proteins. A Western blot and FACS analysis were used to measure the expression of LANA-1, v-cyclin, and v-FLIP proteins in of BCBL-1, BC-3, and BC-1 cells treated with GA for 2, 3, and 6 days, respectively. Untreated cells positive for KSHV show expression of LANA-1. The GA treatment of the KSHV positive cells decreased LANA-1 expression. The effect was reversible.
FACS analyses of 4 KSHV-positive B cells untreated and following treatment with GA were then used. All KSHV-positive B cells constitutively express v-cyclin. However, following treatment with GA, 35-50% of the cells over-expressed v-cyclin.
The analysis also showed similar expression of v-FLIP in GA treated and untreated cells. It has been showed that the v-FLIP protein blocks Fas-mediated apoptosis in cells latently infected with KSHV. However, in the current experiments GA treatment did not affect apoptosis, which indicates that v-FLIP although expressed, is not interfering with apoptosis.
Previous studies showed that over-expression of v-cyclin promotes apoptosis in cells with elevated levels of cdk6, and that cellular Bcl-2 or v-FLIP does not inhibit this apoptosis. Therefore, the concentration of cdk6 in the BC-1, BC-3, and BCBL-1 cells was assayed. The experiment used normal human lymphocytes, liver cells, 293 human epithelial kidney cells, and BJAB cells as controls. A Western blot analysis revealed that untreated BC-1 and BCBL-1 express high concentrations of cdk6, while untreated BC-3 cells express low concentrations of cdk5. Treatment with GA of these cells increased cdk6 expression 8- to 11-fold, which induced apoptosis in the BC-3 cells. The 293 and BJAB control cells also showed high concentrations of cdk6. However, treatment of the BJAB cells with GA did not result in apoptosis, possibly because these KSHV-negative cells show no expression of v-cyclin. The results suggest that over-expression of the v-cyclin/cdk6 complex might contribute to the apoptosis induced by the GA treatment in the KSHV-positive B cells.
The next step was to examine the biological implications of the modified latent gene expression in the KSHV-positive B cells treated with GA. One of the first intracellular changes during the onset of apoptosis is the disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Proteins that are normally localized in the mitochondrial inter membrane space, such as cytochrome c and AIF, translocate to the nucleus and trigger a cascade of catabolic reactions that result in apoptosis. Following the release from the membrane, cytochrome c with Apaf-1 and procaspase-9 form the "apoptosome." This complex activates the caspase cascade and apoptosis.
In these experiments, KSHV-positive B cells treated with GA showed the typical disruption of mitochondrial membrane, and many cells with condensed or fragmented chromatin typical of apoptosis (using a TUNEL assay). FACS analysis was used to determine the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells. The analysis showed that the GA treatment induced apoptosis in 80-95% of the KSHV-positive cells. This percentage is higher than the 35-50% of cells over-expressing v-cyclin following GA treatment, indicating that other proteins in addition to v-cyclin induce the observed apoptosis. In comparison to the KSHV-positive cells, uninfected B cells treated with GA showed no disruptions of their mitochondrial membranes or DNA condensation. Treatment with a 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), which is know to promote the switch from latent to lytic viral cycle, also did not disrupt the mitochondrial membranes or caused DNA condensation. The lack of the apoptotic effect of the TPA treatment indicates that lytic gene expression was not involvement in the observed apoptosis.
Usually, disruption of the mitochondrial membrane induces caspase-cascade activation and DNA fragmentation. ELISA was used to examine the activation of the caspase cascade in KSHV-positive B cells untreated and following treatment with GA. There was no activation in any sample, indicating a caspase-independent apoptosis. The experiment then targeted AIF, a mitochondrial oxidoreductase that translocates from the mitochondria to the nucleus under stress condition causing DNA loss and chromatin condensation, typical changes in apoptosis when caspases are inhibited. To identify translocation of AIF, an immunofluorescence analysis was used in KSHV-positive B cells following treatment with GA for 4 days. A cytoplasmic pattern, characteristic of mitochondrial AIF, was evident in the untreated KSHV-positive B cells and in the KSHV-negative cells (BJAB) when untreated and following treatment with. In contrast, the analysis detected a diffuse nuclear staining, indicating translocation to the nucleus, in KSHV-positive B cells following treatment with GA. These observation suggest that GA induced changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential with AIF translocation to the nucleus and DNA fragmentation only in KSHV-positive B cells. To summarize, these observations suggest that the change in the expression of the KSHV latent genes, that is, the decrease in LANA-1 expression and increase in v-cyclin expression, induces the apoptotic effects.
p53 activation and oxidative stress. Several studies showed that over-expression of the v-cyclin protein promotes cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Other studies showed that LANA-1 prevents apoptosis by inactivating p53. A decrease in p53 expression and loss of function characterizes many human malignancies. Following DNA damage, p53 undergoes phosphorylation at Ser15 or Ser20, which induces cell cycle arrest in G1 and the initiation of DNA repair. If the cell fails to repair the damaged DNA, p53 initiates apoptosis. Therefore, the decrease of LANA-1 expression in KSHV-positive B cells might lead to p53 phosphorylation and apoptosis. To test this idea, the concentration of non-phosphorylated and phosphorylated p53 was assayed in uninfected and KSHV-positive B cells, both untreated and following treatment GA. Following treatment with GA, the experiment detected a high concentration of p53 phosphorylated at Ser15 in KSHV-positive B cells. Then BC-3 cells were transfected with the pLPCX/LANA-1 vector, a mammalian expression vector encoding LANA-1 under the control of the CMV promoter. After 24 hours, the transfected cells were treated with 4 mM GA for 4 days. A Northern blot analysis was used to confirm the presence of the 3.5-kb LANA-1 transcript. A Western blot analysis showed that GA treatment in the presence of high concentrations of LANA-1 resulted in a very low concentration of phosphorylated form of p53 and a high concentration of the non-phosphorylated form of p53. These results confirm that LANA-1 was responsible for the decrease in p53 phosphorylation. These results also support the conclusion that down regulation of LANA-1 by GA was responsible for the increase in p53 phosphorylation.
p53-induces apoptosis is associated with the formation of ROS, including H2O2, O2, and OH. An increase in H2O2 increases the concentration of the H2O2 scavenger catalase. Catalase activity was assayed in KSHV-positive B cells in untreated cells and following treatment with GA. Following treatment with GA, catalase activity increased 4-fold (BC-3), 2-fold (BCBL-1), and 3-fold (BC-1) in KSHV-positive cells relative to the untreated KSHV-positive cells and relative to the KSHV-negative cells (BJAB) either untreated or following treatment with GA.
FACS was used to determine the distribution of cell cycle in KSHV-positive and uninfected B cells both untreated and following treatment with GA. After 6 days, the treatment with GA caused 99% of KSHV-positive B cells to be blocked in G1. In contrast, only 25-50% of untreated KSHV-positive cells and uninfected cells were blocked in G1 when untreated on following treatment with GA. These results indicate that a decrease in LANA-1 expression restores p53 function and induces cell cycle arrest of the latent KSHV-infected cells.
Summary: These results show that GA, while not being toxic at the tested levels, specifically induces apoptosis in latent KSHV-infected cells.
Note that although Curreli, et al. (2005, ibid) showed that GA induces apoptosis in cells carrying a latent infection with KSHV, they did not mention any possible influence of the apoptosis on disease, on microcompetition with foreign DNA, or on the risk of developing a microcompetition-related disease, and the severity of such disease. Specifically, they did not argue against the current misconception that latent infection does not constitute a pathogenic threat (see an expression of such misconception in Babcock 1999[ii]).
2. EBV, EA gene, Raji cells, inhibition of persistence replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that GA treatment inhibits Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation in latently infected cells[iii]. Since EBV-EA activation is necessary for persistent replication during the latent phase (Prang 1997[iv]), a decrease in EBV-EA transcripts decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
The example used the Raji cells, a Burkitt-lymphoma-derived cell line that harbors 50 to 60 latent, predominantly extrachromosomal, Epstein-Barr virus genomes (Adams 1987[v]) The cells were superinfected with P2HR1 (LS) virus, which results in reactivation of the latent EBV virus and replication in the superinfected cells. Following the superinfection, approximately 95% of the superinfected cells became positive for the EBV early antigen (EA). In the presence of GA, a dose-dependent inhibition of the expression of the EBV-EA was observed. The example also observed a dose-dependent inhibition of viral genome copy number determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The GA concentration required for inhibiting the EBV genome copy number and antigen expression by 50% (EC50) was approximately 5 uM.
B. Quercetin
Quercetin is a flavonoid and, or more specifically, a flavonol. It is the aglycone form of a number of other flavonoid glycosides, such as rutin and quercitrin, found in citrus fruit, buckwheat and onions. Quercetin forms the glycosides quercitrin and rutin together with rhamnose and rutinose, respectively. Quercetin is classified as IARC group 3 (no evidence of carcinogenicity in humans).
1. EBV, EA gene, Raji cells, inhibition of persistence replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that quercetin treatment inhibits EBV-EA activation in latently infected cells[vi] Since EBV-EA activation is necessary for persistent replication during the latent phase (Prang 1997, ibid), a decrease in EBV-EA transcripts decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
The experiment used Burkitt-lymphoma-derived Raji cells, which harbor 50 to 60 latent, predominantly extrachromosomal Epstein-Barr virus genomes (Adams 1987, ibid). The experiment exposed the Raji cells to EBV-EA positive serum isolated from a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The serum activated the EBV-EA. Treatment with quercetin derivatives inhibited the EBV-EA activation in the Raji cells without showing cytotoxicity. Quercetin pentaallyl ether (QPA) showed the most significant inhibitory effect on EBV-EA activation (100% inhibition at 1000 mol ratio/TPA and more than 80% inhibition at 500 mol ratio/TPA) and high viability (more than 70% viability at1000 mol ratio/TPA).
