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Disney: Power failure shuts down monorail
A monorail train at Disney World in Florida stopped running and was evacuated Sunday after passengers reported seeing lightning.
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said there were thunderstorms around Walt Disney World resort when the elevated train stopped. The cause of the power outage wasn't immediately known, she said.
"There was just some bad weather in the area and because of the power outage, the monorail guests were evacuated," she added.
She says there was no fire and all got down calmly with the aid of firefighters and a mechanical lift.
Several Twitter users reported the evacuation just after 6 p.m. including @WDWNT, which describes itself as as a website tracking news related to the Disney resorts. It tweeted a photo of the monorail stopped with emergency vehicles nearby.
WESH.com in Orlando reported 120 people were taken off the monorail ride without injury.
The amusement park is located at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., near Orlando.
"Literally stuck on a monorail at disney, lighting struck and we immediately stopped. I'm convinced that I'm going to die," said Twitter user @nnaaatttalliiie at 6:07 p.m.
Wahler says the outage affected just one Monorail line and other lines kept functioning normally.
Contributing: Associated Press


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Los Angeles Reimagines Its Waterway
Options Explored for Restoring Habitat
LOS ANGELES—Eighty years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cast the Los Angeles River in concrete, turning this city's original lifeblood into a storm drain, a new generation of Corps members is working to bring back at least some of its natural habitat.
Strewn with trash, the 51-mile river's mostly concrete route is lined with industrial yards, freeways and train tracks. Over the decades, residents and developers have come to see it as something that should be hidden—the city's "backyard," some have said....

subset: commoncrawl


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- Head office
- 36-37 Bedford Square London WC1B 3ES
- Telephone
- 020 7887 4000
Visit the AA School of Architecture website (Opens in a new window)
Visit the Student Union website (Opens in a new window)
Close tooltip (Close this layer) The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a government scheme which recognises excellent learning and teaching in universities, colleges and other higher education providers. It provides information to help higher education students choose where to study.
This provider did not participate in the TEF.
The TEF is voluntary and each higher education provider decides whether or not they wish to take part.


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At Oyster River High School in Durham, New Hampshire today, President Obama spoke about a key difference between his economic vision and Mitt Romney's:
Just last week, it was reported that Governor Romney's old firm owned companies that were "pioneers" in the business of outsourcing American jobs to places like China and India.
So yesterday, his advisors were asked about this and they tried to clear this up by telling us there's actually a difference between "outsourcing" and "offshoring." That's what they said. You cannot make this stuff up.
Now, what Governor Romney and his advisors don't seem to understand is this: If you're a worker whose job went overseas, you don't need somebody trying to explain to you the difference between outsourcing and offshoring. You need somebody who's going to wake up every single day and fight for American jobs and investment here in the United States. That's what you need. That's why I'm running.
Unlike Governor Romney, I want to close the outsourcing loophole in our tax code. I want to give tax breaks to companies who create jobs and manufacturing here in New Hampshire, here in the United States of America.
You can check out the President's full remarks here—and if you haven't seen it, don't miss the article in The Washington Post that first broke the news about Romney's record on outsourcing as a CEO.


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Visiting the White House this Christmas?
As it is every year, the executive residence will be dressed up in its best seasonal attire, all to the theme "Joy to All."
The theme, according to the official handout, will celebrate "the many joys of the holiday season. This year's theme is a celebration of the traditional holiday festivities that fill our hearts with warmth and cheer, the joy of giving and service to others, the joy of sharing our blessings, and the joy of welcoming guests to our homes."
Each public room at the White House will be a different take on that theme. The official White House Christmas tree, which will be on display in the Blue Room, will feature ornaments decorated by children living on U.S. military bases worldwide.
Volunteers from all 50 states helped create the decorations along the visitor route, including the trimmings for the 54 live trees, decorative snowflakes, wreathes, topiary, and the 300 pound White House Gingerbread House.
Visitors will also receive the illustrated Joy to All holiday booklet and the "Bo bookmark," complete with a Bo-Ornament scavenger hunt.
White House Christmas "Joy to All" booklet


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For All Points-Of-The-View.
Posted on December 28, 2009 at 8:19pm 0 Comments 0 Promotions
Africa doesn't look like she is part of this one world. The Black African imperialists have sold the African child's inheritance for a single morsel of food. Africa is in dire need of a vaccine or we watch as Africa is destroyed from within. Get "The Great Conspiracy, The Black gods of Afrika" from http://www.amazon.com/dp/1468181297 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1468181297
The Great Conspiracy is a short letter to the Afrikan child in a parabolic tone. It is a poetic riddle and in sum proverb. Is there remedy to the Afrikan problem? Can the Afrikan equation be solved? For a half a century since flag independence knocked on the Afrikan hut, the Afrikan political elite and comrade in cola have not been watching the Afrikan grass grow; instead as leaders upon whose shoulders, salvation of the Afrikan child from colonial pharaoh's slavery; read colonial culture, traditions, instrument of thought and in sum colonial gods duly lay as Moses and his blood brother Aaron were to Israelis while leading them from the yoke of bondage down Biblical Egypt to the promised land; have been to busy staying alive. How can we watch the Afrikan grass grow using a foreign eye? "Lest there be any fornicator or profane person amongst us Afrikan brothers who for one morsel of food sold his inheritance. For we all know Afrikan comrades that Esau did and afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessings later, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" It is a social remedy which should be sought and or is found nearer home; from Afrikan own environment, culture and traditions. It cannot be external to us and it cannot be derived from a foreign alien environment because its tone will forever distort the Afrikan deed if it were derived from a foreign alien environment. This is because its spices will be foreign and not tied or derived from an Afrikan environment, traditions, beliefs, history and culture. LANGUAGE IS AN INSTRUMENT OF THE HUMAN THOUGHT. IT IS THE SOLE KNOWN INSTRUMENT OF IDEA FORMATION. PROVERBIAL WISDOM IS WISDOM OF CAUTION.
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Inbox: Who will take over closing duties?
Now that the Orioles have traded Jim Johnson and other teams are signing closers on the free-agent market, what is the club going to do?
-- Bob S., Aberdeen, Md.
The Orioles would prefer to go out and sign a closer to fill Johnson's spot, but as you mentioned, it's a market that is developing quickly -- and it's not exactly a cheap avenue. Baltimore traded away Johnson because of "resource allocation," meaning the club didn't want to spend approximately $10 million he will likely get in arbitration on one pitcher.
Now that the Orioles have traded Jim Johnson and other teams are signing closers on the free-agent market, what is the club going to do?
-- Bob S., Aberdeen, Md.
The Orioles would prefer to go out and sign a closer to fill Johnson's spot, but as you mentioned, it's a market that is developing quickly -- and it's not exactly a cheap avenue. Baltimore traded away Johnson because of "resource allocation," meaning the club didn't want to spend approximately $10 million he will likely get in arbitration on one pitcher.
Getting a reliable ninth-inning guy substantially cheaper got a little harder on Thursday, with the Red Sox agreeing to a two-year, $9.5 million deal with Edward Mujica. Joe Nathan got a two-year, $20 million deal with an option from the Tigers, while Brian Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers at $10 million that includes a player option. Names like Grant Balfour, Chris Perez, Fernando Rodney, Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey and John Axford are among the free agents available, and it'll be a challenge for the O's to sign a capable ninth-inning guy for a substantially cheaper price than Johnson.
The smarter move for Baltimore may be to allocate those resources toward a big bat, with that being a better market than the starting pitching this winter. The only way the Johnson trade will be viewed favorably will depend on what the Orioles do with that cash.
What's a reasonable payroll for the Orioles?
-- Glen L., Elizabethtown, Pa.
This is a hard question to answer, because my reasonable is going to be different from yours, and I'm sure the organization has another definition entirely. The way the team is constructed now, it'd be hard to stay under $100 million, although there's been no budget set publicly by the O's. They have a number of players -- such as Matt Wieters and Chris Davis -- who will receive raises in arbitration, and that will drive up the payroll even without the club making any moves.
Trading away Johnson freed up about $10 million, and the Orioles will have a hard time justifying that move if they don't go out and spend on the free-agent market this winter. No one expects the O's to throw around cash like they are suddenly the Yankees, but with smaller-market teams like Oakland, Seattle and even San Diego looking prime to open up their wallets, it'd be difficult for Baltimore to justify another offseason in which the club kept the roster virtually unchanged.
Do you think adding a good arm or two to the rotation will be enough to make the Orioles serious contenders this year?
-- Jeff M., No hometown provided
I've said it before, but I think it's the team's biggest need. It was last winter and it is again. Do I think the Orioles will go out and get two significant rotation upgrades? No, but I think if they added a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, it could go a long way in helping stabilize things behind Chris Tillman. It's been said before that the club's best avenue to acquire starting pitching is in a trade, but when you're trying to build a successful organization, it's incredibly difficult to trade away top prospects and still do that. For example, the Nationals had to deal a pretty good young player to acquire Doug Fister from Detroit. The O's have players such as Kevin Gausman or Eduardo Rodriguez who teams want, but they aren't willing to part with them and leave the farm system vacant.
The organization is also hopeful some of its current pitchers will take a step forward next season, similar to what Tillman did this year. New pitching coach Dave Wallace will have a serious challenge in trying to develop an inexperienced rotation in the American League East, and adding another arm such as Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana would be a boost. The O's, who really liked Tim Hudson before he signed with the Giants, are also interested in a veteran hurler and remain hopeful of retaining Scott Feldman.
Why are other teams getting serious players and we are adding depth to the 40-man roster?
-- Jon S., No hometown provided
Obviously some of those players on the 40-man roster won't be on the Opening Day roster, but you raise an interesting point. The Orioles have given out some puzzling 40-man roster spots this winter, and a lot of that has to do with the competition. The O's can't outbid certain clubs who stack their Triple-A teams by paying guys well above normal Minor League salaries. However, Baltimore can offer a roster spot that other teams may not be able to do. It's also not written in stone. The Orioles bcan remove guys off the 40-man later this winter if need be, so I wouldn't worry about those signings precluding the organization from doing something bigger.
Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli.


