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The night Terry's mother called me to tell me that he had died, I spent the rest of the night having sex in the basement of a porn theater. I never cried, but I went back every night for three weeks.
I was a mess. I was in parks until all hours of the night. I almost got arrested in the bathroom at the local university. I narrowly escaped. I went back and the guard recognized me -- it turned out I was trying to go in when it was spring break. I went in again. The last straw was when I had been in the park until the middle of the night. The next day I was sick, dragged myself to work late, and on the way home stopped in the park again. When I started always being late for work, or getting to the Greenmarket too late to buy the pretzels I love, those were real warning signs for me.
People have always used sex as a way to escape their solitude, forge connections, and gain a sense of power or pleasure. Gay men in particular have found that exploration of sex together -- lots of it -- is a means of healing homophobia, an affirmation of gay pride, a way to feel a sense of God, or just plain good. Well, most of the time.
Sometimes, having lots of sex -- or looking to have it -- doesn't feel so good. "Sexual compulsivity" is a term used to describe patterns where sex feels powerful without being pleasant, something you repeat over and over with less and less reward or sense of control. Examples of this can range from repeated attempts to act out sexually with people who have not consented -- flashing your genitals, say, or fondling strangers on the mall escalator -- to the more common and murkier pattern of unsatisfying sex sought out when you want to numb some other intense emotion. Feeling as if you're losing your ability to choose when and how to be sexual, having lots of sex with people whom you find abusive or unattractive, or seeing your sexual partners as objects to be used rather than people to connect with are all cited as symptoms of sexual compulsivity. Describing a common cycle -- feeling driven to use sex to try to reach some magical altered state, and then experiencing a deeply depressing letdown afterward -- some men talk about the problem with a different phrase: "sexual addiction."
Addiction and compulsion are controversial terms when it comes to sex, with battles over the implications of each. Addiction makes sex sound too much like a poison better given up, like alcohol, say some, when in fact there is no physiologically addictive component to sex, and having it is a sign of health. Others counter that compulsion ignores the incredible powerful social role of sex and reduces sexual behavior to another symptom, like washing your hands too much or not stepping on cracks. Some students of gay history worry about both approaches, remembering the way that diagnoses of disease have long been used to cast a cloud of shame over any sex that does not fit the majority's idea of "normal." Some critics of gay society worry in the opposite direction, alarmed that the call for sexual freedom is silencing discussion of how many men have lots of sex without nearly so much satisfaction.
In practice, though, the differences between the terms addiction and compulsion (used interchangeably in the rest of this section) seem less important than the common themes expressed by men who find them meaningful. "I don't know whether I was addicted or compulsive, but I know that I would sit on my bed and cry if I didn't pick up someone every night after work," says Sam, age thirty-five. "One time I picked up three people on my block one right after the other, and arrived late for an extremely important appointment." Other common stories include seeking sex immediately after important emotional events like the death of a parent or a friend; alternating sexual binges with periods of depression and total aversion to sex; and risking illness, arrest, or financial ruin in the pursuit of unsatisfying sex. A general feeling of numbness or dissociation during sex (the word trance comes up a lot) is also common to people struggling with these issues. Some of the men who describe themselves as sexual addicts report a childhood history of physical or sexual abuse, or emotional neglect. Many more report another addiction or behavior disorder -- alcoholism, eating disorders, gambling, and the like.
If complaints about numbing or overpowering sex sound suspiciously like an effort to tidy messy realities into some unthreatening fifties fantasy of what sex "should be," talk of sexual compulsivity can carry that danger. People throughout history have certainly gambled, and lost a great deal, in the pursuit of sexual excitement, including excitement whose charge comes precisely because it's naughty or illegal or inappropriate or objectifying. Virtually everyone has had the experience of sex for reasons -- mastery, a sense of power, an escape from worry -- that may be more about changing a feeling inside ourselves than about experiencing one with someone else. And of course gay people feel shame about sex -- straight people teach us to. Deciding where that shame comes from or what it means is a tricky business.
All of that makes it essential for gay men to cut themselves some slack during assessment of sexual "addiction," but not to rule out the exercise entirely. "The goal is be able to integrate your sex life with other things you want -- feelings of freedom, self-esteem, intimacy, whatever -- in such a way that you can be at relative peace with the sexual part of yourself," says New York City therapist Stephen McFadden. "What that means has to be an individual definition."
"Treating" Sexual Compulsivity
Step 1: Awareness
If you're not risking your life, courting arrest, or violating the rights of others through compulsive behavior, struggling with sexual compulsion usually begins with the same medicine prescribed for those seeking better sex or safer sex: mindfulness. The same exercise that works for sex in general -- asking yourself about what you do and how you feel, before, during, and after sex -- can help you to grow conscious about your feelings of compulsion. Don't limit your thinking to direct contact with others; include phone sex, masturbation, and online cruising if you do them.
People grappling with sexual compulsion -- as with eating disorders, alcoholism, or other powerful forms of behavior -- talk of "triggers," the people, places, or things that activate intense cravings or behavior that feels out of control. For alcoholics, that trigger might be a bar where they used to drink; for someone who feels sexually compulsive, it could be a beach, a college bathroom, or an adult bookstore. Emotional "spots" you're in can also trigger compulsive behavior, as is captured in the oft-quoted acronym HALR -- meaning feeling vulnerable when you're hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Is it that you're horny or that you're alone on Saturday night and can't stand being in your apartment? Do you want sex or some way to escape the fact that you just got home from a difficult visit with your family? "I tell people, forget doubt, monogamous, nonmonogamous, you have sex this way, you don't have sex that way," says therapist Michael Shernoff. "If you say you're on the way to the university bathroom to have sex, ask yourself: Is sex what you want, or just something you know how to get? I've spent months with people trying to help them figure out what it means to be horny, as opposed to anxious or bored or depressed or tired."
Other triggers for compulsive sex are found in the intersection of addictions, such as when you start drinking after a period of being sober, or start binge eating after not doing so for month. "Shame in general is a big trigger," says Joe Amico, M.Div., executive director of Minnesota's gay and lesbian chemical addiction center, the Pride Institute, "particularly when folks feel like what they're doing now stirs up bad memories of past experiences. For someone with a history of sexual abuse, for example, sex can trigger intrusive feelings of guilt about who you are and what happened to you. It feeds itself: More sex is a way of escaping the pain."
Step 2: Talk About It with Someone
Not everyone needs ongoing therapy or to go to group meetings to deal with sexual addiction. A few counseling sessions or conversations with a close friend or pastoral counselor can be enough for some people to begin to feel aware. And unlike physical addictions to substances such as alcohol or heroin, sexual compulsivity is often not a lifelong struggle. "For the first two years I was in Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, I cried and whined and screamed, and people rolled their eyes at me and had compassion for me and got me through," says Charles, a thirty-seven-year-old public relations executive from Pennsylvania. "Now I can trick occasionally and go to the local porn theater for forty-five minutes, and not for five hours, and not for five hours every day for three weeks." Amico says that many people "go to meetings and treatment for a couple of years and then drop out of the scene." For others, issues are so strong it may mean a lifetime of investigation.
Step 3: Make a Plan
If you do seek therapy or peer support, don't have it be all talk and no action. Try to implement a plan, a way of finding what McFadden calls "a combination of understanding what contributes to the problem and a strategy about how to change it." That may just be returning to step one, above, or writing out a "contract" of the kind made by members of Sexual Compulsives Anonymous.
Diagnosing Sexual Addiction
Sex, like food, is something that everyone needs -- the question is how nourishing you're finding it. Rather than rushing to judgment, or treatment, of your sexual practices, take a look at them. "Most of us don't understand our sexual life -- we have rules or methods for how we get off, but we don't necessarily sort out those rules or the mystery about them," says GMHC's Richard Elovich. "There is such a thing as sexual compulsion, but there's also natural confusion that may fit the diagnosis." Dr. Sealy agrees. "If you answer yes to fifteen out of twenty questions on an assessment test, that may or may not indicate addiction," he says. "The real question is whether you're selling out your integrity and tromping on your sense of spirituality and self. Can you sustain a sense of sexual satisfaction, or is there only dread?"
With those warnings in mind, below are some of the questions designed to try to gauge sexual compulsivity. They're a tool for inquiry, not an acid test.
Do you think of yourself as overly preoccupied or obsessed with sex?
Do you feel driven to have sex in response to the effects of stress, anxiety, depression, or other intense emotions?
Have serious problems developed as a result of your sexual behavior (for example, injuries, illnesses, or loss of a job, or fiscal stability)?
Do you find yourself constantly cruising or scanning the environment for a potential sexual partner, even when you don't feel it's appropriate?
Do you often find yourself preoccupied by the idea of making sexual contact with a particular man you've seen or heard about, even if you don't know him?
Have you repeatedly tried to stop or reduce certain sexual behaviors and been unable to do so?
Have you missed important events in the lives of your family, friends, or life partner because of the time you spend pursuing sex?
Do you feel yourself violating your own ethical standards or principles in sex?
Do you worry about turning HIV positive, yet regularly have risky sex anyway?
And here are a few questions that need to be balanced against the realities of being gay in a largely straight world, but are still worth thinking about.
Do you keep the extent or nature of your sexual activities hidden form friends and/or partners?
Do your sexual encounters place you in danger of arrest for lewd conduct or public indecency?
Do you often have sex with men because you're feeling aroused and later regret it?
Has your involvement with pornography, phone sex, or online sex kept you from other kinds of intimate contact with romantic partners?
When you have sex, do you feel depressed, guilty, or ashamed afterward?
Has the money you have spent on sex-related activities seriously strained your financial resources?
Turning a Gay Gaze on Sexual Addiction
Shame on Whom?
Shame about sex, and keeping it secret, are red flags for sexual addiction in much of the psychological and addiction literature. But having grown up experiencing your desire for other men as something not valued or appreciated -- something to be acted out apart from your family and friends -- it's natural that many gay men would keep their sexual lives secret or split off. Coming out doesn't magically heal that split, or the shame and ambivalence it helps create. Trying to separate out the confusion about sex that society instills in us from the guilt and shame that fuel a psychological compulsion is a delicate proposition at best. "I've had men come in to me and say, 'You have to help me, I'm addicted, I masturbate every day,'" says New York City therapist Michael Shernoff, MSW. "And I have to ask, 'Well, why do you think that's sexually compulsive?' If you leave important meetings and go do it in the middle of the men's room, that's one thing. If you do it by yourself, in a stall, that's another. If you're doing it at home because you can't get to sleep unless you have an orgasm, that's yet another. There's no such thing as a pure motive in sex. It all has to be differentiated."
Straight Talking
Gay culture -- partly because we don't usually meet sex partners at work or through family, and partly because of the belief that there are models other than the monogamous child-rearing couple -- has created some ways of being sexual that don't show up on the ordinary radar screens of the straight world. Some of those things -- such as anonymous sex, cruising for sex, or having "fuck buddies" -- may well show up on your local therapist's sexual addiction assessment, however.
One of the original self-help groups for sex addicts, Sexaholics Anonymous, goes as far as targeting "sex outside of heterosexual marriage" as a warning sign. Clearly, we're all diagnosable.
Stranger Things Have Happened
Consider gay realities as well as straight ones. "Just because you have sex with a stranger doesn't make you a sex addict, or mean you're not one," says John Sealy, M.D., director of a treatment center for sexual disorders at Del Amo Hospital in California and a board member of the National Association of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity. "It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you." Similarly, it's tempting to want to split your sexual self into parts: the "bad" part, which feels drawn to the dangerous thrill of sex in the park, say, and the "good" part, which is monogamous and loving, brings home flowers, and gives your boyfriend soulful looks that would make Betty Crocker proud. "The reality of sexual life is more complex," says therapist Stephen McFadden. "Evaluating those complexities means looking at what you're getting or not getting from various kinds of sex, not just wishing lust away or dismissing gay culture."
Are We Alone?
Most discussion of addiction -- whether a physical addiction, such as alcoholism, or a compulsion, such as an eating disorder -- uses a disease model, looking at the problem as something that an individual works to heal within himself. "That gets complicated," warns GMHC director of HIV prevention, Richard Elovich, "because most sex happens between two people, not just you. It's not something you 'have a case of.'" Treating sexual compulsivity as your problem alone can reinforce the isolation many gay men feel about their sexuality in the first place.
Beware Abstinence Absolutism
Many men who feel there's some compulsive element to their sex jump at an "I'll-never-do-that-again" approach. While abstinence, freely chosen, can be helpful, says Jack Morin, Ph.D., author of The Erotic Mind, going to battle against sexual behavior can sometimes be the worst thing to do. "Struggle fuels compulsion," says Morin. "The solution is not for one side to win, but to integrate the warring selves by looking at what you are actually feeling while you're being compulsive. Conscious self-examination can disrupt some of the intensity, and much of the confusion."
Excerpted from Men Like Us: The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being by Daniel Wolfe. Copyright © 2000 by Daniel Wolfe. Excerpted by permission of Del Rey, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.


