text:
I once invited my girlfriend home to showcase my culinary skill, though it was just an attempt at making vegetable fried rice. The entire effort lasted a gruelling 3 hours. Out of the 3 hours spent in the kitchen, more than 2 hours were spent cleaning and dicing the vegetables. I gave up when my final attempt tasted unpalatable. Embarrassed, I made the wise decision of buying it. She devoured the dish and left very little for me.
All is well that ends well. Lesson learnt, cooking is not my forte! My girlfriend became my wife and since cooking is not her forte too, we eat out a lot. We do not spend time re-inventing the wheel!!
A close friend of my mine, also in the training profession, a process trainer, learnt it the hard way. He was a very talented process trainer. The CEO of his company, impressed by his ability to brilliantly articulate ideas and keep up the interest of participants all through a 6-hour process training, entrusted him the task of training the mid-level managers on presentation skills. My friend who was always ready for a challenge accepted the task gleefully. He had 5 days to prepare a 2-day presentation skills training module.
What transpired the next 3 days was arduous and yet funny (well, funny for me). After seven hours of work he called me and said that he was yet to finalize on an outline. His exact words describing his ordeal was "This is worse than searching for a needle in a hay stack especially when you are not sure if what you need is a needle." Before the close of day he rushed to the neighbourhood library and got 3 books that claimed tall on how presentations are made effective . That night he hardly slept but managed to collate adequate information.
The next day at office, barring few short breaks the entire day was spent on creating a PowerPoint. In the evening he wanted me to review his PowerPoint. It was a 48 MB file with 322 slides. I made it very clear that I would not go through his PowerPoint and left him with a small word of wisdom – "Ideally an 8 hour training day should not have more than 35 slides." And so his second night was spent cutting down 80% of the slides.
On the third morning at office my friend sends me a mail with a compact 1MB PowerPoint as attachment and a subject line reading "size zero – presentation skill program." As I perused his PowerPoint and spoke to him on what methodologies he intends adopting, I realized his program was heading for a disaster. He spent the 3rd day at office working on the participant handbook and few handouts. In the evening when we met I told him what I felt about his preparation and narrated my fried rice story. I suggested he should buy online soft skills training materials that come with PowerPoint, facilitator guide, participant handout, handbook and other related training objects. He looked at me with mixed emotions. He was relieved that his ordeal might just come to an end but he was piqued with me for not advising him of this option earlier.
I am sure there are lot of us out there who would love do our own stuff. It's good as long as we have the luxury of time.
If not, why re-invent the wheel, just buy it!!
Consider buying the time-tested and proven soft skills training material created by the expert trainers of MMM Training Solutions.


text:
NBA: LeBron James's third-quarter blitz leads Miami Heat to brink of finals
A blistering third quarter from LeBron James helped the Miami Heat to a 90-79 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday and move them into a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
A misfiring Miami was trailling 44-40 at half-time and was fortunate to be so close, but James turned on the style in the third quarter when the Heat outscored Indiana 30-13.
The four-time MVP outscored the Pacers by himself in the quarter, scoring 16 points on seven-of-10 shooting and was superbly supported by Udonis Haslem who scored 10 points in the quarter on five-of-five shooting.
Although Indiana started the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run, while James took a breather, the return of Miami's leader ensured it ran out comfortable winners.
James finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Paul George top scored for Indiana with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Game Six will be in Indiana on Saturday where a victory will earn defending champions Miami a place in its third successive NBA finals, against the San Antonio Spurs.
Topics: basketball, sport, united-states

subset: commoncrawl


text: On Sun, Feb 10, 2008 at 08:48:18PM -0300, Werner Almesberger wrote: > Andrew Paulsen wrote: > > Can you double check that there actually is a 10k resistor in parallel > > with the thermistor? > > Hmm, the schematic definitely has it. However, when I try to measure > it at the battery terminals of my pre-MP GTA01Bv4, I don't see it :-( > > Allen, do you remember if R1706 (10k between BATTEMP and GND) is equipped > in GTA01Bv4 ? How about R1705 ? As far as I know, it was only present on GTA01Bv3, and the first couple of Bv4, but not the green PCB Bv4 ones that are produced in the MP factory. It's definitely not there for the MP version. > If they aren't there, is there a more recent revision of the schematics > than GTA01B_MB_A4_0323 ? I have never seen one, but I've observed the missing resistor before. See my internal hardware bug report from September 2007: https://bugzilla.internal.openmoko.org/show_bug.cgi?id=227 -- - Harald Welte <laforge at openmoko.org> http://openmoko.org/ ============================================================================ Software for the world's first truly open Free Software mobile phone


