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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run
We had a nice flight into Boston, found our Explorer for the weekend and drove into Woodstock, VT. I was surprised that the vegetation/foliage in the area of VT where we were was much like Minnesota. There were white pines, maples, birch and in the yards were hostas, day lilies, shasta daisies; it felt like I was at home although I didn't see any lakes, instead I saw the mountains.
I enjoyed arriving Thursday as I didn't have to begin feeling quite so nervous and didn't have to think 'oh boy, tomorrow I'll be running'. We had all of Friday to check out the aid stations, look at the course a bit, attend packet pickup and chill out. I needed chilling out. I was a nervous wreck, really. I didn't know what to expect. I knew I would be doing a ton of climbing and downhill running; were the ski hill repeats I had been doing going to be enough? I was afraid the answer would be no, but at least I had done them, I had been training on gravel road, for this I felt grateful.
Tom and Nancy were celebrating their 4th year wedding anniversary. They had ventured out to VT 4 years ago to be married and Tom ran the 100 while Nancy paced and crewed for him. They knew where to shop, where to eat, where some cool views were and pretty much knew the route, although it had been changed a bit. They took care of Alicia and I very well!
Tom was pacing Alicia and Nancy was crewing for her. I would be using drop bags with no pacer. I was hoping to catch Tom and Nancy at a few aid stations, it is so nice to see a friendly face along the way! This would be Alicia's first 100! My plan was first to finish, and if things went very well, maybe I could get 28 hours. Because I had never run in the mountains, I wasn't sure how my quads would hold out. I didn't know if 28 could be a reality. I'd soon find out.
Packet pickup just makes me plain nervous. The inevitable is approaching, I'm a pile of nerves and I just don't like it. We had to have a blood pressure check. I took a deep breath as she cuffed me. Wow. 104/80. She commented: 'well, you must not be too nervous; there are MEN here that would love that pressure' What is that supposed to mean? MEN? I was a bundle of nerves.
I didn't recognize many faces, however, Damon from the Precision Nutrition board was at pickup and we talked a bit. We even ran some miles together in the beginning of the race; he ended up running a PR. Good job!
Friday night we set the alarm for 2AM. I slept well, before I knew it, it was time to rise and shine. Here we go!
I ate my pre race always: peanut butter sandwich, banana and HEED. We ate, got dressed and were out the door by 3. Oh boy, the reality is approaching..
Race start and I was all jitters. I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to climb into a cocoon until we could run. I waited in line for the porta potties. I was freezing. I hadn't taken along a jacket or long sleeved shirt. It was 55F but felt chilly standing around. I couldn't wait to just begin running.
Pretty soon I heard 123, start. OK, we're off to whatever this race holds for us. Who knows? I had a flashlight with me, it was very dark, but the stars were out and they were beautiful. Alicia and I ran together for a while, then I had to stop to potty again so lost her. I just plodded on, thinking about what the day may bring, and how fortunate I was to be able to be here..in Vermont..running the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run. There were over 200 people entered and like 40 women! I've never run a race with so many women entered. How cool. All of the training I had been doing on gravel roads and the hills, would it be enough? I hoped that my road shoes were a good choice. Most of the people who I had asked about whether I should wear trail or road shoes stated road. Too late to worry about it now.
I had 4 drop bags along the course. I had socks, foot potion, gels, cliff blocks and beans in each bag plus in my night bag I had a jacket, long sleeved shirt, flashlight and headlamp. I hoped that I had packed enough drop bags.
The weather was forecast to be a beautiful day. Mid 70's, low dew points, sunny with a breeze. Perfect for running. It had rained since we arrived Vermont but the trail wasn't muddy. It felt pretty good.
There were two unmanned aid stations with water and HEED before we came to the first aid station with food at 15 miles. I filled up my bottle with HEED at each of the aid stations. The sun was coming up, I was able to turn off my flashlight and get a view of what it was I was running upon. We were on a gravel road, pretty wide, meandering through farm areas. It reminded me of the gravel roads near our cabin on Lake Vermilion, much of the same type of trees, but here there were lots of farms with cows and horses.
I was wearing a new pink pair of Xy Weiss' gaiters and a pink top. I must have a dozen pink running tops. Yes, I love pink. Everywhere I went people would call me pinky! "Hey Pinky, nice socks", Hey Pink! Love your shirt"! It was funny. I'd laugh and smile and agree.
I was becoming hungry; I ate a Hammergel espresso each hour until we reached the aid station Taftsville Bridge at 15.3 miles. I was starving. I grabbed a PBJ sandwich and headed off as quickly as I could. I could see Alicia up ahead of me, but couldn't catch up to her. I was a bit worried as someone told me I was running a 22 hour pace. Shit; I didn't want to be going this fast. I needed to slow down.
This race is held with a horse race. They run the same route, beginning an hour later than the runners. There were 13 horses entered. They have to take mandatory 30 minute breaks and vet checks along the way. As they first approached me I became nervous. I didn't want to get run over, even though everyone said they were very friendly. Still. They were big. And fast. Eventually I became more at ease with the horses and even asked a woman if I could take a picture of her and her horse. I wanted to make sure it wouldn't spook the horse. She told me sure, if I could do it on the fly. I was glad I took the picture then, as it was the last time I saw the horses on the course.
The uphills were definitely long. I would climb, climb, climb, for what seemed like forever, then down, down, down we'd go. My legs felt strong, but man, it was early yet. I was worried for my quads and knees. Would they hold up on this flatlander girl? We'd see.
There was maybe a total of 2 miles of flats. Honestly, it was up or down. Just as my climbing muscles would tire, I could switch into downhill mode. I was enjoying this run very much, but was surprised at all of the road sections. It was almost ALL road. I was thankful that I had been training on gravel road and ski hills. Thankful I decided to wear road shoes. This was a road ultra.
As I was approaching Pretty House aid station, the first crew access, I was hoping that Tom and Nancy would still be around. Alicia was in front of me, so they could have already left, but since the next crew access was in 10 more miles I thought they might be around. They were! I was so excited to see them. Pretty House had a porta pottie I could use. Tom and Nancy had my drop bag ready for me. I grabbed some more gels, some cliff blocks and some cliff beans. I had some watermelon, grabbed a PBJ and was off to hit the trail. I felt great, but worried that I was going too fast. I was on 23 hour pace and figured I had no business being there. My goal was 28-to finish under 30 and 23 hour could kill me. I didn't want the end of this race to be a death march. I tried to slow down.
I was just amazed at how much road there is in this race. Even though I read that there is lots of gravel roads, even though I had on my road shoes, I still didn't think there were be so much road. I was also surprised that the views looked just like home. I could have been running in my neighborhood. The same perennial gardens, the same trees, it was crazy!
I felt fantastic. My worst section was between 7 miles and 15 miles, while I was worrying about being hungry and finding my groove and all, otherwise, I felt really strong. Nothing hurt, I didn't feel any hot spots on my feet, I was eating and drinking, all systems go.
I was wearing the Krissy (Moehl) Vest (thanks Krissy!) from Nathan and loved it! No hydration system, just a vest with pockets. It was perfect for all my gels, iPod, flashlight, etc. I used one handheld and that was plenty. I was sure to drink 24 oz each hour. I just don't like anything hanging on my waist. I was having zero problems.
The prettiest view ( in my opinion) was before the 30 mile aid station. There was a mountainous, grassy area full of clover with great look out views. As I was climbing, climbing the mountain and getting to the top, out popped Alicia from the woods! It was wonderful to see her again. We talked about how great we were feeling, how nice it was to be off of the road during this section and how pretty this view was. We looked around a bit and then began to run toward the next crewed access aid station. I was happy to be with Alicia, and happy to know that I'd be able to see Tom and Nancy soon.
I didn't have a drop bag here so I had my bottle filled, grabbed a PBJ, said hello to Tom and Nancy and goodbye to Tom, Nancy and Alicia. I headed out as they helped Alicia get set . I was still worried about my pace. The guys I was going out of the aid station were all excited because we were on 23-24 hour pace. I was happy that it wasn't a 22-23 hour pace anymore.
This next section was a ton more of road, I pulled out my iPod and rocked and rolled along. I felt so good. I felt euphoric. Then I felt afraid that I was so damn high, the crash would come soon. God, quite worrying, will you? Just enjoy! It was 17 miles to Camp Ten Bear so a good long time before I had a drop bag and crew access. I didn't know if I'd see Tom and Nancy, it depended on where Alicia was. I couldn't believe all of the road running I was doing. This was a road 100, not a trail 100 is what I was thinking.
My legs were holding out just fine. My quads felt strong, my knees felt great. I found that I'd pass people as I'd climb, then get passed as I ran downhill. I was afraid to let go and run downhill too fast, afraid that I'd hurt my knees or something. I didn't feel comfortable running real fast, bombing down the hills, I figured I'd save that for the last 20 miles!
OOOHOOO Camp 10 Bear and 47 miles in. I couldn't believe it. I felt high on endorphins. I saw Nancy waving and taking pictures and I was SO happy to be alive, to be running this race, to be feeling good, and holy shit, I was already almost half way done. Time was flying by! Nancy took off my vest for me, took my bottle and ushered me into the scale to be weighed. I was down 1 pound for the packet pickup weigh in. The Dr. asked how I felt: euphoric, high...wondering when I'll crash? He told me I didn't have to crash, just eat, drink, be merry! I was merry alright! Tom had my drop bag, helped me get my gels, a baggie of endulalytes and Advil, which I never needed (the Advil) during the race, asked me if I needed foot potion and socks, I didn't! My feet were fine! First time ever! I left the socks and potion behind, grabbed a PBJ, my bottle of HEED, Nancy helped me with my vest and I was out of there, enjoying every step.
I had been running with Joe and Terry. Terry from IL, and coached also by Lisa, and Joe from the Pitsfield races with Andy of McNaughton. It was really nice to run with these guys; I went back and forth, playin leapfrog with them until near the end of the race. They kept me very good company. Each time they would come upon me I'd hear "PINKY!" I knew it was them. I wasn't alone too much during the day. On sections that I was by myself I'd start up my iPod and enjoy the music. The views were pretty much the same during the whole race. I had heard how beautiful Vermont was, and I suppose it is, but pretty much what I get to see every day. Minnesota is every bit as beautiful although the rock fences around the properties in Vermont is very cool, very beautiful.
I ran road for what seemed forever and a day, eventually this long long downhill into Tracer Brook at 57 miles. I saw Tom alongside the road, wow, I got to see he and Nancy again! How wonderful. They told me Alicia was back a ways, but doing well, holding her own, that I was still on 24 hour pace. I finally let it go. I was no longer going to be worried about going too fast. Hell, maybe I could crack 28 hours? 27? 26? I didn't want to get too excited, there was so much race left. I didn't have a bag here so just grabbed a sandwich, a hug and kiss from Tom and Nancy and climbed and climbed and climbed our of Tracer Brook. On road. Again. More road. This was a long climb. Just as my climbing muscles were tired, down I was able to go. No flats here.