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Check out the post-game after tonight's gubernatorial debate on Fox News
Two of the most respected lawmakers to pass through the House in recent years will offer a post-game analysis on tonight's gubernatorial debate on Fox 31 News.
The live debate, which is being held at the Botanic Gardens, begins tonight at 8 followed by commentary from former Rep. Rob Witwer, a Genesee Republican, and former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a Denver Democrat who lost the Senate primary in August.
The debate features Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Democratic nominee; Republican Dan Maes; and American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo. The moderators will be Fox 31 anchor Ron Zapolo and political reporter Eli Stokols.
The debate also is sponsored by AARP.
By the way, the Fox News story about the debate comes complete with this comment from a reader, who talks about morons and then writes: "Go Buck and kick some Sanctuary City, tax and gouge, Mayor's behind!"
The person later corrected it to say he meant Tancredo (Buck is running for the Senate) but perhaps this person should remember that it was Tancredo who wanted literacy tests for voters.


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Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL), the city based CPSE
under Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India has paid first time Interim
Dividend since its transformation into a dividend paying entity from
A cheque of Rs. 19.73 Crores towards the payment of
Interim Dividend for the year 2017-18 was handed over to Shri Narendra
Singh Tomar, Hon'ble Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj &
Mines (Govt. of India), recently at New Delhi by Shri R.N. Jha,
Chairman-cum-Managing Director (I/c), MECL in the presence of Shri Arun
Kumar, Secretary (Mines), Dr. K. Rajeswara Rao, Add. Secretary (Mines),
Shri Bipul Pathak, Jt. Secretary (Mines) Govt. of India, Dr. Navneet
Mohan Kothari, PS to Hon'ble Minister & Shri Yogesh Sharma, GM
MECL is engaged in exploration of Energy
and Non-energy Minerals on behalf of Govt. of India, State Governments,
PSUs and other agencies in various parts of the country. During the year
2017-18, the financial performance of the Company is expected to be
highest since its inception.
MECL is also the "Nodal Agency" for
exploration under National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) funded
projects. It has recently completed the Greenfield exploration work by
enhancing its drilling and analytical capabilities through induction of
new Hydrostatic drilling rigs and advance instruments required for
testing in Greenfield exploration work.
मुख्य व्यवसायिक कार्यालय:-
डाॅ.बाबासाहब आंबेडकर भवन,
सेमिनरी हिल्स, नागपुर- 440 006
महाराष्ट्र, भारत.Call : 0091-712-2510310, 2511833 e-mail : firstname.lastname@example.com
कार्य समय:
कार्यकारी: 10:00 AM TO 5:30 PMगैर-कार्यकारी: 10:00 AM TO 5:00 PMPublic Dealing Hours:
10:00 AM TO 5:30 PM List of Holidays during the year 2019
© Copyright MECL 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated On : 05-10-2019
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions


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Pictured: Alex White collected six ground balls, won six
faceoffs and scored a goal.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The 11th-ranked Harvard men's lacrosse team owned a 7-2 advantage in goals in the second half, as the Crimson topped Colgate, 11-8, in a non-conference matchup at Cumnock Turf Tuesday afternoon. Kevin Vaughan netted three goals and contributed an assist, while Jeff Cohen and Jason Duboe added two goals each.
Alex White and Christian Oberbeck won six faceoffs apiece, while White paced the team with six ground balls. Harvard goalkeeper Christian Coates earned his second win of the season, making six saves, all in the second half. Harry Krieger started the contest, recording five saves. With the win, Harvard improves to 4-1 for the third straight year, while Colgate falls to 1-5.
After the Crimson built a 3-2 lead in the first quarter, Colgate
went ahead, 4-3, on a man-up goal at 10:13 of the second quarter by
Ben McCabe. Duboe knotted the game less than three minutes
later at 7:18, but the Raiders tacked on two more scores, to take a
6-4 lead into the half.
In the third, Vaughan notched his first of three goals in the quarter at 13:08, beginning a six-goal run for the Crimson. Following Vaughan's initial tally, Evan Roth scored the first goal of his career of a faceoff at 12:55. Vaughan netted two more goals in the quarter as Harvard carried an 8-6 lead entering the final frame. Dean Gibbons and Cohen capped the scoring run with a goal apiece in the fourth quarter, making it a 10-6 contest in favor of the Crimson.
Harvard kept Colgate off the scoreboard for nearly 32 minutes of action before the Raiders finally got a goal with 2:42 remaining. The Crimson won 13-of-22 faceoffs on the afternoon and led in ground balls, 23-19. Harvard also outshot Colgate, 38-29.
Harvard will host No. 17 Brown at Harvard Stadium Saturday at 3 p.m.
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A crazy conspiracy nut wants you to boycott Audi because he thinks the Green Police Ads are fascist. No, not because the original green police rounded up Jews, but because green politics supposedly violate the constitution.
We're actually not sure what Blank Reg's (yes, that's his real name) argument here is, but it seems to involve Al Gore, the UN, the New World Order and Audi conspiring to conquer America with a fourth reich of eco-fascism. While we're as tired as anyone else of companies using supposedly eco-friendly products to proclaim themselves holier than thou, this all seems a little crazy.
A Facebook page dedicated to boycotting Audi describes itself thusly:
This group is for anyone who was subjected to the new Audi commercials endorsing Fascist techniques to enforce compliance with the global warming hoax, utilized to create new global taxation, while trying to enjoy the Super Bowl.
Taking things further, Mr. Reg is calling up a bunch of Audi dealers and ranting and raving at them about all this, then publishing the calls on YouTube. That's right, he's not calling up the company responsible for making the ads, but rather independent dealers who react to all this remarkably professionally. Of course, recording and publishing a phone transcript without the other party's consent is one of those thing our soon-to-be-conquered-by-eco-fascists country currently prohibits.
Blank has launched his very own Boycott Audi website that we must say has a refreshing amount of scantily-clad young ladies on, but not much in the way of support. At the time of writing, only eight people have signed on to support Blank's grass roots movement. [via Audizine]
Thanks for the tip, Alex.


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[Editors note: Curious use of interactivity outside Flash via html image map and javascript evaluation and display function.]
By Chris Mooney. 06.23.08. Wired magazine.
Screenshot below. View interactive version.
Cooling the Globe
Many climate specialists see so-called geoengineering techniques as a way to bring down global temperatures if other attempts to combat global warming fail. One approach is to inject sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where it reacts to form particles that block sunlight.
Roll over the numbers in the infographic to learn more.
Infographic: Ryan Vulk
It was one of the largest public demonstrations in US history. On June 12, 1982, an estimated 750,000 protesters thronged Central Park in New York City, chanting "No nukes!" and bearing signs reading "Reagan is a bomb — both should be banned" and "Arms are for embracing." Some demonstrators called for unilateral US disarmament, others for renewing arms control talks with the Soviet Union. It was a diverse coalition that had been pulled together by Ken Caldeira, a 25-year-old activist and computer geek. Back then he was paying the rent doing software consulting on Wall Street, but his passion for the environment would eventually lead him to become one of the nation's leading experts on global warming.
Around the same time, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco, Lowell Wood — then 41 and a protégé of the brilliant and controversial hydrogen bomb inventor Edward Teller — was leading a secretive team of young geniuses called the O Group. They weren't merely working with the nukes that Caldeira and his fellow peaceniks reviled; they were dreaming up new and expanded uses for them. One plan called for channeling the energy of a hydrogen bomb into laser blasts that could theoretically destroy enemy ballistic missiles from outer space. It sounded crazy, but Wood and Teller's ideas inspired President Reagan's famous March 23, 1983, "Star Wars" speech introducing the Strategic Defense Initiative, the bane of arms-control advocates everywhere.
What's surprising, then, is that today, 25 years later, Caldeira, the left-wing environmentalist, calls Wood, the Cold Warrior and Star Wars proselytizer, "one of my best friends." Recently, they have collaborated on strategies for a process known as geoengineering: the large-scale, deliberate modification of the planet to counteract the consequences of ever-increasing concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gas. The global climate crisis has made for strange bedfellows, and Caldeira's passage from devout environmentalist to would-be geoengineer has led him into a partnership that his younger self would have scorned.
Geoengineering schemes sound like they're pulled straight from pulp sci-fi novels: Fertilize the oceans with iron in order to sequester carbon dioxide; launch fleets of ships to whip up sea spray and enhance the solar reflectivity of marine stratocumulus clouds; use trillions of tiny spacecraft to form a sunshade a million miles from Earth in perfect solar orbit. They all may seem impractical, but among a small but growing set of climate scientists, one idea that Wood and Teller started pushing in the late 1990s (before Teller's death in 2003) is gaining acceptance: Inject sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to reflect a portion of the sun's rays back into space, thus cooling the planet.


