text:
Puppy Linux Discussion Forum
Puppy HOME page :
"THE" alternative forum :
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
The time now is Mon 18 Feb 2019, 00:53
All times are UTC - 4
Forum index
House Training
HOWTO ( Solutions )
ALSA fix for legacy sound cards in Puppy 2x
View previous topic
View next topic
Page 1 of 2
[19 Posts]
Goto page:
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Tue 20 Jun 2006, 23:26
Post subject:
ALSA fix for legacy sound cards in Puppy 2x
Usually in Linux, older ISA-based sound cards are not automatically detected at boot. So those of use with these sound cards know that we have to run "alsaconf" to set up the ALSA driver. The correct ALSA module is then configured to load with particular dma settings, and sometimes these dma settings do not agree with those defined in BIOS. Sometimes ALSA simply won't work with "standard" dma settings.
If you have an ISA sound card that requires such a "non-standard" ALSA dma configuration, then you will have a problem with Puppy2.
Puppy2's 2.6.16 kernel has "improved" ISAPNP routines(!!) which will disallow driver settings that don't agree with what it thinks is correct. The new PNP stuff can be found in /sys/devices/pnp0/
There are many directories here which earlier kernels did not have.
After much trial-and-error, my solution was to "coax" the ALSA module into accepting the standard dma values, like this:
First load the ALSA module (mine is snd-es18xx) with ONLY the dma1 setting.
Then after a brief pause, load the module again with both dma1 AND dma2 settings.
(My Sony VAIO's BIOS assigns dma1=1 dma2=5 for its ESS ES1879 sound chip)
## first load the core ALSA module
modprobe snd
## specify ONLY dma1 value
modprobe snd-es18xx isapnp=0 irq=5 dma1=1
sleep 1
## now specify both dma1 AND dma2 values
modprobe snd-es18xx isapnp=0 irq=5 dma1=1 dma2=5
Do this from /etc/rc.d/rc.local at each boot.
Don't run "alsaconf or Puppy's "ALSA sound Wizard".
Back to top
Joined: 05 Oct 2005
Posts: 495
Posted: Wed 21 Jun 2006, 02:24
Post subject: Thanks :)
I have been having same problem with snd-intel8x0
I changed the irq to 7 shazam!
I cut and pasted it to /ect/rc.d/rc.local and I back in biz
thanks again
Back to top
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Wed 21 Jun 2006, 03:18
Post subject:
That's good to hear, but you have come up with a similar solution to a different problem.
1. Intel 8x0 AC97-based sound chips are not legacy ISA devices. They're PCI devices, which have always been auto detected in Linux quite well.
2. The ALSA snd-intel8x0 driver will not accept "irq" or "dma" as parameters. I think this is the same for all ALSA PCI drivers.
It sounds like you changed your settings in hardware (BIOS) so that the operating system and ALSA driver were more "happy".
There is another possible fix for you; the snd-intel8x0 module has the parameter "buggy_irq", 0=disable 1=enable. You could try putting your hardware irq setting back to normal, then load the module like this -
modprobe snd-intel8x0 buggy_irq=1
I should have mentioned in my first post that I also tried to change my dma2 setting in BIOS, thus changing the "standard" settings. But whatever I changed it to, alsaconf wanted to choose something different.
The only solution was to coax/force the ALSA driver to accept the correct dma values.
Back to top
Joined: 05 Oct 2005
Posts: 495
Posted: Wed 28 Jun 2006, 19:26
Post subject: well
my sound chip is a C-Media but worked with the intel sound driver but when I updated to pup 2.0 it found no sound driver this worked to restore my sound
Back to top
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 34
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Wed 28 Jun 2006, 22:40
Post subject:
This sounds just what I'm after, but I have a couple of questions.
I run Puppy 2.01 on an old machine (P133,32MB) by a hard disk installation. I have tried to get my sound blaster pro compatable card working using the ALSA wizard without success.
Can I now just use your method to detect my card, or do I need get rid of the sound card configuration that the wizard came up with and tries to execute whenever I boot?
If I need to go back to scratch with no card configuration, can I do it without a full reinstall?
Back to top
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Thu 29 Jun 2006, 04:30
Post subject:
Both alsaconf and the ALSA sound Wizard will add their sound configuration details to the end of /etc/modprobe.conf
All you need to do is open this file in a text editor and delete (or comment out) those last lines -
alias snd-card-0 ...
alias sound-slot-0 ...
(I also see the "sb" module listed at line 142, but don't worry, that's the old OSS driver, which has been removed from Puppy2.)
Now reboot and you should have no ALSA modules loaded. Check with "lsmod". Now you can try my 2-stage module loading method from the commandline before committing your commands to /etc/rc.d/rc.local
If it works, please report the commands you used. It may help others.
Back to top
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 34
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Thu 29 Jun 2006, 08:23
Post subject:
I did however need to go to a three step approach.
Firstly my sound card chip is an ALS100 which I notice is included in /lib/modules/126.96.36.199/sound/isa directory. I can get the card going in windows98 and looking at the hardware profile it tells me that IRQ=5, dma=1 and dma=3.
modprobe snd
modprobe snd-als100
modprobe snd-als100 isapnp=0 irq=5 dma1=1
modprobe snd-als100 isapnp=0 irq=5 dma1=1 dma2=3
If I try to do it in 2 steps as per your instructions I get a fatal error.
So far I have only done it from the console. I assume I should put the "sleep 1" command between my steps.
Thanks for your help.
Back to top
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Thu 29 Jun 2006, 10:58
Post subject:
Well done.
But in the interests of good science (versus good luck) it would be worth checking a little further - different modules have different parameters. The parameters for my snd-es18xx module are not the same as yours. Run "modinfo snd-als100" to see what your available parameters are.
"isapnp" is not available. And for you, "dma1" should be "dma8" and "dma2" should be "dma16".
I suggest you first try to do everything in one hit -
modprobe snd
modprobe snd-als100 irq=5 dma8=1 dma16=3
If no success, now try one dma value at a time.
Regarding sleep placement and duration - trial and error, I'm afraid.
Back to top
Joined: 05 Oct 2005
Posts: 495
Posted: Thu 29 Jun 2006, 15:05
Post subject: it it helps
I sell surplus computer so I allways have a bunch of different boxs to try it on
Back to top
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 34
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Fri 30 Jun 2006, 20:45
Post subject:
You were right. When I run modinfo-ALS100 it refers to both dma8 and dma16. With the correct reference I was able to install the driver in a single step as you suggest.
Is there any way of finding out what values to insert in the two "dma=" statements other than running windows as I did?
Back to top
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 34
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Fri 30 Jun 2006, 20:47
Post subject:
Oops! I meant "modinfo snd-ALS100" in my previous post.
Back to top
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Fri 30 Jun 2006, 23:45
Post subject:
nicom wrote:
Is there any way of finding out what values to insert in the two "dma=" statements other than running windows as I did?
Those dma and irq settings should be listed in your bios.
Since your setup is now quite conventional, you don't need to load the ALSA drivers from /etc/rc.d/rc.local
Add this to the end of /etc/modprobe.conf -
alias snd-card-0 snd-als100
alias sound-slot-0 snd-als100
options snd-als100 irq=5 dma8=1 dma16=3
Back to top
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 34
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Sat 01 Jul 2006, 20:04
Post subject:
Once again you are correct. I have modified the etc/modprobe.conf and now the sound card works on boot up (well as good as it's going to work on that machine).
I checked the bios and could not find any reference to dma and irq settings. I should point out it's a very old version, Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG. Any other suggestions.
Although I have my card working now, if I can understand it a bit better I will try to write an idiots guide to getting sounds card going.
Thanks for your help.
Back to top
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 6572
Location: Valåmoen, Norway
Posted: Sun 02 Jul 2006, 04:20
Post subject:
...I will try to write an idiots guide to getting sounds card going.
nicom, I'm one of your idiots.
Back to top
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 5472
Location: Australia
Posted: Sun 02 Jul 2006, 09:39
Post subject:
Sorry, the bios will only show audio settings for onboard ISA audio devices, typical with older laptops.
For separate ISA sound cards, the irq and dma settings are SOMETIMES determined by the sound card manufacturer and should be listed in the card's documentation. And it's possible that these settings can be changed by jumpers on the card.
But SOMETIMES, the irq and dma settings are determined by the motherboard, and can vary depending on which ISA slot the card is plugged into.
So to your original question ... how to find out? I think "pnpdump" is what you want ... but this utility is not included in Puppy2, so I attach it. gunzip it into /sbin
It will only work with ISA devices which are PnP (Plug-and-Play) compatible.
2497 Time(s)
Back to top
Display posts from previous:
All Posts
1 Day
7 Days
2 Weeks
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
Sort by:
Post Time
Post Subject
Page 1 of 2
[19 Posts]
Goto page:
View previous topic
View next topic
Forum index
House Training
HOWTO ( Solutions )
Jump to:
Select a forum
Forum index
|___ House Training
| |___ Beginners Help ( Start Here)
| |___ Users ( For the regulars )
| | |___ Usuarios de habla Hispana
| | |___ Für deutschsprachige Anhänger
| | |___ Pour les francophones
| |
| |___ HOWTO ( Solutions )
| |___ Bugs ( Submit bugs )
|___ Advanced Topics
| |___ Additional Software (PETs, n' stuff)
| | |___ Package Collections / Repositories
| | |___ Browsers and Internet
| | |___ Business
| | |___ Compiling
| | |___ Desktop
| | |___ Documents
| | |___ Drivers
| | |___ Educational
| | |___ Engineering/Science/Simulation
| | |___ Eye Candy
| | |___ Filesystem
| | |___ Games
| | |___ Graphics
| | |___ Multimedia
| | |___ Network
| | |___ Security/Privacy
| | |___ System
| | |___ Utilities
| | |___ Virtualization
| | |___ Unsorted
| |
| |___ Cutting edge
| | |___ Multi-session live-CD/DVD
| |
| |___ Hardware
| | |___ Audio
| | |___ Networking
| | | |___ Dialup
| | | |___ Ethernet
| | | |___ Wireless
| | |
| | |___ Printers
| | |___ Video
| |
| |___ Puppy Derivatives
| |___ Puppy Projects
| |___ Next Puppy Development
| | |___ 4.x
| | | |___ Bugs (4.x dev)
| | | |___ Usability Issues (4.x dev)
| | |
| | |___ 5.x
| | |___ Bugs (5.x dev)
| | |___ Usability Issues (5.x dev)
| |
| |___ Localization Project
| |___ Documentation Project
|___ Taking the Puppy out for a walk
| |___ Announcements
| |___ Puppy Power
| |___ Suggestions
| |___ Misc
|___ Off-Topic Area
|___ Programming
|___ Security
post new topics in this forum
reply to topics in this forum
edit your posts in this forum
delete your posts in this forum
vote in polls in this forum
attach files in this forum
download files in this forum
Powered by
© 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
[ Time: 0.0526s ][ Queries: 12 (0.0152s) ][ GZIP on ]


text:
Red Pelican Music necesitaba un nuevo diseño de tema de wordpress y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 70 diseños de 8 diseñadores freelance.