I got to Margaritiville much earlier that I planned. A line of spectators yelled "GO PINK" I laughed and smiled. I was having so much fun!! The volunteers at all of the aid station were so friendly, always asked right away what I needed, what could they do to help, etc. They were wonderful! I certainly didn't need my lights and night clothing. It was like 630 or so for 100K. I was wishing I had my lights at the next drop bag-where we run through Camp 10 Bear again. Oh well. I put my head lamp and long sleeved shirt into my vest, I left my jacket in the bag, I was warm in a sleeveless shirt and didn't think I'd need it. I filled my bottle, grabbed a turkey sandwich and headed out with a thank you, a smile and a wave.
As I was running along a guy came upon my, he told me the guys in back of me wanted to buy me a bottle of champagne. I looked at him like 'what the hell is your deal' and kept running. He kept running alongside me and said, no really, they told me to catch PINKY. I started laughing. Oh, it's Joe and Terry again. Sure enough, it was. I had been alone for quite some time so was happy to hook up with them again. They had a few pacers at Camp 10 Bear and told me I could probably use one if I'd like. Yeah, I'd like! Now I had the 24+ hour on the brain, knew I could crack 28 and knew a pacer could get me there. Heck, maybe a pacer could get me to 24. Yeah, I'd love a pacer!
Into Camp 10 Bear, Tom and Nancy were there! It was 730 PM, 15 hours in, at 70 miles. I NEVER anticipated I'd be this far, this early. I couldn't believe it. Nancy had told me earlier she didn't think they'd see me again. Tom was getting dressed to pace Alicia in a while, Nancy took some pictures, I was weighed-up like 6 pounds-and I headed out with the boys. Out of Camp 10 Bear was really pretty, there were rolling hills, pretty big estates with the horses, the big beautiful barns, the landscaped yards, lots of money in these homes. Very pretty. We ran along, eventually having to turn on our lights. It was getting dark. Two pacers came along with me, Terry and Joe. Terry decided to drop back, he was struggling a bit, so the pacer with him kind of came up to me, then the other pacer ended up pacing Joe in. "My" pacer hadn't run much before. His knees were killing him, he had to remove his inserts; I was amazed as I watched him pull TWO inserts from each shoe, then he carried them in his hand and ran along. Eventually I noticed he didn't have a light. I asked him if he had a light, um, no, he had a cell phone though that had a light. OK then. At the next aid station I heard him tell the aid station volunteer that he was done, his runner had smoked him. Oh well.
Joe and his pacer took off like two crazy men. I didn't see them again, and I couldn't keep up. They looked like they were flying. I kept hoofing along, it was late, it was dark, I didn't see hardly any other runners and felt very alone.
It was kind of spooky running along, all alone, in the areas of homes. It was Saturday night, I could hear a party in the distance and was hoping that some of the cars whizzing by me weren't drunks. I knew most of the traffic was probably crew people.
I was running a ton of road into Bills aid station. It seemed like to took forever and a day to get from 81 to 88 miles! I was SO happy to see people again, to have someone to talk to. I had to be weighed here, was down 5 of the 6 I was up. I stayed at the aid station about 3 minutes, then headed back out into the darkness.
Now I was tired of all this. I just wanted to be done, I was tired of being alone and carrying this vest on my back. My light was giving my a head ache but I kept telling myself if these are my only complaints I'm doing pretty fricking well! I'm 88 miles in, feeling damn good, insanely tired and worn out, but in one piece, still running, and holy shit I'm going to finish in the DARK! That blew me away.
I came into Polly's at 95.5 miles and couldn't believe it. I was still high as a kite, although a worn to the born, tired kite. I was shuffling, just telling myself one foot in front of the other..I filled my bottle, grabbed some gummi bears and said over and out, I'm on my way home. The aid station guy asked if I was going to try to crack 24 hours. I told him no, my goal was 28 hours. I'm golden with 25 hours, I can do 25. Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe it. He looked heart broken for me that I wasn't going to get a buckle at 24. Here I am, telling him it's OK, a buckle wasn't ever in my plan, then I realized WHY AM I EXPLAINING THIS TO YOU??? I have a race to finish and no, I never wanted 24 hours as a goal. I shuffled on out, waiting to reach the 97.8 mile unmanned station. That was the next goal. One aid station at a time.
I was finally on trail. Sure, now I'm on trail and it's dark so I can't see the trail anyway. Oh, but I'm glad it's dark. Oh my god, I'm going to finish in the fricking dark, that never crossed my mind, finishing in the dark, I thought I'd get stronger with the sunrise, now I don't have to wait for the sun rise. Be stronger now. Wow. Dark at the finish. Holy frickin' shit. Oh a rock. A fence. A rock fence. I have to crawl over it. Oh man. Put my bottle down on the other side, heave the leg over and crawl over the frickin' rock. Oh my god, this is the ONLY rock on the whole 100 mile route. Superior is all rocks. Oh my god. Superior. Superior is so much more difficult. So much harder. All rocks. Oh god, 24 hours in and I'll only be 70 miles in at Superior. Don't worry about Superior now worry about finishing this. Maybe I'll do the 50 at Superior instead. I don't want to be out there for 38 fricking hours. Don't worry about Superior now, worry about finishing this! Ok, Ok, yeah, finishing this.
Here's Sargeant's! 97.7 miles! Oh my god, I'm going to finish before 25, I am! Here comes a girl and her pacer. "How can you run this without a pacer? I could never run this without a pacer" her pacer "maybe after I finish her, I can come back and get you" runner "NO YOU WON'T, I need you at the finish" pacer "oh, maybe not...." That was about the 10th person that asked me how I could run this without a pacer? I don't know..same as you..one foot in front of the other..
Where the hell is the finish? It has to be soon. Sure, nice trail and it's dark. Can't see a thing. It's steep. It hurts my blisters. I can feel them. Squish, squish, my legs are tired, they hurt, they want to be done, my brain is tired, I want to be done done done. Where is the finish? Bats are flying right in front of my face. Maybe if I sing they will leave me alone. They do!
Lights in milk jugs..must mean I'm close. I don't hear anything. God, I have to be done. I can't take anymore.
Oh my gosh, there is the banner. I'm done. Before 25 hours! WOOHOO! I scream WOOHOO! Nancy yells JULIE? Yes! I'm done! It's still dark and I'm done 24:41. Woohoo!
Nancy is there, she takes a picture of me, with her camera, with my camera, the timer guy is there and a girl and a few people waiting for their runners. It's wonderful. I rocked 24:41. Never in my wildest dreams.
Nancy wraps me in a blanket, I sit in the chair and talk about the race. Alicia is out there somewhere with Tom, we don't know where. Nancy gets me hot Ramen noodles, it tastes wonderful. My legs are already stiffening up on me. My body is done. The race is done for me. Thank goodness.
We wait at the finish line, wrapped in blakets, eventually I go and lay down in the tent on a cot. I tell Nancy if Alicia comes in to scream loud for me to return. I keep on having bad coughing fits in the tent and I can't fall asleep. I'm in my sweaty running clothes but cold. I never wore anything but my sleeveless shirt, it was that warm. Now I could use a jacket or something. I'm freezing.
I walk back to Nancy and the finish line, the sun rises, we watch the finishers arrive; it's wonderful to watch. To watch each and every finisher, cross that line, a changed person. Leaving so much on the trail, but picking up so much more of themselves.
Nancy gets me a Diet Coke. I'm too cold to take my unsleeved arm out of my blaket so she puts the can to my mouth and I drink. I feel like a two year old, but I let her take care of me. She's wonderful. It was so wonderful to have her at the finish line for me. What a treat. What a friend. I love her.
We begin to worry about Alicia and Tom, but know that Alicia is strong and determined, she will finish and Tom will get her to the finish line.
He does. Alicia finishes her first 100 mile run. What a celebration. We are 100 mile finishers. Oh yeah. Alicia was awesome, she is a 100 mile finisher.
There is a fabulouse post race meal. Grilled chicken, fruit, salads, ice cream. We eat a ton and are awarded our plaques. We are exhausted and ready to shower and rest. Tom and Nancy take such great care of Alicia and I. They carry all of our gear, get us into our motel, they do everything for us. They are such good people. They are so kind. We are so grateful.
What a weekend. What a race. What great friends I have.
I'll have pictures up soon. I took a load of pictures along the course.
22 comments:
Wow Julie, just wow.
Congratulations on your fabulous race & as always thank you for your terrific race report.
- sherpajohn said...
Yes... those Hills... They LOVED your company. :)
Sorry we never hooked up.. again... but congrats none the less!
WAY TO GO JULIE - again..!
You just keep on cruising through these 100 mile races. You're starting to make it sound doable, even for me! Let's see - the McNaughton 100, the Fans 110, the Vermont 100, and then Superior? Its the Julie Berg Slam! Congrats,
- Travis said...
YEA!!!! Great job, you did awesome! Keep knocking those 100's down. I'd love to pace for you, just let me know.
- Adam said...
Great job Julie! You made it sound easy, maybe Buck paid big dividends! Great report, I could have done without the comments about how hard Superior is (just kidding). See you in September.
- Olga said...
Great job, Jul!!! Why can't you believe like others do in you? Of course you HAD to come under 28, you are a btter runner, and your under-25 is so well deserved!
Great job Julie!! Must feel pretty good to finish under 25 when you thought it was going to be between 28 and 30 hours!! Congratulations, your hard work is paying off!!
- Adelyn said...
wow...sounds like you had just a wonderful race. I'm glad that you never had a huge crash or anything, and had so many lovely highs to ride through. Finishing when it's still dark is such a huge accomplishment and you should be so proud! Congrats :)
I have been waiting for the report from you. I checked the results last night and wooped it up in my head for you when I saw 24!
You are SUCH an inspiration to a wannabe like me!
- Kim said...
Awesome race report!!!
I may have to add Vermont to my list of 100's now to run due to your race report!!
- jamie said...
Great report, Julie. Enjoyed the read. Rock on and congrats!
Julie!! I am so proud of you!! I had tears in my eyes reading your report! Wow!!
- Ryan said...
Congratulations Julie...yes the hills where alive this weekend! Btw I ran into u at West Winds - Spirit of 76...what a great aid station that was…and you did have a lot of pink on...you looked great! Happy recovery!
- RunBubbaRun said...
Great job out there, that's a great time.
Your having a great year...congratulations.
Great race. I enjoyed the few miles that we got to run together. I'll see you at Superior one of these years, I'm sure.
Congrats Julie! See you on the ST ;) Jason
- Sarah said...
Congrats on a well-run race! Loved your report. Best of luck at Superior! : )
Yeah, Julie! Great job! And I love your race reports! Can't wait to hear about Superior.
- Unknown said...
Congratulations, Julie! Wonderful report and I was surprised to hear about the gravel roads as well. I did not really know a lot about Vermont, but I do know a thing or two about hills. Rest up.
- ultracassie said...
Awesome story!!! Huge congrats!
CONGRAULATIONS!!!You're an awesome athlete!!!
Reading your race report makes me feel like I am right there with you. You do a marvelous job of describing your experiences. Rock on girl!!!
John W. Taylor
Minneapolis, MN
- Avery said...
Wow Julie!
What an accomplishment! I always love reading your race reports. So, amazing!
Avery in NY


