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My history with Star Trek Online started way before their first beta. When it was announced, I created an account hoping I would get a beta key when it started. I got a key indeed, but it was (and still is) a Windows only game and I wasn't in the mood to do a Boot Camp just to play a game when World of Warcraft was playing fine on OS X.
The story would end there if it wasn't for an offer appearing on my Steam window after playing Terraria. The game was now being offered at US$ 3.75 and, since I now have a Windows partition (just to play games), I decided to finally check it.
Not that many people take notice of the install process, but I kinda felt there was something wrong when the Steam installer said it would need "10.000 Mb". I mean, such round number seems someone really didn't care how much space it takes; it was just someone saying "Meh, just make it 10Gb" instead of doing their job and checking how much space the game really uses.
With 20Gb free, there went the installer. Downloading 5.5Gb. Compressed around 50%? What a damn compression they have there, huh? Toping at 300kbp/s, it took a whole afternoon to download the thing. Rift, on the other hand, have to download 8.5Gb, but it goes up to 1.1mbp/s, giving me a playable game in around 2 hours.
After the download completed, the launcher appeared: A complete white screen with "Wait, loading…" Again, another sign that something was wrong: A launcher that looks like crap. After a while, a somewhat decent launcher appeared, asking login and password. The only reason I can think of for such awful thing is that the launcher is, actually, an HTML that needs to be downloaded from the server — or maybe they never heard of parallel programming or threads. Also, another sign of things going bad: pressing Enter after entering your password does not work; you must click the "Signin" button. After all that, the launcher pointed that "there was a problem with my account", the problem being I didn't had the game in my Atari account.
I got the keys from the Steam launcher, which kept popping their damn overlays all over my Firefox all the time telling me to add the keys to my game account in every chance it could. After a while, I got really fed up, copied the key to the clipboard and set it to go away and never come back.
Adding the key to the Atari account was as easy as you could imagine: You log in on your account, point that you want to add a key, paste the key, done. After that I thought I could finally play the game.
Not so fast. After the key was there and the "problems" with my account were solved, the game decided it needed patching. Another 4.5Gb download. And yet another sign something was wrong. I mean, if suddenly your patch is almost the same size of your initial download, maybe it's time to redo your initial package install, as downloading large amounts of data only delays the experience for new players — which is something you're trying to get selling your game at US$ 3.75. After a whole afternoon just trying to get it run, I gave up and went to bed.
Next day, new surprises: This time, the Steam launcher sent a 2.5Gb patch to the game. At first I thought it was the remaining of the previous day patch, but after it completed, the launcher went into patch mode again. Again, no amazing speeds.
The game
After the whole downloading was done and gone, I could finally see something that assembled a real game instead of a flash, in-browser game.
There is nothing fancy about the character creation screen: You have a character list, a create character button… Which gives access to Federation characters, and an option to create klingon characters, although you first need to unlock them (how is not explained). One thing you can notice there is that you can rename your character using Atari Tokens. Lots of content is available through those tokens, which you can buy with real money in the Atari Store and use on whatever games Atari have. My account had about 500 Atari Tokens and a rename costs around 180, if my memory doesn't fail.
After you create your character, you're greeted with him/her standing in the lounge of a ship.
The first thing you'll notice is how cramped the screen looks. And how bad the graphics look. There is a reason for that: Apparently, STO is not capable of getting your current resolution, so it defaults to 1024×768, which is not my monitor native screen resolution. It took me a while to realize that was the problem and not that the game actually looks that bad 'cause… well, 'cause I didn't had to change a game resolution for ages. World of Warcraft starts in the right resolution, Portal 2 starts with the right resolution, Rift starts with the right resolution. STO starts with whatever resolution the developers feel like.
Also, disregard the yellow bar right in the middle of the screen. To take screenshots on a MacBook Pro, the key combo it kinda messy like Shift+Fn+Alt+F11. In the game, Shift gives you a running speed, which can only be kept for a while, indicated by the yellow bar. Since I was pressing the Shift key, even without doing any movement, my "run power" was running out.
The first thing you learn is how to interact with your surroundings.
The action in itself is good and bad at the same time: Once you get close to anything you can interact, a popup appears asking what you want to do with it (most of the time, there is only one action, though). It's good 'cause it helps to find what you need to interact to continue. It's bad 'cause it's a freaking box that pops up right in the middle of your screen and there is no way to dismiss or move it. It may not look so bad here, but once you're in warp space (I will get there, don't worry), near a solar system, trying to find the next point you need to go to complete a mission and the damn box is right in the middle of the screen, covering whatever you have there, including the names of the solar systems — even the one you're trying to find — you just want the thing to blow up and die horrible in a fire.
One of the things I like is the ground combat. It is not that different from combat from Rift or WoW, but it gives a bit more stuff, like "couching", which increases your damage, resistance but reduces your movement speed. And that's basically it, but it gives a bit of a different taste to this game compared to the other MMORPGs. Everything else is the same: Move with WASD, use the right button to select a direction with your mouse, move the camera with your left mouse button… pretty standard movement.
You have access to a map but… Meh. It does it's job but there is nothing impressive. The first times I looked at it, I couldn't figure out if there was a waypoint to my quest or not. It took me a while to realize that there was a circle and the "i" pointing to the direction. "Oh, you dumb", you must be thinking. Well, there is this: First, the starting zoom doesn't take the zone with your waypoint. Second, if the waypoint is out of screen due the zoom, there is no indication about that. Third, even when the waypoint is in the screen, it doesn't blink or have a higher contrast to get your attention. If you're not used to it, it just looks like another element in the whatever you are.
As you progress through your missions, you get equipment that can be attached to your character, to your team or to your ship. The interface is basically the same.
The game changes the borders to where the piece can't go in red, with low contrast again, which doesn't get that clear that the piece can't go there. If the places where the equipment would go in, say, bright cyan, the location would be much much easier to find.
Once you complete the ground missions you get your first ship. And that's where the game falls flat on its ass.
Space Movemento and Combat
Knowing how the other Star Trek games handle space movement (I had one for the PSP), I knew I'd be steering a cow in molasses. What I wasn't expecting is that they would put such stupid restrictions in space like having a fake horizon, not allowing your ship to pitch up or down more than 45 degrees and make the ship "center" on the horizon every time. I played EVE 2 or 3 years before this game was released and they didn't had an horizon, which gives a better illusion that you're flying in space, not on Earth.
Not only that but, in space, you have to use your keys to control your ship. Oh, you can use your mouse, yes: Left clicking select a target, right clicking select a target and both keys let you move your ship — and your camera. There is no way, with mouse, to move your ship still looking for your target.
It may not sound that bad at first, but when you're fighting 3 destroyers, twice the size of your ship and you want to change the side of your ship to face them, allowing your shields to regenerate, it becomes simply impossible to do. Either you have to use the damn keys or you're fucked.
Not only the game takes you to that route, but warp is, actually, just another space. "Data, set destination to Wolf 359, Warp 0". And then there is the damn action window popping when you just got into "warp space" and you're looking for the damn system you need to go to complete your missions.
Once you complete the incredible easy starting missions — one single ship destroying borg drone ships? One guy with a single phaser killing borg drones with just 2 shots? — you get to the star base, which have a pretty crowded parking zone, you can customize your ship a bit.
The design options are a bit limited for starting ships, but you can get more stuff once you reach the rank of rear admiral — or so it seems, as most of the content you can buy with your Atari Tokens is for rear admirals. How long it takes to reach that rank is unknown to me: After playing for about 2 hours, all I could reach was the rank of "Lieutenant", which is around level 3.
Also, as I mentioned before, you can get more crew for your ship, with a tactical officer, a science officer and a engineering officer. As your own character you can customize them.
Some settings are just weird to watch them in effect. For example, changing the torso length and seeing it happen in real time actually looks like someone is stretching them, almost breaking their spines. Ugh.
Glitches Galore
In just one hour of play time, I managed to get increasingly annoyed by some small glitches.
For example, just because you're an admiral, it doesn't mean you should stand up on your chair.
And then there is the little to no differentiation between NPCs and players. Because you can customize the hell out of your appearance, including your uniform — and not counting the uniforms and races you can buy with those Atari Tokens — and they used that same thing for NPCs, you are never sure who is a player and who is a NPC. I mean, come on, wouldn't a star base at least have a dressing conduct or something?
And then there is the quest order you need to keep doing for NPCs to talk to you. For example, because I didn't talk with the admiral first (actually, I did, but I had to talk to him again to complete the previous quest), I couldn't talk to the NPC I needed to, even with the quest objective appearing right in front of me.
I understand that those are small issues, but it keeps piling up and that is just the starting quests.
Curious Aspects
One thing that really caught my eye was the user content. Yes, users can create quests and such, which is rated by the users.
There is only one thing: Because the content is created and rated by users, some… conventions are completely ignored. Or maybe the game simply doesn't understand that people from different countries can be playing the same content.
Honestly, although I call myself a trekkie and such, for US$ 15 per month, I'd prefer play Rift. Or even go back to WoW. But the game feels half-finished, even after a whole year after release. If it was cheaper, like US$ 3.99 per month or free to play — which could happen, as they have the whole C-Store and Atari Tokens — I'd seriously consider it. But, again, it feels half finished, some sequences are real killers and the price is too high for it.