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A Woman's Place: Best and Worst Places To Be A Woman
An informative infographic called A Woman's Place by Richard Johnson at the National Post. Very interesting analysis of some different ways to measure the best and worst places in the world to be a woman.
Canada ranked 17th on a list of the best and worst places to be a woman in the world. In the report, researchers from Save the Children looked at the health, education and economic status of women in 165 countries to develop the ranking, with Norway claiming the top spot and Somalia the bottom. The National Post graphics department analyzes the data:
I like this use of circles to visualize the scores, numbers and percentages because it's easy for the viewer to compare values on the page. Circles are usually tough to differentiate when the values are close together, but there's enough range in the values here to make the circles effective.
Found on HolyKaw


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Luella's Bridal
Vintage Choker SALE
DELIVERY (Please note these prices do not relate to the shipping of dresses. Please contact the boutique for a quote for this service)
Royal Mail 24 Hour Tracked- £6.50
Your Parcel will be sent via Royal Mail Tracked and Signed for. After your shoes are dispatched, you should receive within one working day.
Royal Mail 48 Hour Tracked - £3.50
Your Parcel will be sent via Royal Mail Tracked and Signed for. After your shoes are dispatched, you should receive within two working days.
Free Standard UK delivery
Your Parcel will be sent via Royal Mail Signed for. After your items are dispatched, you should receive within five to seven working days.
Outside of the UK - £20.00
Your Parcel is sent with a courier and could take up to 5 to 10 working days.
All delivery options are subject to orders placed on a weekday before 12pm, orders placed after 12pm will be shipped the next working day, also excludes Saturday delivery. Please note we are closed on Monday's so will also be unable to ship items on this day. All deliveries are subject to delays due to unforeseen circumstances.
Please note orders shipped to countries outside the EU may be subject to additional Sales Taxes and Import Duties, which the buyer is responsible for.
Orders that include made to order items will typically be dispatched once all items are in stock (unless requested otherwise). Please check product descriptions for estimated lead times or contact us if you require any further guidance.
Returns Policy
We want you to be delighted with your Luella's Bridal Ltd purchase. If you're not happy for whatever reason, you have 28 days (after you have received your items) to return part or all of your order. We are happy to replace/refund accessories and shoes provided they are returned to us in the same perfect condition that they were dispatched and in their undamaged original packaging (including all enclosed parts e.g. shoe bags, sole covers, filling, tissue paper and fabric swatches).
Please note: we are unable to accept exchanges or refunds on the following items (unless found faulty): • Lingerie/swimwear • Pierced jewellery items (e.g. earrings) • Made-to-Order or Bespoke items – those custom made for you. This includes items dyed for you, customised products, any item made to your own specification or items made to order especially for you and Sale Items. All of our wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses are made to order and as such cannot be returned.
Making Returns
In the unlikely event that an item delivered to you arrives faulty or damaged in transit please notify us within 3 business days, so that we may arrange a replacement and the return of the faulty goods to rectify the situation. In this case we shall cover any costs of returning the items and replace them for you. Should you require a refund only, we are not able to refund the delivery costs, only the value of the unwanted goods that are being returned to us. For all returns, except where the item is faulty, you will be required to arrange and pay for the return of the products to us. We strongly recommend you obtain a free 'Certificate of Posting' from the post office, as we cannot accept responsibility for parcels lost in transit. For peace of mind, you may want to send the goods Recorded Delivery, but we regret we cannot refund this charge. You may want to make sure you have sufficient insurance cover, especially when returning valuable products. Please send your items to: Luella's Bridal, 78a The High Street, Wimbledon Village, London SW19 5EG.
ExchangesProvided any unwanted goods (with the exception of those that are excluded from our returns policy) arrive back with us within 28 days from delivery to you and in the same new and perfect condition as dispatched, we are always happy to exchange them for an alternative which we hope you'll find far more suitable.
By what method should you return items to us?We recommend that you use an insured service (such as Royal Mail's "Special Delivery" for those within the UK) to cover the value of any items you return to us and guarantee delivery speed as we cannot be held liable for any parcels that we do not receive or arrive past the timeframes explained above (items must arrive back within 28 days from delivery to you). Insured services will also compensate you for any losses or damage. Proof of postage does not guarantee delivery nor does it protect you from losses, delays, or damage to the parcel during transit. Refunds are made by the same method of payment used to purchase from us and please allow up to 28 days (from our receipt of your unwanted goods or date of order cancellation) for your refund to appear on your bank or card statement. Orders paid for by debit/credit card are refunded back to the same card. Orders paid for by cheque are refunded by cheque. Orders (or part-orders) paid for by Credit Notes shall be refunded by a replacement Credit Note and will not be redeemed for cash.
Gift returnsRefunds for items bought as gifts can only be given to the original purchaser. If you decide to exchange an item, the purchaser will be informed.
If you are an international customer, you have 28 days (from date of receipt) to return your order. Contact us within 3 days of receiving the goods if you are returning your order by emailing email@example.com. Returns must be sent through a trackable delivery service, ensuring it is appropriately insured. Clearly mark the front of the package 'RETURNED GOODS' in large, visible capital letters. A customs declaration (CN22 or CN23) must be attached to the package.The declaration must include a complete and accurate description of the goods, their quantity and value. Our VAT number 157027221 and must also be included on the CN22/CN23. We do not take any responsibility for returned items that are not received and request that you contact your postal or delivery service provider directly. Please send your items to: Luella's Bridal, 78a The High Street, Wimbledon Village, London SW19 5EG.
IMPROPER RETURNSWhere you return a product in contravention of this policy (and where you do not have any other legal right to return the product): (a) we will not refund or exchange the product; (b) we may retain the returned product until you pay to us such additional amount as we may charge for re-delivery of the returned product; and (c) if we do not receive payment of such additional amount within 14 days of issuing a request for payment, we may destroy or otherwise dispose of the returned product in our sole discretion without any liability to you.
ABOUT USOur full name is Luella's Bridal Ltd. Our registered office is Hedgerow House, Crowbrook Road, Askett, Princes Risborough, HP27 9LR and our principal trading address is 78a The High Street, Wimbledon Village, SW195EG. Our company registration number is 07494745. Our email address is email@example.com
For further information regarding your consumer rights please visit https://webgate.ec.europa.eu
!!Was £120 - Now £30!!
Chain length 40-45cm.
Sale items are non refundable and non exchangeable.


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|Performer Information
|Performer name:
|Dawn Collins
|Mailing address:
|87 Sunset Drive
Stuyvesant, NY 12173
|E-mail address:
|Previous appearances at:
Troy Library, Troy, NY, Frothingham Library, Cairo Public Library, Cairo, NY
Contact information for New York State Public Libraries
|Information last updated:
|Records 1-5 of 5
|World Music Exploration
Multicultural- Other,
This may be a single date program or a series of five to six one-hour sessions exploring different world music regions, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Celtic Lands, India & Middle East, North America. A display of instruments native to this regions and a demonstration is provided. Songs from each region are taught with phonetic lyrics in a call and response style for ease of learning. A brief history of each region's music will be taught. This is an interactive program that is best suited to young adults and adults, although middle school and above will find it interesting and educational.
|$101- $200
|Native American Style Flute Playing and Mini-Concert
Multicultural- Native American,
Introduction to the history of the Native American tradition of flute playing, basic elements of construction of the flute (Plains flute and Woodland flutes), the evolution of design of the instrument and the playing purposes. This is a hands-on class and plastic flutes may be available for those who do not own a flute at advance request of at least several weeks. A display of over thirty flutes representing several custom flute builders and a mini-concert of tunes may be included as a pre-workshop incentive for learning. Each session includes instruction on breath control, fingering technique, and playing scales familiar to the Native American style, building melodies using improvisation and learning how to read NAF tablature.
|$101- $200
|O Let's Make Music (Story, Song, Rhythm)
Literature- Other,
Nature- Other
Using a current library story theme, season or place, this is a family friendly time. Mom! Dad! Grandparents too! Listen to some lively, easy to learn, child-friendly songs paired with some seasonal stories. Dawn will bring along her rhythm band bag of instruments for use during this fun time. There are songs with movements and songs with puppets so don't be shy – we could get a little silly! It's a fun time for all, and especially appropriate for the very young. Previous themes include songs of the river & water, world music, nature and animals.
|$101- $200
|North American Music (Appalachian Trail, Shakers, Native American)
Multicultural- Other,
Native American Tunes Songs, chants and tunes drawn from various tribes, display of Native American style flutes, historical information and demonstration with tunes played on the Native American style flute, drums and rattles. Shaker Tunes and Movement Songs collected from the Shakers with movement or gestures, including "I Will Bow and Be Simple," "Love Is Little," and "More Love," and "I Will Bend Like the Willow" Appalachian and Traditional Potpourri Songs and tunes from the Appalachian Trail, Colonial times, and the Underground Railroad played on the Appalachian mountain lap dulcimer and banjitar. Audience participation encouraged.
|$101- $200
|Mountain Dulcimer Introduction
Performing Arts- Other
The mountain dulcimer is a "user friendly" instrument that came to this country with our pioneer forefathers. In the first lesson, we'll sing and play songs, and use a number system to learn (individually and as a group) about rhythm, 'reading' music notes for the dulcimer, and in future lessons advance to a few simple chords. Instruments are supplied for use during class. We will use our ear and our voices in this interactive class. Dulcimers are available for use during class and may be rented or purchased for a nominal fee through instructor. If rented, they must be returned in same condition at end of class sessions. More info is available at time of contract negotiation. There is an option for building a dulcimer using a pre-made kit as part of program.
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Yes it's some shameless selfpromotion. Got a new project going, very much metal for the sake of metal.
Hope some of you people like it.
Sounds to be found here:
or check the youtube account:
The Metal Alliance - Bierdrinkdinsdag
A place for musicians to talk about equipment, production, compositions, get demo feedback, etc.
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The Metal Alliance - Bierdrinkdinsdag
"Sing it you pussies!"
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Welcome to Her Travel Style. It's so nice to have you here!
I'm Taryn! Multipotentialite and Chief Inspiration Officer of Her Travel Style. After visiting all 50 United States and nearly 70 countries around the world, I've created and styled these colorful pages to empower and excite you for your next solo journey.
Whether you feel like camping one weekend or soaking in a tub in your 5 star luxury boutique, HTS is here to support your travel dreams and style.
*If you don't see a desired destination listed (yet) feel free to email me with questions. I'm constantly traveling (and always playing catch up)!
Also, please feel free to let me know your favorite travel style and what you need most for travel!
Bon Voyage!
All in Philippines


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Echo Brewing Co. of Frederick announced on its Facebook page Wednesday afternoon, March 20, that it plans to open a second brewery in Historic Old Town Erie this summer.
The brewery, which will be called Echo Brewing Cask and Barrel, will focus on cask ale and barrel-aged beers. The company did not disclose an address for its Erie brewery, but said it should have a space under contract soon.
Echo Brewing is owned by Dennis and Daniel Richards, brothers from Erie. They opened their Frederick brewery in April.
Echo's announcement comes a few months after the owners of Atom Brewing Co. said they would bring to downtown Erie the town's first craft brewhouse. Atom is going into the old fire station, 600 Briggs St., and is expected to open this spring.
Eastern Boulder County is experiencing a sudden explosion in breweries and taprooms, with a second brewery headed to Louisville this year and three destined for Lafayette.