2. HBV, cccDNA, Hep G2.2.15 cells, inhibition of persistence replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that quercetin treatment decreases the concentration of the Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in cells latently infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) [vii]. Since a decrease in HBeAg concentration is associated with a decrease in the concentration of the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) form, which is responsible for viral persistence during latency, a decrease in HBeAg indicates a decrease in the latent viral load in the infected host.
The experiment used the human hepatoma Hep G2.2.15 cell culture system as in vitro model to evaluate the anti-HBV effects of hyperoside, a quercetin derivative (quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactoside). The HBV-producing 2.2.15 cells were obtained from the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China). These cultures were derived from HepG2 cells that were transfected with a plasmid vector containing G418-resistance sequences and 2 head-to-tail dimmers of the HBV genome. The cells were found to produce elevated levels of HBeAg, which is expressed in HBV infected cells during the latent phase (Favre 2003[viii]).
The experiment incubated the 2.2.15 cells for 24 hours and then treated them with different concentrations of hyperoside (0.05, 0.025, 0.0125, 0.00625, and 0.003125g/L) in serum-free medium. The results showed that hyperoside decreased the concentration of HBeAg in the cells. The median effective concentration (IC50) of hyperoside on day 4 was about 0.012 g/L, and on day 8 about 0.009 g/L.
HBV cccDNA is responsible for viral persistence during the natural course of chronic HBV infection and serves as the template for the production of HBV pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), the primary step in HBV replication. A study (Laras 2006[ix]) used sensitive and specific quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to measure the intrahepatic concentration, pgRNA production, and replicative activity of cccDNA in liver biopsy samples from 34 non-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB): 12 HBeAg(+) and 22 HBeAg(-). The results showed that in HBeAg(+) patients, the median values of cccDNA and pgRNA levels were 10-fold and 200-fold higher than in HBeAg(-), respectively. These results indicate that a decrease in HBeAg concentration is associated with a decrease in the concentration of cccDNA, and therefore, a decrease in the HBV DNA copy number during latency. Based on these results, we can conclude that hyperoside treatment decreases the copy number of latent HBV in infected cells.
C. Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), also known as Epigallocatechin 3-gallate, is a type of catechin and is the most abundant catechin in green tea. It is the ester of epigallocatechol and gallic acid.
1. EBV, Rta gene, P3HR1 cells, inhibition of persistence replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that EGCG treatment inhibits the activation of the EBV immediate-early protein Rta in latently infected cells[x]Since Rta is essential to for reactivation from latency and maintenance of the latent pool (Pavlova 2003[xi]), a decrease in Rta expression decreases the viral genome copy number in the latently infected cells, and decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
P3HR1 is a Burkitt's lymphoma line cell line that carries a latent infection with EBV. A flow cytometry analysis that used immunostaining of Rta with primary antibody and subsequent detection of the primary antibody with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or rhodamine-conjugated secondary antibody revealed that a low percentage of untreated P3HR1 cells express the Rta protein. The analysis also revealed that following treatment with TSA, a treatment known to activate the EBV lytic cycle, the population of P3HR1 cells expressing Rta increased to 23.4%, and that treatment with 70 mM EGCG decreased the percentage of cells expressing Rta to 9.8%. Treatment with 100 mM EGCG further decreased the percentage of P3HR1 cells expressing Rta to 0.5%. To summarize: EGCG treatment significantly reduced the expression of EBV immediate-early protein Rta, which, in turn, decreases the EBV latent copy number in infected cells.
2. HBV, cccDNA, HepG2-N10 cells, inhibition of persistent replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that EGCG treatment decreases the copy number of the nuclear covalent closed circular DNA (cccDNA) form, which is characteristic of latent HBV[xii]In HBV-positive cells, the viral DNA is transported into the nucleus where it transforms into the cccDNA form. Since the cccDNA form is essential for HBV maintenance during latency, a decrease in cccDNA copy number decreases the viral genome copy number in the latently infected cells, and decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
The experiment used the human hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2-N10, which was generated by transfecting HepG2 cells with a transfer plasmid which contains a 1.3 unit length of genotype A HBV genome (subtype adw2). Cells were treated with fresh medium containing various concentrations of EGCG. Treatment with a concentration of 22.9ug/ml EGCG reduced the concentration of HBV cccDNA by 60%.
D. Cinnamaldehyde or Cinnamic Acid
Cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde (more precisely trans-cinnamaldehyde) is the chemical compound that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor. Cinnamaldehyde occurs naturally in the bark of cinnamon trees and other species of the genus Cinnamomum like camphor and cassia. These trees are the natural source of cinnamon, and the essential oil of cinnamon bark is about 90% cinnamaldehyde. Most cinnamaldehyde is excreted in urine as cinnamic acid, an oxidized form of cinnamaldehyde.
1. EBV, EA gene, Raji cells, inhibition of persistent replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that treatment with cinnamaldehyde or cinnamic acid inhibits EBV-EA activation in latently infected cells[xiii]Since EBV-EA activation is necessary for persistent replication during the latent phase (Prang 1997, ibid), a decrease in EBV-EA transcripts decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
The experiment used the Raji cells, a Burkitt-lymphoma-derived cell line that harbors 50 to 60 latent, predominantly extrachromosomal, Epstein-Barr virus genomes (Adams 1987, ibid). The cell were treated with 2-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to promote activation of EBV-EA. The cells were treated with cinnamaldehyde or cinnamic acid and an indirect immunofluorescence technique was used to stain the EBV-EA expressing cells. The inhibition activity of the test compound was estimated by the percentage of positive cells compared to controls. The results showed that cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid inhibited EBV-EA activation in a dose dependent manner. The IC50 of cinnamaldehyde or cinnamic acid was 158 and 40, respectively. IC50 represents the mol ratio to TPA that inhibits 50% of positive controls (100%) activated with 32 pmol TPA.
E. Selenium (Se)
Selenium is a chemical element with the atomic number 34, represented by the chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. Selenium is a semi metal that rarely occurs in its elemental state in nature. It is toxic in large amounts, but trace amounts of it are necessary for normal cellular function in most, if not all, animals, forming the active center of the enzymes glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase and three known deiodinase enzymes.
1. EBV, EA gene, Raji cells, inhibition of persistent replication
The following in vitro experiment shows that treatment with Se inhibits EBV-EA activation in latently infected cells[xiv]Since EBV-EA activation is necessary for persistent replication during the latent phase (Prang 1997, ibid), a decrease in EBV-EA transcripts decreases the latent viral load in the infected host.
The experiment used the Raji cells, a Burkitt-lymphoma-derived cell line that harbors 50 to 60 latent, predominantly extrachromosomal, Epstein-Barr virus genomes (Adams 1987, ibid). The experiment stimulated the Raji cells with butyrate and croton oil. The stimulated cells were incubated with Se-rich rice extract. The experiment than used the indirect immunological flurescence method to count the EBV-EA positive expression rate and the inhibition rate. The results showed that Se-rich rice extract significantly inhibited the EBV-EA expression in Raji cells. At extract concentrations of 0.016, 0.078, and 0.388 mg/ml, the inhibition rate of EA expression was 2.85%, 12.88%, and 20.75%, respectively.
[i] Curreli F, Alvin E. Friedman-Kien AE, Flore O. Glycyrrhizic acid alters Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency, triggering p53-mediated apoptosis in transformed B lymphocytes. J Clin Invest. 2005 March 1; 115(3): 642-652.
[ii] Babcock GJ, Decker LL, Freeman RB, Thorley-Lawson DA. Epstein-barr virus-infected resting memory B cells, not proliferating lymphoblasts, accumulate in the peripheral blood of immunosuppressed patients. J Exp Med. 1999 Aug 16;190(4):567-76.
[iii] Lin JC, Cherng JM, Hung MS, Baltina LA, Baltina L, Kondratenko R. Inhibitory effects of some derivatives of glycyrrhizic acid against Epstein-Barr virus infection: structure-activity relationships. Antiviral Res. 2008 Jul;79(1):6-11. Epub 2008 Mar 31.
[iv] Prang NS, Hornef MW, J-ger M, Wagner HJ, Wolf H, Schwarzmann FM. Lytic replication of Epstein-Barr virus in the peripheral blood: analysis of viral gene expression in B lymphocytes during infectious mononucleosis and in the normal carrier state. Blood. 1997 Mar 1;89(5):1665-77.
[v] Adams A. Replication of latent Epstein-Barr virus genomes in Raji cells. J Virol. 1987 May; 61(5): 1743-1746.
[vi] Iwase Y, Takemura Y, Ju-ichi M, Mukainaka T, Ichiishi E, Ito C, Furukawa H, Yano M, Tokuda H, Nishino H. Inhibitory effect of flavonoid derivatives on Epstein-Barr virus activation and two-stage carcinogenesis of skin tumors. Cancer Lett. 2001 Nov 28;173(2):105-9.
[vii] Wu LL, Yang XB, Huang ZM, Liu HZ, Wu GX. In vivo and in vitro antiviral activity of hyperoside extracted from Abelmoschus manihot (L) medik. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2007 Mar;28(3):404-9.
[viii] Favre D, Petit MA, T-po C. Latent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and HBV DNA integration is associated with further transformation of hepatoma cells in vitro. ALTEX. 2003;20(3):131-42.
[ix] Laras A, Koskinas J, Dimou E, Kostamena A, Hadziyannis SJ. Intrahepatic levels and replicative activity of covalently closed circular hepatitis B virus DNA in chronically infected patients. Hepatology. 2006 Sep;44(3):694-702.
[x] Chang LK, Wei TT, Chiu YF, Tung CP, Chuang JY, Hung SK, Li C, Liu ST. Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus lytic cycle by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Feb 21;301(4):1062-8.
[xi] Pavlova IV, Virgin HW 4th, Speck SH. Disruption of gammaherpesvirus 68 gene 50 demonstrates that Rta is essential for virus replication. J Virol. 2003 May;77(10):5731-9
[xii] Xu J, Wang J, Deng F, Hu Z, Wang H. Green tea extract and its major component epigallocatechin gallate inhibits hepatitis B virus in vitro. Antiviral Res. 2008 Jun;78(3):242-9. Epub 2008 Feb 8.
[xiii] Motohashi N, Yamagami C, Tokuda H, Okuda Y, Ichiishi E, Mukainaka T, Nishino H, Saito Y. Structure-activity relationship in potentially anti-tumor promoting benzalacetone derivatives, as assayed by the epstein-barr virus early antigen activation. Mutat Res. 2000 Jan 24;464(2):247-54.
[xiv] Jian SW, Mei CE, Liang YN, Li D, Chen QL, Luo HL, Li YQ, Cai TY. [Influence of selenium-rich rice on transformation of umbilical blood B lymphocytes by Epstein-Barr virus and Epstein-Barr virus early antigen expression]. Ai Zheng. 2003 Jan;22(1):26-9. [Article in Chinese]


