text:
In an announcement made this morning over at the official Steam web site Valve Software revealed a change to its Steam Subscriber Agreement that makes it so that subscribers can no longer file class action lawsuits against the company (Federal Arbitration Act). Under the terms of the new agreement, Steam users agree not to form a class action lawsuit against the company, using a "dispute resolution" process to deal with complaints on an individual basis (arbitration).
Valve also said in its statement that it would refund the cost of arbitration – regardless of the outcome – for any claims below $10,000, as long as the arbitrator didn't rule that the claim was frivolous or unreasonable. Of course, because Valve will be hiring the arbitrator in question, one can expect that the person dealing with disputes will not be completely impartial either…
While this change is a little disheartening because it takes legal options off the table for consumers who may have real and legitimate complaints, this is also the standard practice of most companies in the U.S. that deal with consumers. Valve's full statement can be read below:
Every so often we need to update the Steam Subscriber Agreement ("SSA") and Valve's Privacy Policy. These documents are the terms to which you (and all Steam users) agreed when first creating an account. Whenever we need to make changes to these agreements we like to bring the changes to your attention and explain why they're necessary. The next time you log in to Steam you'll be asked to read and agree to the new terms.
This time around there are a number of changes reflected in both documents including the opening of a new Valve office in Luxembourg to better serve our EU customers and partners. If you live in the EU, your SSA will be with our Luxembourg subsidiary Valve S.a.r.l. and the SSA has been amended to reflect additional terms specific to our EU customers. We've added other terms related to the Steam Wallet and Steam trading to accommodate new features and capabilities of Steam.
We're also introducing a new dispute resolution process that will benefit you and Valve. Recently, a number of companies have created similar provisions which have generated lots of discussion from customers and communities, and we've been following these discussions closely. On Steam, whenever a customer is unhappy with any transaction, our first goal is to resolve things as quickly as possible through the normal customer support process. However in those instances in which we can't resolve a dispute, we've outlined a new required process whereby we agree to use arbitration or small claims court to resolve the dispute. In the arbitration process, Valve will reimburse your costs of the arbitration for claims under a certain amount. Reimbursement by Valve is provided regardless of the arbitrator's decision, provided that the arbitrator does not determine the claim to be frivolous or the costs unreasonable.
Most significant to the new dispute resolution terms is that customers may now only bring individual claims, not class action claims. We considered this change very carefully. It's clear to us that in some situations, class actions have real benefits to customers. In far too many cases however, class actions don't provide any real benefit to users and instead impose unnecessary expense and delay, and are often designed to benefit the class action lawyers who craft and litigate these claims. Class actions like these do not benefit us or our communities. We think this new dispute resolution process is faster and better for you and Valve while avoiding unnecessary costs, and that it will therefore benefit the community as a whole.
Thanks for reading through our thoughts on these updates and for your continued use of Steam.