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Man Autograph Velour T-Shirt With Zips
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Using Windows
First off, what is SDL?
SDL stands for Simple Direct-Media Layer.
As the name suggests, it is quite a simple library to use! Good to know for graphics beginners (plus, it is compatible with OpenGL)
What do I need to download?
* The reason that I want you to download it with the MinGW compiler is that I can give you the specific paths. If you want to, you can install MinGW seperately, but it's just easier to explain if you get it with
Once you have downloaded Code::Blocks, install it to the default directory: C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks
Then, and this is the important bit, you need to copy the SDL files into the correct places.
- Copy the contents of \SDL-1.2.13\include\ to C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\include\
- Copy the contents of \SDL-1.2.13\lib\ to C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\
And there we have it! But we're not done yet... unfortunately. We still need to set up the build options in Code::Blocks, so fire up the IDE.
Now go to File>New>Project and select Console application (Don't worry, we are doing graphics, this is just a generic thing)
Call the project "New SDL Project" (you'll see why we give it such a generic name later on)
Copy \SDL-1.2.13\bin\SDL.dll to the project folder. (You need to do this for each project) ** See note at the end of this tutorial
Now go to Project>Build Options and make sure that New SDL Project is selected in the tree menu on the left, this is so that it is set for both Debug and Release compile options.
Now, click the Linker Settings tab, and click the add button. Copy and paste this exactly as it is:
C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libmingw32.a;C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libSDL.dll.a;C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libSDLmain.a;
All that we're doing here is setting up our build options to build our program with the SDL stuff in it.
Now, click OK, and OK again, to return to the main window of Code::Blocks.
Nearly done!
Now go to Settings>Compiler & Debugger and click the Linker Settings tab (again) and copy and paste this exactly as it is (again) :
C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libmingw32.a;C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libSDL.dll.a;C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks\MinGW\lib\libSDLmain.a;
Click OK and OK again, and you're back to the code window.
Just to test that it all works, try this code:
#include <SDL/SDL.h> const int SCREEN_WIDTH = 640; const int SCREEN_HEIGHT = 480; const int SCREEN_DEPTH = 32; int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { SDL_Surface *screen; Uint8 *p; int x = 10; //x coordinate of our pixel int y = 20; //y coordinate of our pixel /* Initialize SDL */ SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO); /* Initialize the screen / window */ screen = SDL_SetVideoMode(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, SCREEN_DEPTH, SDL_SWSURFACE); /* Make p point to the place we want to draw the pixel */ p = (Uint8 *)screen->pixels + y * screen->pitch + x * screen->format->BytesPerPixel; /* Draw the pixel! */ *p=0xff; /* update the screen (aka double buffering) */ SDL_Flip(screen); while(true); }
Now we're getting somewhere! Hit F9 to compile and run this, and you should get a window with a pixel drawn somewhere in the top left corner.
OK, now that we know it works, go to File>Save project as user-template and choose a descriptive name for it. (This is why we called the project "New SDL Project")
Now, if you go to File>New>From user template you should see your project template. Select it, and you should have a duplicate of the project that we just created. From now on, you can select this whenever you want to create an SDL application! Nifty, huh? BUT: Don't forget to copy SDL.dll to your new project!
A useful note:
You can copy SDL.dll to your system32 directory, BUT your programs will rely on it being there... so, if you run it on another computer that doesn't have SDL.dll already installed, then your program won't work. This is why I recommend that you copy your drivers to your project each time
Another note:
Wherever your .exe program is, SDL.dll needs to be in the exact same directory. Remember this, it's important!
Good luck with SDL coding!
Edit: Fixed a typo... thanks to Locke37 for pointing it out


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Rivington Place: building a new space for new ideas
May 30th, 2007
This podcast is a live recording of a public lecture at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Thursday, May 17, 2007.
64 minutes.
Dr. Augustus (Gus) Casely-Hayford has recently been appointed to Arts Council England as Executive Director, Arts Strategy. Casely-Hayford was previously Director of the Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA), a London-based arts organization with a particular emphasis on international practice. London is one of the most culturally diverse cities on earth. Its history, buildings and public sculpture are a physical testimony to a history of huge sociological change and continuous immigration. In 2007, Rivington Place, its first publicly funded gallery dedicated to the work of artists from culturally diverse backgrounds will open. The history, the context and ramifications of this development are complex and manifold. Dr. Casely-Hayford will discuss some of the issues connected to delivering culturally diverse art in 21st century London.


text:
Listen, the Roomba is really expensive and it works. Of course you want it. But—again, of course—you do not want to shell out the big bucks for a glorified dust buster. You could check eBay!
...But do you really want to use someone else's old vacuum? Who knows what kind of weird gross debris their home is working with. Then again, who knows what kind of weird gross debris you're working with.
A vacuum is a vacuum is a vacuum. Does it matter?