text:
By Spencer . February 11, 2011 . 3:00pm
Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel made an appearance at NIS America's event last night too. The game was fully localized (actually we received an English copy weeks ago…) and playable. For everyone that didn't get a chance to attend, NIS America released an English trailer for the final chapter in the Ar Tonelico saga.
While the voices were in English, Ar Tonelico Qoga has a Japanese voice option.
Event screenshots with a peek at some of the game's jokes follow below. We'll have more on Ar Tonelico Qoga soon including answers to reader questions.
Hooray for optional dubs!
Hooray for unnecessary dub hate.
Hooray for everyone winning, even those who would take away our choice.
Lol I don't recall saying "woot I hate dubs!"
The hooray was for the fact that there is something
for everyone and I actually like the VA. :/
I second that 'Hooray'~
And besides, liking or not liking is simply the preference of each person. Can't just dictate them to follow our way. Nothing to be irritated about imho.
Once again, Hooray for dual audio!
I used to be the type to always switch to JP but after a few years (and a bunch of anime watching), its kinda refreshing to hear English lol.
Especially with something like Valkyria Chronicles, bringing back the original voice actors for some returning characters in VC2 made it that much more heartwarming to me.
As long as its at least decent VO and it makes sense (Ryu from SF = Always JP), I will gladly pick English.
IMO, British VO's in a JRPG 10x Awesome (like DQ8)
Double Hooray for two individual causes that are worth Hooray-ing for…
I'm not saying we should. I just doing two hoorays, don't want to give any confusion.
lol if you actually like that dub of the main character, you have really low standards……or plain deaf.
Well that was a trailer that convinced me to pick up this game even though I didnt play the others. The music sounds awesome and the character designs as well, simply stunning. Ill surely get that Cosmosphere edition on day 1 baby!!!
I'll be eyeing your Cosmophere edition (¬_¬)
Youre not getting it?
I can't be bothered to import and wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive just to inhale that godly aroma of an anticipated newly released game.
But how can you enjoy it? It doesn't have multiplayer!
I never stated my own opinions on multiplayer in games, lol. The number one thing I look for in games is epically phenomenal stories and great presentation values, and this looks like it has both.
Those must have been the opinions of the other Tsuna.
Not really. The usual Tsuna takes presentation and story over gameplay, singleplayer or otherwise. He'll "Day 1" a title before gameplay footage is even shown (Tales of the Last Promise anyone?). :P
So that was your other personality in the Iwai/Enslaved article? Where you talked positively about, and I quote, "I think the age of the single player game is already swiftly spiraling to its demise. Games need multiplayer to keep us hooked and playing more. "
Definately another Tsuna at work here. >.>
Its no use
It's true anyways. Unless a title is made strictly for singleplayer, many gamers these days want value in their games. They don't want to feel like they like they wasted $60 for only 8 hours of gameplay. That's where DLC comes in, or perhaps, a developers' need to add more to a single player campaign. It's hard to believe people will still play Fable 3 despite its shitty game design choices.
I'm making an effort to beat the first two games before March 15.
Same here, I'm half way through Ar Tonelico 1.
Argh, I've only barely started Phase 02 of the 1st game and my copy of the 2nd is still under wraps.
HURRY UP!!!! AHHHH!!!! and do you already know wich girl's route go for first? xD
I chose Misha lol. Actually I'm pretty much stuck and it's discouraged me for the past week.
I'm going for Misha's. :3
Haha both of you are going for Misha xD
Go for harem. I will not tolerate disobedience
If only you could…
Im gonna play it again too so you guys wont feel lonely, I RESPECT YOUR EFFORTS!
Same, Just beat the first one. Just started on the Second.
The only problem that i had with the second is that Croix failed a little as the MC when deeper into the game, is like he was just following everyone xD.
But woah, it was so good, and Luca is scary >.< enjoy the game! the battle system is a lot better than the 1st one
I liked Croix, he was always like a clueless dude(The Cosmospheres are so awesome xD) in which every girl fell in love with, Cynthia for example is hilarious xD
Liked Cloche the most and I agree with the battle system, I should start to play them again too, so I'm prepared for Qoga.
So, how much we're talking for the english copy? :3
Hard mode ftw, and is it my pc or the gameplay video in the trailer just looks like it's running in 10fps. Nice trailer, anyhow
$59.99 and the game is 60fps 4xMSAA so I wouldnt worry about that, the player is just not playing nice with your PC I guess
Is it March 15th yet? Can't wait to play :D
Excellent! I can't wait!
Been looking forward to this since it was announced. Great to see the release date approaching.
Trailer is great. :) Now I'm even more excited!!! The English actors all sound pretty good too I was worried they were going to reuse the same actors that they always do (not really a bad thing but I do tire of it sometimes) but this dub's got some variety in it. :D
So I'm guessing Spencer wants all of us to really hate him with that little secret he gave out.
Even Spencer can't resit to brag here and there. lol Hopefully everyone else is distracted by the cool trailer and pictures of pretty girls talkin' about drills to notice the line. lol
Pretty girls talkin about drills……by the impression I'm getting of this particular one, that's going to be on the mild side of the innuendo!
Akselsys is right, is it March 15th yet?
From my interpretation, they're going to pierce the heavens and throw galaxies at each other
ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH lol
Just as long as it's done in a tub of hot oil, or at least a bubble bath.
What Gurren Lagann were you watching?! AND WHERE CAN I FOUND A COPY OF IT!!!
You know that it being Gurren Lagann, it will probably be with the guys, right? Like the uncut version of episode 6.
Well, as long as it skips Leeron… Wait, if only Kamina is included, can it be considered gay?
No it's not a note to brag.. it's more of an explanation of why we don't have impressions… (apologies if you thought otherwise)
lol No need to apologize. Brag all you want or don't brag if you don't want to. I'm cool with either. Really I should apologize. Meant it jokingly no need to go out of your way to explain it. Thanks for caring though.
I'm still wondering what is he going to announce at 10pm PST. Anticipation is killing me
Joins Ashgail in digital tears.
That tweet was from yesterday and it was Cave Story 3D. Long story short, we were under embargo for it even though we knew about it for weeks.
I see… Thanks for correcting me. I thought we're getting more awesome news in addition to Cave Story ;___;
Sorry to disappoint! Things are probably things that readers here will think are awesome in the future.
So, um… dry those digital tears?
*keyboard short circuits due to overflow of tears*
Don't worry it was my mistake in interpreting it wrongly :3
Keep up the good work, guys!
No, no that wasn't my intention! I was trying to accentuate that the game has been localized for quite some time, as well offer an explanation of why we don't have impressions from the event.
You will hear more about Qoga soon, but after Neptunia.
That made sense since I recall the reports that once had this dated for January. You better be having fun!
the voice is too chese
Finally a JRPG which looks decent getting localized.
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice and Resonance of Fate yearn for remembrance.
I consider Disgaea 3 more strategy game though, it didnt had any towns, maps to explore, and Resonance of fate… umm its a weird combination, but i didnt really consider it as "A RPG", it was like a weird but cool combination of a lot of things
Why so technical? they are still RPGs, Disgaea is a tactical rpg, not a strategy game (like the Command and Conquer or Total War)…
tactical = strategy -.-
And all you do is enjoy scenes and choose what battle to do next in disgaea, i dont really consider that a "full jrpg", i consider those kind of games, strategy games.
On the ps3 the games i consider "normal", "traditional" rpgs are (and that i have played, so i might miss some)… umm eternal sonata, echanted arms, dragon age, white knight chronicles… FF14 could be because of the battles, the only problem is the town. Uhh and thats it, at least the ones i own…
Im going to have to vehemently disagree. Final Fantasy Tactics isnt an RPG? Disgaea isnt? Im quite sure theres a few other series where its select and battle.
Sorry but Disgaea != Command & Conquer (Strategy) no matter how you put it. Youre still being too technical, "full jrpg?!" what? It can be partial JRPG?! You may not consider them RPGS but the developers do and they have the final say so.
First… arent we talking about PS3? why go all the way out with FFtactics? Dont tell me you think FFtactics is a tactic game only because the name? Well, it is, tactics means the same as strategy after all.
…And when someone says lets do a strategy isnt it the same as saying lets do a tactic?
Yes, you dont understand because you havent played that many games (at least rpg ones), and google/wikipedia cant really explain that, play a disgaea (strategy game) and then go play Final Fantasy 9, tell me if you feel the same rpgish feeling when playing the games, there are a lot of kinds of rpgs, but the most traditional ones are these kind of games where there are towns, places to explore, dunno, is hard to explain, is something you learn from experience.
Meh, bascially we could say ALL the games that have a story is a RPG, becaus we are Playing the Role of some character in a Game
No it isnt, just compare the gameplay of modern strategy games to RPGS that have elements with tactics in them. They are vastly different in terms of character progression, storytelling, and item versatility and modification, and such. Thats why it is baffling to me that you are saying they are strategy when modern strategy games such as RUSE, Command & Conquer, Age of Empires, Total War and so many other games have gameplay that is vastly different than Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics, isnt Last Remnant also an RPG?!
lol Pac-Man is my favorite RPG because I get to play the role of Pac-Man. See what I did there Sawada? Sorry to butt-in mid-conversation but had to interject with some points. Yes I usually call games like Disgaea tactics games but it's been more and more popular to call those kinds of games Strategy RPG's. But just because of the fact that their AN RPG doesn't make them THE RPG to some people. It's an apples and oranges kind of debate. Just like whether or not you'll consider an action-RPG to be a real RPG or just an action game with some RPG elements in it. It's best just to differentiate between the sub-genres of RPG's so not to confuse and upset people. I have no idea why you want to relate PC strategy and RTS games to turn-based strategy or strategy RPG's though. That's too much of a stretch.
Yeah, xD is too much of a deep theme to talk with tsuna about this, i will just stop haha.
And well, even if it isnt tsuna, this is a very delicate matter that could take pages and pages on any forum :0
And for the tactical thing, It really doesnt matter if you call tactical or strategy game, after all, those words mean the same… they are what some crazy people call… synonyms!!
@Zero_Destiny See, youre being too technical too. They are just RPGS thats it. To evoke strategy, or as Wild Arms was trying to say the games are strategy means they have the gameplay as other games in strategy games and thats not the case. The games are at their simplest, an RPG, no need to go into technical details and sub genre classifications lol.
RUSE and Command & Conquer (Strategy games) are both on consoles, you all must have missed the games.
@Sawada It's ok to think of Strategy RPG's as RPG's after all they are (technically). But when you go out in conversations and just declare them to be THE RPG it can upset some people. The term RPG has changed a lot and it's becoming harder to define what an RPG is. This upsets some people and they will of course feel differently about Strategy RPGs than you do. Some might feel that they don't make the cut and are nothing more than just Strategy RPG's and shouldn't be grouped together with their and I use the term lightly "REAL" RPG's. Just be careful and play it safe by using the sub-genre. i.e. Disgaea is a Strategy RPG. We're not trying to say that Disgaea games don't deserve to be an RPG or that you're wrong. It's just that we view it differently. It doesn't hurt to put an S in front of RPG . That's all. And with that I'm ending this argument. :)
RPG is stats, stat progression, and combat based on STATS. Disgaea and FF both have these.
Almost everything else in games labeled as RPGs is borrowed from other genres and/or common but not necessary to label the game as a RPG.
Has there been a lack of them?
Only in other people's opinions.
No but a lot have moved to portables now. Still some DARN good ones though. And the ones that are on home consoles are still great too.
Ah *thinks* Dragon Quest IX and VI soon, and Golden Sun DS, and Final Fantasy IV PSP soon, and Final Fantasy Gaiden (Four Heroes of Light), and Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Final Fantasy Type-0, and Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together PSP, and Radiant Historia, and PERSONA 3 Portable, and Atelier Rorona, and Trinity Universe, and Neptunia, and Lufia DS remake, and YSI&II, and, YSIII, and YSVII, and Trails in the sky soon, and the latest Rune Factory, and Disgaea 4 soon, and Tales of Graces soon. All those titles came out from June/July to about March 2011. With the exception Final Fantasy XIII-2 which is suppose to come out in the winter, Final Fantasy Type-0 which is suppose to be out soon, Disgaea 4 which comes out this summer, and Tales of Graces which doesn't have a date yet. Either way take your pick. Plenty of good RPG's to play.
I dont know about you guys, but me myself, think the english dubs are GREAT, and every time i watch the video, and after watching the freaking video for the 20318th time it always made me teary eyed at the end. Omg i wanna play this so bad…
Anyhow, i always play the first playthrough of ar tonelico in english, but i found it funny how you guys put the big screen with the both languages options appear haha xD. Like Siliconera: "YES!! DUAL AUDIO OPTION, DONT ASK!"
And (actually we received an English copy weeks ago…)
Not that I watch a lot of anime in English – I recognize a lot of the voices and they make up the ones I don't mind hearing. I might play it in English after seeing all this garbage against it knowing I'll replay it over and over anyways.
I understand how you reacted. Ar tonelico is the only console game series that I ever felt anything for the characters. Although the English lines are quite good in the trailer, I'll probably have to play through those scenes to get teary eyed because I need context, haha.
I'm picking up both on the 15th, but man, is it going to be hard to decide between Yakuza 4 and Ar Tonelico when it comes to which one I'm going to play first.
I feel your pain, my good man. Probably Ar Tonelico first? Yakuza will eat up HOURS of your life, if you're a completionist
*yoda voice*
unncessary dub hate, i feel.
Not from me or any of the staff, but since so many readers ask about dual audio, I felt it was important to point it out for people who consider it a priority.
Wow, the dubs actually aren't that bad. 0.0
NISA's dubs usually aren't. I'm actually mostly on the dub-hating side; I'll admit that up front. I haven't watched a dubbed anime since the 90s, and I doubt I ever will again. But NISA's dubs are almost always very good, with some definite exceptions (BIG caveat: failing to pronounce Asuka correctly in Disgaea 3, argh).
simple dub-hating is one thing, nitpicks over pronunciations of names makes for a lot of baseless arguments these days. :/
Well mispronounciations of names can get irritating.
It depends. I mean, I would look at a Japanese name and think of two ways to say it, one of them sound the same as the english voice actors say it. If people really mispronounced a name, I would notice.
It's not America's fault they try so hard to say the names right. Even Japan fails a lot by using English lines because of the L and R slur (Other foreign dubs are taken to account as well). The fault goes to the viewers who a huge ass deal about.
Like the Durarara dub. People are labeling it an absolute fail for mispronouncing of names; the "only" case here being Masaomi. The "a" in "Ma" is naturally silent. Personally, I don't think it matters when anyone from America naturally uses the "a," because it's in their accent. You can judge the mispronunciations, just don't push it over the voice acting as a whole.
Japanese pronunciation isn't as vague as English though. Generally speaking there is only one correct way to pronounce each symbol in Japanese.
I'm pretty strongly of the opinion that if you're paid to do something, do it correctly. I'm not familiar with Durarara specifically, but I really do feel it's the voice actors' and voice directors' responsibilities to know how names are pronounced, and get them right.
(I should note, to be fair, that I'm biased. I buy NISA's anime, which is sub only, and I'm perfectly happy with that, so I'm not in the same boat as someone who WANTS a dub, and might be more tolerant for the sake of having one.)
Regarding your last sentence, though, I can agree with that to at least some extent–a mispronunciation doesn't automatically make a bad dub. I can get through Disgaea 3's dub in its entirety with no (major) complaints, except the awful mispronunciation of Asuka. I don't consider the dub of Disgaea 3 bad as a whole; but I do scowl at the voice director who should've said, "No, that's not how it's pronounced."
Sadly, it can go either way. Prinny 2's dub was terrible, Tonelico 2 and Prinny's were fantastic.
I thought the voice acting was fine as I felt rather hyped by what I heard. It makes me want to replay the first two with English just to see if it is horrible or not. I think most people just don't give it a chance and blindly hate it. If people could understand original audios I think they would understand that bad voice acting isn't bound to one language.
I agree. I like them
Woah! It seems my question has been answered!
Thanks Siliconera!
Now I'll be waiting and purchase it in DAY1!!! ^_^
My God, what have I have been missing! D:
It's sooo glad for the recommendation from Gamestop! ^_^ I'm really excited for this. Pre-ordered and everything! Though March is going to kill me financially anyway. T_T
Why can't Feb. 15th come faster so March 15th can arrive already.
Wait what? Gamestop recommended a jrpg!?
I know!! O_O
XD One of the workers in the Gamestop near where I live is JRPG fanatic (other genres but you get the idea ^^). He dubs me "The RPG Lady" because of the games are jrpgs. XD
Also I should that same worker recommended a lot of rpgs, including Ar Tonelico Qoga and HyperDimension Neptuna.
Gamestop for once having an rpg lover working there… That's something.
lol, you're lucky, every game store here including gamestop have workers that only care about the mainstream games and mostly fps and WOW is the closest rpg game that they're willing to play.
There's this pretty cool guy at one of the Gamestops around where I live. We have similar interest and often talk about or should I say joke about Death Smiles' and Agarest Wars' ridiculous yet awesome Limited Editions (the ergonomic mouse-pad sitting on the counter having yet to find anyone wanting to buy it is always a great conversation piece lol). When I bought P3 he told me how amazing it was, and we often exchange jokes from Disgaea. Plus he tries to one-up by tellin' me about the new RPG's comin' out but since I have Silicon Era he can never beat me. heheheheh He's also cut me some deals in the past too. Like selling me the promotional posters they had for Dragon Quest IX since he knew how much I loved Dragon Quest. Sadly he couldn't save the display pieces but I got some awesome posters at least. Makes me sad that, that Gamestop didn't have the Dragon Quest IX event since I could have at least hong-out with him. Instead I had to go to a different local Gamestop. :( There's employees out there who enjoy this stuff too don't you worry. Sadly not enough if you ask me. lol But hey this is a niche thing so it's not like I can expect a whole store of RPG-loving employees. Just glad to see other people who like this stuff.
I know right! Some of the workers where I go, it's only FPS and mainstream games, But it's like what Zero_Destiny they are some workers who like and play niche titles. We just need more of them. Especially gamestop.
Actually the worker I told you about, also has a friend/co-worker at that same gamestop, who some niche titles as well. O_o TWO RPG fans (jpgs at that) working in the same gamestop?
(checks calender) Nope, still 2011…
Now I'm on a mission to find the first two Ar tonelicos… Wish me luck. >.<
lol same thing at my local stores. actually back when they were still Eletronics Boutique there was a guy who worked there who was into niche games, but that was years ago
I just saw the Banpresto logo in it. Are they the developers (or co-developers) of this game?
Banpresto atre the japanese publishers, they fund the development and help out on some stuff but it's mostly a Gust game ^^
Has it gone gold or are they like, dodecatuple checking for bugs this time?
Also lol at "I want to do some advanced programming so can you take off some clothes?" totally trying that line on my gf sometime :D
I'm so excited I can't think of anything else to say!
"Ar Tonelico Qoga has a Japanese voice option."
yay for more options :D
i already plan on getting this but this will make my purchase 110% :P
I cannot wait for this! I absolutely adore Ar Tonelico and NISA's voice dubs are usually really good, so that's hardly a concern here. I think I'll actually play through in English first.
So excited! (>.<)/~<3
Edit: Curse you Spencer for rubbing in the fact that you've had a playable copy. ;_;
Is it me or does the main character sound like adell form Disgaea 2 o.o?
Purge movie option stays on forever…. for me.
Wow. I really like that music, but I can't explain why.
It's the Ar Tonelico Effect!!, you should hear some others with lyrics, it feels even more epic, for example… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PEmZdiFjwY
Have you played any ar tonelico before? It has its own language and writing as you can clearly see in the vid :P
Yeah, I've hardly touched the series. The focus on music is actually pretty interesting, and it's even more impressive that they made their own language for the game!
I just hope it won't have "dubtitles" like Sega did in Valkyria Chronicles. Not much point in having dual audio in that case unless you understand Japanese really well, or are simply replaying.