text:
I am happy to report that I just got the new 3D Samsung Television set. It is an outstanding picture. The set comes with a pair of 3D glasses, and naturally, I had to get the Samsung 3D Blue Ray DVD player. My sound system stayed the same. The important point, however, is whether you watch in 3D or are still part of the old HD crowd, Mel Gibson probably looks the same.
Since I never met Mel Gibson, it would be completely irresponsible for me to offer any psychological diagnosis pertaining to his behavior. Years and years of experience has told me that how we perceive a person through the media is very different than how they operate when no cameras are around. We all know this to be true.
On the other hand, it is often say that a picture is worth a thousand words, or the Hollywood version, a film is worth a 30 second pitch. Right now, it is obvious to all that for Mel, 2010 is The Year of Living Dangerously.
You might think of Mel as a Patriot and maybe he is but I'd say from hearing the tapes, Mel is also a Mad Max so an anger management class might be helpful. You might ask, "What is he angry about?" I don't know. His movies usually do pretty well so my best guess is that he is angry that he will not be Forever Young.
Regardless of the reason, my fear is that if his anger is not checked, he could act out and become a Lethal Weapon four times over.
The way he screams bothers me. I realize he has The Passion of Christ, but for sure, the yelling and abusive language is not What Women Want. Why does he engage in such behavior? Again, I don't know; perhaps it is some type of Payback.
The content of the tapes is worrisome. In my clinical internship, I heard a lot of patients make similar comments. Many of them were paranoid, and Mel once did mention a Conspiracy.
Sometimes, a person like Mel is best treated by making a long term commitment. Maybe it would be a good idea for him to sail into the sunset to a place like Tahiti. He could take The Bounty and do some soul searching.
Mel Gibson has a lot of movie fans. I know they want him to be a Braveheart and owe up to his behavior. We all know that this is difficult and requires the strength. He will have to use some visualization skills so he can see himself as The Cold Warrior -- nobody else did.
When all is said in done, The Big Question is whether or not Mel can come back from The Edge of Darkness. That is going to be a tough task.
Yet, he can do it if he can pull an Apocalypto -- run fast, evade your enemies, and keep your mouth shut.
As the most interesting psychologist in the world, enjoy movies, my friend.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kentucky Derby winner Orb makes his return to racing on Saturday, when he will face Belmont Stakes hero Palace Malice, multiple Grade 1 winning Verrazano and six others in the 144th renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The centerpiece of the annual summer meet at Saratoga, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the 1 ¼-mile Travers debuted in 1864 and is one of the oldest stakes races for 3-year-olds in the country, run at the nation's oldest major sporting venue.
The Travers highlights a 14-race card that kicks off with a special first-race post time of 11:35 a.m. and also features the Grade 1, $500,000 Foxwoods King's Bishop, the Grade 1, $500,000 Test and the Grade 2, $250,000 Ketel One Ballston Spa.
NBC will provide live coverage of the Foxwoods King's Bishop and Travers from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The final leg of a $1 million Guaranteed All-Graded Stakes Pick 4 being offered by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), the Travers has a post time of 5:46 p.m.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the Travers in 2005 with Flower Alley and 2011 with Stay Thirsty, takes aim at his third victory with both Verrazano and Palace Malice. Verrazano has won six of seven career starts, his past two by 19 combined lengths, most recently taking the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 28.
Owned by Let's Go Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, Verrazano was installed as the 2-1 program favorite by NYRA oddsmaker Eric Donovan, given a slight edge over Dogwood Stable's Palace Malice, the 5-2 second choice.
"You always try to do what's best for each individual horse and each individual owner, and I think the Travers is the right race for both horses," Pletcher said. "It's kind of as simple as that. I'm as interested to see it as everyone else. They're two horses that are doing unbelievably well and coming off really, really good races. It's going to be interesting. I think it's going to be a fun race to watch. It's shaping up to be a great Travers."
Verrazano's only try at the Travers distance came in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 14th of 19 over a sloppy, sealed track. Winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 1 Wood Memorial, he rebounded to take the Grade 3 Pegasus at Monmouth before his 9 ¾-length romp in the Haskell.
"I thought [distance concerns] existed [for other people] until he won the Haskell the way he did," Pletcher said. "The track was very demanding that day, probably the slowest Monmouth track I had ever seen. For him to draw away like he did at the end of a mile and an eighth, to me, put away any concerns about that."
Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Verrazano from post position 3.
A maiden winner at Saratoga last summer, Palace Malice scored his first stakes victory in the 1 ½-mile Belmont on June 8, beating both Orb and Preakness winner Oxbow, and followed up with a professional one-length victory in the Spa's hometown Travers prep, the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 28. He faded to 12th after setting a wicked pace in the Kentucky Derby.
"It seems like in the period of time from the Kentucky Derby to the Belmont that he kind of stepped his game up another notch," Pletcher said. "For whatever reason, he's become a little more professional and learned to put himself in a good position and deliver that closing punch. I guess you could say it all came together after the Derby, but his talent's always been there."
Looking to join 1969 Horse of the Year Arts and Letters as the only horses to win the Belmont, Jim Dandy and Travers, Palace Malice will break from post position 8 with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard.
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey for Stuart Janney, III and the Phipps Stable, Orb ran his win streak to five in the Kentucky Derby, where he trailed by nearly 18 lengths before rallying to hit the wire 2 ½ lengths in front of Golden Soul.
Fourth in the Preakness and third in the Belmont, Orb spent nine weeks at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland before arriving in Saratoga on August 11. Favored in all three Triple Crown races, the Malibu Moon colt is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line for the Travers.
"Just his walk and his appearance and the way he's been acting has all been reminiscent of what was going on over the winter. I think the time off after the Belmont has helped him," McGaughey said. "I'm looking forward to the Travers. I think it's a great race. I'm looking forward to running Orb, and I think you'll see him run a very good race."
Orb will be the first Kentucky Derby winner to run in the Travers since Super Saver was 10th in 2010. Super Saver's loss snapped a three-race win streak by the previous Derby winners in the Travers - Sea Hero (1993), Thunder Gulch (1995) and Street Sense (2007).
"I'd like to get him back on the right track so we can have a positive fall with him," said McGaughey. "Obviously, we're in the race to win, but if we get a really good, solid effort, that would be fine, too, just so we can move on. But, I think he'll be awful tough."
Joel Rosario, up for three of Orb's five career wins, including the Derby, will be in the irons again from post position 2.
Breaking from the middle of the field in post 5 will be Will Take Charge, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for owner Willis D. Horton. Along with Orb and injured stablemate Oxbow, Will Take Charge is one of three horses to compete in all three Triple Crown races.
The son of Unbridled's Song ran into traffic trouble in the Kentucky Derby and wound up eighth. He finished seventh in the Preakness and 10th in the Belmont before rebounding to come within a length of winner Palace Malice in the Jim Dandy, finishing second.
"I really thought he would get one of the Classics, but it just wasn't meant to be," Lukas said. "We get a second chance here with the Travers, so we'll see what happens. He's had a good month since the Jim Dandy, a very good month. He was a little immature through the whole Triple Crown. I like what I see now, so maybe we're just finding out about him. I look for a big effort."
New rider Luis Saez will make his Travers debut on Will Take Charge, 10-1 on the morning line.
Since needing 10 races to break his maiden, which came on the Belmont Stakes undercard on June 8, Moreno was a gate-to-wire winner of the Grade 2 Dwyer and set the pace through six furlongs of the Jim Dandy before giving way and finishing a decisive third. Jose Ortiz will ride the son of Ghostzapper from post 6.
"My horse is going to have to run faster," said Eric Guillot, who trains Moreno for Southern Equine Stable. "We're here to play. We're here for fun. It's the Travers. [Owner Michael Moreno] and I, this is what we do. Like I told him the other day, I'm not going to get up at 4:30 seven days a week and not go to the big dance."
Last year's Travers produced a dead-heat for first, and both winning trainers are back to defend their title. Kiaran McLaughlin will saddle Transparent, one of two Godolphin Stable-owned horses in the race, while Ken McPeek sends out War Dancer, a Grade 2 winner on grass making just his second start on dirt.
Transparent was a two-length winner of the 1 1/8-mile Curlin at Saratoga on July 26, but was disqualified for interference and placed fifth. The Curlin was the first race in 112 days for Transparent, whose father, Bernardini, won the Travers in 2006 and sired 2011 winner Stay Thirsty and 2012 co-winner Alpha, trained by McLaughlin.
"The [No. 9] post I don't think is a big deal; the competition is," McLaughlin said. "The horse is doing well. He's worked twice since he ran, and we're ready for him to run a big race. We got the race [and] two works, and we're ready."
Listed at 10-1 on the morning line, Transparent will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.
McPeek shared last year's Travers victory with Golden Ticket, who went off at 33-1. He returns with War Dancer, who won the Grade 2 Virginia Derby at 1 ¼ miles on July 13 at Colonial Downs in his most recent start. The War Front colt has been off the board once in seven starts, when he was fourth in a Gulfstream Park maiden race in February.
"I think the fact that he's won at a mile and a quarter is a big deal here," McPeek said. "Obviously, this race is a lot tougher than last year's. If you get it done here, it's a big deal."
Alan Garcia will be aboard War Dancer, 15-1, from post 7.
The other Godolphin Stable-owned son of Bernardini in the Travers is Romansh, to be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 1. Trained by Tom Albertrani, Romansh finished second in the Curlin to his entrymate but was promoted to first in what was his stakes debut. He has run three previous times this year, including a maiden victory against older horses at Belmont Park on May 25 at 1 1/16 miles.
"The horse has been improving with every start. He has raced only four times, and I have seen a big improvement after every start," Albertrani said. "I love the way he has been going into this race. He is definitely more focused. I am getting all the right signs. Hopefully, he is just good enough to handle the rest of the field."
Late-running Golden Soul came flying from well back to finish second in the Kentucky Derby,but followed with disappointing efforts in the Belmont Stakes, where he was ninth, and the Haskell, where he finished last of seven.
Owned by Charles Fipke, Golden Soul will break from post 4 with Robby Albarado up.
"I don't have any idea why he ran so bad down at Monmouth," trainer Dallas Stewart said. "He's trained great here; he's passed every health check that we've given him. He's passed every workout; time-wise, they've been great. His appetite is terrific. I couldn't be happier with him. I think he can compete, so here we are."
The field for the Grade 1, $1 million Travers:
Romansh (KY)
J Castellano
T Albertrani
Orb (KY)
J Rosario
C R. McGaughey III
Verrazano (KY)
J R. Velazquez
T A. Pletcher
Golden Soul (KY)
R Albarado
D Stewart
Will Take Charge (KY)
L Saez
D Wayne Lukas
Moreno (KY)
J L. Ortiz
E J. Guillot
War Dancer (KY)
A Garcia
K G. McPeek
Palace Malice (KY)
M E. Smith
Transparent (FL)
I Ortiz, Jr.
K P. McLaughlin
Gambling Problems? The New York Racing Association encourages responsible wagering.
If gambling is a problem for you or someone you care about, help is available 24 hours a day. Call toll-free 1-877-8-HOPE-NY
©2016 The New York Racing Association. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Should I keep my Dawes (still trying to fit it) I intend to add a Brooks saddle. I think it needs some color coordination. My preference is brown but it only comes in narrow. What think yee?
Should I keep my Dawes (still trying to fit it) I intend to add a Brooks saddle. I think it needs some color coordination. My preference is brown but it only comes in narrow. What think yee?
Korval is Ships
See my Hyperlite 411 it's the photo model on OutRiderUSA web page
Got to go with a Black B/17 Standard all the way.
The last two bikes on my list are a 50's Lenton Grand Prix and a '64 Raleigh Record.
Other: Maroon would be best if you can find one.
Last edited by ollo_ollo; 12-24-07 at 10:35 PM. Reason: add pic
Not sure what the fit issues are but the seat to handlebar drop looks too severe for a B17. The recommendation for the B17 is that the bars should be around the same height as the seat give or take. That looks like a 2-3 inch drop in the picture which would point to a Professional. Actually, I think you could recolor any Brooks to brown with leather die. I'm rather fond of brown saddles and think it would look good on that bike.
1959 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional, 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
I say a brown Pro with the big hammered rivets! It would tie the dark brown sidewall and gum hoods all together IMHO. B-17 might be a little intrusive if you get my drift.,,,,BD
Two possibilities with that bike.
1) Black saddle, with black bar tape.
2) White saddle, with white bar tape.
I'd stay away from brown, as it doesn't complement black that well. Staying just black and chrome is clean and classy. Green would make a fine accent as well, especially if matched to tape.
1999 Waterford RSE-11, 1995 Waterford 1200, 1989 Specialized Rockhopper Comp
1989 Raleigh Technium, 1989 Schwinn Traveler, 1986 Specialized Rockhopper
1984 Specialized Stumpjumper, 1986 Specialized Stumpjumper and just way too many projects to list.
I wouldn't go with green, but black or brown would look fantastic. The bike is so nice looking that it could pull off either with ease. But if you're unsure, go with black. There's no way it will look bad! And as others have said, I'm not sure I'd want a B-17 with that much handlebar drop.
That is one prestine looking black Dawes. Whether to keep it is an easy decision. Unless it's really not a good fit. With a black frame, so many combinations of color coordination can work real well.
I missed out on a 80s Dawes Atlantis 531 in November that was being sold locally for $30. It was only missing a front wheel. The seller considered it an old worthless English bike, amongst a backyard full of old Japanese and Walmart junkers.
I got there late and a hipster took it first. Probably got hacksawed, butchered, and covered in duct tape by now.
I was depressed for two weeks.
I have a B17N, in brown, it's a nice saddle and likely about the same width as your current saddle. It's only narrow compared to the standard B17 and not drastically.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Peace and Bike Grease
Sorry about your missed Atlantis, I've gotten used to missing the gems that pop up on Craigslist. I had a chance at a black Super Cologno last year but the lady who told me she wasn't in a hurry sold it off to someone else almost immediately.
After a test spin I've made some adjustments, including an easier [to use] set of caged pedals. I'll probably end up with double sided SPD or Look pedals. If I cannot get her dialed in another BF member has expressed interest.
Korval is Ships
See my Hyperlite 411 it's the photo model on OutRiderUSA web page
Honey Brooks B17 or Professional with matching handlebar tape.
There's something about black and tan that is elegant beyond description.
Sono più lento di quel che sembra.
Odio la gente, tutti.
Want to upgrade your membership? Click Here.
I'd do white Cinelli cork tape and a white solid leather saddle along with a chrome or aluminum seatpost...
I own my dream bike, a 2006 R-14 66cm Waterford road bike
a nicely chilled pint mug, Black and Tan served at room temperature. . . mmmmmm
Sono più lento di quel che sembra.
Odio la gente, tutti.
Want to upgrade your membership? Click Here.
Keep your bar tape the same color and match the saddle color to your brake lever hoods as close as you can, probably brown or honey.
White bar tape and cable housing might also look nice, as it will match your logo.
Broken until next season
You see, their morals, their code...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these...These "civilized" people...they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve
Come to think of it, that would look good with a white seat and bar tape, or a white seat, black bar tape, and white brake hoods. Or as it is and a black or honey Brooks. You really can't go wrong unless you change the tape to something outlandish.
beautiful bike, but i think the first style change you should make is ditching the rear wheel reflector. it's even free of charge. honestly, i'm surprised no one else has mentioned it.
Well, the reflector is a safety issue. Can't fault someone for leaving it on if they require it for night riding.
I don't prefer them myself, but I leave them on my urban MTB. Makes a big difference at night.
And promotes a good example for the youngsters.
I like reflective tire sidewalls, but choices are hard to come by.
Korval is Ships
See my Hyperlite 411 it's the photo model on OutRiderUSA web page
Get a honey-colored B17 Champion Special with the copper rivets, then put some natural cork tape on the handlebars. It will look incredible, particularly with tan skinwalls.