Red Pelican Music
Our company: Red Pelican Music
Our business: Music lessons (guitar, piano, voice, bass, drums and more)
Our niche: Our instructors are elite rock, jazz and classical musicians chosen for their outstanding teaching ability, and friendly, patient style.
We have the best teachers, best customer service, and would like the best website as well!
We work with students of all age ranges (adults as well as kids), so we'd like the website be universally appealing. Our customers are 50/50 female/male, and interested in all styles of music, but skew towards modern styles.
Our niche is that we have a modern, fun, and very friendly approach (not the stereotypical piano teacher who smacks your hands with a ruler).
We currently offer lessons in the Los Angeles, CA area, but are expanding our coverage area. We'd like prospective customers to easily find what they are looking for by city or instrument.
Most music studio websites are awful, so rather than giving examples, we'd prefer a fresh approach.
While we currently have a functional website, our intention is to dramatically upgrade it. We are not attached to any of the design elements and would prefer something sleek, clean, and beautiful. Friendly, fun, and professional.
We have a brand-new logo! We also attached a variety of pictures of our teachers. Please feel free to use (or not use) any of them. In addition, feel free to use any other photos, or inexpensive stock photography.
We need the typical menu-options for a music school. About, Instruments, Sign-Up, Contact, Reviews, Store, Gift Certificates, FAQ, etc. We'll eventually have some short videos as well (to introduce the company and our teachers), but these will come later so the design should not dependent on the videos (but flexible enough to include them later).
The purpose of the website is to provide information, and generate calls and inquiries from prospective customers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Emma3 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 99 diseños de 23 diseñadores freelance.
Lever Learning
It is NOT important to have reference to people anywhere in the design.
It IS important to have a lever image:
A lever is:
lev·er (lvr, lvr)
1. A simple machine consisting of a rigid bar pivoted on a fixed point and used to transmit force, as in raising or moving a weight at one end by pushing down on the other.
2. A projecting handle used to adjust or operate a mechanism.
3. A means of accomplishing; a tool: used friendship as a lever to obtain advancement.
tr.v. lev·ered, lev·er·ing, lev·ers
To move or lift with or as if with a lever.
A lever is used to take a small amount of effort to create a big result.
The obvious link between TLA being the lever that with a small amount of effort creates a big difference in training outcomes needs to be captured visually in some ways.
In addition TLA will act as a lever for the training and coaching business's of our clients through being a lever between our skills and knowledge and their clients to increase the capacity and or revenue of their businesses.
I have answered some basic branding questions below:
Lever Learning Branding Q's
The purpose of the new business:
Support trainers and coaches in meeting their goals
Enable a wider audience to get value from TLA
2) Target audience: Role type
Coaches and trainers who run their own business
Mainly sole traders or collaborators with other training providers
3) What's their business problem
They have either too much capacity or no capacity and want to increase there revenue
Lack of control of what happens in an organization after they deliver training
4) Audience insight
Busy, want to be more successful, have better business
Age 30 – 50, M / F mix
Love training or coaching or both
Have little time for business development
Strong relationships with clients
Value great results, doing a good job
5) Brand Promise:
Create a Better Business.
Offer trainers and coaches an easy way to increase capacity or revenue leveraging there relationships and our skills and knowledge
6) Desired response from the audience:
New / innovative
Want to be part of it
7) Personality of the brand (4-5 adjectives)
8) Mandatory colours / symbols / styles
Lever reference somewhere, blue? (not mandatory but I think professional, simple
9) Note integrated with Turning Learning into Action brand which is tbc
Currently trading as Vivat Turning Learning into Action, with the online presence of http://www.vivatonline.com we are changing our positioning from selling directly to corporations (see our client list here... http://www.vivatonline.com/vivat-clients.htm ) to selling our services to coaches and trainers.
Lever Learning will train coaches and trainers to deliver 'Turning Learning into Action' (TLA) for their clients. Turning Learning into Action is a registered trade mark but is currently only a strap-line to Vivat.
I have loved the Vivat branding for 8 years and it has been memorable for clients but now we need a fresh and exciting look for Lever Learning.
The obvious link between TLA being the lever that with a small amount of effort creates a big difference in training outcomes needs to be captured visually in some ways.
In addition TLA will act as a lever for the training and coaching business's of our clients through being a lever between our skills and knowledge and their clients to increase the capacity and or revenue of their businesses.
I am looking for a logo design for Lever Learning.
It is important that the final design is able to be submitted in different formats for a variety of uses and resolutions that are web ready and print ready (.png and .jpg, mono and coloured.)
Eventually the logo will be used as a base for business cards, web site design (wordpress Genesis banner style), banners for websites and forms.
A style guide will be needed as themed models will also need to work alongside the lead lever learning logo.
Please include if you can help with elements in addition to the logo design.
I'm looking for a clean design and although it has a lever reference I don't want it to be too twee.
Style and looking professional are very important to us as well as coming across with energy and inspiration.
I will offer feedback on designs so you can adjust your designs to what I need.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Zillo Beast
There are 10 blue rocks located around the area. Destroy them all to collect a Minikit.
Travel to the southeast corner and you'll find a large rock with a red aura around it. Use the Dark Side to dismantle it and collect your second Minikit.
Next to that rock is a bounty hunter console. Activate it and destroy 50 droids within a minute and a half to earn this Minikit.
Head to the north wall and on the right side you'll find a bunch of loose gray pieces. Build them into a console for R2 and interact with it. An ice cream van will arrive, so be sure to collect the blue studs to the far left before splurging in frozen treats.
To the right of that R2 console, you'll notice Minikit #5 in a cage above some large piping. Take the loose plugs on the left and right and plug them in to their respective piping on the left and right. Doing so should release the Minikit from its prison.
Scan along the left side of the south wall and you'll find a console for Robonino to interact with. Some buttons will appear along the level for you to race over, so like before, speed over all of them to collect the Minikit.
Destroy six Separatist tanks to collect Minikit #7.
You'll need to destroy five of the larger rocks with purple crystals on them (as targeted in the photo below) to collect Minikit #8.
Head to the western side of the map and focus on the center of that side. You'll notice a Minikit hovering in midair above a large piece of coral. Take Jar Jar, jump on the top of the coral, and then double jump and you'll be able to reach the Minikit.
The final Minikit can be found, as in a few other RTS levels, by building a Minikit Generator. To do so, you'll need a large amount of studs and a lot of captured zones. In the first captured zone, you can build a cannon. In the next, you can build Small Air Support. In the third, you can build Barracks. Continue capturing zones and building new equipment until you unlock the privilege to build Minikit Generator. After it's built, have a Clone interact with it to collect your prize.
Saints Row: The Third Cheats
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Cheats
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cheats
Fast & Furious: Showdown Cheats
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Cheats
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Cheats
Resident Evil Revelations Cheats
God of War: Ascension Cheats
Tomb Raider Cheats
Infamous 2 Cheats
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
X360 Forza Motorsport 4
Wii Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
NDS Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns
PS3 Dark Souls
PC Dark Souls (Prepare to Die Edition)
X360 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Web War Commander
PS3 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
X360 Trials Evolution
LEGO Star Wars III: Th... at IGN
LEGO Star Wars III: Th... at GameSpy
LEGO Star Wars III: Th... at GameStats


text:
Volvo 850 for Sale in Nashville, TN
Sorry, there are no matches within that range.
Expand search to 500 mile radius: 6 listings
Only vehicles that meet the high program standards of Kelley Blue Book and pass inspection, as signed off by an ASE Certified Technician, are eligible for the Kelley Blue Book Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle program.
All vehicles must be six (6) model years or newer with less than 75,000 miles. They must also have a clean, title as verified by a CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™. Certified Technicians then put each vehicle through a road test and thorough 150+ point mechanical and appearance examination.
Added peace of mind comes with the Kelley Blue Book CPO Limited Warranty. For 7-years* or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first), you'll receive protection for your vehicle's engine, transmission, transaxle or transfer case, drive axle(s), and certain hybrid/electric components. Should your vehicle have a mechanical breakdown during the warranty period, you are only responsible for a $100 deductible for the covered repairs.
24-hour Roadside Assistance, Rental Car Reimbursement, and Travel Reimbursement are also included (limitations apply), and you can drive with confidence knowing your vehicle has the Kelley Blue Book CPO warranty.
*from original in-service date
Visit kbbcpo.com for more information
- Madison, TN cars for sale
- Whites Creek, TN cars for sale
- Hermitage, TN cars for sale
- Old Hickory, TN cars for sale
- Antioch, TN cars for sale
- Brentwood, TN cars for sale
- Goodlettsville, TN cars for sale
- Hendersonville, TN cars for sale
- Joelton, TN cars for sale
- Franklin, TN cars for sale
- Mount Juliet, TN cars for sale
- Pegram, TN cars for sale
- Honda Vehicles Nashville, TN
- RAM Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Volkswagen Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Dodge Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Toyota Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Nissan Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Chevrolet Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Kia Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Subaru Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Jeep Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Hyundai Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Ford Vehicles Nashville, TN
- Subaru Outback near Nashville, TN
- Toyota Highlander near Nashville, TN
- Honda Accord near Nashville, TN
- Ford F150 near Nashville, TN
- Hyundai Sonata near Nashville, TN
- RAM 1500 near Nashville, TN
- Volkswagen Jetta near Nashville, TN
- Jeep Grand Cherokee near Nashville, TN
- Chevrolet Malibu near Nashville, TN
- Chevrolet Cruze near Nashville, TN
- Chevrolet Equinox near Nashville, TN
- Hyundai Elantra near Nashville, TN


text:
Fantastic Pets & Produce is an Australian based pet retailer that stocks an enormous scope of pet supplies and adornments on the web and in-store. Our online store offers a wide range of pet food in Australia, including veterinary and remedy lines. Make Fantastic Pets & Produce your pets' first decision!
Welcome to Fantastic Pets!
You have no items in your shopping cart.