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I used to often struggle with the proper relationship between peace and justice. More specifically, I wrestled with whether or not it is ethical to ask folks who are living in deplorable, violently oppressive conditions to vie for peace when there is such a glaring absence of justice in their daily lives. In many ways, the answer to this question continues to shape my understanding of the question of peace in the modern world.
My first attempt at resolving this coincided with my intellectual journey. On the one hand, I would read the work of such luminaries as Martin Luther King, Jr. While persuaded by the love ethic, I was not necessarily convinced that redemptive love and a belief in the purported righteous arc of the moral universe were sufficient to bring forth the peaceful, beloved community we so desperately need. On the other hand, I would read the work of philosophers who I felt had a more grounded, materialist critique of structural violence and oppression as we see it in the capitalistic Western world. While these insights continue to inform my thinking and analysis, I couldn't help but be filled with a sense of dread at any school of thought that sees bloodshed as the only way to bring about a more just world.
Strangely enough, this intellectual stalemate left me with no other option than to turn inward and test my beliefs in the laboratory of my own mind and heart. I began a protracted self-struggle to let love overcome my own animus towards those that had personally injured me (including my own father); as well as the perceived European "other" that has continued to hoard the resources of the planet to the detriment of black and brown people for the last several hundred years. What I soon realized was that no amount of harm I could muster, even if I had an army that was 10,000,000 strong, could repair the original harm done in any lasting way. It also occurred to me that a critical step in working toward repairing the harm was to reframe these "arch-enemies" as flawed human beings reinforcing oppressive systems based on a toxic set of assumptions and fears that promote dehumanization of, and a wanton disregard for, others.
Rather than a sense of hopelessness, both of these struggles have helped me work toward the internal peace that I believe is a pre-requisite for working with people toward any meaningful social change. I have been liberated by the knowledge that the most authentic thing I can do is to sincerely engage people from a range of perspectives merely as a man who loves people and seeks peace; not as someone who comes with easy answers to extremely complex issues.
As I struggle with other peace-seekers in this way, I believe it allows for us to co-create our vision for a peaceful world absent some of the other baggage that comes when we try and convince others of the correctness of our own approach.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Stage 16: Orthez to Gourette to Col d'Aubisque
Cyclingnews.com says, "The French and German teams stayed at the start for a minute or so to protest at doping in the sport. Others such as Discovery Channel, Euskaltel, Lampre, Caisse d'Epargne and Preditor Lotto didn't feel the same way and left. Michael Rasmussen also left with these. Strangely, T-Mobile and CSC also moved off, even though they have strong anti-doping programmes. Hmm, what about solidarity, guys? . . . There was some booing from the crowd. We don't know if that was for those who left, or those who stayed."
According to Reuters, it was Rasmussen who was booed by the crowd.
Velonews.com summarized it: "Today's stage began with a riders' protest, from teams expressing frustration at yesterday's news of a positive doping test from Alexander Vinokourov. The teams were also angry that the Tour is being led by a man many regard as suspicious."
While I'm on the topic (and I don't intend to dwell on it on this blog, because - call me naive - I honestly don't think most of the riders in the back of the pack are dopers), I particularly liked this viewpoint on the subject of unannounced tests by Bobby Julich, who is in a position to know.
And Rasmussen wins the stage and probably the Tour, but loses in the court of public opinion - he is booed at the finish line. That's the first time I've heard of that happening to a stage winner.
Ronan Pensec said, "People along the road today were whistling at him and telling him things I won't translate here. It is really like no one wants to see him win anymore with all these drug-taking problems. The atmosphere is more than tense, it is really bad. Everybody is tired of all these problems and they all pretty much want to be at the end already."
Matthieu Sprick, a French rider for Bouygues Telecom, withdrew during the stage, bringing the peloton down to 150 riders. A note on the BT team website says, in a funny translation, "It should be noted that Matthieu SPRICK has to pose foot with ground after respiratory problems." I suppose that means "step down from the Tour" in English.
The autobus arrived at 41:49 today, and contained 72 riders, nearly half the active remaining cyclists in the Tour. No stragglers.
That leaves the bottom of the standings essentially unchanged:
146. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 79h 53' 18" + 3h 38' 03"
147. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 79h 55' 44" + 3h 40' 29"
148. GERAINT Thomas 215 BARLOWORLD 79h 57' 22" + 3h 42' 07"
149. NUYENS Nick 145 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 79h 59' 23" + 3h 44' 08"
150. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 80h 02' 22" + 3h 47' 07"
Barring any major crashes or climbs in the rankings from a breakaway, this may be what we see in the back of the rankings all the way to Paris. But we must never forget that these riders have already been able to accomplish what 39 others have failed to do: survive the Alps and the Pyrenees and remain in the Tour.
Probably the peloton will be down to no more than 149 tomorrow, since Christian Moreni of Cofidis tested positive for exogenous testosterone. He finished 41st in today's stage and was 54th overall. Unless the entire Cofidis team chooses to withdraw as well. . . .
Cyclingnews.com and TDFBlog note with some irony that the Cofidis squad was part of the anti-doping protest today.
Cyclingnews.com discusses the scoring issues that have arisen from the Astana team's departure - since their riders were all technically a DNS today, since Vinokourov was not disqualified. Yet.
Update: Um, I was joking. But yes indeed, the entire freaking Cofidis team is leaving the 2007 Tour too. I have to go look at the standings again. . . .
Here is part of the stage stats again, from Velonews. Maybe I'm the only one who finds these tidbits interesting, but I can't find them anywhere else, and there's a lot of stories in each item, I'm sure:
Medical report:
Horner (Predictor-Lotto), Quinziato (Liquigas), Tosatto (QuickStep-Innergetic) all digestive problems.
Barredo (QuickStep-Innergetic) contusion on left knee.
Sprick (Bouygues) abandon for abdominal pains.
Ballan (Lampre) crash at 134, superficial cuts and scrapes.
Voigt (CSC) crash at 137km, superficial cuts.
Jury decisions:
Arrieta (Ag2r) and Camano (Saunier Duval-Prodir), fined 50 CHF, penalized five points and 10 seconds in GC for pushing off vehicles.
Flecha (Rabobank), Kohl (Gerolsteiner), Tankink (QuickStep), fined 50 CHF, penalized five points and 10 seconds in GC for bidon pulls.
Niermann and Weening (both Rabobank), fined 100 CHF, penalized 20 seconds in GC (two infractions each) for following too long behind vehicles.
Rabobank sport director fined 400 CHF for above infractions.
Arrieta (Ag2r), Zubeldia (Euskaltel) and Fofonov (Credit Agricole), fined 50 CHF for irregular feeds.
Ag2r, Euskaltel and Credit Agricole directors each fined 200 CHF for above infractions.
Cofidis sport director fined 200 CHF for not respecting commissaire.
After receiving news about failed doping control taken after 11th stage into Montepellier, Moreni (Cofidis) accepts the results without request for "B" sample.
Labels: Geraint, Hushovd, Julich, Krauss, Moreni, Nuyens, Rasmussen, Sprick, Vansevenant, Vinokourov
Robert Hunter (BAR),Michael Rasmussen (RAB), Kim Kirchen (TMO), Patxi Vila (LAM), Christian Moreni (COF), Lilian Jégou (FDJ), Erik Zabel (MRM), Maxim Iglinskiy (AST) were tested after Marseille - Montpellier"
Whodunit? Place your bets!
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- Home
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2nd International Conference on Information Technologies
for Performing Arts, Media Access and Entertainment
8-10 April 2013
Conference web page: http://www.eclap.eu/eclap2013
Call for Proposals, Deadline:
31st January 2013 EXTENDED: 6 March 2013
Paper Submission page: Springer in the Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS) series
The Information Technology age has facilitated many significant changes in the field of cultural heritage and continues to be a dynamic and exciting forum for the emergence of new possibilities. This wave of change has had particularly significant consequences in the field of the Performing Arts, where the vast potential for digital content and new information technology exploitation continues to reveal itself, opening the doors to new and as-yet-unexplored synergies. Many technological developments concerning digital libraries, media entertainment, and education are now fully developed and ready to be exported, applied, utilized, and cultivated by the public.
For info: email@example.com or visit the ECLAP portal http://www.eclap.eu or main conference page: http://www.eclap.eu/eclap2013.
Past edition figures:


