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ISCO is a new biannual symposium with its first issue held in Hammamet, Tunisia in March 2010. The symposium aims to bring together researchers from all the communities related to combinatorial optimization, including algorithms and complexity, mathematical programming and operations research. It is intended to be a forum for presenting original research in these areas and especially in their intersections. Quality papers on all aspects of combinatorial optimization, from mathematical foundations and theory of algorithms to computational studies and practical applications, are solicited.
Spring school
ISCO 2012 will be preceded by a spring school on "Mathematical Programming and Design of Approximation Algorithms". David Shmoys and David Williamson will give 16 hours of lectures on April 17-18, 2012.
Submissions deadline:
December 1, 2011 December 8, 2011, 11:59 UTC -11 time
Notification of authors: January 30, 2012
Early registration deadline: February 24, 2012
Spring School: April 17-18, 2012
Conference: April 19-21, 2012
Camera ready version: May 4, 2012
Giorgio Ausiello, Università di Roma "La Sapienza"
Hyperpaths in directed hypergraphs: Properties and algorithms
Abstract: Directed hypergraphs are a natural generalization of digraphs and are a combinatorial model that turns out to be useful in several application domains (databases, logic, artificial intelligence etc.). Although in general the computation of shortest hyperpaths in directed hypergraphs is an NP-hard problem, for suitable cost measures such problem becomes tractable. In this paper, after discussing the structural properties of hyperpaths (with particular attention to the role of cycles in hyperpaths and to canonic form of hyperpaths), we present a taxonomy of hyperpath cost functions and we study the relationships between the classes of cost functions on hyperpaths and the structure of the corresponding optimal hyperpaths. Finally we illustrate for what classes in the taxonomy shortest hyperpaths can be computed in polynomial time.
George Nemhauser, Georgia Tech
Branch-and-Price Guided Search
Abstract: We present an approach for structured integer programs that solves well-chosen restrictions of the problem to produce high-quality solutions quickly. Column generation is used both for automatically generating the restrictions and for producing bounds on the value of an optimal solution. We present computational experience for fixed-charge multi-commodity flow and inventory routing problems.
Christos Papadimitriou, UC Berkeley
Computational Insights and the Theory of Evolution
Abstract: I shall discuss recent work (much of it joint with biologists Adi Livnat and Marcus Feldman) on some central problems in Evolution that was inspired and informed by computational ideas. Considerations about the performance of genetic algorithms led to a novel theory on the role of sex in Evolution based on the concept of mixability. And a natural random process on Boolean functions can help us understand better Waddington's genetic assimilation phenomenon, in which an acquired trait becomes genetic.
Paolo Toth, Università di Bologna
Models and Algorithms for the Train Unit Assignment Problem
Abstract: Passenger railway systems are highly complex systems requiring the solution of several planning problems
that can be analyzed and solved through the application of mathematical models and optimization techniques,
which generally lead to an improvement in the performance of the system, and also to a reduction in the time
required for solving these problems.
The planning process is generally divided into several phases: Line Planning, Train Timetabling, Train Platforming, Rolling Stock Circulation and Crew Planning. In this lecture, after a description of the whole planning process and of its main phases, the Train-Unit Assignment Problem, an important NP-hard problem arising in the Rolling Stock Circulation phase, is considered in detail.
In the Train-Unit Assignment Problem (TUAV), we are given a set of timetabled trips, each with a required number of passenger seats, and a set of different train units, each having a cost and consisting of a self-contained train with an engine and a set of wagons with a given number of available seats. TUAV calls for the minimum cost assignment of the train units to the trips, possibly combining more than one train unit for a given trip, so as to fulfil the seat requests.
Two Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulations of TUAV are presented, and valid inequalities are introduced for strengthening the corresponding Linear Programming (LP) relaxation. Additional relaxations, based on the Lagrangian approach and on the solution of a restricted problem associated with a peak period (i.e., with a subset of simultaneous trips that must be assigned to distinct train units), are considered for the effective computation of tight lower bounds. Constructive heuristic algorithms, based on the previously considered relaxations, are proposed, and their solutions are improved by applying local search procedures.
Extensive computational results on real-world instances are reported, showing the effectiveness of the proposed bounding procedures and heuristic algorithms.
Mourad Baïou, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand
Evripidis Bampis, Université Pierre et Marie Curie
Francisco Barahona, IBM T.J. Watson, New York
Walid Ben-Ameur, TELECOM SudParis
Jaroslaw Byrka, University of Wrocław
William Cook, Georgia Tech
Gerard Cornuéjols, CMU
Federico Della Croce, Politecnico di Torino
Josep Diaz, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
Bruno Escoffier, Université Paris Dauphine
Satoru Fujishige, Kyoto University
Eric Gourdin, Orange Labs, Paris
Luis Gouveia, University of Lisbon
Anupam Gupta, CMU
Mohamed Haouari, INSAT, Tunis
Brahim Hnich, Izmir University of Economics
Klaus Jansen, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel
Stavros Kolliopoulos, NKUA, Athens
Jochen Könemann, University of Waterloo
Andrea Lodi, Università di Bologna
Nelson Maculan, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
A. Ridha Mahjoub, Université Paris Dauphine (co-chair)
Alberto Marchetti-Spaccamela, Università di Roma "La Sapienza"
Vangelis Markakis, AUEB, Athens
Tom McCormick, University of British Columbia
Ioannis Milis, AUEB, Athens (co-chair)
Jérôme Monnot, Université Paris Dauphine
Vangelis Paschos, Université Paris Dauphine
Gerhard Reinelt, Universität Heidelberg
Giovanni Rinaldi, IASI-CNR, Roma
Amin Saberi, Stanford University
François Vanderbeck, Université Bordeaux 1
Peter Widmayer, ETH, Zürich
Gerhard Woeginger, Eindhoven University of Technology
Hande Yaman, Bilkent University, Ankara
Vassilis Zissimopoulos, NKUA, Athens
The submission deadline is Thursday December 8, 2011, 11:59 UTC -11 time.
Paper submission will be handled via Easy Chair.
Papers presenting original unpublished results in all areas of combinatorial optimization and its applications are welcome.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Approximation algorithms
- Branch-and-bound algorithms
- Branch-and-cut-and-price algorithms
- Computational biology
- Computational complexity
- Computational geometry
- Constraint Programming
- Cutting plane algorithms
- Exact and parameterized algorithms
- Graph and network algorithms
- Interior point methods
- Linear and nonlinear integer programming
- Local search algorithms
- Metaheuristics
- On-line algorithms
- Polyhedral combinatorics
- Randomized algorithms
- Scheduling algorithms
There will be two types of submissions:
a) Regular papers
They should be of at most 12 pages, including front matter and bibliography, in LNCS style. Proofs omitted due to space constraints should be included in a clearly marked appendix which will be taken into account by the program committee members and the reviewers, but it will not be published in the proceedings. Simultaneous submissions to other conferences with published proceedings or journals are not allowed.
Accepted regular papers will be published by Springer-Verlag in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series in a post-conference proceedings volume. The authors will have to prepare their camera-ready version two weeks after the end of ISCO 2012.
b) Short papers
They should be of at most 4 pages (including front matter and bibliography) with no optional appendix. Accepted short papers will be included in a volume of local proceedings.
The following Special Issues of International Journals will be associated with ISCO 2102:
- A special issue of Mathematical Programming Series B on "Combinatorial Optimization". See here for the CFP for this issue.
- A special issue of Theoretical Computer Science on "Combinatorial Optimization: Theory of algorithms and complexity". See here for the CFP for this issue.
- A special issue of RAIRO-Operations Research on "Combinatorial Optimization". See here for the CFP for this issue.
To be published in the LNCS post-conference proceedings volume.
(37 out of 94, acceptance rate 39.4%)
Cid C. De Souza and Breno Piva.
The Minimum Stabbing Triangulation Problem: IP Models and Computational Evaluation
Matteo Fischetti and Leo Liberti
Orbital shrinking
Laura Galli, Konstantinos Kaparis and Adam Letchford
Gap Inequalities for the Max-Cut Problem: a Cutting-Plane Algorithm
Trivikram Dokka, Ioannis Mourtos and Frits Spieksma
Fast Separation Algorithms for Three-Index Assignment problems
Yuri Faenza, Samuel Fiorini, Roland Grappe and Hans Raj Tiwary
Extended formulations, non-negative factorizations, and randomized communication protocols
Gábor Braun and Sebastian Pokutta
An algebraic approach to symmetric extended formulations
Alexandre Freire, Vicente Acuna, Pierluigi Crescenzi, Carlos Ferreira, Vincent Lacroix, Paulo Vieira Milreu, Eduardo Moreno and Marie-France Sagot
Minimum ratio cover of matrix columns by extreme rays of its induced cone
Gabriela Argiroffo, Graciela Nasini and Pablo Torres
The Packing Coloring Problem for (q,q-4) graphs
Leonardo Martinez and Alexandre Cunha
A Parallel Lagrangian Relaxation Algorithm for the Min-Degree Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree Problem
Sophie Toulouse
Differential Approximation of the Multiple Stacks TSP
Yuichi Asahiro, Jesper Jansson, Eiji Miyano and Hirotaka Ono
Graph Orientations Optimizing the Number of Light or Heavy Vertices
James Ostrowski
Using Symmetry to Optimize Over the Sherali-Adams Relaxation
Luis Gouveia, Markus Leitner and Ivana Ljubic
On the Hop Constrained Steiner Tree Problem with multiple Root Nodes
Satoru Fujishige and Jens Massberg
Dual Consistent Systems of Linear Inequalities and Cardinality Constrained Polytopes
Agostinho Agra, Marielle Christiansen, Rosa Figueiredo, Lars Magnus Hvattum, Michael Poss and Cristina Requejo
Layered Formulation for the Robust Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows
Monique Laurent and Antonios Varvitsiotis
The Gram dimension of a graph
Jianqiang Cheng, Celine Gicquel and Abdel Lisser
A second-order Cone programming approximation to joint chance-constrained linear Programs
Rémi Watrigant, Marin Bougeret, Rodolphe Giroudeau and Jean-Claude König
Sum-Max Graph Partitioning Problem
Eduardo Álvarez-Miranda, Valentina Cacchiani, Tim Dorneth, Michael Jünger, Frauke Liers, Andrea Lodi, Tiziano Parriani and Daniel R. Schmidt
Models and Algorithms for Robust Network Design with Several Traffic Scenarios
Fabio Furini, Carlo Alfredo Persiani and Paolo Toth
Aircraft sequencing problems via a rolling horizon algorithm
Manuel Sorge, Hannes Moser, Rolf Niedermeier and Mathias Weller
Exploiting a Hypergraph Model for Finding Golomb Rulers
Pierre Fouilhoux and Aurélien Questel
The Non-Disjoint m-Ring-Star Problem : polyhedral results and SDH/SONET network design
Monaldo Mastrolilli and Georgios Stamoulis
Constrained Matching Problems in Bipartite Graphs
Anna Huber and Vladimir Kolmogorov
Towards Minimizing k-Submodular Functions
Pierre Bonami, Viet Hung Nguyen, Michel Klein and Michel Minoux
On the Solution of a Graph Partitioning Problem under Capacity Constraints
Marie-Emilie Voge and François Clautiaux
Theoretical investigation of aggregation in pseudo-polynomial network-flow models
Mario Ruthmair and Günther Raidl
On Solving the Rooted Delay- and Delay-Variation-Constrained Steiner Tree Problem
Rafael Schouery and Cristina Fernandes
Second-Price Ad Auctions with Binary Bids and Markets with Good Competition
Agnes Gorge, Abdel Lisser and Riadh Zorgati
Semidefinite Relaxations for Mixed 0-1 Second-Order Cone Program
Sylvie Borne, Roland Grappe and Mathieu Lacroix
The Uncapacitated Asymmetric Traveling Salesman Problem with Multiple Stacks
Marc Demange, Jérôme Monnot, Petrica Pop and Bernard Ries
Selective Graph Coloring in Some Special Classes of Graphs
Tommy Färnqvist
Counting Homomorphisms via Hypergraph-based Structural Restrictions
Konstantinos Papalamprou and Leonidas Pitsoulis
Recognition algorithms for binary signed-graphic matroids
Bo Xiong and Christine Chung
Completion Time Scheduling and the WSRPT Algorithm
Mikhail Kovalyov, Ammar Oulamara and Ameur Soukhal
Two agent scheduling on a serial batching machine
Dennis Weyland, Roberto Montemanni and Luca Maria Gambardella
Hardness Results for the Probabilistic Traveling Salesman Problem with Deadlines
Mathieu Lacroix, Ridha Mahjoub and Sebastien Martin
Polyhedral Analysis and Branch-and-Cut for the Structural Analysis Problem
Céline Gicquel, Abdel Lisser and Michel Minoux.
Tight lower bounds by semidefinite relaxation for a lot-sizing problem with sequence-dependent changeover costs
Bendotti Pascale, Pierre Fouilhoux and Podkanski Karol.
Permutation Problem using a Unit-Capacity Robot : Feasibility Recovery and Cutting-plane based Formulation with MTZ strengthening
Alain Billionnet, Fethi Jarray, Ghassen Tlig and Ezzedine Zagrouba.
Combining simulated annealing and linear programming approaches for reconstructing hv-convex colored images
Michaël Gabay, Gerd Finke and Nadia Brauner.
Identical coupled task scheduling problem: the finite case
Hipolito Hernandez Perez and Juan Jose Salazar Gonzalez.
Solving the multi-commodity many-to-many Pickup-and-Delivery Traveling Salesman Problem
Luis Gouveia and Juan Jose Salazar.
Polynomial Separation of the Enhanced Reverse Multistar Inequalities
Irène Charon and Olivier Hudry.
A branch and bound method for the aggregation of symmetric relations
Tolga Bektas and Luis Gouveia.
A polyhedral approach for generalizing the Miller-Tucker-Zemlin subtour elimination constraints for routing problems
Alexandre Cunha.
Algorithms for the Multi-period Degree Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree Problem
Mette Gamst.
A route-based decomposition for the Multi-Commodity k-splittable Maximum Flow Problem
Stefan Gollowitzer, Bernard Gendron and Ivana Ljubic.
Capacitated Network Design with Facility Location
Nicolas Dupin.
A 2-stage robust optimization model for planning nuclear maintenances with uncertain maintenance durations
Monaldo Mastrolilli and Georgios Stamoulis.
Restricted Max-Min Fair Allocation with Inclusion-free Intervals
Miriam Kießling, Sascha Kurz and Jörg Rambau.
An exact column-generation approach for the lot-type design problem
Valeria Leoni, Erica Hinrichsen and María Patricia Dobson.
Generalized Limited packings of P4-tidy graphs
Walid Ben-Ameur, Pierre Bauguion and Eric Gourdin.
An efficient tree-based model for multicommodity flow problems
Eric Gourdin and Yuhui Wang.
Bottleneck and Maxmin Transportation Problems with Degree Constraints
Fabio Salassa, Wim Vancroonenburg, Tony Wauters, Federico Della Croce and Greet Vanden Berghe.
Matheuristics for the Eternity II puzzle
Didem Gözüpek, Mordechai Shalom, Ariella Voloshin and Shmuel Zaks.
On the Complexity of Constructing Minimum Reload Cost Path-Trees
Roland Grappe.
Polynomial cases of hypergraph local edge-connectivity augmentation
Houssein Alaeddine, Emmanuel Neron, Kamal Serrhini and Mindjid Maizia.
Planning for evacuation
Rafaelli Coutinho, Lúcia Drummond, Yuri Frota, Luidi Simonetti and Eduardo Uchoa.
A Distributed Transportation Simplex Applied to a Content Distribution Network Problem
Pierre Fouilhoux.
Clique-branching formulation for the vertex coloring problem
Laurent Alfandari, Anass Nagih, Agnès Plateau and Jalila Sadki.
Generalizations of Dobson approximation algorithm and cooperation with Column Generation for large-size Covering Integer Programs
Pierre Le Bodic and Cédric Bentz.
On the complexity of Partial Colored Multiterminal Cut problems
Eduardo Álvarez-Miranda, Ivana Ljubic, S. Raghavan and Paolo Toth.
The Recoverable Robust Two-Level Network Design Problem
Sophie Toulouse, Jean-François Culus and Roupin Frédéric.
Denis Cornaz, Herve Kerivin and Ridha Mahjoub.
A combinatorial linearization of the quadratic acyclic vertex-induced subgraph problem
Mourad Baiou and Francisco Barahona.
The classical facility location polytope for graphs with no g-odd Y-cycle
Amal Benhamiche, Ridha Mahjoub, Nancy Perrot and Eduardo Uchoa.
A Branch-and-Price Algorithm for the Optical Multi-Band Network Design Problem
Hassene Aissi and A. Ridha Mahjoub.
On the constrained minimum s − t cut problem
To download the program in pdf, click here.
"Mathematical Programming and Design of Approximation Algorithms"
David Shmoys and
David Williamson
The material for the course will be drawn from our recent book The Design of Approximation Algorithms (DAA), and be augmented by several recent papers. We list below the topics of the course, the associated sections of the book and the related additional papers (though the papers cited in these book sections might also be covered more completely than in the text). The list below is probably somewhat too ambitious for the allotted time.
The uncapacitated facility location problem
- Deterministic (DAA 4.5) and randomized rounding (DAA 5.8, DAA 12.1), primal-dual method (DAA 7.6) and local search (DAA 9.1)
and the k-median problem
- Lagrangean relaxation (DAA 7.7) and local search (DAA 9.2)
The traveling salesman problem
- Greedy algorithms (DAA 2.4)
- L. A. Wolsey, Heuristic analysis, linear programming and branch and bound, In Combinatorial Optimization II, volume 13, Mathematical Programming Studies, pages 121-134. Springer, 1980
- T. Mömke and O. Svensson, Approximating graphic TSP by matchings, Proceedings of the 52nd Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, pages 560-569, 2011
- M. Mucha, 13/9-approximation for the graphic TSP, to appear in Proceedings of the Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS), 2012
- H.-C. An, R. Kleinberg, and D. Shmoys, Improving Christofides' Algorithm for the s-t path TSP, to appear in Proceedings of the 44th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing
- F. Schalekamp, D. Williamson, A. van Zuylen, A proof of the Boyd-Carr conjecture, Proceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms, pages 1477-1486, 2012
The Steiner tree problem (primal-dual method, DAA 7.4) and the generalized Steiner tree problem (randomized rounding, DAA 12.3)
The bounded-degree minimum spanning tree problem (deterministic rounding, DAA 11.2)
The minimum-cost knapsack problem (primal-dual method, DAA 7.5)
The prize-collecting Steiner tree problem
- Deterministic rounding (DAA 4.4), randomized rounding (DAA 5.7) and primal-dual method (DAA 14.1)
and the prize-collecting TSP
"Mathematical Programming and Design of Approximation Algorithms"
David Shmoys and
David Williamson
|Tuesday, April 17, 2012
|Lecture 1
|Coffee Break
|Lecture 2
|Problem Session 1
|Coffee Break
|Lecture 3
|Problem Solutions 1
|Wednesday, April 18, 2012
|Lecture 4
|Coffee Break
|Lecture 5
|Problem Session 2
|Coffee Break
|Lecture 6
|Problem Solutions 2
Christos Amanatidis, AUEB, Athens
Katerina Kinta, Université Paris Dauphine
Anna Klouvatou, RC-AUEB, Athens
Giorgio Lucarelli, Université Paris Dauphine
A. Ridha Mahjoub, Université Paris Dauphine
Vangelis Markakis, AUEB, Athens
Ioannis Milis, AUEB, Athens
Vangelis Paschos, Université Paris Dauphine
Georgios Zois, AUEB, Athens
To register click here (you will be redirected to our bank page for ISCO 2012 registration).
Registration Fees
up to 24/02/12
from 25/02/12
|ISCO 2012 Regular
|ISCO 2012 Student
|Spring School
Coffee breaks
Conference final program
Conference proceedings
Conference social events and dinner
The Spring School fee applies for administrative purposes only.
For lunch (near AUEB) and dinner (in Athens) options click here.
How to reach your hotel from the airport
There are various options to reach the downtown hotels depending on whether you want to use public transportation or taxi.
By public transport: The blue metro line goes all the way from the airport to downtown and passes through the Syndagma metro station (where you can connect with the red line) and the Monastiraki metro station (where you can connect with the green line that goes towards AUEB). Please do not confuse the metro line with the suburban railway system, which departs from the adjacent platform and is not convenient for going downtown. The metro line takes about 35-40 minutes to Syndagma and the ticket from the airport costs 8 euros (note that a regular metro ticket costs only 1.40 as long as you use it within the city, it is only for the airport that costs 8 euros). The metro operates from 5:30 am till around midnight. Within the city it runs pretty frequently but the departures to/from the airport are only every 30 minutes (normally at 5 and 35 past every hour).
Apart from the metro, and especially if you arrive late, you can also take the bus X95 which also goes to Syndagma square. The bus departs every 15 minutes and the ticket costs 5 euros.
By taxi: During the day there is now a standard rate of 35 euros to the city center from the airport. If you arrive past midnight, the tariff is 50 euros.
How to come to the conference venue
The conference will take place in the main building of AUEB (the Athens University of Economics and Business).
AUEB is located in the city center, and the main building is on 76 Patission st. If your hotel is not within walking
distance, the best way to come to AUEB is by using the green line and getting off at Victoria station. It is then a 5 minute walk
till the main building. There are also several buses and trolleys that stop just outside AUEB such as the buses
608, 622, A8, B8, Γ8 and the trolleys 3, 5, 11, 13, 14. In the map below you can have a better view of where the main
building of AUEB is located.
View ISCO 2012 in a larger map
How to reach the Acropolis Museum for the social event
To come to the social event on Friday evening, one option is to take the metro from Victoria station near AUEB and switch in Omonoia to the red line. Then you get off at the Akropolis station and the museum is just a few minutes walk from there. Alternatively you can take the trolley 5 (just across from the main building) and get off at the Makrygianni stop.
The Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), where the conference will take place, is located in the centre of Athens where many hotels can be found. We include here some recommended hotels, in walking distance from AUEB, and their offers for ISCO 2012.
Radisson Park Hotel
ISCO 2012 offer and booking form
(~5 min walking distance from AUEB)
Alexandras ave 10, 10682 Athens
Tel.: +30 210 8894500
Fax : +30 210 8238420
Areos Hotel
ISCO 2012 offer
(~5 min walking distance from AUEB)
19 Mpoumpoulinas Street. 10682 Athens
Tel: +30 210 8259540
Fax: +30 210 8259244
Zafolia Hotel
ISCO 2012 offer and booking form
(~15 min walking distance from AUEB)
87-89, Alexandras Av. 11474 Athens
Tel: +30 210 6449 002
Fax: +30 210 6442 042
Meliá Athens
ISCO 2012 offer and booking form
(~15 min walking distance from AUEB)
14 Chalkokondili & 28 October (Patision), 10677 Athens
Tel: +30 210 3320100
Fax: +30 210 3320200
Recommended areas for other accommodation options include: Panepistimiou street, Stadiou street, Syntagma square, Kolonaki.
For any further information please write to email@example.com