text:
By Joseph Marks
Washington's main electric utility provider expects to have power restored by midnight to three federal buildings and numerous homes near First Street in Northeast Washington, the company said Wednesday afternoon.
The outage shut off power throughout Wednesday at the General Services Administration, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Employees at those agencies were either working from home or on administrative leave, spokespeople said.
The electricity provider, Pepco, had identified a handful of damaged underground cables causing the outage by early Wednesday but only discovered a second group of damaged cables in the afternoon.


text:
NEW YORK (December 10, 2013)—While companies based in other countries move ahead with plans to advance women to top leadership, progress in the F500 remains flat, according to the 2013 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and the 2013 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners.
Among the findings:
Women held only 16.9% of corporate board seats in 2013, indicating no significant year-over-year uptick for the 8th straight year. And only 14.6% of Executive Officer positions were held by women—the 4th consecutive year of no year-over-year growth.
Women of color continued to fare particularly poorly, holding just 3.2% of all board seats.
10% of companies had no women serving on their boards; more than 2/3 of companies had no women of color directors.
Women held only 8.1% of top earner slots—again no change from prior year.
Catalyst's research and insights reveal a strong business and financial case for advancing women to leadership.
"It's hard to believe that at the end of 2013 we still see more than a few all-male corporate boards and leadership teams." said Ilene H. Lang, President & CEO, Catalyst. "Diverse business leadership and governance are correlated with stronger business performance, employee engagement, and innovation. Shareholders beware: a company with no women at the top is missing one of the biggest opportunities in the marketplace today."
For some major US companies, advancing women to leadership is "business as usual"—a critical and achievable goal.
"Attracting the best talent is still the most important factor in business success and is every leader's number one priority," said Thomas Falk, Chairman & CEO, Kimberly-Clark Corporation. "Companies that have improved their representation of women are attractive employers to all the talent available. For those that have not improved, you have to wonder how long they can be successful if they are only hiring from half of the talent available. This issue is not about equity or fairness, it's about winning."
"Catalyst's 2013 Census showing the continued shortage of women in America's C-suites, Boards of Directors and as top earners is a call to action," said Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications. "I encourage corporate procurement leaders to require vendors to include their record of hiring and promoting women and the number of women board members as part of their bids. Logic, fairness and hope have not done the job, but doing business with companies that champion women can set a standard and have an impact."
To help companies diversify their boards with board-qualified women, Catalyst connects its corporate members with CEO-sponsored women through its Catalyst Corporate Board Resource (CCBR). "We know this is not a supply problem," added Ms. Lang. "There are plenty of qualified women ready for board and top executive positions, as some companies have proven. It's important and it's not hard. It's the "new normal" in business leadership."
Additional relevant resources:
New iPad App—Catalyst on the Go: Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards
Gender Diversity at the Top Pays Off: From the Boardroom to the C-Suite
Increasing Gender Diversity on Boards: Current Index of Formal Approaches
Pyramid: U.S. Women in Business
Quick Take: Women in U.S. Management and Labor Force
AT&T, Bloomberg, BMO Financial Group, Cardinal Health, Inc., Chevron Corporation, Credit Suisse, Dell Inc., Deloitte LLP, Desjardins Group, Deutsche Bank AG, EY, General Motors Company, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM Corporation, KeyBank, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, McDonald's Corporation, PPL Corporation, Sodexo, State Street Corporation, UPS.
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, and Australia, and more than 600 members, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women's advancement with the Catalyst Award.


text:
I had a blast which is above all else the most important take away (well, that and the fact that I OWNED Sweeney's best time :) I really do hate racing so I was pleased to find myself dying at mile 12 but loving every second of it. This also bodes well for my fitness heading in to the start of Leadman in 2 weeks. I'm fit and I'm ready to kill it.
|Course profile
|Slowly losing ground
|Mile ~9.5 just before the switchbacks. Geofrey in front and I'm the speck way back.
|Geofrey looking like... well, a Kenyan! Beautiful runner.
|Nice back drop... literally.
|The last switchback.


text:
Connect With Us
Follow Us On TwitterFollow Us On Twitter
Schedule A Group Presentation
Make a Gift and Change a LifeMake a Gift and Change a Life
Plan A Short-term Mission TripPlan A Short-term Mission Trip
Latest Posts
That Sure Tastes Good!
Who satisfies your mouth with good things… Psalm 103:5a Psalm 37: 3 declares: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." There, the
From Redemption to Royalty
In the first half of Psalm 103:4, God redeems us. Then, with only the separation of the pause of a comma, in the second half of the same verse, He crowns us. In other words,
Put Away Childish Things
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11) What


text:
I don't believe I've posted pictures of him since he got updated. I removed the large rotating circles he had for arms and came up with this:
Much better for posing, and you don't even need to use a paper trick.
Next I'm probably going to give him some bigger rockets. Can't be too un-careful.