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Hi all, I really need to get back into the habit of posting again. Now that most of my travel is done for the year (I still have at least one more commission out of town next month), I can settle down again a start posting.
Although I've been rather quite here, I've been posting on my Model Building Secrets Facebook Page and that is the reason for this post.
My page has just reached 1500 likes! A nice milestone and very exciting. 🙂
So naturally the best way to thank everyone for following here on the blog, on Facebook and on Twitter is to do a giveaway. 😀
All the treats and none of the tricks. 😉
I've added a little mix of everything, including the Martian Manhunter fig that was only available as a promo fig.
There will be 3 ways to enter:
1)Comment on this post
2)Like my Model Building Secrets Facebook Page and then Like, Share, and Comment on my link about this post
3)Follow me on Twitter @MariannAsanuma and reply to my tweet about this post with the #1500Giveaway
There will be one winner. Yes, you can enter once all three ways. I will leave the giveaway open till midnight Halloween, October 31st (pacific standard time). This will be international, so as long as I can mail this to you, I will. Good luck!


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A heavily anticipated featherweight contest between Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Dustin Poirer (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been scrapped.
UFC officials today announced that Koch was injured in training and has been forced to withdraw from the planned UFC 143 matchup.
Poirer, who requested the matchup, now waits on a new opponent.
Featuring an interim welterweight title bout between former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz and former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, "UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit" takes place Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The 23-year-old Koch most recently appeared at UFC Fight Night 25, where he outpointed "The Ultimate Fighter 12" winner Jonathan Brookins. That built on a devastating first-round knockout of Rafael Assuncao in his UFC debut at UFC 128.
The 22-year-old Poirier hammered Pablo Garza in the standup portion of their UFC on FOX 1 fight before coaxing a tapout by D'Arce choke in the second round. Previously, he outpointed savvy striker Jason Young at UFC 131 and handed near-contender Josh Grispi his first octagon loss at UFC 125.
The winner of the Koch-Poirier fight was expected to take second or third in line in the featherweight pecking order. Champ Jose Aldo next meets Chad Mendes at UFC 142 on Jan. 14 in Rio De Janeiro.
For more on UFC 143, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Erik Koch)


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Depression is a disease. It's caused by changes in
chemicals in the brain that are called neurotransmitters. Depression isn't a
character flaw, and it doesn't mean you are bad or weak. It doesn't mean you
are going crazy.
People who are very depressed can feel so bad that they
think about suicide. They may feel hopeless, helpless, and worthless. But most
people who think about suicide don't want to die. They may see suicide as a way
to solve a problem or end their pain.
It is hard to know if someone is
thinking about committing suicide. But past history or events may make suicide
more likely.
Things that can make suicide more likely
Warning signs of suicide include someone:
Read more about
warning signs of suicide.
Next Section:
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Last Revised:
January 11, 2013
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
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I didn't spank any children today. We played outside in short-sleeves. Libby made a delicious dinner for us all by herself. I read three long, interesting books to the kids and they all listened and loved them. My kitchen is clean. My kids are asleep. It was a good day.
Nope, these pictures were not taken today, but they capture the essence of today.


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Classroom Storage & Lockers
Organize School Supplies—With classroom storage and lockers, you can keep your supplies organized. From individual caddies to wall-mounted storage systems, find a solution that suits your available space. Select storage products from brands like Creative Teaching Press, Copernicus Educational Products, and Flipside.
Easy Configuration
Classroom storage and lockers help you create individual spaces for different subjects or supplies. Separate toys, books, or art supplies with a storage bin system or a desktop organizer. For a more mobile storage option, choose art caddies and pencil boxes for small items. Whether you want to create homework cubbies or a place to keep books, compartmentalized solutions make organization a breeze.
Sturdy Materials
Durable storage solutions are essential in a busy classroom. Plastic units are lightweight for easy repositioning but sturdy enough to handle daily use by energetic children. When the budget is tight, choose cost-effective cardboard storage products. Choose bookcases for heavyweight items like textbooks.
Don't worry if you have limited space in your classroom — simply choose classroom storage and lockers that are designed with efficiency in mind. Create extra room for books with a bag that hangs over the back of a chair. Save floor space with a desktop literature organizer or a wall-mounted unit. To help students keep their lockers neat, choose a locker rack system with multiple compartments.
Many of these kid-friendly storage solutions are made in bright, vibrant colors that create a welcoming classroom atmosphere. Color-coded systems serve a dual purpose by teaching students about categorizations. Find storage solutions, from drawers to pencil cups, in a wide range of cheerful, classroom-friendly shades.
- Fifteen same-size, file slots measuring 3"H x 10"W x 12.5"D easily organize, store and protect all your papers, folders, and office or classroom supplies
- Each slot features a small label tab that hangs down for precise labeling without getting in the way of your papers


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Do you refuse to wear colors close to the Browns, the Bengals, the Ravens
or any other NFL team other than the Steelers?
Do you refuse to wear colors close to the Browns, the Bengals, the Ravens
or any other NFL team other than the Steelers?
Peace & Yours in Black 'N Gold,
Many thanks to BR7 (Ron) for the sig and matching avatar
Not really. I will not wear a Jersey. I also don't wear Purple/Black, Prange/Black, or Brown/Orange, but that isn't really the point.
it has nothing to do with those teams....those are just ugly ****ing color schemes.
but I answered the last choice....
The only color I do not wear is orange, but it has nothing to do with any team, I am a muts fan afterall. I just hate the color. Also don't wear pink.
That made me laugh, so i picked that. No really, i don't care one bid about other teams colors. I'll wear what i feel like wearing, and thats thatAnyone That Would Not Wear A Color For Those Reasons Is Obsessed And Needs Help
However much you think you know about football, rest assured that Skip Bayless knows more!
lol unless its another teams jersey, or a tiger striped shirt(wow, that would be an ugly *** shirt) I really dont really think about it.
Personally, I never wear orange, let alone with black.
I never wear there colors usually. I hate to wear Orange when I go Hunting. And had to wear green in the Army.
[AutoMerged Post Below]
You look awesome in B&G by the way.
Last edited by Stlrs4Life; 06-26-2008 at 07:23 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
I'm A "Champion"
Hell now Im not wearing anything orange or purple, you can bank on that. As Tee mentioned they are fugly color combinations anyways but even if they weren't I wouldn't wear them anyways.
My college colors are technically brown and orange but the athletic programs use orange and black and we are the tigers. So we are in between the Browns and the Bengals. I don't mind the black and orange but refuse to wear the brown and orange.
"Racing doesn't teach a lesson. Nor do most racers. Many of them can't even tell you why they're in the cockpit. They don't know. Racing isn't what they do. It's who they are."
R.I.P. Dan Wheldon
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I came across the phrase "There's nothing bulldog about Britain hovering somewhere in the mid-Atlantic," in the following sentence of New York Times (December 12) article, titled "The British Euro Farce" commenting on British PM Cameron's veto of Europe-bolstering treaty change:
"After uncertain mumblings, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, managed to reach beyond this theater to something approaching strategic reflection. Declaring himself "bitterly disappointed" at Cameron's decision, he said: "There's nothing bulldog about Britain hovering somewhere in the mid-Atlantic, not standing tall in Europe, not being taken seriously in Washington."
From the preceding line of the article:
"Since Cameron's "No," there's been much chatter about the return of Britain's "bulldog spirit." Self-delusion is a lingering attribute of former imperial nations adjusting to a lesser reality,"
I can interpret "bulldog" as "British-ness i.e., British persistence" or "going UK's own way," but I'm not sure.
What does "There's nothing bulldog about Britain doing something" mean? Is the expression, 'nothing bulldog about Britain doing' grammatically right? Is this expression (animal name / country name combination) exclusive to Britain related description?
Can I extend this analogy to "There's nothing shepherd (bear, Uncle Sam) about German (Russia, America) behaving ..,"?


