text: Validity and Reliability of the Robotic Objective Structured Assessment of Technical SkillsSiddiqui, Nazema Y. MD, MHSc; Galloway, Michael L. DO; Geller, Elizabeth J. MD; Green, Isabel C. MD; Hur, Hye-Chun MD; Langston, Kyle PA; Pitter, Michael C. MD; Tarr, Megan E. MD, MS; Martino, Martin A. MDObstetrics & Gynecology: June 2014 - Volume 123 - Issue 6 - p 1193–1199 doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000288 Contents: Original Research Abstract In Brief Author Information OBJECTIVE: Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills have been developed to measure the skill of surgical trainees. Our aim was to develop an Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills specifically for trainees learning robotic surgery. METHODS: This is a multiinstitutional study conducted in eight academic training programs. We created an assessment form to evaluate robotic surgical skill through five inanimate exercises. Gynecology, general surgery, and urology residents, Fellows, and faculty completed five robotic exercises on a standard training model. Study sessions were recorded and randomly assigned to three blinded judges who scored performance using the assessment form. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing scores between participants with different levels of surgical experience; interrater and intrarater reliability were also assessed. RESULTS: We evaluated 83 residents, nine Fellows, and 13 faculty totaling 105 participants; 88 (84%) were from gynecology. Our assessment form demonstrated construct validity with faculty and Fellows performing significantly better than residents (mean scores 89±8 faculty, 74±17 Fellows, 59±22 residents; P<.01). In addition, participants with more robotic console experience scored significantly higher than those with fewer prior console surgeries (P<.01). Robotic Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills demonstrated good interrater reliability across all five drills (mean Cronbach's α 0.79±0.02). Intrarater reliability was also high (mean Spearman's correlation 0.91±0.11). CONCLUSION: We developed a valid and reliable assessment form for robotic surgical skill. When paired with standardized robotic skill drills, this form may be useful to distinguish between levels of trainee performance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II An assessment form for robotic surgical skill that demonstrates construct validity and interrater and intrarater reliability may be useful to distinguish between levels of trainee performance.Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey; and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Corresponding author: Nazema Y. Siddiqui, MD, MHSc, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3192, Durham, NC 27710; e-mail: email@example.com. Supported by the National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences under award number UL1TR001117. Dr Siddiqui is supported by award number K12-DK100024 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The authors thank Grace Fulton, BS (research coordinator), Duke University Medical Center, for study coordination; Samantha Thomas, MB, Duke University, for assistance with statistical analyses; and Jon Kost and Hubert Huang, Lehigh Valley Health Network, for assistance with video editing and data coordination. Presented at the 2013 APGO/CREOG Meeting, February 27–March 2, 2013, Phoenix, Arizona. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Financial Disclosure All authors received reimbursement for travel from Intuitive Surgical, Inc., for a total of three curriculum development/research meetings. Dr. Pitter is a paid consultant for Intuitive Surgical, Inc; Dr. Geller has received speaking honoraria. © 2014 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.


text:
Europe › Bulgaria › Bansko › Bansko Hotels
Dedo Pene House
Alexander Buynov 1 Street, Bansko, Bulgaria
Dedo Pene House Rates and Deals
Dedo Pene House Bansko Reviews
11 reviews
Wonderfully stripped from touristyness in summer Jul 16, 2011
In winter this must be a touristy tacky place to sleep, but in summer there's no one here and it's a great place to stay. Because Bansko is a ski resort in winter, the city is full of huge concrete hotels. This authentic hotel next to the church however has a lot of atmosphere. They decorated the old complex like a farmers house from 100 years ago and the staff wears 'traditional' clothing. This can all be very tacky when full, but in summer you can be the only guest in the hotel and the owner sits down to drink a beer with you and talk about the mountains.
The location is amazing and the owner is very friendly. His staff doesn't speak English, but he does. When I went into the mountains it was no problem to leave a bag in his locked office for a couple of days. The included breakfast in the morning is great. This guy knows how to bake some eggs.
Join TravBuddy to leave comments, meet new friends and share travel tips!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Attention Ladies:
So You Want to Learn How to Play Golf?
Discover the Insider Tips You Need to Know to Play Like
From the desk of: Katie Hoyt
When it comes to golf, don't worry about being embarrassed or unsure of what to do next...I'm going to fix that right now.
Here's why:
In just a few moments, I'm going to reveal how you can discover all the insider tips, tricks, techniques and secrets you need to know to begin playing like a pro the very first time you step foot on a golf course.
It's true. And you're simply going to be amazed at how easy it is to play this game well … when you follow my simple advice.
I've put together the most complete and comprehensive women's golf
guide available today to teach you every important aspect of the game,
from A-Z.
I've put together the most complete and comprehensive women's golf guide available today to teach you every important aspect of the game, from A-Z.
Hello my name is Katie Hoyt and right up front I want to be completely honest with you.
I am not a professional golfer … and I don't want to be one. I work closely with
Jack Moorehouse from HowToBreak80.com and frankly, he's the
reason I put this information together for you. He came to me with
this idea because he knew I'm a real student of
the game and heard that I was considered the "Diva of Golf",
bringing a real women's flair to the game.
I work closely with Jack Moorehouse from HowToBreak80.com and frankly, he's the reason I put this information together for you. He came to me with this idea because he knew I'm a real student of the game and heard that I was considered the "Diva of Golf", bringing a real women's flair to the game.
I grew up in a golf family and I
I grew up in a golf family and Iplay off a 6 handicap index by the USGA. I've never competed in a professional tournament but have played in over 55 competitive amateur tournaments and had the pleasure of winning 7 of those.
So when Jack asked me to put this information together for
his women readers, I felt honored...and excited.
So when Jack asked me to put this information together for his women readers, I felt honored...and excited.
See, I've played the wonderful game of golf for almost 27 years now and started playing when I was just 10 yrs old.
But even though I've been playing for almost 30 years, I still remember what it was like when I first started out. I still remember how hard it was.
In fact …
'One of the Things That Bugged Me the Most When I First Started Playing Golf was That I Didn't Have Anyone to Show Me How it's Done'
That, in a nutshell, is why I've decided to write a book that provides an insider's view of golf so you won't ever have to feel like a beginner – even if you've never played golf before in your life!
Ladies, it doesn't matter whether you're significant other is pushing you to learn this game or this great sport is just something you've always wanted to know how to play, this is the guide for you!
You don't need to know anything about golf right now. I have written a completely detailed education and teaching manual. It will explain every part of the process you need to go through in order to play golf like a pro.
In this comprehensive, yet easy-to-read handbook:
How to Save Yourself from Tons of Embarrassment When You Finally Step Out on the Course
As a beginning golfer, I spent a good amount of time on the driving range before I ever set foot on a golf course. I also bought golf clothes, including shoes, and I had new clubs and a new bag thanks to my soon-to-be husband.
But even though I had all this great stuff and maybe I looked like I knew what I was doing to some people the truth was, out on the course, I didn't have a clue about much more than how to hit balls on a practice range.
I didn't know anything about what it was like to actually play a round
of golf.
Things like hitting order, what you do after you hit your tee shot, who putts first … all of it was unfamiliar to me.
As a result, I made a lot of mistakes and I embarrassed myself more than once … well, actually, I embarrassed myself a lot.
I don't want the same thing to happen to you. That's why I've gone to great lengths to ensure this ebook covers everything that the beginning golfer needs to know to play this wonderful game the right way.
You'll learn:
Learning How to Play Golf Has
Never Been
Lots of people will tell you that watching the pros play on television is a good way to learn how the game is played.
I don't agree, not entirely anyway.
When you watch golf on TV you're seeing the best of the best. You can ooh and aah over how the pros hit the ball and maybe pick up some things to try the next time you play, but tournament coverage doesn't show the other stuff, like how to drop your ball when you've decided you're not going to try to fish your old one out of a water hazard, how you repair divots and dings to the playing surface and so forth.
That would be boring.
So, if you want to watch golf on TV, fine. But if you want to learn how to navigate the game of golf on a real golf course, read my ebook!
Here's What Others Have to Say
So What Are You Waiting For?
Order "Ultimate Women's Golf
Guide" Today & Discover Everything You Need to Know to Become
Plus, Order Now & You Can Save
Having the "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" ebook is like having your very own personal golf tutor on call 24/7!
If you have ever dreamed of effortlessly teeing off and hitting a long drive … or draining a 12-foot putt or if you just want to know what to do and how to act on the golf course so you won't embarrass yourself … then you will not want to miss this fantastic new ebook that contains the most up-to-date golf tips, techniques and information.
Just consider this:
If you are thinking about taking golf lessons, with this ebook you'll learn to golf in a shorter time while saving hundreds of dollars!
Plus, whenever you have a question you can immediately turn to a page in
this ebook and get an answer instead of waiting for your next training
session or for an instructor to email you back or return your phone call .
Did you know that private golf lessons can cost $50 an hour or more?
Now imagine if you didn't need a golf instructor or if you were able to dramatically cut the number of lessons you needed to take … how much would you save?
If you took
lessons just one hour a week for a month, you'd already be spending over
So how much would you expect to pay for an ebook containing advice and information that quite literally could change your life by 1) enabling you to golf better than you ever imagined or hoped for and 2) providing you with the golf knowledge base that is sure to impress the other golfers in your life?
Certainly, even over a hundred dollars would not be unreasonable to many considering the cost of private lessons … but relax you won't have to pay near that much for the "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" ebook.
In fact, right now, for a
limited time,
you can take advantage of my
special introductory offer and receive
Women's Golf Guide"
for just
that's a
full 50% OFF the regular price of
$74 .
That's less than what you would spend on a cup of coffee a day for a month at Starbucks. That's less than what you would spend on lunch for two at a trendy restaurant.
Why is the price so low? Because I understand that in today's economy, you might not have that much money to spend on golf training materials.
That's why I AM NOT going to charge you some ridiculous amount.
It goes against my personal sense of what is fair and right. There is no argument that what is being offered is of tremendous value, but I don't believe in excluding anyone from being able to learn and prosper from what I'm offering.
That's Why This is Your Best
Bonus #1: Special Report- "How To Drop Seven Shots In Seven Days" by Jack Moorehouse
For those of you who
know Jack and have been reading his newsletters or bought some
of his products, you know how much he loves this game and enjoys
helping people go low. He put in some long hours
documenting the exact things he taught Michael over this seven day
period and and you get to "ride along" as he helps him prepare
for a tournament with his boss that not only helped his golf game...but
saved his career as well.
In this report you will receive:
And oh yeah...this is no wimpy 3 pager. Last I checked it was more than 20 pages of pure instruction and content. $29 Value.
Bonus #2: "25 Lessons to Improve Your Game Immediately" eBook
Bonus #3: Mike Pederson's "Fit To a Tee" eBook
Bonus #4: How To Break 80® "Secret Low-Handicapper" Article Series Never Before Released to The Public
For years Jack has been writing special articles for newsletters and certain subscribers that are not available to anyone except these few people who subscribe or have paid for these newsletters. We've aggregated some of the best ones (as determined by reader feedback) and are providing them as part of this offer if you act today. As part of this special limited-time offer, I am going to include some of the best articles we've written on subjects such as the following:
Bonus #5: FREE Lifetime Upgrades to "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide"
As the Ultimate Women's Golf Guide gets bigger and more comprehensive the price will inevitably go up as well. You can do the math on your own if you were to pay for every upgrade I do for the book and I'm sure you can see that it would be pretty substantial. Act today and never pay another dime for upgrades to the "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide".
I insist that you order "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" entirely at my risk.
That's why this ebook comes with a Risk-Free, 60-Day, 100% Money-Back Guarantee.
There's absolutely NO RISK on your part. Why am I going to such great lengths to ensure your satisfaction?
though I've been golfing for over 30 years - I want you to feel
absolutely certain there's no way you can
After all, my reputation is on the line.
So go ahead and order my ebook today. Then read the information, follow my step-by-step instructions and learn how to impress both friends and strangers with your golfing ability!
That's right, I am so sure that you will love
"Ultimate Women's Golf Guide"
if you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, all you have to
do is simply notify me within 60 days and I will refund your money, in
full, with absolutely no questions asked!
Learn Everything You Need to
Here's the bottom line on this guide:
Lots of golfers are introduced to the game of golf by a family member or a friend. I'm one of them — I was in my mid 20s when my soon-to-be husband — a superb amateur golfer — suggested I might like to learn.
Unfortunately, that was about all he did.
After a few turns at a driving range where he showed me the basics, I was basically on my own. I only wish that I had access to a comprehensive guide like this back then. Things would have been so much easier. I wouldn't have had to go through all the embarrassment and frustration of learning by trial and error.
But while I had to go through all that, now you don't … thanks to "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide." Get this ebook today and immediately impress the golfers in your life with your understanding of the game, your knowledge base and, yes, even your skill set!
Thanks to "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" you can become an impressive golfer – with a lot less effort than you probably ever expected!
Never before has such a comprehensive and effective how-to guide been available.
That's why I can't urge you enough to order "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" and start using it today!
You are sure to be surprised at how little work and effort is actually involved for you to start golfing like a pro – and you are sure to have a lot of fun during the learning process!
"Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" will comprehensively teach you everything you need to know to golf, from absolute beginner level right through to pro.
That's right, order "The Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" now and you will save 50% off the regular price of $74.
But don't delay!
I must warn you that I can't keep this ebook at this low price for long. It is far too valuable.
To take advantage of this tremendous offer while it lasts, simply click on the order button below.
(You get 50% off the regular price)
Here's to having fun and lower scores!
Katie Hoyt
Author of "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide"
P.S. Remember my special introductory offer won't last long. Receive "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" for just $37 before it's too late!Also remember, that you are making this purchase at absolutely no risk. So grab this special price while you can! If "Ultimate Women's Golf Guide" isn't everything you were expecting, simply notify me within 60 days and I will refund your money immediately.
Let me give you one more reason why you should buy this ebook today:
The Ultimate Women's Golf Guide will give you
all the very best advice and
information on learning how to golf in one easy-to-use resource. Why
spend hours and hours tracking down information that may or may not be
reliable or taking expensive lessons when you can learn everything you
need to know to become a great golfer –
and I do mean
everything – from one convenient, inexpensive ebook?
Click here to order today.
questioning whether this ebook is right for you?
Email me to discuss how this ebook can
benefit you in particular.