text:
It was a grand romantic gesture designed to spark some passion with his girlfriend......but it almost burned the house down.
A hapless romeo from Chatham, Kent, decided to spell out his lover's name in tea lights on the floor of their bedroom.
But the flames of passion got a little to warm and the candles set fire to the carpet, destroying the room and filling the rest of the house with smoke.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the unlucky chap might think twice before he tries any OTT shows of affection again - like this lot of loving losers .....
Freeze a Jolly Good Fella
Romantic Reed Harris decided to pop the question by popping a ring inside his girl friend's frozen drink...as you do.
American Reed dropped the sparkler into Kaitlin Whipple's "Wendy's Frosty" drink....but then watched in horror as she challenged her mates to see who could down their drink first.
"I felt nothing at all," she said later. "I was racing my friends, so there was no way I was going to lose that competition."
Kaitlin had to go to the hospital, where the ring was located via X-ray.
Reed proposed with the X-ray image in place of the actual ring......which appeared a few days later thanks to Mother Nature.
Wen Will I See You Again?
Mr. Chen, a resident of China, thought it would be really romantic to bake his engagement ring into a cake to surprise his girlfriend.
Chen said he was inspired by romantic comedies he's seen, which always tends to be a bad start.
His girlfriend, Wen, was eating the cake when he bent down on his knee to propose, and then she suddenly passed out.
"I realised I had just swallowed the ring with a full mouth of cake," she said.
Chen called the police who told him to visit the hospital, where they used a catheter to remove the ring.
When Wen woke up, she promptly said yes.
Popping The Question
Lefkos Hajji, 28, paid a florist to hide the £6,000 engagement ring he'd bought inside a helium balloon. He planned to give it to Leanne, 27, with a pin and literally "pop the question."
Although the florist warned him to hold on tight to the string, Lefkos lost the balloon moments after leaving the shop in Hackneywhen a gust of wind tore it from his hands.
He claims he chased it in his car for two days before he gave up hope. "I just watched as it went further and further into the air," he said.
"I felt like such a plonker. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me."
Love Letter
A fun-loving boyfriend decided to surprise his partner by posting her an unusual present – himself.
But the joke went horribly wrong when the delivery was delayed and he almost suffocated to death.
Hu Seng, from Chongqing city in southern China, made a friend tape him into a box that he had paid a courier firm to deliver to his girlfriend, Li Wang.
Another friend was waiting at his girlfriend's office to film the surprise when he jumped out.
But in a horrifying twist of fate the unsuspecting couriers mixed up the address and instead of 30 minutes in the sealed box, Mr Seng was trapped inside for nearly three hours.
The box had very little air inside and was too thick for Mr Seng to make a hole in it.
By the time the package had arrived at his girlfriend's office - where a friend was waiting to record her surprise on camera - Mr Seng had passed out and had to be revived by paramedics.
Falling For You
A woman and her boyfriend were hiking at Great Falls Park near Washington D.C. when the chap decided to surprise her with a marriage proposal.
The woman said Yes but was overcome with excitement and managed to fall 10 feet down a rock face. She lost consciousness and eventually had to be rescued by helicopters.
Talk about being head over heels in love....
Stupid Cupid
It must have seemed like a good idea at the time - streaking across a Premiership football ground firing red roses from a bow like an overgrown Cupid.
But the romantic gesture to his girlfriend on St Valentine's Day has well and truly backfired on James Miller.
First he was arrested. Then the serving soldier was told he could face a court martial.
To add insult to injury, his girlfriend, Jade Thompson, 19, was so appalled by his behaviour that she dumped him.
If that wasn't enough, even more misery was heaped on his shoulders when he was fined £200 and banned from all football matches for three years.
Outside court, the crestfallen 20-year-old said: 'I'm sorry for what I did but I never realised it would cause so much trouble. I just wanted to impress my Jade and it backfired really badly.'
He said he 'genuinely thought' he could rescue their crumbling relationship by acting as Cupid.
Miller, a craftsman in the Light Dragoons, added: 'That sort of behaviour always seems to work some romantic magic in the movies. Now I have no girlfriend.'