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Jolt Awards: Mobile Development Tools, March 04, 2014 The best tools for the nuts-and-bolts of building mobile apps.
Jolt Award: Xamarin 2.0
Xamarin 2.0 makes it possible for C# developers to create mobile apps for both Android and iOS. The product offers its own IDE (Xamarin Studio), but the good news is that it also provides very stable and mature Visual Studio add-ins. These add-ins permit C# developers to use Visual Studio to develop, build, deploy, and debug apps for both Android and iOS. The one drawback to this hybrid model is that you need to have a networked Mac to provide the build and deployment services for iOS (therefore, you don't have everything you need to deploy to iOS devices in a Windows development environment). Xamarin Studio runs on a Mac and simplifies the path for iOS developers who have C# experience to target Android devices from a Mac.
If you want to develop an app that takes advantage of the specific features of the different mobile devices and their underlying platforms, you will have to learn the way the Android and iOS SDKs work. You will be able to develop simple apps without diving deep into the SDKs of your target platforms, but as your apps become more complex, you will definitely need to understand the different Android and iOS ways of doing things. Unluckily, in some advanced scenarios, you will need a basic understanding of Java (for Android) and Objective-C (for iOS) to generate your C# code with Xamarin because the SDKs don't provide some of the C# examples you might need.
However, Xamarin's many features make it easier for you to learn everything about a target platform. The code completion features work very well in both Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio. The plug-ins provide IntelliSense support for Visual Studio, so you can explore the APIs the same way you learn other .NET APIs when you work with this IDE. In addition, you can search for desired features in the Xamarin Component Store, where you can find third-party components that extend Xamarin features for the different target platforms.
You can easily reuse your existing C# codebase to target the most popular mobile platforms with Xamarin. And you can develop apps with very good run-time performance for these platforms without having to switch to Java for Android, Objective-C for iOS, or the combination of HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. The newest Xamarin version demonstrates that it is possible to use C# to create responsive mobile apps that really feel like native apps.
Because of the elegance of this solution and its ability to work with familiar tools to target the principal mobile platforms, the Jolt judges award Xamarin 2.0 this year's Jolt Award for best mobile development tool.


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The Chopin Project Slideshow has been updated! Take a look!
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Welcome to the Chopin Project!These pages are a gateway to the complete solo keyboard music of Fryderyk Chopin. The Chopin Project began as an ambitious live-concert-and-symposium series at the University of Michigan's acclaimed School of Music, Theatre & Dance with added support from CREES (The University of Michigan's Center for Russian & East European Studies) and the Copernicus Endowment. Now we intend for this site to be a global clearinghouse that will let fans, students, and scholars alike look up their favorite Chopin works, and discover more about them. So look for YOUR favorite Chopin pieces, discover new favorites, and share your thoughts with us!
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Lumidee (Feat. Lo G Music, Charlie Chase, & YG) - I Can Do Better
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Eileen has been baking for over 40 years as one of New York's top bakers. She started baking cheesecakes out of her apartment in 1973 after she sampled a cake in a deli and told the owner that her mother's recipe was the only cheesecake she liked. That very day, the owner told her if her recipe was so good he would have to taste it. The deli owner gave her the ingredients to bake the cake and began placing orders after he sampled her sweet bites.
Shortly after that fateful day, Eileen's sweet success began to grow as she took space in Queens and started her wholesale business. Soon her retail business sparked as passersby began to request her delicious New York style cheesecake, and word of mouth spread. In 1976, she moved operations to its current location at 17 Cleveland Place. Being so close to Little Italy helped her retail business blossom and her warm personality made her an instant hit in the neighborhood.
Today, Eileen has been praised as New York's Best Cheesecake by celebrity chefs, the Zagat Guide, WOR Radio, and nationally recognized food critics. She has been featured on the Food Network's "Food Feuds" hosted by Michael Symon, and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and the Cooking Channel's inaugural "FoodCrafters" episode. More recently, she has been featured internationally on UKTV's "James Martin's United Cakes of America," "Maximo en New York" with Argentinian chef Maximo Lopez May, "Street Food around the World" with Ishai Golan, and "Steve Harvey Show"!


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The Celecot collection offers a soft shag rug in a variety of colors. All rugs in the Celecot collection are hand crafted and imported from India. Comes in white, beige, taupe, brown, purple, green, and black.
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Baby Born at Train Station - Sisters Follow at Hospital
Read the story. Click the "LISTEN" button at the bottom of the page to hear the story. When you are done, click the "NEXT" button.
One day a woman was waiting for a train at the train station. She was pregnant with triplets and was on her way to her doctor's office. As she walked up the stairwell, she felt the first contractions start. She knew she was going to have the baby there. She could not wait for the train to take her to her doctor's office.
A history teacher also happened to be at the train station. He rushed over to help her. He took off his shirt and caught the first baby as it was born. He used his shirt to wrap up the baby. The baby was a very tiny baby girl. She only weighed three pounds.
The man called the paramedics to come help the woman and take her to a hospital so that she could deliver the other two babies with the help of doctors and nurses.
When paramedics arrived, they rushed the baby to an Oakland hospital. They put the mother in another ambulance and took her to a different hospital so that she could deliver the other babies. The doctors delivered the babies by doing surgery on the mother. The other two babies were also little girls.
The babies were too young to be able to swallow their food, so doctors and nurses were feeding them through a special tube. The impatient babies and their mother are all doing well.
(This was adapted from an original story provided by News10 KXTV Sacramento.)


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tobysmom said:
When we returned the owner was there and not the trainer. She looked at Nikita and said "why would you bring a shiba to doggie play time no shiba likes to play with other types of dogs? My husband raises (shows,breeds) Basenjis and I would never bring one to play time." She said this while Nikita is playing with her lab friend. We were asked to leave and not come back, with her comment I would not have gone back anyway.
tatonka said:
Problem #2: Tatonka is a finicky eater. I like to know how much he's eating or not eating. But depending on the folks working there, the uneaten food is either left in the container or totally washed out. It's hard to monitor your dog's food intake if stuff just gets washed out.. I think they do it out of politeness, but I'd rather just get the unfiltered data on my dog.
Problem #3: Tatonka can be a bully sometimes. Sometimes he does make some little dogs hate him because he hates to lose. So this will result in them putting him with the big dogs. I'd like to know this has happened but sometimes I'll get the answer "oh, he really likes the big dogs". Again, this is done out of politeness but I'd rather just get the data on what might be going on..
Disclaimer: I'm an extremely finicky/annoying owner and the daycare I go to is really, really good. My 3 points make it sound bad, but it's pretty rare to find a place this good.
@Bootz :P
KenzoLA said:
Kenzo's trainer said "you should be more worried about Kenzo getting rough and hurting a little dog"
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Singer Leann Rimes marked two years of marriage to Eddie Cibrian this week with a low-key anniversary celebration and a personalized cake.
The couple celebrated the milestone on Monday, and Rimes revealed the actor was working for most of the day, but he managed to find time to enjoy a special dinner with his wife in the evening.
Rimes posted online a picture of the card Cibrian gave her, as well as an "anniversary cake" which was decorated with lyrics from Patty Griffin's "When It Don't Come Easy" – the song chosen by the stars on their wedding day.
In a series of messages on Twitter, the singer writes, "Thank you all for the anniversary wishes. It's a happy day!… Love my hubby (sic) for the sweetest card… Beautiful anniversary, low key and lovely. Thx (thanks) for all your sweet well wishes…"
The couple met when they began an affair on the set of a TV movie and later divorced their respective spouses before marrying in 2011.
Thank you all for the anniversary wishes. It's a happy day! ❤
Love my hubby for the sweetest card and bring framed pics of last year's anniversary to TO…. Just beginning twitter.com/leannrimes/sta…
— LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) April 22, 2013