text:
(For those who might be checking this out at the office - the slideshow has a music playing, so you might want to turn off the volume ;-))
Daktyla from Ivy of Kopiaste... to Greek Hospitality
Kajjikayalu from Vijaya of Daily Meals
Gujhia & Thekua from Priyanka of Asankhana
Cakes & Muffins
Eggless Orange Almond Cake from Gopi Shah of Health N Taste
Chocolate Almond Muffins from Apu of Annarasa - Essence of Food
Eggless Banana Muffins from Trupti of Recipe Center
Dundee Cake from Poornima of Tasty treats
Armenian Chocolate Cake with Almonds from Bindiya of In Love With Food
Cherry Almond Cake from Bhagyashri of Taste Buds
Almond, Flax & White Chocolate Nutella Pizza from Jennifer of Savor the Thyme
Rose Kalakand from Priya of Priya's Easy Tasty recipes
Pineapple Pudding from JZ of Tasty treats
Almond Cashew Pista Slices from Shree of ShreeZ
Cashew - Almond Halwa from Anupama of Mitho Limdo
Almond Choco- brittle from Gayathri of My Adigemane..
Carrot Halwa from Sharmilee of In my passionate world.... :)
Almond/Badam Burfi from Poornima of Tasty treats
Almond Burfi from Aparna of Sumi's Weblog
Coconut ladoos by Uma of Essence of Andhra
Almond Cashew Choco Burfi by Madhumati of Madhu's Food Journal
Almond Halwa from Shri of Ecouter
Dates and Almonds Sweet from Vidya of Delectable Vegetarian Recipes
Almond Pedas from Trupti of Recipe Center
Almond & Oat Cookies from Poornima of Tasty treats
Spice Cookies from Swapna Pravin of Cooking with Swapna
Eggless Almond Cookies from Trupti of Recipe Center
Almond Crescent Cookies from Divya Kudua of Easy Cooking
Beverages : Shakes & Kheer
Masala Milk (Saffron and Cardamom scented Almond Milk) from Usha of Veg Inspirations
Beets n' Broken Wheat Kheer from Priya of Priya's Easy Tasty Recipes
Strawberry Jam Badam Milk from Priya of Priya's Easy Tasty Recipes
Badam Milk from Madhu of Madhu's Cooking Gallery
Strawberry Power Shake from Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen
Watermelon Almond Smoothie from Priyanka of Asankhana
Spiced Almond Powder from Uma of Essence of Andhra
Chivda from Bhawana of From My Palate
Badaami Tangri from Swapna of Swapna's Cuisine
Almond Pate from Yasmeen of Health Nut
Shahi Badam Shorba from Curry Leaf of Tasty Curry Leaf
Cucumber-Almond Soup from A&N of Delectably yours,
Rice Krispies Snack from Uma of Essence of Andhra
Shahi Vegetable Kurma from Madhu of Madhu's Cooking Gallery
Crustless Asparagus Mini-Quiches from Bee & Jai of Jugalbandi
Navaratna Kurma from Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen
Chilled Almond Soup from Priyanka of Asankhana
Almond Pilaf from Hema of Simply Spices
Baked Chicken Tenders / Fingers from Jennifer of Savor the Thyme
Meyer Lemon & Almond Green Beans from Jennifer of Savor the Thyme
Thank you once again for your enthusiastic participation and making this round-up a beautiful collection of awesome recipes!! The next "Lets go nuts" will be hosted by Poornima of Tasty treats.. and the theme is "Lets go nuts with Cashewnuts". Check out her event announcement.
Signing off from "not-so-sunny" California, JZ @ Tasty treats! Have a great day!!


text:
You guys are a tough crowd to please. Last week's installment received as much welcome as Michael Moore attending a Republican convention. Some of you even criticized my gallery for being "too feminine", which left me questioning my sexuality and displaying overcompensating male machismo behavior. Friends and family began wondering why I suddenly started smoking cigars and spoke in a deep faux masculine voice. I hope you're proud of yourselves!
So, this week I bow to your requests and offer up these, well, less effeminate wallpapers. Hope you enjoy them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch Nascar racing and wear my pants halfway down my ass.


text:
Class of 2012 Honored
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Widdy's Grill Room at the Course at Yale was filled with student-athletes, alumni and fans who came to honor the men's hockey team's class of 2012, watch seven team awards get presented, and hear from the outgoing captain and the new one. That's what happens at the annual team banquet hosted by the Yale Hockey Association.
Association president Daryl Jones '98, an All-ECAC defenseman and a member of Yale's 1997-98 conference championship team, gave a welcoming address and then took part in the presentation of the team awards along with former U.S. Olympian and National Hockey League star Bob Brooke '83 and former Yale player and association president Paul Farren '66.
The seven seniors, who were given their home white jerseys and large framed photo montages, were introduced and also had a chance to say a few words, honor some staff members and take a few fun parting jabs.
Brian O'Neill, captain of the 2011-12 team, returned from playing in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs (Manchester) to take part in the festivities. He addressed the crowd and introduced Andrew Miller '13 as his replacement.
Here are the seven team awards, the descriptions, the presenter and the recipients:
Yale Hockey Awards
Martin Dwyer III Award- Presented by the YHA to the most outstanding first-year player of the Yale hockey team. (Daryl Jones '98 presenting) – D, Tommy Fallen '15
John Poinier Award- Presented by the YHA to the best defensive player on the Yale hockey team. (Paul Farren '66 presenting) – D, Gus Young '14
Yale Hockey Coaches Award- Presented to that member of the Yale Hockey team whose determination and desire have contributed most to team morale and the spirit of hockey at Yale. (Keith Allain '80 presenting) – F, Jesse Root '14
David C. Noyes III Award- Presented by the YHA to that member of the Yale hockey team whose performance and attitude has most inspired his teammates through determination, grit and courage. (Daryl Jones '98 presenting) – F, Chad Ziegler '12
J. Murray Murdoch Award- Presented by the YHA to that member of the Yale hockey team deemed the most valuable player. (Paul Farren '66 presenting) – F, Brian O'Neill '12
Edward M. Wright, M.D. Award- For athletic and academic accomplishments, leadership and dedication to the higher purposes of intercollegiate athletics. This award is based equally on two factors: success on the ice and success in the classroom. (Bob Brooke '83 presenting) – F, Charles Brockett '12
Malcom G. Chace Award- Presented by the YHA to that member of the Yale hockey team who, through sportsmanship, spirit, and ability, has best served the finest traditions of Yale hockey as exemplified by Malcom G. Chace. (Bob Brooke '83 presenting) – Antoine Laganiere '13
Image of Brian O'Neill, Director of Equipment Services Jeff Torre, Charles Brockett and Nick Jaskowiak by James Barone.


text:
Taking a close look at doping control in professional tennis. How stringent is it? We also look at other issues related to the integrity of the sport.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Year In Review: Loose Ends
The first loose end emerged in February with an article by Jacquelin Magnay of the Telegraph titled "International Tennis Federation to increase testing on players linked to Dr Luis García del Moral." Magnay wrote that "anti-doping bodies remain concerned that some players may be continuing to work with Del Moral despite the warning and have therefore increased the level of testing undergone by those under suspicion." The ITF claimed to have investigated the TenisVal-Del Moral connection in 2012, but no details about that investigation have been disclosed, beyond the fact the ITF interviewed some players. It remains to be seen if the ITF stepped up testing on former clients of Dr. Del Moral.
The second loose end dominating 2013 was Wayne Odesnik. In June, Nick Harris at Sporting Intelligence published transcripts that revealed Odesnik provided the ITF with information related to both matching fixing and doping. However, to date, no anti-doping violation has been linked to information provided by Odesnik. Additionally, Odesnik was tied to the Biogenesis/doping clinic scandal that enveloped Major League Baseball. The ITF claimed they were investigating the Biogenesis situation, but, similar to the case of Del Moral, neither details nor anti-doping violations have emerged.
Also, Alex Duff of Bloomberg reported that a "former Spanish [Tennis] federation president, said in an interview in Madrid last week that "many times" tennis authorities have kept cases secret." Unfortunately, these allegations do not appear to have been investigated any further.
One loose end that 2013 resolved was provisional suspensions. The Marin Cilic decision revealed publicly for the very first time that a player could fabricate an excuse to withdraw from a tournament when they were in fact serving a provisional suspension due to an alleged anti-doping violation. Many in the tennis media seemed surprised that this could occur, which served to highlight the widespread lack of understanding about anti-doping rules.
One good news story of 2013 was the increased interest in anti-doping issues by the tennis media, especially those in the United Kingdom. Simon Cambers has continued to impress with his interviews (like this one with Don Catlin). Nick Harris's Odesnik piece was also strong and represented a rare piece of investigative journalism in tennis.
For 2014, the ITF's test distribution plan, transparency and, more importantly, the quality and rigor of their approach to investigating potential anti-doping rule violations must continue to be questioned and probed. One area of particular interest is the storing and retesting of samples. For example, it is unknown whether the ITF has retested any stored samples of former clients of Dr. Del Moral (or whether the ITF even possesses stored samples to retest). The details on how the ITF intends to analyze biological passport data is also unknown.
Thanks for your continued support,
71 comments:
Thanks, SNR, for your continued work on this site.ReplyDeleteReplies
hey nice post mehn. I love your style of blogging here. The way you writes reminds me of an equally interesting post that I read some time ago on Daniel Uyi's blog titled The 2 Forms Of Personal Development And How They Can Help You Grow .Delete
keep up the good work.
yes thanks very muchDelete
but what's point?
PRP aka blood doping is legal on ATP (seems not at WTA)
02 EGG is legal on ATP
not opening door & calling police on "test officials" is ok with WTA
all commentators EURO & US on TV are "amazed" ,"impressed" & "astonished" by athletic abilities of today's players but even a hint of something illegal is not mentioned !
Murray is very sensible, logical, sincere and articulate on the topic. Watch this video interview from the BBC:ReplyDelete
Moving forward, it's good that tennis is testing more, but the cheats are often better than the testing.ReplyDelete
To beat them, IMO, we need to target the suppliers (and the criminal activities around doping), the importers from unregulated markets (via customs, as they do in Australia), increase the time that samples are retained as a deterrent, and make it clear that team members knowingly supporting doping athletes will also be sanctioned (not rewarded, contractually, if their charge is banned).
This is a big ask, I know, but it's where the big pay-off will come, IMO. Public awareness is growing, and the tide of public opinion might incentivize the right people to ramp up the struggle against this blight on sport.
SnR, THASP, thanks for keeping the pressure on........