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(2002; 166 pages)
The fight against counterfeit drugs in the Russian Federation
Dr Alexander Toporkov, Russian Federation
In recent years, the Russian Federation has faced a marked increase in counterfeit medicines. The data suggest that two-thirds of these fake medicines were made within the country. Most of the fake medicines were found by departments in the monitoring and approval system during quality control and medicine certification operations. In most cases, the counterfeits were discovered during the process of ensuring that their quality complied with the requirements of regulatory documentation, such as description, labelling, authentication and quality.
The most commonly counterfeited drugs are the antibacterials. Cases have been found where the fake medicines displayed the same serial number as the genuine ones.
The reasons behind the increase in fake medicines in the Russian Federation are believed to be:
• shortcomings in the current legislation governing the trade in medicines;
• a large number of intermediary distributors in the pharmaceutical market;
• the gulf between the cost of drugs and the purchasing power of the public;
• inadequate interdepartmental coordination in the fight against fake products;
• easy availability of sophisticated modern equipment for production and packaging of medicines;
• a large number of enterprises that do not conform to GMP.
The problem of counterfeit medicines also leads to economic problems, such as direct losses for Russian and foreign producers, the costs of combating the fake medicines and protecting trade marks, overall costs to the health sector caused by inappropriate treatments, and unpaid taxes and duties.
Because of the inadequacy of the existing legislation, an amendment is being drafted to the Federal Law on Medicines, to introduce the concept of counterfeit medicines, to ban their preparation, production, sale and import into the Russian Federation, and to criminalize their production, advertising, preparation, packaging, labelling, acquisition, storage, or transport for the purposes of sale. The amendment also covers medicines accompanied by false information concerning contents and/or producer.
In August 2001, the Russian Ministry of Health set up a Commission to combat the trade in fake medicines, including personnel from the Customs Committee, the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology, the Prosecutor-General and the Supreme Court.
In December 2001, the Russian Ministry of Health set up the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate to:
• organize inspection checks;
• inform law enforcement and monitoring agencies of violations uncovered;
• collaborate on drafting regulations and laws dealing with quality control;
• set up a database on those parties involved in the trade in medicines for information and analysis.