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The oil industry's organization in the Middle East and some of its fiscal consequences
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Abu Dhabi Aminoil and Iricon Arabian Oil Company Aramco arbitration authorised the Secretary-General barrel revenue big four changing circumstances collective bargaining companies participate jointly company and Government company's conces concession agreements concessionaire companies control over supply decrease in posted economic favourable agreement favoured nation clause foreign capital Government and company Gulf important increase Indonesia international majors IPC Group Iran Iranian Consortium Iraq joint producing operations juridiction Kuwait Libya long duration marketing operations Member Countries Middle East Most-Favoured Nation Clause national courts negotiate Neutral Zone newer agreements NIOC offshore concession oil industry OPEC payment per barrel period Petroleum posted price reduction producing companies producing concession producing countries producing crude oil producing interests producing profits actually profits actually realised Qatar and Abu Regulation of Non-Fiscal royalty Saudi Arabia Shell sionaire companies so-called 50/50 agreements STANFORD tax collector tax rates Texaco throughout the world tion unit revenue Venezuela vertically integrated


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Story highlights
- Max Page of Super Bowl ad fame has a congenital heart disease
- The actor has had eight surgeries to date
- The 8-year-old uses his voice to raise money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles
- "It's the first time Darth Vader's been good," he says
One of the most memorable Super Bowl ads in recent years starred a pint-size Darth Vader attempting to use the force all over his house, finally succeeding, or so he thought, in starting his dad's car.
These days the boy behind the Vader mask is strictly using his force for good. Max Page, the 8-year-old actor who stole audience's hearts in the 2011 Volkswagen ad, was born with a rare congenital heart defect and has undergone eight surgeries, most recently last summer. But his medical problems haven't dampened his spirit.
As head of the Junior Ambassadors Program for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Max has dedicated much of his young life to raising awareness and funds for other kids in need. Or as he says, "It's the first time Darth Vader's been good, so that might be a little change."
Max had his first surgery at 3 months old after being diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. The congenital heart defect, which changes the normal flow of blood through the heart, occurs in about five out of every 10,000 babies, according to the National Institute of Health.
Max's charitable efforts began almost as soon as his medical troubles did. By the time of his first birthday, he had already endured four surgeries. His parents, Jennifer and Buck Page, said they felt grateful to the families who came before them and others who donated to keep the Los Angeles hospital and neonatal intensive care unit open.
"We feel a tremendous responsibility to make sure the doors stay open for us and families that follow us and to do our part," Jennifer Page says.
Every year, Max and his younger brother Els, 7, pick a charity and ask for donations in place of presents for either of them.
"We've raised over $50,000 over the years for charity causes of all kinds. Now everyone looks forward to what the boys are going to do," Jennifer Page says.
Max's fame from the Super Bowl ad has widened the family's reach and strengthened his impact.
"Hopefully, I can just use my force for even better good, and I hope that it works," he says.
The vivacious youngster regularly speaks and campaigns for Children's Hospital Los Angeles as well as smaller organizations such as Saving Tiny Hearts in Chicago. Max also visits children in the hospital and has become something of a role model. He takes his responsibility seriously since he also looks up to someone -- snowboarder Shaun White. He has yet to meet the Olympic gold medalist, but he says he will have a lot of questions when he does.
His mom watched White compete in the Olympics the same year Max was first diagnosed, and after hearing from doctors about the limitations her son would face, she says she found hope in White, who has the same heart defect.
"I remember watching, and the significance for me was that Max could have energy. We could actually focus on hope that Max could have energy, and it was actually possible," she says.
She adds, "I looked at what his (White's) parents must have had to do to let him live so free. Because I just want to wrap Max up in bubble wrap and not let anything touch him. And they didn't. Shaun White's parents said go for it"
It's been seven months since Max's last surgery -- an open heart pulmonary valve replacement -- and he has been cleared for all activities by his doctors. He's back campaigning for the hospital, and he's learned to snowboard and also plays Little League Baseball. Soon he'll even return to his role on the CBS soap "The Young and the Restless."
In his own words, "I'm back to being me."
His mother says that she and his father try to lead by example but attributes much of the boy's positive attitude to Max himself.
"There's just this innateness in him that says I'm going to fight, I'm going to conquer it, I'm going to win. From the very beginning, he's had to fight. From his very first breath, he's had to fight hard for every breath, and ... I think that is just part of his nature."
While he was the breakout star of a previous Super Bowl, this year Max will be watching the game at home with his family. He says he's a bit overwhelmed with his two favorite teams competing against each other.
"I'll win and I'll lose. So I'm not going to root for anyone," Max says. "I'm just going to hope it's a good match."


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High schools try therapy pets, 'recess,' no-homework nights to lower 'epidemic' student stress
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MT. PROSPECT, Ill. – Stress, anxiety and panic attacks are on the rise at many U.S. high schools, due to heightened academic expectations and troubles at home made worse by the shaky economy.
So some schools are trying unconventional methods to help students cope. Those methods include homework-free nights and the teenage equivalent of "recess" at a small but growing number of schools across the country.
At Prospect High School in suburban Chicago, counselors are using a "therapy dog," an 18-month-old golden retriever named Junie.
The staff there says Junie helps lighten the mood and, in more severe cases, aids them in calming students who are having panic attacks. Guidance counselor Lynn Thornton says they're seeing more students who are having to be hospitalized because of anxiety and depression.


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Six Carroll County hitters combined for 61 kills Tuesday as the Cavaliers knocked off Richlands 25-10, 25-11, 25-27, 25-19 in a Southwest District volleyball match in Richlands.
Maleah Neely (16 kills), Dionna Reece (13), Sarah Singleton and Lauren Roper (12 each) all had a big night for Carroll County (7-0 overall, 1-0 district).
Neely and Reece served for four aces each, Reece with 21 service points and Neely with 20. Lauren Roper had nine blocks, Honesty Rogers came up with 22 digs and Lindsey Davidson had 11 digs for Carroll. Neely put up 22 assists and Morgan Dickens added 15.
Galax def. Floyd 3-0:The Maroon Tide won its 11th straight match with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 nondistrict win Wednesday in Galax.
Allison White had 12 kills, four blocks, three digs and four service points and Bailey Shumate added five kills, 11 digs, 12 assists and seven serving points for the Maroon Tide (11-1).
Galax jumped out to big early leads in the first two sets before rallying from being down 13-10 in the third.
Grace Wilson chipped in with nine assists while Kelsey Reedy and Kaitlin Porter combined for 13 digs. Kemberlea Simmons put away six kills for Galax.
Galax def. Narrows 3-1:The Maroon Tide battled back from a first-set loss to take down the Green Wave 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-13 in a Mountain Empire District match Thursday in Narrows.
White totaled 18 kills, 10 digs and five blocks for Galax, which got 13 kills and 16 assists from Shumate, plus 20 assists and five digs from Wilson.
Galax improved to 12-1, 3-0 in the district with the win.
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If and when I ever run out of Down On The Street cars in Alameda, all I'll need to do is head across the Bay to find another vast storehouse of old street-parked machinery. San Francisco is rough on cars, but that just means that the old veterans boast that many more character-building battle scars. Take, for example, this 1968 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, shot in North Beach by AlfaDog. It's got the kind of rust you get from parking too close to the ocean (prevailing winds tend to blow the salt spray quite a distance inland), and the boat marker light as a hood ornament really adds that special nautical touch. Make the jump to read AlfaDog's desciption.
Taken last week in the North Beach area of SF, all I can find out is that I think its a Series 5 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (1965-68?) and has current tabs, so I guess it's a daily driver... and a boat navigation light for a hood ornament! Parking brake seems to be fully functional as well... black & yellow license plates seem to make people happy too - sorry for the quality of some of the shots, it was cloudy & my camera is not pro-quality!
Thanks, AlfaDog! Next time I'll try not to take so long to post your photos.