text:
The seemingly black and white nature that exists between the mindset of "hardcore" and "casual" is something that's been on my mind for a couple of months now. I think the first time that it tickled my thoughts was a few months back when I was having a conversation with someone who said "if you aren't hardcore, you're casual" and it stopped me in my tracks. I didn't agree with that statement at all. In fact, I completely disagreed with it. I guess where I kept getting caught up in the logic was the immediate leap to the opposite, the complete black and white nature of the thought, with no room for the vast grey that falls in between.
The Space in the In Between
I've never really liked the terms "hardcore" and "casual" because of the stigmas that the community has associated with them and the fallacy of such terms, but whether I like it or not, they are terms that everyone recognizes and associates with. When most people think "hardcore" they think of guilds like Vodka or Paragon and when people think of "casual" they think of guilds who are content plugging through content at a much slower pace, often times not seeing things like "hard modes". This is the black and the white. The complete opposites on the raiding spectrum. There is nothing wrong with either of them – they are just on different ends of the spectrum.
But I believe that it isn't as simple as just black and white. I don't think you have to be limited to being strictly "hardcore" or strictly "casual". I think that there is a lot of room in that in between, a lot of grey that isn't black or white. In fact, I'd almost wager that a great number of people in progression raiding find themselves in this in between area. Where they enjoy pushing content, but aren't pushing it at a neck-breakingly fast pace – either because they aren't capable of it or just don't have the time to do it.
As I think about it more – I guess the question is "what defines hardcore"? Is it how fast you progress? Is it what you demand of your players? For me, I want to play with people that I enjoy being around and who have a vested interest in improving every night – even if maybe they aren't always the best of the best of players. Does that make me "casual"? On the same token, I also expect them to avoid making repeat mistakes, to actively work to become a better player, to acknowledge when they've made an error and who want to progress through content while its current. Does that make me "hardcore"? Progression for me is fun. But playing with people who make the game fun because of who they are and what their personalities offer to that experience is also important to me. So where does that leave me? Can I have expectations without being "hardcore"? Can I have friends without being "casual"?
Honestly, I think it puts me pretty squarely in the majority of progression raiders and raid teams who fall on the cusp – somewhere in that in between. Do I sometimes desire more? Absolutely. But I also question the cost of such desires and ponder if paying Charon's toll would be worth it when all was said and done.
So what do you think? Is progression black and white? Is there only "hardcore" and "casual" or do you think there is somewhere in between?


text:
Friday, June 12, 2009
Handspun Friday - Wensleydale
I had these hanging there for a while, before I got to spinning it. That's probably why one day Biko chewed one of the strands when she felt sick. She's always looking for fiber, mostly grass and leaves, when she feels sick, but that day she had to go look for something inside. I heard a funny noise coming from the living room and saw her standing there, chewing it. :o) To make it easier for her, I let her outside into the backyard.
The color before overdyeing was briliant, later it turned a little dull, but that's what I was going for.
The two skeins look a like, but I've spun one a little thicker than the other, got too impatient with it.
fiber: 8oz Wensleydale
yarn: 1.skein: 199yds - 16WPI, 2.skein: 152yds - 14WPI
plying method: navajo plied
Don't know yet what to do with it, off in the handspun bin it goes.
Don't think it's going on like this forever!
My husband's leaving on Monday, and after that there will be no more cake!!!
I made this cherries cake this morning and had a slice all by myself. Will share with the rest of the family later. Claudia, I'm back to using my big mugs for tea. I think the nice china will have to wait for company!
I used the same dough as for the apricot cake (did remember to double the recipe), but instead of almond extract I put some vanilla and brandy extract in it. I left the pits in the cherries to safe the juices.
Hope you are all having a nice weekend!
26 comments:
- GoldenTracks said...
Love the color! Glad Biko didn't eat it all.
So where's the recipe for the cherry cake...you could email it to me, you know....Like I need it.
- June 12, 2009 10:32 a.m.
- shannon said...
i LOVE the color of that yarn!!! brilliant job, monika!
the cherry cake looks amazing, too.
- June 12, 2009 10:43 a.m.
- Sharon V said...
Your spinning is lovely, and your cherry cake is overwhelmingly beautiful!
If I could knit in front of the cake that would be like being in love twice!
Enjoy your weekend.
- June 12, 2009 11:46 a.m.
- angella said...
what lovely wool/yarns, and i too prefer the almost dark teal-ish colour after the black overdye. that wave is gorgeous!
and, now i'm hungry, good lookin' cake!
- June 12, 2009 12:22 p.m.
- yogiela said...
deine Wolle sieht wirklich schön aus, der Farbton ist gelungen.
bei uns brauchen die Kirschen leider noch, momentan werden die ersten Erdbeeren zögerlich rot.
auch dir ein schönes Wochenende Elfi
- June 12, 2009 1:09 p.m.
- lexa said...
Gorgeous color in your new yarn! And that cake looks delicious. :)
- June 12, 2009 1:38 p.m.
- Frieda said...
Oh Monika , that looks yummy , both the cherry cake and the handspun ! I really like the finished yarn , just perfect. Nice work .
BTW I baked the apricot cake today and it was just delicious ! Thanks for sharing the recipe . I see the cherry version in my future soon . You are an enabler in sooo many ways !
- June 12, 2009 2:57 p.m.
- Brenda said...
For the mathematically challenged of us, can you translate the Grams mentioned in the Apricot Cake Recipe into cups? 160g would be 1 1/4 cups? Is that right?
- June 12, 2009 3:01 p.m.
- Carrie K said...
Yum, cake.
The color is beautiful! I like the slightly toned version.
You let Biko into the yard to eat the roving more easily? Oooh....other fibers. ;) I guess it looks good enough to eat! lol.
- June 12, 2009 3:34 p.m.
- Toby said...
Baked treats are my favorite. I'm almost yearning for a few rainy days so I can stay inside and bake, especially after seeing the lovely treats you've been showing us.
I also clicked over to your Flickr and drooled a bit over your spinning fibers set. :)
- June 12, 2009 3:50 p.m.
- Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...
When I first saw the picture of the blue fleece hanging over the chair I thought was an amazing scarf you had knit! What a gorgeous color. Your spinning of course is unbelievable.
My that cherry cake out on your patio with the cup of tea looks pretty inviting ~ I'll be right over. I'll even forgive the cup :)
- June 12, 2009 5:05 p.m.
- Marianne said...
Your handspun is just lovely and what a gorgeous blue! Love the curly crimp in the fibre!
Mmmm, the cherry cake looks delish.
As to the flavouring... I always used almond extract in my cherry pies, eh?The two flavours seem to do very well with each other.
- June 12, 2009 6:12 p.m.
That color is so gorgeous! The cake looks so yummy too. You're such a temptress!
- June 12, 2009 7:33 p.m.
- sgeddes said...
Lovely yarn and lovely cake! I wish you were close enough to visit!
- June 12, 2009 11:16 p.m.
- Kris said...
Love the colors of the wensleydale. I had the same thing happen with my last batch of spinning. After plying, one bobbin was thicker then the other. I think I have a consistency issue.
The cherries cake looks delicious.
- June 13, 2009 9:07 a.m.
- Dave said...
Love the sheen and colour of that yarn -- yumm!
- June 13, 2009 9:28 a.m.
- pat said...
I am now very hungry after reading your last post and this one - YUMMMMM!
- June 13, 2009 10:05 a.m.
- lettuce said...
wonderful gorgous colour
I found you via Leah, at YarnEnds
hope you don't mind if I shamelessly promote my latest blog post which is shamelessly promoting a new crafty charity project - please read it and if you feel able help advertise (or contribute in any other way) that would be FAB
- June 14, 2009 3:37 a.m.
- Susi Knitchicks said...
Kuchen ist immer gut, selbstgebackener erst recht. Du bist ja total im Häkelfieber *g*. Ich müsste mich auch mal wieder trauen, aber der Sunday Morning Scarf hat mich fest im Griff.
LG Susi
- June 14, 2009 5:19 a.m.
- Ann said...
Love the color of your handspun - my fav color. That cherry slice looks yummy!
- June 14, 2009 7:55 p.m.
- Angelika said...
I can't blame Biko for liking the fiber. It looks gorgeous. I love the sheen and it's hard to believe it comes from a sheep. You amaze me every time I see something fuzzy turned into real yarn and it seems to take you no time at all.
- June 15, 2009 7:49 a.m.
- Renata S. P. said...
Hi Monika!
This blue handspun looks fantastic! Love the tone of it.
And about the cherry cake picture... just made me feel hungry!! hehehehe
- June 15, 2009 8:18 a.m.
- Mrs. A said...
That is the best blue ever!!
- June 15, 2009 8:24 a.m.
- Tina said...
Wow, this is great yarn! I like both colours, the brilliant as well as the overdyed. And the cherrycake sounds yummy. But I wouldn't leave the the stones in, I think.
- June 16, 2009 3:26 p.m.
- Monica aka Gloria Patre said...
What beautiful fiber! I'll have to keep Wensleydale in mind! what luster it has! Lovely finished yarn too! I love both shades of blue (before & after). Nice!
- June 17, 2009 12:20 p.m.
- hannah said...
The yarn looks beautiful and the cake really yummy...
- June 19, 2009 3:00 a.m.