- AnonymousDecember 4, 2013 at 3:31 AM
Good post Sen, many loose ends this year. "Stuart Miller launch a proper investigation where there is media scrutiny of the outcome and/or process?" "HAHA, nice one."ReplyDelete
The Murray video was good, too. It wouldn't work for me but found it easily on you tube. We had all read the quotes resulting from this interview, but there was more punch, more of a patronising feel (re Cilic and Troicki) than came across in mere print. Good to see too, we need more interviews like this and less like Dopervic's.
Unrelated, does anyone else remember a guy from tennis past called Robin Soderling? His situation seems shadier by the month/year given all the recent silent ban facts we now know (and always did). I know mono can last ages, but if he does not have chronic fatigue syndrome (related to it), which we have not heard anything about, he must be ready to return by now?
If it was a silent ban, no reason it needs to be this long (seeing as how they set their own rules). Or he wasn't dumb enough to use a false story ala Troicki and Cilic. It is possible and I think he does have something that is affecting his return to tennis. Is it Mono? That remains to be seen. Several athletes have claimed to have mono and I would not be surprised if there is a lot of sex going on in the ATP/WTP tours, hence the contaminations.ReplyDelete
One would think Fed would have his pick of women ;) (He did claim to have had mono right?)
In any case, very fishy case, like Mardy Fish (no pun intended). Soderling has pretty much dropped out of the ATP rankings and if it indeed was a silent ban, I would think he would try to expose that and use it as leverage. "Either let me play or I talk"Replies
The "let me play or I talk" threat does not work because (1) it is more than just the ITF involved with "promoting the sport" and (2) the only thing people would hear when he talked was that he tested positive.Delete
So, let's say he does come out and say "I tested positive for XXX, but the ITF gave me a silent ban and said just don't play for a couple years and we keep quiet." Sure, a couple people here at THASP would say "See, we told you." But most people would say, "Ok, you tested positive and were banned, and now you are unhappy because you didn't publicize it yourself sooner?" I mean really, it takes two parties to keep the secret. So coming out 2 years later and saying "The ITF is corrupt because they kept a secret" is stupid because you are just as corrupt for keeping the same secret.
In addition, there are many individuals and entities involved in promoting the sport. Let's say Soderling wants to pursue a career in broadcasting -- not possible if he "talks." Let's say he wants to be a coach -- what player would hire an admitted doper? Let's say he wants to start an academy -- what parent would enroll their child with an admitted doper?
Seriously, look at all the "whistleblowers" in sports -- people like Landis, Hamilton, etc. Who has ever come out ahead in that game?
Obviously though your point that a "silent ban" would likely never last this long also explains why there would be be no need to threaten talking to the media. Something is going on, but a "silent ban" just doesn't make sense at this point in time.
Ok, so if Soderling wants to go work at McDonald's the rest of his life, I guess this strategy might work, but for anything else he would just be shooting himself in the foot to make a statement that no one really cares about.
Yeah he would be shooting himself in the foot no doubt about it, but if his reported career earnings (10 million) are to believed true, assuming he saved a quarter of that, he could live on a $100,000 budget for the next 25 years. He even mentioned he "doesn't need to rush into playing since he pretty much does not need to work for the rest of his life." It will be 2 years since he has played this coming January, we shall see soon if anything comes about his mononucleosis saga.Delete
I don't know if it's of any relevance but any of you has any info about Djokovic's testing in a davis cup match in belgrade? I've read in commments that the testing procedure lasted nearly five hours. Some people suspect it was because the "I know more than you think" comment that Dojokovic said in Troicki's doping case.ReplyDelete
Raise your voice against the modus operandi of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and you will get a "special treatment". This is what happened to Novak Djokovic shortly after he commented on one-year suspension of Viktor Troicki. In the middle of Davis Cup finals, he got a retaliation from WADA supervisors, in the form of four and a half hours of "detention for athletes".
At first, John Fahey, WADA president, rebuked Djokovic saying that he "does not know what this agency is doing." Then WADA switched from words to deeds in order to educate him, in Belgrade, during the Davis Cup finals.
Djokovic was called for a doping control during the doubles match. Naturally, he responded, but neither he nor Serbian team could guess what is going to happen.
WADA controllers detained Novak for 4.5 hours in "detention room for athletes". He has to spend such a long time in a specially selected Belgrade Arena locker room, with the explanation that his "urine sample is not of sufficient quality" (for the analysis).
During the four and a half hours, Djokovic was not allowed to leave the room, and he was asked to eat repeatedly in order to make his urine sample "good enough for analysis". Luckily, his fourth urine sample was finally "good" (thick and yellow).
Professor dr Zdeslav Milinkovic, doctor in the Davis Cup team of Serbia, explained for the Sport Journal the newest regulations from WADA:
"The inconvenience that happened to Novak on Saturday is the result of stricter requirements for urine sample, which has to adhere to new requirements for specific weight and color". In his opinion, this is wrong attitude by the agency, because when an athlete like Djokovic follows a balanced diet and rehydratation regime, his urine will not be turbid and dark yellow as expected by WADA, but clear and without high concentration of metabolic waste products that cause dark yellowish color.
He was with Djokovic the whole time in the "detention room".
"Novak was called after the training, and he had to provide 4 urine samples and eat repeatedly in order to make his urine in accordance with prescribed criteria. He was not allowed to leave the room and be with his team mates during an important match in a team competition, such as Davis Cup".
"With all due respect to WADA, I think that separating the most important team member from the rest of his team during the critical match, reflects absence of any feelings for the sport, and represents intimidation of athletes", concluded Prof dr Milinkovic for the "Sport Journal".
What do you think? An intimidation act to control whatever Djokovic has to say about doping?Replies
Well, WADA does not conduct any test, so it is not clear how WADA would detain or intimidate Djokovic. WADA does not have any new regulations regarding urine samples and the next set of new regulations do not go into effect until 2015, so it is not clear what this is referring to. Tests are conducted by the ITF through a third party commercial service and lab.Delete
There has long been a policy that athletes provide a urine sample of "specific gravity." You can read the WADA guidelines here: http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/Resources/Guidelines/WADA_Urine_Sample_Collection_Guidelines_V5.0_EN.pdf (Note that the regulations are dated February 2010, so I guess three years old is "new.")
In any case, this technique of providing invalid samples is a long used method by dopers. Essentially, as long as you continue to drink large quantities of water, a sufficient sample will not be provided. A lot of stimulants have short detection periods, so if you do get selected, you can delay the test for several hours by drinking a lot of water and thus not providing a sufficient sample -- essentially, your urine is just water at that point, so any drug test will not show anything as being out of range. Then, when you finally do provide a sample, it will just barely meet the minimum requirements and any trace of the stimulant will likely not exceed the threshold.
In any case, the rules are clear that once selected, the athlete must be supervised until he provides a suitable sample. However, there is nothing that requires that he be isolated in a room. A chaperone could have accompanied him to the court to watch the match, but apparently decided not to do this for whatever reason. Given that he was providing numerous samples, it would not make sense to be walking back and forth from the match repeatedly. Given that he was eating and that this had to be monitored as well, it made sense to keep him in a room.
Sounds like Djokovic kept watering down his urine, either by drinking massive amounts of water or adding water to his sample. In either case, it would be to hide doping. The idea that his urine was not concentrated enough because of a special diet is bogus. We are talking about FOUR urine samples in the space of several hours. If he was truly drinking enough water to cause that, he would be water intoxicated and could not even play a match. He's a doper. Maybe they went after him as a retaliation as you say, but that does not change the fact that he was probably trying to hide doping by watering down his urine.Delete
Unknown Serb, perhaps?Delete
That is a funny fable by Tennis has a Steroid problem. But the Players do not know the timing of these tests beforehand and once informed, they are confined to the testing room. How would Djokovic or anyone be able to add water to his sample or drink massive quantity of water during the test, when the Testers are right there in the room with him and are even required to watch the sample collection these days? The comments on this site are good for a laugh.Delete
The "fable" was not from this site. It is "Professor dr Zdeslav Milinkovic" who states that his urine was not concentrated enough due to a "balanced diet and rehyrdration regime," and that Djokovic had to provide 4 sample in 4 and a half hours and "Djokovic was not allowed to leave the room, and he was asked to eat repeatedly in order to make his urine sample "good enough for analysis" "(are you suggesting they didn't let him drink anything with all this food?) If he was overhydrated due to his "rehydration regime" only at the beginning of the 4.5 hours, he would have peed it out within the first hour. The amount of water he would have to drink to cause 4.5 hours of underconcentrated urine with 4 urine samples would be enough to cause hyponatremia. Symptoms of this include: " nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, lethargy, fatigue, loss of appetite, restlessness and irritability, muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps and seizures." What a coincidence that they target Djokovic and he just happens to have watered down urine. WADA must have known that his special diet and rehydration routine would cause difficulties for testing. Bad luck for him... Or he is a doper and was playing a game with drug testers and is now using the persecutory excuse, a la Armstrong.Delete
Okay I will bite, just this one time. The 'fable' told by the Serbian doctor, to paraphrase, was that there was nothing wrong with the quality of samples, this was meant as harassment, including being made to eat things that Djokovic normally doesn't even eat.Delete
The 'fable' told here was that Djokovic somehow added water to his sample or drank massive quantity of water for this test, while he was confined to the room, and all that in presence of the Testers.
Anyone who knows about tennis, knows about Djokovic's gluten-free diet, for several years now, WADA or Testers found out about that just now? Djokovic has said nothing at all, so how is he 'now he using 'persecutory excuse' ... Or he is not a doper and drug testers were playing a game with him ... the fables can work either way.
This comment has been removed by the author.Delete
rcusDecember 6, 2013 at 11:49 AMDelete
The WADA code is clear. Athletes are not confined to a room. They can go to press conferences, medal ceremonies and if they cannot produce a urine sample they can shower, get a message etc. They just have to be accompanied by a chaperone from the time that are told that a test is necessary till they produce a satisfactory sample.