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Monthly Archives: September 2013
New Manor Lions Hall Open for Business
429 W Parsons St., Manor, Texas 78653 On Monday night, September 9th, the Manor Lions Club met to dedicate the new Manor Lions Hall. About 100 were in attendance for dinner and an awards ceremony, breaking in the new hall with its first major official event. The new hall is on a much larger piece of land, …
Continue Reading


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At last, we have reached the final episode of the Star Wars themed odyssey through the tangled web that is Oracle's Diagnostic and Tuning Pack licensing.
Just as well really, Deb has flatly refused to give over any more evenings to my "research" – i.e. re-watching all of the films. Even the appeal of Ewan MacGregor's Alec Guiness impression has now waned.
Just to recap then, so far I've looked at :
- Oracle Licensing for the various Database Editions
- How Oracle audits features used on the database
- The components that comprise the Diagnostic and Tuning Pack APIs
- How SQLDeveloper can be quite expensive
Now, finally we're going to have a look at how we can minimize the chances of an errant select statement causing a whole heap of trouble.
Yes, we're going to have a go at disabling access to the Diagnostic and Tuning Pack APIs without (hopefully), breaking anything.
Continue reading


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DELTONA, Fla. – A man was arrested Friday in connection with a home invasion in which a 32-year-old woman was tied up and sexually attacked at knifepoint for two hours inside her Volusia County home.
Nathaniel Medina Gutierrez, 23, was arrested in the home invasion, which occurred around 4 a.m. Friday on Chippendale Street near Waterfall Drive in Deltona.
The victim told deputies that she awoke to find the intruder inside her home and he tied her up, cut off her clothes with a pair of scissors, held her at knifepoint and tortured her for two hours.
The victim told authorities that her attacker told her that people were after him, and that her home was surrounded.
Volusia County deputies said Gutierrez confessed to the crime, and the woman's cell phone and the knife used in the attack were recovered.
According to deputies, a probation officer saw media coverage of the story and contacted authorities about Gutierrez, saying he should be checked out.
Deputies said a masked man climbed into the house after removing a window air conditioning unit.
The woman, who suffered a cut on her hand, was able to untie herself and went to a friend's house for help, deputies said.


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I'm behind with my blogging. Last week was busy. On Tuesday I spent a mere hour at the dentist and ended up with a numb face the rest of the day (much to the amusement of my boys). Wednesday I did my volunteer work at Tennessee State Library and Archives (more on this in a minute), then came home and made cookie dough. Thursday was a day of baking cookies (I've included photos of them), packaging them, getting them in the mail, and going to the neighborhood ornament exchange that evening. Friday, was my youngest son's last day of preschool, so I ran around doing errands like a possessed person. Saturday found me back at TSLA attending a lecture on the book, "Onward Southern Soldiers" (I'll discuss this in a different blog) and doing some research. Sunday was my youngest son's birthday party. I'm a little tired.
Anyway, a little bit on surname vertical files. I've discussed in other posts about the bible project I'm working on. I'm going through the surname vertical files and scanning any and all bible records I come across. It's a lot of files. I started a little over a year ago and I'm only in the middle of the "L's". It's a really neat project! Going through the vertical files can, at times, feel like going through Grandma's attic. There can be all sorts of treasures there. I've seen reproductions of photos, photocopies of photos, original bible pages torn out of bibles, service records, wacky newspaper articles, and many other various records.
A few times I've seen booklets on certain families from an entirely different state. For example, "The Doe Family of Pennsylvania" (it's a fake family, just using the surname Doe as an example). In a few of these booklets there doesn't appear to be any reference to somebody living in Tennessee. Which got me thinking. This booklet somehow made it's way to Tennessee and into a vertical file. Did a member of the family move here or pass through leaving the booklet behind? Would a researcher think to look for this booklet in the vertical file. The moral being, when you are visiting a repository researching a specific ancestor, if you have time it may be a good idea to check out other surnames of your ancestors. You never know what you might find. Maybe a random piece of information somehow made its way into a vertical file there.
Just a couple more cookie photos......


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Need Help?
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the STITCHES Online
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Saturday 08/09/2014, 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Skill LevelIntermediate
Class Hours3
TeacherMargaret Fisher
View Margaret's profile
Use Kitchener Stitch to Fix Mistakes with Margaret FisherIf you find a mistake in your knitting, don't immediately rip out rows and rows of your work to get back to a boo-boo. Learn how to cut and remove a "mistake row", then create the correct stitches by grafting. Grafting is a sewing technique that creates a partial or full row of stitches. Learn to cut, remove, and graft stitches in stockinette stitch, garter stitch, 1x1 rib, 2x2 rib, and seed stitch. Class discussion will include grafting other stitch patterns.
SuppliesHomework swatches, yarn used to knit the swatches and several yards of worsted weight yarn in two different contrasting colors.
Sharp scissors, notebook, pen or pencil with an eraser, stitch markers, blunt tapestry needles (large and small), flexible tape measure, small calculator, and needles & crochet hooks of various sizes.
HomeworkWith smooth, light-colored, #4 (worsted-weight) yarn and appropriate needles, knit five 4" x 4" swatches, one each in stockinette stitch, garter stitch, 1x1 rib, 2x2 rib, seed stitch.


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We made it to Georgia! We arrived here on Thursday night after driving through 10 states. It took us about 4 days all together. We stopped at the Grand Canyon and a few other places along our way and it actually was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. The kids really didn't seem to mind the fact that they were in the car for days on end. We unloaded our stuff yesterday morning and today we are off to find a house. Wish us luck! Thanks everyone for continuing to check out my blog. I haven't had a chance to really read the comments or visit any other blogs, but hopefully soon I will be able to do that. Now on to the goodies.
I always seem to be making baked goods and giving them away. That was the case with these brownies. Desserts were needed at some sort of function and I volunteered to make a couple of items.
I made these a couple of months ago, in March.
I had leftover mint buttercream from these cupcakes, and found this recipe that would use up the frosting.
Everybody likes the combination of chocolate and mint, right?
From what I heard, these brownies were very popular and I had a couple of people who called me for the recipe.
That is all I can really think to say. If you like brownies, try these and let me know what you think.
1 cup confectioners sugar


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For an occasion affectionately known as, "Alumni Coming Home", Tennessee State University Alumni from across the country will return to Nashville for Legend's Weekend, April 3-6.
The three-day event will include a number of activities surrounding the main features, the Legend's Game and the Blue and White Spring Game.
Throughout the weekend there will also be a Big Blue 5K Run/Walk, TSU Foundation Scholarship Event, Alvin "Cat" Coleman Symposium as well as Tailgate parties and reunion activities.
The Legend's Weekend will conclude with a Worship Service on Sunday.
For more information, contact the Legend's Committee at [email protected].