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As I've often said before I really enjoy my drive to and from work each day. Long before we moved I loved the views on St. Rose Road. With summer approaching the landscape is once again refreshed by the cover of wheat that many of the farmers have planted in the fields that run next to the road side. I just love the way they look soft and bristly all at once, for some reason it reminds me of buzz cut and I can't help but want to stick my hand out the window and run it along the top of it.
With all that scenery I have a tendency to get distracted, even more so than with my usual attention problems, it's no surprise then that I'm forever running late. I had been doing better but this morning we were running behind again and this time not to my credit. You see we got behind an incredibly tall hi boy tractor and if you've driven that road you know there aren't many places to pass.
Now it may seem odd but tractor traffic truly doesn't bother me. You're forever hearing stories about how someone's fate is changed by a minute or two difference in traffic. I figure me having to slow down for a tractor may be just some cosmic way to get me to where I'm going at the proper time.
Tractors have actually been a big topic of discussion at our house of late. While we only have three acres and in no way need a top of the line set up complete with air conditioning and radio we're beginning to realize that for mowing purposes alone we're going to need more than a riding mower. Not to mention if Dennis is going to continue with the same size garden that he took on last year we're going to need more than his tiller. A small tractor really seems to be the answer.
Never once in my youth did I think a tractor or maybe a small barn would top my wish list. Although comically enough right before Dennis and I married my mother told me that she'd had a dream that I was marrying an Amish farmer and that they needed a tractor for my dowry. At the time the whole scenario seemed absurd to me and more so than just for the simple reason that the Amish don't own tractors. Who knew that I'd now be wishing they'd given us one!
I'm guessing this newfound love of tractors is just another thing to add to the list of my gradual progression from city to country girl. I will even admit to now liking the Kenny Chesney song, "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and I really do seem to be listening to more and more country music.
I suppose then that it shouldn't be any wonder that, secretly or maybe not so secretly now, I enjoyed the fact that we had to list tractor as the reason for Tori being late to school this morning. While I'm, of course, not trying to excuse or promote truancy or lateness to school I just couldn't help but smile when Tori was asked, "Why were you late today?" and she piped up happily, "We got behind this REALLY big tractor."
Amy Morgeson
Covert Chickens
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Want to hear more?
Have a question about IFS or our solutions?
Our contact form and local phone numbers can be found on the Contact Us page.
Those charged with managing complex project lifecycles are often forced to use separate software products to manage different stages of the project -- tendering, commercial, estimating, engineering, procurement, fabrication, planning, cost control, construction, installation and commissioning.
The enterprise project management software (EPM) capabilities of IFS Applications unite these steps in a single integrated process, pulling data on real-time activities directly into a project plan. This affords the ultimate in control and visibility, enabling real-time control over cost, cash, time, resources and risk that perhaps no other application suite can deliver. IFS offers a true project-based solution (PBS) – in essence, an enterprise solution built around project management principles rather than repetitive processes.
That is why IFS integrated project management software is the solution of choice for project-intensive industries like offshore oil and gas, aerospace and defense, engineer-to-order manufacturing, mining, infrastructure, shipyards and construction/engineering.
Have a question about IFS or our solutions?
Our contact form and local phone numbers can be found on the Contact Us page.
IFS conducted a study among executives at middle market to large industrial companies to better understand how well current enterprise resource planning (ERP) options meet the needs of companies in project-driven industries including:
• Engineer-to-order manufacturing
• Aerospace and defense manufacturing
• Engineering, procurement and construction contracting
• Asset-intensive business like batch process manufacturing


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Another Everquest, with old-school charm. Also, sweet double-barreled crossbows.
The game's called Pantheon, and it popped up on Kickstarter yesterday, promptly raking in over $40k in pledges. The guy behind it all, Brad McQuaid, had previously worked on both the first Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. It really shows. Take a look:
We're looking at a harsh and difficult high fantasy MMORPG with old-school sandbox elements, plenty of lore and exploration, a focus on grouping, and clearly differentiated classes—but peppered with modern improvements, like a more actiony twitch-based combat system.
Not that there is an actual game to look at just yet. Pantheon is currently in pre-alpha, with a promised release window of January 2017. Of course, the campaign needs to gather its $800,000 first, plus a buy-to-play subscription-based game, in this day and age... a bit risky. Then again, $40k in the first day. Let's wait and see.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen [Kickstarter]
Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.


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Undergraduate Studies
If you are looking for an intentionally small, intellectually demanding liberal arts school where students are seen, heard, known, and valued, Marlboro College would be a great college choice for you.
Graduate and Professional Studies
Ready to apply for a master's degree or certificate program? Please fill out our online application. Interested in continuing education? Apply for classes as a non-degree or non-matriculated student here.


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About The Amazing Race
THE AMAZING RACE is an Emmy Award-winning adventure reality series hosted by Emmy-nominated host, Phil Keoghan, which pits 12 teams, each team comprised of two members, against each other on a trek around the world.
At every destination, each team will have to compete in a series of challenges, some mental and some physical, and only when the tasks are completed will they learn of their next location.
Teams who are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning $1 million.


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Frank McCue: Sports doc to the stars
Ralph Sampson, Sissy Spacek, and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair have at least one thing in common: They share the same legendary doctor.
As well known as Dr. Frank McCue is, he's incredibly private, and he responds to a request to sit in the HotSeat with a suspicious, "What did I do?"
Well, the man whose name is on the front of the McCue Sports Center has done plenty.
A pioneer in sports medicine, he's treated thousands, both athletes and couch potatoes, during his 40-plus years as a doctor at UVA. After all, "a broken bone is the same whether it's a football player or grocery clerk," says McCue.
He remembers a time when there were only a handful of orthopedic surgeons in Virginia, when that sort of surgery often was performed by general surgeons. He was at med school studying to go into OB-GYN when he pretty much fell into the job of team doctor. "Nobody was interested in taking care of athletes," Doc McCue recalls.
He roomed with Buzzy Wilkinson, whom McCue calls "Virginia's first good basketball player," and started helping the players when he got out of the clinic around three in the afternoon.
"I was interested in sports, but I wasn't going to make it my life," he says. But upon returning to UVA after two years studying hand surgery, McCue stepped into taking care of UVA's athletes and those in Richmond, at VMI, William and Mary, Hampden-Sydney, and Randolph-Macon. "There was a need and not that many people around to do it," he notes.
The walls of one of his two offices in the McCue Center are lined with photographs of people whose names also are on buildings at UVA. For instance, he has a picture of mega-donor Carl Smith from the days when he played football at Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, which McCue also attended for two years.
There's a photo of his grandfather, the first Frank McCue, a founder of Martha Jefferson Hospital, and his father, Frank McCue Jr., an engineer. But McCue III, who carries a quintessential Charlottesville name, actually grew up in Maxwelton, West Virginia, in Greenbrier County although the family made frequent trips to Charlottesville.
After a career treating all those athletes, what does McCue consider the most dangerous sport? He suggests that recreational sports like skydiving, bull riding, and skateboarding are all more dangerous than organized sports like football and basketball.
"Gymnastics are very dangerous," he adds.
Although he retired earlier this year, McCue still gets calls every day from coaches, players, and their families.
To those considering a career in sports medicine, McCue advises, "The first thing you do is get rid of that unlisted phone number," perhaps remembering many 1am calls from coaches concerned about their star players.
Clearly McCue could have made a bundle going pro. But he has no regrets that he stuck with UVA. Not only did he get to do what he likes, but he got his name on a building– without having to ante up millions of his own money.
Age: 73
What brought you here? Heritage
What's worst about living here? I don't think there's anything bad about living here.
Favorite hangout? McCue Center, University Hall, and Scott Stadium.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I think there's a heck of a lot they'd be surprised about, but I'm not going to tell everybody.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I think it's a little late for that.
What accomplishment are you proudest of? Making it for 73 years.
What do people find most annoying about you? Probably a variety of things. If I found something that was annoying people, I'd certainly try to change it.
Whom do you admire? Too many to list– teachers, professors, surgeons. Family would be at the top.
Favorite book? Anything by Louis Lamour
What thrills you about life in the 21st century? Surviving to make it
What creeps you out about life in the 21st century? Nothing any more than in the 20th century
What do you drive? A 2002 Cadillac and two pickups
What's in your car CD player right now? Ray Price
What's your next journey? Charlotte
What's the most trouble you've ever gotten in? Do you think I'm going to answer that?
What do you regret? Nothing I can think of
Favorite comfort food? Cheeseburger deluxe from Riverside
What's always in your refrigerator? Dr. Pepper and chicken salad
Must-see TV? Law and Order
Favorite cartoon? Looney Tunes
Describe a perfect day. Waking up in the morning and seeing I made it through the night
Walter Mitty fantasy? None
Who'd play you in the movie? Larry, Moe, or Curly
Most embarrassing moment? I can't zero in on one.
Best advice you ever got? Shut up and keep going.
Frank McCue III