text:
Dealing with disappointment
Authors: Emma Sedgwick
Publication date: 27 Jul 2012
Emma Sedgwick advises on how to bounce back if you did not receive your first choice of training post
If you have set your heart on a particular training post and believe that you are the ideal candidate, it can be demoralising to discover that the people who assessed you had other ideas.
You won't be alone—in 2012, there were 16 635 applications for just 7499 positions[1]—but knowing that doesn't make it any easier.
This may be the first time you have encountered failure. The nature of the medical profession is that many doctors are academic high fliers at school and are tipped early for success.
In an ideal world, this setback would simply make you more determined to achieve your goal, but some doctors find that they are unable to recover from the disappointment and become so fixated on what might have been that it saps their confidence and even starts to affect their performance and prospects.
Although you are unlikely to question your decision to pursue a medical career, the success of such a career demands that you come to terms with what has happened and move on. The following do's and don'ts might help.
Do give yourself the opportunity to wallow, but set a time limit
If it was a shock to miss out on your first choice, there is no point in pretending otherwise. This was important to you, so acknowledge the disappointment, rather than brushing it off.
Follow your natural instinct to lick your wounds and work your way through a box set of DVDs to switch off, but say to yourself that on such and such a day you will do something practical to move on, such as speaking to your educational supervisor or taking another look at the UK offers website. In other words, set a deadline for any wallowing and stick to it.
Don't take it personally
Given the number of applications, selection panels are in the happy position of being able to pick and choose from a strong field. They are obliged to make a swift decision about your suitability for a particular post on the basis of your application form and your performance at interview or in the selection centre, against their own criteria. It's possible that on another day they might have come to a different decision, and it certainly doesn't mean that other interview panels will reach the same conclusion.
Do take pride in your achievements
Remember how you have got this far. Make a list of five successes on which you look back with pleasure, and remember how you felt the day you achieved them, whether it's your diagnosis of subacute bacterial endocarditis during your foundation year 1 placement or the publication of your article in Student BMJ. This exercise should help restore your self confidence and remind you that you have come too far to be foiled by one rejection.
Don't write off the experience
You may not want to think about your rejection (or you may think about little else), but don't assume that there's nothing you can gain from it. Deaneries can provide information about your score, the number of applicants, and the score necessary to get an interview or to receive an offer. In addition, you can obtain anonymised copies of your interview score sheets to find out your strengths and areas for improvement. It is also worth seeking feedback on your application form from your educational supervisor or mentor, if you have one, who can highlight the information that would strengthen your case next time.
Do think about what motivates you
Go back to basics. See this as an opportunity to analyse what you have found most fulfilling or inspiring during your work placements as a foundation doctor, whether that's the level of competition, the variety of presentations, the problem solving, or the practical, hands-on work. Think about what you want from your career—a good work-life balance; the chance to see results quickly or to care for patients over a longer period; being part of a team or working more independently; plenty of managerial responsibility or more hands-on doctoring.
Then ask yourself which area of medicine is the best fit for you and plays to your strengths as a doctor, rather than try to contort yourself into a specialty that sounds seductive but may leave you frustrated or unhappy.
Don't rely only on advice from parents and friends
The great thing about those close to you is that they want to offer you help and support. The disadvantage is that they are often tempted to tell you what they think you want to hear. And because they are understandably proud of you, they may not be sufficiently objective or independent to be the ideal careers counsellor.
Many young doctors' career choices have been influenced by the advice of others, and quite a few have struggled because the advice has not been right for them (see box). For example, a doctor may have started training as a general practitioner to follow in a parent's footsteps or applied for a paediatric post because friends believe that he or she has an excellent rapport with children.
Of course, it's great to have someone to boost your morale when you've had a career setback, but it's also in your best interests to find someone who can help you think things through for yourself, rather than point you in a particular direction.
Case study*
Dr A, a foundation year 2 doctor, had always loved science and was routinely at the top of his class. After achieving excellent results in his GCSEs, he decided on a medical career; and with the encouragement of his teachers and parents (who were both general practitioners), he applied for and won a place at medical school, which he secured with three A* grades in his A levels.
Dr A had thrived at medical school, and, inspired by the experience of observing a challenging ruptured aortic aneurysm operation, he initially set his heart on becoming a surgeon. He completed his foundation year 1 placements with positive feedback from his supervisors and applied for core surgical training, giving his preferences as the London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and Oxford deaneries. Against the advice of his educational supervisor, he would not countenance applying for any other specialty.
Despite feeling that he had performed well in his interviews, Dr A was devastated to find that he had been unsuccessful in his applications, while nearly all his contemporaries had been offered their first or second choice posts.
He confided to friends that he now believed that the whole process had been a waste of time and that he had blown his chance. Nervous of his parents' warning about being left behind, he quickly applied for a training post in general practice with a deanery in another part of the country. Although he was successful this time and relocated to take the job, it was not long before Dr A became frustrated by the limited opportunities to carry out clinical procedures, and he felt unable to settle. Questions were raised about his sickness record and negative attitude, and after disastrous results in his first set of assessments he was summoned to see the deanery programme director, who told him he was in danger of being asked to leave.
Dr A admitted that he wasn't motivated and was having second thoughts about the specialty but did not know what else he could do. He was warned that it might be difficult to change at this stage, but, undaunted, he consulted a careers coach, who suggested that he think about what he most enjoyed during his foundation training placements and ask himself whether another area of medicine would be better suited to his personality and allow him to pursue his career goals.
Recognising that he had loved the camaraderie of working as part of a team and had been exhilarated by the challenge of working in the emergency department, Dr A decided to resign from his current post and take up a locum position until the next round of training applications, when he successfully applied for an acute care common stem training post.
*This is a composite case and not about a single doctor.
Do make use of the resources available
Ask for advice from your educational supervisor, from your mentor, or from colleagues whom you trust. Your deanery will also have a confidential career or support service for doctors in your position. If you are considering other specialties, try to find a senior doctor who can spare an hour to talk to you about their work or even let you shadow them for a week. The NHS medical careers website ( [Link] ) also has useful tools for postgraduate medics, including interviews with senior doctors in different specialties and advice on career planning. Or you can get help from a specialist medical careers coach.
Don't jump into something else on the rebound
In the same way that it's rarely a good idea to start another relationship straight after being dumped, don't panic and choose another specialty just because you think it will be straightforward to get a training post. Some young doctors are so desperate not to be left behind that they quickly grab at the opportunity to pursue a different specialty, only to regret it later. This is not good for them or for their colleagues and patients.
It is now harder for trainee doctors to explore a number of alternative specialties, but if you are stuck it is worth considering a standalone position while you take time to investigate the options. Bear in mind that in your early 20s you are less than a third of the way through your medical career. Invest the time now so that you won't look back in anger at your retirement party.
Do be flexible and have a back-up plan
You may well have already discovered the hard way, but the competitive nature of specialty training means that it's essential to have a back-up plan. It may be a training post with a deanery in a different area; training abroad (although it's important to check whether this is accredited); or working for a charity. Remember, your valuable skills will always be in demand somewhere, but to take advantage you need to do your research and be prepared.
Competing interests: ES is director of the professional development specialists Healthcare Performance and has been coaching doctors for six years.
Emma Sedgwick director
Healthcare Performance, Kent, UK


text:
Images: Day and night, they're on duty [Image 2 of 3]
Photo by Sgt. Phillip Valentine
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alicia Sexton, detachment sergeant assigned to the 99th Movement Control Team(MCT), covers her unit's guidon with the 99th MCT commander, Capt. John Bennion, during a transfer of authority ceremony April 18, 2013, at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Phillip Valentine/Released)
This work, Day and night, they're on duty [Image 1 of 3], by SGT Phillip Valentine, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:04.18.2013
Date Posted:04.20.2013 01:51
Photo ID:911128
Size:1.54 MB
Location:CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF
Hometown:BEMIDJI, MN, US
Gallery Images
Associated News
Day and night, they're on duty


text:
Hollymatic, a food processing equipment manufacturer and originator of the first Mixer/Grinder, has continued to expand its line to now include 15 different grinders to suit varying needs.
From restaurants and supermarkets to large industrial plants, the company has grinders with output rates that range from 375 lbs./hr. up to 9,900 lbs./hr. Most recent Hollymatic introductions include 5 different table top and floor model grinders that have cutting capacities from 375 lbs./hr. up to 1,984 lbs./hr. Perfect for restaurants and supermarkets, all 5 styles are made of 304 stainless steel for easy cleaning and maintenance. Each features quick and easy disassembly as well as heavy duty gear drive grinding systems. They range in size from a small table top Model 12 that measures 17 ½" x 12 ½" x 16 ¼" and weighs 62 lbs. to a Model 52 floor grinder that measures 39 ½" x 30" x 45 ¼" and weighs 263 lbs.


text:
The Detroit Red Wings earned their ninth win in the first ten games of the season with a 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. It marks the first time in the team's 80-year history that they have started 9-1.
Like in Detroit's 6-0 win at Columbus on Saturday, the Red Wings got into penalty trouble early, taking a penalty in the first minute of the game. Unlike on Saturday, they did not shake it off and the Blue Jackets scored the game's first goal with Jiri Fischer in the box at 10:18.
Just four seconds into the power play, David Vyborny won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Todd Marchant at the right point. Marchant quickly got the puck to Bryan Berard, who moved into the high slot and fired a shot that deflected off a Red Wings' skate and past Detroit goalie Manny Legace.
Detroit bounced back with 3:23 remaining in the first, as Brendan Shanahan banked a shot in off the back of Columbus netminder Marc Denis from behind the net.
The Red Wings took the lead on a goal by Pavel Datsyuk 7:38 into the second. Datsyuk batted the rebound of his first shot out of mid-air and past Denis.
He scored again on the power play just 1:40 later, putting in the rebound of a shot by Fischer.
Trevor Letowski cut Detroit's lead to one with 8:22 left in the period but the Red Wings pulled further ahead after Columbus' Steven Goertzen was sent to the box for a five-minute roughing penalty after riding Andreas Lilja into the boards on an icing call.
Shanahan scored his second of the night on a slap shot from the top of the right circle with 3:27 left in the second. Mathieu Schneider added another with 2:13 remaining while the Wings skated 5-on-3.
Henrik Zetterberg scored the third period's only goal, skating around two Blue Jackets as he broke into the zone and then beating Denis with 8:08 left in the game. The goal was scored as the teams skated four aside after a scrum in front of the Detroit goal.
Legace stopped 31 of 33 shots against for Detroit while Columbus got the same number of saves on 37 shots from Denis.
The Red Wings went 3-for-9 on the power play. Columbus was 1-for-8.
Detroit will be in action next on Thursday as they begin a three-game series with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wings rather man-handled the Jackets in the first period after a rough couple of minutes at the opening. And Jason Williams had a career night in the first period. Are the Jackets this bad?
It is also nice to see the young guys making the difference in games like tonight. Shows you the GM and scouts are doing their job to keep the Wings amongst the league's elite.
The jackets only have one win and are the lowest scoring team in the league so yeah they are that bad,lol.
I think it's kind of funny that the CBA was supose to give the lesser teams a better chance of making the playoffs, and put all the teams on a more even playing field. I'm yet to see us face a team that has really improved. It seems the teams we have faced so far are worse than they were before, not better.
The Jackets are hurt by not having Rick Nash right now. That's their top scoring threat gone and they're not deep enough to make up for it.
That's no excuse for all the other teams who have fallen this year, of course. The one team that really has picked up it's game (or played easy opponent, I don't know which) seems to be Nashville. They don't play the Wings until late November, so we'll see if they can keep it up until then.
Advanced Forum Search


text:
Stanford has been offering some portions of its classes online for a few years, but this year, for CS221: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, the entire class will be online and you can sign up. There is no cost, however, you have to do the work, study, take quizzes and complete graded homework assignments, plus midterm and final exams. You'll need to buy the book that accompanies the course but the course itself is free.
If you survive, you'll get a certificate of completion from the instructors, along with a final grade that you can compare to the grades of all those supersmart kids at Stanford.
You won't technically earn credits for the course unless you're a Stanford student, but for all practical purposes, you'll be getting the exact same knowledge and experience
This is one more great example of opportunities to learn popping up everywhere. Anyone who wants to learn, can learn. There's no shortage of real knowledge available at low cost or no cost, all it takes is initiative and motivation. Whether it's MIT putting all of their courses online or the Khan Academy offering thousands of free videos online, it's all out there waiting for you, but no one can make you do it, you have to do that yourself. Over 10,000 students have signed up already, class starts September 26th, but you must sign up by the 20th.
So, do you think you're up to it? Find out if you have what it takes. Check it out.
Link: Stanford AI Class
Link: Spectrum


text:
Does anyone manufacture a 700c highracer? I tried putting a 700c on my Optima Lynxx, and it works, but I don't like the overlap with my foot, so I switched the setup back... starting to think that I am better to leave my bike intact and look at adding to the stable.
Any suggestions on a nice, FAST SWB 'bent that climbs well? Preferably with 700c, but I would even go other configurations at this point. My Lynxx is quick, but is more geared around touring. Thinking I would like to go with a North American manufacturer, as getting parts from Holland has been... expensive.