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The Karin Futo is a compact tuner sports coupe in Grand Theft Auto IV, and its episodes and Grand Theft Auto V, and its multiplayer.
The name "Futo" is derived from the Japanese word "Dorifuto" (ド リ フ ト), meaning "Drift", probably referring the car's real-life counterpart as a popular drifting car. The Futo is based on the 1983-1987 Toyota Corolla Levin (AE86) GT-APEX/GT-V/SR Coupe and the front, some parts, the shape and the paintjob in a 1983-1985 Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Turbo. The badging on the side ("N/A Inline 20v RWD", subtitled with "Quad Throttle Body", "High Performance Injection", and "Limited Slip Differential") indicates that it is equipped with a 20-valve engine, akin to Toyota's 4A-GE 1.6L Blacktop or Silvertop engine (this engine was actually produced for front-wheel drive Corollas starting from 1991; however, it was a popular modification for the AE86), and is configured with a rear wheel drive with a limited slip differential (possibly contributing to the car's excellent handling). It is much more powerful than the normal 16 valve 4A-GE equipped in the AE86 during its production.
The car is very well detailed, from the interior to the individual throttle bodies and the RS Watanabe F8 wheel option (likely in reference to the popular Watanabe RS wheels for the AE86 Corolla and the Skyline DR30). It even has a different tread design for its tires, ones that well suit asphalt racing and drifting. These tires are found on much higher end cars such as the Sentinel XS and the Super GT. The interior door panels have "FUTO" repeatedly in a pattern on the fabric. And the engine has FUTO written on it too.
The Futo is considered a tuning car, as its visual can be highly modified (body kit, spoiler, hood), as well as the perfomance
The Futo is powered by a naturally-aspirated, high revving 1.4-litre inline-4 engine, with five valves per cylinder and a five-speed manual gearbox in a rear-wheel drive configuration. Acceleration is this car's party piece, getting to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds. The top speed is astonishing for a car of this stature, achieving 165 mph (265 km/h). The chassis is firm and taut, giving the Futo stability at high speeds. The suspension is firm but not too firm, keeping the Futo flat in banked corners and stable in the S-curves, while still giving a firm, yet enjoyable ride.
Couple the excellent suspension setup with the short wheelbase and you get a fantastically chuckable little pocket rocket, capable of competing with full-on sports cars. The brakes are sensitive and effective, and front-wheel lock-up is not a big issue compared to other vehicles; however, ABS is not available and so a little finesse will be needed with the brake to stop lockup. Due to no ABS, braking can be extremely dangerous in the rain. The Futo handles well off-road and can reach about 75% of its top speed on dirt roads and beaches, and grip is impressive even with rear wheel drive, while others of the same drive may fishtail easily. Crash deformation is above average, though build quality is sub-par, often leaving the Futo disabled after just a few accidents.
All in all the Futo is great fun to drive, and makes an excellent escape or pursuit vehicle in missions. It is also an ideal car to drift since it is a light weight, front engine rear wheel drive car and is a very easy car to be put into one. The only possible disadvantages during a pursuit or escape is that the vehicle is small, lacking the power to ram or hit other vehicles out of the way, and the fact that it only has space for two occupants.
Buoyancy 85% (how much of the vehicle is emerged in water, which equals to how much time you have to get out and how deep is safe to drive in before risking the car floating and therefore, lost). Max Steering angle (the higher the better) is 35 degrees. Stat Value is 14000 (when blown up, this is how many points are awarded in the Total Property Destroyed. It can be the numbers Rockstar has made to be its real sale value).
Futo GT
A modified variant of the Futo is driven by the Albanian Mob, and, as a result, can be commonly found in Little Bay. The GT can also rarely be found in other areas of Bohan.
The so-called "GT" variant (referred as such from the "GT" badge on the front grill) features a small body kit, a rear boot lip spoiler, a carbon-fiber hood, a roll cage, a strut bar mounted over the engine, a racing seat on the driver's side, an upgraded speed/torque gauge, and an additional "Inline 20v" badge under the right side rear light. The car also includes a larger, blue titanium exhaust tip, an offset driver's side front license plate and finally a red tow clip, similar to those used on track cars on the passenger side of the front bumper.
The game still refers to the car simply as the Futo when the player enters it, and its performance is almost identical to the stock car's. The Futo GT is only seen in red and black (it looks like the Skyline), but can be resprayed any color. This may be because the car that the Futo is based on, (Toyota AE86 Levin and Nissan Skyline DR30 RS-Turbo), has also a GT model as well as an SR model.
Although these Futos are distinct from typical models, all Futos have "Futo GT" written on the interior of the doors, presumably to save texture memory.
In GTA V, the Futo can be modded, at Los Santos Customs, to resemble the GT variant in GTA IV.
Modifications (GTA V)
The Futo is a highly modifiable car and has all the standard performance modifications, plus:
- Bumpers (3 front, 2 rear, and an overfender kit)
- Sideskirts (Also adds "Inline 20V" badging under the right rear light) (1 option)
- Spoilers (3 options)
- Grille (one with logo, and one without that is also very slightly darker, and there is an option to have no grill.)
- Roof (Roof Lip Spoiler)
- Rollcage
- Spawn all around Bohan, especially Little Bay.
- Spawn around Chinatown, Algonquin.
- Spawn around Castle Gardens, Algonquin.
- Spawn in traffic in Multiplayer.
- Spawn more commonly when driving a Faggio.
- It can be seen driving in Acter, Alderney.
- Rarely found in Broker and Dukes.
- Sometimes found driving in traffic around Rockford Hills.
- Spawn more commonly when driving a Rumpo.
- During a Property Management mission, Pitchers will be robbed. The thief will be using this car to escape.
- Like stated above, when Tivoli Cinema is robbed, the thief also uses the Futo to escape.
GTA Online
- Sometimes found driving in traffic around Rockford Hills.
- Sometimes found in or around Los Santos International Airport.
- While driving a Fusilade or another 2-door car, it may spawn near the gas station near the overpass just east of the Vanilla Unicorn.
- After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie, he agrees to purchase cars from Niko, with the Futo fetching $1,400.
- The car is a creation of Mike Bush, an American vehicle designer for Rockstar UK, and an AE86 enthusiast.
- The name "Futo" is a diminutive of the working file name during production, dorifuto, a Japanese word for drift.
- Futos are used in the Gang Wars, but these come with different modifications.
- The default radio station of this vehicle are
- GTA IV: K109 The Studio or IF99 - International Funk.
- Episodes of Liberty City: K109 The Studio or Vice City FM.
- GTA V: FlyLo FM or Soulwax FM.
- Due to a texture glitch, if the front windshield is damaged (usually after the car has rolled over multiple times), the windshield may suddenly turn white and lack texture, and you can't see through it. This glitch is also present in the Willard.
- It has a similar design to the 3D Universe renditions of the Manana and Blista Compact, particularly the GTA San Andreas versions.
- The Futo is the only Karin branded car with the K logo on the left corner bottom in the hood.
- "Futo" is also an anagram made from the word tofu, which could be a reference to the anime that boosted up the AE86's popularity, Initial D; in the anime, the main character uses an AE86 as a tofu delivery car and a touge racer.
- When customizing the Futo, the player can find a brand of rims named "Fujiwara". This makes a reference to the anime Initial D, wich popularized the AE86. Fujiwara is the surname of the main Initial D protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara. The rims are very similar to the ones used in the Initial D´s AE86 (black RS Watanabe F8).
- There are burnt out wrecks in rural areas that look similar to the Futo; these wrecks are of four door design however, and sport a different grill, but the chassis, rear facade, and headlights are all markedly similar. This could've been a beta Futo.
- Due to the design of a "drift car" it takes a considerable amount of time to get used to the slippery handling.
- The car's exhaust doesn't have a proper hole, instead the exhaust hole is grey instead of further in to be black.
- Despite its relatively small shape, the Futo is classed as a Sports, rather than Coupes or Compacts.
- This most likely because of its superior performance compared to other cars in its class.
- The Futo's rear lights look very similar to that of the Vice City and Vice City Stories renditions of the Police Car and Taxi.


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I have seen it on a shot taken thru a window screen. If you see it while shooting, you can change the angle, tilt the camera slightly. Modify the geometry of the shot slightly until it is no longer an issue.
It very much depends what you shoot. If you shoot natural landscapes, you'll never see it. (note the name of this forum, and ask why Michael says he never sees it...) If you shoot citiscapes in direct sunlight at optimum apertures, you'll see it. Grills of Air conditioners, distant brickwork, clothing of someone bang in focus at a particular distance, etc:If you are a nature photographer, forget about it. non-issue
Moire can show up in landscapes. Rock grain, wood grain, ice textures and even certain foliage.Moire is an issue, but cam be removed.
I suppose it can but I've used Medium format since the original 16mp Kodak back, a Leica m9, now an 800e, and I've only seen it when shooting something man made. On rare occasions I've had a little false color resulting from the de-moisaicing, but to me there is a difference between moire and false color. False color is easier to remove, since with moire you sometimes can eliminate the color issues but the pattern remains and can be more difficult.