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Are you on the lookout for a specific Bobbie Emery in Phoenix? You have come to the right place! Examine our list of people with the name Bobbie Emery who have resided in Phoenix at some point. You can then proceed to check each profile, which will provide you with details like contact numbers, public records, and names of relatives.
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As a member of our website, you will be privy to a vast range of public records that help you to discover any Bobbie Emery you are looking for. When you do manage to identify the exact Bobbie Emery in Phoenix, you will also get access to a complete profile as well as public records that include phone numbers, aliases, addresses, and more. Get your membership immediately!
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text: I had this whole great thing written breaking down each game with the most mind-blowing analysis the world had ever seen, but internet connectivity issues ruined it all. Just know that it would have made Dick Vitale look like a gimmicky old man—it was that good. Anyway, here you go, chat down below about the SEC semifinals, the Big East final and all the other great conference tournament action in between.


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Mini's single-suicide-doored wagon, the Clubman will come in the more powerful S version, say those who stalk them. That's good news for those who want to haul anything larger than an IKEA V rde table or a case of Trader Joe's wasabi peanuts. The giveaways are a set of larger air-intakes in the front bumper and one in the hood, and dual exhaust in the rear.
SPY PHOTOS: Mini Clubman S [World Car Fans]
More on the Mini Clubman [internal]


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The Kingdom's public and private sectors and the struggling economy are set to face the challenges of globalization.
"The question is whether our goods will survive competition on the global market, as to prices, quality, and production mentality," Trade and Industry Minister Mohammad Halaiqa told the Jordan Times newspaper on Monday, "And the answer to this question is controversial," he admitted. Halaiqa called upon domestic industries to improve their performance in the four strategic areas of management, quality, production and promotion.
"Jordan has made its decision and is now part of the global economy: There is no going back on this very basic policy," remarked Halaiqa, who is also the acting Minister of Planning. At a recent seminar, he said, "The government has almost completed its homework in putting the legal framework in place. Now, it is the turn of the private sector," he said. The conference was organized by the Euro-Jordanian Business Service Team, as part of a three year plan launched in 1998 by the EU to provide specialized consultancy to Jordanian enterprises, improve their performance, and enhance the capacity of Jordanian businesses. The main goal of the conference was to examine the rules of origins and preferences and explain the association agreement and its implications to Jordanian exporters.
The Head of the European Commission Delegation to Jordan, James Morgan, emphasized the importance of EU-funded programs devised to aid local industries survive European competition after a free-trade zone is created, by 2010, in accordance to the agreements. A 40 million Euros project devised by the Industrial Modernization Program (IMP) announced earlier this year by Brussels, will help Jordanian industries in all fields. According to Morgan, the IMP will support Jordanian companies by offering financial and training help, as well as guidance in policy development in the public sector. The IMP, Morgan told more than 100 executives attending the seminar, will provide companies with direct services, financial support, and training, in addition to offering institutional and policy support to the public sector.
The Euro-Jordan Association Agreement is expected to take effect by the year's end. But experts contend that WTO membership and the Euro-Jordan Association Agreement are not panaceas for the struggling Jordanian economy in the face of globalization. "Important as they are, the Euro-Jordan Association Agreement and entry into the WTO are no more than a starting point," Morgan said.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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momentumcoaching necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 123 diseños de 40 diseñadores freelance.
Momentum Coaching Group
We are world class athletes offering professional coaching services to the aspiring athlete. We offer coaching in all cycling disciplines with inclusion of triathlon and running. We are the only coaching group that requires all coaches to be either former/current professional or olympic athletes.
Our Target audience is broad, from young junior athletes to older master athletes wanting to improve in their specific discipline.
We are looking for a unique, elegant, and symbolic logo to represent our group. We are pretty much open to all design possibilities. In addition to the name of our business we to incorporate a logo that would be identifiable without being accompanied by the words Momentum Coaching Group. Finished file needs to be Vector Format-Illustrator preferred.
Incorporate our name, Momentum Coaching Group in the logo OR create a symbol to represent our company
If the logo uses the name "Momentum Coaching Group" then we would like a companion Logo
Color scheme can be anything, we are open to any ideas.
The logo needs to convey a sense of style and artistry that will appeal to all but reflects the young professional ownership of our company.
Don't Wants:
We do NOT want a logo that pegs us to one particular sport i.e. use of bicycle or bicycle wheel in logo, as we are NOT totally geared towards coaching just cyclists..
Nothing Childish
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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A high quality daily vitamin can supplement your dog or cat with the optimal level of nutrients that may be missing from their food.
Essential nutrients are lost from fruits and vegetables because of growing and harvesting techniques. Dairy foods and meat are laden with hormones, and produce and grains are sprayed with pesticides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers. That's a lot of toxins the lymphatic and digestive systems are burdened with eliminating. Which, in turn, makes it difficult for the body to maintain normal cellular health.Extensive research has shown that many modern-day ailments and diseases are caused by nutrient deficiencies, and exposure to environmental toxins. Fortunately, there is something we can do to support the health and the normal growth and development of our cats and dogs. By enhancing your pet's diet with a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids, we can help make up for nutritional deficiencies … which means your best friend will stay healthier longer.
So stack the odds in your pet's favor. Start today by giving it the required nutrients it needs for balanced health and the most practical "health insurance" that money can buy.