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This article was originally published at The Social Penguin Blog, one of our blog partners.
In response to questions about the ROI (Return on Investment) of social media, entrepreneur and social media juggernaut, Gary Vaynerchuk, is famous for his reply: "What's the ROI of your mother?"
According to Vaynerchuk, it's just understood that one's mother (like social media) has an intrinsic value and trying to measure that value is unnecessary. When it comes to social media, Vaynerchuk's advice is simply to stop measuring and start doing.
On the other hand, Mark Schaefer, social media advisor and author of "The Tao of Twitter" says: "As marketers we should measure everything. And generally, we can." It's imperative that businesses evaluate the resources spent on social media to determine whether those resources are producing positive results. If you're in business, chances are you are trying your best to make a profit. If you're using social media as part of your marketing strategy, then you need to know if that strategy is paying off.
So, is the investment in social media worth it? Does it provide a positive return on investment? Whether it's in terms of person-hours spent engaging on social media, money paid for social media management or additional staff, there is growing evidence to suggest that the answer is "Yes!" Here's why.
The Myth of Free Social Media
Although participation in social media is technically free, there are still costs associated with this activity. Perhaps chief among these is the physical time it takes to engage meaningfully with your target audience.
If you haven't assigned a dollar value to the time that you and your staff are spending on social media, you're not alone. According to a recent survey from Awareness Inc., 57 percent of marketers said that they "have not allocated budgets to social marketing, but rely on people resources". Yet these marketers must be realizing a positive return on investment, since in the same survey 78 percent of respondents said that "expanding social reach" will be a major marketing initiative for them in 2012. Like any form of business marketing, you have to allocate an appropriate time frame before you can expect to see results; an investment in social media is no different.
Social Media Marketing Vs. Traditional Advertising
Some business owners may still be inclined to scoff at social media and the time investment it takes to produce results. They may prefer to forego the effort of social media marketing in favor of traditional advertising instead. Not Jonathan Kervin. Since investing his time into social media marketing for his inbound marketing agency, Jonathan has seen traffic to his website increase by ten fold.
"Before social media, I would have spent upwards of $1000 a month on advertising to produce that kind of traffic," says Kervin. When asked if he's come out on top of the ROI equation, "Definitely!" he says.
Kervin also takes issue with those who say traditional, or even online-advertising doesn't take the same effort or committment as social media. He says, "What about the time it takes to research and fine-tune your ads, what about split-testing different versions? This all takes time and money." No matter what type of advertising you're doing for your business, you have to make strategic investments to produce positive returns. Now, says Kervin, "instead of money, I invest my time."
What many business people also tend to overlook when it comes to investing in social media is that you can create reusable social content like videos, podcasts, blog articles and so on. These marketing tools continue to promote your business long after you've invested the initial time to produce the content. "I've gotten better at social media", says Kervin, "now that I have the learning curve out of the way." The bonus, he says, is that "now I have all this content and it's producing traffic for me even while I'm sleeping!"
It would seem that if you compare the time commitment of social media vs. the money committment of traditional advertising, social media has its advantages — particularly if your business is on a tight budget. Factor in the hands-on marketing training and reusable advertising content you produce while investing your time in social media, and the relative dollar value of social media marketing is something a business person can no longer afford to ignore.
Facebook Fans Worth $50 Million
You may have seen the chatter on the Internet asking: "What's a Facebook fan worth?" Well, according to beer company, New Belgium, the answer is 50 million dollars. More precisely, when the company surveyed its Facebook fan base, it calculated that each member spent an average of $260 on its products. Collectively that amounts to approximately $50.7 million in annual revenue. For an initial social media investment of $235,000 "mostly dedicated to Facebook," that equates to a very positive endorsement of social media ROI.
If course, not every business has the social media budget of New Belgium brewery. In fact, the Awareness Inc. survey (mentioned earlier) found that only eight percent of businesses spent over $50,000 on their social media budgets in 2011. Still, as we've seen in the above examples, you don't need to break the bank to get positive results from social media.
Even if you don't generate immediate sales from social media, there is immense business value in using these social platforms. Whether it's increasing awareness of your business to a global audience, providing transparent customer service, or establishing relationships with future customers, the results of your social media activities are tangible, measurable, and definitely worthwhile.
[Sources: watermill3, B2C, Awareness Inc., Usa Today; Image credits: technotherapy, 401K, Alan O'Rourke, quan ha]