text: If you're ever lucky enough to find a girl who is a hopeless romantic with a dirty mind, you should hold onto that. Because she'll be yours at two in the morning and at two in the afternoon the following day. She'll kiss you where it hurts and until it hurts. And that's important. Someone who not only knows how to turn you on but also knows how to treat you right is someone worth a little something… and a little more than usual.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hustle Of The Week: Indian Man Earns $2-4 A Day Cleaning Peoples Ears On The Street Just To Make A Living & Provide For His 4 Kids!
The life of an Ear Cleaner.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Best Kids Parties: Black, White & Bright
Name: Eleanor, 1
Location: U.S.A.
Eleanor is our youngest of four children and she just turned one. We celebrated in our backyard as a family. I wanted to keep it super low key but still special.We took our dining table and chairs outside for the party and it made it feel a bit more special. We ate pizza and watermelon for dinner and cake for dessert. I made two cakes so Eleanor would have one to herself. Her siblings were so excited for her birthday and equally excited for her party so I made each of them a party hat to wear out of scrapbook paper and bakers twine. I made Eleanor a shirt to wear for her birthday using Waverly fabric and this pattern. I made the banner, based on something I saw on this blog.
Thanks, Rachael! Readers, you can see more of this party on Rachael's blog, My Olson Family.
(Images: Rachael Olson)