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text: Microsoft today announced Age of Empires II HD Edition, a reimagining of the 1999 real-time strategy game. With Ensemble Studios closed, work on the updated version is being done by Hidden Path Entertainment (Defense Grid series, Counter Strike: Global Offensive).Age of Empires II HD Edition will launch on April 9 exclusively through Steam across the world. Gamers won't need to wait that long to play, however, as those who prepurchase (at a 10 percent discount) will be able to jump in April 5.Age of Empires II HD Edition includes every single-player campaign from the Age of Kings original and the Conquerors expansion, totaling 18 in all. In addition, gamers can challenge other Steam players through the game's online mode.According to Microsoft, Age of Empires II HD Edition has been remastered for high-resolution displays at 1080p. It also includes an "enhanced visual engine" sporting improved textures for terrain, water and fire, and ambient lighting effects.Steamworks features for Age of Empires II HD Edition include achievements, leaderboards, matchmaking, and cloud support. In addition, gamers can share user created content through the Steam Workshop.Lastly, Microsoft revealed the minimum system requirements for Age of Empires II HD Edition today. They are listed below, along with the game's debut trailer.Minimum System Requirements:Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 ProSteam Software Platform900x600 minimum display resolutionDirect X 9 Capable GPU1.2GHz CPU1GB RAM2GB HDD


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Chivas USA adds trialist Ponce
Carson, CA – Chivas USA has added midfielder Aaron Ponce on loan from sister club Chivas Guadalajara.
The 20-year-old will be available upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
Ponce came up through Chivas Guadalajara's youth academy and has represented the club at various youth levels.
He was a member of Chivas Rayadas most recently, a Second Division team in Mexico's Liga Premier.
Ponce was a member of Mexico's youth national team and took part in the 2009 Under-17 World Cup.


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Dave White Profile
Dave White
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
Like being in jail. Read full review
Jen Yamato Profile
Jen Yamato
A movie fiend on a mission
Jen Yamato is a walking, popcorn-eating contradiction: she loves all kinds of cinema, from art films to schlocky B-movies...Read full profile
A movie fiend on a mission
Jen Yamato is a walking, popcorn-eating contradiction: she loves all kinds of cinema, from art films to schlocky B-movies...Read full profile
An aggressively mediocre work of alleged romantic comedy. Read full review
Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.
out of 100
Metascore®Generally unfavorable reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.
That's what The Bounty Hunter has rustled up -- along with a listless rom-com, a feeble thriller and a supporting cast of clueless characters.
Read Full Review
Why, oh, why, was this movie necessary?
We have to take the sexual tension on faith, as with everything in this formulaic glob of a script.
The mishmash ends up as a thoroughly unfunny adult cartoon.
In The Bounty Hunter, the couple that foils a bunch of tiresome grade-C thriller goons together stays together. Whether or not that's a recipe for love, it's certainly not a formula for romantic-comedy magic.
See all The Bounty Hunter reviews at Metacritic.com
Pause for kids 14 & under
Stereotypes and minor violence arrest this dull romcom.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this uninspired romantic comedy with an action twist is a little more violent than most films of this genre. It has gunfights and knee-whackings, but no outright gore. There's a fair amount of swearing, including "ass" and "s--t," and an improbable reunion between a career woman and the ex-husband who can't seem to stop making fun of her, which sends some mixed messages about love and relationships. A scene set in a strip club includes some barely clad women (thongs, bras/pasties); there are plenty of references to sex as well.
Messages: Aniston's character is supposedly independent and successful, and yet she's still painted as someone who's fragile and incomplete unless she's with a guy. And not just any guy, but one who -- what else? -- needs redeeming. Buried amid the rubble of unfunny jokes is an interesting, but hardly surprising message about how relationships crumble because of two people's shortcomings, not usually one.
Role models: Milo and Nicole are supposed rough-and-tumble characters, and certainly nice enough, but he's a caricature and she's a contradiction. Though meant to portray a smart, sassy reporter, Nicole spends nearly the entire movie in impractical high heels and cleavage-baring tank top.
Violence: Loan sharks whack a guy's leg with a golf club. Two men have a fistfight at a parade. A formerly-married couple bicker; she throws things at him, he insults her. Guns are drawn and fired; two characters are injured. A street chase results in an SUV careening off the road and rolling over. A guy is Tasered.
Sex: A couple banters flirtatiously. There's talk of "getting laid" and many other references to sex. A seduction attempt includes someone being straddled. Very scantily clad (thongs, bras/pasties) women dance in a strip bar. A man and a woman kiss.
Language: Pretty pungent, indluding "ass," "hell," "s--t," "pr--k," "Goddamn," and "dick."
Consumerism: Some logos for champagne (Moet); newspapers (Daily News); fast-food restaurants (Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins) and hotels (Trump Taj Mahal and Borgata).
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Stolen cocaine figures into the story, though nobody is shown using it. A main character is briefly seen drunk.
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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.
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After weeks of exhaustive research uncovering the industries and companies that are in the most trouble right here, right now, I'm proud to release my latest investment book at BrokenBusinessModels.com or get it free with your paid subscription to TradingWithCody.com.
Every business, no matter how great, at some point becomes not so great. Technologies change, laws shift and secular progress will take place regardless of how hard you try to stop it. And lest you think that you're smarter than the average bear and will always recognizes problems, take the case of one Warren Buffett.
In 1970 the Sage of Omaha bought Blue Chip stamps, a company that issued loyalty rewards that companies could hand out to customers to incentivize them to keep coming back. Warren has remarked "When I was told that even certain brothels and mortuaries gave stamps to their patrons, I felt I had finally found a sure thing." In 1970 there were 60 billion stamps in existence and the company had $126 million in revenue, about $700 million in today's money; by 2005 that was down to $25, 920. That's barely enough to charter one of Berkshire Hathaway's Netjets for a weekend, let alone move the meter on a company with $100 billion in revenue. If Warren Buffett, the most legendary stock picker in history can make the mistake of not seeing where the world is headed, so can anyone.
Don't despair though, there are ways to get through this. There are always signs when a business is headed downhill, such as whether they can't pivot to a new technology, or management is stubbornly convinced that they need to fight old battles. Over the last couple years finding short cases has become an increasing part of what I do and we've had several substantial winners. In the case of A123 systems I targeted a company with a blazing hot IPO that was nothing more than shell to funnel off taxpayer money. Here's what I said in December of 2010, before AONE's 75% decline.
In the case of Lender Processing Services (LPS) we spotted a company that was not acknowledging the huge legal cliff is was about to run off. In this report we talk about a company very much related to LPS that we think can match the 55% fall its seen since first wrote about it.
With Research in Motion (RIMM), the case is very different, they actually make a useful product and are amazing innovators (the co-founders practically invented mobile email). But their refusal to accept that Apple had built a product that everyone wanted cost their shareholders ten of billions of dollars. When I first told the readers of my book "50 Stocks for the App Revolution" to stay away from RIM the company hadn't yet begun its 75% slide.
Why is all this so important right now now? First off, there is no such thing as a bad stock, just bad a price. At some level everything has value, it all depends what you pay for it. But in all the cases I've outlined, the market is still willing to support these broken businesses, often at multibillion dollar valuations. If you look at some of the metrics I've pulled for you you'll see some big cash flows and fat dividends; unfortunately for these stocks those numbers reflect a past reality, not the shifting future. The stock market is the ultimate objective judge and arbiter of value and the point is that we can make money getting out of and getting short these names before everyone else gets it.
But that alone isn't enough; bad businesses can stay expensive for years—just ask anyone who tried to short the housing bubble before it ultimately collapsed. Timing is everything and because I think the timing is right, I am going to be adding a couple new short ideas to the Revolution Investing portfolio over the next couple issues.
In fact, I've just completed a brand new investment book called: The Dirty Dozen: 12 Stocks with Fundamentally Broken Business Models (the full report is available for $79 at http://brokenbusinessmodels.com) because I want to target the most obvious losers of the new world. We are at the crossroads of huge technological, financial & regulatory shifts, many of which are well past their tipping point. Enormous tectonic moves have already taken place and lots of the low-hanging fruit has already rotted (think Blockbuster, Fannie & Freddie) but there is so much more yet to collapse.
The world is never going to back away from iphones and remote data, so you need to avoid companies that are clinging to revenues that will be disrupted by the App and Cloud revolutions. You need to avoid investing in financial companies that have been living off the fat of government welfare and by exploiting the poorest in society; their ability to leverage shady practices is coming under more scrutiny than at any time in the past 50 years. And most of all you need to protect yourself from complacency and think about your portfolio of stocks in terms of owning whole businesses. Given the entire spectrum of the investment world would you really want to be the CEO of a student lender? A radio analytics company? A financial company that can be regulated out of existence?
I wrote this book to help you avoid industries and businesses that have seen the world pass them by, and to make money by getting short uninformed optimism. You can get it for $79 at BrokenBusinessModels.com or for free with your paid subscription to TradingWithCody.com.
Cody Willard writes Revolution Investing for MarketWatch and posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com. At time of publication, Cody has no positions in the stocks mentioned.