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Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) vs. Styrofoam Brand Foam
A common question we hear all the time is, "What's the difference between Expanded Polystyrene Foam and Styrofoam Brand Foam?" Some times, people are looking for expanded polystyrene foam products, but mistakenly refer to them as Styrofoam Brand Foam, even though the materials are completely different.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
Most common "foam" products, like coolers, wine shippers, molded end caps and corners, box packaging and even cups at the office water cooler are actually polystyrene foam. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is the generic industry name for the white rigid material made by expanding polystyrene beads with steam and pressure to bond the beads together to form blocks or to shape molds. EPS is also used in the construction industry for insulation and void fill.
Styrofoam Brand Foam for Construction
Styrofoam Brand Foam is a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow. This trademark covers a full range of extruded polystyrene building products used primarily in construction for wall insulation, floor insulation, and roof insulation systems. These insulation panels are commonly referred to as "blue board" in the construction industry. Most often the word "Styrofoam" is generically used to describe expanded polystyrene foam products like disposable coffee cups, cooler and other foam packaging materials, none of which is actually Styrofoam Brand Foam
Styrofoam Brand Foam for Floral & Crafts
Dow Chemical's Styrofoam Brand Foam also covers a full range of foam products for the floral, craft and special events industries. These premium products are available in sheets, blocks, balls, spheres, cones and many other shapes. They are available to the consumer from major craft and floral retailers throughout the country.
So, which one do I need, Styrofoam Brand Foam or EPS?
At Universal Foam Products, we are experts and suppliers of EPS and STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam products, so the only question is, "Which one is right for your project?" Dow STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam products are most commonly used in construction applications where specific R-values and compression strength is critical.
Still not sure which product you need for your project?
Call us today and speak with an expert foam associate at Universal Foam Products. We will provide you with a FREE quote and answer any questions you have about selecting the proper EPS or Styrofoam Brand Foam product for your project.
Call (410) 825-8300 or send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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"Velazquez Vision" by Mel Ramos, Lithograph, 1981
More questions? Get in touch
American Pop artist Mel Ramos does his version of the famous painting "Rokeby Venus" by Diego Velazquez. Instead of a cupid, a monkey holds the mirror as the now-blonde model looks at her reflection. Photorealism and beautiful nudes are Mel Ramos' style; he is best known for his depictions of naked women with large-scale everyday objects. This lithograph is signed and numbered in pencil, edition: 250. This artwork is offered unframed.
UNFRAMED: HEIGHT: 19¼ in | WIDTH: 27 in
Starting at $75. This seller prefers to quote shipping price after determining your location.
Domestic shipping within the 48 continental states is quoted on each item via FedEx or White Glove delivery.
International shipping can be arranged upon request.
Delivery times will vary depending on the locations of origin and delivery, packing requirements, and the method of shipping used.
Once your order is processed, you will be notified of shipping status and given an estimated time of delivery.
We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover through our secure portal. We also accept payment via check, money order, or wire transfer. All payment options are available at checkout.