text:
Room to improve? Dermot Bannon and others on their renovation wishlist
- Interiors
- February 24, 2018, 06:00
An extra bedroom, a new kitchen and clever storage are among the most wanted
Erasmus scheme expansion to benefit thousands of Irish students
- Education
- February 11, 2018, 00:00
Taoiseach says one of his 'big regrets' is not taking opportunity to study abroad
Sets and the city: benefits of exercising in the big smoke not that clear
- Fitness
- February 7, 2018, 07:01
'Joggers are almost certainly and unwittingly damaging their lungs by breathing in diesel'
Making a home in Ireland: What's an immersion? Why is it so expensive?
- Homes & Property
- January 27, 2018, 06:00
We talk to three couples from overseas who have rented or bought homes here
Ways to get children to eat healthy food
- Food & Drink
- January 20, 2018, 06:00
It can be difficult for parents to get their children to eat healthy food but teaching them to cook can having a lasting impact on(...)
Ways to achieve an hour a day's exercise for your children
- Fitness
- January 17, 2018, 06:01
'Taking exercise should be part of family life and it needs to be driven by the parents'
College abroad: learning to deal with the culture shock
- Education
- January 9, 2018, 00:00
For Irish students studying abroad, heavier workloads, less spoonfeeding and more independent learning can be a jolt to the system(...)
It's a parent's duty to prepare kids for life - like how to load a dishwasher
- Parenting
- January 4, 2018, 09:26
While chores may prepare children for life, for some parents it's not worth the hassle
The children who will spend Christmas Day in hospital
- Health & Family
- December 19, 2017, 03:01
'The staff have been absolutely amazing and are so thoughtful and caring to her'
'It's about giving something back': the many reasons to volunteer
- Health & Family
- December 12, 2017, 08:01
Ireland has the highest rate of volunteering in Europe
Mother of four children with special needs describes her day
- Health & Family
- December 12, 2017, 07:01
'It is unbearably frustrating as everyone keeps fobbing us off,' says Linda Comerford
I thought I had an insect bite; the GP said it was a cyst; the surgeon talked amputation
- Health & Family
- December 4, 2017, 07:01
Sarcoma, a rare cancer, can be difficult to detect but is also very aggressive
'My baby's ashes arrived by courier along with a shopping delivery for my neighbour'
- Health & Family
- November 21, 2017, 05:01
Tracey Smith is still angry over her ordeal before and after her daughter's stillbirth
Will my new furniture arrive in time for Christmas?
- Interiors
- November 18, 2017, 06:00
Some bespoke items, such as Italian leather sofas won't be ready in time but plenty of outlets will deliver before the big day
Suicide or Survive: there is light at the end of the tunnel
- Health & Family
- November 13, 2017, 06:01
'SOS is leading the way through active collaboration which we believe will drive positive social change'
100 pounds in 7 months: This time, weight loss was different
- Fitness
- November 7, 2017, 06:01
When a mother-of-three started eating healthily and set fitness goals, everything changed
From Limerick to London with flowers
- Gardens
- November 4, 2017, 06:00
Aoife Power grew green fingers in Dublin's parks, but now her world is window boxes
Is there educational value in a €1,600 school skiing trip?
- Education
- October 30, 2017, 12:00
Most second-level schools now organise overseas tours for students. But many question if they are too expensive and have any educa(...)
New York Marathon: All I need is the air that I breathe . . .
- Health & Family
- October 30, 2017, 02:01
David Crosby is running the marathon despite having had a double lung transplant
Older, and wiser, students
- Education
- October 24, 2017, 00:00
Colleges are catering to a rapidly-growing section of the population: retirees
The kitchen gadgets food pros can't do without
- Interiors
- October 21, 2017, 00:00
Blending, blitzing and the one-pot wonder are always close to hand in these kitchens
The spices with hidden health benefits
- Health & Family
- October 4, 2017, 07:00
Beat Winter series: Spices will undoubtedly add flavour to your cooking but may also improve your health
Early detection key to surviving cancer
- Health & Family
- September 25, 2017, 07:00
The role of three general categories; genes, age and lifestyle, in the diagnosis of cancer
Smartphones delay babies' language, and shorten their sleep
- Parenting
- September 11, 2017, 00:00
A Canadian study finds screen time is linked to an expressive language delay
At first I thought I was hungover: A stroke at 28 years old
- Health & Family
- September 5, 2017, 06:00
Heart disease and stroke cause many deaths in Ireland each year. Three survivors speak
Turning a holiday house into your full-time home
- Homes & Property
- August 19, 2017, 06:00
Holiday houses that are big on memories or in great locations can spark a life change
My 1980s debs: a borrowed wedding dress and big hair
- People
- August 14, 2017, 06:00
Broadside: Sure we were only gorgeous, we thought: the height of fashion
Rock climbing puts you on top of the world in body and mind
- Fitness
- August 8, 2017, 07:00
Adrenalin-pumping rock climbing can help combat depression, and gets you fit
Holy orders: a Clare convent becomes a B&B
- Interiors
- July 22, 2017, 00:00
The O'Malleys – hospitality veteran Pat and teacher Aoife – spotted the potential in Spanish Point
Forget expensive holidays - lasting memories are count
- Parenting
- July 18, 2017, 06:00
Embrace your summer adventures and create new experiences together as a family
Meet the relocators making people feel at home
- Life & Style
- June 10, 2017, 00:00
Moving here from another country need not be the bureaucratic nightmare you feared
From LA to Lissadell – the kitchens where cooks love to work
- Interiors
- June 3, 2017, 00:00
Donal Skehan, Constance Cassidy, Deborah Donnelly and Nessa Robins invite us in
Can you learn a foreign language online?
- Education
- May 30, 2017, 00:00
Apps and web tutors claim to offer a cheap way to gain fluency - but are they effective?
Home Front: Garden design tips from a lawyer
- Gardens
- May 27, 2017, 00:00
This week's edition also visits an artist on Achill Island and looks at floral furniture
Stub it out for good: it is never too late to quit smoking
- Health & Family
- May 23, 2017, 06:00
Use the available supports to increase your likelihood of kicking the deadly habit
Preschools without walls: why children need outdoor play
- Education
- May 16, 2017, 22:08
Too much screen-time and inactivity is depriving young people of vital lifeskills
Do you really need to take supplements during pregnancy?
- Health & Family
- May 8, 2017, 06:00
Research says 'multivitamin and mineral preparations promoted for use during pregnancy are unlikely to be needed'
'If I reach the end of the day and haven't fallen apart, I consider it an okay day'
- People
- May 2, 2017, 07:00
The more we discuss depression, the easier it becomes for sufferers to seek help and find a means of coping
Design regrets? These architects have a few
- Interiors
- April 29, 2017, 07:00
Three who designed their own homes come clean about the mistakes they made
Bog oak, dog prints and a Nazi tureen: the antiques tourists want
- Fine Art & Antiques
- April 22, 2017, 06:00
Owners of antique shops reveal the eclectic gifts visitors to Ireland covet the most
Get embarrassed about bowel cancer and it could be too late
- Health & Family
- April 18, 2017, 07:00
Don't ignore the symptoms: some 1,000 people die from disease in Ireland every year
Grabbing oesophageal cancer by the throat
- Health & Family
- April 18, 2017, 06:00
'Sometimes nothing can help but always believe in the amazing medical teams'
Yes, menopause has an upside – you could get fitter
- Health & Family
- April 11, 2017, 06:00
Research shows the menopausal years are the perfect time for physical exercise
Is reclining your seat on the plane the height of bad manners?
- People
- April 3, 2017, 06:00
Broadside: Your squashed knees are all about their high-flying sense of entitlement
Home brew: an expert guide to the best coffee makers
- Interiors
- April 1, 2017, 06:00
Six professional coffee lovers reveal how they prepare their own coffee at home
High heels for babies? Grotesque, ugly and shocking
- People
- March 31, 2017, 10:30
Pee Wee Pumps - infant footwear that is a step too far
The future is much brighter for people diagnosed with cancer
- Health & Family
- March 20, 2017, 12:00
Sarah McGinley is just one of the many people with a positive ending to their cancer story. She was diagnosed with cancer of the t(...)
Learn another language and keep your brain fit
- Health & Family
- March 20, 2017, 07:00
Multilingualism has social, cognitive and wellbeing advantages for people of all ages
Irish holiday homes - who's buying?
- Homes & Property
- March 15, 2017, 02:00
Foreign customers are in short supply, but the Irish are spending again
Cash for carrots: wrong ways to make a child eat healthily
- Parenting
- March 6, 2017, 14:00
Don't lure them with a lollipop to eat greens, or keep serving food they don't like
Saying goodbye to the Merriman Tavern
- Homes & Property
- February 28, 2017, 07:00
Drawing pictures for Enya, and singing songs for Planxty was all part of life over the bar in Scariff, Co Clare
'What would we say if teen boys turned up at discos wearing little more than jock straps?'
- People
- February 20, 2017, 16:30