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In the latest (Winter 2011) edition of The Whisky Advocate, Dave Broom (one of the world's finest whiskey writers) wrote an entertaining article describing a tasting experience with a woman that really knew her whisky. She noted that mature sherry aged whisky has a touch of the same aroma that an indigenous ant (in her area) gives off when crushed. Dave, who has been known to have some wild descriptors, was initially perplexed by hers.
Soon after the discussion, Dave found himself in the woods observing the very ant the woman described. For the good of whiskey geeks everywhere, Dave expedited the ants journey to its maker. He gave the ant a crush and noted the same aroma the woman had mentioned, and clarity was achieved…at least for him.
Dave used this story to illustrate what a big wide world it is, and how important it is to get out there and take it all in. "We all have ants to crush", he wrote.
Taken figuratively, he's absolutely right. All whiskey lovers (or aspiring ones) owe it to themselves to get out there and educate their noses and palates. Open up your spice cabinet. Put a flame to a sugar coated banana and find out what it smells and tastes like (you'll find this type of aroma and flavor in MANY bourbons). Crush sweet southern spearmint and cloves in your hand and see what the combination brings. No doubt this will educate your senses. But crushing ants in the hopes that you can log it away in your sensory rolodex? Is that just a bit too far?
Here's my ultimate point – if a crushed ant has a slight sweet-sharp acidity to it much like vinegar (which it does according to Dave), why not describe it as such in tasting notes? Would that not be a clearer and much less remote ("out there") descriptor for the reader? And if so – think of all the ants that would be saved!
Dave argues his approach by stating his reviews would be all too similar in descriptive language if he didn't push things a bit. He used another example of describing something as "fruity" vs. describing the actual fruit the whiskey smells or tastes like. I agree there also. A red apple and a green apple have very different aromas and flavor profiles – no doubt, but fruits and ants are vastly different in terms of how likely a reader can relate to them. And who is the review for?
For clarification, I believe Dave Broom is as good as it gets in whiskey writing. He is someone I respect a great deal, but as a whiskey reviewer myself I found this article tough to agree with. A point he did make late in the article is using Twitter to write short reviews that worry less about tasting notes and more about the attitude and mood of the whiskey. That I can get behind as it helps the reader get a picture for how the whiskey delivers flavor across your palate.
In closing I pose this to you folks, are whiskey reviewers taking things a bit too far with some of this stuff? What is your take?


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this comedian.
Adrian Mesa
Once described by a fan as, " The New Miami Sound Machine"- Adrian Mesa a native South Florida comic that captivates audiences with a very original comedy style-mixing sounds, songs, and stand-up to the delight of many a diverse crowd. He's received kudos and won many festivals and competitions, including the Latino Laugh Festival, Las Vegas Comedy Festival, and Comedy Central's South Beach Comedy Festival. He recently was voted "Best Comedian of 2009" by Broward Palm Beach New Times.
Adrian Mesa's Upcoming Shows
Adrian Mesa is Known For
|Las Vegas Comedy Festival
|Sundance Film Festival
|"Xemoland" animation short selection
|Just For Laughs "New Faces" class of 2010
|Montreal, Canada


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Started Jun 26, 2014 0 Replies 0 Likes
For more than a decade, the Energy Center of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Builders Association have designed and delivered premier conferences for building industry professionals. In 2015, they will…Continue
Tags: conference
I am a member of Home Energy Pro's site and have found it to be a great resource. I have been around the energy industry and have new social media website focusing on energy conservation: www.greenplug.nu
I'm reaching out to members who already share the same interest as Green Plug District will focus on. We have a founder's page up and looking for people to join for free create a profile and start adding content at: http://w321503.s182.ufhosted.com/gp-forum/
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I know, I know. He's not a smart man. He acts like one. He postures like one. He speaks with the force and tone of a man who thinks before he speaks, but it's all a front. I had the misfortune of overhearing ESPN's bombastic Colin Cowherd's assessment of Cam Newton after a week 2 loss vs. the defending champion Green Bay Packers. Newton threw for a rookie record 432 yards. The finer points of the assessment were as follows:
- He's thrown for a ton of yards. So what! Everyone has. Look at the record book.
- There is really nothing to see here. Keep it moving. 854 yards in 2 games by a rookie is not a big deal.
- Andy Dalton has won a game. He's deserving of as much attention as Newton. Wins matter most.
- Newton is one of only 4 mediocre QB's with more interceptions than touchdowns.
- It's early.
Well, it's certainly early. With Week 3 not quite complete, the list of quarterbacks who have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns has some new names:
- Philip Rivers
- Ben Roethlisberger
- Josh Freeman
These are not mediocre quarterbacks…but this is what happens when miked morons like Cowherd go on uninformed rants. For what it's worth, Newton is off that short list and now has 4 touchdown passes to match his 4 interceptions. He also has rushed for 2 touchdowns and become the first rookie to pass for 1,000 yards in his first 3 games.
As for winning games, Newton took care of that as well by leading the Panthers over the visiting Jaguars on Sunday. Dalton, for his part, remains winless in the real world. His Bengals could manage only 8 points against the San Francisco 49ers. His lone statistical win comes via an weird and absurd NFL rule that grants wins to the starting QB of the team that wins a game. If that QB plays for one down and throws a Pick 6, but his team recovers to win the game with the backup, the starter gets the win. For Dalton, it's not much better. He was granted one of these statistical wins even though Bruce Gradkowski did the heavy lifting in Cincy's Week 1 win over Cleveland. Dalton was knocked out with the Browns leading 14-13. He has yet to beat a real live, flesh and blood football team that plays with cleats and pads and stuff.
So, what do we do with miked misinformation machines like Col(o)n Cowherd who talk crap about things they don't understand? I suppose we just let the record speak for itself. It's not as if his editors could actually make him WATCH the games.


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My preparations for May-time this year include finishing a book. As some of you may have guessed, the reason for my silence is because I've been laboring away in my Writer's Cloister again, this time trying to finish my fourth novel, The Midnight Dancers, due to be published at the end of May. For those of you who've never read my novels, I hope you'll consider starting with this one: it's the beginning of a new series, of a sort, a romantic adventure with philosophical undertones, all disguised within the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I am trying to delicately weave into the narrative some themes that are very dear to my heart, including beauty and Our Lady. If you could spare a prayer for me as I labor, I would be truly grateful.
I leave, for your appreciation, this holy card which is one of my favorite images of the Blessed Mother and our Savior, with whispers of the Holy Spirit about her. The passionate expression on Our Lady's face never fails to move me. Here is a woman in love.
Peace to your day.


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TEEN to hire new director
The Technology Excellence in Education Network board will have a phone conference meeting at 4 p.m. today, April 10, to consider approval of a contract for a new director. Director Brandi Hendrix has accepted a principal position in Herington.
The phone conference will originate from the USD 410 district office, 416 S. Date St., Hillsboro.
Hendrix said she would not announce the name of the candidate until the meeting.