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Old Baller wrote:I'm new to this blog and played Class B basketball back in the mid 60's. I'll throw out some names from that era, some of which have been mentioned already. These aren't necessarily the best ever but were outstanding players at the time, at least as I recall them.
Class A:
Phil Jackson- Williston, UND, & the NBA. His story is well known.
Paul Presthus - Rugby, U. of Minn. I'm not sure if he played pro ball.
Glenn Hansen - GF Central, LSU (I think), & the NBA for a few years
Scott Monson - GF Red River. I can't recall where he played college ball of if he played pro but he and Hansen had some great battles. I think Central and Red River played for the title in '69 or '70 when they were seniors. Great game.
Bob Green - Mandan, Dickinson State. Dominant player on a very good Mandan High team that won two consecutive the state titles in mid 60's.
Scott Howe - Mandan, NDSU. Teamed up with Green for a solid 1, 2 scoring punch.
Class B:
Jerry Pyle - Central Cass, U. of Minn. Electrifying player who at 6'7"could run the floor, lead the break, and score at will for an exceptional Central Cass team. Dominated the '68 state tournament and scored 38 points in the final. Gets my vote for class B player of the decade. I believe that Central Cass team lost only once that year, a squeaker to a Class A school from either Grand Forks or Fargo which finished second at the Class A state tournament. His brother Bob wasn't too shabby either.
Vance Bowersox - Wolford, Minot State. Not a big guy but a great scorer. Tiny Wolford came into the '68 state tournament final undefeated but had the misfortune of facing Central Cass that night. Bowersox matched Jerry Pyle with 38 points in that game as I recall. A member of my All Name team, too!
Butch Linch - Mott, UND, NFL. One of the best 3-sport athletes ever in ND high school and UND history. Led Mott to several state basketball titles in the early 60's. Played in the NFL for several teams.
Don Blevins - Fort Yates, Dickinson State. Two sport star (BB & cross country/track). One of the best ball handlers I ever saw. Would "put on a show" Marcus Haynes style by dribbling out the clock and keeping defenders at bay. Fun to watch. Died way too young in a car accident I believe,
John Backhaus - Linton, Jamestown College. Ok..I did play against John a little in HS and came to know him fairly well in college. Led Linton to state several years in the mid 60's and still holds one of the highest single-game scoring totals in state tournament history with 43 (?) points.
I know that Kenmare had some fine players back then too but I can't recall any names. Kenmare was the top high school basketball program in the '60's, playing in 5 consecutive title games, winning 3 times. What a quality run!
point/center wrote:Doug McDermott
Lumpy47 wrote:How about all around athlete. Lowell Linderman from New Rockford? Where would he rank?
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I just hope Target doesn't try to get more than $30 for it.
Holy cow! We're actually getting a brand new pilot sculpt!Sir Steve's Guide Snowpeeder pictures
The figure I'm curious on... Are you sure that's Dutch's torso and legs, Ryan? I hope you're right as it'll be at least a slightly more poseable figure than it appears to be. I mean, on one hand I'm elated to see something "new" in as a pack-in figure, and obviously Jeff's right that the removable helmet is something Hasbro should've been doing with almost every Pilot pack-in we've seen so far... So it's great to get this one.
Quote from: inadvertent imitation on June 25, 2006, 03:03 PMI just hope Target doesn't try to get more than $30 for it.Classic OT Snowspeeder: 087-06-1799 - $29.99
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Reporters standing outside, in front of things – Reporters often stand outside, in front of things. Standing outside in front of things is an important pre-requisite of what reporters do. Standing inside of things is far too easy, and probably comfortable, and reporters should never be comfortable inside of things, lest we cotton on that their jobs are actually pretty easy. I once saw a report on the effects of the cold snap on the rise in hospital admissions, which required – naturally – the intrepid reporter to stand in the cold outside of the hospital (all the way across the road from it in fact, so it was nicely in view) interviewing its chief resident doctor for what seemed like an irresponsibly long time in the shivering cold. This interview could quite easily have taken place inside the hospital of course, where stuff was actually happening, or even in said doctor's office, allowing both interviewer and -ee a comfortable level of relaxation, aiding and abetting the fluidity and coherence of the conversation immensely one would imagine. But no, they had to stand outside, in the cold, ironically increasing their chances of getting ill and needing to go to the hospital across the road. Often reporters are made to stand outside in front of important landmarks that have nothing relevant to do with the story they're discussing, but merely to prove they're in a place that has something do with the story, and thus "looking busy." We can expect to see a lot of this kind of pointless behaviour as reporters stand idly about in front of Stamford Bridge or Eastlands despite the actual negotiations taking place in Italy, or at the end of a country road that leads to the training pitch they're not allowed to go near, just to reassure all us plebs that they're not merely sitting at home checking their twitter feeds like the rest of us.
Ex-Players sitting inside, in cupboards – Whilst reporters are rightly treated like the roaming cattle they are, former players are treated with a modicum more respect by the transfer speculation express. When discussing the possibility of a player's transfer from one club to the other, it is of course vital to have the opinion of someone who has – at one time or another – played for one club, or the other. This player will likely have no knowledge of the current inner workings of the club, or indeed football itself, having stopped playing in the early '80s and never gotten closer to the game than a celebrity golf tournament since. Yet his opinion will lend gravitas to whatever opinion it is he's espousing and he'll be available. Former players are almost always interviewed in two ways; via satellite from a celebrity golf tournament, or in a cupboard full of monitors. The second allows said former player to view footage of said current player, and make insightful observations with words like "which is what he'll bring to the table" and "a whole new dimension." If he's really lucky, he'll be able to slip in an anecdote about his time at Fulham in 1982.
Cars – Cars form a crucially important part of transfer speculation, filling up hours of repeatable filler footage as reporters speculate wildly on the actions of various players from outside of a stadium or the end of a country lane. Most footballers these days drive cars of course, and most of these are inappropriately large, expensive things with tinted windows that all inexplicably look pretty much the same. This means that footage of a large car with tinted windows entering and exiting somewhere nondescript makes the perfect visual filler for virtually any story. As rolling news trundles on in its constant desperation for something to happen, this footage will be replayed endlessly as the hapless "man at the scene" informs us that "we've heard nothing yet, but he arrived at training this morning as usual." Occasionally, to the unbridled joy of the huddled, wild outdoor newsmen themselves, a car will stop and converse with the mass of hungry reporters for anything up to a whole three minutes. Frequently however, this conversation will yield no interesting information, and 'Arry will simply be asking them if anyone knows the form for the 3:40 at Lingfield.
Sunglasses in Airports – In a spin off from the 'Cars' motif, constant footage of players walking around airports with a wheeled suitcase dressed like diamond encrusted clowns will abound. This is a must for your more personal rolling news filler, and will mandatorily require the player in question to be wearing sunglasses, despite the fact he's in England, in the winter and most significantly indoors, contravening Rule 4 of the official people's guide to not being a complete and utter twunt.
Women – Due to the recent Sky sexism scandal, women will now perform all acts of reportage leading up to the deadline, as the once proud network that gave us Mile High seeks to claw back its credibility, whilst the other networks seize on their chance to get one over on Old Rupe's boy's club. After Richard Keys' inevitable public flogging (which will take place in The Body Shop and be screened exclusively on Living TV) Helen Chamberlain will be put in charge of all live footballing matters and Jamie Redknapp will (literally) be replaced by Louise – in order to maintain the ancient and accepted quota of Redknapps in football.
Boyhood Dreams fulfilled – Once a player has actually signed for a club, much to the orgasmic joy of reporters and viewers everywhere, he will almost certainly be required to declare some kind of pride at his new employment. In many cases, this will include a gushing fulfillment of some cherished aspirational dream. This line can be recycled indefinitely, especially if you're Robbie Keane and you've signed for one of your many numerous boyhood clubs.
Arsene Wenger – Arsenal's raptorially elegant manager is a notable mainstay of the January transfer window. Most notable by his absence in fact, but his constant assurances that he will eventually actually buy someone, but that he doesn't need to, and actually won't. Some say Wenger is mistrusting of the process of mid-season transfers, some say he will never buy again, and some say he's has never actually ever bought anyone anyway, and instead grown all his players form an experimental cress garden in his attic, lending credence to the argument that Marouane Chamakh was made from fossilized Raptor DNA after Wenger had watched Jurassic Park over Christmas one year.
Sir Alex Ferguson – Like his nemesis come friend, come nemesis, come friend again, Fergie will be similarly notable for his non-entrance to the mid-winter fray, and his constant assurances that he has actually got lots of money to spend, looaads of it, honest guv, but he just doesn't see anything he likes, so there. Pfftttttttt.
Last minute changes of heart – Some players don't really care where they go, as long as they go somewhere, so desperate are they to escape from whatever slavish, highly paid hell they're currently slumming it in. At some point, but almost always at the very last minute, a player will seem destined to sign for one club, only to suddenly decide to switch to another at the last minute, usually on the basis that this club is actually better, but apparently really where he wanted to go to all along, and also his boyhood club, that he's dreamed of since he kicked balls of newspaper around a Rio slum.
Shirts and Tattoos of unsigned players – In the age old tradition of football fans being complete idiots, some irresponsibly excitable fan will decide – wholly unwisely, and probably without the consultation of his doctors – to buy a shirt, or in extreme cases, get a tattoo, with the name and presumed number of a player spuriously linked with his club. Said fan will then be promptly ridiculed by the footballing world at large and drag down the reputation of his exasperated colleagues, most likely at Newcastle or Manchester City. If this doesn't happen, a photo-shopped picture will appear on the Internet, and everyone will assume it has anyway.
You can follow Oscar on twitter here http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary where you can help him decide whether wanting to see Black Swan just for the Lesbian scene is sexist or not?


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Issaquah Women's Club elects officers
August 12, 2014
The Issaquah Women's Club has elected new officers for the 2014-15 club year.
Mariann Crane was elected president. Other officers are first vice president Judy Smith, second vice presidents Sandy Cobel and Linda Whitworth, secretary Wilma Taylor and treasurer Cecelia Gambill.
July 3, 2013
A Deeper Well discussion group: 8 p.m. last Tuesday of the month, Issaquah Brew House, 35 W. Sunset Way, 392-4169, ext. 105
American Rhododendron Society, Cascade Chapter: 7 p.m. second Tuesday, Bellevue Presbyterian Church, Bellevue, 391-2366
ArtEAST: 6:30 p.m. first Monday, Up Front Art Gallery, 95 Front St. N., www.arteast.org or 392-3191
Beaver Lake Community Club: 7 p.m. first Monday, Issaquah Lodge at Beaver Lake Park, 25101 S.E. 24th St., www.beaverlake.org
Cascade Mountain Men: 8 p.m., second Tuesday, Issaquah Sportsman's Club, 600 S.E. Evans St., club shoots noon, the third Monday, www.cascademountainmen.com
Who's News
September 1, 2009
EFR firefighters win gold at paintball tournament
Ryan Hendricks, Nick Parker and team captain Pete Wilson, of Eastside Fire & Rescue, brought home gold medals in the World Police and Fire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August.
The three firefighters of Local 2878 were joined by Terry Dries, a Sacramento, Calif., firefighter, and Randy Paulson, a Pleasanton, Calif., police officer (at right). They competed in a five-on-five paintball tournament against five other teams, including two Los Angeles police teams, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police team and two teams from Victoria Corrections.
The five had never played together before the games and got off to a rocky start. The team suffered crushing losses to the two Los Angeles teams in the qualifying rounds. After the fourth game, the team rallied to defeat one of the L.A. teams, making the finals. The team won both rounds in the finals and took the gold.


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Kerry seeks political, economic consensus in Egypt
- Kerry will meet with President Morsi on Sunday
- Egyptian reform could lead to %244.8 billion from IMF
- Egypt is Kerry%27s 6th of 9 Middle East visits
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says bickering Egyptian government and opposition leaders need to reach a political consensus to help their country emerge from an economic crisis.
Kerry arrived in Cairo on Saturday for meetings with business people, opposition figures and the foreign minister. Talks with President Mohammed Morsi were set for Sunday.
U.S. officials accompanying Kerry on his first overseas trip as a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet said Kerry was particularly concerned that Egypt undertake the reforms necessary to qualify for a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan package. Steps could include increasing tax collections and curbing energy subsidies.
Agreement with the IMF, contingent on ending the political chaos that has ensued since Morsi's election, would unlock significant U.S. assistance, including portions of Obama's $1 billion pledge last April.
Kerry planned to press all sides to come to a basic agreement on Egypt's direction ahead of parliamentary elections that begin next month.
According to the U.S. State Department, Kerry spoke by telephone with Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate who heads the National Salvation Front, an opposition coalition calling for an election boycott.
Liberal and secular Egyptians have complained that Washington is siding with Morsi's ruling Muslim Brotherhood.
Kerry met with Amr Moussa, a former minister under ex-President Hosni Mubarak who's now aligned with the Salvation Front. Moussa, an ex-Arab League head, ran for president last summer.
Kerry's talks with the league's current leader, Nabil Elaraby, covered the uprising in Syria, where 70,000 people have died in fighting over nearly two years.
The Salvation Front says it could consider participating in elections if parts of a new constitution are changed, police stop using excessive force against protesters and if an inclusive government of the Christian minority, women, and liberals is formed.
They say now is not the time for elections that will further polarize the country while violent clashes continue to take place between protesters and security forces, further shaking the faltering economy.
They accuse Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood of dominating power in Egypt, effectively stepping in to the same role as Mubarak and failing to carry out reforms while also seeking to instill a more religiously conservative system.
Morsi's administration and the Brotherhood say their opponents, who have trailed significantly behind Islamists in all elections since the uprising, are running away from the challenge of the ballot box and are trying to overturn democratic gains.
Egypt has been locked in political crisis for months amid successive waves of protests against Morsi that have turned into deadly clashes and rioting.
As Kerry was meeting with opposition figures, including some who have joined the election boycott, activists in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura say a 35-year-old protester was killed when an armored police vehicle crushed him to death during violent anti-Morsi protests before dawn on Saturday.
A 14-year-old boy was reported to be shot in the head and critically wounded.
In the restive Suez Canal city of Port Said, a police vehicle ran over five people Saturday after protesters marching along a main street refused to allow the car through.
Kerry's visit to Egypt is the sixth leg of a nine-nation trip through Europe and the Middle East.


