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If you're a PHP developer who has a significant background in developing object-based applications, then possibly you'll agree with me that when it comes to implementing an approach for decoupling the logic of a given class from its concrete implementation, there are some trusted techniques that can be applied successfully.
Among others, the factory pattern is one of the cases that best applies the concept that I described above. When this pattern is used, it's possible to create a class that simply "returns" objects to calling code, without having to worry about how these objects behave inside the context of a given application or even how long they persist during the request of multiple PHP files.
However, and now speaking more specifically, using a factory class inside an application implies that you can decouple the logic that stands behind all the created objects from the corresponding creator. At the same time, this means that multiple objects (at least two) are involved in the creation process. Without a doubt, the situation that I illustrated a few lines ago should bring up the following question: is it feasible to work with only one class (not many classes) that can be decoupled from its concrete implementation?
Fortunately, the answer to the above inquiry is a loud "Yes!" To give you an example covering the topic in question, think about an abstract class, where its implementation is most of the time separated from its declaration. That sounds really good, and indeed the application of abstract classes is an important link in the chain of object-oriented programming, but definitely it's not the only approach used for separating a class from its implementation.
Assuming that you're interested in learning an alternative approach for achieving the mentioned decoupling process, let me now introduce the concept of "bridge" classes, or what's more generally known as the bridge pattern. In this specific case, it's possible to create a class where its respective abstract functionality and implementation reside on different class hierarchies, in this way allowing you to decouple the class in question from its concrete application. And best of all, the referenced procedure can be performed without using abstract classes at all.
Of course, I'm pretty certain that all this theory on applying the bridge pattern seems to be a hard thing to grasp, but in fact it's much simpler than you think. Thus, in this series, which is comprised of three tutorials, I'm going to teach you how to create and use bridge classes with PHP 5, by showing you numerous hands-on examples that can be easily included in your own PHP applications with minor modifications.
Ready to learn more on how to apply the bridge design pattern with PHP? All right, let's no waste more time in preliminaries and begin now!
{mospagebreak title=Introducing the basics of the bridge pattern}
Naturally, a good place to start demonstrating the creation and usage of bridge objects with PHP 5 is with developing a practical example where these types of objects are utilized to perform a given task.
In this case, the example that I'm going to set up will be based upon creating first a target object, called "Message," which will be tasked with displaying some trivial strings to the browser. Next, I'm going to define a bridge class that will be capable of saving the mentioned target object to different storage locations, like a plain text file, an array structure and a simple cookie.
Hopefully, after you see how this bridge class looks, you'll realize how its instantiation can be separated from its corresponding implementation, since both things will reside on different class hierarchies.
So far, so good. The process for building a bridge class seems really straightforward, therefore let me show you the first target class involved in this creation process. As I said before , it is named "Message," and its simple signature is shown below:
// define 'Message' class (target object for 'BridgeObjectSaver' class) class Message{ private $message; public function __construct($message='Default Message'){ if(!$message||!is_string($message)||strlen
($message)>255){ throw new Exception('Invalid input message'); } $this->message=$message; } public function getMessage(){ return $this->message; } }
As illustrated above, the "Message" sample class is really simple to understand. All this class does is accept an input string as the unique parameter, which will be returned to calling code with the trivial purpose of being displayed on the browser, or receiving similar processing. Extremely easy, right?
Well, I have to admit that the previous target class is rather primitive, but for my purpose of showing you how a bridge class can be created with PHP 5, the definition for this class is more than enough, at least for now.
Therefore, having shown the signature of the respective "Message" class, it's a good time to leap forward and learn how to build a bridge class. This class will use "Message" objects and save them to different storage locations, including text files, arrays and cookies respectively.
Do you want to see how this brand new bridge class will be created? All right, jump into the following section and keep reading.
{mospagebreak title=Implementing the bridge pattern's core logic}
In consonance with the intrinsic definition of the bridge pattern, it should be possible to separate a given class from its concrete implementation (without using abstract classes at all), since both of them will reside on different class hierarchies. This concept will be much easier to grasp if you take a look at the signature of the following bridge class, which takes up objects of type "Message" and saves them to different locations.
That being said, the definition for this brand new class is as follows:
// define class 'BridgeObjectSaver' class BridgeObjectSaver{ private $messageObj; private $objSaver; public function __construct(Message $messageObj,$saveCommand){ if(!in_array($saveCommand,array('array',
'file','cookie'))){ throw new Exception('Invalid save command'); } $this->messageObj=$messageObj; // target object is saved to array if($saveCommand=='array'){ $this->objSaver=newObjectToArraySaver(); } // target object is saved to file elseif($saveCommand=='file'){ $this->objSaver=new ObjectToFileSaver(); } // target object is saved to a cookie else{ $this->objSaver=new ObjectToCookieSaver(); } } public function save(){ $this->objSaver->save($this->messageObj); } }
As shown above, this completely new "BridgeObjectSaver" class is capable of storing an object of type "Message" in different places, such as a plain text file, an array or a simple cookie. Nevertheless, I'd like you to study specifically how all these tasks are performed by the mentioned bridge class.
As you can see, there's a third object involved in this process called "ObjectSaver." This object actually carries out all the storage procedures that I discussed before. Obviously the "BridgeObjectSaver" class behaves like a real "bridge" for "ObjectSaver" (hence the name of the pattern). At the same time, it fits the requirements of the bridge pattern, since its respective definition and implementation reside on different class hierarchies. Isn't this great? Of course it is!
After examining the definition for the previous bridge class, surely you'll think that creating these kinds of structures with PHP 5 is actually a straightforward process, therefore let's move on and learn together how to build the corresponding object saver classes that were defined before.
To see how these classes will be properly created, please click on the link below and keep reading.
{mospagebreak title=Implementing the logic of a bridge class in a different hierarchy level}
In accordance with the concepts that you learned in the previous section, the "BridgeObjectSaver" class uses others to save target objects either to text files, cookies or arrays. Having at our disposal this handy programmatic structure, the logic that drives the bridge pattern is now easy to follow.
As I stated before, the "BridgeObjectSaver" class resides on a different hierarchy level, since its logic is implemented by other objects, in this case called "ObjectToArray," "ObjectToFile" and "ObjectToCookie" respectively. Now, do you realize how the pattern in question works? I bet you do!
All right, having explained how the previous bridge class does its business, I'd like you to focus your attention on the signature for the following "bridged" classes that were discussed before. They're defined as follows:
//define 'ObjectToArraySaver' class class ObjectToArraySaver{ private $targetArray=array(); // implement concretely the logic of 'save()' method public function save($messageObj){ $this->targetArray['messageobj']=$messageObj; } } // define 'ObjectToFileSaver' class class ObjectToFileSaver{ private $targetFile='default_file.txt'; // implement concretely the logic of 'save()' method public function save($messageObj){ if(!$fp=fopen($this->targetFile,'w')){ throw new Exception('Error opening target
file'); } if(!fwrite($fp,serialize($messageObj))){ throw new Exception('Error writing data to
target file'); } fclose($fp); } } // define 'ObjectToCookieSaver' class class ObjectToCookieSaver{ private $targetCookie='targetCookie'; // implement concretely the logic of 'save()' method public function save($messageObj){ setcookie($this->targetCookie,serialize($messageObj),
time()+7200); } }
As you can see, the three classes shown above now implement concretely the logic defined by "BridgeObjectSaver." In this case in particular, each one of the previous classes exposes a "save()" method to save target objects to different locations, including text files, arrays and cookies. Quite handy, right?
Okay, at this point I'm quite sure that you grasped correctly the approach used for implementing the bridge pattern with PHP 5. After all, the process is reduced only to defining a few "bridged" classes that perform the tasks defined inside the corresponding bridge.
Now, let's move forward and see together how all the previous classes can be put to work conjunctly to demonstrate the real capacity offered by the bridge design pattern. Therefore, go ahead and read the final section of the article. I'll be there, waiting for you.
{mospagebreak title=Seeing the bridge pattern in action}
Logically, the best way to understand how the bridge pattern works rests on setting up an example where all the classes that were created previously are used together in the same script. In accordance with this, below I coded a few simple snippets which show how the bridge class saves a target object first to an array, then a text file, and finally a cookie. Thus, take a look at the list of try-catch blocks shown below:
try{ // instantiate 'Message' object $msg=new Message('This a test string that will be saved later
on'); // instantiate 'BridgeObjectSaver' object, and indicate that
target object will be saved to array $bObjSaver=new BridgeObjectSaver($msg,'array'); // save target object to array $bObjSaver->save(); } catch(Exception $e){ echo $e->getMessage(); exit(); } try{ // instantiate 'Message' object $msg=new Message('This a test string that will be saved later
on'); // instantiate 'BridgeObjectSaver' object, and indicate that target object will be saved to file $bObjSaver=new BridgeObjectSaver($msg,'file'); // save target object to text file $bObjSaver->save(); } catch(Exception $e){ echo $e->getMessage(); exit(); } try{ // instantiate 'Message' object $msg=new Message('This a test string that will be saved later
on'); // instantiate 'BridgeObjectSaver' object, and indicate that
target object will be saved to a cookie $bObjSaver=new BridgeObjectSaver($msg,'cookie'); // save target object to a cookie $bObjSaver->save(); } catch(Exception $e){ echo $e->getMessage(); exit(); }
As you'll realize, the above examples demonstrate a clear implementation of the bridge pattern with PHP 5. Of course, if you're interested in learning more on this pattern, feel free to modify the original source code that I showed here, and experiment with developing more complex examples.
In this first part of the series, I introduced the core concepts of the bridge design pattern in PHP 5. As you hopefully learned, this pattern allows you to separate a given class from its corresponding implementation, without using abstract classes.
In the next part, I'm going to show you how to apply this pattern to create different data validation classes. The experience is really promising, therefore you don't have any excuses to miss it!