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MILPITAS, California, April 10, 2009 - SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) was informed today that an Administrative Law Judge for the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) issued an Initial Determination which found that certain accused flash memory products did not infringe the remaining two SanDisk United States Patents.
SanDisk initially asserted five patents in the ITC on October 24, 2007 against 25 companies that manufacture, sell and import USB flash drives, CompactFlash cards, MultiMedia cards, MP3/media players and/or other removable flash storage products. Since then, SanDisk obtained judgments against the following companies: Zotek Electronic Co., Ltd. dba Zodata Technology Limited; Infotech Logistic, LLC dba Supertron Memory; Add-On Technology Co.; Behavior Tech Computer Corp.; Emprex Technologies Corp.; and Behavior Tech Computer USA Corp. dba BTC USA.
In addition, the following companies entered into settlement and license agreements with SanDisk: Trek 2000 International, Ltd., PNY Technologies, Inc., Verbatim Corp., Verbatim Americas, Add-On Computer Peripherals, Inc. and Add-On Computer Peripherals, LLC (collectively, Add-On USA), Edge Tech Corporation, Infotech Logistic, Interactive Media Corp. (Kanguru), Kaser Corporation, TSR Silicon Resources Inc., and Welldone Company.
Further, the following companies entered into settlement agreements that included consent orders where the companies agreed to limit their imports of specified products to the United States to SanDisk licensed products: A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd. and A-DATA Technology (USA) Co., Ltd. (collectively, A-DATA entities), Melco Holdings Inc., Buffalo Inc., and Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. (collectively, Buffalo entities) and Corsair Memory, Inc.
"SanDisk is disappointed by the Initial Determination of the Administrative Law Judge," said E. Earle Thompson, vice president and chief intellectual property counsel, SanDisk. "We will continue to vigorously pursue actions against companies that use SanDisk's patented technology without a license. SanDisk expects that the Initial Determination will not adversely impact existing licensing agreements or the royalties expected from those agreements."
About SanDisk
SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is one of the world's largest suppliers of flash data storage card products, using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Milpitas, California, and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
SanDisk's product and executive images can be downloaded from: http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/media.asp
SanDisk's web site/home page address: http://www.sandisk.com
SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trade names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including expectations for the litigation, the cost of the litigation and the outcome of the controversy and future license and royalty revenue to SanDisk that are based on SanDisk's current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include, among others: we may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations; we may be unable to license intellectual property to or from third parties as needed, or renew existing licenses, which could expose us to liability for damages, reduce our royalty revenues, increase our costs or limit or prohibit us from selling products; we currently are and may in the future be involved in litigation, including litigation regarding our intellectual property rights or those of third parties, which may be costly, may divert the efforts of our key personnel and could result in adverse court rulings, which could materially harm our business; and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in SanDisk's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. SanDisk does not intend to update the information in this press release.
|Investor Contact:
|Media Contact:
|Jay Iyer
|Ryan Donovan
|(408) 801-2067
|(650) 823-3683


text:
Field Recording in Cold Conditions
A cold wind is blasting your face. Your hands are shaking and your teeth are chattering. Your legs are caked in white powder from trudging through the high snow drifts. And you have not even set up the gear yet... It's going to be a long day.
On a field recording assignment there are a million things to think about, both technical and creative. Sometimes you also have to worry about the environment in which you are recording as well, specifically the temperature you can expect to be working in. Both hot and cold extremes call for special preparations if you want to have a successful session. Extreme heat might come with the humidity which can wreak havoc on electronic gear and the inner workings of microphones. Heat can also lead to human error as a result of dehydration or even heat stroke. Today I am going to focus on what I think is the more difficult weather extreme, and the effects freezing cold can have on a field recording session. Plummeting temperatures can create obstacles that are difficult to overcome.
Living in a area of the planet that gets pretty cold for a good part of the year, I have had to prepare to record in cold conditions many times. The first thing you will notice in frigid temperatures is that you'll get dramatically reduced lasting-power from from any battery-operated gear. The power-producing chemical reaction that happens in a battery depends on extremely fast moving ions - and cold temperatures prevent this process from being efficient. The cold effect on batteries is no joke, the difference is drastic. So cold temperature sessions require first of all a comprehensive battery strategy if you don't have access to plug-in power on the shoot. You'll need more batteries than usual and you will also have to keep your extra/back-up batteries warm until they are put to use. If they're already cold when you need them, then their performance will be even worse. This can be tricky to overcome if you don't have a heated place to store them until they are needed. Using your own body heat by keeping batteries inside your jacket is usually the best way to keep your spares warm until they are pressed into service. And make sure all your batteries are fully charged before you head out into the cold. A half-charged battery in normal temperatures is a dead battery in chilly conditions. I find that "AA" batteries are affected quite significantly by cold temperatures and will drain much faster than the lithium-ion batteries used in some recorders (for ex: the Sound Devices 7 series.) So think ahead and stock up on extra batteries and organize and charge them up the day before.
So your spare batteries are being kept nice and warm in your inside pockets, but you want to keep the batteries that are in use as warm as you can too. This can be done by having blankets to wrap your gear in. The blankets help in two ways, shielding the gear from wind and falling snow as much as possible. If there's snow on the ground I find it's extremely helpful to bring along a smallish sled. The sled can be used to help you transport everything to your location through the snow. It can also be used as a dry work surface for your equipment set-up.
You will have to keep yourself warm as well. The answer here is layers. When you're running around setting up all your gear you will find things a lot warmer than when you are sitting still waiting for things to happen. Having the ability to drop and add warm layers will allow you to adjust as the day goes forward. Lined boots, gloves and a warm knit hat, or a toque as they are called here in Canada, are extremely important. Gloves can make operating gear difficult though. They can make clumsy work out of simple scroll dials and button pushes. I find that gloves with with exposed fingers and a mitten flap are great to use on a recording trip. These gloves keep you warm when you have the flap over your fingers but allow you to easily push small buttons and accomplish fiddly tasks with the flaps back and your fingers exposed.
Although these gloves are good for using gear with small buttons and dials, if you are used to using any touch screen devices on a shoot you are better to leave those gadgets at home. In general they do not perform exceptionally well in the cold, and your small motor skills deteriorate as the temperature drops too. It's hard to work an iPhone's keyboard if your hand is shaking in the cold. 'Smart' gloves, which have electro-conductive thread woven into them, are becoming popular, allowing you to use touch screens with your gloved hands, but I still think that in cold weather using a paper and pen for notes is much better than a tablet, since you won't have to worry about the batteries failing with a pad of paper (although it is possible for the ink in the pen to freeze!) and if your notebook falls into a slushy puddle or a snowbank you can just wipe it off instead of crying all the way to the Apple store at the end of the day.
Human ears were not designed well for cold conditions. They stick out, basically defenseless against the elements. Your ears are among the first parts of the body likely be affected by frostbite (along with fingers and toes.) You have to keep them covered in sub-zero temperatures. Yet on a recording field trip your ears are the most important tool you have. How can you get the most out of your hearing if there is a dense layer of fabric between your ears and the sounds you are trying to record? There is no simple solution here. If the temperatures are very low and you are planning to be out in the cold for a long time you have to cover your ears to stay comfortable (no recording is worth messing with the functionality of your ears!) I find that in short stints you can get away with using your headphones as earmuffs. That will only work for so long though, since headphones are optimized for sound reproduction, not heat insulation. The best way to tackle this issue is to wear a warm hat with the headphones over top. This will affect the sound from the headphones but not so much that you don't have a decent idea of what you are recording. Every couple minutes you can pop the hat off your ear and listen for a moment to make sure all is still good. With experience you will find that the hat is not much of an issue.
Another thing to think about when shooting in snowy conditions is the noise interference you yourself are going to create. Every move you make will be noisy. Synthetic jackets create a lot of cloth movement noise with every little body shift. The simple act of taking a photo on the fly will ruin a take as you fumble around through your gloves and big winter jacket, generating a blizzard of nylon swiffling noises. Nope, you must stay as still as possible... not fun (or easy) when freezing your butt off.
You will also find that in the snow, every step you take can be really loud. Snow is an amazingly complex-sounding substance. Sometimes it's crunchy, other times mucky, while still other times it can be fluffy or even glassy. The temperature of the air will affect what the snow sounds like: the colder it is the more dry crunchiness you will hear, but there are lots of other factors at play too:
How deep is the snow?
What surface is under the snow?
Has it been compacted down in tire tracks or footsteps?
Has any ice formed in the snow from a fast drop in temperature?
Is there any slush as a result of a fast rise in temperature?
Has the area been salted? (rock salt is spread on pavement to melt ice)
Depending on these variables, and many others, you get remarkably different sounding snow under your feet. Yet they are all loud and distracting unless "footsteps in snow" is what you are actually setting out to record. So for this reason too, you will be forced to stay still once you are rolling.
Another thing to plan for is acclimatizing your gear to the cold before you start rolling. This applies mostly to the microphone. Most shotgun microphones work very well in the cold (DPA tests their mics to -25°C or -13°F) but issues can crop up as the microphone itself cools down to the ambient temperature. So ideally you want to have the mic out in the cold for an hour or so before you start rolling. I have not always been able to follow this rule and have actually not noticed any problems, but if you have the time it is a good idea to plan for enough time to cool down the mic in advance. The main thing you want to do is keep the microphone as dry as possible. Since water expands when it freezes you really don't want any moisture in the mic that will cause a problem. Humidity in a mic can also interfere with the electric activity in a condenser mic. This really comes into play if you have multiple transitions between warm and cold environments. Condensation can develop when you bring a mic in from the cold, and if moisture has collected in and on the mic you won't want to bring it right back out to freezing conditions. To avoid this, try to find a place to put the mic for a bit that is somewhere between freezing and normal room temperature. Then bring it all the way in to normal temperature after a while. Normally the car ride back to the city is perfect for this. The car will slowly warm up over the drive home, making for a good transition. Any condensation that has formed will have a chance to evaporate.
Another tip I can offer is to avoid recording near your vehicle unless you have lots of time to set up. If you drive to your location in a car or even a snowmobile you will be shocked how long it takes for the vehicle to become silent. As the engine cools it will sizzle, ping, and pop for a lot longer then you'd think. The hood will give little metal flexes as it cools, water will drip down and melt the snow below the exhaust. Lots of other little noises will continue on well after the ignition is shut off. If you are there to record a chainsaw, then this will not be an issue. But if you are looking to record blustery winds or the delicate ambience of a winter wilderness you'll end up with an editing nightmare when you go to master the file back at your studio.
Winter conditions make for a fantastic recording environment if you have planned properly and come prepared. Specifically recording in nature. The blanket of snow covering everything acts as massive sound insulation system, dampening distant echoes. As a result the sound of deep winter is very different. And also eerily silent. The leaves are all off the trees, so the wind makes very little noise in the woods. The vast majority of the birds have flown south taking their daily chatter with them. When the wind is calm, standing in a northern forest can be as silent as the most expensive acoustician-designed floating recording booth. It can actually be a little disorienting when you find yourself surrounded by such an enveloping quiet - it's not something we city folk are used to. Yet these conditions can be perfect for a field recordist looking to record clean takes of explosions, firearms, or anything else that needs a wide open quiet space.
Just remember to stay warm, keep your wits about you and bring a lot of batteries.
Finally, just be glad you are not recording on the ground in this picture, which I took while flying over Greenland. I have no idea how cold it would have been down there but I am sure most of us are dealing with much more hospitable conditions!