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Amazing Charts just announced a new EHR partner program. This isn't something that's particularly new for EHR vendors. They all have lots of partners. Some have formalized them into a program like athenahealth has done with their More Disruption Please (MDP) program. Others are much more quiet about the partners they work with and how they work with them.
What's clear to me in the EHR industry is that an EHR vendor won't be able to do everything. There are some that like to try (See Epic), but even the largest EHR vendor isn't going to be able to provide all the services that are needed by a healthcare organization. This is true for ambulatory and hospitals.
Since an EHR vendor won't be able to do everything, it makes a lot of sense for an EHR vendor to have some sort of partners program. The challenge for an EHR vendor is that a partner program comes with two major expectations. First, the partner has a high quality integration with the EHR software. Second, that the partner is something that the EHR vendor has vetted.
The first challenge is mostly a challenge because most EHR vendors aren't great at integrating with outside companies. This is a major culture shift for many EHR vendors and it will take time for them to get up to speed on these types of integrations. Plus, these integrations do take some time and investment on the part of the EHR vendor. When there's time and investment involved, the EHR vendor starts to be much more selective about which companies they want to be working with long term. They don't want to spend their time and money integrating with a company which none of its users will actually use.
The second challenge is that EHR users assume that an EHR partner is one that's been vetted by the EHR vendor. Even if the EHR vendor puts all sorts of disclaimers on their partner page, the EHR vendor is still associated with their partners. The written disclaimers might help you avoid legal issues, but working with shady partners can do a lot of damage to your reputation and credibility in the marketplace. I actually think this is probably the biggest reason that EHR vendors have been reluctant to implement partner programs.
I think over time we'll see the first problem solved as EHR vendors work to standardize their APIs for partner companies. As those APIs become more mature, we'll see much deeper EHR integrations and the costs to an EHR vendor will drop dramatically when it comes to new partner integrations.
The second problem is much harder to solve. My best suggestion for EHR vendors is to create a platform which allows your users to help you vet potential partners. Not only can they participate in the vetting process, but it can also help you know which partners would be useful to your users. Is there anything more valuable than user driven partnerships? It also puts you in a good position with potential partners if you already have users interested in the integration.
However, an EHR vendor shouldn't just leave potential partnership requests to their users. Many of their users don't know of all the potential partner companies. Users are so busy dealing with their day jobs that they often don't know of all the potential companies that could benefit their practice or hospital. Certainly you should accept user input on potential partnerships, but an EHR vendor should also seed the potential partner feedback platform with a list of potential partners as well. The mix of an EHR vendor created list together with user generated partner lists is much more powerful than one or the other.
We're just at the beginning of companies partnering and integrating with EHR vendors. I expect that over the next 5 years an EHR vendor will be defined as much by the organizations it chooses to partner with as the features and functions it chooses to develop itself.


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Though Liles White is headquartered in Texas, we handle cases throughout the United States
Though Liles White is headquartered in Texas, we handle cases throughout the United States
Whether you have been injured in an 18 wheeler truck crash, an industrial machinery accident, had a loved one killed in a car accident, experienced devastating injuries as a result of defective medical devices, been a victim of a drunk driver, or been involved in a refinery or chemical plant explosion, you can find help at Liles White PLLC.
Our attorneys have decades of experience, a network of experts and a broad range of resources at our disposal to help the victims of careless, reckless and otherwise negligent behavior no matter what the case may be. We have obtained multi-million dollar settlements for victims and families nationwide.
We strive to be attentive and compassionate to our clients' needs. However, that compassion does not extend to the responsible party. We aggressively fight for our clients and explore all legal avenues to get the full amount of compensation they deserve.
Call Liles White PLLC today at 877-826-5236 for a free case evaluation.


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Photo Credit: Arlene Francis' picture is courtesy of Peter Gabel. Photographic illustrations of Arlene Francis are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Arlene Francis is derived from astrological interpretation of Arlene Francis' date, time, and place of birth.


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Where in the world? Speakers look at our global image
Self-help experts are always telling us to take a good look at ourselves and describe what we see. That's bad advice for a superpower. What we should be doing is describing what everybody else sees.
This is the diagnosis not just of Susan Sontag and her crew of skeptical diplomats, but of a growing chorus of international pragmatists. Let's face it, they say, America's global legacy is not all apple pie and a promising career path.
Samuel Huntington of Harvard University kicks off the 2002 Levinson Lectures at UVA's Center on Religion and Democracy as the first in a solid line-up of sexy international policy wonks. Huntington is 75 and an old chum of Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger. He the originator of the "clash of civilizations" thesis; he postulates that Western, Islamic, and Asian systems of thought and government are on a collision course slicked by religious tensions, a once-controversial theory that is now all too commonplace.
While men of Huntington's erudition and expertise are welcome among policy-makers, "his ideas come from lectures and seminars, not epiphanies," writes journalist Robert Kaplan. "If he couldn't teach he probably couldn't write."
The same cannot be said for Kaplan, who also takes the podium. The author of Balkan Ghosts, The Arabists, Eastward to Tartary, and many other books, Kaplan roves the globe observing the societies of those very cultures that we will likely face in this coming clash.
Kaplan's worldview is vast, colorful and anecdotal, but sometimes so cross-referenced it lacks nuance. With a ready supply of economic statistics about remote communities and far-flung folky lore, Kaplan is always prepared to write, teach, or both.
Just to keep us guessing about how clear-cut the upcoming "clash of civilizations" will be, UVA has invited Lionel Jospin to throw in his two cents. Who else but a former Prime Minister of the European Nation Most Likely to Toss an Obscene Gesture Our Way could give us image advice in a charming French accent while steering clear of awkward references to McDonald's and terrorist tribunals?
Well, it beats Susan Sontag.
The Levinson Lectures are sponsored by the Center on Religion and Democracy at UVA. Samuel Huntington speaks at 7pm Thursday, November 7, at Alumni Hall. Lionel Jospin speaks on November 8 at 9am, followed by Robert Kaplan, in Old Cabell Hall. A discussion with all three panelists begins at noon, also in Old Cabell Hall. No reservations or tickets necessary. The topic of American primacy will be taken up again the following week at The Miller Center when Harlan Ullman of the National War College discusses the "Unfinished Business" of America's Security. 243-5511


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I was over at Jay & Mary's Book Center earlier today, signing the books people have ordered, and I was impressed at this innovation for this year: A formal Scalzi Order Form, so as to make easier for them (and you, the book buying public) to keep track of what was ordered and how it should be signed. I can attest that it made it a whole lot quicker and easier to get through the books, because I could pull out the sheet and know exactly what I was signing and to whom. I love it when my life becomes marginally easier.
Also, as a reminder, you have until the 12th to get orders in for signed books (if you want to guarantee they will arrive before Christmas), and I'll be signing for another week after that for late gifts, etc. All the details are here.
Thanks again to all of you who are getting books signed this holiday season. I really appreciate you supporting my local independent bookseller.


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Icon wrote:
the mine tiles can be a little hard on the eyeballs, but this did wonders for my frames, ty greatly for this
Will change it today orso, you can just look to the edit date and then you'll know enough.
vienradzis wrote:Whit new textures i am not able to chop woodlogs out of tree log
Yeah, I fixed that back to normal at 4:12 pm yesterday. For now everything should be functional, I will be doing more textures but these will be additional.
When I found out that the logs were not responding correctly I was amazed, I will look into this and perhaps I could use this ''feature'' for something cool.
If you notice anything else stupid, just report and I will fix it asap.


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Check out the latest RPG news | Podcasts | Twitch Streams
I haven't really been playing that long, but I do know I can't stand World is Mine.I think Diva F had a stronger song selection overall, from the ones I know on that list.
The one thing I can't stand is that World is Mine is not a playable song. Too bad, because that song is darn good.
(On a semi-related note, if that Senbonzakura Miku figure comes out at a decent time, it might well be my first and only Miku figure).
^ SO will I. In 5 MORE DAYS!Preemptively necro'ing this thread in anticipation.Also, I'm still enjoying that Miku-themed card battle game on iOS.


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Welcome to Airship Downs! This is the first title being developed by EVV Games, which is planned to launch in Summer of 2013. It will be a City-Building RPG with a Steampunk theme, and a customizable playstyle. Players will be able to build a city while gaining and completing quests based on a deep storyline, and will have the option to expand this experience as they grow comfortable in Airship Downs. There will be multiple game-play slots and an optional features such as strategic combat and a few more TBD. Please stay tuned for updates here, and we will keep you posted with frequent new material and information on the game. You can find us on FB and Twitter as well, and we hope you will join us in this endeavor to deliver a deep and engaging experience, which will be available on mobile and a PC web app.
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