text:
Apple's entry into the wearable technology market will make smartwatches more desirable but even so, devices are expected to have limited mainstream appeal for some time to come.
The smartwatch segment is already beginning to gain some traction and draw consumer interest. The Kickstarter-backed Pebble, for example, has been a resounding success, with the company struggling to keep up with demand, while recent efforts from Sony and Casio that offer simple but clear functionality, such as alerts and notifications, have also received positive reviews.
However, this trickle of appreciation could turn into a gushing torrent of premium high-tech device desire if, as expected, Apple and Samsung launch smartwatches this year that offer features and performance that make existing smartwatches — which are essentially dashboard or console devices (i.e., they mirror information from a smartphone, such as music player controls) look dumb by comparison.
According to a Juniper Research report, published on Tuesday, a mere 1 million smartwatches are expected to ship over the course of this year but, by 2018, as many as 36 million such devices could be shipping annually. "By educating and publicising this device segment to the consumer, Apple and Samsung will indeed act as a catalyst to the market. In addition, being a key influencer, these players' entry into the smart watch segment will benefit existing smart watch players — providing an increase in awareness and adoption of other wearable devices," says the report's author, Nitin Bhas.
As well as Apple and Samsung, Acer, Intel, Microsoft and LG are all expected to dip their toes into the shallows of the smartwatch market and test the water within the next 12 months and Juniper's report highlights that even with tech's biggest names offering devices, differentiation will be the key in convincing consumers and technophiles alike that a small, wrist-worn computer is something they need in their lives.
This differentiation is expected to come in the form of premium devices that combine health and fitness tracking, sports activities monitoring, wireless payments or ticketing with the ability to simply mirror information displayed on a smartphone or tablet screen.
Yet, even with new levels of performance, Juniper believes that smartwatches will continue to be niche devices with limited appeal for some time to come.


text:
Run the pre-upgrade scan tool (Office SharePoint Server)
Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007
This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.
Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14
In this article:
Issues that are reported by the pre-upgrade scan tool
Install and run the pre-upgrade scan tool
You must use the pre-upgrade scan tool to scan your sites, and then fix any errors before you perform an upgrade. If you have not successfully run this tool and you attempt to upgrade your environment, when you attempt to run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration wizard, the wizard will exit and prompt you to run the tool. We highly recommend that the server administrator run the pre-upgrade scan tool before the upgrade, and resolve any problems that can be resolved before scheduling the upgrade.
You might need to run the pre-upgrade scan tool more than once. For example, if you run the tool to evaluate your server farm but you are not going to be performing the upgrade for a few weeks, you will need to run the tool again just before you perform the upgrade to scan any new sites and to ensure that no additional issues have appeared in the meantime. Also, after you resolve any issues from your first scan, you will need to run the tool again; otherwise, when you try to run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration wizard, you might see an error message that pre-scan has not been run.
For more information about issues or errors reported by the pre-upgrade scan tool, see the following blog entries on the Microsoft Web site: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=106424
Issues that are reported by the pre-upgrade scan tool
For each SharePoint site, issues reported by this tool include the existence of the following objects:
Customized site templates You need to know which site templates have been customized for a particular site so you can verify the customizations again after the upgrade.
Orphaned objects Objects such as list items, lists, documents, Web sites, and site collections can be orphaned — that is, the objects exist but are not associated with a particular site. Because orphaned objects do not work in the previous version, they won't work after the upgrade. If you perform an in-place upgrade, the orphaned items will still exist but will not work. If you perform a gradual upgrade, orphaned items will not be copied to the new site. We recommend that you clean up any orphaned objects before upgrading.
Members of the Administrators group on the front-end Web servers can recover orphaned items before the upgrade by following the steps in Knowledge Base article 918744, Description of a new command-line operation that you can use to repair content databases in Windows SharePoint Services (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=69958&clcid=0x409).
Custom Web Parts Report the existence of custom Web Parts to the appropriate site administrator or developer before upgrading, to give the administrator or developer time to investigate.
Heavily obfuscated custom Web Parts may need to be rebuilt and redeployed after the upgrade.
Sites that are based on languages or that use controls that are not installed If the database contains a Web site based on a language template pack that is not currently installed on the front-end Web servers, or a Web site that uses controls (such as the Microsoft Office Web Components) that are not currently installed on the front-end Web servers, install the missing language packs or controls before upgrading.
Use the information gathered from the pre-upgrade scan tool to determine:
Whether to perform an in-place or a gradual upgrade.
Determine upgrade approach (Office SharePoint Server) provides information to help you decide which type of upgrade to perform. It is important to consider the report generated by the pre-upgrade scan tool when making this decision. Generally, if you find significant issues, use a gradual upgrade rather than an in-place upgrade so you can resolve the issues.
Whether to upgrade some or all site collections that contain customized sites.
Which sites need to have customizations reapplied or redone after upgrade and therefore might take longer than others in the review stage.
When you run the pre-upgrade scan tool, the metadata on all lists and libraries in your sites is updated. This means that lists and libraries in the environment will show that they have been updated after the pre-upgrade scan tool is run. The dates for individual list items and documents are not changed by this process.
Install and run the pre-upgrade scan tool
Download and install the pre-upgrade scan tool from the Microsoft Download center (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=92383).
You must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer to run this tool.
On the command line, change to the folder that contains the two files, and then run the following command to scan all servers in your server farm:
prescan.exe /c preupgradescanconfig.xml /all
You can use the pre-upgrade scan tool to scan all Web sites in your environment (by using the /all parameter) or to scan a specific URL (by using the /v URL parameter). If you do not supply a scoping parameter, all Web sites will be scanned.
Templates used by SharePoint Portal Server 2003 can be incorrectly identified during the pre-upgrade scan as custom templates unless you use the preupgradescanconfig.xml file when you perform the scan. This file contains additional logic to identify the portal site templates as standard templates used by SharePoint Portal Server 2003 rather than as custom templates based on Windows SharePoint Services 2.0.
If you have already installed the new version but have not yet run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration wizard, you can run the pre-upgrade scan tool from the following folder: %PROGRAMFILES% \Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN.
Running the scan can take several minutes or a few hours, depending on the amount of content in your environment.
After the scan has completed, a summary report is displayed in the command-line window.
If there were any errors or if any upgrade issues were found for your sites, you can review the full report to see the details. The report is named PreupgradeReport_uniqueID_Log.txt (where uniqueID is a number string) and it is located in the temp directory on the computer of the user who ran the tool (for example, %SYSTEMDRIVE%:\Documents and Settings\User1\Local Settings\Temp). There is also a prescan.log file in the same directory; this prescan.log file notes the time or times when the pre-upgrade scan tool was run.
After you run the pre-upgrade scan tool, you can review the reports to find and troubleshoot issues (search for "error" in the report to find the issues). You can also share the relevant pre-upgrade scan test results with other members of the upgrade team. For example, you can report issues such as customized site templates or custom Web Parts to the appropriate site owner, Web designer, or developer before scheduling the upgrade to give them time to investigate the issues and take preliminary steps. For example, a designer or developer might decide that it would be prudent to rebuild a heavily obfuscated Web Part before the upgrade occurs. Site owners can then verify any customizations that have been done to their sites, including site templates and changes to core Active Server Pages Extension (ASPX) files, and can note any potential issues.
Download this book
This topic is included in the following downloadable book for easier reading and printing:
See the full list of available books at Downloadable content for Office SharePoint Server 2007.
See Also
Preupgradecheck: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server)


text:
Tiger Skin White Granite Tiles Slab for CountertopTiger Skin White Granite, it's with white color and looks like the skin of the tiger got its name tiger skin white. Nice and unique appearance make it popular used as stairs, countertops, floor tiles etc.Read More
G681 Granite Bush Hammered Wall Cladding Tiles Villa StoneG681 Granite, is a durable granite featuring a low variation pink colored background with creamy and black flecks. This stone with bush hammered finish are common to apply to classic villa projects in form of cut to size, cornices, handrails, ect, which provides grand scale and elegance to the building it enhances.Read More
Maple Red G562 Granite Slabs and Floor TilesMaple Red (G562), Red color granite with patterns looks like the maple, that's why people named it Maple Red. Its widely used as floor tiles, paving stone, wall cladding ect.Read More
Hebei Black Granite Flamed Finish Outdoor TilesHeBei Black Granite, China complete black granite in high hardness feature makes it popular for outdoor decoration using as floor tiles, paving stone.Read More
Viscount Grey Mist White Granite Floor Tiles Outdoor PaversBavarian Grey Granite not only enjoy the hardness of granite but also the nice texture of marble. The black and white spots veins in its gray background makes it a sense of landscaping painting. This material is widely used as outdoor pavers and ideal for landscape designs.Read More
Yellow Rusty Ming Gold Granite Exterior Wall and Paving TilesMing Gold Granite, is a weather-resistant granite with yellow rust in golden beige background. Tiles with bush hammered finish are popular used for outdoor wall cladding, which brings an intrinsic value to any project it enhances.Read More
Juparana Black Grey Colors Granite Wall TilesChina Juparana Granite, which is in natural river wave pattern makes it looks very natural and unique. It widely used for floor tiles, paving and landscape.Read More
Cosmic Black Granite Stone Flooring Tiles for ConstructionCosmic black granite—Deep black color with white and golden color veins make it looks very luxury and fantasy. It usually do flamed, antique, brushed surface and used for wall tiles and countertops.Read More
Shanxi Black Absolute Black Granite Tiles Kitchen Granite Countertops and WorktopsShanxi Black , completely black granite in the north of China which is widely used as countertops.Read More
Saphire Brown Wall Cladding Tile Out Door Pavers Garden Paving StoneAntique Blue, brown color flower with blue pearl like butterfly's wing make it very majestic and attractive. It's very nice to decorate the outstanding part of the building.Read More