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Animal Species:Smooth Stingray, Dasyatis brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875)
The Smooth Stingray is the largest of all Australian stingrays (Family Dasyatidae). It grows to 4.3 m in length, 2 m disc width and a weight of 350 kg. It usually has irregular rows of small white spots on the upper surface.
Standard Common Name
Smooth Stingray
The Smooth Stingray usually has irregular rows of small white spots on the upper surface beside the head and no thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc. It has a relatively short tail, less than 1.2 times the disc length. This gives the fish its species name, brevicaudata, which comes from the Latin brevis, meaning 'short', and cauda meaning 'tail'. View footage of an albino individual.
Size range
The Smooth Stingray is the largest of all Australian stingrays. It grows to 4.3 m in length, 2 m disc width and a weight of 350 kg.
Similar Species
The species looks very similar to the Black Stingray. They are both dark above, pale below and have a whip-like tail. The Black Stingray lacks white spots but does have thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc.
The Smooth Stingray occurs in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In Australia it is known from southern Queensland, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
Distribution by collection data
Ozcam map of Smooth Stingray specimens in the Australian Museums.
It is a bottom-dwelling species which is recorded from temperate waters. It lives in coastal waters and estuaries from shallow water down to about 170 m.
Danger to humans and first aid
The Smooth Stingray is not aggressive and is often observed by divers. It usually has one venomous spine (the sting) halfway along the tail which is capable of inflicting severe or potentially fatal wounds. This species is sometimes observed raising its tail above its back like a scorpion.
- Species:
- brevicaudata
- Genus:
- Dasyatis
- Family:
- Dasyatidae
- Order:
- Myliobatiformes
- Class:
- Chondrichthyes
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Brown, R.W. 1956. Composition of Scientific Words. R. W. Brown. Pp. 882.
- Last, P.R. in Gomon, M.F, C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
Mark McGrouther , Senior Fellow
Last Updated:
Tags fishes, ichthyology, Smooth Stingray, Dasyatis brevicaudata, Dasyatidae, ray, stingray, smooth, largest, > 2m, 350kg, white spots, dots/spotted, thorn-like denticles, short tail, pale underside, bottom-dwelling, marine, adult, temperate water, coastal water, shallow, estuaries, venomous spine, not aggressive, scorpion,

subset: commoncrawl


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Watch For Peter Christian On KECI Thursday Night [AUDIO]
It's Grizzly-Bobcat week, and KECI-TV will be airing a segment Thursday evening featuring yours truly, Peter Christian, on the influence of social media on the Brawl of the Wild.
NBC Montana reporter Emily Adamson asked me about how this game differs from others in the series, due to the turmoil the school, the football team, and the Athletic Department have been going through over the past year.
We spoke about the music videos created by Griz and Bobcat fans (that can be seen on this website) that add a bit of fun to the rivalry, but as I said to Emily while standing on the bear in the middle of Washington-Grizzly stadium, all that will disappear when the two teams battle it out for state-wide bragging rights.
Oh, and I got to walk up the tunnel into the stadium for the first time ever...gave me chills!
For my part...I picked the Griz to prevail by 3...38-35. We'll see! As Emily and I shouted, echoing through the empty stadium...GO GRIZ!!!
Peter Christian and KECI reporter Emily Adamson


text:
Just one day shy of the Nintendo Direct Feed, the Nintendo Wii U Facebook page promises yet another hour long system update.
I think it depends on the circumstances. Mine's been going longer than an hour but my friend got through it in around twenty minutes.
EDIT: While I know it fixes some technical issues, I am curious as to what exactly this update does.
Does that really increase the connection speed? My PS3 has been wirelessly connected to my router and has almost never given me the issues my Wii gave me (no real issues outside of these slow updates for my Wii U).
Already setting itself up to be the new PS3 in terms of updates, eh?
Well played, Nintendo. Well played.
Better then the maintenance times Sony does on the PS3 which usually take a whole day, not allowing you on the web.


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Women Behind Bars (US - DVD R1)
Gabe sees another notorious Blue Underground 'Video Nasty' release.
A mistress murders her diamond heisting boyfriend and is carted off to a, ahem, tropical prison. The people who run the prison suspect that she's hidden the diamonds, and they'll do anything to get the information, including but not limited to hitting, beating, lesbian advances, and electronic shocks to the groin. Can she escape with her druthers, and does she actually have the diamonds in the first place?
How could I have been reviewing obscure European trash cinema on DVD for this long without coming across a Jesus 'Jess' Franco film? It doesn't seem possible that cinema's most prolific filmmaker hasn't found his way into my inbox, but somehow it is. It's time to rectify the situation, and rectify it good.
If Euro Trash had a middle name it'd be Franco. There was no genre too over-done, no taboo too grotesque, no woman too nude, no budget too low, and no subject manner too exploitative for the Sultan of Sleaze, and there have been few directors in history to rival the master's sheer output. Franco, unlike most filmmakers that revel in garbage, actually had some definite, raw talent, and a handful of his films feature genuinely beautiful imagery. I find this interesting when watching (or suffering through) his movies, because his worst work comes out of disinterest, unlike say, Ed Wood Jr. and Uwe Boll, who give it their all.
Women Behind Bars is actually a pretty even sampling of Franco's work. The film was made to exploit the then popular Women in Prison subgenre (which was responsible for jumpstarting Oscar winner Jonathan Demme's film career), and the plot is a mash-up of other popular subjects of the time. It appears to have been edited by a narcoleptic with a dull cleaver, and filmed by a student learning the ways of the focus pull. The acting is riper than that of most hardcore pornos, and the dialogue is awkward and almost all unnecessary. Yet despite Franco's obvious boredom (perhaps due to the fact that he'd already made several WIP movies before this one, including an in name only follow up to Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS), and the fact that nothing seems to have gone right in the filmmaking process, Women Behind Bars is still somehow entertaining.
As per the norm for Franco (and other films of this calibre and era) it takes way too long to get to the promised sex and violence (almost half an hour), but when it arrives it doesn't seem to ever go away, at least not the sex part. Once the clothes come off they more or less stay off. Also per the norm the sex scenes aren't particularly sexy (usually they're more funny), and I recall only one scene I could really consider particularly violent or shocking. But what it lacks in sex and violence Women Behind Bars almost makes up for in a ridiculously contrived plot, filled with silly backstab after silly backstab.
I should also note that Women Behind Bars was a member of the British Board of Film Certification's original Video Nasties list. The film is relatively tame by most standards, but does feature a couple of nude torture scenes. See No Evil (co-written by David Kerekes and David Slater), a book dedicated to the controversy that rocked England during the early '80s, lists the mix of torture and nudity as a big bone of contention for the ban-happy BBFC at the time. By modern American standards the film's only real controversial imagery is found in the occasional female nether-region close-up.
First, I'd like everyone to know how freaking hard it was to find screen caps that looked interesting without breaking any of DVDActive's content rules.
I wouldn't call this transfer Blue Underground's crowning achievement, but it's undoubtedly the best the film will ever look. The print is dirty, which is most obvious in the whites, though artefacts are surprisingly absent for the most part. The clarity of the image is decent, colours seem accurate, if not a little faded, and blacks, though inconsistent, are deep. Brighter scenes wiggle a bit in a few cases, and there are a few frame jumps. Issues with blur are probably due to mistakes on the part of Franco's cinematographer, though there is an overall softness that may be a mistake.
I don't think I can blame anything wrong with this Dolby Digital Mono track on Blue Underground. The problems are all with the source English dub. The dialogue is so far removed from the mouths during group shots that it's sometimes impossible to tell which character is even talking, and even when lip-sync looks correct the vocal patterns don't match. The folly is maybe the worst I've ever seen, apparently produced by a single sole with a pair of blocky shoes and a chalk board. The general cleanliness of the track really makes this clunky work stand out, for better or worse. The music is all over the place stylistically, and often entirely inappropriate, but it sounds clear, even warm on occasion.
For extra features Blue Underground supplies us with a seventeen-minute Jess Franco interview and a French trailer. Franco, who speaks broken English with subtitles, remembers a lot about the film. Considering his age, and the fact that he's made about a million movies, this is pretty amazing. In the interview he comes across as a good natured and slightly perverse grandfather, and his general honesty and warmth makes for a good interview subject. Fans will also be delighted by the inclusion of modern footage of some of the film's locations, which all look more of less the same thirty-two years later. The trailer is delightfully dirty, and in French to boot.
There aren't any surprises here, those that enjoy this kind of film should know what to expect, and those that don't enjoy trash for trash's sake should probably notice the box art and title aren't to their liking. Blue Underground does another good job digging up and dusting off a grindhouse collector's item, and all the right people should be more than happy with this release. Those curious about Franco and the subgenre would probably do better with 99 Women, which has a pulpy charm not on display here.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Cinque Member Join Date: June 2007 Location: United States Posts: 710
No Pam Grier, no sale.....
acrophobe Member Join Date: February 2006 Location: United States Posts: 188
when i calculate the dollar value of a film, i go by the standard of $.25 per titty, $.50 per bush.
using my system, these films are among the best deals in dvd today, considering the suggested retail price. in contrast, films like Citizen Kane are not even worth a penny and their $25+ msrp's are an insult.
using my system, these films are among the best deals in dvd today, considering the suggested retail price. in contrast, films like Citizen Kane are not even worth a penny and their $25+ msrp's are an insult.
Chris Johnson Member Join Date: October 2005 Location: United States Posts: 1,465
Cinque wrote: No Pam Grier, no sale.....
I second that!
I second that!
This product has not been rated
Disc Details
Release Date: 28th August 2007
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: NTSC
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: No
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: None
Extras: Back Behind Bars, Trailer
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Jess Franco
Cast: Lina Romay, Martine Stedil, Roger Darton, Ronald Weiss
Genre: Thriller
Length: 80 minutes
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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partners. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Krishnan, DDS
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Department of Surgery
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
Dr. Deepak Krishnan has been an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery in the Division of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Cincinnati since August of 2008. Prior to coming to UC, Dr. Krishnan received his Graduate in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bangalore University, India, which is recognized by American Dental Association. He completed his residency training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Emory University and his fellowship training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Krishnan's research and clinical interests are in surgical correction of dento-facial deformities, surgery of temporomandibular joint, pediatric maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial implantology, dento-alveolar surgery, facial trauma, maxillofacial pathology and reconstructive surgery.