Deuce, Obviously, you are a fan of Djokovic and, like the Armstrong defenders that used to drop by here, you are unlikely to stop believing. The "Doctor" says quite clearly that the urine specific gravity was too low and the color was too light (consistent with watered down urine). The reason these rules about urine specific gravity are made are exactly to prevent watering down urine (specific gravity has to do with how many other substances are in the urine), either by adding water to the sample or drinking massive quantities of water. A gluten-free diet, whatever else you want to believe about it, does not lower urine specific gravity or change the color of urine. Thus you are left with his regimen of "rehydration" causing the low specific gravity. Rehydration is just drinking large quantities of water. There would be no reason to do this and it would likely be detrimental for the reason I have already stated. Ask yourself this: Why is he suddenly unable to produce a urine with enough specific gravity, even after 4 and a half hours and 4 urine samples? He has been tested many times and his urine hasn't created this problem before. The reason is simple. He had a test he wasn't ready for and had to wash something out of his system. Perhaps they did indeed target him for his comments, I can't say, but you can't have it both ways. Either the specific gravity was too low due to "rehydration" or the testers were just making it up. If they were just making it up, why does the doctor claim that it was low due to his diet and rehydration? Face it, Djokovic got caught with his pants down (no pun intended) and had to wash something out of his system.Delete
"The WADA code is clear. Athletes are not confined to a room. They can go to press conferences, medal ceremonies and if they cannot produce a urine sample they can shower, get a message etc. "Delete
No, the DCO has discretion to deny all of these requests and confine the athlete to a room:
6.1.11 The DOC may at their discretion consider any reasonable third party requirement or any request by the Athlete for permission ... to leave the Doping Control Station temporarily after arrival. Such permission shall only be granted if the Athlete can be continuously chaperoned .... and it relates to the following activitins: [Victory ceremony, press conf, additional competition, "warm down," medical treatment,] (Getting a massage is not listed, and I doubt it would be considered a "warm down" which involves physical activity similar to a "warm up." Obviously, if you are buddies with Stuart Miller, then you can do whatever you want, so I am just talking about an actual WADA compliant testing system).
In any case, all of these are optional. 6.3.6 clearly states that "The Athlete may request to leave the Doping Control Station for a time" but that the requests can be denied and MUST be denied if a chaperone is not available. See "If a Chaperone is not available, the DCO shall ask the Athlete to remain in the Doping Control Station."
In terms of duece's comments, just use common sense. Urine has to come from somewhere. Djokovic just played, so he would have been sweating -- this leads to a higher specific gravity, not a lower one. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine_Specific_Gravity ). So, now he takes a pee and basically pure water comes out. Where did this water come from? Obviously, he had to drink it. Now, 4 hours and 4 pees later, he is still pissing pure water. Where does this water come from?Delete
Now, just ask yourself, "If I were doping and got selected for a urine test, what would I do?" Yes, you could just piss in the cup and wait for your ban to come down (or ask Stuart Miller to bury it). Alternately, what you could do is drink large amounts of water so that the initial sample is invalid. Then take some "food" that is really a fast metabolizing vitamin that will artificially up your spefic gravity in a couple of hours. You then continue to drink large amounts of water and wait for the vitamin to be metabolized so that it pushed your specific gravity over the limit -- however, it will be the only thing in your pee, so you are "clean" of the other drugs. And what else would these scheme require you to do? Oh, yeah, pee frequently so that the metabolites of your doping substance are purged from your system along with the massive water that you are drinking.
Alternately, you can believe that the Area 51 WADA inspectors got together with the Illuminati and decided that Djokovic needed 4 1/2 hours of "detention" to "teach him a lesson."
In any case, you can google, "How to beat a urine test" and quickly find the above method. The top hit takes you to http://www.wikihow.com/Pass-a-Urine-Drug-Test which says, drink lots of water and take B-2 or B-12 to increase specific gravity -- there you go, the gluten free way to beat a drug test. (Note,B-2 and B-12 do not contain gluten).Delete
Tennis.. I have watched tennis for too long to be a blind fan of any current player.Delete
The Serbian Doctor could be just repeating what he was told, why would he be allowed to see the samples or the tests? The point is once the test started Djokovic had to follow instructions of Testers. It would be impossible for him to either add water to his sample or drink massive amounts of water, when the Testers are with him all the time. One can't have it both ways, if Djokovic was trying to dilute his urine during the test as you claim, then the Testers would have to be complicit in that, and the Serbian doctor speaking about it so angrily would make no sense. If it took four and half hours for a satisfactory sample and if there is possibility of someone getting back at Djokovic, then the conclusion is more likely that there was nothing wrong with the samples, not with all of them.
As for the gluten-free diet, as far as I know, one of the main reasons people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance are recommended this diet, is because gluten is considered to be one of the irritants that can cause inflammation of the gut and bloating. To say that diet would have no impact on the urine quality is simply not accurate.
Funniest thing I find is comparing of Djokovic to Armstrong. Armstrong in his peak days had tremendous clout in his sport. How much clout does Djokovic has, even when number one, with ATP, Key Sponsors, Fans, Media... Overall, not even as much as Federer, Nadal or even Murray, let alone Armstrong. I don't know if Djokovic has doped or not, what I believe is that probability for him is less compared to these other top players. The truth will come out, as it almost always does. But the reasoning used to make these claims here is often funny. So you are right, I will not be convinced that Djokovic is a doper, not based on this incident.
If you actually believe that Djokovic is less likely to dope than Federer or Murray, you are mentally ill. Lol.Delete
Most such things are excreted from the body by shitting them out, not peeing them out. Gluten or gluten free is not going to raise or lower urine specific gravity. Your kidneys control you urine specific gravity. If you have too much water in your system, the kidneys will force out more water, which lowers your specific gravity. If you are dehydrated, say after a match, your kidneys will put out less water and your urine will be more concentrated (curiously the opposite of what happened in this case). The only real exception to that would be if someone takes anti-hypertensive medications like lasix, which force out large quantities of water (Which is why these substances are banned and players who are found to have them in their system are likely cheating to rid their bodies of other PED's). If the "doctor" is saying that a gluten free diet will appreciably alter the amount of water that is being excreted by the kidneys, then he is either incompetent or should warn the world of the danger of a gluten-free diet in promoting dehydration by causing the kidneys to excrete excessive amounts of water. Certainly, if true, no one should play tennis while maintaining a gluten--free diet!
"The point is once the test started Djokovic had to follow instructions of Testers. It would be impossible for him to either add water to his sample or drink massive amounts of water, when the Testers are with him all the time."Delete
No, athletes are allowed to drink water during the waiting period -- otherwise they would never pee and would eventually die. In addition, the DCO is REQUIRED to procide "sealed, non-alcoholic drinks for Athletes." The rules also say "The DCO/Cahperone cannot prevent the Athlete from eating or drinking products of their choice, but should recommend that the Athlete chooses from a selection of individually sealed, non-alcoholic beverages in order to hydrate."
Thus, the DCO's must provide the Athlete with beverages and he can drink as much as he wants.
THASP's statements regarding adding water to the urine relate to the fact that 4 failed samples in 4 hours is just unbelievable. For an athlete after a tennis match to do this is truely unusual. THASP theorized that in order to drink the massive amount of water required to do this it would lead to water toxicity. (Note, water toxicity is not uncommon for endurance athletes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication). Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that this was a possibility for the water getting into the urine. We also know that tennis DCOs are very lax in enforcing doping controls, so this is certainly possible.
Interesting comment on Rafael Nadal from Tennis-X (left hand side under "who's got the funk).ReplyDelete
3. Rafael NADAL Year-end No. 1 for 2013 and looking fit with magic knee juice going into 2014
"The DOC may at their discretion consider any reasonable third party requirement or any request by the Athlete for permission ... to leave the Doping Control Station temporarily after arrival......if the Athlete can be continuously chaperoned" ..........I strongly suspect that supporting your compatriot in Davis Cup would qualify, and he would have been chaperoned.
From WADA: Samples not meeting laboratory guidelines for analysis:
7.5.1 If the reading is outside the required range for specific gravity the DCO shall request collection of additional Sample (s).
7.5.3 While waiting to provide an additional Sample the Athlete shall remain under continuous observation by a DCO /Chaperone.
No mention of physical confinement, just being "continuously observed". I suspect the rules and their enforcement are pragmatic. I've looked at a lot of info from end-user testing organizations, and again (IIRC) they refer to chaperones accompanying athletes until they can provide an appropriate sample.
On a lighter note........Re: massage: "Obtaining necessary medical treatment" qualifies as a reason to defer a test, or leave doping station. Having watched so many matches where medical time-outs consisted of athletes simply having their legs massaged, it seems to me that massage must certainly be considered a "medical treatment" under the WADA code........lolReplies
I think some of it is common sense on part of the DCO. Ok, you pull a guy to test. He pees. He just played a match, he is sweating, tired, dehydrated. Now, for some reason he pisses pure water. As a DCO, that should raise a red flag -- this guy's urine should be concentrated from all the sweating he just did, but it is not. (Sweating expels water, so your urine is more concentrated).Delete
Now, you have two choices: (1) let the guy who just pissed holy water run all over the place, get a happy ending massage, visit his friends, take showers, etc, or (2) suspect that something is up and not allow him to leave so that you can directly monitor him yourself and not rely on some chaperone under unknown conditions.
I think in cases where the athlete says, "Yeah, I just sweated out 2 gallons of water on the court. I can't pee for a while." The DCO may say, "Sure, have the chaperone go with you while you get a massage" Because all this makes sense. However, when someone just plays a match and they pee pure H2O, then your BS meter should be going off. I would hope that DCOs would use their discretion to spot BS and ensure stricter monitoring in such cases. They apparently did exercise their discretion to refuse Dopevic's request to leave. It is also not clear that "watching a friend or teammate" meets any of the listed items, but as noted above, even if it did, then the DCO should still deny the request so that all activity could be closely monitored.
If Djokovic would have played one hour before the doubles match, you would be completely right. But... That's not the case. When I pee within an hour after a match, the gravity, as you correctly state, increases dramatically. But then, I drink a lot of water and... Well, two or three hours later, my urine's gravity decreases.Delete
Anyway, this is just anecdotical, because the doubles match was saturday and Djokovic played friday and sunday.
Wouldn't you all agree it was werid that Djokovic pulled out of the doubles given that this clearly diminished their chances to win? As Step said, they kept the Ferrari in the garage...Delete
This is what bugs me. I know you can nominate the players late - and according to my timeline, the Serbian captain had already decided to not play Dopovic on Friday, right? Still, he could pull a trick and have him play spontaneously, to surprise the Czechs.
So did the controls start way before the doubs started and that's why he "pulled out", I wonder...?
Thanks MTracy and Sen for the plausible explanations regarding the urine sample collection and the delay - I may add that it is known that football players (soccer players to some of you) post-match often take hours until they can give their sample. Later they frequently mention to the media that they had to drink a lot before being able to pee.
That means Djokovic could have easily drunk loads while conveniently waiting for stuff to clear out of his system without raising the suspicion of the tester.
So two questions: how long can you chage the line up of your players for the double? Did the testing start prior to this deadline or after, meaning maybe Dopovic was to play after all and got caught red-handed, leaving him out and in need to dillute his urine quickly...