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Read all about it - You can't afford to be without this twice-weekly newsletter - sign up today to get your breaking streaming and digital media news!
Occasional announcements sent by Streaming Media, or on behalf of our advertising partners, on what we feel are important offers, developments, publications, and events in the streaming/online video industry.
This is another installment in our series of "What Is...?" articles, designed to offer definitions, history, and context around significant terms and issues in the online video industry.
H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the successor codec to H.264, which, like H.264, is jointly developed by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group and ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG). The primary goal of the new codec is 50 percent better compression efficiency than H.264 and support for resolutions up to 8192x4320.
By way of background, the ITU-T began development of a successor to H.264 in 2004, while ISO/IEC began working in 2007. In January 2010, the groups collaborated on a joint Call for Proposals, which culminated in a meeting of the MPEG & VCEG Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) in April 2010, at which the name High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) was adopted for the codec.
In October, 2010, the JCT-VC produced the first working draft specification, with the Draft Standard -- based upon the eight working draft specifications -- approved in July, 2012. On January 25, 2013, the ITU announced that HEVC had received first stage approval (consent) in the ITU-T Alternative Approval Process, while MPEG announced that HEVC had been promoted to Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) status in the MPEG standardization process.
In essence, this means that the initial versions of the specification were frozen so that multiple vendors could finalize their first HEVC products. The current implementation includes a Main profile supporting 8-bit 4:2:0 video, a Main 10 profile with 10-bit support, and a Main Still Picture profile for still digital pictures that uses the same coding tools as a video "intra" picture.
HEVC will continue to advance, with work already starting on extensions for 12-bit video and 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 chroma formats, as well as incorporating scalable video coding and 3D video into the spec.
Like H.264 and MPEG-2, HEVC uses three frame types, I-, B- and P-frames within a group of pictures, incorporating elements of both inter-frame and intraframe compression. HEVC incorporates numerous advances, including:
Coding Tree Blocks: Where H.264 used macroblocks with a maximum size of 16x16, HEVC uses coding tree blocks, or CTBs, with a maximum size of 64x64 pixels. Larger block sizes are more efficient when encoding larger frame sizes, like 4K resolution. This is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Larger blocks sizes enhance encoding efficiency. Images from HEVC webinar by Elemental Technologies, viewable on-demand.
More intra-prediction directions: Where H.264 used 9 intra prediction directions, HEVC can use over 35, adding more potential reference pixel blocks that fuel more efficient intra-frame compression (see Figure 2, from an Ateme presentation). The obvious cost is the additional encoding time required to search in the additional directions.
Figure 2. Searching is expanded to find more reference pixel blocks.
Other advances include.
There are a number of published white papers and presentation that focus on comparing the quality of HEVC vs. H.264 and MPEG-2. One of the most oft-cited sources is an article entitled, "Comparison of the Coding Efficiency of Video Coding Standards-Including High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)", which reports the results of both PSNR (Peak Signal to Noise Ratio) comparisons and subjective evaluations. The report looked at multiple scenarios, including interactive and entertainment applications.
For the entertainment-related comparisons, the study encoded multiple clips ranging in resolution from 832x480 (480p) to 1920x1080 (1080p). For the PSNR-related tests, the study encoded files using four different technologies, HEVC, H.264, MPEG-4 and H.263, until all files had the same PSNR value.
Table 1. HEVC efficiency compared to H.264, H.263 and MPEG-4 using PSNR values in entertainment applications.
The study then showed viewers multiple files encoded at multiple data rates with H.264 and HEVC and asked them to grade the results. From these tests, the researchers concluded, "the test sequences encoded with HEVC at an average of 53 percent lower bit rate than the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP encodings achieved approximately the same subjective quality."
Another article entitled "Subjective Quality Evaluation of the Upcoming HEVC Video Compression Standard", compared H.264 and HEVC using both PSNR and subjective comparisons. The study concluded:
The test results clearly exhibited a substantial improvement in compression performance, as compared to AVC... For the natural contents considered in this study, a bit rate reduction ranging from 51 to 74 percent can be achieved based on subjective results while the predicted reduction based on PSNR values was only between 28 and 38 percent. This difference is mostly due to the fact that PSNR doesn't take into account the saturation effect of the human visual system. PSNR also doesn't capture the full nature of the artifacts: AVC compressed sequences exhibit blockiness while HEVC compression tends to smooth out the content, which is less annoying. For the synthetic content considered in this study, a 75 percent bitrate reduction can be achieved based on subjective results while the predicted reduction based on PSNR values was 68 percent.
It's reasonable to be at least a little skeptical of such results, since the comparisons were largely produced by technologists contributing to HEVC effort, using encoders that have not been released for sale or (in most cases) even for general-purpose beta testing. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one CTO of a major encoding vendor estimated that HEVC would enable a 30 percent reduction in file size at the same quality level at 1080p resolution, with further increases at higher resolutions.
Playback statistics are harder to come by. However, multiple companies have demonstrated HEVC playback on a tablet computer, including Qualcomm on an Android tablet powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU. Note, however, that the video was only 480p in resolution, which makes sense for tablet display but is far from the 4K video HEVC is designed to enable. At the 2012 PBS Technology Conference, an Ericsson presentation estimated that encoding HEVC could require up to 10x more computational complexity with 2x-3x the complexity upon decode.
According to a report entitled "HEVC Decoding in Consumer Devices," senior analyst Michelle Abraham from the Multimedia Research Group estimated that the number of consumer devices that shipped in 2011 and 2012 that would be capable of HEVC playback with a software upgrade totaled around 1.4 billion, with over a billion more expected to be sold in 2013.
Figure 3. Unit shipment so HEVC-capable consumer devices (after software upgrades).
According to Abraham, in compiling these statistics she assumed that all PCs shipped in each year would be HEVC capable. The report also includes tables summarizing shipments of HEVC decode-capable tablets, portable media players, streaming media players, video game consoles, Blu-ray players, digital TV sets, and set-top boxes.
Despite this significant installed base, analyst Frost & Sullivan believes that HEVC adaption is at least five years away for consumer content services. Delaying HEVC adaption includes forces like the recent significant investment in AVC gear made by many pay TV operators, lack of broad-based support for HEVC in the OTT encoding and deployment ecosystem, and slow HEVC encode and decode chip deployment to preserve the profitability of existing AVC chipsets.
According to Frost & Sullivan vice president Dan Rayburn, the initial HEVC rollouts will occur in closed-loop solutions like enterprise video conferencing, ultra HD services in the far east, and low-bandwidth video-on-demand services worldwide, due to the potential cost savings associated with deploying lower bandwidth HEVC video. Rayburn expects satellite direct to home (DTH) service providers to start rolling out HEVC gear in the 2014-2015 timeframe, with some pilot digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels expected in 2015. Overall, however, he concludes:
While certain applications will embrace HEVC much sooner than the norm and HEVC encoding and decoding cores should mature by 2014, we expect it will be around 2017 before a comprehensive ecosystem of first-generation HEVC-enabled products will come to market. Furthermore, we expect AVC to remain in widespread use even in 2018, although it will definitely be considered a commodity technology at that point -- much as MPEG-2 is today.
One factor that may slow HEVC adaption is uncertainty surrounding royalties. Like H.264, many of the technologies contributing to HEVC are patented, and patent owners will want compensation for the use of their intellectual property. In June 2012, MPEG LA, a leading packager of patent pools, and the organizer of the H.264 patent pool, announced a call for patents essential to HEVC, and a third meeting of the 25 respondents occurred in February, 2013.
However, according to MPEG LA officials, there is no set timeframe for the issuance of royalty guidelines or even assurance that a patent group will coalesce, since there are other packagers, or the respective owners could decide to assert their rights individually. Some market segments, most notably chip, encoding, and other infrastructure vendors, will likely press on with their HEVC-related efforts in the face of this uncertainty and simply reserve for potential royalties. However, other segments, particularly the distributors of free streaming content chasing the bandwidth savings afforded by HEVC, will almost certainly wait until royalties are known.
These royalties make competitive technologies like Google's VP9 worthy of mention, particularly since Google added VP9 decode to beta versions of Chrome in December, 2012, along with a new decoder for audio streams encoded with the Opus codec. According to a Google presentation made at the Internet Engineering Task Force meeting in Atlanta in November, 2012, the goal of VP9 was similar quality as HEVC at lower data rates. In a requirements document available on the WebM website, Google stated that VP9 would not be shipped unless it improved quality over VP8 by 50 percent at a cost of only 40 percent higher decoding complexity, compared to 200 to 300 percent for HEVC.
As a codec, VP8 compared quite favorably to H.264, producing virtually the same quality at all tested data rates. However, multiple factors doomed VP8 to failure, including the fact that Apple refused to enable VP8 playback on iOS devices or in Safari, that Microsoft refused to include playback in Internet Explorer 9, that H.264 was a joint ITU/MPEG standard, and the fact that it came to market much later than H.264.
Many of these same factors are still in play: while Apple is expected to embrace HEVC, it's unlikely that it will support VP9 for the same reasons the company refused to support VP8; also, there are potential intellectual property issues. In addition, HEVC is a joint standard, so it already has a vast head start in terms of silicon support for encoding and playback. Both VP9 and HEVC should appear on the market around the same time, however, which may give VP9 a better chance than VP8.
Regarding the intellectual property issues: on February, 2011, MPEG LA released a call for patents for VP8, and as of July, 2011, 12 parties have stepped forward. Still, there's no further progress reported on the MPEG LA website, and our MPEG LA contact confirmed that there was nothing new to report.
Of course, as Rayburn from Frost & Sullivan points out, HEVC can't be deployed until the full encode/decode/transport infrastructure is in place. Some encoding vendors, like Elemental Technologies, have announced that all current encoders will be retrofitted for HEVC support via software upgrades sometime in the future. Before purchasing an enterprise-class or even desktop encoder going forward, ask whether or not the encoder will support HEVC going forward, and how much that support will cost.
Beyond this, precursors to significant availability of HEVC are market dependent. For example, in video conferencing, it's the availability of real-time HEVC encoders and decoders. In the streaming media space, the playback side is always the driving force, since few producers will encode to a new format until it's clear that it can play reliably for a meaningful group of viewers.
For general-purpose streaming, it's hard to get excited about HEVC without:
Between NAB (April, 2013) and IBC (September, 2013) expect a flurry of announcements of HEVC-related technologies and products. During that time, the first wave of HEVC capable encoders and decoders will also come to market, making it possible to gauge the technology's real world performance, benefits, costs, and the interoperability of the encoded HEVC streams.
Until then, as the Frost & Sullivan report suggests, it's most meaningful to consider HEVC adaption in a micro rather than macro sense, since the precursors and economic drivers are different in each market. While the inevitable general-purpose buzz around HEVC is bound to reach Kaepernick-like proportions, what matters is how these announcements impact the markets that you serve.


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• appellation •
æp-pê-lay-shên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun, proper
Meaning: A name, title, or other designation by which someone or something is called or identified.
Notes: Today's Good Word often trips up spellers because of its double double letters: two Ps and two Ls. In this respect it is like accommodate and millennium. Be careful. Its adjective is appellative "related to names or naming", as an appellative process. This word is related to appeal and, consequently, to appellate as in appellate court in ways discussed in today's Word History.
In Play: Today's word is better than simple name when you wish to point out that a name carries some special meaning: "I am afraid that Prudence is a captive of her own appellation, never driving over 50 miles per hour." This term is often applied to product names, especially wines: "Well, this wine may contain 'Pinot noir' in its appellation, but if you drink it, you may pinot more." However, it is never, never applied to mountains in the eastern United States (as sometimes occurs in college term papers); those are the Appalachian Mountains.
Word History: Today's Good Word comes from French appellation, the descendant of Latin appellatio(n), the noun from the verb appellare "to call, to entreat." This verb is a combination of ad "up to, before" + pellare "to push, beat, propel." An appeal is something pushed before an authority while an appellation is an abstraction applied to some object. The past participle of pellare is pulsus, the source of English pulse, a kind of beating. The root of pellare came directly into Old English via Old Germanic as fealt, which reached us as felt, a material made by pushing or compacting fibers together rather than by weaving them.
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!
Come visit our website at <http://www.alphadictionary.com> for more Good Words and other language resources!