A teenage disco in Kilkenny caused uproar by enforcing a dress code and banning what they called 'deplorable' dresses but boys hav(...)
'Gender equality in shows like Doctor Who? It's a pointless and petty argument'
- People
- February 20, 2017, 08:00
Broadside: Women don't need to stand in men's shoes, they can have their own characters
It's all to play for as GAA targets a healthy Ireland
- Fitness
- February 20, 2017, 06:00
Mickey Harte and star players tour country's clubs to battle obesity epidemic
What can we learn from the strictest school in Britain?
- People
- February 17, 2017, 06:00
Tiger Teachers: Principal of Michaela Community School Katharine Birbalsingh and her staff have published a book to educate other (...)
Psoriasis has affected absolutely everything in my life
- Health & Family
- February 14, 2017, 21:00
Up to 140,000 people in Ireland have psoriasis with many developing psoriatic arthritis
Stove Safety: 11 tips to avoid a stove-related fire in your home
- Homes & Property
- January 18, 2017, 12:30
Stoves mean a warmer home and lower fuel bills but with installation issues and a lack of safety certification, stove-related dome(...)
Why are basic manners, like thank you cards, seen as old fashioned?
- People
- January 16, 2017, 06:00
Broadside: A thank you costs nothing, so teach your child to acknowledge presents
Forget the gym – find your own way to fitness in 2017
- Fitness
- January 1, 2017, 08:00
Whether it is Nordic walking, gravity-defying yoga or hockey, it's all about having fun
Christmas emergency: the people ready to answer your call
- Health & Family
- December 20, 2016, 00:00
As the country slows down for Yuletide many rescue workers will be hard at work
Sing out loud and proud – it will make you feel better
- Health & Family
- December 13, 2016, 01:00
All of us are touched by songs and music, and singing can improve your health and mood
Strictly going dancing a great way to keep in shape
- Health & Family
- December 4, 2016, 15:00
"Get out and shake your booty - It's good for the body, the mind and the spirit. We were born to dance". Arlene Harristakes lesson(...)
Children of working mothers have better social and everyday skills
- Health & Family
- November 28, 2016, 06:00
Children who attend creches or spend time with grandparents do better than those of stay-at-home parents
Russell Brand's 'genderless' daughter not one of his better ideas
- People
- November 21, 2016, 10:30
Broadside: to bring up a child without referring to gender is nonsense
World Day Against Pain: Suffer chronic pain? You are not alone
- Health
- October 1, 2016, 09:53
About 13 per cent of Irish population afflicted by pain every day, most of it in lower back area
Clare art exhibition to highlight maternal deaths
- Social Affairs
- September 28, 2016, 01:00
The Courthouse Gallery event tells the stories of women who died during childbirth
Teens and young adults urged to get meningitis vaccine
- Health
- September 22, 2016, 17:55
Warning issued after significant rise in number of cases of the disease in last year
Lost phone? Strike? Nut allergy? Solutions to holiday disasters
- Travel
- August 6, 2016, 06:00
Stressful events can occur in even the most relaxing of holidays. Here's how to deal with common issues
The secret to burning calories - get dancing
- Health & Family
- July 4, 2016, 09:00
It's time to shake your booty, regardless of whether you are a toddler or a pensioner
'If you're a young, white straight man today you're in trouble'
- People
- June 27, 2016, 06:00
The easily offended are less able to cope with life, warns author of 'I Find That Offensive'
Imagine being blindfolded and led across the Burren
- Health & Family
- June 12, 2016, 14:00
Burren Beo Trust tours are aimed at making the Burren accessible to everybody
A week as a student doctor: 'Witnessing journeys from illness to health is inspiring'
- Health & Family
- May 22, 2016, 14:00
Michael Ryan (21) is a student doctor in his final year at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Cancer: the focus now is on tailor-made drugs
- Future Health Summit
- May 12, 2016, 06:00
Upwards of 40,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year
Home Care Package means bringing it all back home
- Future Health Summit
- May 12, 2016, 06:00
Service by the HSE facilitates the care of older people with home comforts
Public must be made aware of benefits of changing eating habits
- Future Health Summit
- May 12, 2016, 06:00
Treating diseases caused by obesity currently uses up the most healthcare resources
'The hardest part is when patients relapse'
- Health & Family
- April 25, 2016, 17:00
Owen Smith works as a consultant paediatric haematologist at Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin and also has a role as a special advis(...)
'I found respite very difficult ... I felt so guilty about it and so worried about entrusting my child with a stranger'
- Health & Family
- April 19, 2016, 01:00
Rosemary and Siegi Kratschmar have four grown-up children. Sammy, the youngest, is 23 years old. He has Down's syndrome, hearing l(...)
My health experience: Living with butterfly skin
- Health & Family
- March 7, 2016, 19:00
Sisters Alison and Erica were born with epidermolysis bulosa
A week in my ... child psychology clinic
- Health & Family
- January 5, 2016, 01:00
Peadar Maxwell is senior child psychologist for the HSE in Wexford
Cruise into January without the booze
- Health & Family
- January 4, 2016, 10:00
Experts believe we should cut alcohol down – or out – for the next few weeks
Our Health Experience: 'I often feel a rush of gratitude that there is no tiny grave in Shanganagh with her name on it'
- Health & Family
- December 29, 2015, 01:00
Emily, now 19, developed meningitis at the age of four
Coping with Christmas after the death of a child
- Health & Family
- December 22, 2015, 09:16
'Is it normal for the bereaved to feel they want to 'cancel' Christmas?'
Christmas Day at work and in hospital
- Health & Family
- December 22, 2015, 09:07
What's Christmas like for an emergency call operator, a firefighter, a garda and a family with a sick child?
Sing your heart out this Christmas – it's good for you
- Health & Family
- December 22, 2015, 01:00
Don't worry about whether you can hold a tune, burst into song and feel great about it
My health experience: 'I never allow my disease to limit what I can and cannot do'
- Health & Family
- December 15, 2015, 01:00
Law graduate James O'Reilly cycled from Geneva to Brussels to help research into type 1 diabetes
Stroke awards highlight dangers of condition, and urge people to act Fast
- Health & Family
- November 24, 2015, 01:00
Irish Heart Foundation awards recognise commitment to help stroke survivors rebuild lives
Calming tips for the Leaving Cert
- Health & Family
- November 17, 2015, 06:00
We catch up with Leaving Cert veterans of a stress management course to see if they still feel the benefit
Coping with the distress of early births
- Health & Family
- November 17, 2015, 01:00
In Ireland, 10% of infants are born every year too early, too small and too sick
My health experience: A marathon run with extra hurdles
- Health & Family
- November 17, 2015, 01:00
Teenager Katie Cooke ran the Dublin marathon in four hours despite having seven seizures along the way
'Having a child with a chronic disease has a big impact on families'
- Health & Family
- November 10, 2015, 01:00
'There have been incredible advances in the treatment of arthritis in recent years'
'Finding a solution for a caller feels great. But it's not always possible'
- Health & Family
- November 3, 2015, 01:00
Niteline is a free, confidential out-of-hours helpline where volunteers offer their time to listen and advise fellow students abou(...)
Moving men to stand together in a healthy game-changer
- Health & Family
- October 30, 2015, 15:30
The Movember Foundation is hoping to get the male population up on its feet to help tackle obesity
'Students have a fairly healthy attitude to alcohol'
- Health & Family
- October 27, 2015, 01:00
Anne Cooney is the 'healthy campus' co-ordinator at Athlone Institute of Technology
'A kidney transplant really changes a life, not just for a patient but for a family'
- Health & Family
- October 20, 2015, 01:00
Dr Declan de Freitas is a consultant nephrologist and transplant physician at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes Hos(...)
My heart scare: 'I had never even heard of a stent, and suddenly I was having one inserted'
- Health & Family
- October 20, 2015, 01:00
No one expects to have problems with their heart until they are older, but atypical symptoms can appear at an earlier age
A walk for the weekend: Farm Loop, Lough Avalla, Co Clare
- Travel
- September 3, 2015, 13:08
A walk with forest, lake and flowers ends with freshly baked treats and hot drinks
Health Experience: Testicular cancer didn't stop me having a child
- Health & Family
- September 1, 2015, 10:00
Early detection meant fewer complications for me, and no effect on fertility
Not such a perfect fit: are your clothes wearing you out?
- Health & Family
- September 1, 2015, 01:00
Are some clothes bad for your health? We separate fact from fiction
A week in my . . . addiction counselling practice
- Health & Family
- September 1, 2015, 01:00
Frank Harkin sees clients across a spectrum of addictions, writes Arlene Harris
Switch on your laptop: the virtual doctor will see you now
- Health & Family
- August 25, 2015, 01:00
Virtual consultations aim to reduce appointment waiting times and increase patient care