I don't think so. Djokovic usually loses when he plays doubles in davis cup ties... Actually, almost always loses in doubles. I don't think the captain would have considered djokovic over the serbian team that did defeat the bryan brothers.Delete
Considering that no doping scandal has ever been made public, I don't think this 'rough' behavior of the testing agents was just merely out of mere love for the sports and its clean status.ReplyDeleteReplies
Um, have you heard of Cilic? Troicki? Llagostera? Yeah, all of those are public.Delete
A 12 month suspension is an scandal? Yeah, right... The doping corruption comes from the very 'testing' institutions. Some small cases to prove they're 'working' is needed once in a while. Are you really attacking doping players while defending the institution that pretty much rewards this behavior? Come on!Delete
From an interview with Alice CornetReplyDelete
Q: Much has been said recently doping controls: what is your position?
AC: "First day of internship, 6:30: control (laughs). I am greeted with a smile: they are there for tennis remains clean , even if at the moment it's a little sweat. I want to promote this clean tennis, I want to believe.
"I do not think the players are doped, it may be naive and there are many who are not of the same opinion, but I hope the authorities do their job. For me and for everyone I know, doping is not even a question, it is normal to accept checks, not to be doped. But it would remove the doubt because some take it as excuse .'' I lost because others are doped'' We lose because the other is better.
"Rafael Nadal, players have many doubts about him, but when you see his attitude on the field as he fights, never give up and all that he gives ... It's so ugly to say that, because we see that goes with his gut and does not need to be doped to it.
So on a scale of 1 - 10 how naive is Cornet?Replies
9. Not a full 10 because she considers she may be naive xDDelete
I give it a 10 for the comment "We lose because the other is better." First, this is a meaningless statement. We define "better" to mean, able to beat you, so yeah, the person who is able to beat you is able to beat you.Delete
With that said, she is ignoring the question of what makes someone "better." That is, why can player X beat player Y consistently. It is beyond naive to say, "Well, Player X is 'better.'" Ok, what makes Player X better? How did the person develop those attributes?
It also ranks up there in naivete along the same lines as the statement, "Lance doesn't take steroids because you can look at him and see he is a skinning guy not a roided out freak." She is essentially saying the same thing. Sure, Nadal is "better," probably because he can practice long hours, has "not natural" explosive strength coupled with endurance, and has an uncanny ability to recover from all types of injuries.
We see from cycling that training long hours was the primary thing the dopers used the dope for. Sure, they would dope in the TdF, but they also look their "training drugs" all year round -- which allowed them to get in top form for the big races.
We see from track and field that athletes frequently use drugs to enhance "explosive" strength. The idea that steroid is just for weight room junkies is naive, and this is essentially what Ms. Cornet is expressing.
In terms of injuries, the ability to magically recover from "career ending" injuries is also highly suspect. Whether this is just the result of PRP (which is legal) or some other new medical innovation that is not WADA-approved remains to be seen.
I also bump her up to a 10 for the "he's a fighter" comment. Name a single doper that was not? Lance Armstrong certainly had a "never give up" attitude -- at least as much as Nadal. Marrion Jones was a fighter. A-Rod is fighting like hell. Guess that means he's clean? That is beyond naive -- just plain stupid. Why doesn't she look up the side effects of many anabolic steroids and she will see that overly aggressive, "never give up" attitudes are one of them.
While it is nice to say, "never quit," this is completely naive -- which puts her in the 10 category. Our bodies tell us to quit training because it will be harmful to us or we are exaggerating an injury. Of course, with Nadal's magic knee juice, there is no need to worry about this, but for everyone else, knowing when to quit is an essential part of sport.
In any case, Nadal didn't quit, he took a 7-month break, then comes back and is magically "better" than everyone? So, you get to be world #1 by doing some physical therapy and hitting some balls with your uncle? That is just naive.
You're completely right. I give her a 10 too.Delete
10 for the fact that she acknowledges that other players have doubts about Nadal and think he's doping ("Rafael Nadal, players have many doubts about him") but her herself doesn't stop to think and question why, instead she falls back on the "he works hard, he's a fighter" card.Delete
Clearly, my naïveté meter is stressed out... it can't handle this level of vacuity...Delete
Maybe it is because of people like her in tennis that nothing happens and people remain on party line?
Could she possibly be the last player, a unicorn, so to speak, on this planet, who did not get the memo about doping and is simply clean out of utter stupidity??
A few names to add to MTracy's list of "fighters": Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carl Lewis and lol, Ryan Braun.ReplyDelete
By the way, while I am sure Djokovic is a doper, I am even more sure Nadal is the kingpin of the drug addicts on the ATP tour. Dude seems like a dimwit when you read his comments (alright, language barrier can't help), but man does he and his team have ironed out quite the regimen for him to be back on top (though Djokovic will probably topple him sooner or later next year). I mean, how can a physically obvious doper like Nadal get away with it for so long with all the bald faced lying and half truths he spews year in and year out? I mean, the degenerative knee condition has all but disappeared or so it seems. I have no doubt it will be used again as an excuse in the foreseeable future, but they seem to downplay it like never before.Replies
I don't have the problem of the language barrier, and believe me, he's just as dumb in Spanish as he is in his broken English...Delete
The problem I see with the Nadal situation is that most players can't speak against him because they are dopers themselves, and the (few) ones who aren't, either have no palpable proof or may be accused of being sore losers (Federer, for instance...)
You need to pay me to watch a Nadal interview tbh - he is an utter tool and empty as fuck. No charisma no intelligence. Nothing. Void for th eprojections of his PR team and ready for sponsoring mindless shit with his moronic face. Can't stand him, no?Delete
There was this stellar piece by Lynn Barber from The Times in 2011, if anyone remembers that...that one was finally rather frank about that dimwit Nadal...I guess she never scored another interview in tennis again.
"If anyone else tells me what a lovely lad Rafael Nadal is, I shall scream. He is not a lad, he has just turned 25, which is admittedly young, but he is in his ninth year on the professional tennis circuit, has won nine Grand Slam titles and is worth at least £68m. And I didn't find him lovely at all."
"He just lay there glowering at me while I perched awkwardly on a nearby table until eventually his PR, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, fetched me a chair. Benito remained in the background and whenever Nadal didn't like a question (which was pretty much every time I asked one) he asked Benito to "translate", which meant they conferred in Spanish till the PR delivered some smooth PR-y answer. Nadal's command of English seemed highly variable but never great. "
"He admitted at the press conference that he had played badly, dropping a set to a completely unknown Italian, but he offered no excuses. However, other people were quick to offer them for him: it was the day of Seve Ballesteros's funeral and Rafa adored Ballesteros."
Here is a link to the whole thing - I apologize in advance for leading you to a Nadal site runs by crazy Nadalistas - ignore that, please, for I don't have a Times subscription. Needless to say, don't DON'T look at their crazy ass comments, it's highly recommended for your personal sanity
The piece seriously kicks ass, therefor I like it.
Nadal has single-handedly (or, to be accurate, double-handedly - or, even more accurately, quadruple-handedly: the last two hands belonging to his beloved Uncle) changed the very face of tennis. There always have been dopers, no doubt, but, until Nadal's appearance, tennis was never a game of shear endurance, never a war of attrition, which it became after his big-time arrival on the scene. DJoke is a direct product of Nadal's, institutional, and, of course, his very own utter disregard of any human values, supposed to be inherent to sport. It's that simple - once one brushes the 'details' aside.ReplyDeleteReplies
I'd say Federer's 2004-2007 domination was the catalyst for Nadal and co. to go all out. But yeah, the face of the sport has changed drastically since 2010, I'd say (the year of the infamous Nadal serve at the US Open - a question that remains relevant and unanswered to this very day: how can an otherwise weak server like Nadal start serving bombs all of a sudden at the ripe age of 24? He doesn't serve as hard as he did that year, but he never returned to the puny 118 MPH serves of pre-2010).Delete
Are we not losing sight of the fact that Nadal's forehand is the legal equivalent of playing with one of those now banned spaghetti racquets? I'm not sure how one can attribute the extreme effect he applies to the ball as being down to doping. It's more the relentless resistance and recovery that's the problem and I'd put no end of other players into that category too.Delete
P.S. I forgot to mention the new level of infantility regarding the 'explanations' of the two mentioned gentlemen, as to their supermen's qualities - being the ground-breaking achievement of the, also mentioned, institutions that tolerate (i.e.endorse) them.ReplyDelete
Here is a federation that out-corrupts the ITF by far. And this is how they do it:ReplyDelete
Now can we talk about draw procedures and seeding in tennis ;)Replies
"Now can we talk about draw procedures and seeding in tennis ;)" No, we can't. For we all are mesmerized (as we are supposed to be) by the perfect C-/B+-cup breasts of the female who, for whatever reason, happens to be on the stage - whether it be football, tennis-ball, Armstrong's or anyone's missing balls... Be as it may, welcome to the ball, ye all! God bless us (and Merry Christmas) everyone.Delete
Blatter has got to be one of the most corrupt people on the planet, living his life of regal splendour, dispensing largesse as he goes in corrupting his fellow cockroaches who happily oblige to keep him in power. FIFA is a perfect storm of everything that is bad and corrupt about sport today and our planet's political masters are just as bad in letting him get away with it. He is unique among cockroaches in the honour he is accorded of having a red carpet rolled out wherever he lands to scuttle about. Says everything about Switzerland too that they allow all this on their watch. No coincidence that the UCI is based there too, far away from prying eyes. FIFA makes the ITF look like the sporting equivalent of Mother Theresa.Delete
Yeah, I noticed that as well - hard to focus and spot the rigging ;)Delete
No doubt, they picked her to distract the plebs/fanatics watching from noticing the obvious fraud. It so worked. You are the best example, Melch. But I can't blame you, those are surely the more impressive balls in this setting.
That and the higher than ususal lectern behind which Valcke, the FIFA Secretary General, is conveniently hiding his hands with the ball...
I bet the ITF is secretly admiring the FIFA for their in-your-face brazeness when it comes to fraud and corruption...they even got superioir balls to tennis...
@ Peter - I share your sentiment - to the point that it has spoiled my ability to enjoy this sport I once loved dearly. I can still play it though, and this is what I have restrained myself to do for a while.Delete
MaFIFA is such an obvious corrupt scam, it makes me wonder how anybody can truely put up with that shit and continue to call themselves a fan of this bogus - it needs to much blurring out and effort to ignore their bullshit - virtually making it impossible to watch without snarky comments and contempt.
I hate them deeply, from the bottom of my heart, for having achieved this. They are the superior masters of the corrupt arts, no doubt - too bad no one can take them down - and on top ofit all, the Swiss neutrality (= greed for money) does not really help in facilitating that, on the contrary.