text:
Ten Steps of SEO: Step 2 Keyword Research
In my previous article Ten Steps of SEO: Step 1 Initial Analysis we looked at assessing whether there the market is out there to be attacked. Now we have established that there is, we will look at which keywords we are going to target.
Keyword research is probably the most important aspect of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This is an area you should pay extra care and attention to. I can't stress enough how important it is to get this right. All too often I see people dive into to an online marketing campaign targeting keywords that are far too ambitious. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't be intimidated by competition, but equally you need to be realistic about where you can expect to rank within the search engine results. Remember, we are going to be up against some established authority sites.
The first thing we need to do here is produce a list of all the keywords you can think of relevant to your niche. I find it easiest to put these into a spreadsheet, as it allows you to filter the results later. Once you have listed all the ones you can think of, we will look to our trusted friend Goggle for a bit of guidance. Google has a very useful tool called the Keyword Suggestion Tool . This tool will suggest alternative keywords we may have overlooked. There are many other programs designed to do this, Wordtracker is amongst the best.
The next stage is to find out how efficient a keyword is. For this we use a tool called a Keyword Efficiency Indicator (KEI). There are lots of tools out there for this most of them you have to pay for but many have free 30 day trials. Again I find the one in Wordtracker good for this. Run your keywords through the KEI tool and put the search volumes, competition & KEI score into the spreadsheet.
Now if we sort the results in order of KEI, high to low, we can start to pick the best keywords. A keyword with a high KEI is better than that of a low one. However do not just go for the highest KEI's. The reason being that if a keyword or search term has very high competition but also has very, very, large search volumes, the excessively high search volumes will throw the KEI results and and give a very high KEI. This may look an attractive score but in reality it's just going to be too hard to crack. Best thing to do here is get rid of the keywords with high KEI that seem to have a much higher search and competition volumes.
Equally we also want to get rid of KEI's with low score. Also at this point we should look at search volumes and get rid of anything with very low search volumes. After all there is no point targeting a keyword if nobody is searching for it. We should now be left with a number of keywords with mid-high range KEI's of these we should take 5 to 10 keywords with the highest KEI score. I wouldn't recommend working on more at the moment, but concentrate your effort on these. Once you are getting good results for these you can always add more. Now you have your list of keywords. Not the easiest and quickest of SEO strategies, but the effort you have just put in will be more than worth it.


text:
Former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson took a good first step in proving he can do something else.
Robinson just ran an unofficial 4.34-second 40 on his first attempt at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He's been struggling with a hand problem, which will give him a built-in excuse if he doesn't catch well. But his speed and his college production (the most rushing yards ever by a quarterback at the FBS level) will make him an intriguing prospect.
The biggest question is what to do with him. He's worked as a receiver and a return man, but he's obviously still very raw, and will need time to develop.


text:
By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
The first appearance of a BTS-5B armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) converted to a battle bus back in January 2015 certainly raised eyebrows, not least because it quickly got stuck in a ditch and was then destroyed. This contraption was the Islamic State's first attempt at converting an otherwise useless vehicle into a weapons platform adapted to the Islamic State's needs. While thus not very successful in its intended role, it took less than a year for its successor to appear on the plains of Iraq. First seen in December 2015, this first iteration combines lessons learned from its predecessor with technology not widely used by the Islamic State until that point.
The new vehicle makes an appearance in the Islamic State propaganda video 'The Dabiq Appointment', produced by the media office of Wilayat Ninawa (Nineveh Governorate) in Mosul, Iraq. The 'Dabiq Appointment' refers to the town of Dabiq in Northern Syria, where according to the Islamic State, the final battle between righteousness (The Islamic State) and wrongness (everything not the Islamic State) will take place. Contrary to what one might think, a large scale deployment of Coalition forces near this town and a resulting battle is what the Islamic State desperately wants. It is thé way the Islamic State wants to confront the 'Crusaders' (the Coalition), referring to its current air attacks and drone strikes as acts of cowardness. To further add to this threat, the video also includes a shot of an Islamic State operated T-55 marching on the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
Featuring in the 'Dabiq Appointment' is the 3rd al-Farouq armoured brigade, which together with the 'Shield battalion' and 'Storming battalion' is responsible for operating armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) in Wilayat Ninawa. This city is home to the largest concentration of Islamic State operated AFVs as Mosul was overstocked with equipment intended to be used by the Iraqi Army, which left all of their equipment behind before fleeing the city. The 3rd al-Farouq armoured brigade is seen training for the ''imminent'' battle at Dabiq, shooting up targets and storming positions while employing a host of armoured fighting vehicles including 2 T-55 MBTs, 1 Type-59 MBT, 2 MT-LBs, 2 Badger ILAVs MRAPs, 1 Battle fortress and 1 BTR-80UP APC in junction with well-equipped infantry.
The image below shows the seal of 3rd al-Farouq Armoured Brigade, reading: ولاية نينوى - الجند (?) لواء الفاروق المدرع الثالث - 'Wilayat Ninawa - Soldiers (?) - al-Farouq Armoured Brigade - 3rd'. The second part of the Shahada: محمد رسول الله - 'Muhammed is Allah's prophet' is seen on the right. This is sometimes seen on Islamic State operated vehicles and is believed to be applied for decorative purposes only.
As with its predecessor, this BTS-5B was heavily modified for its new role as an armoured fighting vehicle. The crane, snorkel and various crates normally mounted on top of the vehicle were removed. Although unlikely to ever be used, the dozer blade was retained however.
While the previous version had to do with simple blocks of armour installed around its newly erected platform, the new vehicle comes with slat armour installed around the hull and around its raised platform. The platform, complete with a door in the back, is believed to be well armoured. Although looking impressive, the strength of the protective slat armour and the firmness of its supportive mounts look marginal at best, raising questions about its viability against RPGs while in battle. No rubber side skirts are seen mounted, which was a feature of the first battle bus.
The erected platform does not appear to be blocking the driver's hatch, which was a serious issue of the previous version, where the driver had to enter its position by a hatch on the floor of the erected platform. The driver also had to stick its head out while driving as the support beams blocked the driver's viewing port. On this vehicle, his view is only slightly hampered by the slat armour installed on the front of the vehicle. To compensate for the removed headlights, the light beams of which would have been blocked by the slat armour, two new headlights have been installed on the front mudguards. All of the crew is believed to enter the vehicle by the door on the back of the vehicle.
Armament has been much improved from the previous version, which only donned a single 12.7mm DShK in addition to several mounts for light-machine guns (LMGs). The new battle fortress comes with the same 12.7mm DShK, this time mounted on the commander's cupola, and a 14.5mm KPV in an armoured cupola taken from an ex-Iraqi Army M-1114 placed on top of the raised platform. While providing an easy target for the enemy, the elevated position of the 14.5mm KPV offers it a great view of its surroundings, and enables it to fire at practically any target with a Line Of Sight (LOS) to the vehicle. A soldier operating a 7.62mm PKM LMG can be seen on the back of the battle fortress in the image above, which will likely accompany the vehicle when going into battle as well.
Although training for a possible confrontation at Dabiq, the vehicle could just as well be sent off against Peshermerga positions around Mosul. Such an attack usually commences with one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) followed by M-1114s, Badger ILAVs, M1117 ASVs and infantry. As the Peshmerga has been entrenched around Mosul ever since its capture by the Islamic State in early June 2014, these ATGM-armed positions are meanwhile fortified to such a degree that capturing them has become nigh impossible. The fighters of the Islamic State still frequently attempt to storm these positions however, resulting in the loss of precious vehicles, equipment and manpower after every attempt.
While the new battle fortress is likely to suffer the same fate as its older brother (destroyed after getting stuck in a ditch while storming Peshermerga positions) it demonstrates the efforts made by the Islamic State to keep improving its vehicle park. Despite the Islamic State's best efforts, it remains to be seen if this vehicle will have any meaningful impact on the battlefield or if it will end up as target practice on the plains of Mosul. With the supply of captured BTS-5Bs in Iraq now believed to be completely exhausted, all eyes are now at the single BREM-1 captured in Tadmur, which could potentially serve as the basis for the next battle fortress.
Recommended Articles
The Islamic State going DIY, 122mm D-30 howitzers used as anti-aircraft guns
The Islamic State going DIY, from earthmover to earthbreaker
The Islamic State going DIY, from armoured recovery vehicle to battle bus


text:
OPI Miami Beet...
The brightness of this polish does well in spring and summer, but the richness and berry tone makes it equally fall and winter appropriate. If you're looking for a succulent red-purple-berry polish, this is an oldie but a goodie!
Do you wear whatever year-round, or do you follow seasons like me?
Like this? Click below to let us know!