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Practice Day Report: April 25by Doug Brumley / Nashville Predators
The Predators got down to business on Wednesday, practicing for a full hour over the two rinks at Centennial Sportsplex. It was the first practice for the team since their Round 2 playoff opponent was determined Monday night. Nashville will open the Western Conference Semifinal series Friday in Phoenix against the Coyotes.
The tone of Wednesday's practice was distinctly different from the tone of the practices on Sunday and Monday. After the team's day off on Tuesday, the upbeat and playful vibe was replaced with a more serious, business-like attitude, with lots of breaks for instructions from the coaching staff.
Center Nick Spaling said he has liked the rhythm of the practice days and off days as the Preds have waited for other series to wrap up. "It's been good," he said. "We've still been working on some overall team things over the past couple of days that we needed to just tighten up. It's helped having those days and being able to practice and stay sharp."
Paul Gaustad added: "I think with us, [we're] just trying to physically get healthy, mentally take a little bit of a break—but not too far of a step back—and now just trying to get right back at it."
Pekka Rinne was a popular man in the locker room after practice, given the Wednesday morning announcement that he is one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy for the league's top goaltender. He was runner-up for the award last season.
"It's great," Rinne said. "I was positively surprised. I can't believe it. It's the second time and I never would have believed it when I was growing up. I feel very fortunate and at the same time I realize that I play behind a really good team."
"He was the only one surprised, if he said that," head coach Barry Trotz said afterward, "because to me he's an MVP candidate as well as a Vezina candidate. That just shows you how humble and unassuming that Peks is. Good for him. I'm thrilled for him, and well deserved."
Practice lines on Wednesday:
White jerseys: Mike Fisher centering Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat
White jerseys: Nick Spaling centering Andrei Kostitsyn and Patric Hornqvist
Silver jerseys: David Legwand centering Alexander Radulov and Gabriel Bourque
Silver jerseys: Paul Gaustad centering Brandon Yip and Craig Smith
Gold jerseys: Colin Wilson centering Matt Halischuk and Jordin Tootoo
Defensive pairings:
Ryan Suter and Shea Weber
Roman Josi and Kevin Klein
Hal Gill and Francis Bouillon
Jack Hillen and Ryan Ellis
The Predators also spent a portion of the session practicing the power play. "Last series it seemed early on in the series we lost a lot of momentum on the power play and we can't afford to do that," Ryan Suter said.
Power play unit: Fisher, Radulov, Erat, Suter and Weber
Power play unit: Legwand, A. Kostitsyn, Hornqvist, S. Kostitsyn and Josi


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Blackbeard's Castle
Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands
www.blackbeardscastle.com - 340-776-1234
Blackbeard's Castle Charlotte Amalie Reviews
621 reviews
Pirates are Popular at Blackbeard's Castle Jun 26, 2007
"Blackbeard's Castle" was originally built in 1679 as a watchtower overlooking Charlotte Amalie harbor and was known as Skytsborg. Today, the historic structure has taken on a new popularity as a center for pirate lore. Pirates are popular and big business in St. Thomas. However, I recommend visiting Blackbeard's Castle even if you are not into pirates. It's definitely a historic site to see. You can go up in the tower for the view, and the view over Charlotte Amalie from Government Hill is wonderful! (In fact, you don't even have to go up in the tower for an amazing view over the harbor.)
Also on the grounds are a swimming pool, a bar and snack bar, and a small hotel. A gift shop sells all manner of pirate souvenirs. Statues of famous pirates complete the scene. The most imposing a large statue of Blackbeard himself.
Blackbeard's Castle can be reached by walking up the 99 Steps. You'll pass other historic sites such as the Haagensen House and Villa Notman. There is also a walking tour available for $22 that includes admission to the different sites along the way.
Backbeard's Castle was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
Part of the Eastern Caribbean Cruise 2007 travel blog
Part of the list National Register of Historic Places
Part of the list Things to see in St. Thomas, USVI
2 / 2 TravBuddies found this review helpful/trustworthy
Join TravBuddy to leave comments, meet new friends and share travel tips!
Related Travel Blogs About Blackbeard's Castle
Exploring St. Thomas
Land! I was up on deck to spot the first sight of the Virgin Islands at 8:30 a.m. Off to starboard--Savana Island perhaps. Whatever it was, it was shrouded in mist. I hopped this did not bode ill for…Charlotte Amalie and the Havensight dock area. The old watchtowers now known as Blackbeard's Castle and Bluebeard's Castle…
Return to St. Thomas
Carnival Miracle arrived at St. Thomas in the early morning. We had also visited St. Thomas on our cruise last summer. Then, we we saw Magens Bay, the scenic overlooks, Blackbeard's Castle (Skytsborg…Blackbeard's Castle (Skytsborg), and the historic houses along The 99 Steps. (See my June 2007 St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie blogs.) This year, the family wanted to focus…


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|Oracle FAQ
|Your Portal to the Oracle Knowledge Grid
Home -> Community -> Mailing Lists -> Oracle-L -> Re: Why hash join doesn't happens in 10g, but yes in 9i
If found this parameter
alter session set "_optimizer_cost_based_transformation" = OFF; on 313746.1 metalink note.
But this reduced to 1.72s not to the original time. I'm asking if someone has another idea, I hope Jhonatan is somewhere out there :)
-- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-lReceived on Fri Mar 31 2006 - 12:49:45 CST
Original text of this message