Remember how Switzerland continued to do wonderful business during the IIWW with Hitler... and all the hidden stashes of illegal money of German tax cheaters stored in their safes deep down in the Alps...my country could need those taxes dearly.. anyway, I disgress.
team_kickass says: "No doubt, they picked her to distract the plebs/fanatics watching from noticing the obvious fraud. It so worked. You are the best example, Melch. But I can't blame you, those are surely the more impressive balls in this setting."Delete
Well, either I misunderstand this, or you misunderstood me - but this message of yours to me makes no sense at all.
P.S. Be as it may (and for some time already), I have the feeling that you should kind of slow down, you know, kind of take a second look, a second thought, before you pick up the rage of your last comment just to enhance it in your next. This way you are undermining not only the credibility of the valuable contributions to the cause of this blog you otherwise make, but, also, to the very credibility of the blog/cause itself.
P.P.S Your addressing me as "Melch" (as, by the way, quite a few others here do) shows enough of your impatience as to the "details", while (if there be any shortness in the concentration-span) it takes just a simple copy/paste action to get it right. Shortly, as the saying goes, the devil [originally, "God"] is in the detail. Go figure, you Raging Bull.
To all those athletes who complain about the hassle of whereabouts ...things got a whole lot easier - download the app via fucking ITunesReplyDelete
>"We are very pleased that we are now in a position to offer this tool to top athletes around the world," said David Howman, Director General of the WADA. "The app is a simple, accessible way for athletes to report details of their whereabouts and to comply with relevant regulations. Moreover, they will be demonstrating their commitment to clean sport. Everyone benefits from this efficient solution."
>The app was originally launched in 2012 by the Anti-Doping Authority of the Netherlands for its own athletes, and it represents a successful collaboration between CGI, the Anti-Doping Authority of the Netherlands, InnoSportNL and NOC*NSF.
Don't let the wife find out!Delete
Next level of EPO in the pipeline? Synthetic EPO has been created from scratch and its potent:ReplyDelete
>In a tour de force of biological chemistry, scientists have pieced together an entire protein hormone from scratch, and demonstrated that it works just as well in mice as the natural version. If verified, the complete synthesis of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells, would mark a new stage in the production and study of biological therapeutics.
No one is more pleased with the achievement — a decade in the making — than Samuel Danishefsky, a biological chemist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who led the team. "We think we've reached an important milestone," he says. "I am very proud."
Erythropoietin, also known as EPO, is naturally produced by the kidneys and became notorious as a performance-enhancing drug used by cyclists in the Tour de France. More conventionally, EPO is used to treat anaemia resulting from cancer, HIV/AIDS, and chronic kidney disease.
Unlike traditional, small-molecule drugs that can be precisely engineered in chemistry labs, biological therapeutics are proteins and similar biomolecules that are produced by plant, animal or bacterial cells, resulting in heterogeneous mixtures of closely related compounds. Drugmakers typically manufacture EPO in genetically modified cultures of Chinese hamster cells. As in human cells, these EPO molecules get 'decorated' variously with sugar chains, producing a cocktail of so-called glycoforms with different three-dimensional structures.
There are likely to be more than 50 different EPO glycoforms, and some of them seem to be more effective than others, having greater stability or a longer half-life in the blood. But they have never been fully studied, because individual glycoforms cannot be isolated in pure form. Consequently, scientists have long wanted to be able to synthesize the individual glycoforms chemically and test them.
Chemists achieved early success by building simplified versions of EPO, which had biological activity but were not chemically the same as naturally occurring EPO. (...)
His team's new study, published today in Science2, leaves no room for doubt, Danishefsky says. The researchers have incorporated much larger sugars, which are more representative of those that occur naturally. Indeed, the techniques that succeeded in the 2012 synthesis utterly failed with the larger sugars. "We had to start over," he says: "Back to the drawing board, but not back to the cave." Three mice injected with the new synthetic EPO showed bursts in the numbers of young red blood cells that rivalled levels in those injected with Procrit, a commercial EPO.>
But..... "Between 1 November and 10 December - ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013 – 174 players from the participating teams underwent unannounced blood and urine tests"ReplyDelete
An athletes view of being approached about supplements and PEDs. Interesting read.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 17, 2013 at 8:48 PM
BIGFOOT' SILVA FLAGGED FOR ELEVATED TESTOSTERONE, SUSPENDED 9 MONTHS BY UFCReplyDelete
Testosterone seems to be the new big thing for all the pros. It explains all these over developed jaws and chins. But it goes in a cocktail of HGH and steroids.
So... What do you think? I thought that with Novak's statements about Troicki's case and the davis cup extremely long test, Djokovic wouldn't win this title again.Replies
They should give him the Amgen player of the year award. Thanks to Nole, EPO is expected to reach $275M a year in sales in 2015. (http://www.marketresearch.com/RNCOS-v3175/EPO-Biosimilars-Forecast-6967819/)Delete
He should market his own line of fake penises to use when those pesky anti-doping agents keep you in a room for 4 hours -- it would be like Serena's, only smaller
An interesting opinion about Americans turning a blind eye to their own CHEATING.ReplyDelete
Anti-Corruption (match fixing) ban: http://www.tennisintegrityunit.com/media/20/guillermo-olaso-anti-corruption-disciplinary-hearing/ReplyDelete
For "violations of the Program...during 2010." Is this related to Odesnik's "substantial assistance?" We will never know.. "Consistent with the confidentiality of the Anti-Corruption Hearing process, no details of the Hearing or Decision will be made public."
So, giving the ITF the benefit of the doubt, it takes them 3 years to bring down a "big fish" like Guillermo Olaso. Apparently, he was playing the entire time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Olaso
HAPPY NEW YEAR!ReplyDelete
Here's an interesting article I've found about Nadal's "new treatment" for his knees. Interesting, if not bizarre, because he doesn't specify it, but still guarantees it will be the thing to sustain a top performance for 2014.ReplyDelete
Here's the link:
In a world where 62yo amateur athletes are testing positive in competition for steroids, EPO and amphetamines, only a fool would think that a cash-rich sport like tennis is clean.ReplyDelete
62yo amateurs get caught. Millionaires have access to better strategies and tend not to.
Here's to a Happy Ban-filled cathartic New year!
Nadal has 'new treatment' for his knees:ReplyDelete


text:
MU Extension > calendar
Professional development events
Stay Strong, Stay Healthy, St. Peters (Session 6 of 11)
Thursday, March 6, 2014, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
St. Charles County Extension Center260 Brown Rd, St. Peters MO map...
A strength training program for middle-aged and older adults. The program's goal is to improve health and quality of life. Exercise sessions improve strength and balance and include warm-up exercises, strengthening exercises and cool-down stretches. There are ten weeks of exercise sessions plus an orientation and pre-assessment session. The program concludes with a post-assessment during the last session.
Session topic:
Call 636-970-3000 to register or for more information. VISA Master Card and Discover accepted.
Class size:
Event full:
$50.00Participants who attend all sessions and complete pre- and post-assessments will receive a $20 refund.
Add event to your compatible iCalendar such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple iCal.
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University
of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA
and other copyright information
University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/ADA institution.
University of Missouri Extension
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved


text:
Yes, friends, I've blown entire stacks of Coke Rewards(tm), launched Russian rockets from Chinese platforms, drove a Kia, and subjugated an entire realm to the east of Moldavia, in order to bring you what you most desire. "But Duke!" you interject, spraying your befouled environs with blue cheese fragments and bone meal. "Surely you took some time for yourself!?" Yes, I did, and thank you for your concern, friend. I spent a liberal amount of time soaking in the hot springs of Calhoun Holler outside Possumrape, Kentucky, followed by a month-long trip into Indo-China to visit a hedge-wizard with a knack for curing gonorrhea (for a friend, I assure thee!).
Despite these side ventures, I never lost sight of what my reading public wants: Troma movies. That is why, today, I return to you at the turn of the tide, when you thought all hope was lost, as you were just about to dump your last bottle of Ativan into a half-empty bottle of grandma's cough medicine. Fear not, for I am with thee! Gaze upon what I've brought you, and despair!
As most of you know, I worship at the altar of Troma, but even I must admit when I've bitten off more than I can chew safely, and in this case, folks, I have. Today's rotten pile comes to us in the form of Wizards of the Demon Sword, which is basically a Conan-meets-Princess-Bride movie of epic suckage. I scarcely know where to begin, so let's just do the obvious and start from the beginning, shall we?
|This title sponsored by Mordor and the letter "Z".
The movie opens with the unspoiled, clad-in-white Melina (Heidi Paine), who is running through a desert landscape from a group of road agents, whose lack of weapon skills is only matched by their penchant for wearing all-leather. She tricks them for a while, pretending to have leapt off a 5' cliff, which apparently they thought of as too steep for a human to survive. But after a bit one of them gets clever and uses a horse to pursue her, finally capturing her with a net. One of the other ruffians, who appears to be in charge, orders her brought back to the castle. They are about to leave when a hunky hero arrives firing crossbow bolts before asking any questions.
|"Guys, I can see my house from here!"
|Satisfaction. Fuck yeah.
|"This is the Demon Sword?! I thought it was one of them glass dildos..."
Thane and Melina, meanwhile, have arrived at a village. We get a humorous scene involving a slave trader (played by the amazing Lawrence Tierney) who sells sex slaves, both young and old. Thane and Melina eventually find their way into a hookah den of sorts, all the while asking where the Seer of Roebuck is. Some humor is thrown in here, when Thane gets a dance from a bellydancer and slips a large coin into her bustier. They finally get directions to the Seer and are off to see him.
I must hand it to the folks at Troma, they threw in totally unnecessary yet awesome claymation dinosaurs. Seriously. They're sprinkled throughout the movie, have almost zero interaction with any of the actors, yet, well, there they are. Thane will comment on them from time to time, but that's about it. I still got a smirk from seeing them.
|And here we get a rare glimpse at the Harryhausen species of dinosaur.
Finally, our intrepid adventurers arrive at the Seer of Roebuck's hovel. The Seer himself resembles a late-stage Alzheimers Dumbledore and his manner of speaking is like a cross between Mr. Magoo and Burl Ives. Meanwhile, back at Khoura's castle of awesome... actually, we get scenes cut back here from time to time but nothing really much happens other than Khoura spouting some admittedly awesome dialogue that is so over-the-top hammy it deserves light applause. We get a scene where Khoura's henchwoman does some spell in order to take over Melina's body somehow, and try to kill Thane remotely, but that doesn't work.
|"Hi, I'm Kenny Rogers, welcome to Jackass!"
|Snakes on a Thane
Melina is finally reunited with her father in Khoura's Dungeon of Shame. Thane and Damon arrive in short order and proceed to penetrate large numbers of leather-clad guard-ass with their giant...swords. One thing of note here: a guard with long hair that is basically the head guard keeps goading his underlings into attacking (and dying via) Thane and Damon, yet he himself keeps fleeing, only to arrive again with another group of guards, and then fleeing again. Hilarious stuff! Thane and Damon make short work of most everyone in the castle not named Khoura. The evil man himself finally shows up with Melina and her father, with the Demon Sword (dagger) in his belt.