text:
Mayor Don Wesely today said Lincoln has a good and reliable water supply, but reminded residents that water conservation is especially important during the summer months. Mayor Wesely made the comments at a news conference near 84th and Vine streets, where a major water main and street improvement project is under way.
"Continuing improvements to our water system are necessary to meet the needs of our growing city," said Mayor Wesely. "Closing a major street like 84th is inconvenient for motorists, but we have made every effort to keep disruption to a minimum. This is an outstanding example of coordinating our construction projects. To prevent the street from being closed twice, the street work will begin immediately after the water main is in place to meet both our water and transportation needs."
The new 48-inch water transmission main will convey water from the Vine Street reservoir facilities at 75th and Vine south to a new reservoir at 84th and Yankee Hill Road. The project is expected to be completed and 84th Street reopened in August, depending on the weather. Jerry Obrist, Chief Engineer of Lincoln Water System (LWS), said the city began adding supply and treatment facilities to meet the growing needs of the community several years ago.
"We have coordinated our master plan with the update of the City-County Comprehensive Plan," Obrist said. "This line will be able to supply water to development in Steven's Creek as well as to the growing areas in the southern part of the city."
Obrist said despite below-normal moisture during the winter, Lincoln's reservoirs are at good levels. He cautioned, however, that continued drought in the mountain states and in western Nebraska could negatively impact Lincoln's water supplies. Obrist said Platte River flows in western Nebraska are below normal, reservoirs in the Platte stem system are half-full or less, and flows past Lincoln's water supply are below normal.
"The city is doing all it can to ensure water supplies are adequate, but we do need citizen help in conserving water," said Wesely. "Even simple steps, like watering in the coolest parts of the day, can make a big difference. With the public's volunteer cooperation, we can avoid taking mandatory measures."
The Mayor's Water Conservation Task Force has information on indoor and outdoor watering and drought-tolerant plants and grasses. Information can be found on the city web site at www.lincoln.ne.gov. Brochures are also available at local nurseries, LWS offices at 2021 North 27th Street and the County City Building, 555 South 10th Street.
At the news conference the Mayor also recognized winners of the Water Conservation Task Force's annual art contest. The work of Schyler Hearn of Fredstrom Elementary is being displayed on a StarTran bus, and the work of Johnny Knoche of Meadow Lane Elementary is being displayed on a billboard.
Media Release


text:
Hello,I am looking for some assistance..I inherited a bottle of Whisky and I know nothing about Whisky..A friend who used to collect has informed me to go on this site for advice...The bottle I have is Canadian Club,produced by Hiram Walker...Aforementioned friend said it was the oldest bottle he had seen....It has a date label around the neck halfway down which says 1893...It says at the top of the label on the front of the bottle "These samples should not be offered for sale as they are supplied to dealers for free distribution"....The text is printed in green.He told me the fact it has this message on the label and the date of the bottle means it is very very rare...Personally I would like to sell it to someone who knows what they have got...Any advice would be appreciated.
Hiram Walker
The official Whisky Live forum - The world's premier whisky tasting show.
1 post • Page 1 of 1
- New member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:44 pm
1 post • Page 1 of 1
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


text:
Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.
Friday, April 14th 2006, 5:28am
Friday, April 14th 2006, 11:21am
Supreme Member
Saturday, April 15th 2006, 3:05am
Sunday, April 16th 2006, 3:50am
Supreme Member
Sunday, April 16th 2006, 6:15am
Supreme Member
Monday, April 17th 2006, 2:40am
Supreme Member
Location: Metro NYC
Monday, April 17th 2006, 3:43am
Tuesday, April 18th 2006, 9:42am
Active Member
Location: USA
Thursday, May 11th 2006, 4:35am


text:
Can a new group of rookie detectives protect the people of the swanky Gangnam area of Seoul against violent crimes? Eun Dae Gu (Lee Seung Gi) is a rookie detective who has the IQ of 150 but uses his foul mouth and tough attitude to mask his painful family history. Fellow rookie Eo Soo Sun (Go Ara) is the sole female among the new hires but won't let anyone push her around, even Seo Pan Seok (Cha Seung Won), the team leader of the violent crimes unit. Can the young new officers prove their worth? "You're All Surrounded," also known as "You Are All Surrounded" and "We Have You Surrounded," is a 2014 South Korean drama series directed by Yoo In Sik.
This show does not have any episodes