text:
Photographer Evie Parazite creates a fantastical fairy tale shoot called 'She Writes Sins' where a crowned princess wanders the luscious gardens around her. The dolled-up princess poses in front of a bronze statue and plays out by a giant checker board.
The model has jewels dotting the tops of her eyebrows and a beautiful red flowered crown. The gold detailed jacket she wears becomes the glimmering highlight in the garden. The playful tutus and puffy pink skirts add to the enchanting nature of the photo shoot.
'She Writes Sins' is spellbinding as the blonde-haired beauty stuns us with her elaborate fashion outfits and glittering makeup. The lush garden settings are used to the photographer's advantage as Parazite plays with the magnetic scenes around her. In the end, the marvelous photos tell a story while mystifying us with the enigmatic fashions.
Bewitching Fantasy Editorials
More Stats +/-
Speckled Face Editorials
Punk Rock Vintage Photography
Futuristic Superwoman Editorials
Smoking Grunge Fashion Editorials
Galaxy Tribal-Inspired Editorials
The Editorial 'She Writes Sins' is Alice in Wonderland-Inspired
- By: Anne BoothOct 10, 2013
References: bleachonline & evieparazite
References: bleachonline & evieparazite


text:
'Nashville' Season 2, Episode 21, 'All or Nothing with Me': TV Recap
It's regrets, apologies and a military show on tonight's "Nashville."
Juliette is regretting her quickie with the horrible Edgehill executive. Rayna is trying to drum up support for Highway 65 with radio stations. The broadcasters aren't so happy about Rayna signing Juliette. Is she regretting her decision?
Luke is in Afghanistan when his convoy got into an accident. They're not sure what happened but he's headed to New York. Rayna is going to meet him. Luke is ok but two men in his group died. Luke says the incident really shook him up. He regrets not being able to perform the show.


text:
Internal SATA HDD Disappear When USB Device ConnectingJan 28, 2013
I noticed couple of times that i don't see one of my drives in the Computer window. It also not showing up in the Disk Management window. I didn't know the cause till now. I tried reseating the cables and some other suggestions online with no luck.
Today i noticed the cause: If i am connecting a USB memory or external HDD to the front USB panel it disappears. Disconnecting it (the USB component) won't show the drive back in the list.
I have:
120GB SSD as my C drive.
1TB HDD as D drive.
2TB HDD as E drive.
All are SATA.
The D drive is the one that gets disappear.


text:
Regional Reviews: St. Louis
Losing Time
Also see Richard's review of The History Boys
Existentialism can be beautiful.
At least, if you can get your hands on enough wine and drugs to pass the time, with someone you care about.
Wait, that's more like heaven, isn't it?
It's hard to tell which is which in Losing Time, the newest work by playwright Robin Garrels. In a bow to Waiting for Godot, her heroines Rocket (Clara Moore) and Rio (Elizabeth Bolhafner) find themselves stranded in a wasteland on the eve of Y2K. Unlike Samuel Beckett's play, however, there is only a scary wooden mock-up of an old car to replace Didi and Gogo's woebegone little tree. But, regardless of the setting, Ms. Garrels' gift for establishing an instant sense of desolation remains extraordinary.
Ms. Moore, who looks like a cross between Betty Boop and Bette Davis, holds our attention with ease from the first moment, when they're chugging across the desert. Then the beautiful Ms. Bolhafner wakes up to find that they've run out of gas on a set of forgotten railroad tracks on the California/Arizona border. And from there on out, the girls are caught in a series of traps and psychological strangleholds that halt them at every turn.
Nevertheless, the tone is generally light and irreverent. A tour bus rumbles by without stopping, and a wacky Walter Huston type (John Strasser) comes and goes, sharing a funny recipe for chili. Old boyfriends and rivals turn up too, courtesy of some hallucinogenic cactus. As Rocket and Rio are left alone again and again, their hollowed-out car gradually begins to resemble a sun-bleached longhorn's skull. Meanwhile, their hopeless abandonment of Los Angeles becomes their own trail of tears.
Director Robert Strasser finds just the right mix of a resigned, slogging pace and prickly banter to lead us through this charming slacker/buddy-story. Comedy dashes by like mile markers: an evergreen air-freshener solves an interpersonal problem; and the playwright pokes fun at herself and her recent plays about space-aliens and drug addicts, as one of the girls announces melodramatically they've "slipped into another dimension." It's not that very much actually happens, except that they seem to be caught in a time-vortex, and dreams begin to seem more real than the dusty plain.
Of course, there's no wishing-well in the desert to kindle anyone's dreams. And if there was, knowing the Tin Ceiling Theatre as I do, a terrible monster would probably leap up out and devour one or both of them. So instead, they put their wishing pennies on the railroad tracks and shout with delight as the next monster roars by, smashing fate to facelessness.
For the moment (first in one time zone and then another) they can laugh at an indifferent world, squeezing from one millennium into another. And maybe for the post-Baby Boom generation, that's the best that can be hoped for.
Through September 30, 2007 at Compton and Cherokee Streets in South St. Louis. For information, call (314) 435-7834 or visit them on-line at www.tinceiling.org.
Poster Art: Damien Samways


text:
SF Flowerbox Awards
At long last the sun has decided to make an appearance. We basked in the tiniest bit of warmth and very quickly developed a bad case of spring fever. It's been awhile, but we have two flower box awards to kick off the season.
First up, a favorite of ours. We don't know the name of the plants but they make us giggle. Check below the jump for a little bit more color...
We think pink tulips get a bad rap. Simple flower that keeps it fun and bright...charming and sweet for that first rush of warm weather.


text:
Pardon Walbrook High's Billy Hice if he seems a bit optimistic for a football coach who hasn't even seen his team this year.
"I'm excited. I'm tickled pink," Hice was saying one day last week.
Hice won't get his first look at his team until Thursday, the first day of summer practice for all high school teams in the Baltimore area.
Hice's optimism does not stem from the prospect of victories. If the Warriors don't win one game this season, at least they will be comfortable and their travel time will be cut significantly.