Damon is killed, off-screen, by Khoura, and Thane attempts to attack Khoura but fails due to his magic. Khoura ends up with a death grip on Thane's tunic, for some reason or other, and Melina draws Thane's attention to the freakin' Demon Sword/Dagger, just sitting there, tucked into Khoura's belt. Thane simply looks over, draws the dagger/Sword out, and plunges into Khoura's chest, simple as that. Khoura screams and disappears in a flash of light. Thane hands the Demon Sword back to Ulric and then starts making out with Melina right in front of her dad, who rolls his eyes and walks away. The end.
|"Compensate much?"
But still, if you like cheese, and I mean thick, sloppy, dripping off week-old nachos directly into your greasehole cheese, then you could do worse than watching Wizards of the Demon Sword...but just barely. Incidentally, it's also laughable that The Hills Have Eyes great Michael Berryman is given top billing on the cover as well as featured on the cover art, yet his scene is all of 10 seconds long.
In the end, I would have to say this, like most Troma movies, deserves a split score. I give it 1 Thumb Up if you are a fairly well-adjusted person, capable of tying your own shoes and shitting in a pot without soiling passersby. I give it a solid 2.5 Thumbs Up if you are a fan of Troma movies, or the type of person who likes to spend a busy afternoon hooking up a golf-cart battery to your inflamed nipples.
|"Et tu, Thane?"


text:
Toshiba gigabeat F40
Price: $529
Rating: * * * *
Website: www.isd.toshiba.com.au
The term "iPod-killer" is a cliche, yet there's no shortage of takers for the title. Toshiba's gigabeat MP3 player is the latest to clamour for the crown and perhaps the most convincing to date.
For a start, it's positioning of the gigabeat range is nearly line-ball with Apple's white iPods in pricing and storage capacity.
Toshiba seems to have taken the approach: let's take the iPod and improve on every spec. Battery life, audio quality and the colour screen are all superior.
The display is slightly larger and more rectangular than the iPod's and can be viewed vertically or horizontally through custom settings in the menu. It's been designed for viewing photos, which can be transferred from a PC.
You can also download pictures directly from a digital camera using a USB cable (USB 1.1 only) and the player's docking cradle. If you use this method though, you can't preview the photos because they are downloaded into a backup folder. The only way to show off your snaps is to copy them to the player from your PC using the supplied the gigabeat Room software.
Toshiba has come up with its own user interface with the Plus Touch control. It's a rubberised touch-sensitive control arranged in a plus sign (+) formation that you slide your thumb along or tap on. It takes some getting used to but works reasonably well.
So is the gigabeat an iPod-killer? We're not prepared to label it as such just yet. The reason why the iPod is such a hit isn't so much because of the superiority of the device, but rather that it attracts a large range of accessories and content - not to mention the iTunes software and online music store available overseas (and let's not underestimate the power of Apple's marketing expertise). Providing these other pieces fall into place for Toshiba, it will have a fighting chance.


text:
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 - Michal and Artur - Fucking Duo
Latest Sets at WilliamHiggins.com
We tooka Michal Herak and Artur Lafek on location with us. Both great looking guys I was looking forward to a really good scene. The guys start out by the side of a river, and give themselves a quick wash before checking the map to find where they need to go. They soon find their way to the castle and find a way in. Michal is in need of a piss, so he takes a leak as Artur has a cigarette. When Michal has finished with his piss he gets feels a bit frisky, so undoes Artur shorts and take out his cock, going down on it. Michal sucks that cock while Artur enjoys his cigarette, and soon the cock is rock hard with Michal fucking his mouth onto it. Artur gives Michal a toke of the cigarette and Michal blows th smoke out, over that throbbing cock. Then Michal goes up and starts to kiss Artur who responds by groping Michal thru his shorts. Michal drops his shorts to reveal a nice hard dick, which Artur immediately grabs, and then, dropping to his knees, starts to suck. Michal fucks his cock into Artur's mouth before turning around so that Artur can rim his tight hole. He rims the hole while still pulling on Michal's dick. Spitting on the hole for extra wetness Artur laps at it. Before long he fingers the hole too, with Michal moaning as he does it. Michal really pushes his ass out to get the finger deeper, he is just loving it. With that Artur is ready to plow the tight ass, and slides his thick hard cock into Michal's ready hole. Artur loves to fuck slow and deep and lifts Michal's leg to gain deeper access. Michal loves that feeling and wanks his own cock at the same time as his ass it getting Artur's. Then Artur lifts Michal and hold him in place so he is sitting on that rock hard dick as it fucks into his ass. Next the guys move to missionary, so that Artur gave fuck some more while Michal wanks himself. Michal is just loving that dick in his ass and cant hold back, letting his load go whle being fucked. Artur continues to fuck until his load has built up in his balls and he pulls out and shoots his cum into Michal's mouth. Michal is eager for it and takes Artur's cock in his mouth for more. Which brings a really lovely scene to a very nice end. Two great looking guys, giving us a perfect scene.
Our nude submission wrestling matches have proved very popular and today's contestants, Maxim Petrovic and Ivan Vladic are two very likely candidates. Maxim had done some matches before, and was rather successful in them. Ivan is a newcomer and is a bit of a street fighter in real life, it seems. So I expected a good match. The guys start off with friendly greetings, and then start to strip down to their underwear, before going through some mutual stretching exercises. The bout then begins, with the guys in their undies. Maxim starts well and wins the first round, and the guys remove their slipys for the start of the 2nd round. The guys fight very hard and though Maxim takes a healthy lead, in rounds won, it is closer than the score would appear to show. Ivan gives a good account of himself and soon wins one round. At 7-1 the guys take the opportunity to oil each other up, which will make gripping more problematic and so heighten the thrill of the match. We see some lovely view of the guys asses and dicks as they thrash about with each other. After much very entertaining wrestling the match is over, with Maxim winning 15-1. Well done to him, proving again what a good fighter he is. The guys then settle down for a wank off. This is one contest which Ivan wins easily, squirting a nice load over his leg before Maxim delivers his own very good load too. The guys, in the spirit of friendship, clean each other off before moving off to the shower to wash each other and bring the video to a very nice ending.
Igor Premsyl is 27 and comes from Prostejov. He is a bodyguard and a boxer and likes fitness, boxing and vale tudo. This is the stills shoot we did of Igor, for Badpuppy. As in his previous stills shoot Igor looks truly wonderful here. He is such a handsome guy and has an amazing body. His cock isn't the longest, but it is thick and gets very hard indeed. He also sports an amazing bubble butt that looks great with the cheeks spread, exposing his tight pucker hole. His video for Badpuppy will appear in the next few days too, so look out for it.
Daniel Galba is ages 21 and lives in Liberec, where he works as a locksmith. He enjoys machines, tennis and swimming. Daniel looks great I think, and has a ready smile. He starts his video with an interview and then gets down to business. He is quick to open his jeans and slide his hand in as he rubs his body. Almost immediately a helping hand arrives and starts to rub Daniel's body, removing his tee-shirt. The hands get oiled up and apply the oil to Daniel's body, a hand dipping into the jeans to grab a feel. The hands leave and Daniel stands to remove his jeans, revealing the most amazingly full bush I have seen for many a long day. But the bush doesn't hide a rather lovely cock and low hanging balls. Daniel looks very pleased with himself as he stands there showing us his goods, and his dick starts to swell as he rubs his body. Still flaccid, but swollen it looks wonderful. As he stands there working his body a hand appears and takes hold of Daniel's cock, and starts to pull on it. Bit by bit that cock starts to grow, under the helping hand, until it is standing proud. We get a fabulous view of that tackle, from below with the pendulus balls hanging there as the hand wanks Daniel's rock hard cock. Daniel is then turned around and bent over, so we can see his ass, and the hands get to work again, wanking the cock downwards, and oiling the ass. Daniel stays aroused as his ass is caressed by the hands and then reclines on the couch, so that the hands can really work on his cock. Next Daniel's legs are raised to expose that very nice pucker hole, as he is being wanked. More oil is applied and an orange vibrator is presented to Daniel's ass, and slides in quite nicely, with Daniel smiling all the while. Very soon his cock is ready to blow and he delivers a very nice money-shot before departing for the shower. I do hope we can persuade Daniel to come back for more.
Jan Krutak is aged 22 and lives in Prague. He is a student of economics and likes movies, fitness and athletics. What a stunner Jan is, with a really handsome face and a wonderful body, such good definition. He does very well in this stills shoot, with some great poses and that very nice cock of his, along with very low hanging balls. He also shows us the pefrect ass, very nicely spread. I will look foward to seeing his erotic video.


text:
Coffee Brew Case For Galaxy J7 Max
Designed by Robobull
Regular price
₹ 1,099
one is not enough ends today!
- - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
- - Extra 5% OFF on order with 3 products see details
Product Features
Shipping & Returns
- Thin & Light weight
- Perfect fit & Amazing grip
- Incredible 3D Printing quality
- Scratch-resistant
- Highly durable
- Easy to Install and Remove
- Dispatch To Courier in 2-3 Working Days
- Hassle-free returns for 30 Days
The Robobull 3D printed designer case offer a unique all-round protection to your smartphone. It is designed with the precision cutouts for the speaker, camera and other ports to provide best performance in terms of functionality and safety. Slim polycarbonate and TPU case.
Need assistance?
Call us on 1800-103-9898


text:
I love singing in rounds, don't you? What did you say? Sorry, I had my fingers stuck in my ears.
Jeepers, where have I been? In a food coma, apparently. And then battling the cyber-crowds while cyber-shopping in the cyber-malls. I didn't get to finish my drawing for this week's word, and I can practically hear tomorrow's IF word knocking on the door. Ah well. Snagged some pretty good deals, though.
In other news, I received a great surprise in the mail yesterday. A while ago, I worked with the fabulous Caren Krupinski of Kdottie Designs on a personal project. Caren had written a heartwarming and enchanting poem and asked me to help her illustrate it. She put everything together into a little book and sent me my very own copy. How wonderful! Thank you, Caren!!!!