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2009 Prix Vineyards Reserve White Riesling:
Rancho Wieruszowski Vineyard
Prix is for the man or woman who enjoys only the best… and who will welcome nothing else. This reserve release manifests the same philosophy of passion, flavor, and flair; no Prix Vineyards bottling is the same as any other − each is the finest selection of the year's harvest bounty. The 2007 release presents aromas of orange blossoms, honey, and citrus fruits. On the palate is a glorious mix of apricots, citrus, and lemon pie that dances on the tongue. This is the wine you think of when you hear the words "reserve Riesling." Accept nothing less: PRIX. Only 400 cases produced.
Wine Specs:
Vintage: 2009
Varietal: Riesling
Appellation: Napa Valley
Vineyard Designation: Rancho Wieruszowski
Suggested Retail Price: $36
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Hannity scores a hat trick
Research ››› ››› ANDREW SEIFTER
FOX News Channel Hannity & Colmes co-host Sean Hannity completed a hat trick of mischaracterizations on his May 18 show. First, he distorted Senator John Kerry's record on the gas tax; second, he repeated distortions of Kerry's record on defense; and third, he yet again falsely claimed that the recession began under former President Bill Clinton.
In asking guest Tyson Slocum, the research director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program, "Shouldn't John Kerry apologize for offering a 50-cent-a-gallon gas tax increase?" Hannity echoed a Bush-Cheney '04 campaign ad, which claimed Kerry "supported a 50 cent a gallon gas tax." Yet Hannity and the campaign ad distorted Kerry's record on the gas tax. As the nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Political Fact Check reported on April 30, "Kerry's support for a 50-cent-a-gallon increase in the gasoline tax happened a decade ago, back when regular was selling for a national average of $1.01 per gallon" and he "never voted for, or sponsored, legislation to impose such a tax, and he doesn't support one now, when the price is just under $1.76." [According to the American Automobile Association (AAA)'s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the national average of regular unleaded gasoline per gallon is currently -- as of May 20 -- $2.01, a record high.]
On the other hand, the chairperson of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, N. Gregory Mankiw, supported a 50-cent increase in the gas tax as recently as 1999, The New York Times reported on April 18. And as The New York Times reported on April 6: "In October 1986, when [Vice President] Dick Cheney was the lone congressman from energy-rich Wyoming, he introduced legislation to create a new import tax that would have caused the price of oil, and ultimately the price of gasoline paid by drivers, to soar by billions of dollars per year. 'Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States,' Mr. Cheney, who is now vice president, said shortly after introducing the legislation."
As Media Matters for America has documented, Hannity's May 18 claim that Kerry "wanted to gut defense" echoed Bush-Cheney '04 campaign ads and misrepresented Kerry's record on military funding. As the Annenberg Political Fact Check has explained, "[I]n fact, Kerry voted for Pentagon authorization bills in 16 of the 19 years he's been in the Senate." During an interview on the May 12 edition of Hannity & Colmes, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said that he, too, had "voted against defense appropriations bills." The Chicago Tribune also noted on February 17, 2000, "McCain has frequently voted against defense authorization bills filled with Cold War weapons systems -- such as the C-130 airplane or the Seawolf submarine -- he believes should not be built." Furthermore, as Slate.com "War Stories" columnist Fred Kaplan noted in a February 24 military analysis, former President George H.W. Bush and his defense secretary, Dick Cheney, sought defense cuts.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 31, 1992, Cheney stated:
Congress has let me cancel a few programs. But you've squabbled and sometimes bickered and horse-traded and ended up forcing me to spend money on weapons that don't fill a vital need in these times of tight budgets and new requirements. ... You've directed me to buy more M-1s, F-14s, and F-16s -- all great systems ... but we have enough of them.
Cheney's requested cuts came on the heels of President George H.W. Bush's announcement in his State of the Union address three days prior:
After completing 20 planes for which we have begun procurement, we will shut down further production of the B-2 bomber. We will cancel the small ICBM program. We will cease production of new warheads for our sea-based ballistic missiles. We will stop all new production of the Peacekeeper [MX] missile. And we will not purchase any more advanced cruise missiles.
On March 19, when McCain was asked on NBC's Today show if he thought Kerry was weak on defense, McCain said, "No, I do not believe that he is, quote, 'weak on defense.' He's responsible for his voting record, as we all are responsible for our records, and he'll have to explain it. But no, I do not believe that he is necessarily weak on defense."
Finally, Hannity completed his May 18 hat trick when he claimed, "[W]e got [the weak U.S. economy] out of the Clinton-Gore recession." Media Matters for America's report "Backdating the Recession" catalogued numerous false references in the media to Bush's "inherited recession." In fact, as "Backdating the Recession" showed, the U.S. economy went into a recession for the first time in ten years in March 2001, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private, nonpartisan organization whose business cycle announcements have long been considered the definitive word on recessions.
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BUCKNER-- Tonight at 7:30 is the football season's first intra-county matchup as North Oldham travels to Oldham County. Can't be at the game? Sports editor Jason Stamm will be live blogging the game, beginning at 7 pm so check back here for all the full details. Chat, ask questions and find out the game's ins and outs.
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Get ready for the only pizza tour you'll ever need. New York is world-famous for it's thin-crust pizza and Brooklyn has some of the best slices in the city. Even if you only have one day you can check out all the best places. START AT MOTORINO WILLIAMSBURG (139 Broadway, Brooklyn NY 11211) I'm partial
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On of the best kept secrets is New York is a tiny Tudor village tucked between Broadway and West End Avenue called Pomander Walk. It was built in 1921 to resemble the set of a hit London play at the time called Pomander Walk. The Pomander Walk runs a full block on the Upper West
The Next Wave Festival has been BAM's most daring programming since 1981. This year's festival will feature 30 theater, music, dance and film productions and runs from September 9 through December 20. There is so much to see at this year's festival so check out our guide below for all the best insider's tips. Nonesuch
PDT (short for Please Don't Tell), is one of the coolest speakeasies around. You'll find a vintage phone booth within Crif Dogs. Pick up the phone and dial one. Once they answer… then you're invited in. Along with its high-quality classic cocktails and a well-chosen selection of beer and wine, you can also order food
Do you love classic New York movies? Then you'll go crazy for this self-guided tour of NYC film locations. Follow in the footsteps of the stars… Breakfast at Tiffany's: Breakfast at Tiffany's begins with one of the most classic scenes in American film history. With a French cruller in one hand and a hot coffee


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Filed Under (Honda) by admin on 22-04-2011
INSTALLATION ■ Outline Procedures This section gives general information needed for mounting the individual radio components on and in the fairing. A) Fairing 1) Install radio on fairing before mounting fairing on motorcycle. (Remove fairing from your motorcycle when already mounted). 2) Remove fairing parts. 3) Drill unit mount holes. 4) Install six wire clips. 5) Install windshield on fairing before install- ing speakers. 6) Install radio indicator I on indicator panel II , then install indicator panel on fairing. 7) Install speakers III. 8) Install nutplate IV. 9) Install Power Amplifier in fairing. 10) Install radio funer VI. 11) Install the radio controller VII. 12) Install controller base panel VIII 13) Install radio switch sub-wire. 14) Connect adapter harness and wires inside fairing by working through left turn signal lens hole. B) Motorcycle frame and handlebar 1) Remove travel trunk and seat. Unscrew four shelter bolts (M6, one on each side at front and rear) to route antenna feeder. 2) Install antenna mount and antenna IX. 3) Route antenna feeder along the frame tube. 4) Install radio switch X on left handlebar lever bracket and route the wires. 3 of 11 Page 4 C) Fairing instllation 1) Install fairing on motorcycle. 2) Connect motorcycle wire harness 9-P coupler to fairing wire 9-P coupler. 3) Connect radio switch wire to switch sub- wire.4) Connect antenna feeder. 5) Confirm that radio operates properly. Reinstall parts removed in step 2 or (A) and in step 1 of (B). REWORKING ■ Remove Fairing and Fairing Parts (Fig.10) 1) Install radio on fairing before mounting fairing on motorcycle. (Remove fairing from your motorcycle when already mounted). 2) Remove right and left fairing pockets, right and left turn signal lenses, right and left nutplates, left hole cover and indi- cator base panel from fairing. (Fig.10) Fig. 10 LEI-1 NU I PLATE 4 of 11■ Reworking on Fairing — Speaker mounting holes- 1) Remove 18 mm grommet. 2) Lightly roll template so that it will follow contour of fairing snugly. 3) Position template on fairing with its upper and outer edges aligned with those offairing as indicated by arrows. 4) Attach template to fairing using adhesive tape where shown. 5) Punch mark centers of four holes with a
drift and hammer. 6) Drill 6 mm holes through marked centers. To obtain a more balanced response with richer, deeper bases, drill two 50 mm holes in the fairing so as to link the speaker box with the inside of the fairing. Fig. 11-1
—Power amplifier mounting holes- 7) Drill two 5.5 mm holes through concaves in fairing. Fig. 11-2 RIGHT HAND SHOWN, LEFT SIMILAR ADHESIVE TAPE