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New NDP Leader Tom Mulcair appointed his shadow cabinet to Stephen Harper's Conservative government on Thursday, naming three deputy leaders and assigning a number of former leadership rivals to prominent posts.
Nova Scotia MP Megan Leslie and Ontario MP Dave Christopherson will join Libby Davies as deputy leaders.
Davies, a veteran caucus member from Vancouver, served as one of Jack Layton's deputy leaders alongside Mulcair.
Mulcair announced after winning the leadership in March that Davies would continue to serve as his deputy leader.
Davies had supported Brian Topp during the NDP leadership race.
Christopherson, on the other hand, was a strong supporter of Mulcair throughout the race. Leslie had remained neutral in the run-up to the leadership convention.
BC MP Nathan Cullen, one of Mulcair's rivals for the leadership of the NDP, was appointed as Opposition House leader, and will be assisted by new deputy House leader Sadia Groguhé, the MP for Saint-Lambert in Quebec.
Nash, Dewar, return to former portfolios
Fellow leadership rivals Paul Dewar, Peggy Nash and Niki Ashton also returned to their former posts as critics of foreign affairs, finance and women's issues, respectively. Romeo Saganash will move to international development and Robert Chisholm moves to fisheries, in addition to helping on intergovernmental affairs.
Former interim leader Nycole Turmel was also named chief Opposition whip.
"I am proud of the quality of the team we have," said Mulcair in a statement. "I am particularly proud of the sense of unity and purpose New Democrat MPs have shown as we went through this process."
Some shuffling of critics' responsibilities was necessary during the leadership race as senior MPs ran leadership campaigns, spending long periods travelling and absent from House of Commons debates and question period. The party's rules dictated that leadership candidates had to step down from their critic roles.
Saganash, for example, was the natural resources critic, but gave up that post to run for the leadership and was replaced by Claude Gravelle in the interim. Peter Julian now takes over as the critic for energy and natural resources.
Here's a complete breakdown of the NDP's House officers and shadow cabinet:
Also on HuffPost