text:
Sept. 11, 2010
BOSTON, MA - The University of Massachusetts Boston women's tennis team defeated Lyndon State College, 8-1, this afternoon in their home-opener at the Boston College High School courts in Boston, MA. With the victory, the Beacons improve to 2-1 on the season while the loss drops the Hornets to 0-2 overall.
UMass Boston sophomore Anitra Kloczewiak (Newton, MA) played well out of the number one singles spot, making quick work of senior Jenn Falsetti (Readsboro, VT), 6-1, 6-2. Sophomore Wendy Steinman (Dudley, MA) also was efficient in her number five singles match, winning 6-2, 6-0 over freshman Margaret George (Glover, VT). Freshmen Destanee Ringler (Scituate, MA) (6-2, 7-5) and Samantha Counts (Bridgewater, MA) (6-4, 6-3) won in straight sets out of the number two and four single spots, respectively, over freshman Kayla Flynn (Johnston, RI) and senior Amber Hartman (Readsboro, VT). Freshman MaKenna Hughes (Yarmouthport, MA) needed a tie-breaker to earn the 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over sophomore Maria Parr (Montpelier, VT) in number three singles play while sophomore Hieu Nguyen (Dorchester, MA) did not drop a set against sophomore Caitlin Cunningham (South Stratford, VT) before the sophomore withdrew from play due to an injury suffered during the action.
In doubles action, Kloczewiak and Hughes teamed up at number one doubles to defeat Falsetti and freshman Kelsey Johnson (White River Junction, VT), 8-2. Parr and Flynn were able to avoid the shutout for the Hornets, collecting the 9-8 (7-4) win in number two doubles action over Steinman and Ringler while Counts and Nguyen topped George and Hartman, 8-3, in third doubles play.
1. MaKenna Hughes/Anitra Kloczewiak (UMB) def. Jenn Falsetti/Kelsey Johnson (LSC), 8-2
2. Kayla Flynn/Maria Parr (LSC) def. Destanee Ringler/Wendy Steinman (LSC), 9-8 (7-4)
3. Samantha Counts/Hieu Nguyen (UMB) def. Margaret George/Amber Hartman (LSC), 8-3
1. Kloczewiak (UMB) def. Falsetti (LSC), 6-1,6-2
2. Ringler (UMB) def. Flynn (LSC), 6-2,7-5
3. Hughes (UMB) def. Parr (LSC), 6-1,7-6 (7-3)
4. Counts (UMB) def. Hartman (LSC), 6-4,6-3
5. Steinman (UMB) def. George (LSC), 6-2,6-0
6. Nguyen (UMB) def. Kaitlin Cunningham (LSC), 5-0, retired (injury)


text:
STOCKTON - Volunteers are needed at the nature center in Oak Grove Regional Park.
STOCKTON - Volunteers are needed at the nature center in Oak Grove Regional Park.
Anyone interested is invited to stop by the nature center between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday for a tour and additional information.
Volunteers can help staff the center on weekends, host school tours on weekdays and work on special events and animal care. To learn more call (209) 953-8814.
SAN ANDREAS - After five years of monthly talks, a number of Mother Lode water agencies announced this month that they have agreed to set aside their differences to be able to apply for state funding for water-related projects within the watersheds of the Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers.
The Tuolumne-Stanislaus Integrated Regional Water Management Plan goals include everything from repairing eroded alpine meadows to upgrading sewage treatment systems in mountain communities such as Murphys and Groveland. Some projects would address flood risks or reduce erosion from culverts on National Forest roads.
In all, the agencies are asking for about $3.6 millionin funding from the California Deparment of Water Resources.
SONORA - Stanislaus National Forest officials are inviting comments on their plan to apply for state grant money that would pay both to support motorized recreation in the forest and to repair some of the damage caused by illegal off-highway vehicle use.
Stanislaus Forest staff are proposing five projects including the operation and maintenance of OHV trails, placing trail signs and barriers at some locations, law enforcement patrols and visitor education, and repairing areas damaged by OHV use.
The public comment period runs from March 5 to April 1.
See the Stanislaus National Forest grant applications online after March 5 at the California State Parks off-highway vehicle grants website, olga.ohv.parks.ca.gov/egrams_ohmvr/user/home.aspx. A menu on the left contains instructions for how to review and comment on the information.
For other questions, contact Mi-Wok Ranger District OHV Recreation Specialist Chuck James at (209) 586-3234.
STOCKTON - University of the Pacific and Kaiser Permanente are partnering on their first Comprehensive Community Health Clinic set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Stockton community members will have free access to health screenings, such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol; immunizations; medication therapy management; basic dental services, limited to 50 participants; and preventive dental services, limited to 125 participants.
San Joaquin RTD is providing participants with free bus rides to the clinic at University of the Pacific's Chan Family Health Sciences Learning Center and Clinics, 757 Brookside Road, Stockton.
Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry students will host the Inaugural University of the Pacific Comprehensive Community Health Clinic sponsored by Kaiser Permanente to provide free health and dental services to Stockton community members. Information: bit.ly/phskphealthfair.