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Adoption is popular in todays society, but the question remains unanswered should homosexuals have the right to adopt? According to the current controversies, book Gay Rights studies have examined the childrens social functioning, self-esteem, ability to express feelings, intelligence, and tendencies toward one or another sexual orientation; though, the counts and even the mental health profession are slow to catch on, the data is there and irrefutable. What we have to offer in our lesbian and gay families is exactly what children need to grow into healthy, happy, and well-adjusted children. Therefore, the United States people should research the psychological problems, social problems, and the household environment of a homosexual that wants to adopt before taking a side in this controversy.
On the contrary, to what statistics and research may say some people in society believe that homosexuals should not have the right to adopt. They conclude that children raised in a homosexual family may not be able to share and experience all the events that a heterosexual child does. According to a Human Events, article No Fathers Need Apply, by Jeffrey P. Terence, states what if by next Fathers Day, federal judges rule that children dont really need fathersor mothers, for that matter- and that it is therefore a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment for states to stop lesbian and gay couples from adopting children and raising them as if they were married couples? People in society say that according to research children raised by homosexuals have higher risks of having a psychological disorder. Society also says that children raised by homosexuals will not fit in and are more likely to have problems in school. People in society do have a right to believe however, they want but they should also consider the homosexuals point of view and the truth on homosexual adoption.
People in society may believe that children who are raised by homosexuals are more likely to have a psychological disorders but the truth is that a child raised by homosexual or heterosexual parent does not have any effect on whether that child suffers from a psychological disorder. A psychological disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain or can be inherited and plays no part on the parents choice of partner. According to the well known psychologist Sheldon Walker in the article, All Couples are Equal, from Alberta Report, homosexuals is a value issues and the quality of family life is what matters, not gender. If a psychologist says that children raised by homosexuals do not increase the chances of a child having a psychological disorder then where is America getting its source? The book, Creating Change, says; Evaluation of disputes between gay and straight parents in the nineties demonstrates that neither the increased visibility of lesbian and gay families, nor the mental health research on the well-being of children raised by lesbian and gay parents, nor the successes in the areas of adoption and faster parenting have decreased the risks to a lesbian mother or gay father battling a heterosexual former spouse over custody or visitation. Research states that children raised by homosexuals do not have psychological disorders caused by who raised them.
Society believes that children raised by homosexuals may also face social issues. Society accepts people from all cultures and races, yet cannot accept homosexuals and their right to adopt children. The book, Created Equal, states that people listen to homosexuals when it comes to collecting taxes, serving our country in the military, or in the countless other ways that homosexuals, like other Americans, routinely do. However, when it comes to homosexuals fighting for equal rights, marriage, or adoption America turns their head. Society says that children that raise homosexual children have social problems, but who really causes those social problems the parents or society itself. Society believes that homosexuals should not have the right to adopt because both parents would be the same sex, yet the half of the families in the United States only have one parent in the household. Why is society making a big deal out of having two of the same sex parents adopt a child that is looking for a loving home when single parents can go adopt a child. According to the book, Created Equal, it states that self-understanding is what reexamination of gender roles, the predominance of serial monogamy or single-parent families, the recasting of families in a more extended and complicated fashion have brought about for people who are not gay. The traditional family no longer normative. Only one in five, according to a survey by the population Reference Bureau, fits the image of a wage-earner father, a wife at home, and two children. Society has faced many issues when it comes to adoption, yet they still cant quite conquer the task of allowing a same sex couple to adopt a child and give it a loving home.
Household environment is another topic that is an issue when it comes to allowing homosexuals the right to adopt a child. When it comes to a heterosexual family trying to understand a homosexuals view and why they want to have kids some just cant. Heterosexual families do not understand why homosexual should have the right, but think of it as if the roles were switched. It has been proven that a heterosexuals household environment is just the same as homosexuals. In fact, according to the article from Human Events No Fathers Need Apply, by Jeffrey P. Terence states the results of some studies suggest that lesbian mothers and gay fathers parenting skills may be superior to those of matched heterosexual couples. Therefore, it has proven that homosexuals make good parents, so why exactly is American society not allowing homosexuals to adopt a child that needs a loving home. Also according to the article from U.S. News and World Report Gay Parents get Endorsed by kids docs, states that the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a change. It wants state laws to permit gays to adopt their partners children, no that kids raised by same-sex parents do as well as those in traditional families. The household environment has been proven safe, loving, and disciplined, same as a heterosexual familys household.
As shown above in the material a homosexual and heterosexual family are nearly the same, one family has two same sex parents is the only difference. There are no psychological, social, or household environment problems, so the question that remains unanswered is why Americas society is forbidding children to be in a loving home regardless of what the parents sexuality is? Is sexuality really, what is being the deciding factor on adoption today?