text:
We're over here, Ma!
Leslie McLain 5/3/2012 6:32:57 PMThese babies are so cute. Fantastic capture, Terry. #1460613
Tammy M. Anderson 5/3/2012 6:42:44 PMSo cute. Great capture. #10121696
Robert R. Goodman 5/3/2012 7:06:36 PMHi Terry,beautiful capture.Sure are some little cutie my friend.Beautiful capture,The only cute thing I saw at mountains this morning was a little Black Tail Jack(Jackrabbit)!!! #10121731
Ellen Hodges 5/3/2012 7:08:33 PMAbsolutely adorable and awesome capture, Terry!! Big WOW!! #10121735
Deborah C. Lewinson 5/3/2012 8:22:35 PMAbig wow and a fav, Terry!
Debby #10121813
Guy D. Biechele 5/3/2012 8:30:30 PMGreat pose and timing. Very appealing image, Terry! #10121822
Ann Coates 5/3/2012 8:36:05 PMI'm envious that you have little goslings to photograph. This is so cute! A beautiful capture Terry. A fave for me! #10121835
Barbara Waldoch 5/3/2012 8:38:09 PMAh.... perfect! #10121841
Jeffrey R. Bange 5/3/2012 9:06:43 PMFantastic capture and composition Terry with great detail, color and DOF. #10121861
Wm Nosal 5/3/2012 9:34:22 PM:) Beauty! #10121879
Wm Nosal 5/3/2012 9:34:22 PM:) Beauty! #10121880
Julianne Bradford 5/3/2012 9:40:13 PMI just love these little ones Terry! #10121882
Liz blahh 5/3/2012 11:10:55 PMWonderfully excellent! #10121909
Stefania Barbier 5/4/2012 12:30:11 AMahwwwwwww GORGEOUS!!! #10121940
Douglas Pignet 5/4/2012 2:34:38 AMsimply a lovely capture..well done #10121964
Avril Young 5/4/2012 2:45:53 AMthis is a winner, so gorgeous and adorable, belongs in a children's story book! #10121991
Carolyn M. Fletcher 5/4/2012 2:45:57 AMTotally adorable. A winner for sure! #10121992
Kirsten Kiki Kjaer 5/4/2012 4:02:31 AMHow adorable can they get? Beautiful image, Terry. #10122089
Joy Rector 5/4/2012 4:11:48 AMawwww, I love this #10122108
Debbie Bray 5/4/2012 4:27:15 AMThese are just the most adorable little bubs! Terry, I love the background colours too, which really set them off! #10122140
Neal D. Hatcher 5/4/2012 6:14:48 AMAwesome-Sooooooooo cute-fav #10122274
frank w. degenhardt 5/4/2012 6:40:31 AMI go back to the picture of the chick waiting for the egg to break open and its brother or sister coming out to play with and now here they are, so cute, staying together under moms watchful eye. The colors and the smallest of detail you get is phenominal. Beautiful and cute work my friend. #10122320
Lindley Johnson 5/4/2012 6:43:00 AMSuch an adorable image, Terry! Perfect clarity in the faces, and a wonderful background. #10122324
Tiia Vissak 5/4/2012 8:25:36 AMvery sweet! #10122429
Tammy Espino 5/4/2012 11:23:30 AMAdorable :) #10122622
John Connolly 5/4/2012 2:25:18 PMFabulous detail and setting, Terry! You did a fantastic job with this one! #10122946
Amalia Sylvia Arriaga Salinas 5/4/2012 2:35:16 PMWOW, this image is fantastic Terry!,
Stephen Zacker 5/4/2012 5:10:48 PMAdorable! Made me smile #10123211
Marcel J. Fernandez 5/4/2012 8:34:27 PMFantastic image, Terry. The position of the wings, the head, and over all presentation in super. #10123508
Marilyn K. Lincecum 5/5/2012 12:01:14 AMLove these little guys...wonderful light, color, detail and DOF. #10123771
Mary Dimitriw 5/5/2012 2:36:49 AMSuper cute Terry!! This is fantastic, looks like a winner to me!
I keep telling my husband that we have to make a side trip there next time. When we drove by last week I saw a deer standing near one of the entrances. #10123902
Inge Linden 5/5/2012 5:30:50 AMIf I were a judge, this should be a winner!WONDERFUL CAPTURED!! #10124109
Nancy L. Green 5/5/2012 9:02:44 AMI LOVE this Terry, it is ADORABLE with wonderful clarity and lighting, WTG!! <>< #10124602
Karen Celella 5/5/2012 11:12:35 AMLooks like a winner, Terry! Outstanding! #10124894
Carol L. Fowler 5/5/2012 4:38:21 PMAdorable! Great little action shot with those tiny wings flapping! #10125240
Heather Loewenhardt 5/5/2012 9:52:40 PMWow this is simply delightful Terry. Love the cute action. #10125587
Danny B. Head 5/6/2012 5:06:18 AMSo cute! Love the processing! #10125807
Rona L. Schwarz 5/6/2012 8:38:29 PMThey are really precious, Terry, and you've caught them in such a cute pose! Fabulous composition with marvelous detail and clarity. Sure looks like another Winner for you! I shot a lot of chicks at the rookeries in St. Augustine last week, but I'm sure I missed the goslings at home once again! #10126952
Patrick Rouzes 5/7/2012 11:07:07 AMYou are very talented, Terry! This is exceptionally beautiful & a winner in my book! #10127691
Mary Beth Aiello 5/9/2012 10:14:18 AMWinner, hands down. We'll definitely see this again.... and again. LOVE it. #10130899
Tammy Espino 6/18/2012 1:37:45 PMWay to go Terry! Congrats on your awesome finalist! :) #10185532
Tammy D. Ferren 6/18/2012 2:08:37 PMPerfection, Terry! Congrats on your finalist and good luck in the next round. It's definitely deserving! #10185692
Kathy Salerni 6/18/2012 2:27:08 PMHuge congrats on your awesome Finalist and good luck in the next round, Terry! #10185800
Ann Coates 6/18/2012 2:27:59 PMThrilled to see this get a finalist, congratulations Terry. #10185807
Patricia A. Casey 6/18/2012 2:28:44 PMCongratulations on a wonderful Finalist Terry......wonderful capture and wonderful title.....all the very best wishes for the next round! Cheers =^..^= #10185813
Jeffrey R. Bange 6/18/2012 2:37:48 PMCongratulations on your finalist photo Terry and best of luck in the next round. #10185863
frank w. degenhardt 6/18/2012 2:47:27 PMSo cute. So well done. Congratulations on the Finalist my friend. #10185903
Robert R. Goodman 6/18/2012 2:48:15 PMWTG!Big Congratulations,Terry.Beautiful capture my friend!!! #10185907
Don Christiana 6/18/2012 4:56:42 PMTerry, A HUGE CONGRATS on this adorable Finalist. Will be looking for it in the winners circle. #10186345
Danny B. Head 6/18/2012 5:40:28 PMJust too cute! Congrats! #10186537
Thomas E. Hinds 6/18/2012 6:00:27 PMThis is just fantastic, Terry! Congratulations on this fabulous Finalist! I won't be surprised at all to see it in the next round! #10186638
Phyllis H. Burchett 6/18/2012 6:46:00 PMCongrats Terry, adorable! #10186889
Lindley Johnson 6/18/2012 6:51:00 PMCongratulations on your adorable finalist, Terry. #10186917
Ellen Hodges 6/18/2012 7:16:07 PMHuge congrats and very best luck on this fabulous finalist, Terry!!! #10187031
Avril Young 6/18/2012 7:37:21 PMThere is no doubt in my mind...this is a WINNER...congrats Terry!!! #10187113
The Judges at BetterPhoto.com 6/18/2012 8:18:13 PMPerfect! This image has spring written all over it. #10187256
Rona L. Schwarz 6/18/2012 8:53:16 PMI just knew we'd see this one again, Terry! It's a Winner all the way and one of my very favorites of yours of all time! I love it so! Huge Congrats and I'm sure we will see it again! #10187373
Neal D. Hatcher 6/18/2012 8:57:36 PMCONGRATULATIONS #10187387
Carol L. Fowler 6/18/2012 9:49:35 PMWonderful Finalist! Congrats!! #10187483
Stefania Barbier 6/18/2012 11:39:28 PMthis will be gold Terry.... too cute... congratulations on your beautiful finalist!!! #10187706
Debbie Bray 6/19/2012 1:37:38 AMCongratulations on a truly beautiful finalist, Terry!! They are just sooo adorable!! #10187839
Mary Dimitriw 6/19/2012 4:23:32 AMI just knew this one would be a winner Terry!! I predict gold! #10187990
Val Feldman 6/19/2012 6:22:30 AMHey, Buffalo Gal!! :) Congratulations!! I have to add this cutie of a capture to one of the many I've missed this last month but glad I caught it now with well-deserved Silver attached...now ONWARD to GOLD! #10188383
JO ANN CLEVELAND 6/19/2012 6:36:29 AMWowza! Congratulations on this awesome finalist Terri..
jo ann c. #10188432
Nikki McDonald 6/19/2012 7:41:24 AMSo cute - bet this goes on, Terry. Congratulations on the Finalist and good luck in the next round. #10188645
Patrick Rouzes 6/19/2012 7:46:29 AMCONGRATS Terry! #10188669
Mitch Spence 6/19/2012 9:45:48 AMA sweetheart of a finalist, Terry. Congratulations. #10189135
Anita Hogue 6/19/2012 10:09:03 AMOh, just so sweet, Terry! Congratulations on your finalist! #10189224
Dayna Cain 6/19/2012 10:42:15 AMThis is just too cute! Congrats on this finalist Terry. #10189302
Jean-Pierre Ducondi 6/19/2012 1:21:35 PMBig congrats on your finalist Terry. Wonderful capture.
Bill Foxworthy 6/19/2012 4:22:35 PMCongratulations Terry on this fine finalist and good luck in the next round! #10189871
Stephen Zacker 6/19/2012 5:25:44 PMThis just makes me smile. Congratulations #10190019
R. J. Laudenbacher 6/19/2012 5:50:45 PMThis is fabulous Carol. So precious and picture perfect. Congrats on your finalist which is sure to turn to Gold! :) #10190120
Leslie McLain 6/19/2012 6:26:59 PMCongrats on an amazing and adorable finalist, Tery. #10190242
Heather Loewenhardt 6/19/2012 7:23:07 PMCongrats on this adorable image becoming a finalist this month Terry. Good luck to you. #10190410
Tiia Vissak 6/19/2012 11:36:02 PMCongratulations! #10190823
Carol Eade 6/20/2012 5:39:48 AMThis is so sweet, congratulations on your finalist, Terry! #10191077
Liz blahh 6/20/2012 6:53:44 AMCongratulations on you wonderful finalist! #10191162
Don Christiana 6/20/2012 8:51:42 AMTerry, I am so thrilled to see your adorable image recieve a winning GOLD. A HUGE CONGRATS on such a perfect capture. #10191306
Patricia A. Casey 6/20/2012 8:56:12 AMCONGRATULATIONS Terry....yahooooo....a gold for a wonderful image! Cheers =^..^= #10191326
Kathy Salerni 6/20/2012 9:43:27 AMCongratulations on your Gold Winning image, Terry! #10191443
Bojan Bencic 6/20/2012 10:12:17 AMVery cute. Congratulations on your win, Terry. #10191510
JO ANN CLEVELAND 6/20/2012 10:15:03 AMBig congratulations on this awesome 2nd Place Gold Winner Terry!
jo ann c. #10191525
Val Feldman 6/20/2012 10:15:17 AMWTG, BG!! Huge congratulations for the most adorable image around of these little cuties and your wonderful Gold Win!!!! #10191526
Sherran Andersen 6/20/2012 10:25:18 AMCongrats Terry... you need to start making some children's books with all your sweet baby animal photos. #10191603
Tiia Vissak 6/20/2012 10:41:04 AMCongratulations! #10191710
Carol Flisak 6/20/2012 11:12:03 AMThey are so cute! Huge congrats on your terrific winner, Terry #10191818
Gerri R. Jones 6/20/2012 11:17:33 AMCongratulations Terry...how cute these two are! #10191830
Dayna Cain 6/20/2012 11:30:09 AMWTG Terry! Congrats on your gold! #10191868
Ann Coates 6/20/2012 11:33:04 AMSo pleased to see this get a Gold, congratulations Terry. #10191876
Danny B. Head 6/20/2012 12:30:58 PMCongrats on a beautiful winner, Terry! #10192073
Julie Burnett 6/20/2012 12:57:28 PMCongratulations on this awesome Gold Winner, Terry!! Fabulous capture!! #10192146
Tammy Espino 6/20/2012 1:50:14 PMCongrats on your win, Terry :) #10192252
Mary Beth Aiello 6/20/2012 1:59:32 PMNo surprise here, Terry. Truly an outstanding capture. Huge congrats on this well deserved GOld. #10192275
Lindley Johnson 6/20/2012 2:25:58 PMCongratulations on your adorable and well-deserved win, Terry. Love this image! #10192352
frank w. degenhardt 6/20/2012 2:27:34 PMI am so happy to see you bring home the gold with this cute and beautifully done picture of the chicks. Congratulations my friend. #10192359
Rona L. Schwarz 6/20/2012 2:28:15 PMWTG, Terry! I knew this was destined for GOLD the moment I saw it! Super congratulations on this adorable, sensational Gold Winner! #10192360
Bill Foxworthy 6/20/2012 2:43:28 PMCongratulations on this fine winner Terry. It is beautiful!!
Rony Sagy 6/20/2012 2:51:33 PMCongratulations on this wonderful gold win, Terry. #10192420
Merna L. Nobile 6/20/2012 3:26:18 PMDo what you love, and it will make your soul rich. CONGRATULATIONS, for being an award winner for the month of May, 2012. Merna #10192509
Wm Nosal 6/20/2012 3:41:19 PMCongratulations, Terry! #10192558
Guy D. Biechele 6/20/2012 3:43:59 PMCongratulations on your win,Terry!! #10192570
Robert R. Goodman 6/20/2012 3:50:29 PMBig Congratulation my friend,This should have been Grand Prize,Terry.But that wouldn't be fair to the person that always wins Grand Prize!!! #10192585
Claudia Kuhn 6/20/2012 5:15:05 PMSo sweet Terry, congratulations on your win! #10192768
Debra R. Harder 6/20/2012 5:16:20 PMThis is so precious, Terry! Huge congratulations on your excellent GOLD WINNER! #10192772
Jeffrey R. Bange 6/20/2012 5:28:46 PMCongratulations Terry on a well deserved GOLD winner. #10192812
Deborah C. Lewinson 6/20/2012 5:29:57 PMSo gald to see this get the gold badge, Terry!
Hearty congrats on your win!
Debby #10192816
Amy M. Wilson 6/20/2012 5:58:22 PMHuge congratulations on your AMAZING Gold winner... love this, Terry!!! #10192888
Neal D. Hatcher 6/20/2012 6:20:18 PMCONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GOLD #10192918
Thomas E. Hinds 6/20/2012 6:39:29 PMWell deserved Gold Winner, Terry! Congratulations! #10192976
Ellen Hodges 6/20/2012 6:45:59 PMSooooooo glad to to see GOLD attached to this cute image, Terry!!! Huge congrats!! #10192997
Carmody Baker 6/20/2012 6:53:23 PMWonderful Terry. Congratulations! #10193027
Stefania Barbier 6/21/2012 2:03:45 AMtold ya this would be gold :0) huge congrats Terry!!! #10193499
Mary Timman 6/21/2012 4:18:22 AMCongratulations Terry on this beautiful winner! #10193648
Anita Hogue 6/21/2012 4:42:22 AMCongratulations on your fabulous winner Terry! #10193671
Leslie McLain 6/21/2012 4:52:42 AMCongrats on this adorable winner, Terry. #10193691
John Rivera 6/21/2012 5:03:09 AMCongratulations Terry on this great winner! #10193719
Mary K. Robison 6/21/2012 7:02:38 AMSweet sugar-babies!
Julianne Bradford 6/21/2012 10:51:21 AMThis is just fabulous Terry! A late congratulations on this wonderful capture!!! #10194247
Debbie Bray 6/21/2012 12:46:38 PMWow Terry! This really is outstanding, and very well deserved!! BEAUTIFUL win, Congratulations!! #10194415
Mike R. Howe 6/21/2012 3:07:52 PMCongratulations Terry on this very sweet image!!! #10194573
R. J. Laudenbacher 6/21/2012 5:18:48 PMCongrats on this adorable little winner, Carol. Simply precious! #10194728
Carol Eade 6/21/2012 7:02:53 PMCongratulations on your adorable winner, Terry! #10194907
Patrick Rouzes 6/21/2012 7:03:23 PMCONGRATS on this Phenomenal Winner, Terry!
Phyllis H. Burchett 6/21/2012 8:28:34 PMCongrats Terry! #10195043
Amanda J. Tanner 6/22/2012 2:46:19 AMCongratulations Terry on this adorable winner! As the judges said "Perfect" #10195266
Stephen Zacker 6/22/2012 3:48:08 AMCongratulations Terry.. I really like this #10195316
Lisa B. North 6/22/2012 7:52:38 AMNo wonder you've gotten so many responses on this! It's priceless! Not only are these guys the cutest in the world, but the image is so clear and great colors! Congrats on your win! #10195576
David M. Montero 6/23/2012 9:27:51 AMFantastic comp and detail. Congratulations on your Gold medal Terry!!! #10196808
Cindy Bendush 6/24/2012 1:56:05 AMSuper cute Terry! Congratulations on your win! #10197496
Tammy M. Anderson 6/24/2012 12:51:59 PMCongrats on an awesome winner, Terry. #10197975
Ken Smith 6/24/2012 6:17:26 PMAwesome Terry. Congrats on your gold!! #10198374
Randy D. Dinkins 6/25/2012 4:31:50 PMVery cute, great capture. Congratulations! #10200045
FERNANDA KINGSLEY-THOMAS 6/28/2012 12:33:57 PMCongratulations on your deserved gold. #10204552
Christine Dalton 1/22/2014 9:01:53 PMCongratulations - just gorgeous #10953849
Sigma 150-500mm, 1/1600, F7.1. ISO250
Goslings at Forest Lawn, Buffalo
Uploaded on 5/3/2012 6:18:07 PM
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Starting January 1st, Mexicans will face a 16 percent sales tax on pet food. Previously commercial animal diets were not taxed, along with fresh human foods. Now the Mexican government is desperate to raise money and has declared pet food a luxury item (food for horses and other livestock animals will be excluded from the tax). Protesters have been rallying outside of the Finance Ministry, but the tax is unlikely to be overturned.
Pet food sales average $2.2 billion a year in Mexico, meaning the government stands to profit tremendously from the new tax. Mexico is the world's 10th biggest pet food market, with the U.S. in the top spot, spending more than $20 million annually to feed our dogs and cats.
It's estimated that half of Mexico's pet families use commercial foods, while the rest make their own, typically a mixture of chicken, rice, and tortillas. The new tax will hit low income households the hardest and may cause more people to rely on table scraps for pet food, or even abandon their animals altogether. Some fear that the tax will also create a reluctance to adopt animals, putting an even greater strain on shelters who will already be feeling the financial effects of the food tax.
I understand that the government has to raise money somehow (proposals for taxes on real estate sales and private school tuition were not passed), but I wouldn't consider pet food a luxury item. I could see taxes on the purchase of a pet (versus adopting) or even professional grooming (a tax proposed years ago in Chicago), since they're not essential.
What's your take on the luxury pet food tax?