text:
JAN 21, 2013 - Radar Online
A Must Read - Share
Kate Middleton, after her early pregnancy bout with the severe morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum, has taken to hypnotherapy to regain her appetite with roughly five months left… READ ON
Editor's Picks
Show More
Show Less
Hey you have no friends!!! Get to work and start inviting friends to help build your Comunitee. Click Here to invite friends.
© 2011 Comunitee, Inc.


text:
I am a touch suspicious about my "euphorbia" seedlings; they look suspiciously like the mallow plants I have growing elsewhere (and there are also some seedlings that look distinctively like cosmos). I have never grown euphorbia before so it could still be what I thought it was.
However, I wonder if I have not been careful enough with soil hygine, as I tend to mix what is left over after pricking out one set of seedlings into my next batch of compost. If that includes seeds that were slower to germinate, I am going to end up confusing matters and, potentially, damaging the seedlings I did want to grow.
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (back)
Euphorbia characias
Malva sylvestris (Common Mallow)
Malva sylvestris
Cosmos bipinnatus (started indoors)
Cosmos bipinnatus
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (front)
Euphorbia characias


text:
Venue Status: Open
(504) 522-4647
Opened in New Orleans in 2002, VooDoo BBQ & Grill has been born
out of the love of a great city and its' melting pot of culinary culture. Voodoo BBQ & Grill has taken the concept of the competition-style barbecue, with virtuall unknown status in the New Orleans region, toone of the best known and well recognized restaurant brands in the area.
The ultimate intention of Voodoo BBQ & Grill is to introduce our "New Orleans Style BBQ" and casual dining experience to different regions of the country through expansion with a commitment to food quality, atmosphere and service. Our Voodoo BBQ Team takes great pride in our outstanding product and we are committed to be the quality brand for barbecue with a reliable crew and fun culture.


text:
Instead of listening to us spout off the usual year-end best-of lists, we thought we'd pass the mike to our Scenemakers, the DJs, musicians and other music nerds that shape the San Diego scene. Here's what they had to say (warning: shameless self-promotion ahead!):
Mike Halloran
Mike Halloran
FM 94/9 music director
Mike Halloran
was our very first Scenemaker way back in May (
download the podcast
to hear his impression of Johnny Rotten and an explanation of why he thinks radio is giving itself an enema). When we asked him for his Top 5, he replied, "Five? Are you serious?" and gave us this lengthy list of the best reissues of 2005, writing, "the following CDs are worth your time, effort and dosh, so have at it! Some actually have been re-mastered and have bonus tracks and the like, added to persuade you to empty your pockets of all of your cash. Some are compilation box set types — very expensive but worth every ha'penny. So, pick the five you think you might like the best, and then pick five more next week. Repeat 'til complete."
Halloran's top reissues of 2005
1. Can: "Future Days/Soon Over Babaluma/Unlimited Edition/Landed"
2. Billie Holiday: "Ultimate Collection"
3. Desmond Dekker: "You Can Get It If You Really Want"
4. The Fall: "The Complete Peel Sessions, 1978-2004"
5. Dirtbombs: "If You Don't Already Have a Look"
6. At the Drive-In: "This Station Is..."
7. The Cure: "Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography"
8. Various Artists: "No New York"
9. Neutral Milk Hotel: "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"
10. Run-DMC: "Run-DMC/King of Rock/Raising Hell/Tougher Than Leather"
11. Stooges: "Stooges/Fun House"
12. The 101'ers/Joe Strummer: "Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited"
13. Grandmaster Flash: "Message/They Said it Couldn't Be Done"
14. DJ Shadow: "Endtroducing... (Deluxe Edition)"
15. Eric B & Rakim: "Paid in Full/Follow the Leader"
16. Gang of Four: "Entertainment!"
Listen to Halloran weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on FM 94/9 and Sundays from 7-8 p.m. for his specialty show, FTP.
Chris Cantore
Chris Cantore
As August's Scenemaker, 91X morning show host
Chris Cantore
called Chris Rock "a complete butt" and admitted his undying love for Pinback. Reflecting on his favorite live shows of 2005, Cantore narrowed it down to these (we're a little suspicious of #3 though, considering the show was still two weeks away when Chris sent us this list):
Cantore's Top 5 shows
1. Sigur Ros at Copley
2. Fiona Apple at House of Blues
3. Nightmare Before X-Mas at Copley
4. Flaming Lips at Street Scene
5. Pinback at Spreckels
Listen to Chris Cantore on 91X Monday through Friday from 5:30-10 a.m.
Brad Lee
Brad Lee
In September, Loud + Clear Records honcho
Brad Lee
told us about his attempts at wrestling with Fox Rox host Troy Johnson and the three local bands he thinks are poised for world domination (The Album Leaf, Sleeping People and his own band, Manuok). He offers this piece of advice for local bands looking to break out in 2006:
Top 5 reasons your band isn't getting signed
1. Your demo sounds like it was recorded on a My First Sony.
2. The Poway Elks Lodge is the only place you've played.
3. Your "bio" is written proof that your head is completely up your arse.
4. You've spent more time on Myspace than at band practice.
5. 34,298,471 bands are working harder than you
right now
Check out Loud + Clear artist Goodbye Blue Monday on Jan. 21 at the Casbah.
Patrick C. Sheehy
Patrick C. Sheehy
Chatty Fox Rox correspondent
Patrick C. Sheehy
wouldn't shut up about obscure musical arcana when we interviewed him back in October, but when asked for his Top 5 list, he was suprisingly laconic:
Patrick's Top 5 San Diego bands
1. The Locust
2. Transfer
3. Rocket from the Crypt
4. The Long and Short of It
5. The Sultans
See more of Patrick C. Sheehy on Fox Rox, which airs Thursdays at midnight and Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. on Fox 6.
Arabella Harrison
Arabella Harrison
In November, singer/songwriter/TV commercial musicmaker
Arabella "Araby" Harrison
told us she listens to a lot of Canned Heat and loved the White Album while growing up in Hawaii. Reflecting on the local scene in 2005, Araby had these choice words to offer:
Araby's Top 5 Worst S.D. bands to see on a first date
5. Anya Marina. Unless you want your date to ignore you and stare at a hot, talented babe with a beautiful voice and smokin' acoustic guitar chops all night.
4. Maiden Taiwan. Guitarist Matt Kerr says it best: "Basically we are 'PORN: The Musical'."
3. Ryan Ferguson. Gentlemen, see #5.
2. The Locust. Your date will be over in 15-20 minutes. Unless they're playing a "long set."
1. Arabella Harrison, the San Diego Songbird of Sorrow. Sniffle-factor extremely high. It's like that joke about country music: "Play the record backwards and you get your truck, your dog, your wife and your job back..."
See more of Arabella Harrison when she plays with Bartender's Bible at the Casbah on New Year's Eve.
Do you have a top 5 list? Tell us about it on the
Liner Notes
Suggest a Scenemaker
for a future edition.


text:
Roasting Rich and Famous
The theme at this year's Through the Kitchen Benefit for the Cancer Research Institute, which took place, as always, at the Four Seasons restaurant, was "Notable New Yorkers."
This means that each table was devoted to a person you think about when you think about Manhattan—Jeff Koons, for instance; Liza Minnelli; Donna Karan; Joey Buttafuoco; Barbara Walters, Ed Koch, Tiger Woods and the slightly more general "Your Plastic Surgeon." Some of those New Yorkers even sat at tables that were named after them, like Tony Bennett and Mayor Bloomberg.
The decor of these tables was also specific to the individuals. At Mayor Bloomberg's, there was an old Bloomberg terminal the event's designer, DeJuan Stroud, bought for a dollar while vintage shopping.
At Mr. Buttafuoco's, there were condoms, fire pink panties, wrenches and gloves. At Andy Warhol's there was fake cocaine and oregano posing as marijuana. At Your Plastic Surgeon's there were big fake lips, hand mirrors, gauze and hypodermic needles. At Martha Stewart's there were handcuffs on an oven mitt tied with a gingham bow. Meanwhile, a Lady Gaga look-alike lounged in the pool.
In case you haven't figured it out, comedy is pretty integral to this party, which was founded 29 years ago by Lauren Veronis. Her idea was that guests should have a casual dinner that they retrieved for themselves from a buffet in the kitchen. At first, the restaurant "didn't think it was doable, that most likely it was too labor intensive and they didn't know how it would come together," Ms. Veronis recalled. "They kept looking at me like, 'What are you talking about lady?' But I think they eventually relented to get me off their backs."
Her concept was to keep it low-key. "People like the idea of not having to get too dressed up, of being able to pick what they want to eat and leaving a party before 10 p.m., " she added. "Twenty-nine years ago, that was particularly ahead of its time."
The very first year, with 15 tables and 150 guests, Ms. Veronis tried to be funny. "We put ducks in the pool," she said. "It wasn't hard.
They actually went right in. And they started quacking away. The only nuisance was when one of us stood up, they quacked even more."
Ultimately, "it has to be humorous," she explained. "Humor is very, very important. People like to have fun. It's an offbeat party—you're taking what you want to eat! We've had a band in the pool. We've had the Statute of Liberty in there. We've had tugboats, Pocahontas, a canoe. One year, we sold the Brooklyn Bridge at auction. You know that old joke, right? I don't remember who bought it or what they paid."
As for themes, "We've done everything": Famous lovers (like Joe Namath and himself, Ms. Veronis said), New York neighborhoods, U.S. states, parades of Manhattan. "We try to keep it American or a New York City theme and we always make each table different."
That's where Mr. Stroud, the event designer, comes in. He has done the party for nine years. Ms. Veronis always says, "let's make people laugh," Mr. Stroud said. "This isn't a serious party. She allows a certain irreverence. That's why we put marriage certificates on the Liza Minnelli table. That's not necessarily a nice thing, but it's funny."
Still, "every year, it's always a challenge," Mr. Stroud added. It's not about the cost of materials: he scrounges and scours flea markets and online auctions for things that can apply to the tables. It's more that it's about creating "24 or 25 individual parties," he said.
"There's a specific tablecloth, a chair and a votive for each table. It's 25 separate ideas. And you always want to get things at the place settings for people to play around with. Like bunny ears at the Gloria Steinem table."
"Everyone loved using their blown-up lips and wrapping their head in gauze," said Ms. Veronis of this year's affair, which brought in $685,000 for the Irvington Institute Fellowship Program. "People always know that they're going to have fun and there are things they can be interactive with. They come psyched for that. They eat what they want, they wave to their friends and go home. We added a few auction items, but there are no speeches. It's a fun way to raise money, and we don't want it to become anything other than it is."
Write to Marshall Heyman at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
|Oracle FAQ
|Your Portal to the Oracle Knowledge Grid
Home -> Community -> Usenet -> comp.databases.oracle -> How to validate username and password ?
We are developing a menu5.0 + forms3.0 application, where we have our own logon screen, accessed via a 'dummy/dummy' user. The logon form builds some form-global variables from Unix environment (via user exits), and returns, among others, :global.user and :global.passwd to the calling menu.
In menu, I tried to use "new_user(:global.user || '/' || :global.passwd)" and then check for ERROR_TYPE or ERROR_CODE to see if I need to call "new_user('dummy/dummy')" again. But, it appears that a failing "new_user" puts the menu in LOGIN state, where er, "things don't quite work".
The solution I see (and know how to do, maybe the day-after-tomorrow) is to call an user exit from the logon form, which tries 'EXEC SQL CONNECT :username' and checks for failure.
I vaguely recall reading about some other way to do this validation, by applying some internal function to the password (& user), a function, which returned true or false (or something else), if it was a valid password.
So, is there a solution without using an user-exit ?
--Received on Thu Nov 05 1992 - 15:59:32 CST
! tapio luukkanen ! vtl_at_hemuli.tik.vtt.fi (220.127.116.11)
! home (358-0) 811 211 ! work 456 6056
Original text of this message