text:
Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact
Think Tank Retrospective
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Think Tank Retrospective 10 in Pinestone. bigger. You can order it directly from Think Tank, and it comes in many other sizes and colors. It also comes from Adorama or Amazon.
My biggest source of support for this free website is when you use those or any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep adding to this free website when you get your things through these links — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. Thanks for your support! Ken.
September 2015 Think Tank Reviews All Reviews
Introduction top
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
My Think Tank Retrospective bags are my favorite shoulder bags. Especially in the soft-but-tough "Pinestone" water-resistant canvas as shown here, it feels great as well as being the best-made shoulder bag I've used.
It comes in many sizes. When introduced in 2010, it came only in big, bigger and biggest (Retrospective 10, Retrospective 20 and Retrospective 30) and in my favorite Pinestone cotton or black nylon. (see all colors and sizes.)
It became such a hit that in 2013 it now also comes in small and normal (Retrospective 5 and Retrospective 7), and as well as huge and gigantic (Retrospective 40 and Retrospective 50), as well as in Blue Slate for all sizes.
All the bags have the same design. Personally, I prefer the smallest Retrospective 5 for daily carry, and the Retrospective 10 as an all-in-one gear holder to be left back with all my extra stuff I'm not using that day. The Retrospective 7 is a medium-sized bag if you want to carry a full set of pro gear around your shoulder. The Retrospective 20 and larger are too big for me to comprehend; I have no idea why anyone would want to carry that much stuff all at once.
The Think Tank Retrospective bags are like getting a new old best friend.
The Retrospective's classic cotton materials are so soft and comfortable that it's a pleasure to use. Instead of the usual ballistic nylon cloth, the green ("Pinestone") Retrospective bag is made of real, live, soft cotton canvas! The black Retrospective is made of even softer nylon poly weave, not ballistic nylon.
The cotton canvas of the Pinestone bag has a water-resistant coating for use in the rain, and if you're really crazy enough to be out in the weather, each bag also comes with an integral, stowable, removable seam-sealed nylon rain cover.
Most people carry a lot more gear than I do. I find my Retrospective 10 ideal for leaving in a trunk and grabbing what I need out of it as a second reserve bag. Most people use these as shoulder bags. I wouldn't want to carry this thing loaded around my shoulder, but most people do.
When I do carry it around my shoulder, the thickly padded strap is comfortable, if carrying many pounds on one shoulder is ever comfortable.
Even the Retrospective 10 I'm most often showing here is big enough to swallow professional DSLRs like the Nikon D4 and pro zooms like the 70-200mm VR II, complete with their reversed hoods.
The Retrospective 10 easily can hold more than I would want to carry around my shoulder, and it's perfect to haul in or out of a vehicle or lodging at the ends of a day. Most people would actually use this around their necks.
This Retrospective 10 bag weighs three pounds (1,400g), empty! This is a heavy, durable bag. When I'm in the field, I'm a lightweight shooter, often bringing gear which totals to only two pounds for all my lenses and body, so when I first got this bag, I was hoping it might have a free camera inside. Nope; it's just a heavy bag, as is any bag this big and durable. This is another reason I use this as a reserve bag back in the car, instead of trying to shoulder it all day.
Specifications top
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Pinestone canvas, Black nylon or Blue Slate canvas.
Think Tank Retrospective 5.
Inside: 9.5" W x 7.8" H x 4.5" D (24 x 19.5 x 11.5 cm)
Outside: 10" W x 8.5" H x 6" D (25.5 x 21.5 x 15 cm)
2.3 lbs (1.0 kg)
I consider the Retrospective 5 a normal-sized bag, with three divided compartments inside, each big enough to hold a normal or even pro f/2.8 zoom.
Think Tank says the Retrospective 5 is optimized for rangefinder and micro 4/3 cameras, but personally I find it perfect for a normal 35mm SLR or DSLR with lens facing down, and two more lenses, one on either side.
For my LEICA and its jewel-like 39mm and 46mm filter-size lenses, the Retrospective 5 is too big. I prefer the smaller and lighter Mirrorless Mover bags for this.
Honestly, I have no problem putting my Canon 5D Mk III (or Nikon D800E) with 24-70/2.8 L II facing down in the center, and my professional 80-200mm f/2.8 L in the other divided compartment of my Retrospective 5, with the third compartment under the camera open for another small lens, but I prefer things tight. To put this much cargo in the bag, the Retrospective 7 is a better idea; the Retrospective 5 carries this much, but not with as much padding. (Pros don't leave their cameras in the bag; the camera is out and the bag merely holds extra lenses.)
The Retrospective 5 is ideal for normal 35mm SLRs like a Nikon F3 and a few rationally sized lenses.
Inside: 12.5" W x 8.8" H x 5" D (31.8 × 22.4 × 12.7 cm)
Outside: 13.5" W x 9.5" H x 7" D (34.3 × 24.1 × 17.8 cm)
2-3 lbs (0.9-1.4 kg)
If you really want to carry a larger DSLR and f/2.8 pro zooms, I find the Retrospective 7 the ideal size. Mine easily holds my Canon 5D Mk III (or Nikon D800E) with 24-70/2.8 L II facing down in the center, my professional 80-200mm f/2.8 L in the other divided compartment, and an ultrawide pro zoom in the third compartment, all with plenty of padding to keep them from beating each other up, even if you carry the bag with everything in it.
Inside: 12" W x 9.5"H x 6.0"D (30.5 x 24 x 15.2 cm)
Outside: 13" W x 10.5" H x 7" D (33 x 26.7 x 17.8 cm)
3.0 lbs (1.4 kg)
I find the Retrospective 10 more than large enough for anything I'd want to carry around your neck . If you think you need a bigger bag, go for it, but even at the smallest end of the series, the Retrospective 10 is a large bag.
The Retrospective 20 is 2 inches deeper than the Retrospective 10.
Inside: 12" W x 11.75" H x 6.5" D (30.5 x 29.8 x 15.2 cm)
Outside: 13" W x 12.5" H x 7" D (33 x 30.5 x 17.8 cm)
3.2 lbs (1.5 kg)
The Retrospective 30 is three inches wider then the Retrospective 20.
Inside: 15" W x 9.5" H x 6.0" D (40.6 x 24 x 15.2cm)
Outside: 16" W x 10.5" H x 7" D (43.2 x 26.7 x 17.8 cm)
3.2 lbs (1.5 kg)
Inside: 13.8" W x 11" H x 6.5" D (35.1 x 27.9 x 16.5cm)
Laptop: 13" W x 10.2" H x 1.3" D (33 x 25.9 x 3.3cm)
Outside: 14.2" W x 11.8" H x 8" D (36.1 x 30 x 20.3cm)
3.6-4.2 lbs (1.6-1.9 kg)
Inside: 15.5" W x 11" H x 6.5" D (39.4 x 27.9 x 16.5cm)
Laptop: 15" W x 11" H x 1.4" D (38 x 28 x 3.6cm)
Outside: 16" W x 11.8" H x 8.5" D (40.6 x 30 x 21.6cm)
3.8-4.5 lbs (1.6-1.9 kg)
Lens Holders
Part of this series also includes lens bags, which I am not addressing here.
These lens bags have very little padding, and don't need it. They also hold up to 70-200 f2.8 lenses, complete with reversed hoods.
Think Tank Retrospective bags and lens carriers. bigger.
Retrospective Lens Changer 2 (two sections)
ID (each lens section): 4.75" Diameter x 10" H (11.5 x 25.5 cm)
OD: 10.25"W x 11.25" H x 5"D (26 x 28.5 x 12.5 cm)
WEIGHT: 1.6 lbs (0.7 kg)
Retrospective Lens Changer 3 (three sections)
ID (each lens section): 4.75" Diameter x 10" H (11.5 x 25.5 cm)
OD: 15" W x 11.75" H x 5" D (38 x 30 x 12.5 cm)
WEIGHT: 2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
Performance top
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
Think Tank Retrospective 10, Nikon F5, and lenses. bigger.
Even the "small" Retrospective 10 easily holds more than I'd want to carry. It is very cleverly designed, and a joy to use.
It is soft, heavy and tough outside, and the thin, soft nylon dividers keep my gear from banging itself to death on the inside.
The flaps and pockets are as perfect as they can be. This bag is so nice I look for excuses to use it.
I won't carry it, but I love using it as a "B" bag for holding a big supply of reserve gear.
The Retrospective 5 is my size if I'm going to carry a shoulder bag.
Rear, Think Tank Retrospective 10. bigger.
In addition to the cotton canvas, heavy cotton shoulder strap and cotton edge piping, there is a genuine soft brown leather Think Tank tag on the back, and another small Retrospective 10 tag sewn on the back, where only you'll see it as carried around.
The big shoulder pad is soft canvas on the back, has cotton edge piping, and has a ventilated nylon contact pad with rubber grippers.
The small top carry strap is flat nylon, with a canvas pad.
Most of the interior is slick nylon, not canvas.
The hardware is all metal, not breakable nylon. There is no vinyl anywhere on this bag.
The bottom is bare; there are no nubbins for setting it down.
Bottom, Think Tank Retrospective 10. bigger.
Let's put this around our shoulder, and I'll run you through it from your waist out. The Retrospective 5, 7 and 10 are the same in design; I've been too afraid to look at the larger bags and presume they are similar.
On the back, next to you, is a soft leather zipper pull. This zipper closes a flat pocket between you and the rest of the bag, good for maps or other flat, flexible things. The zipper and its pull are marvelous: the soft leather pull feels great, and the zipper slider has a big metal ring between the pull and the slider so it slides easily when pulled from any direction.
Each side has a heavy, flat canvas pocket outside. Each is flat, good for holding flashlights, but not big enough to hold a flash. It's a little confusing, because the material is tough enough to hold an elephant, but the design allows for very little to fit.
On the outside left and right just above each pocket are heavy straps to attach Think Tank's usual modular accessories, like lens and drink holders.
These straps run above the top of each side pocket, making the pockets hard to access. I would use them to hold film, but they're too small; there is no gusseting.
The bag is covered by one big, flat, long flap, held closed by wide strips of velcro. There are tabs on its inside to deactivate the velcro, so it flies open easily with no noise if desired. The inside of the large flap also has a clear business card holder. I find this huge flap on the Retrospective 10 gets in my way when opened, but is no problem when my bag sits in my trunk and I get inside from the front, instead of from the back around my shoulder. The Retrospective 5 is small enough that it's no problem.
If you use it around a shoulder, you may want to tuck the big flap between you and the bag, in which case it stays open. If you do this, use the little velcro hiders to prevent the flap from trying to attach to you.
Once inside the bag, closest to your waist is another flat zippered pocket. I'd use this for documents, not small gear, because whatever is in there is going to be pounded between your gear and your waist.
Looking at the main compartment from left to right, we first see the small inner side pockets. Each is made of thin nylon and has a velcroed strap that can close it from above, or the strap can be left free so the pocket stays open. Each pocket, left and right, is perfect to hold a flash like the Nikon SB-600 in the Retrospective 10, or a stack of 55mm filters in the Retrospective 5. I use them for film, but since they are deep and narrow, I have to dig a bit. Likewise, they are also perfect for pens and flashlights, so long as they won't damage any cameras through the thin nylon.
If you fill the side pockets, you will have less room on each side of your camera to stash lenses. This is simple physics; each pocket expands into the left and right lens sections: if you fill an inner side pocket, there is less room left for a lens.
On the left and right of the Retrospective 10 and Retrospective 7 we have plenty of room for any sort of lens, each easily swallowing a 70-200/2.8 and reversed hood, if you don't try to put a camera on top of it, too. (You probably can put a camera with another huge lens in the center, since the top flap velcros-down just fine, even when put more loosely over huge cameras on the Retrospective 10. I didn't try.)
The Retrospective 5 easily holds an 80-200/2.8 on either side, but not with the hood reversed over it.
On each side of the central dividers, if you prefer more reasonably sized lenses, Think Tank includes more small dividers so that each can be split into two padded sections, each big enough for moderately sized lenses, like a Nikon 24mm f/1.4 and Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AF-S, both at the same time on each side in the Retrospective 10. The retrospective 7 includes more dividers, but I'm unsure if the Retrospective 5 does; its sections are already the ideal size.
In the center we expect to put a camera with lens, face down. Each of the center dividers flips over to pad the top of the lenses away from the front of the camera body. The Retrospective 5 isn't really tall enough to jam a camera with lens pointing down into the center section you put long lenses in both side pockets.
Since the top flap doesn't have to be pulled snug to attach with the velcro, if you want to hold a pro body like a Nikon D3 with a pro f/2.8 tele like the 80-200mm AF-S and its reversed hood, it fits just fine. I presume it will fit fine with the similar 70-200mm VR II; I just don't have one handy to try.
Further away from your body inside the main compartment is another pocket organizer with dividers. This pocket is closed by a velcro flap at the top, marked also with Think Tank's logos. This top section is where I put my batteries, smaller accessories, note pads, pens and flashlights. This section is best because your flashlights won't be beaten into you as they will in the rear pocket closer to you. The organizer's top flap can be left open by attaching the flap to an extra velcro receiver sewn inside.
Outside the bag, there is a big front pocket. This holds a lot of gear. It is held closed with a big flat velcro strap, which also can be attached to a separate static receiver if you want to leave this pocket open. This big, gusseted pocket is as big as the rest of the bag, and 3" (75mm) deep in the Retrospective 10 and 2.5" in the Retrospective 5. I use it to hold my big filter wallet. As you stuff this pocket, the bag grows out from your waist.
I put my flash in this large outside center pocket. It can hold large spare pro bodies or just about anything (one big pro body fits in the Retroposed 5's front pocket, but the velcro flap won't reach to hold it closed).
Think Tank Retrospective 10, a nice, plain diaper bag. bigger.
This is a big, floppy bag. It doesn't look like a camera bag.
For ultimate stealth, put butterflies, sunflowers, ladybugs, bunnies or other baby stuff all over it so it looks like mom's diaper bag. Sew some diaper pieces to it so that diaper corners are showing from the seams, and only the stupidest of people will hassle you.
The best compliment I received was when my wife referred some old, crappy, "gross" bag I left at the top of our stairs. When I was trying to figure out to what bag she was referring, and I asked her for the color. She couldn't even recall its color, just that it was old and gross. Yes! It slipped completely under her RADAR! Its distressed, worn look is how it comes delivered. Sure, if all I did was admire my gear in a bank safe-deposit vault I might want fancy-looking bags, but for shooting in public, you have nothing to gain by marking yourself as a target.
There are no external logos or brand markings. I always cut off the brand names on my other bags, and this bag is good enough not to bother to have any in the first place. The only exterior markings are the small leather Think Tank logo and Retrospective 10 tags on the back.
One reader wrote that he loves his Retrospective 10 because it has such a strong shoulder strap, and with that and the two hidden, flat zippered pockets, he prefers to put his wallet and passport in these pockets while out and about instead of in his pants from which they could be pick-pocketed.
Nothing inside? bigger.
Since the tops of the inner dividers flop left or right, they tend to hide the lenses on each side. You can have $10,000 worth of additional lenses sitting in the bag, and if your camera body isn't in the center section, these lenses may remain hidden if anyone goes snooping inside.
It's all soft. It's as if you and all your gear just flopped into big bean-bag chairs.
This is a bag for Americans. Germans and Swiss might be put off by the apparent lack of order inside. In the larger bags your gear moves around inside the soft, flexible dividers until its comfortable; it doesn't get boxed-in by hard dividers into neat but inefficient rows and columns.
The top flap is secured by two big, fat velcro strips. For daily use, there are no zippers, latches, snappers, nylocks or anything to get in your way: just grab the big flap.
There are two small zippers, one for each small map pocket. I never go in there when shooting.
Everything else is velcro, making it easy to get anything, any time. You never have to deal with catches and latches to get your gear; just velcro.
The shoulder strap is big and thick, as is the pad. It feels strong enough to lift a car!
There is also an extremely useful small strap on top for lifting the bag from place to place.
With smaller lenses, it's easy to overstuff them on top of each other vertically.
Recommendations top
Intro Specs Performance Recommendations
I love these bags. I usually use the Retrospective 5, while the Retrospective 10 is more than big enough to carry more than I'd actually use for shooting.
I use a Think Tank Speed Demon for day-to-day shooting around my waist, and will use this Retrospective 10 to hold more lenses, cameras, film and support gear back in my van.
Velcro note: I'm using the word velcro, in lower case, as a bastardization of a trademark, writing as a private individual, to save me from having to type "hook-and-loop fastener" each time instead. Velcro is a trademark of just one brand of this stuff, and I don't see Think Tank saying Velcro anywhere, so I suspect this bag doesn't use the Velcro brand. Whoever owns the Velcro trademark would have a cow if any organization used their trademark to represent anything which is not really Velcro, but I can write what I want as an individual. Real Velcro is grown in large fields in Hungary.
You can order it directly from Think Tank, or from Adorama or Amazon. This free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thank you! Ken.
More Information
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Help me help you top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact
August 2010