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Main Content
about the Connecticut Irish American Historical Society (ctiahs)
Founded and incorporated in 1988, we have more than 300 members. Through a varied program of activities, we seek to collect, share, and pass along to others the rich 350-year history and heritage of the Irish people of Connecticut.
contact us
Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society
P.O. Box 185833
Hamden, Connecticut 06518
The Ethnic Heritage Center
270 Fitch St.
New Haven, CT. 06515
Phone: (203) 392-6126
Fax: (203) 392-5140
NEWSLETTER - We publish a quarterly newsletter, The Shanachie, for members. The Shanachie, which means "storyteller" in Irish, contains articles about the history of Connecticut's Irish, genealogical ideas and tips, and notices of our activities.
GENEALOGY GROUP - Our genealogy group is designed to give members who are interested in family history opportunities to exchange ideas, to learn from experts in the field and to make field trips. We sponsor family history workshops focusing on such topics as using census records, vital statistics, church records, military records, research here and in Ireland, computer programs, and Internet information.
LIBRARY/ARCHIVES - We maintain archival collections and a library of books about Irish history, culture and genealogy at the Ethnic Heritage Center at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn. The library contains many aids for historical and genealogical research, such as a set of old New Haven city directories, New Haven school records, personal interest collections and family histories that have been donated to us by Irish people throughout Connecticut.
EDUCATION - We present programs on Irish history, culture and music for schools, nursing homes, civic organizations, etc., and annually place displays about Ireland and Irish-Americans in New Haven-area libraries during March.
FESTIVALS - We participate in Irish festivals throughout the state of Connecticut with programs and exhibits.
ORAL HISTORY - We interview and record on tape the recollections of senior citizens in the state's Irish community.
MICROFILM PRESERVATION - We have begun a program to microfilm the records of some of Connecticut's earliest Irish Catholic parishes.
IRISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH - We obtain proclamations from the Connecticut state governor and from area mayors declaring March as "Irish-American Heritage Month."
CEREMONIES - We collaborate with other Irish organizations to sponsor the raising of the Irish Tricolor on the New Haven Green each April in commemoration of the Easter Rebellion of 1916 in Dublin.
Each November we sponsor a wreath-laying at the monument in New Haven to honor Connecticut's Irish regiment in the Civil War, the Ninth Volunteers. The regiment served in the capture of New Orleans, in the 1862 campaign at Vicksburg and in the Shenandoah Valley under General Philip Sheridan in 1864.
President: George Waldron
Vice President: Vincent McMahon
Secretary: Maureen Delahunt
Treasurer: Tom Slater
Financial Secretary: James McCabe
Shanachie Editor: Neil Hogan


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The Genevans will begin their annual spring break tour on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 with a concert at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh, PA at 7:30 p.m. This year, the choir will be touring the Midwest, visiting churches and schools in Ohio, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Iowa and Indiana.
The theme for the 2011 tour is "Sing for Joy!" Sacred and secular music will be performed, ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary and including folk-songs, spirituals and hymns, and Russian church music. The Genevans will also feature settings of the biblical Psalms in a variety of musical styles centering on Psalm 81:1. Composers represented in the program include Alessandro Scarlatti, Zoltán Kodály, and Francis Poulenc. John Tavener′s beloved setting of William Blake′s poem "The Lamb" is featured, along with his "Song for Athene." A section of the program is devoted to music of western America, honoring the places that the choir will visit.
"The Genevans are all about ministering to people through many kinds of music. Music is God's gift, and when we sing, we feel His pleasure. Tours such as this let us reach a lot more people with the message of music," says Dr. Robert Copeland, director of the Genevans
The Genevans annually tour parts of North America, and travel to Europe every four years. Their 2010 international tour was of the United Kingdom. Previous tours have taken them also to France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Cyprus, earning them acclaim and many return invitations.
For a complete schedule of the Genevans Spring 2011 tour, click here.
Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
© 2018 Geneva College | All rights reserved


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Oregon Fruit: Berry Farm & Cannery Tour
Have you tasted a berry grown from the soils of Oregon? Chances are you have — about 60 percent of blueberries and blackberries (and marionberries if you're lucky!) come from Oregon farms. With our Northwest climate of cloudiness punctuated by bright bursts of heat, conditions are perfect for the ripest and juiciest of berries. Join farmer Phil and I as we tour a few farms and visit with a local cannery, Oregon Fruit. See more photos below:
Oregon Fruit has been a single family-run, small batch fruit cannery since 1935. Their cannery is located in Salem, Oregon (about an hour south of Portland) and the fruit they can comes from local farms, within a 30 mile radius (with the exception of sour cherries, which they import from Michigan). Their cannery is charming, with a few modern fixtures such as a metal detector and temperature-controlled steam bath, but mostly it feels like this business hasn't changed much over the past seventy years. To watch a dark, sweet cherry go from farm to can is a pretty remarkable process, with a twist in each and every step. The sugar steams, the cans go by on conveyor belts, the cherries get shaken out and it's every bit a preservation wonder to behold.
The real beauty of the process however, can be found outdoors, in the acres of berry farms. Farmer Phil led us to the edge of a blackberry and blueberry farm to see the fruits at their peak, just before they were to be harvested. The Duke variety of blueberries were the biggest blueberry specimen I'd ever seen. My fellow tour-takers all let out a collective, "Oh my God, this is awesome!" as we first hopped out of the car and into the narrow pathways between the blueberry bushes. I hesitate to even call them "bushes," these were practically trees as tall as me and just loaded with huge, bursting fruits. The blueberries were more like grapes on a vine than individual, spindly bushes, as I've seen before.
Phil instructed me in "milking" the blueberry bush, which means cupping both hands around a bushel and gingerly scraping the blueberries into a bucket or basket. It was a lovely feeling where I could really celebrate the vibrance of the Oregon soil and perfect weather for berry-growing, not to mention eat my weight in delicious fruit!
Every blueberry acre requires a different amount of water and care each year and season, depending on the weather. All of the plants however, thrive in a slightly acidic soil and sawdust cover, which helps to retain nutrients and acts as a mulch. Throughout the berry farms, I saw sawdust hills large and small, being readied to cover the crops. Never before have I been so appreciative of all the work it takes to harvest berries and eat them fresh or the process of canning them for winter time. I'm grateful for the Salem-area farmers and the bounty they produce for all of us.
Have you visited a berry farm? A fruit cannery? What was it like for you?
• Visit Oregon Fruit: Oregon Fruit
Related: Expert Interview & Tour: Bob's Red Mill
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)


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Posts Taggedparents
Kids love to use computers. That's a fact. Even babies love to press buttons and see things happen. I completely believe that once a child is ready, they should be given access to a computer with quality "grown-up" software and the ability to really utilize the computer with less restrictions. Until they reach that age, however, you probably need some sort of solution to prevent your child from completely screwing up your computer.
Luckily, a number of apps exist that are great to include in the user account for your children. This roundup includes child-friendly browsers, games for learning and for fun and even apps to create digital content. Stick with me after the jump to learn more about some of the most popular apps out there for kids.


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|Episode Description
|Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 - 2:00 AM
Bettany Hughes travels across the eastern Mediterranean to find the truth about Helen of Troy. Hughes sorts reality from myth as she traces the historical remnants of the woman blamed for causing the Trojan War. G
Mountain Time
|More on IDAHO (MT)
|No upcoming shows in database


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The New York Times is exquisitely sensitive to the possibility that its reporters could have conflicts of interest, or undisclosed angles on the stories they report. When such possible conficts are sniffed out, the Times takes a rigorous, Caesar's wife approach. As in this morning's Corrections section:
An article last week in Sunday Styles described a rising generation of male socialites — men whose lives revolve around attending parties in the public eye. The group included a fashion company vice president for public relations whom the article's author, a freelance writer, dated for a few months, in a relationship that ended early this year. In view of that background, the example should have been omitted, or at a minimum the article should have acknowledged the relationship.
Now, that's what I call sensitive! The Times ran an article on an utterly trivial subject: a "rising generation of male socialites" who apparently have nothing better to do than "attending parties in the public eye." (Which, for most of us, would be a form of torture.) The Times finds a reporter to write a story on this less-than-earthshaking topic; not surprisingly, he is someone who is familiar with the world of New York parties. He profiles several members of this "rising generation of male socialites" for the Times. There is no suggestion that he wrote anything that was unfair or inaccurate, but it turns out that one of the men referred to used in his story is someone he knows, and in fact briefly dated!
Now, if a political reporter at the Times were covering a Senate campaign, for example, and it turned out that he had dated one of the candidates, the Times' concern would be appropriate. He certainly shouldn't be covering the race. But, with all due respect to the "rising generation of male socialites," who could possibly care that the author of this trivial article called on one of his friends to appear in it? And, if he painted him in a favorable light because of their past relationship, so what?
But you get the point: The Times is scrupulous about disclosing all situations where the paper's reporters have personal biases or conflicts of interest.
Except, of course, when they're important. The Times is now in the process of reporting on the implications of its own illegal publication of the illegal leak about the NSA's international terrorist surveillance program. As Scott has pointed out here and elsewhere, the Times' own publication of the leaks plainly violated Section 798 of the Espionage Act. The Times' actions constituted a felony punishable by up to ten years imprisonment.
In this morning's paper, the Times finally gets around to noting its own reporters' and editors' legal jeopardy in an article by Adam Liptak:
[T]he Bush administration is exploring a more radical measure to protect information it says is vital to national security: the criminal prosecution of reporters under the espionage laws.
Both critics and allies of the administration say that the espionage laws on their face may well be read to forbid possession and publication of classified information by the press.
A second law is less ambiguous. Enacted in 1950, it prohibits publication of government codes and other "communications intelligence activities." Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor who took part in terrorism investigations in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks, said that both The Times, for its disclosures about the eavesdropping program, and The Post, for an article about secret C.I.A. prisons, had violated the 1917 law. The Times, he added, has also violated the 1950 law.
"It was irresponsible to publish these things," Mr. McCarthy said. "I wouldn't hesitate to prosecute."
The reporters who wrote the two articles recently won Pulitzer Prizes.
So the Times has now acknowledged that its own reporters are at risk of criminal prosecution for their role in the NSA leak scandal.
Yet the Times allows those same reporters to continue reporting on the leak scandal, even thought their own interest–the prospect of going to jail–must inevitably color (or at least be suspected of coloring) their coverage.
Already the Times has been embarrassed by this practice. On March 28, five former judges of the FISA Court testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the NSA program. Eric Lichtblau, one of the two reporters who wrote the original stories publicizing the NSA leak, which are now the subject of a criminal investigation, covered their testimony. Lichtblau wrote that the judges had "voiced skepticism…about the president's constitutional authority to order wiretapping on Americans without a court order." As we wrote here, Lichtblau's account was simply false. To the extent that the judges touched on this topic at all, their testimony acknowledged the President's constitutional authority to order warrantless surveillance in foreign security cases.
After receiving correspondence from our readers, the Times issued a grudging correction, which we discussed here. But, while the paper admitted that Lichtblau had described the judges' testimony "imprecisely," it made no mention of Lichtblau's enormous personal stake in the matter. As a man with a potential felony prosecution hanging over his head, he has a huge and obvious personal interest in promoting the idea that the NSA program that he exposed to al Qaeda and the world was an illegal one. This interest has never been disclosed in any of Lichtblau's or Risen's writing on the leak scandal.
I don't see any way to avoid the conclusion that the Times applies a higher, more scrupulous conflict of interest standard to its society reporters than it does to its Pulitzer Prize-receiving news reporters.
UPDATE: Several readers have noted that the author of the "male socialite" article was a freelancer, and have said that the Times is tougher on freelancers than on its own reporters. That's an interesting twist, which may or may not help to explain the Times' attitudes, but doesn't, in any event, detract from the original point.