text:
OPINION: We're not writing Garrison off yet
Published: Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 8:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 8:07 p.m.
The sports world has seen its share of youthful prodigies. In tennis, Tracy Austin and Boris Becker won grand slam titles in their teenage years. Tiger Woods at least waited until he left college to start dominating the professional golf scene.
The early start seems to come with a price. By the time they reach their late 20s, their years in the spotlight wear on them. An early start sometimes ends in an early burnout.
Perhaps that is the case with Lee Garrison, the energetic young man who was still hanging out with his fraternity brothers when he became a Tuscaloosa city councilman. Now, he's not even 40 years old, and Garrison says he's looking forward to political retirement in about three years.
"This takes a lot of energy, and I'm going to give that, but I've been in public service for 16 and a half years, and it'll be 20 at the end of this term," Garrison said. "That's almost half of my life."
As a city councilman, Garrison served District 4, which took a good bit of tending to. It included many of the downtown historic districts, and residents there have been known to bend their councilman's ear about neighborhood issues.
Now serving as chairman of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education, Garrison got elected in a factionalized, contentious election. He shepherds a board that may well have divisions over how best to move education forward in Tuscaloosa.
It's not hard to understand why Garrison might be pining away for quiet domestic evenings close to hearth and family. As we recently said, board meetings can be long, boring and contentious. The pay stinks, the power is limited and the blame comes in plentiful helpings.
So, yes, we understand why Garrison might have had enough even though he's a young man. But we'd like to wait until just a little closer to 2017 before writing his political obituary. Those with political blood flowing through their veins have a way of changing their minds as qualifying deadlines approach.
We wouldn't be surprised if that were the case with Garrison.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
Images: Corps grades student projects at STEM expo [Image 3 of 4]
Photo by Mark Rankin
Lt. Col. John L. Hudson commended a group of students from Jack Anderson Elementary school for their participation at the STEM expo. A group of technical experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District attended a science, technology, engineering and mathematics science expo as judges and also staffed an exhibit sponsored by the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub at the Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, April 11, 2014.
This work, Corps grades student projects at STEM expo [Image 1 of 4], by Mark Rankin, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:04.11.2014
Date Posted:04.16.2014 02:10
Photo ID:1250101
Size:11.66 MB
Location:GALLATIN, TN, US
Gallery Images
Associated News
Corps grades student projects at STEM expo