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Soovox necesitaba un nuevo diseño de botón o icono y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 54 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
We are a social influence network where users have fun measuring their influence through the Social IQ ( Social Influence Quotient), and use it to influence brands they buy and brands they love.
Part of the Social IQ experience is winning Ambassador badges of the brands you love which in turn gives you freebies, huge discounts, and some special treatments.
To get a better understanding, go to Soovox.com and use the invitation code: Soovox2010 . Our temporary badges are lousy and need your help.
Social Media users
Gen X, Gen Y, Teens
Connected people
Influential users
Consumers who like to be in the know
All lovers of FB, Twitter, Foursquare and other Social Media tools.
- We need 4 kind of template to use as Ambassador badges, inside of which we can insert the brand logos. Ex: For a Virgin Ambassador badge, we will take the template you designed and we will insert the Virgin logo to make
"The Virgin Ambassador badge" ( check attachment for the temporary badges we have hoping you offer us better alternatives).
- We need 4 shapes because not all logos can fit in a circled shape:
We'll need a circle, a square, a rectangle, and an oval template.
- The template should be cool, looks worthy, and reflects the Ambassador status. It should be a design that we can easily share on Facebook or Twitter.


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Are you as obsessed with Project Runway: All Stars as we are? Well, we have a great source for you to get all the juicy insider info.
As you probably know, our editor-in-chief Joanna Coles is a mentor on the show. And that means she's an awesome resource for Project Runway secrets, behind-the-scenes pics, and more.
Sure, you can't pump her for deets in person, but you can subscribe to her new Facebook page, where she shares everything from Project Runway gossip to candid celeb photos (oh heeey, Ryan Gosling!).
So go on, what are you waiting for?
Want more from Korin? Follow her on Twitter @KorinMiller.


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As fall workouts continue around the country, it's time to take an inside look at where I rank the nation's top 10 college prospects, the list, not surprisingly, led by North Carolina State left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon.
Though the hard-nosed and hard-throwing Rodon leads the charge, East Carolina right-handed pitcher Jeff Hoffman is hot on his heels after an impressive summer at the Cape Cod League. Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost is another big riser after an impressive summer at the Cape, while San Diego State right-handed pitcher Michael Cederoth holds steady despite resting his arm over the summer.
Without further ado, my list, which is certainly subject to change:
1. Carlos Rodon, lhp, North Carolina State (Drafted: 2011, Brewers -- 16th round)
There are very few things negative that can be said about Rodon. Rodon is a stocky 6-foot-3, 234-pounder, who despite his dominant stuff, plays with a chip on his shoulder. Besides his bulldog-like attitude, Rodon has a 93-97 mph fastball, 85-87 slider with two-plane break and a low-80s changeup with potential. One college baseball legend recently told me he hadn't seen a lefty like Rodon in at least 10 years.
2. Jeff Hoffman, rhp, East Carolina (Drafted: Never)
There's always that prospect who takes a massive step forward during the summer. Last summer, it was Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who parlayed a strong summer and spring into a Padres first-round pick. Now, it's likely Hoffman, who elevated his status at the Cape Cod League by sitting 94-97, and up to 98, with his fastball, which had exploding life. Hoffman also showed a good 80-82 curveball throughout the summer. If Hoffman is consistent in the spring, it's not out of the question that he could be the first overall pick in the MLB draft.
Despite some significant outcry from long-time head coaches Jack Leggett (Clemson) and Wayne Graham (Rice), the NCAA, until the past couple of weeks, had stayed relatively quiet on a potential change to the ball used in college baseball.
New NCAA Director of Baseball Damani Leech detailed a few interesting tidbits in this article from last week. For instance, even though there was very little power production at the College World Series in TD Ameritrade Park again this past summer, there are zero plans at this point to change any of the ballpark's configuration.
Furthermore, the most striking news from Leech was that the NCAA was close to concluding a study with Rawlings and Washington State University on the difference between the raised-seam baseball and flat-seam baseball, a change that many coaches insisted would make a significant difference.
The findings from the study are completed and the difference between the two balls from a distance standpoint indeed is striking. On a ball with a home-run-like trajectory, it would travel approximately 20-feet further with the flat-seam ball as opposed to the raised-seam ball currently used in college baseball.
Now comes the process of potentially getting the new ball approved.
"We're now in the process of surveying college baseball coaches for their feedback on the potential change to the ball," Leech said. "The NCAA baseball committee will discuss the data and coaches feedback at its November meeting and will then determine whether or not to change the NCAA baseball, potentially as soon as the 2015 postseason championship season."
Interestingly, even if the new ball is passed in November, it will not be required use for all games in 2015. For instance, though the ball would be required in the NCAA postseason, that would not be the case during the regular season, as the NCAA has added the conferences will be in charge of what balls are used should the proposal pass.
There's also a vocal majority in college baseball that believes the ball should go into action for the upcoming 2014 season. However, the NCAA has made it clear they want teams to have a full fall with the new balls, something that simply can't happen as soon as '14 with the committee discussion and vote not until early November.
No matter where you stand on this issue, the winds of change are evident at this point. It's simply now matter of when, not if.
The Florida Gators were one of the nation's elite teams two seasons ago, having a great campaign that ended with a CWS Championship Series loss to South Carolina. From that team, the Gators lost catcher Mike Zunino as the headliner, as well as a host of other highly talented players and prospects.
Well, it shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone the Gators struggled a bit last season, thanks in part to youth and an incredibly difficult schedule.
Florida finished 2013 with a 29-30 overall record, 14-16 Southeastern Conference mark, and of course, in very controversial fashion, still managed to notch an NCAA postseason appearance.
With most of their team back this fall, the Gators have very high hopes for what the '14 campaign could bring.
UF has yet to begin team workouts, still in individual workout mode, but there's already plenty of news stemming out of workouts in Gainesville, Fla.
First, the good news.
The Gators were blind-sided at the beginning of last season when junior right-handed pitcher Karsten Whitson went down with an injury that required a should procedure, not deemed too serious by Whitson's father and UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
With his long-term future in mind, Whitson decided to sit out the season, hoping to bring a fresh arm into fall workouts. Well, good news for UF, Whitson, according to O'Sullivan is progressing well and is closer than ever to being back to his old self.
Time will tell if that's truly the case, but Whitson getting back on track would be a huge boost for the Gators. Whitson had an impressive freshman campaign for the Gators, flashing a fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s. But the righty is best known for turning down the Padres as a first-round pick out of high school.
In other Florida news, this time on the negative side of things, there are a couple of injuries to report. For instance, 6-foot-5, 210-pound, left-handed pitcher Corey Stump is on the shelf with a labrum injury, but should be ready to go by the start of the season. The same time stamp has been placed on infielder Zack Powers, who's also dealing with a labrum issue this fall.
Lastly for the Gators, two guys who continue to standout during individual workouts include sophomore right-handed pitcher Eric Hanhold and sophomore lefty Danny Young. Hanhold made 14 appearances, seven starts and had a 5.88 ERA last season, while Young has a premium arm and tallied a 4.28 ERA in 22 appearances in '13.
Second-year Duke head coach Chris Pollard and his coaching staff continue to make progressions, fighting local powers such as North Carolina and North Carolina State, as well as East Carolina for recruits and premium talent.
Part of that process for the Blue Devils is finding some diamonds in the rough. For Pollard and his staff, sophomore right-handed pitcher Michael Matuella fits that mold and is the type of guy they need to build the program into a consistent winner.
Matuella, to no surprise really, is putting together quite the fall for the Blue Devils. The imposing 6-foot-6, 220-pounder, with plenty of room to grow, has been sitting 94-96 on the radar gun during team scrimmages.
If you remember, Matuella is a righty we showcased last spring during my North Carolina trip. Matuella only threw limited innings against hard-hitting Georgia Tech, but showed impressive velocity, sitting 92-93, along with an 87 mph cutter that he threw once in the inning. With his velocity now up to 94-96, it's obvious Matuella has added a tick to his fastball.
The sophomore righty finished last season with a 4.53 ERA in 57 2/3 innings of work. He also struck out 28, walked 14 and teams hit him at a .296 clip.
Matuella only adds to what the Blue Devils already have. Duke also will have senior right-handed pitcher Drew Van Orden at their disposal in 2014. Van Orden went undrafted this past summer after tallying a 5.94 ERA in 63 2/3 innings of work. However, there's plenty of potential there to be a very solid senior sign.
During that same North Carolina trip this past season, Van Orden struck out six Yellow Jackets and allowed just a run in six innings of work. He sat 90-92 and flashed a solid low 80s slider.
In other Duke news, Blue Devils redshirt junior first baseman Chris Marconcini continues to have an impressive fall at the plate with some big-time power. Marconcini, an imposing 6-foot-5, 230-pounder, hit .284 with 16 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 38 RBIs last season.
Be sure to usher in the new week by thinking about long-time Arizona baseball head coach Andy Lopez, who's scheduled to have triple bypass surgery on Monday.
The Wildcats sent out a release Friday of last week stating that Lopez, currently in his 16th season with the university, is expected to make a full recovery and will be back to coaching UA once doctors give their approval.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy and his family," Vice President for Athletics Greg Byrne said Friday evening. "Thankfully the medical team caught it when they did and we expect Andy to make a full recovery. This is a great reminder for all us to be mindful of our health."
Lopez is widely considered as one of the elite coaches in college baseball history. He has led the Wildcats to eight NCAA postseason appearances, two College World Series appearances, and of course, the 2012 national title. Additionally, Lopez won a national title as head coach at Pepperdine, while also spending time at Florida. Overall, Lopez is 1,124-685-7 (.621) in 31 seasons as head coach.