text:
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
2015 Obligatory Attendance/Record Tracker
LAST GAME: May 22 - Sox 3, Twins 2
NEXT GAME: June 8 - Sox vs. Astros
Baseball doesn't exist in a vacuum where all wins are created equal. Teams play know it is a six-month season where the goal is to win the division, with a very limited wild card possibility as a consolation. They sometimes lose some games because they rest some players, taking the chance because they believe that it will help them win more and more important games later. Teams mature during the long season. Some players improve. Some wear out. The baseball season is about parallel divisional races, each with their own dynmaics. The Tigers or White Sox might have had a better record if they had played in a different division. (The White Sox were 37-35 against Central teams and 20-12 against the West.) The baseball season is messy.
At the end of the 2012 season, the Tigers were better than the A's, who lost the deciding game at home. The Tigers were much better than the Yankees, who similarly went the distance in beating the league's wild card team. The Tigers were the best chance the American League had to win the World Series because the Yankees had nothing left. The National League side was more of a contest. It might have gone differently if Strasburg hadn't been shut down, but the team decided he was going to be no longer part of the pitching staff before October rolled around. I could do without the wild card, but otherwise, any team making the NL postseason could have been considered the league's best.
It is less of a joke than if you eliminated the divisions and invited second- or lower-place teams to complete for the championship. It is far less a joke than the NFL, which determines championships with teams playing different schedules and has a single-elimination playoff system. It is less of a joke than the NBA or NHL where the regular season determines seeding for the championship tournament. It is less of a joke than the NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament where teams that don't win their conferences, sometimes teams that finish fourth or fifth, play in the single-elimination tournament to determine a champion, as if the conference tournaments that precede the national tournament didn't exist.
If you are going to have playoffs to determine a champion, you are going to have fans complaining of inequities. More legitimate, is the contention in Curt Flood's autobiography that the World Series (he played in it in 1964, 1967 and 1968, the year before division play was introduced) is a joke because the players are too tired. I asked him about it a couple of years before his death, and it was something he continue to believed in strongly, although I have never heard any other player voice the same concern. But calling the World Series a joke because it doesn't determine a true champion, though, ignores the point of competition.
And this year, the Tigers, far from being the sevemth-best team in the league, emerged as the best chance the American League had to compete in the World Series with the stronger National League postseason teams, saving the Yankees the embarrassment.
Get over it.
Your argument is so utterly fradulent and self-serving. The fact that you can cherry pick "bla bla bla wins from the regular season that contradict my argument are irrelevant" but "dur dur dur wins in the playoffs that support my argument... TOTALLY relevant." The Tigers were a better team than the Yankees (and probably the A's, too) for precisely 1 week. Bully for them it just happened to be the week they got to play them in the playoffs. Does that make them automatically better? No, it just makes them lucky bastards.
This is the same kind of ****ty arguments my brother pulls from his Cub-fan blogs and emails to me so we can laugh at them together.
My NCAA point is an extrapolation of your logical argument. The point is to get to the tournament, except it's not a matter of achievement, but often a ridiculous matter of opinion. And then you face a single elimination tournament. Even if you made it more legitimate by limiting the tournament to winners of conference tournaments, it would still be single elimination. And you no matter how good your division is, you can't play in MLB championship tournament if you are the fifth best team in your division. By contrast, the College World Series is the best method of determining an NCAA champion despite recent concessions.
If you are going to complain that the World Series is a joke, you could at least be consistent and condemn all major sports champships. Otherwise, you're just triggering the language filter without a consistent argument.
The baseball postseason isn't perfect, but it is better at determining an overall champion than any other major team sport.
FORGET THE REGULAR SEASON WHEN THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN. MLB hits the reset button. The reg season is done. Out of the way. In the garbage can. Burned to a crisp. Vaporized. No more. Kaput.
The announcers, players and coaches tell us this every freaking year. TBS and ESPN's opening lines to their initial playoff broadcasts will usually reiterate this. "It's time for the postseason, where we begin anew!" "It's time to find who is the best in Major League Baseball!"
When players/coaches from higher seeded teams are interviewed, they'll usually say "Well, the regular season is ancient history now, and now we have to focus on this playoff series." And/or "This is what it all comes down to."
Do you even watch baseball at all?
When the White Sox clinched the best record in the AL in 2005, how many here said, "Well, there ya go! We're the best in the AL no matter what happens now!"? No one did. No one celebrated. We were all on pins and needles for the playoffs. Don't you think if our record clinched AL supremacy, we'd have celebrated? But no champagne was popped. There wasn't even a light applause. We were nervous as all ****.
The regular season is 162 data points to determine who goes to the main part of the season: the playoffs. Then we start anew, in a decent format, IMO, to decide the champ. They can't play best-of-20, which I'm sure you'd prefer. Best of 7 is fine for me. Best of 5 is meh, but oh well, it doesn't nullify the supremacy test. Neither does the WC game, those teams had their chance to avoid that 1-off.
If Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt finished last among those who qualified to the Olympics, are they no longer the best? While they celebrate their gold, will you walk up to the podium and say "Look guys, they came in last among the qualified. They aren't the best, Joe Schmo and Duncan Mo, who didn't even medal, are the best. They qualified head and shoulders above the rest. Data points, guys!!! Data points!!!"?
I was a doubter, but maybe, just maybe we can win with pitching, defense and fundamentals.
Are you ****ing kidding me? You're trying to prove your point with the wit and wisdom of people like Chris Berman, Skip Bayless, and Tim McCarver? This is seriously a joke right? I must be on Candid Message Board at this point, no?
What POSSIBLE reason could talking chuckleheads who draw their paychecks from media outlets who sell ad time during broadcasts have to church up the World Series into something that it's not? Hmmmmmmmmm... What's your next brilliant argument going to be, the ShamWow is the best towel ever AND I TOTALLY KNOW THIS because Vince, the guy who sells them on TV at 3 AM, told me it's true!!!
You dare question MY fanhood and then when pressed for your own opinion, you take the sides of ESPN and TNT? Give. Me. A. ****ing. Break.
The irony is that the original point of this thread was to determine why the World Series has lost so much of it's luster, why don't kids sneak radios into their bedrooms and hang on the call of every pitch, why don't all Americans gather round their TVs and watch any more??? You know why? Because Americans aren't a bunch of stupid, gullible morons. They're smart enough to see that Bud and the owners are trying to sell them prime rib (THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF BASE BALL!!!) but it's really just a polished turd (here's a sack of **** team that had a losing record to the Indians).
You also seem to think my argument is born of some kind of sore loser mentality? I thought my dislike and genuine disgust over the Tigers' playoff run was pretty evident, but apparently I need to simplify it even more... I AM HAPPY THE GIANTS WON. They were the better team. You think I'm mad now, that we had a sham AL pennant winner? Bad enough Detroit snuck out of Oakland and then got to play a decimated and exhausted Yankees team, but to win the World Series? They would have been the biggest frauds since the Cardinals in 2006. I'm very content that San Francisco won. My anger is only born from the fact that MLB basically stuck a giant middle finger out to any fan who fancies to pay attention to the season for more than 4 weeks in October.
Attendance records:
09 : 3-2.
10 : 2-3.
11: 0-1.
12: 2-1.
14: 2-3.
15: 3-3.
16: 1-0.
I suppose there is less of a reliance on division (and therefore geography) in the NBA, for example, which might be your point.
But you don't have to know the finer points of other sports to see the logical problems with your argument about people not caring about the World Series because it is a joke that would allow the Tigers to get in. I don't know and I don't care who played in the Super Bowl this year. But I am guessing that it wasn't the two teams with the best regular-season records. I don't know if one team was the equivalent of the Detroit Tigers, winning its division with a record dwarfed by a team that didn't make it through the playoffs, but if you have playoffs, it is bound to happen sometimes. If this is true, I also will assume that you didn't post post-Super Bowl that the Super Bowl was a joke, that the reason no one cares is that the best teams aren't playing for the championship. If I missed the thread where you did that, I apologize for assigning a loser mentality to your argument, which could only be inferred if you weren't complaining about the playoff systems in the other sports you follow at least as vehemently.
You don't need to follow other sports to look at their playoff formats to see that baseball does the best job of determining a champion, limiting the number of non-first-place teams, playing series rather than single-elmination and playing 162 games to determine division championships. and that point really addresses the core of your argument that baseball's playoff system is hurting the popularity of the World Series.
Following the logic of your argument, if the Tigers playing in the World Series is a big reason why the World Series has lost its luster, the Super Bowl loses its luster if you don't have the two best regular season teams competing. I am guessing whent that happens, ratings don't plummet.
You are attacking the baseball postseason. If the way that baseball determines a champion is the issue, then it would be a universal issue. Of course it isn't, because the point is not being the best team at midseason or spending the most days with the best record in the league, regardless of how unbalanced your schedule might be. The point is being the best team at the end of the season.
If you are going to have playoffs among teams that have had different degrees of success in the regular season playing to determine who is the champion for the season, you are going to have teams with weaker records playing for the championship. Baseball has a higher bar of regular-season success than any other sport. If you want the two teams with the best record to face for the championship, you don't have playoffs to determine who will play for the championship.
|Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
Fernando Collor de Mello
Personality Profile
Fernando Collor de Mello - a male celebrity - born on Friday August 12th 1949, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fernando Collor de Mello has a compelling sense of himself as a spiritual being who is the searcher and the seeker of truth. That said, Fernando's life is devoted to investigations into the unknown, and finding the answers to the mysteries of life. Monumental as it is, de Mello is well-equipped to handle his mission. He enjoys a fine mind, and is an analytical thinker, capable of great concentration and theoretical insight. Fernando Collor de Mello enjoys research, and putting the pieces of an intellectual puzzle together, and once he has enough pieces in place, Fernando is capable of highly creative insight and practical solutions to problems.
Fernando Collor de Mello enjoys his solitude and prefers to work alone. He needs time to contemplate his ideas without the intrusion of other people's thoughts. He is a lone wolf and a person who lives by his own ideas and methods. As a result, close associations are difficult for Fernando to form and keep, especially marriage. de Mello needs his space and privacy, which, when violated, can cause him great frustration and irritation.
When his life is balanced, however, Fernando Collor de Mello is both charming and attractive. He can be the life of a party, and enjoy performing before an audience. Fernando loves displaying his wit and knowledge, which makes him attractive to others, especially the opposite sex. It should just be remembered that because he associates peace with the unobtrusive privacy of his world, intimacy is difficult for Fernando Collor de Mello. It is de Mello's challenge to avoid shutting out the love of others and keeping him from experiencing the true joy of friendship and close companionship.
With his abilities to learn, analyze, and seek out answers to life's important questions, Fernando Collor de Mello has the potential for enormous growth and success in life. By the time he reaches middle age, Fernando will radiate refinement and wisdom. More...
More flavors to Fernando's personality
Fernando Collor de Mello tends to be quite adaptable, and he finds it easy to fit into most social set ups and vocational fields.
There are no particular virtues that can cause an imbalance in Fernando's personality and life, but he has to work hard and persistently to develop those special strengths that he desires to attain.
Learning to be wisely assertive is a major lesson to be taken by Fernando Collor de Mello throughout his life.
Tour Fernando's menu and gain more insight into his personality traits, relationships, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, compatibility with you and with others, and much more.
We invite you to create your own free personality profile, in private and for your eyes only!.
For Fernando Collor de Mello, February 16th 2019 is marked with change in his work environment, and the unexpected events may even include travel.
Fernando feels restless, and discipline is needed. de Mello should be cautious at a social event that might bring self-indulgence.


text:
sheriquality needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 200 designs submitted by 43 freelance designers.
QCI logo - maybe animated or 3d
then Quality Calls Inc
Maybe no QCI as logo but something else
Either QCI for logo or good logo with company name spelled out, we are an IVR, ACD, automated order taking until - bill payment - my system talks to the database we answers questions
I call Quality Calls Inc - QCI for short
- Item 1...black and red or maybe gold and black
- ideas posted above - maybe logo of QCI then quality calls inc spelled out
- professional but eye catching
- Item 1...
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.