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2011: The Year Of Android Love
The platform of the little green robot has come a long way since its inception just a few years ago. With two major versions, Honeycomb 3.0 and Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, released within this year, 2011 has really been the year that Android grows out of the awkward teenage phase and become a full functioning young adult. Check out the love that we showed this year to our future robot overlords with these best of Android posts of 2011.
• 1 Android Users: Do You Hate Apple?
• 2 Personalize Your Android with a Custom Splash Screen
• 3 Now This Is the Android Phone We Want: Naoto Fukasawa's INFOBAR A01
• 4 Comparing Android vs. iOS Users
• 5 5 Android Live Wallpaper You Must Check Out
• 6 Are These the (An)Droids You've Been Looking For?
• 7 Matias Duarte Talks Android Design With On The Verge
• 8 Android User? You May Want to Read This...
• 9 10 Reasons I Picked An Android Over The iPhone
• 10 Should Your Next iPhone Really Be an Ice Cream Sandwich?
(Images: See linked posts for full image credits)


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In humankind's shared mythology of the hero's journey, the path to adventure, transformation and atonement sometimes is taken alone – though more times than not it is completed with the help of a trusted friend.
Such is true of most beloved adventures associated with Disney. Would Dumbo ever learn to fly were it not for Timothy? How long would genetic Experiment 626 last on Earth if not for Lilo?
And let's face it: Moving day would come and go without Woody were it not for the helping hand (and retractable wings) of Buzz Lightyear.
Transformational journeys, especially those epic in nature, oftentimes only can succeed by the power of a pair of friends banding together and uniting in a common quest.
Such is true with Disney Interactive's latest console game release, "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two." A sequel to 2010's Wii-only "Epic Mickey," the game is now available this week and this time is being released for multiple platforms -- Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and even the upcoming Wii U.
Aside from the platform expansion, though, the game is markedly different from its predecessor in multiple ways.
First and foremost, the game lives up to its name in that the true power of its game-play comes from the dual character action of the game's hero, Mickey Mouse, and Walt Disney's other early animated creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Oswald is now a second player in the drop-in, drop-out multiplayer game. He's either a computer-controlled force for single players or controlled by a second player's actions if your partner wants to co-op his actions.
Mickey still has his magical paint brush, of course; Oswald has an electricity-emitting remote controller.
Legendary game creator Warren Spector, creative director of Junction Point Studios, which developed the franchise, says players can succeed more quickly and completely when both characters use their unique talents to work together rather than competing against one another.
"It's called 'Power of Two' for a reason," Spector says, adding this game, like his previous game creations, is based on his oft-stated belief that "play style matters." That concept says that a player might have a greater degree of free will in manipulating his or her game world, but actions do come with consequences.
Spector, of course, is known as the video-game visionary who used this concept to chart new territory for the medium with creations such as the first-person adventure "System Shock" in the mid-'90s and later "Deux Ex," among other titles. Rather than making video games that required regimented steps toward a completion of scores and levels, Spector's games became known as complex role-playing adventures in which users could take various paths through the game environment.
Such principles continue to guide Mickey and Oswald in this latest title, as well, as the two characters try to bring peace and stability to the Wasteland and its multiple environs of long-forgotten Disney characters and theme-park attractions.
"I think it's much more interesting when players interact with players and the world … and deal with the consequences," he says, adding that "Epic Mickey" has the power of turning players into authors of their own narratives as they choose how to proceed through the game.
"I'm really big on story," Spector says, "which is really convenient when you work for Disney."
It's also convenient to work for the House of Mouse if you love the power of musical storytelling, too. Especially if you want to cover new ground by using that artistic medium within a video game to help advance the plot or enhance the environment through which the characters are traveling. Spector has defied video-game tradition again by doing just that and having the game's characters break into song at several points in the game.
Spector admits he's not sure how some gamers will react to this aspect of "Epic Mickey 2," but the musical numbers are more than just tunes and do serve a purpose in the game by offering vital information to the players.
Besides, he says, it's not a stretch to think that anyone playing a Disney game won't be accustomed to experiencing a musical arrangement as part of the work. It is, he says, a deep part of the company's heritage and culture.
He's probably right. After all, we're talking about the same company that taught the world Swahili with "Hakuna Matata," how to easily sing a tongue-twisting "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and, through music and visual artistry, how to enjoy anew Goethe's "Der Zauberlehrling" and its effect on one precocious little Mouse.
"Every single Disney classic [film] features song," he says, pointing out the obvious about the company's culture and history.
And that history is important, Spector says, because this game, like its predecessor, pays homage to Disney's past as much as it uses it for new experiences for today's gamers.
"I hope that [game players] come away with a great appreciation of Mickey as a hero," Spector says. "Back in his early days, he was quite adventurous."
One thing that hasn't changed musically in this game is that composer Jim Dooley is back to score the action, just as he did in the first "Epic Mickey."
Spector said Dooley was the only composer who could take the Sherman Brother's renown "Small World" tune and get to the heart of it, turn it inside out and reinterpret it as a musical exercise to demonstrate an understanding of the intangible way a Disney tune can withstand the test of time. He actually performed such a feat, Spector said, when he sent in a demo CD.
"Jim's amazing," Spector says, and proved to be the right choice because, "we had to capture the 'Disney sound.' "
In thinking about sound and the test of time, there also is another way in which "Epic Mickey 2" stands apart. Because, in this version of the game, the characters finally talk. For generations accustomed to hearing the voice of Mickey, the decision might seem like an easy one to make and one not too difficult to pull off.
Yet consider that Oswald has never before spoken, and you get a better idea of the monumental importance of getting the right voice actor for the part and for getting it right the first time. Spector says he's confident they've accomplished both. (Revered voice actor Frank Welker voices Oswald in this game.)
"For Mickey and characters that had voices, it was easy," Spector said. "For characters that never had voices … we gave those characters voices … which says a lot about how Disney feels about video games."
It probably also speaks volumes about how Disney views the accomplishments of Spector and how it trusts him with some of its historical imagery. Not only is Spector known to have a deep affinity for Disney's history – both animation and other forms – but he also seeks to raise the level of expectation on what his audience should come to expect. It is, in many ways, much the same as how the company, itself, approaches many aspects of its business, from film to cruise lines to, of course, themed attractions.
"Most people to this day don't think of [video] games as having any meaning," Spector says. "They're described as pastimes. I don't believe that."
The man who knew he had found a "new form of communication" the first time he played Dungeons & Dragons still believes he can elevate the medium to something better, something more creative and meaningful. This week's release of "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two" is his latest attempt to push the joystick just a little farther toward accomplishing this.
[And yet it's also not the only "Epic Mickey" release to come out this week and attempt the same. Later this week, the Daily Disney will have more information about the Nintendo 3DS version of "Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion" game developed for Disney Interactive by DreamRift Studios and directed by Peter Ong.]
It's perhaps not surprising then, to hear Spector's response when he's asked about his favorite Walt Disney World attraction. Without pause, he names … Mickey's PhilharMagic.
Not "Mission: Space"? Not even "Space Mountain"?
No, a musical, animated attraction that entertains with technology.
"It's the best use of 3-D anyone has ever done," he says. "It's used so effectively. It's Disney and it's music and it's technology. … It just sums up what I think is so special about Disney."
Disney. Music. Technology.
No doubt, some gamers could be thinking about these concepts this week as they undertake epic quests.
Thankfully, they won't be alone.