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Following up creepy Christian Bale and tiny Gary Oldman, Hong Kong collectible company Hot Toys will also be releasing incredibly realistic Dark Knight Rises replicas of villain Bane and Batman's old Tumbler.
If you were hoping they'd be available in time to take with you to theatres, though, you'll be disappointed. Bane ($195) won't be out until March 2013 and the enormous, 13kg Tumbler ($470) won't be out until September 2013.
Bane [Sideshow]
Batmobile - Tumbler [Sideshow]


text: NCAA Merchandise > Baylor Bears Merchandise Baylor Bears Garden Flag View All Baylor Bears Merchandise ITEMS Quantity $14.95 Out of Stock Add to Cart IN STOCK Standard & Express Shipping Available Order by 2pm CST (M-F) — Ships Same Day Item ID#: SW-GardenSW-BB Tweet Wish The Baylor Bears Garden Flag is a great way to display your team allegiance in your garden, entranceway, mailbox, porch, or windows. The NCAA garden flag hangs vertically, measures 13x18 inches, and provides a top sleeve for insertion of your garden flagpole or stand. Our Baylor Bears Garden Flag is constructed of 2-ply polyester and is screen printed with the NCAA team logos and lettering as shown.Since our Baylor Bears Garden Flag is 2-ply constructed, the NCAA insignias are viewable and readable correctly on both sides.Fly your Baylor Bears Garden Flag with our Garden Flag Stand, Mailbox Flagpole or Window Hanger. Customers Also Bought... Flag & Pennant Accessories Garden Flag Holder and Stoppers $11.95 Out of Stock Add To Cart Garden Flag Stand $15.95 Out of Stock Add To Cart Mailbox Flagpole $6.95 Out of Stock Add To Cart Window Garden Flag Pole with Suction Cup $5.95 Out of Stock Add To Cart Embroidered US Garden Flag $12.95 Out of Stock Add To Cart


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Out of stock
Harry Potter Gunmetal Deathly Hallows Window Shelf
Limited Edition!
Tell the tale of the Three Brothers and their invincible powers with this Limited Edition Harry Potter™ Gunmetal Deathly Hallows Window Shelf. Accented in a matte, gunmetal finish with milgrain detail, create an enchanting look by adding this Window Shelf to your Harry Potter-themed Living Locket® look.
Product Information
- Base material: stainless steel
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- Approx. size: 19mm x 17mm
- This Window Shelf is compatible with large round Living Lockets and Legacy Living Lockets only


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Justice Dept says evidence of bias in Voter ID law
AUSTIN - The U.S. Justice Department says there is substantial evidence that Texas' Voter ID law will discriminate against minorities.
In court papers filed Wednesday, the department was explaining why Texas lawmakers should turn over their papers and communication regarding the law. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has argued that lawmakers should not have to reveal their internal deliberations.
But the Justice Department says no such privilege exists and that the evidence presented so far shows that 600,000 people will be unable to vote if the law is enforced. The department added that minorities would be impacted the most.
Currently Texas law requires that a voter present a registration card or a photo identification card to vote. The law would require everyone to present an official photo ID card.


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There are a zillion ways for Coloradans to raise money for deserving organizations. Consider putting these on your calendar:
* SOL, the Store of Lingerie, celebrates its 15th year in business by hosting a celebration from 5-8 p.m. at 248 Detroit St. There will be refreshments, entertainment by vocalist Tiffany Vartanyan and shopping, with a portion of all sales going to the Morgan Adams Foundation.
* The Denver Film Society's Reel Social Club is having its second annual Summer Scream at Lakeside, starting at 6 p.m. at Lakeside Amusement Park, 4601 Sheridan Blvd. Guests will have private and full access to the historic site until 11 p.m. The $30 admission ($35 if purchased the day of) includes an open bar, unlimited rides and Mile High Soul Club dj sets. Reel Social Club members get in for free and four-pack tickets are $100. RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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New Multi-Layered MLB, T-Mobile Deal Will Impact Game In Dugout, Stands, Media
By Barry Janoff
January 9, 2013: Major League Baseball will break with a long-standing tradition — managers picking up a phone to call the bullpen for relief — via a new deal that makes T-Mobile USA the official wireless sponsor of MLB.
The three-year alliance was called a "multimillion-dollar partnership" that would also see T-Mobile invest "in a comprehensive, multifaceted marketing approach to include partnerships with MLB media partners Fox, Turner, MLB Network and ESPN.
T-Mobile and MLB said they would develop "marquee media opportunities and marketing extensions" at events throughout the year, as well as local sponsorships with select MLB clubs. T-Mobile is currently has marketing deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Seattle Mariners.
The first impact of the deal will be a "wireless voice system connecting managers "in select Major League dugouts" to coaches in bullpens. MLB said the new On-Field Communication System dugout-to-bullpen system would start to roll out in 2013. Teams will be given the options of using a system with T-Mobile branding, an MLB-branded system or not to participate.
In addition, in collaboration with MLB Advanced Media, T-Mobile said it would use its nationwide 4G network, which it said is currently available in 229 metro areas and reaches more than 220 million people, "to further enhance and broaden network coverage and connectivity for fans in MLB ballparks."
"T-Mobile has made a significant commitment to Major League Baseball across our game and business, and its innovative drive and expertise in wireless technology will be an outstanding addition to the baseball industry," Tim Brosnan, MLB evp-business, said in a statement. "T-Mobile has been an impact player in the wireless industry, and we look forward to its innovative spirit positively influencing the game and the way fans enjoy it."
T-Mobile had been the official wireless partner of the NBA from 2005-2011, a category that was filled by Sprint for the 2012-13 season. T-Mobile said the company "determined not to renew its partnership with the NBA due to a shift in business strategy and priorities."
As part of its new baseball alliance, T-Mobile will be the presenting sponsor of ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball, including on-air, digital and mobile sponsorship initiatives, in addition to features on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.
MLBAM, which develops and distributes the MLB.com At Bat mobile app, said it would work with T-Mobile "to enrich the digital experience on T-Mobile's smartphones and tablets; create custom, compelling content exclusively for its customers; and develop promotional opportunities and unique offers for MLB.com content."
Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless division of Deutsche Telekom AG.
"We look forward to working with Major League Baseball and are excited they have chosen T-Mobile's technology to power a new, in-game communication system at ballparks across the country," Mike Sievert, CMO for T-Mobile USA, said in a statement. "Unlike a typical sponsorship, we're approaching this partnership as a collaboration in which T-Mobile, MLB and MLBAM will work together to evolve the game with exciting new technology innovation, enhancing the experience for customers and fans."
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, T-Mobile, sports marketing, wireless in MLB Email Article


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J.haddix56 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 36 diseños de 10 diseñadores freelance.
Security Aegis
A blog for penetration testing and hacking tutorials, news, interviews, ect. http://www.securityaegis.com
Tagline is:
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of root..."
Since the name means "security shield" so far we have used the current logo but i am not biased against logos that are not shileds. I want something catchy and hacker inspiring.... if thats possible...
Additional Notes:
I'm looking for a dark theme this time.
I enjoy the designs by (http://www.ticktockcomputers.com/blog/about-me/) as he does some of the bigger infosec projects sites, but some of them seem a bit too cartoon-ish to me.
Some competitor sites with comments:
very nice, like this one a lot
the simplicity is ok, but the colors hurt your eyes after a while
I like the color scheme, the simplicity is moderately appealing, but the fonts and layout are boring
boring but simple layout, i cant decide on whether i like the design or not.
too simple for my tatse, logo is boring a bit
very nice, like this one a lot, fonts are a bit small and plain though
too busy, too much going on
decent layout, boring fonts and colors. logo is ok.
layout is ok, colors and graphic design is not good.
simple, but still very nice, and has excellent code style
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Redeem is a leading global provider of recycling and recommerce solutions for mobile phones and other handheld electronic devices.
Tailored solutions.
Redeem utilises its 20 years' of experience to deliver scalable, innovative and market leading solutions at both a global and local level. Our solutions are tailored to each client requirement providing maximum simplicity and flexibility.
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Redeem is a leader in re-commerce, we have the systems and infrastructure in place and our unique approach to partnerships provides the perfect platform for growth with our customers – Redeem makes sustainability easy.
Recycling & re-commerce.
Around 95% of the traded-in devices Redeem handle are data-wiped, refurbished and resold. The 5% that cannot be restored are fully recycled, leading to zero waste going to landfill.