text:
I love FAST 50's!
Voigtlander 50 Nokton 1.1 Review – Out of all the lens reviews I have posted to date for the Leica M, none have created the amount of e-mails to my inbox as this Voigtlander 50 Nokton 1.1. Ever since mentioning on this blog that I received it, and was testing it on the M9 I have had no less than 40 e-mails asking me when this review would be posted. I guess there can be a few reasons for the excitement. First, this is a Leica M mount Voigtlander. It is not a screw mount and you do NOT need an adapter to use it with your Leica M. Oh, and its a F1.1 lens for about $1100!
Leica M users including MP, M7, M8 or M9 owners can shoot this lens right out of the box! This was a very smart move by Voigtlander in my opinion. Why? Well I was never a fan of having to buy the M adapters, and having one for each Voigtlander lens I shot with. In the past I have shot with and reviewed the very sweet Voigtlander 15 Heliar as well as the so-so ho-hum average 28 Ultron F2. This Nokton is taking aim at those who lust after a super fast lens like the Leica Noctilux but do not want to mortgage their home to buy one. That would be me :)
Even buying a used classic Leica Noctilux these days will set you back anywhere from $4000-$6000, and the new Noctilux will set you back about $10,000! Way too rich for my blood so when this lens was announced I told my wife "I WANT THIS LENS and I NEED THIS LENS" but after it came out I realized I was happy and content with my 50 Lux pre-asph so I passed on the Nokton. I knew it could not compare to the old Noctilux and I am usually not that big on Voigtlander lenses (though I love that 15) so I decided to keep my Summilux.
But deep inside I had that voice that lurked…"you know you want it" and yes, I really do want a lens like this. I used to own the classic Leica Noctilux and it was magical. It was and still is an artists tool that renders a scene in a painterly way with swirly colors, bokeh, and a soft but detailed look at F1. But stupid me… I sold it years ago and have regretted that decision ever since so when B&H Photo sent me this Nokton 1.1 lens to try out, I jumped at the chance. Being able to test it on FF was the icing on the cake.
Many of you who are readers of my site know that I LOVE fast glass. When I have a lens like a Leica Summilux I shoot it wide open 98% of the time becuase Leica lenses have incredible performance, even at 1.4. That is one of the reasons they are so expensive. They are usually perfection in a small well made package. I love lenses with character and I knew that this Voigtlander just HAD to have some kind of magic with that fast 1.1 aperture. I wanted sharpness but not too sharp, and I wanted super shallow depth of field. Could the Nokton deliver what I was after? If so, I had my plans laid out. I would sell my 50 Lux Pre-Asph and buy the Nokton for my fast 50. I would also have a spare $1000 to help pay for my website hosting (which is now up to 600GB per month of usage)!
So how did it go? Read on to find out! But before I get into the actual review I will show you a picture I really like. I took this shot of my Nephew John wide open in an old abandoned factory. All I did to this was resize it and convert it to B&W with Nik Silver Efex Pro. The lens sucked in the light and gave me a great image as it did with most of my test shots. Due to that, these images in this review have little or NO post processing. Just some B&W conversions here and there using Nik Silver Efex Pro.
Nokton 1.1, M9, converted to B&W with Nik Silver Efex Pro
The Lens Arrives
When the lens arrived I opened the box and noticed it was quite a bit larger than my Leica 50 Summilux but it was really not that much heavier, if at all. BUT, I was curious about that as I was not sure so I pulled out my handy dandy food scale and weighed each lens.
The Lux weighed in at 13.8 oz and the Nokton was a whopping 1lb 0.4oz. So yea, the Nokton was indeed a heavier lens! Wow. Still, at that weight it is small compared to a Nikon 24-70 or Canon 24-105. One of the benefits of rangefinder shooting :)
The lens felt good in the hand for being a larger lens and its focus ring was smooth and silky. The build was nice and matched the M9's black paint nicely. But It was large, and it was blocking some of the viewfinder so if that bugs you then look at the images below to see just how much it blocks, and if it is acceptable for you.
This is on a Leica M9.
So while it is best without the lens hood, even with the hood it does not block too much of the VF. I could live with that.
After fondling and checking out the lens I twisted it on to my M9 and being excited to try it out I asked my wife if she wanted to take a walk. It was already getting dark outside so I set my M9 to ISO 1600 and the lens to 1.1 to see how the lens would handle the low light.
The Nokton 1.1 on the M9 (side view)
My first shots with the Nokton 1.1 – Low light darrkness
If you are new to reading my reviews let me just say that I am not a technical guy. I like to write about my experience with the gear I shoot with and do not get technical with charts, graphs and BS. I write my genuine feelings on each lens or camera I test out and back it up with my images that were shot with that gear. I do not think shooting newspaper text will tell me if a lens will work out for me in the real world, so I go out and shoot, shoot, SHOOT!
So back to the walk…once we started the walk I snapped this one of my wife with the Nokton set wide open to 1.1 and the M9 at ISO 1600. When I shot this image it was DARK outside!! When I looked at the preview on the back of the M9 it was BRIGHT. This was good as it told me the Nokton was sucking in all of the available light just like the old Noctilux used to do.
M9, ISO 1600, Nokton at 1.1
As we walked I snapped a few scenes and it kept getting darker and darker. Mid way through the walk, it was as dark as it could get and I knew this would be a challenge for the lens. I was excited to see what would come of it. You can see a couple of images below from that walk and you can click on any image for a larger view.
ISO 1600, 1/10th of a second at 1.1.
Here is a night shot at 1.1 showing some bokeh and color.
The image below was taken wide open from outside of a laundrymat. I inserted a 100% crop so you can see how sharp the lens is at 1.1, even in low light.
So after one hour with the lens I knew that it was a capable low light shooter with great sharpness and color. One thing that I noticed though is that I was not getting that "WOW" look like I remembered with my old Noctilux. It did not seem to have that crazy shallow depth of field, or "swirly" look and the color was nice, but different than the Noct. But, this was only after one hour with the lens, in darkness, and I had the lens for another week so I did not want to judge it just yet. But I did like it and started to think about how I could buy one for myself.
Shooting in normal light
I kept the Nokton on my M9 for 3 days straight and when my little Nephew Jack came to visit I had to go get some shots. One thing that was bugging me a bit with this lens is the minimum focus distance. With my Leica Lux, I can focus to .7 meters, about as close as ANY M lens will focus. The Nokton focuses to 1m, so you have to stand farther back from your subject. The Leica Noctilux is also 1m, so it is equal to the lens it is going up against I guess. I was just so used to closer focus so it kind of through me off a bit. No biggie, just wanted to mention that.
"Jack" – M9 with Nokton at 1.1 – ISO 160 – straight from camera
As you can see, at 1.1 the Nokton is plenty sharp. It may not be Leica Lux ASPH sharp but remember, this is 1.1, it is NOT a Leica, and did I mention that shot of Jack was at 1.1? Looks great to me but still I do not feel the Bokeh is anywhere near as magical as the old Leica Noctilux. To me, the Nokton was looking VERY close to my 50 Lux PRE-ASPH at 1.4 so I took some side by side shots of my wife with both lenses to see how much difference there was. First the Nokton at 1.1, then the Nokton at 1.4 and finally the 50 Lux Pre at 1.4. None of these have been processed. They are straight from camera files.
Nokton at 1.1 – click for larger
Nokton at 1.4 – Click for larger
50 Summilux Pre-Asph at 1.4
To my eyes, I prefer the Summilux shot overall but others may prefer the Nokton. What do you think? Remember, click on any image above to see a larger version.
Sharpness & Crops
The old Leica Noctilux was not the sharpest lens in the world at F1, but it had a beautiful glow and even today is a favorite for portraits with many shooters. The Nokton 1.1 is actually a sharper lens than the old Noctilux if sharpness is your thing. I do not have a Noct here to test against but from what I remember, these crops are sharper than what the Noctilux put put at F1. (UPDATE: Comparison with the Leica Noctilux F1 now up HERE)
Here are some crops:
As you can see the lens is decently sharp at 1.1 and hits its peak at F8. I detected no focus shift with this lens and found it to be sharp as I could need for a lens like this (portraits). Below is a quick test shot I took just to test focus (on the chain) and sharpness wide open at 1.1.
Holy chain link Batman! That is sharp for a "budget" 1.1 lens! To me, this is pretty damn sharp for being F1.1 and the focus is spot on. This lens IS sharper than the old Noctilux but to me, its Bokeh is nice but not as nice as that old Noctilux! Still, we are talking $1100 vs $5000 for a used Noctilux F1. I have to repeat that because that is what makes this lens so special. It is affordable and not so out of reach to so many photographers, UNLIKE that Noctilux.
Here is one more shot at 1.1 to show sharpness. Pretty impressive!
The bottom line
After a week with this lens and my M9 I had a few different reactions. When it arrived I was excited! When I took those first shots I wanted the lens and was trying to find a way to fund one. I missed having an F1 lens and even though this lens is an F1.1 lens, its close enough. BUT the more I shot with it, the more I realized that my little 50 Summilux Pre Asph could do everything this Nokton could do, and in some cases a little better. It's smaller, its lighter, and its amazingly good at 1.4. While the Nokton is a bit faster, it does not really give me that "feel" of a 1.1 lens. It feels like a 1.4 lens to me though others will disagree. It also lacks in the micro contrast dept. which is one area where Leica rules. Still, you get about 80% of a Noctilux for 1/5th of the price of a used one.
Here are some pros and cons of the lens:
- Fast aperture at 1.1.
- Well made, smooth focus and aperture ring feels solid.
- M mount! No adapter needed.
- Sharp and gives great image quality.
- Warm color (I like warmer colors)
- Price is right!
- It is large and over 1lb, just like the old Noctilux.
- Lens hood intrudes into the VF.
- Micro contrast not up to Leica standards, images can seem flat at times.
- Vignettes at 1.1 on the M9, but so did the old Noctilux.
- Close focus is only 1 meter, not 0.7.
With that said, for $1100 I do not think you can find a better fast 50. I would take this lens over any F2 lens for sure and if you crave speed and bokeh, then this lens is one you should really try out. It is a GREAT lens and if I did not already have my Lux I would probably buy this Nokton. It gave me some beautiful images while I had it. So no, I did not buy the nokton. My black paint special edition 50 Lux Pre-Asph is a beautiful lens, and to me, the Nokton beat it for speed but not for size, weight, looks and micro contrast. Still, that is not to say this Nokton is not one hell of a lens. It really is well worth the cost and will give you great quality for your money.
Another very nice "artsy" lens that you may want to consider in this price range is the Zeiss Sonnar 1.5. It is one heck of a lens and seems to give even more interesting bokeh. I love the little Zeiss and hope to try it soon on the M9. You can also rent the Nokton or Zeiss now at lensrentals.com! This way you can try them out before you buy one!
This particular lens came to me from B&H Photo. They are, IMO, the best Photo store in the world and they have a huge selection of just about ANYTHING photographic with a great return policy as well. They sell this lens and you can check out their page for it here. If you decide to buy one and use my links then you will be helping me continue this site, so I thank you! If it is not in stock, check back every few days as they get this lens in on a regular basis as its pretty popular.
The condensed bottom line: The Voigtlander 50 Nokton 1.1 is a terrific lens. Not quite as magical as the old Leica Noctilux, and not nearly as nice as the new $10,000 Leica 0.95 Noctilux. but it is $1100!! It would be hard to beat this if you want an ultra fast lens under $1100 that can give you some creative looking images. It does have some magic and is well worth the cost. It is built well, focuses smooth and easy and balances well on an M camera. If you crave an F1.1 lens, this is as close as you can get to the classic Leica Noctilux for $1100. Buy it, I think you will like it :)
UPDATE 11/25/09 – Posted a comparison between this Nokton 1.1 and a Leica Noctilux Classic F1 – click here to check it out!
Leica M9, Nokton at 1.1 – No processing
Leica M9, ISO 160, Nokton at F1.1
Leica M9, Nokton at 1.1
Leica M9, ISO 1250, Nokton at F1.1
Leica M9, Nokton at 1.1, ISO 160
Nokton at 1.1
Nokton at 1.1
Nokton at 1.1
Remember, anytime you follow my links here and buy from B&H or AMAZON, this helps to keep my site going. If it was not for these links, there would be no way to fund this site, so I thank you in advance if you visit these links. I thank you more if you make a purchase! I have nifty search bars at the upper right of each page so you easily search for something at either store! I currently spend 14 hours a day working on this site and the only way that I can pay for it is with your help, so thank you!
If you enjoyed this article/review, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page and also be sure to join me on twitter or facebook! Also, you can subscribe to my feed at my subscribe page HERE and read these posts in your browser or news reader! Thanks so much for visiting my site!
61 Responses to "The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Lens Review"
This lens vs Sony FE 55mm prime for Sont A7ii? Which one do you prefer/recommend? Why?
[…] Vida Leica Voigtlander 50mm Nokton – "f1.1 and be there" – Digi Pixel Pop The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Lens Review – Steve Huff Photo Voigtländer 50mm f/1.1 – Ken Rockwell Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 – A Field Report […]
May I know if I use fujifilm XT1 with (1.5 factor), so i should pick Nokton 50 1.1 or Nokton 58 1.4 SL will be much better? any comparison in between this 2 lens? Thanks million
[…] wanted to use them with Leica M lenses. Particularly ultra shallow depth of field monsters like the Voightlander Nokton 50mm f1.1 and 35mm f1.2. I would really like to use them with the Leica Noctilux f0.95 but I don't have […]
good job steve……i have a leica mono and after reading your evaluation i bought one at b&h……cant wait to see the pics…….enjoy your youtubes also………take care.
I considered a nokton 1.1 over my cron 50.. After your review, I will stay with the cron. I may buy the 1.1 for speed,but will give it a lot of thought after again reading your. Review.
Hi Steve,
Your "test" got me to buy a used Nokton recently. I get great pictures with it. Just have a little hassel with green and purple frings in the soft bokeh background, but Lightroom fights well against it.
After a tour with my Landrover Defender I got aware of a loose barrel on back of the lens! I discovered 4 screws being loose. After tightening with a small screwdriver the lens was solid again. I now take a screwdriver with me on my photo tours! Got the info from the net, that these 4 screws are loose sometime. Be aware of checking these screws on a regular basis!
You did a great review, as always,I liked very much!
Roland from gerany
Nice review! Got me to buy a used one. No complaints about the great images, but got a mechanical problem. The lensbarrel got loose wile travelling with my Landrover Defender. No big issue, just 4 srews had to be tightened. I now keep a small srewdriver in my fotobag! Read about the problem in the net. My lens is not the only one with a loose barrel. So, be prepared!
very good
because of this review, i finally decided to buy this lens! thanks for helping me decide! haha :D
[…] stuff… Voigtlander Nokton 35 1.2 Aspherical II Lens review on the Leica M9 | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Enuff said… Well done, […]
For the record, I have the Zeiss 50mm Sonnar ZM, & have no regrets that I didn't spring for a 'cron or a 'lux instead. While we wait for Steve to review it, you can check out Ken Rockwell's review (that's the 1 that tipped the balance for me when I was considering the options).
This is great post I must say. But needs more info. Hope in the next post you will publish article with more detailed information.
I know this is an old thread but I have a quick question in regards to this lens. I am considering the CV 50mm f/1.1, the 50mm f/1.5 and the Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar. I know they are all a little different but given price/value performance do you have any thoughts to help me out? Btw I am considering these on a NEX 7 with adapter or possibly a X-Pro 1…depending if the x-Pro 1 will have any focus assist/peaking. Likewise I am considering the Voigtlander 35 f/1.2 but also have looked at the 35mm f/1.4. I am thinking of a kit of 2-3 lenses…what do you think of those lenses and do you have any other additions in the same price range? Leica is great, but I am afraid it is just out of my range!
I appreciate all that you do and the time you take doing it! I assure you that anything I order will be done following the links on your site. I want to support you any way that I can.
Voigtlander 50mm NOKTON with Sony Alpha NEX-5
thanks for the great review. before i considered to buy this lens, but i am quite disappointed about the bokeh in your photographs. they are very busy and far away from being symmetric. the bokeh is, at least for me, very important for such a fast lens.
hello friend am from Brazil and would like a hint, I use this lens in Canon Mark II or 7D? is there any adapter for this?
[…] The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Lens Review by stevehuffphoto.com After a week with this lens and my M9 I had a few different reactions. When it arrived I was excited! When I took those first shots I wanted the lens and was trying to find a way to fund one. I missed having an F1 lens and even though this lens is an F1.1 lens, its close enough. BUT the more I shot with it, the more I realized that my little 50 Summilux Pre Asph could do everything this Nokton could do, and in some cases a little better. It's smaller, its lighter, and its amazingly good at 1.4. While the Nokton is a bit faster, it does not really give me that "feel" of a 1.1 lens. It feels like a 1.4 lens to me though others will disagree. It also lacks in the micro contrast dept. which is one area where Leica rules. Still, you get about 80% of a Noctilux for 1/5th of the price of a used one. […]
I just don't understand why people would buy M9 and slapped 3rd party lenses on it.
It's more understandable if people buy Leica glass and adapted it to mount on Canon or Nikon bodies. The only reason to give piles of money to Leica is its lenses (which is arguably the best optically for 35mm photography), and IMO Canon or Nikon sensors are better than M9 sensors.
Well, some third party lenses are really good. Also don't underestimate the ergonomics and appeal of rangefinder focusing that the M9 offers over those DSLR bodies.
digital kitchen scales are the stuff that i always use on my kitchen when i weight things :"'
Hi… just wanted to know if this lens will work on my canon T2i ???? Thanks. If not, what lens would you recommend? I want a fast prime somewhere between 28 – 50. I hear the canon 35 sucks for sharpness. Thank you.
In a word, no Allen. Get a Canon 50mm f/1.4 or the f/1.2L if you're feeling flush.
There is no way I could afford the Leica lens, but I did go out this weekend after reading up on it and poring over these images. Thanks for your reviews, Steve!
Here she is:
So I picked up an M9 partly because of reviews like yours. I'm a little confused though as to why you lean more towards Leica in every review of alternate glass.
This review especially really got me stumped, and maybe I'm missing something, but here me out, and please respond as I'd love to know your thoughts.
To my eyes, if you notice the photo with your lovely wife, the Nokton 1.4 image and the Lux 1.4 image are almost IDENTICAL save for her moving ever so slightly. In fact, the Nokton has the slightest edge in the bokeh dept, in that it's slightly more diffused but in the same style as the Lux.
So aside from size, the Nokton is the clear winner.. Consider this:
A) It's cheaper
B) It's readily available
C) It can do 1.1 if a need arises and it does it almost exactly as the Noctilux f.1 does it. Save for the slightest bit of harsher bokeh at F1.1 in the highlights.
D) and most important, at 1.4 it's exactly the same if not better then the Summilux which Leica claims is there best lens, a 50 that all other 50's are aspiring to be!
So how is the Lux a winner in your books? Because of the build quality? The size? Or just because it's a Leica?
I just had some studio shots with the NEX-5 with it.
The wide angle is 12mm Heliar from Voigtlander.
Some more color shots with father and daughter.
Have you tried this lens on the Sony NEX-5? I'd love to see some samples with it!
This is a great lens and I agree with most of the review — however it should be noted that the Nokton 1.1 displays significant CA (chromatic aberration) at wide apertures. You can even see this in several of the example photos.
…well, by (3) I mean – when shooting flat objects, or at infinity
To my eye, this lens seems to have little color reproduction problems. It that why most shots with this lens that I find online are in b&w? I am shooting slide film for home projection (213cm screen) and I am quite cautious of that issue.
Would Nokton 40/1.4 or 35/1.2 be a better choice for me?
My priotities are (1) true color (2) resolution/sharpness due to projection usage and (3) no vignetting/perimeter distortion.
Your size comparison between Summilux and Nokton is not objective. The Nokton was wearing the hood, but the Summilux had its hood retracted.
I just ordered this Voigtlaender 1.1
Will use it with a Panasonic G1 and Oly E-PL1, have both. There it will be like an 1.1/100 mm lens, and the Oly provides IS.
Did you ever try this lens with a mFT camera? Best regards and many thanks!
[…] 50mm f/1.1 Reviews: bophoto – Steve Huff Where to buy: Ebay – BHphoto […]
thanks for the great review! did you put the m9 in manual setting when shooting with the nokton? if so, what lens did you choose given that only leica lenses are listed. thanks!
[…] The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Lens Review […]
You have dissuaded me from adding the Nokton to my pre-asph Summilux, so many thanks. PS Mine is the black paint version too – very nice aren't they?
Steve, as usual, your eye is on the target. I also prefer the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 pre-ASPH over the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.1. I like the glow in your wife's face in the Summilux shot. The Nokton shot at 1.4 seems a bit harsh. Of course, I'm a Leica man and will always favor the Leica! But, that's not always true. I have a few Canon lenses that really impress.
Thanks Steve for your hard work on these Leica Digital and the Voigtlander gear! Keep up! I just got the Nokton F1.1 a few days and still using my 6 years old 15mm F4.5 with my M8 and I am very enjoying them.
Merry Christmas
Just bought this lens today, I'm very happy with it.
Great impartial review .
Am looking forward to getting my Voitlander 50.
Thank you.
thanks for review steve. gonna get one for my m8
That was a great article. Thankyou!
I have been given an M9 for my birthday – its on order. Now I have the dilemma of deciding on a lens. I am new to the world of Leica. The costs are mind boggling. I will only have one lens for quite some time. I am thinking 50mm. The guy at the shop said I won't need anything greater than the Summicron. I am not to keen on flash photography so I am thinking the Summilux is more me. Size and cost wise.
I have noticed afew posts where the pre-asph Summilux is held in high esteem. Is it better that its modern counterpart? Why do people rave about it?
[…] a review of a Voigtlander compared to a Leica lens at steve huffs blog. he compares bokeh of both: The Voigtlander Nokton 50 1.1 Lens Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS here is my test-shot with the Noctilux – also oof, but very charming […]
[…] M9 & Nokton 50mm f1.1 – Photo samples? More info for you to chew on… The Voigtlander 50 Nokton 1.1 Lens Review | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Steve __________________ My Leica reviews & M9 Daily Diary! http://www.stevehuffphoto.com […]
Thanks for the review. This is an interesting lens.
Thanks for the review; great site.
At the end of this review, you mentioned the Zeiss Sonnar 1.5, saying "I love the little Zeiss and hope to try it soon on the M9." I thought that you really liked the Zeiss 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar and that it prompted you to sell the Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH. Did you sell it when you bought the Summilux pre-ASPH? Or did you just not get a chance yet to try it on your M9?
Great review, I don't regret ordering it now :)
I'm just wondering, being quite new to rangefinders (my only other lens currently is a 28mm on my M8), do you use a magnifier with the 50mm to get the focus spot on?
Dear Steve:
Thank you for reviewing the lens. I would have liked it if you would have shown comparison shots with an old Noctilux and a Summilux so one can see the differences. I liked seeing the one shot with a comparison with your pre-asph summilux. When you say the Nokton lacks micro-contrast compared with an old Noctilux or Summilux-asph, I would like to see what you mean.
Great review as always. I've learned more in the last six month, reading your blog, than in the last 10 years.
Hi Steve,
Still like your approach, not technical, but through the eyes of a human.
Especially the shot of your 'old' 1.4/50 and the Noct 1.1 on 1,4 shows
how thin the line is of 'what a human eye likes'. I agree on you old one.
But on the other hand..how incredible is the Achievement of Voigtlander to produce such a high quality lens, with the high mechanical standards which we all like from Leica. Jus as now the Zeiss lenses (just got today my 18/3.5 ZE foor my Canon. And applause from me to Cosina etc for opening up these high standards for a more friendly price!
If I may say…keep your 'old' 1.4/50, it's light, very good and in balance with the M8/M9 body. I had till 3 months ago a 1.0/50 noct, but I hardly used it, because it was to big to heavy, and working on 1.0 with that narrow dof, hard to focus when the object moves….
Thanks man, great review again, makes my photographic heart beating well!
Hans van den Broek
The Netherlands, Amsterdam
Steve, thank you. Well reviewed! Looking forward to the Zeiss 25mm review and the 50mm 1.5. Congrats on your new site!
Amazing review! And the pictures are superb!
Great review!