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Despite the stacks of folders and documents that have swallowed up Bill O'Dea's desk at the Elizabeth Development Co., it takes him just a moment to find the sheet of yellow legal paper that tells the story of what he does best.
He recalled a recent meeting with a developer who wanted to build a 120-unit residential project in the city. When it came time to discuss financing, O'Dea needed only 10 minutes and a black marker to spell it out line by line on the paper:
"This is what it's going to cost you to do," he said, pointing to each number as he spoke. "This is how much your equity is going to be, this is how much debt you're going to have to do, and this is what the rents are going to be."
It's an indication of why O'Dea, the deputy executive director of the nonprofit company, is seen as the ultimate numbers guy in New Jersey's development community. The Jersey City native knows construction costs, rental rates and tax credit programs inside and out — and he can likely tell you if your project will work without ever going near a calculator.
"A lot of what we do is to sit down with potential developers and analyze the reality of whether the project makes senses … whether state subsidies make projects work," said O'Dea, who has been with the EDC since 1993. "And sometimes, quite frankly, some of the best things I've done are to tell people not to do a project."
RELATED: Developer Ray Shea, the accidental winemaker, finding success in New Egypt
O'Dea also is a Hudson County freeholder and a longtime, prominent politician in North Jersey. But it's his day job that puts him at the center of development in the state's fourth-largest city, one that spans gritty neighborhoods, the hub of Union County's government and a waterfront with the nation's third-busiest port.
The EDC was established in 1977, with involvement in everything from job training and small business assistance to large-scale redevelopment projects. Over the last 15 years, it has helped generate more than $1.2 billion in new development in the city, including the Jersey Gardens outlet mall and $200 million in port-related development.
The city also has a few recent milestones to speak of. Early this year, Indianapolis-based Sun Development opened a 189-room Embassy Suites just minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport. The $40 million hotel project, which was stalled for about three years, was among the first approved and funded under the state's Economic Redevelopment and Growth program with an $8 million grant awarded in 2010.
And in January, the city appointed a redeveloper for an 8-acre, six-block stretch around its midtown train station, which local officials have sought to revitalize for decades. Under a joint venture of New York-based Faros Properties and local firm Mas Development, its first phase calls for about 200 multifamily residential units, 20,000 square feet of retail space and a 120-key hotel with 10,000 square feet of conference space.
O'Dea just has to make the numbers work, something redevelopment attorney Ted Zangari said he has seen him do first hand.
RELATED: CPA firm SaxBST, looking to give back, is raising funds with fun run
"(I've) been in many meetings where Bill has dazzled prospective businesses or developers with his old-school knack for closing financing gaps, using nothing more than a pencil and scratch paper," Zangari said.
That has helped O'Dea "creatively chip away at a project's cost imbalance with all sorts of financial incentives in his toolbox," said Zangari, a Sills Cummis & Gross attorney.
The EDC executive notes his father was an accountant, "so I've always been good with numbers." That's not to mention that "St. Peter's Prep is a good high school," said a smiling O'Dea, a Jersey City lifer.
The EDC has other critical roles in Elizabeth, such as job placement and administering the state Urban Enterprise Zone tax break program.
RELATED: Collingswood, with downtown transit hub, is gem for South Jersey
The company also helps finance many smaller neighborhood redevelopment projects, often using creative formulas to make the numbers work. And it takes the lead on projects that don't attract the private sector, such as community health and day care centers.
That's what O'Dea truly enjoys, he said — a project that, without his ability to crunch the numbers, might have gone nowhere.
"Those generally are the less sexy projects," he said. "But you feel pretty good when you go down the street and you see a health center where poor families can get quality health care, and you say, 'If I wasn't here, that might not have happened.'"
Real Estate Report: South Orange, eager to develop, rewards those with shared vision
Real Estate Report: Somerville, after years of stagnation, now has plan that makes sense
Real Estate Report: Next hot spots (Three towns ready to grow)


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AND THE SECRET IS (from the Archives)
And this is the big one.
If you are new to fly fishing, you have probably missed this one. If you are an old timer and have not found it, you aren't any better a fly fisher than the guy who just started last week. This secret applies to casting, hooking a fish, playing a fish, and landing a fish - just the most important stuff in our sport. Have any ideas?


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Two More for the Portfolio
I've added a couple more sites to my portfolio. I enjoyed developing each of these sites, as neither of them took much of my time.
You will more than likely recognize this first site, kjvandfamily.com, as I used the same WordPress template, with a few minor modifications.
- Categorized under: CSS, Design, Web Development, What am I
- Comments: 1 Comment »


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NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc and other out-of-state online retailers must collect state tax on New York state customers, the state's highest court ruled on Thursday, a decision at odds with other courts that could set the stage for a showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case, combining two brought by Amazon and Overstock.com Inc, was decided by the New York State Court of Appeals by a vote of 4-1.
"It's unfortunate and the (U.S.) Supreme Court ought to look at this," Overstock acting Chief Executive Jonathan Johnson told Reuters by phone.
"We have states saying different things," he said, citing a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court that a similar tax was not permissible.
The U.S. Supreme Court typically accepts cases where lower courts issue conflicting opinions.
"The ruling by the New York Court of Appeals conflicts with both the U.S. Supreme Court's precedents and with contrary decisions by other state courts that have looked at the same issue," an Amazon spokesman said by email.
The best solution to that conflict, he said, would be passage of federal legislation currently under consideration that would allow any state to require tax collection.
New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Thomas Mattox commended the court for "recognizing the logical application of existing precedent to the 21st Century economy."
Eight other states have passed legislation similar to New York's, which requires out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax even when they do not have a physical presence in the state, but do have affiliates in the state.
Retailers with a physical presence in any state must always remit sales tax on purchases made either in a store or online, but since a 1992 Supreme Court decision, Quill Corp v. North Dakota, retailers lacking a "nexus" of operation in a state have not been required to collect sales tax.
In recent years, as online sales have grown as a portion of the retail market, Amazon has agreed to begin collecting sales taxes in California, Texas, New Jersey and some other states where it has distribution facilities or plans to build them.
Richard Pomp, professor of law at the University of Connecticut and an expert on state taxes, said the decision was not a surprise, and will have less impact today than it would have before Amazon began cutting deals with states to pay taxes.
Overstock ended its affiliate network in New York in 2008 and so the ruling will not have an impact on its operations, Johnson said.
Amazon was already paying tax to the state pending the decision, according to the New York Department of Taxation.
Between the New York law's passage in 2008 and today, online-only retailers collected and remitted $500 million in sales tax on more than $6 billion in transactions, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
The cases are Overstock.com v. New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New York State Court of Appeals No. APL-2012-00017, and Amazon.com v. New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New York State Court of Appeals No. APL-2012-00045.


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Power loss: Crashed plane had history of engine trouble
Less than a week after a fatal plane crash at a front yard in Louisa, the National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report which cites "a loss of engine power" and several recent bouts of trouble with the right engine of the twin-propellered Cessna which crashed March 4 shortly after take-off.
"The right engine had problems," says flight instructor Skip Degan, although he seconds NTSB investigator Bob Gretz's caution, uttered when interviewed at the site a day after the wreck, against drawing conclusions from such an early report.
Still, instructor Degan says the report's emphasis on engine troubles and power loss, coupled with witness statements that the plane was discharging grayish black smoke and appeared to be rolling before a nose-down impact point to a chilling scenario: a stall-spin.
Degan, who examined the report but is unconnected to the investigation, notes that the report found no initial evidence of catastrophic failure in either engine, but notes that any loss in an engine's power during take-off creates a vicious pull in one direction that even the best pilots may be unable to straighten.
"You've got to arrest that turn," says Degan. "And if you're close to the ground, you just don't have much time."
The pilot, James A. Youngquist, 62–- who held a commercial pilot certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings–- died in the wreckage. His total flight experience was 2,255 hours.
According to the report, the weather was clear, and although there were crosswinds of up to 14 miles per hour, such winds lie within the range of tolerance for such a twin-engine craft.
The report indicates that several repairs conducted from late December to late January included replacing a fuel pump, a metering valve, and a turbo inlet temperature gauge. The maintenance information came from the plane's log book, which was found partially burned in the wreckage.
Gretz tells the Hook that the remains of the plane have been removed to a secure facility in Clayton, Delaware, and the engines sent off to another facility to be stripped and studied further.
–story updated with the bulk of this information at 10:43am and a little more at 12:03pm on Thursday, March 11
4 comments
Reston pilot had 40 years flying experience according to today's Washington Post; so my guess is, this was a mechanical failure, that a former blogger explained in detail at a previous Hook post, and can be a weakness of twin engine over single engine planes in certain situations.
The NTSB does a great job of determining contributing factors in situations like this. They will look at anything and everything connected to the accident and have a final finding in 10-12 months.
The pilot was clearly very experienced and it will only compound the tragedy- if the investigation finds this was due to equipment or maintenance issues, that could have been prevented.
The pilot was surely properly trained and very experienced for sure. I am sure that he did all he could to have a favorable outcome, but perhaps ran out of time to rectify the complexity of the situation.


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Computational Nanoscience, Lecture 16: More and Less than Hartree-Fock
Published on
In the lecture we discuss both techniques for going "beyond" Hartree-Fock in order to include correlation energy as well as techniques for capturing electronic structure effects while not having to solve the full Hartree-Fock equations (ie, semi-empirical methods). We also very briefly touch upon the pseudopotential approximation.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:


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Beats By Dre Diddy Black High Performance Earphones
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With all the talent on this team we are not going to be able to resign all of them. The smart money is to figure who is a product of the system and who is not. We need to be proactive in our negotiations process to also determine if someone brings more value in trade than they do the available vs cap space.
I believe one of the biggest downfalls to most successful systems is over paying players and even though I don't see this FO doing that you still have to wonder if they will be proactive and get value for the guys that will price themselves out of our market or will they let them walk into FA and settle for a comp pick.
With all the FA coming soon, this is the year we should actually start seeing these type of moves. Who do you think is expendable that would be a smarter value as a trade than a large contract?


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Assured Guaranty story updated with response from Moody's in final paragraphs.NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Assured Guaranty ( AGO) shares were up 7% in late trading Tuesday after the company fought back against a downgrade from Moody's Investors Service ( MCO). The Moody's downgrade came late Thursday, after the market close. Assured Guaranty shares opened lower on Friday, though they quickly recovered, and were in positive territory before noon. The markets were closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Assured Guaranty fired back at 2:10 pm Friday with a press release that criticized Moody's and announced its board of directors had authorized $200 million in share buybacks. In addition to a point-by-point response to Moody's criticism of Assured Guaranty's financial strength, the bond insurer argued Moody's rating process "was conducted without the transparency mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act and required by Moody's own Professional Code of Conduct, which is posted on Moody's website. Specifically, Moody's still has not shared material capital model results with us, despite our repeated requests throughout the process. As importantly, on the limited information provided, Moody's would not discuss underlying assumptions used to achieve these summary results nor assure us that all Moody's rated companies are stressed similarly," the release stated. Further, Assured Guaranty announced it "intends to launch during 2013 a new municipal-only financial guaranty insurer to increase its penetration in the public finance market." The insurer will not carry a Moody's rating, the release stated. Friday's announcements, which received scant press coverage, did not appear to move the shares substantially. Nonetheless, they held onto midday gains to close at $15--about 2.7% higher than where they closed on Thursday. On Tuesday following the holiday they added to those gains, and were up 7.07% to $16.06 shortly before the close of trading Tuesday. Possibly helping matters along for Assured Guaranty were a pair of positive research notes that defended the bond insurer. "Now that the Moody's overhang is behind it, the company can finally begin to "operate" again without trying to appease a rating agency. In our opinion, Moody's methodology and actions make it clear that it no longer wants to rate the financial guaranty industry," wrote MKM Partners analyst Harry Fong on Tuesday. Fong retained his "buy" rating and $28 price target.
BTIG analyst Mark Palmer also chimed in with a note on Tuesday. "While the company's response to Moody's was important insofar as it emphasizes the reality of its strengths to investors and, perhaps, to the rating agencies (Morningstar?) that may be brought in to replace Moody's, the plan underlined the fact that
Assured Guaranty by taking certain actions could unlock the inherent value of its shares," Palmer wrote. Moody's defended its actions via an email statement from a spokesman. "Our action was based on a downward reassessment of Assured's business franchise, expected future profitability, and financial flexibility," the statement read, citing the press release on Thursday announcing the downgrade. The statement added that "consistent with its established practice," Moody's "engaged in an active dialogue with Assured during the rating review and shared relevant information about our approaches and assumptions as part of that process." -- Written by Dan Freed in New York. Follow @dan_freed