text:
The Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine Program is a series of Global Food and Wine Events. These culinary weekend workshops are available at Park Hyatt hotels. Park Hyatt chefs and sommeliers lead masters-in-training quarterly classes. Park Hyatt Masters events take place on the following dates: January 13-15; March 23-25; June 22-24 and September 21-23, 2012.
Here's how it works. The Park Hyatt chefs and sommeliers lead masters-in-training seminars in different types of
"hands-on courses" on the designated day:
(1) In the Field: Interaction with artisanal food or beverage purveyors
(2) In the Kitchen: Onsite cooking, prep workshops, and specialty tastings and
(3) In the Moment: Tips on service and presentation.
Check out the full calendar of events and participating properties' itineraries at www.mastersfoodandwine.com.
Here's a list of some of the activities from the website:
• Park Hyatt Maldives will host a fishing excursion led by the hotel's Executive Chef and resident Marine Biologist. The following day, guests will collect local produce on a farm on a nearby island. After returning to the resort, they will learn regional cooking techniques and will enjoy a traditional Maldivian meal prepared with the fresh ingredients caught and collected.
• Park Hyatt Washington will host a local microbrew tasting with the brew masters at PortCity Brewing Company, a winter tea blend tasting with Certified Tea Master Rodrick Markus, and an intimate cooking class with Blue Duck Tavern Chef de Cuisine John Melfi highlighting the season's best ingredients.
• Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi will host an excursion to a local date farm. Following the excursion, guests are invited to a cooking class led by the culinary team where they will learn to prepare the region's famous hot and cold mezza as well as delicious Arabic sweets.
• Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is partnering with ski legend Chris Anthony and Silver Oak Cellars to host a weekend of great skiing, delicious food, and decadent wine. Après-ski, enjoy tasty Colorado cuisine prepared by 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill's Executive Chef, Christian Apetz, and a reserve wine tasting led by Silver Oaks.
Park Hyatt Chicago will hosts an evening of wine, beer and a variety of Judy's Goat Cheeses on March 23, 2012. Participants will experience a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour and interactive cheese and wine/beer tasting in our Wine Cellar.
Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com
Related articles
- Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival 2012 (vinoconvistablog.me)
- Taste Washington 2012: A Food and Wine Festival in Seattle (vinoconvistablog.me)
- 30th Annual Aspen Food and Wine Festival in Colorado (vinoconvistablog.me)
- Raise Your Glass to the Celebrity Chefs at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for Generating over $17 million for FIU (vinoconvistablog.me)