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1 on 1 - Informal Employee Performance Review
Employees desire performance feedback from their supervisor; not just a "good job" or "you can do better" every now and then; informal or formal, we all want meaningful and cyclical appraisal.
10 Vital Rules for Giving Incredible Speeches and Why They're IrrelevantTom Peters
Tom Peters tackles the fear of public speaking with instruction and tips on how to relax and overcome the obstacles.
30 Ways to Make More Time
Managing Your Time Effectively
Most people may think they are efficient. But unless they know how to manage their time, it's unlikely they will ever be fully effective.
- 2008
5 Questions Every Leader Must AskEd Oakley
Engaging Your Team to Achieve Any Goal
Today's leaders face tremendous pressure to solve problems, achieve goals, manage change and improve productivity. This program illustrates how solutions can easily present themselves when leaders ask team members the right questions.
50 Ways To Keep Your CustomersPaul Timm
50 Ways To Keep Your Customers with Dr. Paul Timm provides those hands-on, do-it-now techniques and skills that will keep customers happy and ensure that they keep coming back.
6 Principles to Negotiate Anything
Ed Brodow takes the fear out of negotiating by teaching participants how to focus on the pressure that the person across the table is feeling.
- 2008
A Clear Picture - Harassment In The Public Sector
This program provides instruction on harassment prevention and deals with issues like the No Fear Act and the Reasonable Person Standard, which are specific to the public sector.
A Complaint is a GiftJanelle M. Barlow
Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool Show your team that complaints are an opportunity for everyone to learn & build customer relationships. True customer service isn't catchy slogans or empty promises.
A Kick in the Attitude with Sam GlennSam Glenn
Part of the Sam Glenn Series
Sam Glenn uses humor and motivational stories to give you and your entire team a positive Kick in the Attitude in this award winning, funny and inspirational video.
- 2006
A Leader's Legacy
Stanford Executive Briefings
Jim Kouzes Executive Fellow, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University
A Moment of Integrity
In the A Moment of Integrity training program, an ex-cop sentenced to life for conspiring to commit murder talks about the events, issues, and consequences that led up to his conviction.
- 2010
A New DealSpiritClips
Featuring beautifully edited footage of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, this short film is reminiscent of the challenges we face today and what can be accomplished when people look beyond their fears and believe in their ability to succeed.
A Peacock in the Land of PenguinsBJ Gallagher
Designed for all levels of the organization, this animated program teaches us to appreciate those whose backgrounds or personalities are different from our own.
- 2008
A Second ChancePaul Hopkins
A short film by Paul Hopkins & Joel Suzuki
Based on the second chance choice Robert Frost made before he finally published, The Road Not Taken, this film will provide presenters with a tool to inspire people to take risks and move forward.
- 2010
A Sergeant's Role At A Homicide Scene
Discusses the responsibilities of sergeants in directing other uniformed officers, interacting with detectives and preserving the scene.
A Workout for the MindJennifer James
Training programs from Dr. James will help your managers and employees better understand and manage change at work and in their personal lives.
A.C.E. It! How To Solve Tough Workplace Problems
Does your organization recycle the same tired approaches to problems that never seem to go away? Equip your workforce with a proven problem-solving model to tackle poor quality, inefficiency, uneven performance and more.
- 2003
A.C.T. with Integrity
Discrimination. Theft. Dishonesty. Are your employees prepared to face ethical issues and respond in ways that meet the high standards of your organization and adhere to the letter of the law? They can when they A.C.T.
Abilene Paradox
Leaders must make it safe for people to speak up if they think the team is headed in the wrong direction. This all-time bestseller drives home a powerful message about the importance of getting everyone's honest opinion.
- 2012
Accepting Change
Everyone is frustrated and resisting change. Steve helps them progress.


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Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar
950 Mason St. (California St.) Send to Phone
415-772-5260 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
OpenBreakfast & Lunch daily, Dinner Tues.-Sat., Brunch Sat.-Sun.
- Valet parking
- Dress code: Casual dressy
- Full bar
- Great Wine List
- Kid-friendly
- Reservations suggested
* Click here for rating key
Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar Restaurant Review: Located in the lobby of Fairmont San Francisco, this restaurant serves as the centerpiece of the hotel. Sample from its menu of California-inspired creations such as braised lamb shank with creamy polenta, wild mushrooms and pearl onions or San Francisco cioppino with local crab, prawns, mussels and clams in a spicy tomato-Pernod broth. Steaks are met with sauces such as the classic bordelaise and sides such as duck fat Lyonnaise potatoes. There are also vegan, raw, macrobiotic, gluten-free and diabetic-friendly dishes, as well as children's menus for all three meals, featuring upscale comfort food favorites such as fish 'n' chips and french toast toad-in-a-hole.
GAYOT's Annual Restaurant Awards honor America's best chefs, as well as promising newcomers and a top restaurateur.


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» You are here: Home » Vibrators » Love Rings » Screaming O Vibrating Ring
Screaming O Vibrating Ring Disposable. Vibrating Cock Ring is the new revolutionary, patented sex aid that enhances the ability and intensity to achieve orgasms. The Screaming O is a disposable vibrating ring is a sex toy that has been designed to provide the user(s) with maximum stimulation. Once correctly positioned at the base of the penis, it will give gentle erotic vibration to the male and direct dynamic stimulation to the clitoris during intercourse. The Screaming O vibrating cock ring is the state-of-the-art in vibrating rings with the longest battery life, enhanced vibrations, a soft strong and stretchy band and the only one with unique pleasure knobs to vibrate the penis. One time use only. Duration of intense vibrations: 30 + minutes. Cock rings when worn around the base of the penis and testicles, many users find that cock rings increase sexual pleasure. Prolong rings, erection enhancement, climax control rings, cock rings. The Screaming O.
Illinois residents will be charged 8.00% sales tax.
This website is intented solely for viewing and purchasing by an adult audience. If you are under 18 years old (21 years old in some states) we ask you to leave this website. Please do.All models are 18 years of age or older.


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WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee has subpoenaed the health and human services secretary over how the agency is promoting the health reform law.
The subpoena demands that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius turn over documents about how taxpayer dollars are being used to promote the law through public relations, advertising and message testing, Politico reported.
The subpoena came from committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, R-La., and requests that Sebelius hand over all documents covering the period from January 2008 to now.
Camp and Boustany sent a letter to Sebelius on Oct. 24 threatening a subpoena if documents were not handed over by Oct. 31.
"The lack of response leads me to believe that this administration is either unwilling to disclose why they are using taxpayer dollars to market their unpopular law or are unable to keep track of how those taxpayer dollars are being spent," Camp said in a statement Wednesday. "Either way, the American people deserve to know where their hard-earned money is going. ... After months of being unresponsive, I am left with no choice but to compel their cooperation."


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My brain's gone finishing this morning, so I need a bit of help. Let's say I have a class that looks like this:
Class Foo { int bar; int mooose; void Foo(int bar, int moose) { this.bar = bar; this.moose = moose; } }
And then somewhere I create an array of objects, fooObj, of the type Foo and populate the variables of all objects in the array. How would I find which object has moose=42?


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Here is some information you might like to know for Molly's Mittens:
Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky (85% Wool, 15% Alpaca; 108 yards/100grams), 1 skein each in Stone Blue #38 and Natural #01
Needles: US size 10 double pointed needles, set of four OR size to obtain gauge
Gauge: 3 ½ stitches per inch in stockinette stitch and 6 rounds per inch
So this morning I was looking at the left over yarn from Molly's Mittens and I wondered if I could get a good size hat out of the rest. Well, sure enough I could! This means there is another pattern available for you. You don't need to buy any more Berkshire Bulky to make this hat and the mittens combined. One skein of each color will do the trick for both projects. Talk about a great value.
This hat is sized to fit an average adult woman's head or a medium to large child's head. The circumference of the finished hat is 20 inches and will stretch to accommodate up to a 22 inch head. The yarn stretches and softens slightly with wear so a tighter fit to start with is a good thing.
Since the hat was an add on I am only charging $2.00 for Molly's Matching Hat pattern!