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nudibranch - critiques welcome
Posted 18 November 2012 - 01:23 PM
already cleaned up most of the backscatter and made some basic adjustments.. wishing I had my macro lens on instead of my wide angle but overall i'm happy with the results.
opinions/suggestions are welcome.
Posted 25 November 2012 - 10:02 PM
Nice Nudi.... your strobe positioning could have helped with reducing the backscatter - unless it was just one of those days....
Nikon D90 Aquatica housing, nikkor 60mm, ,105VR mm, 18-70mm, 17-55mm, 10.5mm FE, 15mm FE, 10-20mm.
Inon strobes, TLC arms.
Posted 26 November 2012 - 10:53 AM
Posted 27 November 2012 - 03:44 PM
the gear used is a canon 40d, tokina 10-17mm, and 2 sea&sea 110a. Should have been using my 100mm macro but I had heard rays and even sharks made it into the sound so I figured i'd go wide angle. I'll look into cropping it differently and see what I can come up with.
thanks for the suggestions.
Posted 30 November 2012 - 10:25 PM
Nikon D90 Aquatica housing, nikkor 60mm, ,105VR mm, 18-70mm, 17-55mm, 10.5mm FE, 15mm FE, 10-20mm.
Inon strobes, TLC arms.
Posted 07 December 2012 - 11:14 AM
Posted 08 December 2012 - 03:45 PM
Canon 5D mk2, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 125 strobes, 17-40 mm 4.0 L, 100 mm, 24-150 mm L, 100-400 mm 5.6 L
Posted 09 December 2012 - 09:06 AM
It appears that something is preventing a clear view of the lungs in back.
You can't see the lungs for the gills...
... they're nudibranchs, not nudipneusts!
Flickr galleries
Photobox; images on sale!
The Fin Foundation
Nikon D800 in Nauticam housing...
Posted 27 December 2012 - 06:12 PM
Yes! I like the vertical. Very cool nudi. Macro woulda been nice, but I think it's pretty good. Where'd you see this little guy?
in Bermuda, I live here so I dive around the island quite a bit.
here are a couple edits:
Edited by njcfm, 27 December 2012 - 06:25 PM.


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SAN MATEO. (AP) — A teenager survived the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco only to be struck and killed by a fire vehicle rushing to fight a blaze that broke out on the plane, authorities said on Friday.
SAN MATEO. (AP) — A teenager survived the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco only to be struck and killed by a fire vehicle rushing to fight a blaze that broke out on the plane, authorities said on Friday.
Ye Meng Yuan, 16, a Chinese student, died of multiple injuries from being run over by what officials believe was a special firetruck used to spread fire-suppressing foam.
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White apologized to Yuan's family and said she was trying to arrange a meeting with them.
"It's very difficult and devastating news for all of us," Hayes-White said.
The family was upset after learning the details of the girl's death and wants the girl's body returned to China, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said.
"It was a difficult conversation," he said.
It was unclear how the teenager got from the airplane to the spot where she was killed. Investigators believe she was down on the ground and not standing up during the "volatile" and "dangerous" aftermath of the plane crash, Hayes-White said.
The circumstances are being investigated by San Francisco police and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Foucrault declined to go into detail on how he determined the teenager was alive before she was struck, but said there was internal hemorrhaging that indicated her heart was still pumping at the time.
Authorities confirmed last week that Yuan was hit by a vehicle racing to extinguish flames that broke out on the Boeing 777 during the July 6 crash.
Police said she was on the ground and covered in fire-retardant foam that rescuers had sprayed on the wreckage.
Yuan and her middle school classmate, 16-year-old Wang Linjia, died at San Francisco International Airport. The other victim, 15-year-old Liu Yipeng, died at a hospital July 12. Dozens of others were injured, though most not seriously.
Yuan and Linjia were students at Jiangshan Middle School in Zhejiang, an affluent coastal province in eastern China, Chinese state media has reported.
They were part of a group of students and teachers from the school who were heading to summer camp in Southern California. Yuan and Linjia were seated at the back of the plane, federal investigators have said.
Meanwhile, the probe into the crash itself continues. Investigators have said the plane came in too low and too slow, clipping its landing gear and then its tail on a rocky seawall just short of the runway.


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Campus Equipment
Campus Technology offices maintain a pool of audio, video, and presentation equipment for instructional and institutional use. Equipment is checked out on a first come/first served basis (with classroom use as top priority).
All general-purpose classrooms are equipped with instructor's computer stations and data projectors. Many are also equipped with DVD/ VCRs.
In order to help meet your audio/visual needs, a request for equipment should be made 48 HOURS in advance. You can make a request by stopping by our office at HFA 123, using the online request form below, or calling Instructional & Media Technologies at 320-589-6150. The majority of requests are for a class period, but longer checkout times or special arrangements for equipment can be made by contacting Mark Zaske.
Available Equipment
Presentation Equipment
- Projectors
- Projection screens
- Laptops
- Presentation remotes
- LCD TVs
- Blu-ray and DVD/VCR players
Video Production Equipment
- HD digital video cameras
- Tripods
- Light kits
- SD cards
Audio Equipment
- Portable PA systems
- CD players
- Powered speakers
- Digital audio recorders
- Cassette recorders
- Assorted wired and wireless microphones
If there are any problems with equipment, please contact the Help Desk at 320-589-6150.


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Electronic vs Acoustic Drums
If you're out to get your first set of drums, you might want to pop into a store so you can see exactly what your buying, and all the little parts - that's if you haven't got the help of us at Dolphin Music! The obvious question when thinking of buying a drum kit is, what are all the different drums that make a complete set? How do I know if I have the right drums? Well, fist of all, we sell complete kits for beginners, or if you want a whole new kit, as well as separate parts for those of you who may be more advanced and are adding to their kit.
In this buying guide, we will try our hardest to answer all your drum related questions - What are electronic drum kits? What are acoustic drum kits? What's the difference between acoustic and electric drums? What's the best drum brand? What's the most cost effective drum kit for me?
As a parent - there are a few questions you should ask yourself when looking for a kit and considering whether an acoustic or electric kit is best for your child.
- Is this going to fuel a neighbourhood fire?
- Do I have enough space to set up a drum kit?
- Will my child be performing or gigging with their drums?
If you're not going to be able to get away with making a lot of noise, you don't have much space and the drums will be mainly used at home for practising - you're best bet is to go for a set of electronic drums.
If you're lucky enough to have lot's of space and tolerant neighbours, and you're expecting the drums to be used for gigging then you should probably go for an acoustic drum kit.
5 reasons to buy an Electronic Drum Kit
- Compact & Portable - electronic drum kits are much more portable than acoustic kits. Aside from the benefit of electric kits generally being smaller than acoustic, once you've finished practicing you can fold them up and pack them away.
- Versatility - if you're a beginner and not sure which genre of music you're going to enjoy playing, an electronic drum kit will let you switch from genre to genre. This is also useful if you're a sessionist, play with different bands or perhaps you play in pubs or at weddings?
- Convenience - thanks to the near-silent pads on an electronic drum kit, you can play quietly in a small venue, a requirement most small stages require. That doesn't mean you can't play on a large stage with one - with an electronic kit you can play freely without mics, reducing feedback! You also have more control over the sound sent to the house PA with built in effects and multiple audio outputs.
- Flexibility - electronic kits give you the ability to play and record your track whilst being able to edit individual notes or instruments to your liking. Perfect for recording.
- Free to Practice - most models feature built in metronomes meaning you can analyse your playing to check the important things, like how in time you are. You can listen to yourself through headphones too, reducing noise.
Some of our favourite electronic drum kits are the Roland TD-11K V-Compact Series Kit which features the all new TD-11 Sound Module for £849.00, and the more budget-friendly Yamaha DTX400K Kit which comes with the Yamaha Sound Beat App, for only £379! Another excellent choice, for just £399 is the Roland TD-1K V-Drums Electronic Kit.
5 reasons to buy an Acoustic Drum Kit
- Make some noise - acoustic drums are much louder and need no amplification. Their sound is also more natural and crisp. This is great if you're in a band and rehearsing as you can you can play along easier than electronic
- Set-Up - with acoustic drums, you can create your set-up according to preference and drumming ability. As you begin to progress and build your skill, you can add more drums such as cymbals and toms.
- Dynamic - acoustic drums and cymbals have their own individual sound, but are more dynamic as you can use different brushes and mallets to create softer or harder sounds.
- Realistic - Acoustic drums are also more realistic in that you can learn drum rolls, buzz rolls, cymbal swells and hi-hat techniques
- Adjustable - acoustic drums and cymbals can be adjusted to different angles and heights to suit your specific set up, which again, is perfect for when you develop your skills and want to add more drums to your set-up.
One of the best buys at the moment is the Gretsch G-Series Drumkits. These drumkits are just about affordable enough to fit the "good-for-beginners" bracket, but are of a standard of quality fit for gigging.The best value buy is still the Black Rat 5-piece kits, available in three colours and a very affordable entry level kit. The Mapex Tornado kits are equally cheap, and also very good beginner drum kits.
The basic drum set-up
You'll probably notice the generic drum kit description when browsing our website which will be something to the effect of a "5-piece drum kit" or a "4-piece drum kit" but these are pretty meaningless names if you have no idea about drums. The answer is pretty simple, it's just the number of drums in a kit - the standard being a 5 piece including: 2 rack toms, 1 floor tom, 1 base drum and 1 snare drum. What's a 4-piece kit then? A 4 piece kit has only 1 rack tom.
So, the basic set up? Firstly we'll start with the Bass drum - the largest drum in the kit and is played using a foot pedal. Then we have the rack toms that are on top and attached to the bass drum. We then have the standalone units of a drum kit - floor tom sits to the right with the snare sitting between your legs. Moving on to the cymbals, we have the crash cymbal which are most noticeable at the end of a drum solo or song. Splash cymbals are smaller than crash cymbals and are used more often - usually during fills. Hi-hats are 2 cymbals with a foot pedal, found on the left hand side of the drum kit (next to the tom) and are always used together. If you're looking to buy a complete drum set, we have plenty at Dolphin Music for you to choose from...
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22" x 16" Bass Drum 12" x 9" Tom 13" x 10" Tom 16" x 16" Floor Tom 14" x 5.5" Wooden…
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I don't think I'm alone here: when the weather cools down, it's finally it's time to fire up the oven! For so many of us, fall is the favorite time of year for baking. Here are some of my favorite fall recipes.
What are you baking this year?
I'd love to know, leave a note in the comments! ~ Alanna
Quick 'n' Easy Quick Breads
Home-baked Cookies
Apples - Worthy of a Fall Celebration
Warm Muffins for Breakfast
A Loaf of (Homemade Whole-Grain) Bread, A Jug of Wine and Thou
Fruity & Rustic Cakes
Corn Bread - A Fall Classic
Snack Time!
More "Best & Favorite" Recipes
~ My Best & Favorite One-Pot Supper Recipes ~
~ Football Fever! ~
~ Easy Egg Recipes ~
~ Chillin': Favorite Chili, Chowder & Cornbread Recipes ~
~ Vegan Done Real ~
~ Pi Day - Recipes for Homemade Pie! ~
~ Easy Summer Recipes ~
~ Favorite Summer Soup Recipes ~
~ Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Favorite Seasonal Vegetable Stews ~
~ Favorite Pumpkin Recipes ~
~ My Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes ~
~ My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes ~
~ My Favorite Tomato Recipes ~
~ My Favorite Green Bean Recipes ~
~ Six Years of Favorite Asparagus Recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables
© Copyright Kitchen Parade
Fall = back to school = three weeks of inspired sack lunches and then the dreaded brown bag rut. I'd love to get some ideas for brown bagging that will tickle my boys (12, 14 & 17). I'm trying to come up with a 10-day rotation so they have each lunch once every two weeks. Any inspiration?
JB (yes, JB!)
I would like to know if you have tried any of your recipes with a whole lot less sugar? I suspect that they would still be very good.
Love your site,
p.s. Don't have a clue what to select for my profile.
That's a long way of saying "yes" :-) -- even though I don't actually have "low sugar" recipes, reducing sugar is just part of my overall kitchen style, even if I don't mention it specifically. Hope this helps!
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna


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COLUMBIA - It may look like just a river, but for leaders and environmentalists on either side of the Savannah, it's been a battlefield.
On Wednesday, they took steps to end the fighting.
The parties are on track to settle their differences. A deal was released Wednesday that would halt the litigation standing in the way of Georgia's harbor deepening. The S.C. Savannah River Maritime Commission, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Georgia Ports Authority and environmental groups have signaled their support.
In August, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ordered the parties to enter mediation, a process that wrapped up early last week. The settlement that emerged, which also takes steps to develop a shared Jasper Ocean Terminal, is expected to go before the judge this week.
Environmental groups had warned the deepening project would stir up toxic cadmium and pollutants from the bottom of the river and deplete dissolved-oxygen levels, killing fish. S.C. legislators had protested that deepening the Savannah harbor would hurt the Port of Charleston's competitive standing, which already lags Savannah.
On one side is the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, the Savannah Riverkeeper, S.C. Wildlife Federation, the maritime commission and DHEC. The environmental groups are represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center. On the other side is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the GPA.
Georgia has been trying to deepen more than 30 miles of the channel for more than a decade but ran into heavy opposition from environmental groups, members of the S.C. Legislature, and the maritime commission. The deepening effort is part of a larger race involving East Coast ports competing for the larger ships that will be traveling through the expanded Panama Canal.
The current cost of the project sends about $311 million to mitigate environmental damage, or 48 percent, and $341 million for construction. The settlement would increase by 14 percent the amount spent on environmental measures, tipping its overall share to just more than half.
The settlement directs the Georgia Ports Authority to pay $33.5 million for additional measures to address environmental destruction. Pieces include $3 million for DHEC to monitor water quality in the Lower Savannah River Basin and $3 million for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to protect the shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon. The S.C. Conservation Bank, the S.C. DNR, and Ducks Unlimited would each receive $5 million for wetlands activities.
Adding an estimated $10 million land transfer of 2,000 salt marsh acres from the Georgia Department of Transportation to the commission, the total outlay is $43.5 million.
"Well, it's a lot of money. But it is significant, still, in making this project able to move forward," said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Thursday, during a visit to the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He said getting the expansion project started is of utmost importance to the state's future.
"Some of the things we do to be able to achieve that may be perceived as expensive, but they're necessary," said the Republican governor.
Among the terms of the settlement:
• A cadmium deposition study on the site of the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal with additional effluent monitoring for cadmium on the disposal site.
• Two additional tests for the oxygen-injection system.
• An annual $2 million fund for dissolved-oxygen maintenance for 50 years. The letter of credit or escrow account would be a contingent fund if the corps fails to fund the oxygen-injection system.
After it's finalized, South Carolina could still abandon the deal.
"The key condition of the permits and authorizations by DHEC and the commission is that if the corps cannot demonstrate that the dissolved-oxygen system will mitigate for the impacts of the project, DHEC and the commission both reserve the right to revoke the permits, terminate the settlement agreement and reinitiate and re-file the litigation," said maritime commission attorney Randy Lowell.
Wednesday's settlement also lends the future, $3.3 billion bi-state Jasper Ocean Terminal a boost.
Negotiations over the shared port, technically a separate project from Georgia's harbor deepening, had languished because of conflicts over Georgia's harbor deepening.
"The resolution of this litigation will allow (port planners) to move forward with navigation studies and channel capacity studies to move the ball forward in getting a Jasper Ocean Terminal constructed," Lowell said.
Despite the settlement, Hardeeville residents still have an untold wait before they see much more than the usual maintenance dredging on the river.
Georgia has committed $231 million for the deepening. But the president's budget proposal did not include any federal construction funds for the project.
Reporter Walter Jones contributed to this report.


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Existing Posts
Creepshow I would love a SE
I never got to see The Monster Squad. This review alone made me want to see it http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/monster-squa...
I liked the Goonies when it first came out and still do. I also found myself enjoying Critters, which I bought not too long ago. I like cheesy bad movies, so there's a chance I might like Monster Squad
Monster Squad, for me, is just another in a long line of '80s movies I liked as a kid and now cringe at. I'm an outcast among my friends. At least it's better The Goonies (oooo, I went there again).
I already own Creepshow, bought it from Wal-Mart for $5, so I'm not interested in the SE. I don't think I've ever seen Monster Squad, I might pick that one up, could be good.
Now now guys.......no need to loose the heads over this....
.....the novena for my dark and tortured exsistence begins to-Morrow!!!
...............................Im definately goin to hell....
.....the novena for my dark and tortured exsistence begins to-Morrow!!!
...............................Im definately goin to hell....
"Lord, I apologize for that one there, and please be with all the starving Pygmies down there in New Guinea".
Ooo Hoo Hoo, that's good Matt. I like that. That's freakin' dark man.
Seriously though, tragedy.
Seriously though, tragedy.
There IS a limit.
There IS a limit.
Gabe Powers wrote: So long as there aren't any deleted scenes on Twilight Zone, right?
Hey, someone had to make the Vic Morrow joke.
Wouldn't they be referred to as 'cut' scenes then?
Hey, someone had to make the Vic Morrow joke.
Wouldn't they be referred to as 'cut' scenes then?
So long as there aren't any deleted scenes on Twilight Zone, right?
Hey, someone had to make the Vic Morrow joke.
Hey, someone had to make the Vic Morrow joke.
Yeah, I've known about an SE of Poltergeist coming to standard DVD and high definition discs for it's 25th Anniversary for a little while now, but the little blurb about Twilight Zone: The Movie from WB's chat over at HTF really surprised me as I never thought that would see the light of day ever again. I just recently watched my old MGM copy of Poltergeist the other day having not seen it for several years, and if there's one blockbuster film from the 80s that needed cleaned up and remastered for home video it's that one.
Fabulous news Matt, I've hoped for these for myself and my boys (they're BOTH old enough BY the way)for ages. I also see on www.thedigitalbits.com the other day that we are also getting an updated POLTERGEIST release, and finally a TWILIGHT ZONE:THE MOVIE release soon too...
Some News On Both Creepshow and Monster Squad SEs Thought this was kind of interesting, but it looks as if you're in R1 and want an SE of the classic 80s horror anthology Creepshow with Romero and Savini commentary among other things you'll have to pony up for a region-free player. But don't fret, at least R1 is getting a Monster Squad SE sometime around Halloween of this year from Lionsgate that includes the film at its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and other goodies, including commentary from some of the cast who are now all grown up. About damn time if you ask me.
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Not to be confused with the 1991 TV movie , this film is a 1993 cop drama from director Bill Cummings. Leon stars as a narcotics officer with a tragically itchy trigger finger. When he accidentally shoots an innocent bystander, his behind is in a sling. Hoping to redeem himself, Leon embarks upon a one-man crusade to bring drug kingpin Susan Finque to justice. He is aided in this quest by...more
All Bad Attitude cast + crew photos
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Fire Fighters U10 wins teamworks crown
WFFSC's U10 Girls won a thrilling come-from-behind championship game in the second session playoffs at Teamworks. The team was down 5-2 before rallying for an exciting 7-6 victory. Pictured, front row: MiKayla Boyd, Rosario Sanlatte, Mackenzie Puckett, Julia Matthews. Back row: Kyla Moore, Leah Fung, Talia Smith, Emily Gallant, Kaity Cabrejos, Sydney Hickmott. Coaches: Mike Hickmott, Doyle Byrd.
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