text:
See that mountain range? That's Table Top. To the west is Sand Tank." Harry Hughes stands at the northern edge of the Vekol Valley, pointing to a stretch of dirt and cactus between Arizona and Mexico. It is an area he once patrolled with J.T. Ready and his citizen group U.S. Border Guard in search of "narco-terrorists." Hughes is also a regional director of the National Socialist Movement. He wears desert camouflage and black sunglasses and has an AR-15 slung across his chest. Over lunch two days earlier Hughes seemed mild mannered and nonthreatening. Today, prowling the desert, he is imposing. "That's where they wait for their ride," he says, motioning to a secluded area of drainage tunnels that lies directly below Interstate 8. As Hughes explains, this valley is the base of a smuggling corridor that leads up the John Wayne Parkway toward Phoenix.
According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, citizen border patrols have operated in Arizona since 1999. Among the first was Ranch Rescue, founded by Jack Foote, an ex–Army officer from Texas. While Foote and his early successors were blatantly xenophobic—Foote declared illegal immigration to be a Mexican plot to invade the United States—more recent groups including U.S. Border Guard have opted for veneers of legitimacy. J.T. Ready registered USBG as a search-and-rescue operation. According to Hughes, Ready deliberately chose a name that would be confused with the U.S. Border Patrol, a federal agency.
In launching Ranch Rescue, Foote tapped into the frustrations of ranchers faced with immigrants sprinting across their properties. Because few crimes were tied to these immigrants, border groups remained small. But right-wing politicians and extremist organizations exploited the nativism sparked by the 9/11 attacks. Compounding anti-immigrant sentiment was the Mexican drug war and the 2008 credit crisis, which saw Latino immigrants scapegoated. By decade's end, Arizona was an epicenter of extremism. As one local journalist put it, "Arizona remains the most racist state in the nation."
Harry Hughes says the National Socialist Movement is a "white civil rights organization." But he claims USBG isn't racist. It includes members of various races and religions, he says, and its intent is to prevent drug and human smuggling. Members have even saved lives, he implies. "We found 11 of them out there once in the middle of July, and it was 115 degrees," he tells me. "We gave them 40 bottles of water, and they were still thirsty."
But border groups have a history of violence. Two Salvadorans successfully sued Ranch Rescue in 2005, claiming members of the group had beaten, robbed and set a rottweiler on them. In 2011 the leader of Minutemen American Defense was sentenced to death for robbery and the murder of two Mexican Americans, one just nine years old. And despite USBG's efforts to maintain a positive public image, government documents describe Ready and others holding immigrants at gunpoint and zip-tying them.
Mark Pitcavage, the Anti-Defamation League's top researcher, says border groups are motivated by nativism and a "paramilitary fantasy." The justification these vigilantes give for their existence—to prevent drug smuggling—is part of their fantasy, says Pitcavage, in which they "claim the cartels are engaging in an insurgency within the U.S. They portray themselves as the main combatants in an actual war to stop the cartels."
Jason Todd Ready was a conflicted man. He flirted with a string of vocations—the military, Mormonism, Nazism, politics, law enforcement—before launching USBG. At the time of his death last May, at the age of 39, he was a candidate for Pinal County sheriff. Before that he had been a GOP precinct committeeman, ran for Mesa City Council and developed an alliance with former Arizona state senator Russell Pearce, author of SB 1070, the most severe anti-immigration bill in the country. Through it all Ready remained a white supremacist.
Ready never knew his father. He was born in Lakeland, Florida in 1973 to Ladotha Ready, daughter of a Pentecostal minister from Alabama named Ernest Ready. According to Ladotha, or Dottie, her son was the product of a short relationship she had while separated from her first husband. J.T.'s father had no involvement in his son's life. But Dottie wasn't always involved either. Court records show that J.T. was adopted by his maternal grandfather and his wife and lived with them in Alabama as a preteen. J.T., a strong-willed boy who missed his mother, clashed with the strict minister.
Dottie says Ernest would get so frustrated with J.T. that he'd periodically "dump him back on my doorstep," only to have him sent back again. At 13 J.T. was sent to live with Ernest's brother in Auburndale, Florida. When he was 15, Dottie, who had remarried to Gary Lee Davis and was living with him and their two children in Lakeland, finally regained custody. According to Dottie, Davis abused J.T. As a lance corporal at Camp Pendleton in the mid-1990s, Ready vanished for eight days. This prompted a court-martial that got him locked up for three months. Soon afterward he was court-martialed again, this time for assault, among other charges. He was thrown out of the Marine Corps.
"If he was racist, I never knew about it," his mother says. Adam Lindgren, brother of Ready's ex-wife, Arline, whom he divorced in 2003, told the Associated Press that Ready was "very, very opinionated. He would just keep arguing with you." Ready became increasingly paranoid. In 2011 he sent an e-mail that said, "I sleep with a loaded shotgun under my bed and a nine millimeter on the nightstand. Mossad or…the Cartel…or some antifacist freak may make a move on me."
Brittany Mederos, the youngest daughter of Ready's girlfriend, Lisa Mederos, says Ready "got a sick pleasure out of hunting Mexicans." Cassandra Olivier, who shared an apartment with Lisa's eldest daughter, Amber, and Amber's baby, Lilly, expressed disgust that Ready once bullied Lilly's father, who is part Mexican, into going on a patrol. Ready would taunt the sensitive Amber by calling her baby "50 percent ugly."
The politics of hatred: J.T. Ready at a National Socialist rally in Las Vegas.
Dottie admits her son changed when he got to Arizona. "It had to do with that white supremacist or nationalist organization," she asserts. She blames "someone out there" for "brainwashing" him and says he had become nearly delusional toward the end. When he visited her, she says, "his mind would dwell on that Hitler stuff, and then he would suddenly switch and act normal again."
On May 2, 2012 Lisa Mederos called the police in Gilbert, Arizona. Sounding nervous but composed, she told the dispatcher she had had an argument with her boyfriend and he was "going ballistic." Mederos lived with Ready and her daughter Brittany in a small house about 20 miles outside Phoenix. The dispatcher heard two cracks. "Oh my God!" Mederos yelled. The line went dead.
Two minutes later, 19-year-old Brittany Mederos dialed 911 from her bedroom. She had been sleeping when she heard arguing and what sounded like gunshots coming from the living room. When she emerged, she saw the bodies of her mother, her sister Amber and Amber's baby, Lilly. She ran back into her room and locked the door. "There were gunshots," she said. "I think they're dead!"
She was right. Just after one p.m. Ready took a nine-millimeter Beretta and opened fire in Lisa Mederos's entranceway. First he shot Amber and 15-month-old Lilly. While Lisa was talking with police, Ready shot her twice in the head. Meanwhile, Jim Hiott, Amber's fiancé, was outside talking on his cell phone. Hearing gunfire, he went to the doorway, where he saw Ready holding his Beretta. He turned to flee, but Ready shot him three times. Then Ready shot himself. Everyone died quickly except Lilly, who died in the ambulance on the drive to Maricopa Medical Center.
The reasons behind the shooting aren't clear. Cassandra Olivier told police Amber and Hiott wanted to move into Lisa's house, and Lisa may have asked Ready to move out. Police say a domestic dispute sparked a murder-suicide. This is supported by Lisa's call and by the medical examiner's report.
As the sole living witness, Brittany heard not only the gunfire but parts of the argument that preceded it. The shooter "was my mom's boyfriend, J.T. Ready," she told police. In an interview with Playboy she said that when she saw her family on the ground, she initially thought they were hiding. "I couldn't grasp it. My whole body was in shock." Police escorted her past her dead family to remove her from the house, affording her a second glimpse. Officers described her as hysterical when she reached the squad car.
When asked what attracted Lisa to Ready, Brittany says her mom described him as a romantic who would periodically take her to the mountains or a lake to gaze at the stars. As their relationship progressed, his "good, loving side" was replaced by a quarrelsome one that picked fights "almost daily." But Brittany still asserts, "If you were wondering if any of us had a clue that he was mentally unstable and capable of murdering, no."
Still, Ready's dedication to the cause of white supremacy was conspicuous. He kept a metal swastika as a desk ornament. He marched in National Socialist Movement parades carrying pictures of Hitler and named his dog Blondi after the führer's German shepherd. Regarding border security, he recommended setting land mines between Mexico and Arizona. At the time of his death he was under FBI investigation for domestic terrorism.
Bill Straus sits behind his desk at the Arizona branch of the Anti-Defamation League. It is two days after the Supreme Court struck down much of Arizona's SB 1070, and Straus, the regional director, is in good spirits. He is discussing a meeting he attended in 2006 with State Representative Russell Pearce. At the time, Pearce was chairman of Arizona's House Appropriations Committee, and he was suffering politically for forwarding an anti-Semitic e-mail and for praising a 1950s deportation program called Operation Wetback. The meeting had been arranged by Speaker of the House Jim Weiers. According to Straus, the two Republicans believed if they could get Straus to forgive Pearce publicly, it would take the heat off. Straus and Pearce spoke for an hour, and Straus made it clear what he wanted in return.
"I confronted Russell about the effect his rhetoric was having on white supremacists," Straus says. "He was the new Elvis to them." Straus asked Pearce to hold a press conference to repudiate his hostile language. He handed Pearce a file that contained information about the neo-Nazis embracing him, including Ready. But Pearce didn't hold a press conference and Straus offered no forgiveness.
Pearce wouldn't denounce Ready for two years.
Pearce had become a star of the far right by articulating Arizona's rising nativism. In 2004 Proposition 200 required immigrants to provide "satisfactory evidence" of citizenship before voting or collecting public benefits. In 2006 the Bailable Offenses Act prevented illegal aliens from being released on bail if they were suspected of serious crimes. Another law turned "self-smuggling" into a felony. And then came SB 1070, a tenet of which allows law enforcement to demand the papers of essentially anyone of Latin descent.
As Arizona's nativism rose, Ready threw himself into politics. Initially he lived in Mesa and met Pearce while volunteering for Republican causes. In a phone interview Pearce downplayed their relationship, saying, "I thought J.T. was a decent kid when he was first introduced to the district. He was working for a Christian organization. I thought he had a sense of humor and he was good on the issues." In a statement after the shootings, Pearce said, "At some point in time darkness took his life over." When asked what he thought had caused that darkness, Pearce said, "How should I know? Don't ask me."
The two were closer than Pearce admits. Pearce attended Ready's Mormon baptism and ordained him as an elder in 2004. In 2007 Ready made a speech in which he suggested putting the National Guard on the border and jerking judges around by their collars. In a video Pearce is seen applauding as Ready rants. In 2010 Ready told an interviewer he and Pearce shared a political strategy by which Ready would push extreme rhetoric as "a bellwether" to see how far Pearce could go. Ready called Pearce a political mentor who taught him how to bring the fringe into the mainstream.
At the Mexican consulate in Phoenix, 2006: J.T. Ready protesting against illegal immigration.
However belatedly, Pearce and the Arizona Republicans finally expelled Ready. The last few years of Ready's life saw his anger alienate him from almost every group he had been affiliated with. By May 2012 he was unemployed and in a deteriorating relationship. Dottie, aware of his difficulties, offered him a room in Florida, but he said he loved living in Arizona.
May 2 was to be a family day for the Mederos clan. Brittany and Amber had made plans for lunch at a local restaurant, and Lisa and Ready decided to join. But there was another, less auspicious significance to the date: Olivier was moving out of the apartment she shared with Amber, Hiott and Lilly. The rent was no longer affordable, so Amber had mentioned moving in with Lisa. Olivier knew that wouldn't be easy: On another occasion, Amber "had to literally beg" Lisa to stay there for just one night because Ready opposed it.
On the evening of May 1 a neighbor of Ready's helped him install screens over the windows. Ready was "high strung," Robert Kalas told police, and worried about "being invaded." He also showed Kalas a new bulletproof vest he needed to "get used to." Meanwhile, Brittany was up all night listening to music and didn't go to bed until five a.m. When Amber and crew arrived later that morning, an exhausted Brittany asked if they could have dinner instead and went back to sleep. She was awakened by arguing.
"At first I assumed it was the same usual fights," she says. "But then the yelling turned into screaming. I caught a few words." What she heard was a shouting match between Ready and the usually nonconfrontational Amber. Ready yelled, "This isn't your house. You don't have the right to be here." Amber hollered back, "This is my father's house. I have more of a right to be here than you!"
Brittany describes what happened next: "Suddenly, there was screaming. Then I heard gunshots. I had never heard gunshots before, so it didn't immediately register. I ran to the living room. I saw everyone on the ground. At first I had the ignorant assumption that they had fallen to the floor to avoid the gunshots. I nudged my sister with my foot. Once my foot connected with her limp body, I realized she was dead. They were all dead."
Mass killers share characteristics. Among them is a sense of isolation; another is training in firearms (many of them served in the military). The most common characteristic, however, is an externalization of responsibility, a belief that others are causing their misery. Take a person who exhibits these characteristics, place him in a culture where intolerance is legitimized, and it's a recipe for disaster. J.T. Ready both contributed to and was a victim of a culture that exploits fear to cultivate an atmosphere of hate. Groups like the National Socialist Movement and USBG exploit fear of border crime to attract members. Politicians like Pearce stoke nativism for votes and donations. Even corporations—private prison systems, arms manufacturers and security companies—profit from a fearful atmosphere.
There are other victims. "Nobody truly understands the pain of your closest loved ones being taken from you until it happens," Brittany says. "Most people will hear the story of my family and be sad for a moment and then forget it. But I don't get that chance. I have to wake up every morning and know this is my life. My broken, messed-up life. I'll never stop hurting."