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He made our hearts sing. And he won't be forgotten.
Reg Presley, the English-born singer whose band The Troggs shot to fame with their seminal 1960s anthem "Wild Thing," has died. He was 71.
A statement released by his publicist and longtime friend Keith Altham said Presley died peacefully at his Andover, Hampshire, home in England surrounded by his family and friends after losing a battle with cancer.
"He was one very real person in a sometimes very unreal world. Our thoughts are with his wife Brenda and the family and those legion of fans who loved his music and his band. I will miss him hugely," wrote Altham on his Facebook page.
After falling ill during a concert in Germany, Presley announced in January 2012 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was underdoing chemotherapy treatment. He subsequently announced his retirement from The Troggs and offered his thanks to all those who've supported the band over the years.
Arriving at the tail end of the British Invasion, The Troggs hit it big in July 1966 with their garage rock cover of American songwriter Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Now a classic rock staple, the ditty has been covered countless times in the years since and was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine at No. 257 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Reg and company's other hits include "With a Girl Like You," "I Can't Control Myself" and Love Is All Around," the last of which was covered by Wet Wet Wet in the mid-'90s and famously appeared in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Presley was also a sometime actor and had a fascination with the crop-circle phenomenon, which led him to pen a 2002 book on the subject, Wild Things They Don't Tell Us.
He is surved by his wife Brenda, daughter Karen and son Jason.
Here are some other celebrities we've lost this year


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Intel's Haswell Architecture Analyzed: Building a New PC and a New Intelby Anand Lal Shimpi on October 5, 2012 2:45 AM EST
The New Sleep States: S0ix
A bunch of PC makers got together and defined the various operating modes that ACPI PCs can be in. If everyone plays by the same rules there are no surprises, which is good for the entire ecosystem.
System level power states are denoted S0 - S5. Higher S-numbers indicate deeper levels of sleep. The table below helps define the states:
|ACPI Sleeping State Definitions
|Sleeping State
|Low wake latency sleeping state. No system context is lost, hardware maintains all context.
|Similar to S1 but CPU and system cache context is lost
|All system context is lost except system memory (CPU, cache, chipset context all lost).
|Lowest power, longest wake latency supported by ACPI. Hardware platform has powered off all devices, platform context is maintained.
|Similar so S4 except OS doesn't save any context, requires complete boot upon wake.
S0 is an operational system, while S1/S2 are various levels of idle that are transparent to the end user. S3 is otherwise known as Suspend to RAM (STR), while S4 is commonly known as hibernate or Suspend to Disk (this one is less frequently abbreviated for some reason...).
These six sleeping states have served the PC well over the years. The addition of S3 gave us fast resume from sleep, something that's often exploited when you're on the go and need to quickly transition between using your notebook and carrying it around. The ultra mobile revolution however gave us a new requirement: the ability to transact data while in an otherwise deep sleep state.
Your smartphone and tablet both fetch emails, grab Twitter updates, receive messages and calls while in their sleep state. The prevalence of always-on wireless connectivity in these devices makes all of this easy, but the PC/smartphone/tablet convergence guarantees that if the PC doesn't adopt similar functionality it won't survive in the new world.
The solution is connected standby or active idle, a feature supported both by Haswell and Clovertrail as well as all of the currently shipping ARM based smartphones and tablets. Today, transitioning into S3 sleep is initiated by closing the lid on your notebook or telling the OS to go to sleep. In Haswell (and Clovertrail), Intel introduced a new S0ix active idle state (there are multiple active idle states, e.g. S0i1, S0i3). These states promise to deliver the same power consumption as S3 sleep, but with a quick enough wake up time to get back into full S0 should you need to do something with your device.
If these states sound familiar it's because Intel first told us about them with Moorestown:
In Moorestown it takes 1ms to get out of S0i1 and only 3ms to get out of S0i3. I would expect Haswell's wakeup latencies to be similar. From the standpoint of a traditional CPU design, even 1ms is an eternity, but if you think about it from the end user perspective a 1 - 3ms wakeup delay is hardly noticeable especially when access latency is dominated by so many other factors in the chain (e.g. the network).
What specifically happens in these active idle power states? In the past Intel focused on driving power down for all of the silicon it owned: the CPU, graphics core, chipset and even WiFi. In order to make active idle a reality, Intel's reach had to extend beyond the components it makes.
With Haswell U/ULT parts, Intel will actually go in and specify recommended components for the rest of the platform. I'm talking about everything from voltage regulators to random microcontrollers on the motherboard. Even more than actual component "suggestions", Intel will also list recommended firmwares for these components. Intel gave one example where an embedded controller on a motherboard was using 30 - 50mW of power. Through some simple firmware changes Intel was able to drop this particular controller's power consumption down to 5mW. It's not rocket science, but this is Intel's way of doing some of the work that its OEM partners should have been doing for the past decade. Apple has done some of this on its own (which is why OS X based notebooks still enjoy tangibly longer idle battery life than their Windows counterparts), but Intel will be offering this to many of its key OEM partners and in a significant way.
Intel's focus on everything else in the system extends beyond power consumption - it also needs to understand the latency tolerance of everything else in the system. The shift to active idle states is a new way of thinking. In the early days of client computing there was a real focus on allowing all off-CPU controllers to work autonomously. The result of years of evolution along those lines resulted in platforms where any and everything could transact data whenever it wanted to.
By knowing how latency tolerant all of the controllers and components in the system are, hardware and OS platform power management can begin to align traffic better. Rather than everyone transacting data whenever it's ready, all of the components in the system can begin to coalesce their transfers so that the system wakes up for a short period of time to do work then quickly return to sleep. The result is a system that's more frequently asleep with bursts of lots of activity rather than frequently kept awake by small transactions. The diagram below helps illustrate the potential power savings:
Windows 8 is pretty much a requirement to get the full benefits, although with the right drivers in place you'll see some improvement on Windows 7 as well. As most of these platform level power enhancements are targeted at 3rd generation Ultrabooks/tablets it's highly unlikely you'll see Windows 7 ship on any of them.
All of these platform level power optimizations really focus on components on the motherboard and shaving mWs here and there. There's still one major consumer of power budget that needs addressing as well: the display.
For years Intel has been talking about Panel Self Refresh (PSR) being the holy grail of improving notebook battery life. The concept is simple: even when what's on your display isn't changing (staring at text, looking at your desktop, etc...) the CPU and GPU still have to wake up to refresh the panel 60 times a second. The refresh process isn't incredibly power hungry but it's more wasteful than it needs to be given that no useful work is actually being done.
One solution is PSR. By including a little bit of DRAM on the panel itself, the display could store a copy of the frame buffer. In the event that nothing was changing on the screen, you could put the entire platform to sleep and refresh the panel by looping the same frame data stored in the panel's DRAM. The power savings would be tremendous as it'd allow your entire notebook/tablet/whatever to enter a virtual off state. You could get even more creative and start doing selective PSR where only parts of the display are updated and the rest remain in self-refresh mode (e.g. following a cursor, animating a live tile, etc...).
Display makers have been resistant to PSR because of the fact that they now have to increase their bill of materials cost by adding DRAM to the panel. The race to the bottom that we've seen in the LCD space made it unlikely that any of the panel vendors would be jumping at the opportunity to make their products more expensive. Intel believes that this time things will be different. Half of the Haswell ULT panel vendors will be enabled with Panel Self Refresh over eDP. That doesn't mean that we'll see PSR used in those machines, but it's hopefully a good indication.
Similar to what we've seen from Intel in the smartphone and tablet space, you can expect to see reference platforms built around Haswell to show OEMs exactly what they need to put down on a motherboard to deliver the sort of idle power consumption necessary to compete in the new world. It's not clear to me how Intel will enforce these guidelines, although it has a number of tools at its disposal - logo certification being the most obvious.
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defiler99 - Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - linkOne of the best articles on Anandtech in some time. This is great original tech industry reporting. Reply
Gc - Saturday, January 12, 2013 - linkCongratulations, an intel cpu engineer wrote around 27 Dec 2012:
"... Anandtech's latest Haswell preview is also excellent; missing some key puzzle pieces to complete the picture and answer some open questions or correct some details but otherwise great. ..."
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/15iaet/iama_... Reply
xaml - Thursday, May 23, 2013 - linkThis was first posted here a few handfuls of pages back as a comment by user "telephone". ^^ Reply
yhselp - Friday, March 29, 2013 - linkA few questions.
Is there going to be a replacement (37W) for the current IVB 35W quad-core part? Quite a few designs are now dependable on this, lower power quad-core option - Sony S-series and Razer Blade, to name a few.
When can we expect all mobile CPUs (except maybe for the extreme series) to fall into the 10W-20W range? In three years' time and 10nm?
The decision to not include GT3 with desktop parts is very disappointing. A 35/45W low-voltage part with GT3 would make for an excellent HTPC build, among other things. Is there a chance Intel change their mind and start shipping GT3 desktop parts at some point? Reply
JVimes - Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - linkDoes EU stand for Execution Unit? That was surprisingly hard to google for. Reply


text:
MARK TUTT, TODAY IS A DAY you will REMEMBER.
hey MARK, you're gonna look back on this day fondly and wonder how you got so lucky…
It's the day you met us, your new creative agency: Sujet.
You will look back on how you trembled as you phoned us from your office, how our approach was so bold. So enticing. You just had to call and see what ideas we could bring to Carrington Centennial Care Limited. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?
You recall fondly how we came to see you at your offices in Camden and how we were your knights in shining armour. Matt dazzled you with his stories and ideas and you knew Libby was going to be making sure Sujet delivered the numbers you need. Lib is a country girl from Bowral so you knew you'd get on. You had been planning your new year's activity and you had not been getting results from your previous creative agency. But here was this sparkly new gang - award winning creatives, digital legends and they were here wooing you, Mark. They wanted you and were being bold about it.
call libby on 0419 255 583
They knew not-for-profit too - they had already helped the Bible Society, Invocare, Australian Hearts and Anglicare with their branding and marketing prowess.
That was the day you knew you were going to smash your goals this year. That was the day we met. You and Sujet.
So, Mark now is that moment. Give Libby at Sujet a call on 0419 255 583 and make that life changing call.