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Sunday, 29 January 2012
Musings and Miscellany
Here's some things from the project for this week. First, a cantankerous engineer character that I'm working on. I'm planning to do a finished concept for this guy next and maybe another emote sheet for the sculpt (cos those are always fun!). Just a rough head for now though:
A location shot of the town where the locomotive, El Cisne departs from:
And here are some quick notes about the process I use for doing the industrial designs bits. Let me know if it doesn't make sense.
More soon,
12 comments:
- Kan Muftic said...
This is beautiful, Nick!
- 30 January 2012 at 00:43
- Mayavan Thevendra said...
Ace work Nick - liking the engineer's scraggly beard ::
Cheers for the process notes!
- 30 January 2012 at 01:44
- Anneka Tran said...
Great stuff, Nick!
- 30 January 2012 at 04:28
- VertexBee said...
Great ! Love the engineer :)
- 30 January 2012 at 06:00
- jake gumbleton said...
He is marvellous mate!
Super useful info on the Maya stuff too. I am beavering away on my new stuff. Been hammering Zbrush for a few weeks now... Its like having an old friend back bit with fabulous new shiny bits. So powerful as a concept tool.
- 30 January 2012 at 11:32
cool blog !
- 30 January 2012 at 13:01
- Szymon Biernacki said...
Nice stuff! I was wondering before, while looking at the aeroplanes concepts, if you were using 3d or maybe you were that good with perspective. Now I feel relieved;) You are human...
Btw, did you use a 3d base for the city painting?
- 31 January 2012 at 04:53
- Nick Carver said...
Szymon Biernacki: I wish I was better at drawing in perspective; it's something I keep meaning to put more time into, but never end up doing...
The city painting I actually did without any 3d, but there's a lot of perspective errors as a result! I did dins quite a quick way to start the painting though by creating a bunch of house silhouettes and then combining them before using the perpective tool. Then I did the same with another load of building silhouettes and skewed them toward the other persepective point. Then I had a couple of pretty solid masks (somewhat) in perspective that I could paint into to get a base. Might just use 3d again next time! :p
- 31 January 2012 at 07:16
- Szymon Biernacki said...
Hey Nick, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the perspective of the city (maybe the church on the top of the hill is a bit off, but that's pretty much it). Actually, the reason why I asked about a 3d base is because it looks really good:)
- 31 January 2012 at 08:05
- Nick Carver said...
Good call on the church, Szymon. It's been bugging me a lot and I think maybe I'll get rid of one of the spires. Glad the perspective looks ok! Cheers!
- 31 January 2012 at 08:22
- Peter Oedekoven said...
Nick , great as always:)
- 1 February 2012 at 01:05
- estevaolucas said...
very nice that image of the city Nick! Great work and composition with this birds leading the eye! very nice man! Do you use 3d to do the houses?
- 20 May 2012 at 15:57


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SNOW HILL – Before approving a new set of standards for fire companies, the Worcester County Commissioners plan to meet with county fire chiefs to discuss acceptable equipment age.
Since 1977, fire apparatus has been limited to 15 years of service without underwriter approval and up to 30 years with an underwriters' certificate.
The standards, as interpreted by local fire chiefs, require fire companies to possess at least one pumper younger than 15 years of age.
Questions on the recent overhaul of the fire company standards prompted a discussion this week over the length of time a piece of apparatus should be limited to. The fire chiefs left the age standard alone earlier this year.
Others have questioned the apparatus age as being too restrictive on small fire companies.
Donald Westbrook of the Newark Fire Company wrote to County Commissioner Linda Busick at the beginning of this month proposing the age change.
"In Newark's case, we have had to put aside so much money to pay for these new engines that we have come to the point that most of our firefighter gear does not meet current NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)," Westbrook wrote.
According to Westbrook, the Newark Fire Company had to purchase "an almost inadequate rescue truck" because it needed to save funds for a new engine, despite the higher numbers of traffic accidents the company responds to versus the number of fires.
"As technology changes, these pieces of apparatus are made to certain standards," said Worcester County Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon.
Safety technology changes relatively rapidly in the firefighting world, necessitating new equipment.
Commissioner Virgil Shockley, a school bus driver, wondered if a similar practice used on school buses could be utilized.
"They'll go ahead and retrofit the buses," said Shockley.
McMahon said, "There's an awful lot you have to do to it, and rehab is very expensive," said McMahon.
Commissioner Bob Cowger wondered, "Is there a resale [value]? Can you get anything out of them?
"It's bottom dollar," said McMahon.
Most fire companies in Worcester County donate old vehicles to other fire companies. Older fire apparatus from many Worcester fire companies can exhibit low mileage with fires occurring relatively near firehouses in the towns and villages of the county.
"I can't understand why the fire chiefs could not agree to make 'em 20 years," said Cowger, whose initial interest in the subject prompted a review of the age standard this spring.
The smaller, county-based companies do not get the extra funding from municipalities on top of county monies, he said.
"I personally have no problem with it," said McMahon.
The fire companies fear that extending the un-inspected life of their apparatus would reduce their budgets, he said.
"The biggest controversy is funding," McMahon said.
Cowger made a motion to table the discussion until the commissioners can talk further with local chiefs.
"I hate going against the chiefs' recommendation," said Cowger. "Actually, I'd like to table it. I'd like to meet with the chiefs."
There was no rush to approve the standards, he said.
"I'd like to have a sit down," Shockley agreed.
Commissioner Judy Boggs pointed out that all the county fire chiefs signed off on the standards, which do not change the apparatus age, and presumably have already debated the pro's and con's.
"I want to see 'em face to face," said Shockley. "Let's do it right."
Commissioner Louise Gulyas agreed with Shockley and Cowger on the meeting, though she had mixed feelings on the proposal to extend the unexamined life of fire apparatus.
"It makes it so difficult for a small fire company like Showell or Girdletree or Newark, makes it very difficult for them to raise money," Gulyas later said. "It's hard to say. I just want the men to be safe. I just want the equipment to work."
The commissioners voted to table a decision and meet with the fire chiefs. Boggs cast the only dissenting vote.
"I don't think it's necessary," Boggs said.


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Diane L, Connecticut
- 12/30/2013
About Me
Hello! I'm Diane from Connecticut. I became a member of the Moms Panel in 2009 and and truly enjoy answering your questions. I love to travel – especially to Walt Disney World! Because my father made a career in the navy, my parents, four brothers and I had the opportunity to live in many places during my childhood including Spain (where I was born), Virginia, Rhode Island and California, and for most of my life, Connecticut. We drove coast to coast in our station wagon – twice - which allowed us to see many of the states. Besides Disney, I also enjoy following the Connecticut Huskies and the Boston Red Sox. I am a teleworker for an insurance company based out of Hartford, CT where I work as a product consultant. I enjoy volunteering and watching my children in their school and sporting events.
About My Family
My husband and I have been married for 25 years. Together we have three amazing children. Our two handsome sons are 21 and 19 and our adventurous daughter is 16. We also have two pets. Sunny is our adorable yellow lab and Oreo is our crazy tuxedo cat. Walt Disney World is our vacation destination of choice. Our favorite family rides are the Magic Kingdom Mountains (Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain) and Test Track. Some of our best family memories have happened when we were at Disney World. When we want to add extra excitement to the trip, we invite Grammy Pat (my mom) to come along!
About My Disney Experience
My family has enjoyed over 20 vacations at Walt Disney World. I've traveled to Disney before having children, and while pregnant, with my children throughout all their stages in life – as infants through near adulthood. We have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts – value, moderate and deluxe. Our family's favorite resort is the Contemporary, but we also enjoy the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Pop Century. I believe Disney vacations are like snowflakes – no two are alike! By staying at different resorts, visiting different theme/water parks, dining at different locations and trying some of the many other activities Disney has to offer, you can keep your Disney vacations fresh and exciting.