text:
best build tagged posts
What is the best, most optimized, polished, and efficient PPC/Gauss sniper build in Mechwarrior Online?
Short Answer: this one!
Long Answer
PPCs and Gauss Rifles form a unique and powerful combination. High pin-point damage combined with an excellent range. Every chassis which has 2 energy hardpoints and which can equip a Gauss Rifle is theoretically able to use such a sniper build. However, if your Mech is not agile it can't utilize the weapons. If you have low armor and/or an xl-engine, you will have no chance to withstand counter-sniper fire and LRM salvos. Using an assault Mech seems reasonable and all assault chassis (except the Awesome) have at least one variant which can realize such a sniper build. You don't want to go too heavy though since you would be wasting tonnage which could be additional speed and manoeuvrability.
The Highlander 733C really is the best variant to build this thing. 40 Gauss Ammo to last you exactly as long as a 12vs12 match. Insanely high heat dissipation allowing you to fire constantly for 10 or more times. Other Mechs will overheat after their 3rd salvo, and you will be the grinning a*shole still blasting their shoulders, legs, and weapons apart. A single jump jet allows you to cross a chasm on Canyon Network and pop-tart effectively. Survivability is extremely high, as well, since you are rocking over 450 armor and using a standard engine. Most other sniper builds will use an xl-engine making them easy prey for you. All weapons are parked on one side of your Mech, allowing you to sneak around corners and using your naked arm as a simple shield. Together with the jump jets you should be able to spread the damage across your whole chassis very easily, allowing you to live more than twice as long as your opponents.
The 733C Highlander Sniper build is used by multiple top tier players, amongst which is the infamous Kaffeangst of Hell's Black Aces. He scored a first place in all but one tournament so far. Check out his twitch.tv stream and see this build live in action.
If you do not own a Highlander 733C, you can still work with the following builds. They are not that much worse. They are just not as perfect as the 733C. There are also several other variants which can be used to build sniper builds, for example the Cataphract 3D. Here are three more builds for comparison and reference: Dragon Slayer, Misery, and Highlander 732.
The Dragon Slayer sacrifices heat efficiency for mobility. The Victor Hero Mech is much more fragile and uses an xl-engine, making your Mech susceptible to carefully placed shots at your shoulders. If you are looking for a decent Dragon Slayer build, this one is not recommended, since it does not use both ballistic hard points. There are other more powerful builds out there which utilise AC/5s and other auto cannon calibre sizes to be more effective in competitive gaming. This build is just here for demonstrative reasons. After all, it is an effective PPC/Gauss Sniper Build.
Misery, Stalker Hero Mech, suffered a lot from the introduction of ghost heat. The Stalker has no jump jets and is not as agile as, for example, the Highlander. Although, the load-out is almost identical, the play-style is very different. You will have to move slower and more cautiously, acting from behind the front lines. Choose your positions and battles wisely, since you can not easily back out, once you have been spotted or overwhelmed. A good Misery sniper is always shooting, but never eating return fire.
The same load-out with a stronger engine and on a 732. This version of the sniper build plays very similar to the 733C, however, it is not as heat efficient. This build is just here to illustrate a similar load-out, which trades heat efficiency for slightly increased agility. Of course, one can also turn the Heavy Metal, Highlander Hero Mech, into such a sniper. If you own multiple Highlanders or are thinking about getting a new variant, I definitely recommend the 733C.
After all is said and done, the 733C comes out at the top as the sole winner in the contest for the best PPC/Gauss sniper build in Mechwarrior Online. Especially, if you are a skilled pilot and know how to pop-tart, the proposed version here does not hinder you and let's you do all the nasty stuff you always dreamt about.
Be sure to check out Kaffeangst's Stream. He plays almost daily in small groups and a lot of 12vs12.
If you would like to read more about the mechanics behind these builds check out the Alpha Strike, Firepower, and DPS Guide or the excellent guide on the new ghost heat system (explained without any math!).
Get Connected!If you know of an excellent build, resource, or guide, submit it and maybe it will be featured on mwo-builds.net and seen by thousands of players. You can submit builds by sending us an e-mail, post it in the official looking-for-builds thread, or send us a private message via the official forums. You can also submit guides and builds via Facebook or Twitter (see below). Join hundreds of other Mechwarrior enthusiasts and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Receive the latest guides and the best MWO builds directly to your favourite social platform!
|Follow @mwobuildsnet
Read More


text:
Search for 7min full workout
7min Full Workout4.6(107)
This app helps you to perform this 7 minutes full workout (12 exercices), by providing you a timer and a log. This routine of 12 exercises is a complete workout based on the latest fitness research, ...
The Best New Android Apps of the Week – May 19, 2013
1. AppGratis AppGratis takes the top spot in our Best New Android Apps of the week list, and with good reason – it gives people a free Android App every day. AppGratis offers up one free app per day along with deep discounts of up to 90% off. You can read a bit more about AppGratis here or pick it up for free on Google Play. 2. Solo Launcher...Read more


text:
The Handy Bag You Won't Want To Be Without
This drawstring bag pattern is so simple to sew: you'll want to make lots because they're so useful: for shopping, gym kit, travelling...
Use these pretty backpacks for carrying your gym kit, or as eco-friendly shopping bags. And with this free drawstring bag pattern, you can make as many as you like.
- Two 33cm x 45cm pieces of printed cotton fabric for the larger bag; two 23cm x 35cm pieces for the smaller one
- 2m fluoro cord for the larger bag; 160cm for the smaller one
1. Fold and press a 1cm hem along one short edge of the two fabric pieces. Fold over again about 3cm to make a channel for the drawstring, and press.
2. On a sewing machine, top stitch 2.5cm away from the folded edges at the top of both pieces, place right sides together and stitch together along the bottom and both sides, taking a 1.5cm seam allowance. Leave a 2cm gap at the base of both sides, as this is where the cords will be secured.
3. Cut cord into two equal lengths. Turn the bag right side out and attach a safety pin to one end of the first length of cord. Thread through the channel, front and back, leaving the two ends of cord hanging out. Repeat, starting at the opposite side seam with the second piece of cord. You should now have a bag with two cord strings dangling from each side of the top channel.
4. Turn your bag inside out and pull the cord through the gaps at the bottom of the sides, pin in place and stitch securely. Turn the bag right way out and it's ready to use.
Fabric: Hobbycraft and Fabricland. Fluoro cord, Fabricland
Feature: Selina Lake. Photo: Debi Treloar
Upcycle old clothes into a smart shopper


text:
"I got some help," said the 49ers play-making wideout when asked about his reaction to the Boldin trade. "I am pretty much the only receiver that is back from last year. So that was a plus for us."
Now that Crabtree has recovered from a torn Achilles tendon and is displaying his Pro Bowl-caliber play, the 49ers have a formidable pass-catching duo firing on all cylinders heading into Sunday's NFC Championship game in Seattle.
Greg Roman has noticed a sizable difference with how opponents have covered San Francisco's offense ever since Crabtree returned to the team seven consecutive wins ago.
"I think people have to account for him and bottom line is, he's going to make plays," Roman, the 49ers third-year play-caller, said of Crabtree. "A great, wise coach once told me, 'You either make plays or you don't,' and he makes plays.
"I think you're talking about balancing out the field and forcing the defense to play a balanced defense."
Seattle's defense ranked No. 1 in pass defense in the regular season and had a solid showing in last week's win over the New Orleans Saints.
Come Sunday, the Seahawks "Legion of Boom" defensive back group will have to limit the production of Crabtree and Boldin who both have 11 receptions apiece in the 2013 postseason.
So how much better is the 49ers passing attack with a healthy Crabtree?
"I don't know the exact amount," Jim Harbaugh said. "But better, yes. Significantly."
Crabtree called his return to the field a work in progress, but he stressed that he's "blessed" to be back with the 49ers after a late-May injury that threatened to sideline his fifth season in San Francisco.
Crabtree continued to work behind the scenes and has sparked the 49ers offense ever since he came back. He never spoke publically about his return goals. He knew it would take five months in the best-case scenario to return to the 49ers. Crabtree was back in action six months after the injury and hauled in a 60-yard pass in his Dec. 1 season debut.
From there, Crabtree has continued to impress his head coach and teammates.
"Well documented what we think of him as a football player," Harbaugh said earlier this week. "Outstanding in terms of all the things you want a receiver to be outstanding at. As we've said, who catches the ball better than Michael Crabtree? It's A-plus, plus. And not just the low-hanging fruit of getting open and catching passes, but what he brings to our team in terms of blocking in the run game and toughness, and competitiveness. Just a real football player."
Harbaugh also something special out of Crabtree in his quest to return to the field.
"(I'm) thankful that he went through the grueling rehab, went through the toughness, and thankful that he was good," Harbaugh explained. "And thought that there would be a gap from where he was this year as to (where he was) before he got hurt. Thinking that maybe there were some balls he wouldn't get to, maybe some catches he wouldn't make, some tackles he wouldn't break, some separation that he wouldn't gain after coming back from a torn Achilles tendon. But, it was minor.
That moment proved that Crabtree's Achilles was not slowing him down from making explosive, game-changing plays.
"I am feeling good," Crabtree said. "Wherever the ball is at on the field, I am just trying to make the catch, make the play."
Now that San Francisco has a pair of top-flight receivers on each side of the field, the offensive attack can spread the ball all over the field.
"Yeah, that was the vision going in, (Crabtree) on one side, me on the other Vernon (Davis) working the middle of the field," Boldin said of the surging passing attack. "It's tough on defenses when you have two guys outside capable of having big games, and then you have Vernon inside matched up with linebackers. So, it gives defenses fits."
Boldin is loving the way defenses have to play the 49ers these days.
"You see a difference," the veteran said. "I think every team plays you differently as opposed to not having 'Crab' out there. He's definitely a weapon that you have to account for. So, we get different looks now."


text:
Sex and touching are thought to be essential parts of health. Sex releases an assortment of beneficial chemicals in the body. Sex and touching help us bond with others, strengthens relationships, and increases our own self-worth. Frequent sex may even extend your life by years.

Red wine is packed with resveratrol, an antioxidant. These work to protect your body against the effects of aging. One or 2 glasses of red wine a day can help keep your body young.

Dark chocolate is a wonderful food that contains a large amount of antioxidants that protect your body from aging. Find good quality dark chocolate, learn to appreciate it, and have a bit of it each day. Eating chocolate may lower your blood pressure and cholesterol while providing an energy boost.

Smiling is a great way to change your attitude, connect with people and give benefit to your body. Like relaxation, smiling can work to counteract the effects of stress. By forcing ourselves to smile, we "trick" our body into believing that everything is good, thereby reducing stress. Like a switch, smiling can actually change your mood. So put a smile on, even if you don't feel like it, and pretty soon you'll be smiling for real.

Relaxation is the opposite of stress. While stress brings harmful health effects, relaxation helps our bodies to rest, heal and function better. By practicing daily relaxation techniques, you can train yourself to turn off your stress and replace it with calm energy. This will improve your blood pressure, heart rate and ability to cope with life's challenges.

Physical games and sports are a great way to keep both your body and mind healthy. Simple exercise routines are great for maintaining balance, flexibility, endurance and strength. Group games and sports can give your mind a workout as well, as you anticipate other people's actions and how to work together. Find a game and activity that suits your level of physical ability and play often.

Sleep is an essential body function. Most Americans do not get enough sleep. Medications, stress, illness and poor sleep habits all can prevent you from getting between 7 and 9 hours a night. The health benefits of sleep include more energy, better immune function, and more.

Relationships are an important part of health. Not only do strong bonds with other people mean you will have help when you need it, being connected also means protection from loneliness, depression, and mental illness. Spend time cultivating your relationships with friends and family to improve your health and your life.

Mind games are a great way to stay involved and engaged in the world. Games can exercise different parts of your mind and entice your curiosity. If possible, choose social games like chess or bridge that exercise your brain while keeping you connected with others.

Having a positive attitude about aging can add more than seven years to your life, according to researchers. Avoid the cultural push to glorify youth and regret each passing year. Find ways to pleasure in your increasing age and enjoy greater learning, experience, and control in your life.