text:
This topic is archived and can not be replied to any more.
|A Dozen Reasons For US Airways To Pick Up 747SP's posted Tue Jun 27 2006 07:50:00 by Thegooddoctor
|Time For US Airways To Get A New Scheme? posted Mon Apr 21 2003 07:59:44 by USAir330
|US Airways To Fly A330 PHL-ATH, 767 -ZRH, 757 -BRU posted Thu Oct 26 2006 16:24:43 by A330323X
|US Airways To Codeshare With Air China posted Wed Sep 27 2006 03:27:31 by A330323X
|To Check Or Not To Check On US Airways To FCO posted Thu Aug 17 2006 00:27:57 by N174UA
|US Airways To Asia posted Wed Aug 16 2006 03:31:43 by Seatback
|Intrepid Museum In NY To Close For 2 Years posted Fri Jul 7 2006 01:20:37 by JFKLGANYC
|US AIrways Clubs Charge For Internet? posted Tue Jul 4 2006 07:27:50 by Boeing 747-311
|US Airways To Pellston MI (PLN)? posted Sun Jul 2 2006 01:35:35 by Clipper707
|DOT Grants US Airways Slot Exemptions For DCA-SRQ posted Tue Jun 13 2006 00:27:04 by A330323X


text:
Katherine's Kitchen doesn't have any followers yet. Follow them and be the first!
Whole foods cook and wellness guide, Writer, Yoga teacher
Member since November 8, 2011
Thanks for signing up!
Connect with us to get more Food52!
Sign up for our useful, inspired emails and we'll give you everything you need to eat and live better—including recipes, how-tos, and exclusives and great gift ideas from our kitchen and home shop.