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One Team One Dream
Sigurdur Gilbertsson
Something New is Coming!
Stay Tuned...
Please don't hesitated to request our latest price list and brochure.
We do our utmost to answer all your questions and provide a personal, professional advice and assistance.
Use the form on the right to contact us.
Laugavegur 62
+354 551 4100
Probably the worlds smallest watch manufacturer. The first and only watch manufacturer in Iceland. All timepieces are designed and assembled by hand in our studio/workshop located in Iceland. In our production we only incorporate high quality Swiss movements, European made parts and components. Every detail of our timepieces has been given the personal attention needed for perfection. The low volume of production gives every timepiece a personal character and a feeling exclusivity.
The founders of JS Watch co. Reykjavik: Sigurdur Gilbertsson Watchmaker and Technical-Director, Julius Heidarsson Director of Development, Grimkell Sigurthorsson Design and Marketing Director and Gilbert O. Gudjonsson Master Watchmaker can be found at the owner operated workshop, store and design studio at Laugavegur 62, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland.
Something New is Coming!
Stay Tuned...


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The Mission Statement – ASBC (NSW)
To be the leading Professional body providing a high level of services to its members reflecting its ideals for Continuing Professional Development, Professional Standards, and Member Ethics.
To encourage participation in Education, Training and Qualifications programs to ensure that ASBC N.S.W. Members are leaders in the Building Consultant Profession.
To inform appropriate professional bodies, associations, firms, and people in the community from time to time about the range of services provided by ASBC N.S.W. Members.
To encourage members that when providing Professional opinions or advice, to ensure that the opinions or advice provided is well informed and without partiality or bias.
To provide a forum within which Building Consultant Professionals may meet, discuss & promote matters of interest to Building Consultant Professionals.


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Cultural Entertainment Near You
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Why Book Cultural Entertainment
Even local events need some worldly flavor, so we've got seven continents' worth of world and cultural entertainment! Wait, this just in, we've just been informed that we do not actually have Antarctican entertainment. Did we mention we've got six continents' worth of world and cultural entertainment? Across the ocean and around the world, GigSalad is your perfect source for booking world and cultural entertainment from the ends of the earth! Step inside and discover the wonders of the world, from Africa to Russia and Asia to Ireland, and we've even got didgeridoo players!
Click here to get quotes for Cultural Entertainment near you!


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1. The neighbors have a birds nest in their roof. I see birds flying in and out from under the over hang thing. I know there is a very important word for this part of a house, but I am not sure of it exactly...
2. Even my cute superstar husband is not invincible to some random health issues popping up. He's fine, but not cool Derek, not cool.
3. Even the farmers are ready for the rain the stop. I know some, they told me.
4. Well, Sage is on the move, has 2 bottom teeth peeking through, the hair is...coming, and most importantly is playing strange! What the what?! She missed the Baldry family memo that we sleep in and now she missed the we love everyone even if mom isn't around memo? Am I going to have to put in some effort with this child or what?! Sheesh, good thing we are best friends and I love her to bits.
5. I CAN still run a sub 8 minute mile without the ol c-section hurting me too much for 3 days after. (i never said i can run multiple miles at the pace...yet)
6. I haven not written in a journal since I started this blog. Isn't that bad? 6 years! And it's not like I was writing consistently before that either. Just over a week ago I decided to start up again. It's ok, I decided to hand write and I'm out of the hand writing business on mat leave and my hand hurt after a bit.
7. Soccer drama! Some peoples 'input' comes off more like complaints when said people aren't volunteering or coaching.
8. There are 2 empty houses in my little culdesac (one with the birds, but they are fixing it i promise!) So who wants to be my neighbor? It is the BEST culdesac in town!
9. Nursing a baby 3-7 times a night is easier than dealing with the crying. I'm being serious, sometimes it sucks, but I just can't be bothered to fix it so I try not to complain about being sleepy sleeperson sometimes.
10. Darn that I didn't get any Fathers Day pics of this fantastic dad we have hanging around our house. And darn that he gets me fantastic Mother's Day gifts and I get him lame-o ones like pistachios, true story. Love that guy, I just really do!


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Floral Invitations
Floral wedding invitations will captivate any guest and Stationery Online has a collection of designs and styles that are sure to appeal. Flowers have always been a focus point in wedding preparations, capturing the romance and the perfection of your beautiful day.
StationeryOnlineÕs collection of floral wedding invitations include elegant roses, cherry blossoms, frangipanis, tropical blooms, lilies and all sorts of trellises and sprigs.
Set the tone for your wedding by selecting one of our stunning floral themed wedding invitations.


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Merchants at Turkey's Grand Bazaar in Istanbul say they have mixed feelings after the shooting of several scenes at the site for an upcoming James Bond movie.
Although the "Skyfall" production company paid shop owners and street traders an amount equivalent to their normal daily earnings during the shooting days, some merchants criticized the decision to allow the production to be filmed at the historic location, Today's Zaman reported Sunday.
Some shopkeepers said they were concerned about possible damage and were also hesitant about how Turkey would be portrayed in the movie.
"I did not want my store to be part of the movie because I am pretty certain it will show Turkey as the home of the bad guy James Bond is after," one said.
"I saw they had decorated the bazaar with types of things we don't sell here," another said.
There was anger when a stuntman lost control of his motorcycle while filming a scene and smashed into the crystal window of a 330-year-old shop that had once served members of the Ottoman court at a nearby palace.
"The motorcycle scene didn't have to be shot on the roof of such an old and historical building," one merchant said. "I am sure it has caused major damage."
Grand Bazaar Tradesmen Association President Hasan Firat said all necessary precautionary measures had been taken and permission granted by the Council of Monuments, the Istanbul Municipality and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
"The movie will generate incalculable revenue for our country by advertising Turkey," he said.


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Official Press Release
Marvel is making digital comics history once more, and proudly announcing that Avenging Spider-Man #1, from the superstar creative team of Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira, will be polybagged with a code for a FREE digital copy of this issue on the Marvel Comics app. That's right: for no additional charge to the retailers or consumers, Marvel is making sure that everyone who purchases the print version of Avenging Spider-Man #1 (any cover, including all variants) at their local comic shop can get a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app .This is the first time that any major comic publisher has offered a free digital copy of a comic with the purchase of the physical copy without any additional cost. This digital copy of Avenging Spider-Man #1 will be accessible via both the Marvel Comics app and the Marvel Chrome store.
"We've included our retail partners in crafting this program, and worked with ComicsPRO in determining what would make this program the most beneficial to consumers and retailers and I think we've come up with something that is not only unique and exciting, but a program that addresses most of the concerns retailers have had with previous digital programs. With the earliest initial orders already over 100,000 units, Avenging Spider-Man #1 is set to be one of the biggest new releases of the fall and demand can only increase with these free digital codes," said David Gabriel, Marvel SVP of Sales. "Our goal here is to give consumers the extra added value that they have come to expect for their entertainment dollar as well as the very best in comics entertainment that they have come to expect from Marvel! And that's not all, for the first time, customers will be able to qualify their retailers for rewards by redeeming the digital codes! We're also developing a program designed to drive digital customers into brick and mortar comic shops to help increase their business. Bringing the worlds of print and digital together in this way gives the customer a great value and one we're sure will result in even greater sales for retailers."
Marvel has worked with some of the top retailers in the nation to ensure this historic new initiative benefits your local shops in major ways, including:
- The largest digital revenue share with retailers from any major comic company
- Ads in each digital issue of Avenging Spider-Man #1 directing fans to check out subsequent issues at their local comic shop
- Driving digital comics customers to their local comic store through targeted communications based on customers' state & retailer name
- Development of a system to reward retailers for future digital purchases made by their customers
- Providing retailers with information about customers who sign up for redemption and the rate of redemption
This November, no fan can miss the release of Avenging Spider-Man #1, available in stores with free digital copy and on the Marvel Comics app.
Retailers: Check The Diamond Retailer site for a detailed FAQ addressing any questions you might have about this new initiative and the Marvel Mailer for more information.
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art & Cover by JOE MADUREIRA
Rated T+...$3.99