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In which my inner bitch is unleashed upon the blogosphere.
Previously published as an ebook with New Concepts Publishing (yes, that New Concepts, the one of the web furor earlier this year at Karen Knows Best and Dear Author) Market for Love is published under the Cheek imprint, a division of Random House, which is "about female pleasure. …but it is also about the pleasures of pampering, shopping, dressing up, having great times, and enjoying all that young life has to offer." Chick lit meets erotica, basically.
The plot of this book is simple: a stock analyst has sex with her new boss without knowing who he is. Mortified and concerned for her job, she tries to put a stop to the affair, but he demeans and harasses her repeatedly in the work place, uses questionable means to obtain personal information about her, and stalks her at her home. She eventually gives in, only to have him decide he has to push her away in order to save her from himself. They declare their mutual love. The end.
My biases: I need to admit to two things that may well have caused my mere lack of enjoyment to morph into strong dislike. First, when I was asked to review it, I Googled the author, whose name was not familiar to me. It turns out that Jamaica Layne is a pen name for a playwright whose works about women have been recognized by the National Women's Studies Association and performed at universities (often sponsored by Women's Studies programs) around the country. I wasn't stupid enough to expect "empowerment erotica", but I confess that the sting of this book was more painful due to how little I expected the anti-woman sensibility which animates it.
Second, on Monday of last week, I found out that one of my male students was stalking and harassing one of my female students. I know both of them fairly well, so this situation was upsetting on more than one level. The female student was moved, with a security detail, to a safe house, her studies abandoned, her sanity in shambles. Restraining orders aside, she cannot walk across the quad without fear, day or night. Suffice it to say that when I poured myself a glass of wine Friday night and sat down to enjoy some light contemporary romance, I was not in the mood for "sexual harassment erotica".
Without further ado, what's not to like about Market For Love?
1. The sexual harassment. Can office romances be hot? Sure. Do I think no romance should never be written that features an alpha boss and his or her employee? No. I really liked The Raven Prince, by Elizabeth Hoyt, for example. But the way this is written, Miranda is a victim, pure and simple. Her body "betrays her", sure, but in her head, from her first meeting with Max (when, a complete stranger, he chastises her in public at a coffee shop), he makes her feel only negative things: scared, sad, angry, embarrassed, incompetent, powerless. When Miranda rebuffs Max, trying to establish some boundaries, he reminds her that he's the boss and she can be fired at any moment, referring to her privately as "a stone-cold frigid bitch."
2. The characters. Max is the classic alpha of yesteryear, the reincarnation of Steve Morgan of Sweet Savage Love, except that unlike Steve, who was at least self-reliant, Max has a self-pity streak a mile wide. His lowest moment? Before he was a millionaire, "He had driven a used two-door Honda to work and was miserable." (Poor baby. Let me loan you my used two-door Volkswagen. At least it's European!) To him, women are "pretty accessories", whom he uses as they deserve, for "sex, entertainment, or just boring dinner conversation" (with your subtle, nuanced view of human relations, I wonder whose fault that is, Max?). Nothing more to say there. Except that he has a deeply romantic way of coming through when the chips are down and his affair with Miranda is revealed:
"Do whatever you want with the information I just gave you, Joe. Just get the national media talking about something other than how much of a skanky whore the beautiful woman I love is. That's all I ask."
Do I need any more romance in 2008? I think not. I'm full up until at least 2009 with that line.
But what about Miranda? She's a high powered, capable executive, right? Well, you tell me. She has a very bad morning, losing millions for her customers, and falls apart, walking around her office complex like a zombie with raccoon eyes, weeping copiously. At a meeting, by just looking at her, Max nearly brings her to orgasm, making her flustered and completely incoherent. And here's a typical Max/Miranda interaction at a "business lunch" when he propositions her yet again:
"I'm afraid that's impossible, Max. I'm leaving."
"Not if I can help it."
The nerve of this guy, manhandling her in a public place! Miranda was furious. She struggled to free herself of Max's grasp. "Let go of my arm, asshole," she whispered.
The couple in the booth across the aisle started to stare. Miranda felt her face flush — but not from embarrassment. As much as she hated to admit it, being manhandled by a handsome CEO in a public restaurant was damn sexy.
… but, before she could move a inch, Max tossed some cash on the table and half-led, half-dragged Miranda out of the restaurant. She stumbled behind him, teetering on her kitten heels as she struggled to keep up."
But how does Miranda, our tough executive, deal with all of this?: "After all that had gone on with Max and her job over the past week, she decided she needed a new wardrobe."
As an aside, the phrase "kitten heels" is mentioned so often that I looked them up. They are sexy low heels, with a thin, set-in heel. More here. As I was reading, I was thinking of a fun drinking game: do a shot every time (a) Miranda has an orgasm (she tends to have 4 in a row), (b) the phrase "kitten heels" appears in the text, or (c) the word "squidgy" is used. However, I decided by about page 30 that to do so would be to encourage alcohol poisoning and desisted.
3. The sex. What if the reader is not an obviously uptight politically correct academic? Is the sexxoring at least good? I'm not an expert in erotica, but I think not. And here's why. (a) For erotica, there ain't much sex. There's a lot of mental lusting and only a few (like 3) actual sex scenes. (b) The sex is only sexy if you like arrogant men, genitals that have personalities which rival the hero and heroine's, and purple prose. Here's an example which showcases all three:
"Is this what you're looking for, sweetheart?" he said, pointing at his very healthy, very prominent and obviously very excited prick.
"Yes." Miranda breathed, feeling her nether parts swell and sweat with heady anticipation, her already throbbing clitoris screaming for the pull and push of his hard thick long member against it. The folds of her sex blossomed like a wet lily.
I fully admit I was not in the mood for the plotline of this book when I read it, but I don't think I possess whatever mood might be necessary to appreciate writing like this.


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6 Ways to Reuse Your Bridesmaid Dress for Halloween
by Amanda Black
Maybe you were a bridesmaid at a themed wedding, or your dress from a wedding 10 years ago is still hanging in your closet — either way, it's time you find some way that you can "totally wear it again." Here are six.
What are you being for Halloween? Does it involve something you wore to a wedding? Tell us here!
> Find more wedding-inspired Halloween costumes
> Shop for chic bridesmaid dresses (that they'll hopefully wear for something other than Halloween)


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V-MODA | On-Ear Headphone | $ 212.00
It's been over 2 years since the introduction of V-MODA's first attempt at an audiophile friendly sound, their M-80 on-ear headphones. In those two years, they released an over-ear model that diverged from neutrality with respect to the 80s. It's 2014 and V-MODA has released a successor to the M-80, dubbed the XS, these headphones are flatter and represent a natural progression to the original M-80. Is it worth the price? Is it worth the upgrade? Read on to find out. (more…)


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Samuel Heath products are available from selected bathroom showrooms and department stores
Flush bolt with slide action mechanism. Made from the finest materials with a combination of the latest technology and hand craftsmanship. Employing a high quality plating process to ensure a flawless finish
Download technical product information. Professional assets may require you to register or login