text:
Emunah's Neve Michael Children's Village Pardes Hana, Israel
The world lacks not for horrors, not even in this, our Holy Land. Depression, disability, depravity all lurk just slightly below our awareness. They can extract tolls of untold magnitude from the most vulnerable and innocent of all - children.
That's why there is an Emunah's Neve Michael Children's Village.
Each child at Neve Michael Children's Village has a story. Some can express it in words, while others can only convey their past traumas through the haunted looks in their eyes. In many cases, these unfortunate children have suffered mental/physical abuse and their natural parents are afflicted with mental illness or drug and alcohol addictions.
When a child is raised in a normal, functioning home he/she receives the love, support and trust of parents. Throughout school and in daily life- there is a special kind of security and safety, someone who is there to help them.
The children who cross our threshold may have parents in the physical sense, but lack the emotional stability needed in a child's young, tender life. We have children whose parents are drug addicts. When they return for a home visit, they do not know if their mother/father will take one or two shots over the weekend. If it is only one, perhaps they will receive some attention. If two, forget it. They know they will spend the weekend counting the minutes until they can return to the safety of Emunah's Neve Michael Children's Village.
Our main objective is to break the vicious cycle of distress that has been a part of the children's lives. With our after school tutorial program and the various psychological treatments, we assist in targeting the many areas needed to improve the quality of our children's lives.
Home | About Us | US News | Israeli News | Events | Bar / Bat Mitzvahs | Missions | How To Help | Projects In Israel
Video & Photo Presentations | Order Our Magazine | View Our Magazine | Our Shop| Privacy Policy | Contact Us
|Web Design by Duvys.com


text:
ProfessorPhone: (601) 984-5489
Fax: (601) 984-5972E-Mail
Dr. Ali Dodge-Khatami, a specialist in cardiovascular surgery from Switzerland, has joined University of Mississippi Medical Center faculty as a professor of surgery.
After having premedical studies at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, from 1985-86, Dodge-Khatami earned the Swiss Federal Diploma of Medicine at the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1991. He had residency training in thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, emergency medicine and general surgery from 1991-93 at the Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve, Switzerland, and in general surgery and cardiovascular-thoracic surgery from 1993-96 at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. He then had fellowship training in cardiovascular-thoracic surgery at RUSH-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Ill., from 1996-98 and congenital cardiac surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Ill., from 1998-99.
Dodge-Khatami served as senior registrar at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London, England, from 1999-2000 before joining the faculty of the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam as a cardiothoracic surgeon. In 2003, he received the PhD from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, based on clinical and animal laboratory research on tracheal reconstruction and healing.
In 2003, he joined the University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, as a staff cardiovascular surgeon committed to congenital heart disease, and in 2008, he became professor of cardiovascular surgery, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery and head of the Program for Congenital Heart Disease, University Heart Center, at the University of Hamburg-Eppendorf School of Medicine, Germany.
An active member of several professional organizations, including the Swiss Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Dodge-Khatami has authored or coauthored more than 90 articles in peer-reviewed professional publications and six book chapters. A reviewer for several professional publications, he has presented at professional meetings across Europe and the United States.
Dodge-Khatami has gone on humanitarian missions for the development of pediatric and congenital heart surgery in Georgia, Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Honduras, Vietnam, the Ukraine and Libya.
2500 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39216
General Information: 601-984-1000
Patient Appointments: 888-815-2005


text:
Members of Team Vamos Autocross on their win and the experience of racing at the Buddh International Circuit
Having hosted automotive events around the year along with the Indian Grand Prix, the Buddh International Circuit in Delhi recently played host to the second edition of the SUPRA SAEINDIA 2012. The event has students design, model and fabricate a formula type racing car with the aim of introducing them to the entire process from design and engineering to production, marketing and endurance. Team Vamos Autocross of the Sinhagad Academy of Engineering, Kondhwa, was one of the 65 teams to participate in the event and won the third place overall as well as third place in both the endurance test and acceleration test, making them the only college in Maharashtra to have a podium finish.
Our core team was the same as the one at our last SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) event, the Baja SAEINDIA 2012, where we placed in the top five out of 100 teams without winning a trophy. Post the event, we were penalised because the judges alleged that our vehicle was too good to have been made by us. This was the highest honour we could have received, says Yusuf Hakim, Captain of Team Vamos Autocross. All cars were provided a Maruti 800 engine, with a common restricted RPM, but the design and fabrication was only guide-lined. We applied air shock absorbers and a polypropylene paneling, making the vehicle lighter than our rivals', who used fiber. We were the only team to clear the brake test on the first attempt, informs Hakim.
The vehicle was scrutinised technically, and we cleared every inspection test. After a point, the car was perfect, and the onus of winning the race fell squarely upon the driver, says Surendra Patil, one of the two drivers of Team Vamos Autocross. The car clocked in at speeds over 100 kmph and completed 4 laps of the circuit, roughly 22 kilometres, in a little under 20 minutes.
We received one day of driver training from SUPRA, mostly to ensure we don't damage the track. It was an indescribable rush, an adrenaline overdose, declares Patil. He was up against drivers with international experience, some of whom had raced in Germany and France.
The team comprised of 25 members, which included their professors, all of whom went to Delhi and received a trophy and a cash prize of


text:
August 2013
A Heretic's Musings on the Triumph of Heritage
This publication addresses the Arab upheavals and the longer-term implications of these for security and stability in the greater Middle East. The author argues that a 'new order' is emerging in the region characterized by a widespread rejection of the modern state system and the return to traditional regional balancing. Western policies, he concludes, will only aggravate the crisis in the Middle East as Western politicians do not take into account the voices of regional leaders and focus instead on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and on empowering Islamist-based 'democratic' regimes throughout the Arab World.
© 2013 Institut für Strategie- Politik- Sicherheits- und Wirtschaftsberatung (ISPSW)
Yossef Bodansky


text:
There are a few sociology majors over at the Universityof Maryland, college Parkwho should be demanding their money back. It seems that sociology professor, Phillip Cohen, is claiming that because the rise in single-mother families in Washington DC has continued to rise while the rate of violent crime has begun to drop, single-motherhood is not a cause of violent crime. Now, I'm not saying that single-motherhood is a cause of violent crime; what I am saying, is that Prof. Cohen is misusing statistics to state that it is not.
Let's say, for instance, that I notice that from the 1960's through the mid-90's, the number of dead goats in the state of Indiana consistently rises from year to year, then begins a steady decline from the mid-90's to the present. I also notice that the rate of goat milk consumption also increases from the 1960's through the mid-90's. I might be inclined to think that the rate of goat milk consumption in Indiana has caused the increase in the number of dead goats in Indiana. Then, when the number of dead goats begins to decrease while the rate of goat milk consumtion continues to rise, I might begin to believe the rate of goat milk consumtion did not cause dead goats in Indiana. In other words, the rise in demand led directly to an increase in the goat population which meant that more goats would die in any given year.
Prof. Cohen is making a similar claim in relation to single-mothers and violent crime. The now negative correlation between violent crime and single motherhood is proof that single motherhood never caused violent crime. I'll give him some credit. He provides a disclaimer that allows for plausible deniability of his ignorance of statistics:
"Looking at two aggregate trends is never enough to tell a whole story of social change, of course. However, if two trends going together doesn't prove a causal relationship, the opposite is not quite as true. If two trends do not go together, the theory that one causes the other has a steeper hill to climb. In the case of family breakdown driving crime rates, I don't think the story will make it anymore."
What Prof. Cohen's disclaimer shows is that he does grasp the statistical concept at work here. But his grasp of statistics isn't present in the rest of his article.
There have been a number of sociological studies that have shown a correlation between the rise in single motherhood and the rise in violent crime, but I know of no one who claimed that single motherhood is the only factor involved. Further, the fact that violent crime is now dropping while single motherhood continues to rise, does not necessarily indicate the disappearance of the positive correlation between these two factors.
Returning to the example of the dead goats in Indiana, the rise in the number of dead goats may have been due to more than one factor. The increased demand for goat milk may have led to more goats being brought into Indiana. Poor regulation of the goat farming industry may have combined with poor veteranary standards in the 1960's to create an unhelathy environment leading to the death of a lot of goats. Therefore all three factors may have led to the increase in dead goats. In the 1990's imporved regulation and better veterinary care may have reduced the number of dead goats even while demand for goat milk continued to increase. If the goats live longer and more productive lives, fewer goats will be necessary to meet the demands, fewer goats will also mean fewer dead goats. Demand for more goats will alwayts lead to increasing numbers of dead goats, but other factors may intercede causing a drop in the overall number of dead goats despite the increasing demand.
Apparently the media has not discussed Prof. Cohen's observation that single motherhood does not cause violent crime and this is distressing to Prof. Cohen. This may be for good reason. Social science research has demonstrated a correlations between the two (correlation is not causation). There are a number of other factors being discussed as possible reasons for the decline in violent crime such as "rising incomes, improved law enforcement technology, and community relations." There may be other factors as well.
Using statistical analysis, it is possible to determine approximately how much impact any single factor has on the rate of violent crime. Let's suppose that single motherhood accounts for about 25% of all violent crime. Income and law enforcement also account for 25% each. Then let's say that single motherhood increases, but income also increases and law enforcement becomes more effective. The net result would likely be a decrease in violent crime. But if I were to ignore those other factors and only graph single motherhood and violent crime, then I could be just like Prof. Cohen who misuses statistics to create lies. You could be just like Ampersand at Alas, a Blog who most likely never took a stats class and simply believes his professor's misrepresentations because he is saying what Ampersand wants to hear. Or you could demand that a proper statistical analysis be performed to determine the impact of each of these factors on violent crime in order to determine whether or not single motherhood has a significant impact on violent crime.
This kind of stupidity really gets my goat.


text:
To Log in to Property Watch or Sign Up for a New Account Click Here
See current prices, listings and trends in any market area.
Browse by location or agent name.
Make the step into an exciting and rewarding career!
Real estate classes that can be finished in as little as 9 weeks!


text:
(USA TODAY) -- It's a texting session between two student friends that you just don't see every day.
The April 15 attacks killed three and injured more than 260 people in Boston.
One of the bombers looks just like you, said Kadyrbayev, who knew Tsarnaev at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
"LOL," was the reply from Tsarnaev, acccording to a federal affidavit. "You better not text me ... come to my room and take whatever you want."
Kadyrbayev then showed the text message to a friend, Azamat Tazhayakov, another of Tsarnaev's college acquaintances.
When Tazhayakov saw it, "he believed he would never see Tsarnaev alive again," court papers said.
Authorities say, however, that there's a chance they may see each other yet: in court or in prison. Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov are charged with helping Tsarnaev after-the-fact in the bombing by getting rid of incriminating evidence.