text:
The newest member of the NBA's owners club is also the richest and, from first impressions, the most entertaining.
If this week's introductory tour by new New Jersey Nets owner and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is a sign of what's to come, he will make Dallas Mavericks' bad boy owner Mark Cuban look both boring and poor. Prokhorov, a 6-foot-8, 45-year-old bachelor with a reported net worth of $13 billion, kicked things off Wednesday by firing the team's coach, Kiki Vandeweghe, during a radio interview.
He joked about the league's worst franchise at 12-70, saying it was "a great pleasure to be here as the new owner of the Nets, the team with the best record in the whole NBA." After a perfect comedic pause, he deadpanned, "Was I misinformed?"
He called Jay-Z, a minority stakeholder in the team, "my soulmate," and promised "I have my own secret" for luring superstar free agents LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Appearing on a popular New York sports radio show, he asked host Mike Francesa about his former partner Chris Russo, saying "Where is Mad Dog?"
The highlights came as the precious metals magnate and 39th richest man in the world toured New York, including the Brooklyn site where the New Jersey-based team plans to move in 2012.
In summarily dumping his coach and general manager, Prokhorov said simply, His agreement expires this summer. I wish him well."
NBA owners approved the sale of the Nets to Prokorov last week. They had plenty of notice that he was not going to be boring.
Prokhorov, who spent $200 million for an 80 percent stake in the team, is known for jetsetting around the world in a private jet with a flock of gorgeous women. He owns a 200-foot yacht. He was arrested in 2007 in France and later cleared for allegedly setting up guests at his Christmas party with prostitutes.
"Frankly speaking, I like women," he told "60 Minutes" in an interview last year. "In my heart I am still teenager. And I am very open and I don't want to hide this."
He says he isn't married because he hasn't found a beautiful woman who cooks well enough to please him. But he was married briefly, at least according to lore. The story is that he once bet a buddy he would be married by age 42. As his birthday approached, he organized a $10 million party in Maldives and the rumor was that he would marry a woman only to divorce her after collecting on the wager. The rumor is one subject Prokhorov won't seem to talk about.
If nothing else, Prokhorov will take heat off of Cuban, the outspoken billionaire owner of the Mavericks known for ticking off fellow owners and drawing huge fines for criticizing referees.
"Obviously it's going to make things interesting...he's a personality, he's so competitive,"


text:
LSMS-13134 Series Surface Mount, Shielded, High Current Inductor
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* For custom product: Please click 'Custom' button below. You will be directed to a page where you can add custom product information and attach prints.
- Measured @100 KHz, 0.1 Vrms
- Temperature rise is approximately 40C at this current
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Mechanical Characteristics:
Packaging Specification:
- Reel size & units per reel: 13", 400 pcs.
- Tape width: 24 mm.
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text:
Animal Madness
Inside Their Minds
ISBN10: 1451627017 ISBN13: 9781451627015 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Published: Oct 20 2015 Pages: 379 Weight: 0.75lbs. Height: 8.00" Width: 5.25" Depth: 1.25" Language: English
"For the first time, a historian of science draws evidence from across the world to show how humans and other animals are astonishingly similar when it comes to their feelings and the ways in which they lose their minds. Charles Darwin developed his evolutionary theories by looking at physical differences in Galapagos finches and fancy pigeons. Alfred Russell Wallace investigated a range of creatures in the Malay Archipelago. Laurel Braitman got her lessons closer to home--by watching her dog. Oliver snapped at flies that only he could see, ate Ziploc bags, towels, and cartons of eggs. He suffered debilitating separation anxiety, was prone to aggression, and may even have attempted suicide. Her experience with Oliver forced Laurel to acknowledge a form of continuity between humans and other animals that, first as a biology major and later as a PhD student at MIT, she'd never been taught in school. Nonhuman animals can lose their minds. And when they do, it often looks a lot like human mental illness. Thankfully, all of us can heal. As Laurel spent three years traveling the world in search of emotionally disturbed animals and the people who care for them, she discovered numerous stories of recovery: parrots that learn how to stop plucking their feathers, dogs that cease licking their tails raw, polar bears that stop swimming in compulsive circles, and great apes that benefit from the help of human psychiatrists. How do these animals recover? The same way we do: with love, with medicine, and above all, with the knowledge that someone understands why we suffer and what can make us feel better. After all of the digging in the archives of museums and zoos, the years synthesizing scientific literature, and the hours observing dog parks, wildlife encounters,and amusement parks, Laurel found that understanding the emotional distress of animals can help us better understand ourselves"--


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The mission begins in a graveyard with a pair of floating mephistos. Attacking the mephistos with your sword is, for now, useless. Stand back, lock on, and unload with your pistol while avoiding the mephisto attacks. They'll soon drop their black garb and become vulnerable to sword attacks. Move in and combo 'em for a quick kill.
There's a fountain in the center of the graveyard with a secret. Jump on top of it and attack the tip of the statue to destroy it and reveal a mess of red and green orbs. The graveyard holds another secret in the form of a secret mission. Go to the south end of the graveyard and look for a passage that runs under the stars. You'll find the secret mission there.
| Nonviolent Resistance Secret Mission 03
| You'll have a tough time completing this mission the first time you reach this stage, but go back with Nero once you've earned the Hold technique. Grab and Hold one of the scarecrows over your head, then retreat to a corner and wait for the frost to follow you. Keep the frost in front of you to absorb its attacks and build your style meter, all the while mashing on the taunt button to build the meter faster. Expect your scarecrow shield to die before reaching the style rank of C, so quickly grab the second scarecrow. A second frost will spawn in the room to replace the first scarecrow that died—keep both of the frosts in front of you and you shouldn't have a problem earning the blue orb fragment.
There are more secrets in this area. To the east are a few short pedestals that, if you stand on them, will give you red orbs. If you look overhead, you can spot one large red orb over the top of a flying buttress. To the north of that, further in the distance, you can spot a gold orb, as well. In order to get these orbs, you need to have purchased the following three moves: 1) Roulette Spin; 2) Air Hike; 3) Streak. Jump on top of the aforementioned fountain and face the center buttress. Jump toward the buttress and execute a Roulette Spin at the peak of your jump. This will give you a little extra air and some forward distance.
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text:
john-avo needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 28 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
Social gaming company
Facebook gamers
Please see attached (outlined in red) and make similar header for Facebook birdland game - see it http://www.facebook.com/apps/applic…5755285303 (you need to add the game to its look).