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font changed all over the map
changed map name to Age of Quests (temporary until a better alternative is found)
1. placement of skills and treasure chests around the map. as this has a big impact on gameplay i need to make sure all starting locations are balanced and no character has an advantage when it comes to obtaining bonuses. please make sure you check the legend as the skills offer various bonuses depending on character
2. visibility. overall the map has perfect visibility of the army numbers. tested it on small and large versions and yes even on the blood splatters the red army numbers are perfectly visible. my main concern on this subject is the font used in the legend. i can read it but i'm not sure others can. so input is needed here. solved?
3. bonuses.
i'm thinking this:
starting location +1 (on hand, this will basically be the terit bonus which is set to a minimum of 1)
each terit of same alignment +1 (on hand)
each terit of different alignment -1 (decay - autodeployed)
treasure chest +/-2 depending on alignment (autodeployed)
skill terits are as seen on the chart in the legend
4. starting neutrals. everything except the starting locations (which will have 5 troops) is neutral and i'm thinking of the following values:
alignment terits (the ones near the starting locations) will have 2 neutrals
skill terits and treasure chests will start with 3 neutrals
all the non important terits will start with 1 to allow smooth movement
the objective will have 25 neutrals as i don't want it to be too high but not too low either
5. name of the map. right now it is Quest of Kylldrotha but i'm open for suggestions
so get talking and give me feedback.
redid the wax seal
removed the curl in top right corner to make room for text
added explanation that there are no diagonal attacks
changed text on map (except chart numbers)
made the blood stain a tad more red
added various font types please tell me which one you like best.
reworded the treasure chest explanation. hope it's more clear now.
made the map just a bit darker. it should be halfway between V4 and V3
added neutral values and starting locations values. the terits that don't have a number on them have a 1 neutral army. i was too lazy to add so many numbers
to do:
fix curl
fix the wax seal (when foregone tells me what's wrong with the broken edges)
decide on font type
decide on a name
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250 ... copy-8.png
made the blood look as a stain to improve visibility and make it more real (used to have the text layer above the blood layer and it wasn't real)
fixed blood coming off the map
added lines in the legend (yes i made them jiggly on purpose)
made the map lighter
made the seal edges broken and added a wax stain where those edges were supposed to be.
changed font all over the place (except for the seal which is waiting for a new name)
fixed letters and stuff going off the map
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250 ... copy-7.png
completely redid the terits
completely changed the paper background to one that's better for the eye.
removed the ring and replaced it with a wax seal
added a full legend
added icons for skills and characters
placed skills around the map (need thoughts on placement)
added blood
various grunges and stuff
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250 ... copy-6.png
terit layout
terit naming
starting locations
bla bla
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250 ... copy-2.png
basic layout
partial legend
various artwork
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250 ... PGcopy.png
DiM wrote:i love RPG games. (if you don't know what RPG stands for then google it)
so i was thinking why not combine RPG with CC and get a brand new map with a brand new gameplay?
imagine 8 characters (wizard, barbarian, paladin, archer, warlock, etc) in a fantasy realm going on a quest to find the Holy CC star ( )
the beauty part is where the RPG meets Risk.
i have been gone for long and i don't know what is or isn't possible with xml or if any new xml features have been/will be added so bare with me and post your thoughts.
the idea is to get a character and develop it as you would do in any RPG game. to do this you have a HUGE dungeon (have the size limits been increased?) where these characters roam and do quests. i'm thinking somewhere around 400 terits (maybe more) in a grid shape. each charachter will get a beacon (the starting location) and then advance in the maze. the beacons can't be conquered (so you can only win by holding the objective). i need this because each character will have personalized quests. i don't know if it is possible but it's something like this:
quest for warrior: go defeat the Yeti monster and bring it's claws to the Den of Damnation. this actually translates into the xml like this: hold the yeti terit and the Den terit to get the bonus. and to make the quest personalized you also have to hold the warrior beacon. since the beacon can't be taken by other players it means you're the only one that can do that quest. (from what i remember this is possible to be coded in the xml)
now, let's talk about character traits and items. using the beacon holding in the xml other bonuses can also be coded for specific players.
for example a warlock takes a terit in a blessed zone he can get an automatic decay bonus for that terit (because he is an evil character in a good zone) .
or a paladin takes a treasure terit wich gives him a 2 army autodeploy because that terit plus the paladin beacon = "the shield of life"
but if an archer takes that terit it might do nothing because an archer can't equip a shild or even worse an evil character taking that terit gets a negative bonus (alignment incompatibility)
same goes for the traits. let's say you have a terit called dexterity, if an archer takes this terit he gets 2 armies per turn cause he's a dexterity based character. if a paladin takes it he gets just +1 and if a barbarian holds it he gets nothing. that goes for all other traits (intelligence power, etc)
and of course in the middle of the map there's the quest item with lots of neutrals take it hold it and you win.
now most important of all i need to know if what i said is possible to be coded in the xml.
then i need to know your thoughts on the gameplay idea and everything.
i will try to put a graphic mock-up as soon as possible.
i think i must inlcude some info:
number of terits: 261, with 8 starting positions and the rest neutral
gimmicks: objective based map, starting locations, decay, weird bonuses, quests, and other technical mumbo jumbo


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At this writing, the Kansas City Board of Trade Decemberember wheat contract price is $4.84. One week ago, the December contract price closed at $4.59. Two consecutive closes below $4.60 and a downtrend would have been established. It will take two consecutive closes above $5 to establish an uptrend.
If on Oct. 5, the KCBT December wheat contract price is above $5, the 2006/07 marketing year (June 1 through May 31) price trend will be an uptrend. If on Oct. 5 the December wheat contract price is below $4.60, the trend will be down. If the price is between $4.60 and $5, the trend will be sideways. The odds are leaning toward, at the least, a sideways trend and possibly an uptrend.
Factors impacting the trend are current supply and demand conditions, wheat production expectations in the Southern Hemisphere and 2007 U.S. winter wheat planting conditions.
Ending stocks (wheat in storage at the end of the marketing year) may be used to summarize the supply and demand situation. In September's report, the USDA projected 2006/07 wheat marketing year wheat ending stocks to be 429 million bushels. This may be compared to 568 million bushels on May 31, 2006, and a five-year average of 580 million bushels. U.S. wheat ending stocks have not been this tight since the 1996/97 marketing year.
World wheat ending stocks are projected to be 4.6 billion bushels compared to 5.4 billion bushels last year and five-year average of 5.9 billion bushels. World wheat stocks have not been this low since the 1981/82 marketing year.
A better indicator of wheat stocks is the "stocks-to-use" ratio (ending stocks divided by annual use). The U.S. 2006/07 stocks-to-use ratio is projected to be 21 percent. This is the lowest since 1996. The world's stocks-to-use ratio is projected to be 20.5 percent. My records go back to 1960 and the closest was in 1965 when the ratio was 21.6 percent.
With tight stocks, the wheat price must remain sufficiently high to ration wheat and to guarantee enough planted wheat acres and thus production to meet demand.
Export demand is a big indicator of total U.S. wheat demand and will be the factor that changes the U.S. wheat ending stocks estimate. As of the week ending Sept. 14, all wheat sold for export was 23 percent behind last year and shipments were 37 percent less. The USDA projects that 2006/07 marketing year wheat exports will be 11 percent less than 2005/06 exports.
To meet USDA's 900 million bushel estimate, average weekly shipments must be 17.3 million bushels. To date, weekly shipments have averaged 15.7 million bushels. Between now and May 31, weekly shipments must average 18 million bushels.
Hard red winter (HRW) wheat export sales are 57 percent less than last year and shipments are 72 percent less. The USDA projects a 30 percent reduction in exports compared to last year. To date, weekly HRW export shipments have averaged 4.3 million bushels. To meet USDA's 300-million bushel export estimate, weekly shipments must average 6.4 million bushels.
Estimates for Argentina and Australia's wheat crops continue to Decemberline. If Argentina and Australia's wheat production potential continues to Decemberline, wheat prices will increase.
Given the market is offering about $4.50 for 2007 harvest wheat, planted acres should be as high as or higher than last year. Winter wheat HRW wheat planting conditions have improved even though short soil moisture conditions still persist and are a big concern.
I have been pessimistic about wheat prices reaching the July 11 high of nearly $5 during the 2006/07 marketing year. If USDA's export projections are correct, exports sales must increase and, to bid wheat out of storage, wheat prices must increase and could surpass $5.
If the KCBT December contract price is above $5 when reading this, the odds are high for $5-plus prices this marketing year.