text:
SIGNALLING problems affect Oxfordshire rail passengers twice a working week, an Oxford Mail investigation has found.
In the three months since May there have been 27 signalling problems which affected trains running through the county.
First Great Western (FGW) issued alerts on Twitter about 24 of those, while Chiltern Railways was affected by two and CrossCountry by one.
Signals are mechanical or electrical devices that tell train drivers about speed limits, blockages or the movement of other trains.
While it is the train companies that are affected by signaling problems, it is the responsibility of Network Rail to maintain and fix any equipment. The company has blamed old equipment for the recurring problems.
Spokeswoman Victoria Bradley said: "As part of our modernisation programme we are investing £350m to resignal the Great Western route.
"The signalling technology we have inherited dates back to the 1960s. This programme will boost performance and reliability."
She said: "We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by recent signalling problems and acknowledge that our modernisation programme will take time to complete.
"In the meantime, working with FGW, we have put in place additional maintenance teams between Paddington, Reading and Oxford to improve our system's reliability."
Chris Bates, chairman of the Cherwell Rail Users' Group, said: "Why don't they do preventative maintenance?
"The equipment is obviously old and requires replacing. Everything has got a shelf life.
"They shouldn't wait for the stuff to expire before they do any work."
Mr Bates, who commutes from Banbury to London every day, said: "Once it goes it immediately causes everybody a problem."
Guy Dangerfield, manager at watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "Passengers tell us that punctual trains are what they want most from the railway.
"Recently passengers travelling to and from the Oxford area have faced a number of delays, so it is essential that Network Rail steps up its efforts to improve reliability and quickly fix problems when they do occur."
Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: "It simply isn't good enough for these problems to be dragging on like this and subjecting travellers to repeated delays. One of the justifications always given for repeated fare increases is that the money is being used for investment.
"I am writing to Network Rail to urge them to get a move on and sort out these signalling issues once and for all."
James Davis, a FGW spokesman, said: "We understand the frustration caused by the recent delays. Everyone at FGW and Network Rail is determined to see improvements.
"Recently there have been a number of infrastructure problems with points and signals, and disappointingly we have also had some fleet issues too.
"We have developed a Thames Valley Performance Plan.
"This includes a number of joint actions including FGW staff now working in Network Rail teams to improve liaison and ensure good communication during improvement works, and in-depth reviews of recurring problems."
CrossCountry spokesman Richard Gibson said: "Any delay to our trains is disappointing as it can affect so many of our customers.
- Commuters at Oxford Railway Station during delays last month following a lightning strike
"We know Network Rail is investing huge sums of money to upgrade Britain's railways and we will work closely with them to ensure all our services, including those through Oxfordshire, benefit from this."
Chiltern Railways operations and safety director Andrew Munden said: "We have a strong working relationship with Network Rail and recently recorded our highest ever performance figures.
"This is testament to the hard work of staff across the business and our partners at Network Rail."
Department for Transport spokesman Paul Starbrook said: "Passengers expect to get to their destination on time and without disruption.
"More than £38bn will be spent on improving and maintaining the network and buying new trains over the next five years."
Ticket prices
In January, First Great Western increased its regulated fares, which includes season tickets, by an average of 3.1 per cent.
Oxford to London Paddington – £4,672
Didcot to London Paddington – £4,672
Bicester to London – £4,672
Charlbury to London Paddington – £6,124
Cost of a season ticket from Oxford to London Paddington over the last six years
2013 – £4,532
2012 – £,4348
2011 – £4,104
2010 – £3,892
2009 – £3,996
2008 – £3,892
Five recent issues
Saturday, July 26: Because of signalling problems between Didcot Parkway and Oxford services were delayed by up to 15 minutes.
Wednesday, July 23: Due to a signalling problem, platforms four and five at Paddington were unable to be used. This caused knock-on delays to services to Oxford.
Monday, July 21: Trains to Oxford and London Paddington from Worcester Shrub Hill were delayed by up to an hour because of a signalling problem.
Friday, July 18: There were signalling problems between Reading and Didcot Parkway, and trains were delayed by up to 20 minutes at short notice.
In one week there were four signalling problems affecting trains in and out of Oxfordshire: on July 14, both Paddington and Twyford were affected, on July 17 Twyford was hit again, and then on July 18 Didcot Parkway had problems.
The minimum compensation for a delay set out in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage is 20 per cent of a single ticket (10 per cent of a return, unless there were delays on both legs) if you are over an hour late.
In reality, all three of Oxfordshire's train operators give you more than this if you claim within 28 days – but often your refund will be in vouchers.
If your journey is delayed by more than one hour, they will compensate the full value of your ticket.
If your train is delayed by more than 30 minutes you should get at least 50 per cent of the price of the delayed journey.
If the train you were due to travel on is cancelled or delayed and you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a full refund. Just visit a ticket office or claim it back by post.
'We should get a better service for price we pay'
COMMUTERS have hit out at Oxfordshire's train companies, saying that tickets cost too much to justify the number of delays.
William Montgomery, 28, commutes every day from Abingdon to Reading for his job as an IT consultant.
He said: "I don't think Network Rail do enough considering I pay £100 a week.
"If you multiply that by the number of people who use this service, that's a lot of money.
"Everything should be running fairly smoothly.
"I understand that there are going to be times where there are other factors, but it shouldn't be this bad.
- William Montgomery
"My job is one where I have to be in at a certain time to perform certain tasks.
"It's quite detrimental to my work. My boss has mentioned it to me a couple of times. I've only worked here for four weeks, so it doesn't look very good when I'm late."
Malcolm Burgess, 54, who works in Radley as an accountant, said: "There are always signalling issues.
"They leave many commuters sat on the platform for hours watching trains scurry past to London."
The Twyford resident said: "We do international calls and several times I've had to reschedule things because I'm late.
"What's also frustrating is when you have dinner reservations or theatre tickets in the evening and you're suddenly an hour and a half late home."
Oxford High School student Emily Newman said: "This year when I had my A-Level exams I made sure I didn't get the train in that morning because I've had too many issues with trains being delayed before."
The 17-year-old, from Didcot, said: "I was terrified of being late for my exams. I stayed at my grandad's in Lewknor the night before and got the bus in."
Retired chemist Marion Robinson, 69, from Appleford, said: "We're a small village, we're not economical enough to have a viable train service.
"Between the commuting hours there's a four-hour gap between trains.
"You come into Oxford at 9am and the next train is at 1pm. It's extremely frustrating.
"When a train is cancelled what do you do? You have to get a taxi to Didcot to get anywhere."
Joining the daily grind
Sitting alongside men in suits and sleepy-eyed teenagers at 6.45am, I am about to experience the daily grind from Banbury to London Paddington.
With the taste of toothpaste still in my mouth, the idea of having to sit on this cold platform for another 20 minutes while my train is delayed is horrendous.
Luckily, my First Great Western train pulls up on time, and I even get a seat.
While my journey on Friday seemed to go extremely smoothly, with no one having to stand for long and minimal delays, it's not always like this.
My frustrated fellow passengers are clearly used to having to leave extra time in case of delays.
For almost £5,000 a year, hard-working commuters should not have to factor Network Rail's poor equipment into their morning routine. - Alex Wynick
Your views
It's constant. Even if things work well I spend five hours travelling so when I have additional delays it's frustrating. It's very rare for my journey to be unaffected
- Lisa Brown, 60, Bath
It's an absolute pain. No matter what you do for a job, if you use the trains you make plans and those are disrupted by delays
- Chris Shewchuck, 35, Steventon
I have been hit by signalling problems, but mainly when there's been lightening and things like that. It's always annoying when you're late
- Simon Tierney, 35, Didcot
It's annoying because you're always late to commitments. It's constant, why is it all the time?
- Junior Udoji, 24, London
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text:
You'll Like The 2010 Scion xD If...
If you want a four-door hatchback that has a solid ride, bold styling and comes with nearly everything you could or would want, look no further than the 2010 Scion xD. Easy customization at the local Scion dealership is a convenient bonus.
You May Not Like The 2010 Scion xD If...
The distinctive exterior and mono-spec interior styling might not suit everyone's tastes, and if gas consumption is a concern, the Honda Fit may be a better choice. If you tend to carry a lot of stuff, the xD's rather meager rear cargo area may not meet your needs unless you fold down the second-row seats.
What's New
For 2010, Scion adds electronic stability control and an improved 160-watt Pioneer audio system to the xD's standard equipment roster.
Interior Features
Seating is customizable with rear 60/40 fold-flat seats that can be reclined, moved forward, back, or into the floor to create more space. The dash is simple and easy to navigate with a circular radar screen-like consolidated speedometer and tachometer right in front of the driver. The xD has plenty of storage for odds and ends up front, including an upper and lower glovebox on the passenger's side and a change box and storage tray on the driver's side of the car. Satellite radio, auxiliary MP3 jacks that will fit any player – including iPod – and an audio faceplate that can display images and short movie or video clips are all within easy reach.
Exterior Features
Sitting wide and low, the 2010 Scion xD shares some of its bold exterior styling with other new Scions, namely the grille, multi-reflector halogen headlamps and turn signals with lights that illuminate in the sideview mirrors when each signal is activated. The vehicle also comes with 16-inch wheels and the choice of three different wheel-cover designs. In the rear, a long, narrow window with a rear wiper and small spoiler sits high above the bumper and chrome exhaust tip.
Driving Impressions
With its short, squat stance the 2010 Scion xD is capable of handling curves and dips in the road with ease, although rough road surfaces will make the ride slightly less comfortable. The 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine, engineered with Toyota's Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) technology, delivers 128 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque, nearly the same as the Versa and well above what is offered in the Honda Fit. This new engine is also a marked improvement over the powertrain in the defunct xA, offering more horsepower and torque, albeit on a heavier car. As with many small cars on the market, steep hills will not really showcase the engine's power. Those who want ample acceleration from stop lights and on freeway on- and off-ramps may be happier with the standard five-speed manual transmission than the optional four-speed automatic.
Pricing Notes
With only one trim offered, Scion buyers can get an xD with a manual transmission for just over $15,500, while an automatic transmission will bump up the price an additional $800. The Nissan Versa starts for considerably less, but doesn't have the same standard equipment content, while the Honda Fit is closer in price but doesn't offer features like the Alpine audio system and navigation. Before going to the Scion dealership near you, be sure to check out the Fair Purchase Prices for the xD, as they will give you an idea of what to expect at your local no-haggle Scion dealership. Over time, the xD is expected to retain a resale value similar to the Honda Fit and higher than the Nissan Versa.
Notable Equipment
Like any Scion, the xD comes with a wide array of equipment. Noteworthy amenities include keyless entry, power locks/windows/mirrors with driver's side one-touch auto-down, a tire pressure monitoring system, cruise control, electronic stability control, a tilt steering wheel with audio controls and four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA). To get its occupants safely to their destination, the xD is equipped with six airbags and active headrests in the front row that push the occupants back into their seats in the event of an accident. A Pioneer 160-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with iPod compatability and six speakers provides the soundtrack for any road trip.
Notable Options
Since the 2010 Scion xD comes with numerous features as standard equipment, available options consist mostly of items that are geared toward customizing the car, like illuminated door sill enhancements, sport pedals, a carbon fiber engine cover and 18-inch wheels and alloy wheel covers. A few more everyday options exist, such as a cargo cover and mat, floor mats and an auto-dimming mirror. An Alpine Premium audio system, subwoofer and XM Satellite Radio are also available, as is a plug-in navigation system (requires Alpine audio), Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity and hook-ups for a backup camera.
Favorite Features
Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) Screen
This groovy screen built into the audio faceplate on the dash allows you to display personal "skins" to further customize the interior of the car. Skins can be created and downloaded on a special site created by Pioneer just for Scion owners.
Flexible Rear-Seat Configurations
All three seats in the rear of the car can move independently of one another and fold in a 60/40 fashion, allowing you to arrange them to suit any travel or cargo need.
Under the Hood
The xD's 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with dual Variable Valve Timing offers 128 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy with both the manual and automatic transmissions is similar to the Nissan Versa and slightly poorer than that of the Honda Fit, which has significantly less horsepower. If you're looking for the best possible mileage, stick with the manual transmission to get the most bang for your buck.
1.8-liter in-line 4
128 horsepower @ 6000 rpm
125 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 27/33
Editors' Notes
Scion has, in its fairly short history, always striven to be the purveyor of uber-cool in the automotive world, looking to create true trend-setter and lifestyle-focused vehicles. What many overlook is that Scion builds products that are applicable to a wide audience of both young and old alike, as truly practical and affordable modes of transportation that don't loudly scream "budget." The 2010 Scion xD, with its aggressive short, squat stance, four doors and convenient hatchback, is a nice addition to the Scion family line-up. Although it delivers slightly less interior and cargo room than to old xA it replaced in 2008, the xD is fitted with a larger engine and, more importantly, significantly more horsepower.


text:
The emotional moment when doctors delivered the baby of a Syrian woman injured by an airstrike in the besieged city of Aleppo has been captured on camera, NBC News reported.
The boy's mother was seriously injured as she walked to the hospital to give birth.
Her right arm and leg were broken and surgeons had to pick shrapnel from her body before performing an emergency cesarean section.
The video was filmed by Waad al-Kateab and aired by Britain's Channel 4 News. It shows the agonizing moment when the boy was pulled, lifeless, from his mother's womb.
After several minutes, the boy suddenly shows signs of life. Eventually his cry echoes around the makeshift emergency room.
The footage was recorded in July and aired on Thursday.