text:
Interferon Alpha 2b Intensification in HIV-Positive Individuals on Antiretroviral Therapy
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01295515
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : February 14, 2011
Last Update Posted : October 19, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been able to improve the lifespan of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), but ART requires continuous treatment that has substantial consequences on quality of life. ART suppresses HIV-1 virus levels below the limits of detection in current tests, but does not completely eradicate the virus from the blood. Recent research is attempting to determine whether this persistent infection stems from a low-level infection where new cells are continually infected with HIV, or from cells that live for a long time after infection. ART is very active against the virus in new cells, but has no effect on long-lived cells that are already infected with HIV-1 at the start of ART. As a result, new strategies may be necessary to reduce or eradicate these 'reservoir' cells.
- Interferon is a natural substance made by the body to combat virus infections, but can also be made as an injectable drug known as PEGINTRON. PEGINTRON injections have been approved to treat hepatitis C infection, including in patients with HIV infection. Earlier studies of HIV-infected individuals who were not on any ART showed that interferon reduced the level of HIV in the blood. Researchers are interested in determining whether PEGINTRON therapy will also reduce the residual low levels of HIV in patients who are already taking ART.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of PEGINTRON injections on HIV levels in participants currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
- Individuals at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with HIV, are currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy, and have maintained HIV virus blood counts that are not detectable by current commercial tests for at least 12 months before the start of the study.
- This study will involve separate screening and treatment processes.
- Participants will be screened with a physical examination and medical history, including blood and urine samples. The screening analysis to determine study eligibility will take several weeks. Participants will have apheresis to provide sufficient numbers of blood cells for evaluation by the study researchers.
- Eligible participants will begin a 4-week course of PEGINTRON injections using the standard dose of PEGINTRON that is approved for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Participants will have weekly injections and have frequent blood tests to measure HIV virus levels.
- Participants who experience problems in maintaining safe numbers of white blood cells during the study may receive injections of filgrastim to increase their white blood cell count.
- After the 4 weeks of treatment, participants will return for additional blood tests on study days 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and 84, and Weeks 16, 24, 36, and 48 (i.e., through the end of 1 year after the start of the study).
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infection
|Drug: Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2b (PEGINTRON)
|Phase 1 Phase 2
As a result of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), morbidity and mortality from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has declined significantly in the past 15 years, at least in developed countries. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected individuals now live longer, but must undergo continuous therapy that has substantial consequences on quality of life.
ART suppresses HIV-1 viremia below the limits of detection in current commercial assays (c. 50 copies/mL plasma)., but HIV viremia persists even after prolonged suppressive therapy. The origin of this residual viremia is yet not clear, but data suggest that production from long lived HIV infected cells may contribute to viremia.
Antiretrovirals are extremely active against replicating cells, and can thus successfully stop viral replication, but have no effect on long-lived viral reservoirs of cells already infected with HIV-1 at the time antiretroviral therapy is initiated. As a result, new strategies are necessary to reduce or eradicate long-lived reservoirs.
Interferon alpha is a natural cytokine with antiviral activity. Prior to the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, several studies demonstrated modest effect of interferon alpha in HIV-1 viremia in active cycles of infection in infected individuals. Interferon alpha was also effective in vitro in decreasing virus production from cells chronically infected with HIV-1. With the introduction of potent antiretroviral therapy, interferon was not developed as a direct anti-HIV drug. Interferon alpha is relatively effective in therapy of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and has been used in HIV-1/HCV coinfected individuals. Kottilil and coworkers in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation NIAID have shown a decrease in HIV-1 RNA levels in HCV coinfected participants treated with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin. In stored samples from that study, we conducted a retrospective trial on samples from participants with HIV-1 RNA levels of <50 copies/mL, showing a further reduction in residual viremia using an ultrasensitive Single Copy Assay (SCA) developed in our laboratory. As such the effects of interferon on HIV viremia and cell associated HIV RNA are of growing interest.
In this protocol we will conduct a prospective, non-randomized, single arm, pilot study to investigate the effect of pegylated interferon alpha 2b on HIV-1 RNA levels as an additional drug in participants undergoing suppressive antiretroviral therapy with viral RNA levels suppressed to less than 50 copies/mL plasma. As patients may have levels of HIV RNA that are lower than our limit of detection, we will also investigate levels of HIV nucleic acid species in cells as well. We will determine whether interferon alpha therapy will reduce residual viremia or cell associated HIV RNA in participants on suppressive ART, which will expand our understanding of persistent low-level viremia and the pathogenesis of HIV in infected individuals.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|25 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Effect of Interferon Alpha 2b Intensification on HIV-1 Residual Viremia in Individuals Suppressed on Antiretroviral Therapy
|Study Start Date :
|February 11, 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|May 31, 2017
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|May 31, 2017
Experimental: 1
Interferon treatment
Drug: Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2b (PEGINTRON)
pegylated preparation of interferon alpha 2b
- This is a non-randomized, single arm pilot study of 10 participants to investigate the effect of interferon alpha on HIV-1 production in HIV-infected individuals with HIV-1 RNA levels of <50 copies/mL. [ Time Frame: week 4 compared to week 0 ]
- Investigate HIV-1 genetic variation in individuals undergoing interferon therapy. [ Time Frame: week 4 of therapy ]
- Investigate the safety and tolerability of PEG INF 2b in HIV-1 infected individuals taking FDA-approved antiretrovirals in combinations recommended by Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines. [ Time Frame: week four of therapy ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
To be eligible for study participation, a volunteer must satisfy all of the following inclusion criteria:
- Age greater than or equal to 18 years.
- Documentation of HIV-1 infection by any licensed ELISA test and confirmed by a Western Blot.
- Receiving a DHHS-approved ARV regimen.
- Level of cell-associated HIV RNA greater than or equal to 5 copies/million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) done at screening visit 1.
- HIV-1 RNA levels less than detectable by current commercial means (e.g., Roche Amplicor, b-DNA test) for a minimum of 12 months prior to screening at all time points, and with at least 2 measurements in this 12 month window.
- CD4 greater than or equal to 300 cells/mm(3) at pre-entry visit within 14 days prior to enrollment.
- Ability to sign informed consent and willingness to comply with the study requirements and clinic policies.
- No evidence of viral hepatitis co-infection as assessed by Hepatitis C antibody, HCV RNA, and hepatitis B surface antigen; determinations at pre-entry visit within 28 days prior to enrollment.
- No history of or evidence of autoimmune hepatitis or other autoimmune disorders at screening, or Antinuclear antibody (ANA > 3 times upper limit of normal.
Laboratory values at pre-entry visit within 14 days prior to enrollment:
- Alkaline phosphatase <2.0 times upper limit of normal
- Alanine transaminase (ALT) <2.0 times upper limit of normal
- Total bilirubin < 2.5 mg/dL (< 40 mg/dL if on Atazanavir)
- Creatinine clearance greater than or equal to 60 mL/min as estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation
- Neutrophil count greater than or equal 1500 cells/mm(3)
- Platelets greater than or equal to 150,000/ mm(3)
- Hemoglobin greater than or equal to 12.0 mg/dL for men and >11.0 g/dL for women
- Fasting glucose < 126 mg/dL
- No history or evidence of significant clinical depression at screening that in the opinion of the investigator would affect the ability of the patient to participate in the study, or which would constitute a threat for his/her health in case of relapse upon INF treatment. The Beck Depression Inventory score must be less than or equal to 13 at pre-entry visit.
- No history of INF/PEG-INF therapy.
- If capable of pregnancy: use of effective contraception during study: effective contraception methods include abstinence, surgical sterilization of either partner, barrier methods such as diaphragm, condom, cap or sponge, or use of hormonal contraception with an anti-HIV regimen that will not alter metabolism of hormonal contraception.
- Participants must have primary medical care outside this protocol: participants will have to provide Primary Care Doctor s contact information.
A volunteer will be ineligible to participate in this study if any of the following criteria are met:
- History of neoplastic disease requiring cytotoxic therapy including hydroxyurea.
- Use of long-term systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, or cytotoxic agents within 60 days prior to enrollment.
- Any vaccination within 30 days prior to enrollment. Individuals interested in participating who require vaccination will delay screening until 30 day period is completed.
- Concurrent therapy with investigational cytokines including IL-2 or IL-12 during the course of the study. Prior administration of cytokines is not an exclusion criterion; at least 4 months from most recent cycle of IL-2 or IL-12 is required.
- Any febrile illness (>38 degrees C) in the 3 weeks prior to enrollment or any acute therapy for a serious infection completed within 30 days prior to enrollment.
- Current pregnancy or lactation, history of pregnancy in the last 4 months.
- Preexisting autoimmune disorders including inflammatory bowel diseases, psoriasis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, lupus erythematous, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, scleroderma, severe psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and optic neuritis.
- History of severe retinopathy or evidence of severe retinopathy judged by pre-entry ophthalmologic examination.
- Known allergy/sensitivity to study drug or its formulation.
- History of seizure disorders or current anticonvulsant use.
- Any history of medical conditions associated with chronic liver disease (genetic hemochromatosis, alcoholic liver disease, toxin exposures, and autoimmune hepatitis) or documented cirrhosis due to any cause.
- History of pulmonary disease associated with functional limitation.
- Documented history of thyroid disease.
- Active drug or alcohol use or dependence, which in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with complying with the study requirements.
- Known hypersensitivity to Escherichia coli-derived products such as filgrastim.
- Any systemic illness that will make it unlikely that the subject will be able to return for the required study visits.
- History of, or any condition that in the opinion of the investigator would interfere with the conduct of the study, or it would not be in the best interest of the subject to enroll in this study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01295515
|United States, Maryland
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
|United States, Pennsylvania
|University of Pittsburgh
|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15261
|Principal Investigator:
|Frank Maldarelli, M.D.
|National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01295515 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|February 14, 2011 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|October 19, 2017
|Last Verified:
|July 12, 2017
Keywords provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) ( National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) ):
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Peginterferon alfa-2b
Antineoplastic Agents
Antiviral Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs


text:
Written for professionals, this book addresses the analysis of nonlinear systems with stochastic inputs and establishes the performance metrics of communication systems with regard to nonlinearity. The book discusses the problem of how to embed models of distortion in system-level simulators such as MATLAB and Simulink and provides practical techniques that professionals can use on their own projects. Topics include wireless standards, nonlinear system models, nonlinear distortion modeling, and random signal distortion.
MATLAB, Simulink, Communications Toolbox, Optimization Toolbox, RF Toolbox, and Signal Processing Toolbox are used to solve numerous examples in the book. In addition, a supplemental set of MATLAB code files is available for download.


text:
ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Konnichi wa!! Ryo here! I've been cosplaying as I can remember, however my first anime cosplay was at A-kon 13. I was Radical Ed from Cowboy Bebop! Its my favorite cosplay. Cosplay is one of my main hobbies. I take dance, martial arts, skate, play piano, read manga, watch anime. I'm a college student (very poor and needs income). ^__^V My favorite class is my Japanese class. hehe! Perhaps one day, I can watch anime in japanese without subs!! ^___~
Recent Updates
Newest Favorites
Newest Fans
Recent Comments
- Rydia says, "cool! an irein cosplay!"
- For Irein Crein from Magna Carta: Tears of Blood / Crimson Stigmata
- sabaku_no_trevor_95 says, "nice weaponry "
- For Talim from Soul Calibur 2
- wabisabi says, "the most perfect Irein ever!!!!!"
- For Irein Crein from Magna Carta: Tears of Blood / Crimson Stigmata
- OmiGibson says, "Ultra cute!!!"
- For Ariel from Kingdom Hearts
- vietgirl018 says, "I love the Tales games. Great cosplay for chat there. ^^"
- For Chat from Tales of Eternia


text:
MINEOLA – Representative Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) today issued the following statement on his recent tour along the border and meetings with Federal, State, and County leaders regarding border security:
"On Saturday I joined DPS Director Steve McCraw and a group of my House colleagues and friends from County and National governments on the Rio Grande River. We met with leaders from the Texas DPS, US Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra, Pharr Police Chief Ruben Villescas, Hidalgo County Constable Larry Gallardo, and many officers from various agencies.
"We learned a lot. The drug cartels are responsible for bringing these record numbers of children to the border, with the goal of overwhelming the system and making it easier for the cartels to do their evil and heartless acts. These drug lords take money from folks in Mexico, promising safe passage into the US. Then, if they make it across, these same criminals in many cases hold their clients hostage and extort money from their relatives in the US. This is in addition to home invasions and other violence they perpetuate.
"So the surge is a big part of the solution. With the extra $1.3M per week that the Texas has just approved, DPS and each of the agencies we met with can put more officers and more resources into this fight. They can aggressively go after the drug cartels right on the border, starting on the Rio Grande River. By concentrating more force there, we can decrease the number of illegal border crossings and increase the cartels' cost of doing business.
"So we can make the border safer for the folks living there, decrease the number of illegal border crossings, and stop the pipeline of helpless children being used as human shields by these heartless drug lords.
"In addition, we observed some of the equipment that's being used very effectively. Most importantly, we got to visit with officers of these various agencies who are serving us in very difficult conditions.
"There is still work to do. The federal government must do its constitutional duty and provide real border security. But in the meantime, Texas is not sitting idly by and waiting. With this surge we are taking immediate action toward securing the border."


text:
(Matt Hughes doesn't need to say it. But yes, it's whatever.)
Reaction GIFs are the world's most perfect means of communication. Why waste time typing out actual words about how you're feeling when you can just link to other people's facial expressions? The next time you find yourself in a heated comments section, fire off one of these MMA-related reaction GIFs. Use the next page links to move through the list, and enjoy…
When you've defeated a bitter rival:
When you just laughed at something you shouldn't have laughed at:
When you need to let the haters know that they ain't bringing you down:
When you're not amused. At all:


text:
Family, vocations, catechesis,
main themes at upcoming CELAM conference
Lima, May 2, 2007 / 12:34 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina
Estevez, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said this week the upcoming
5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops' Council will
be addressing some of the main challenges facing the region,
including the family and the attacks against it, priestly vocations
and the need for renewed catechesis.
In an interview with CNA, Cardinal Medina Estevez said the family
"is very threatened in Latin America by the existence of divorce
laws, by cultural customs, in conflict with Christian morality, such
as cohabitation outside marriage" and the legalization of such
unions, "including between persons of the same sex."
The cardinal also underscored the importance of the family in
promoting priestly vocations. "If the family structure is not sound,
it is much more difficult for priestly vocations to come about."
Referring to the issues to be discussed at the 5th CELAM conference,
Cardinal Medina said, "There is a need for strong emphasis on
catechesis, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, either in
its abbreviated form or in the Compendium of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, which are both high quality pastoral tools."
Everything that has to do with faith should be a priority for the
bishops, he went on, as faith is what changes attitudes and peoples'
situations. External pressures can only bring about change in the
short term, but faith leads to a conversion of the heart, Cardinal
Medina said.
He also pointed to the socio-economic challenges in the region, such
as poor education, illiteracy and poverty.
Excesses in the Liturgy
Cardinal Medina stressed the importance of the liturgy in the life
of the Church and emphasized that the Apostolic See "is responsible
for definitively evaluating whether or not proposed adaptations are
suitable." He decried the lack of uniformity in the celebration of
the Mass throughout the Catholic world, pointing to such abuses as
the substitution of the readings from the Lectionary with texts from
other sources.
Benedict XVI in Brazil
The cardinal said Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Brazil would
primarily be pastoral, as the Pope is "fulfilling his task by coming
to visit and confirm in the faith first of all his brother bishops
of each diocese, and secondly, of the Christian faithful who see in
the successor of Peter a guarantor of the unity of the faith."
"Undoubtedly the Pope has a special closeness to Latin America and
this is evident in the fact that he speaks Spanish very well, he
understands it perfectly," Cardinal Medina said.
Asked about the future of the Church in the region, the Chilean
cardinal said his hopes lie in parish life, in the new ecclesial
movements and in diocesan life. "This is more important, more
permanent, more relevant than things at the international level,
which exist and without a doubt are of great use, but upon which, in
my view, the future of the Christian faith does not depend."
Cardinal Medina called on the faithful to pray for the success of
the CELAM conference, that the participating bishops might have the
strength and courage to speak clearly about the issues facing the
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text:
PositiveRacing necessitava di un nuovo design di logo e ha lanciato un contest su 99designs.
È stato scelto un vincitore tra 200 design presentati da 61 designer.
We're building an online SuggestionBox for consumers and companies.
Consumer perspective:
Where you can offer your ideas/solutions to your favorite companies and be notified once they are implemented.
Company Perspective:
Understand your customers and improve your relationship with them as well as your products, services and events.
SuggestionBox.com is about:
* Improvement / Making Things Better
* Streamlining / Efficiency
* Helping your favorite companies improve / be successful
* Customer / Company interaction
* Providing a solution
* Positive Feedback
* Receiving a response
* Timeless
* Inspire Confidence
* Trustworthy
* Secure
* Reputable
* Modern not too trendy
Requirements: Needs to incorporate the entire name, Capital S&B and a Unique Mark / Symbol / Icon.
MUST INCLUDE .com
Designed so it looks great LARGE or small, also in Black and White.
Accepted File Formats:
Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
Maggiori informazioni su come funziona un contest di design o sui nostri servizi di design di logo.


text:
The new Student Recreation and Wellness Center at Ball State University, Muncie, IN, is seeing less traffic this summer because students who must pay a $90 fee to use it are instead using the older Ball Gymnasium. The older facility does not require a fee because it is already completely funded.
When the new recreation center opened during the fall 2010 semester, administrators began charging the fee after students unanimously approved a resolution to do so.
Some students were confused about whether they would have to pay a fee to use the new facility if they were not taking classes, says Jason Adamowicz, associate director of recreation services. The fee is automatically charged students when they enroll in classes for a semester, but students not enrolled in classes pay separately to use the facility.
"We learned last year, the first summer the new recreation center was opened, that students assumed they had the same access," Adamowicz says. "This year, we did more of a push to educate them that if they are in classes, don't worry because it is the same, but if they were in between semesters, they were going to have to pay [to use the facility]."
The fee to use the new facility was charged to students not enrolled in classes to try to make it fair to students who are taking summer classes and were charged the recreation fee with their tuition, Bernard M. Hannon, associate vice president and business affairs treasurer, told BSU Daily News.
Though Ball Gymnasium and the new Student Recreation and Wellness Center do not compare in square feet or their offerings, the Ball Gymnasium option gives students an option for working out if they do not want to pay the fee, Adamowicz says.
"It's a great thing to offer those pre-existing facilities as another option," he says. "Because those buildings were funded through another budget process, the operations of those facilities were already covered in another budget that has nothing to do with the recreation center fee."
Recognized as one of the 2012 Outstanding Sports Facilities by the National Intramural-Recreation Sports Association, the new recreation center focuses on other comprehensive programs directed toward university employees and their families during the summer to offset the lag in student participation.
"We know our traffic is going to be down a little bit, and we believe in this university and utilizing our resources efficiently," Adamowicz says.
Programs such as day camps and swimming lessons help utilize the facilities that had participation drop from 100,000 in the busy months of January and February to 25,000 in the first summer month of May.
"Ball State values our employees, so we want to have comprehensive programming for them as well," Adamowicz says. "To do that, you also have to have family offerings. We have been doing that for close to 20 years now."


text:
With only sixteen men and eight women invited, today's competition was a quick two-run-finals format at night under the lights . This was the first nighttime Grand Prix—the final one tomorrow will be at night, the X Games will be night, and so will the Olympics. So, it's good for the riders to make that transition.
Nevermind the warm ups, this thing got going hot right out of the gate. The obvious highlight was the competition debut of Shaun's double Mctwist 12, a trick he'd been working on all season and perfected after the Mammoth Grand Prix. The next most-obvious highlight was Scotty Lago's ballistic, energized runs, the first one secured him a second place finish. Luke Mitrani had an on night, too, with his double Michealchucks, along with Jack who blasted a back 12. What?! Greg Bretz finally got on the podium after a season of close calls—he was one of the first to get that double Cork this summer. No one brought their safety runs—it was all on the line tonight.
Things we'd love to see tomorrow night:
Clair Bidez stomp that huge 9 on the first hit.
Another back 12 from Jack Mitrani.
We know Scotty Lago has back-to-back double corks. (No pressure)
Gretchen Bleiler get a better score for her same run.
OFFICIAL RESULTS—January 22, 2010
2010 Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix
Park City, Utah
4. Elijah Teter, 44.00
5. Luke Mitrani, 44.00
6. Louie Vito, 43.30
7. JJ Thomas, 43.00
8. Danny Kass, 42.70
9. Steve Fisher, 42.00
10. Dylan Bidez, 41.30
4. Gretchen Bleiler, 42.50
5. Elena Hight, 40.00
6. Kaitlyn Farrington, 39.20
7. Maddy Schaffrick, 31.40
8. Kelly Marren, 29.40
9. Clair Bidez, 19.30
The official Olympic announcement isn't until Saturday night, but in addition to Shaun and Kelly who are locked in, Louie Vito, Hannah Teter, Gretchen Bleiler, and Scotty Lago are currently in a good place to possibly make the team after tonight (see below for overall standings). There's still one more night of competition and no one's claiming anything yet. We'll find out which three women and three men are confirmed for pipe Saturday night, but we'll have to wait until Monday for the remaining two to be announced.
Overall Standings—Average of best two results (ties broken)
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 1000
2. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 800
3. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 700
4. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 550
5. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 525
6. Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 525
7. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 475
8. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 475
9. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 400
10. Jack Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 340
1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 1000
2. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 900
3. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 800
4. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 650
5. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 600
6. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 475
7. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 425
8. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 400
9. Kelly Marren, Hillsborough, CA, 305
Illustrations by John Antoski


text:
July 13, 1921 - December 12, 2012
Bloomingburg, NY
Thomas F. Bauer of Bloomingburg, NY passed away on December 12, 2012 at the Valley View Nursing & Rehabilitation. He was 91.
The son of Evelyn Capidieupo Bauer, he was born on July 13, 1921 in the Bronx, NY.
Music has been a part of his life for most of his years. His mother played the piano at Carnegie Hall and would take him to the opera when he was a child in New York City. He received a music teaching certificate from the University of Chicago in 1948. Self trained as a musician, Tom started the music business Rockland County. He opened an organ booth at the Orange County Fair that became such a big attraction; he permanently relocated to Middletown, NY in 1960 and established the Orange County Organ & Piano on Route 211 in Middletown and later opening a kiosk at the Orange County Mall.
Thomas is survived by his children: Patricia (Bunny) Fekzak of Goshen, NY, Lynn Dowson of Palm Coast, FL, and Ralph Bauer of Wallkill, NY. He is also survived by stepchildren: Patricia Tucci and Judy MacCormack both of Myrtle Beach, SC, Leo Gross of Montgomery, NY and Donna (Murph) Smith of Monroe, NY; seven grandchildren; six great grandchildren; eight step-grandchildren and several step-great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Elaine Bauer in 2010 and his former wife, Dorothy Bauer in 1978.
Memorial services will be held at 7 p.m. January 3, 2013 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 21 Joshua Dr., Bloomingburg, NY.
Memorial contributions may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 or www.jdrf.org.
Arrangements are by the Gridley-Horan Funeral Home, Inc., 39 Orchard St., Walden, NY. www.gridleyhoran.com.