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UHC Honors Top Academic Medical Centers With 2013 Supply Chain Awards
Supply Chain Performance Excellence Award, Supplier Diversity Leadership Award, and Sustainability Award Presented at UHC Annual Conference 2013
Oct 17, 2013, 20:40 ET from UHC
CHICAGO, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- UHC announced the winners of 2013 UHC Supply Chain Performance Excellence Awards, UHC Supplier Diversity Leadership Award, and UHC Sustainability Award at the UHC Annual Conference 2013 in Atlanta, Ga.
2013 UHC Supply Chain Performance Excellence Award
Honored for excellence in supply chain management, the UHC Supply Chain Performance Excellence Award winners are:
- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
- Fletcher Allen Health Care
- Denver Health
- University of Mississippi Medical Center
- University of Utah Health Care
- Wishard-Eskenazi Health (#1 Public Safety Net Hospital)
"As Supply Chain Performance Excellence Award recipients, these organizations have demonstrated exceptional supply chain management," said Jake Groenewold, UHC's senior vice president, Supply Chain. "These outstanding academic medical centers have established and executed successful supply chain performance improvement programs, and we are pleased to honor these organizations for their accomplishments that provide new insights for all UHC members."
To identify the top performers in supply chain management, UHC analyzed participating members' supply chain and operational data from the UHC Operational Data Base. Supply utilization overall; supply utilization in cardiology, surgical services, and inpatient medications; and operating margin were used to evaluate performance. The award winners excelled in 5 areas: physician alignment and stewardship, evidence-based evaluations, innovative supply chain approaches, focus on distribution and utilization processes, and long-term commitment to continuous improvement.
2013 UHC Supplier Diversity Leadership Award
Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Tex, received the 2013 UHC Supplier Diversity Leadership Award for the development and implementation of an outstanding supplier diversity program. The award is based on several criteria, including structure and strength of the organization's supplier diversity program; new programs or techniques that facilitated the growth of diverse businesses in 2012; utilization of diversity contracts, especially from Novation, UHC's supply contracting company; use of Novation's supplier diversity suite of solutions; community involvement and outreach to minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses; and senior leaders' involvement in supplier diversity development.
2013 UHC Sustainability Award
UHC recognized UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif, with the 2013 Sustainability Award. The award honors a UHC member's commitment to sustainability as measured by the following criteria: a demonstrated, continuous commitment to a sustainability strategy; a quantifiable means of measuring and reporting progress toward and achievement of sustainability goals; and a demonstrated commitment to increasing awareness of and communicating about the sustainability program to staff and internal stakeholders and throughout the community
About UHC
UHC is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical centers, which are focused on delivering world-class patient care. Formed in 1984 and based in Chicago, Ill, UHC fosters collaboration with and among its 118 academic medical center and 299 affiliated hospital members through its renowned solutions in the areas of performance improvement, comparative data and analytics, supply chain management, strategic research, and public policy. UHC helps its members achieve excellence in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness. UHC's membership includes the leading nonprofit academic medical centers in the United States. For more information, visit uhc.edu.


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WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon plans to give its elite commando units a greater role in fighting the war on terrorism and will provide more money, equipment and troops to special operations forces, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday.
Special forces commanders will have greater authority to initiate operations and tap into the regular military's resources to do so, Rumsfeld and other Pentagon officials told reporters.
"The global nature of the war, the nature of the enemy and the need for fast, efficient operations in hunting down and rooting out terrorist networks ... have all contributed to the need for an expanded role for the special operations forces," Rumsfeld said at a news conference.
Neither Rumsfeld nor other officials who briefed reporters would say how much more money and how many more troops the Defense Department is seeking for the commando units in next year's budget. Officials told The Associated Press last month that plans for Special Operations Command called for a 20 percent budget increase in 2004, or $1 billion, and an 8 percent increase in personnel, about 4,000 people.
President Bush next month will release his proposed budget for the 2004 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. A senior defense official said Tuesday that the Pentagon's budget proposal had not yet been approved by the White House.
Special forces such as Navy SEALS and Army Green Berets have played a prominent role so far in the war on terrorism, helping Northern Alliance forces oust the Taliban in Afghanistan and training troops in the Philippines, Yemen and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Some of the extra money would pay to replace equipment lost in those missions, such as MH-47 Chinook helicopters destroyed in Afghanistan and the Philippines.
Rumsfeld envisions an even greater role for commandos in the global war on terrorism, including letting special forces run their own operations with help from the military's regional commanders, instead of the other way around.
That's a significant shift for Special Operations Command, known in the Pentagon by its acronym SOCOM. Commando units have traditionally been called in by the regional commanders to perform their special missions of clandestine warfare or military training.
The plans call for adding more people to SOCOM headquarters to help plan the new missions, Rumsfeld said.
Pentagon officials hope that giving SOCOM the ability to initiate operations will help make the special units even faster and more deadly than they already are.
To do that, special forces units will jettison some of their duties that other military forces can perform just as well, such as routine training for foreign militaries, Rumsfeld said. Other roles to be diminished could include combat search and rescue, anti-drug missions and airlift assistance.
Money for the increased special operations budget will come from Bush's proposed increases in defense spending, from the savings made in the reorganization and from the budgets of the regular military branches, the senior defense official said.
Besides replacing equipment lost in the war on terrorism, SOCOM would get more communications equipment and other high-tech gear for its troops, as well as possibly more helicopters or other aircraft.
Commanders at SOCOM are hoping that the troubled V-22 aircraft will help fill that airlift need. The V-22 has propellers that rotate so it can take off and land like a helicopter, then fly like an airplane.
Pentagon officials expect to decide this spring whether to keep the program, which has been plagued by crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000.
If the V-22 passes its current round of testing, the Special Operations Command hopes to speed delivery of the aircraft modified for special forces' use, a senior SOCOM official said.
On the Net:
SOCOM: http://www.socom.mil
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The Minister of Youth and ICT, Nsengimana Jean Philbert has requested the youth graduating at Iwawa Rehabilitation Center in Kivu Lake to maximize opportunities of acquired skills since they are needed at the labor market.
He made the call yesterday addressing 870 youth that completed the 10th intake of vocational courses at Iwawa in construction courses, sewing and handcraft among others.
"You have got chances of growing in a country with a good leadership and developing economy. You will meet such chances in your home districts and you still have chances to attend school," advised the minister.
He told them that they have been equipped with skills needed at labor market, an opportunity they have to use well.
Iwawa enrolls former drug abusing youth and others with naughty behaviors to be integrated in normal life.


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JAMES INGRAM knows how stiff the competition is for good songs.
"Trying to get James Ingram's music on a James Ingram album is sometimes tough," he said yesterday from his downtown hotel, where he was preparing for tonight's "Night on the Town" show with Patti Austin and others at Pier Six Concert Pavilion.
"Even though I do a lot of songwriting," he said, "there's always other great material out there that you have to be aware of."


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Category: Jordan 10840 Views
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Air Jordan 3 Retro 'Wolf Grey'
The Air Jordan 3 Retro 'Wolf Grey' will released this Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 8am BST/9am CET on the NikeStore. Made of a combination of a Wolf Grey and Metallic Silver upper, the shoe sit on a black and white midsole and gray transparent outsole. The pair will be priced at € 170 at Europeans retailers such as, END, Crookedtongues, Size?, JD, FootPatrol, SNS and Kickz.
SOURCE: Packers Shoes
Air Jordan 3 Retro 'Wolf Grey' based on 3 ratings.


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Another fine example of the nurturing, loving, solidarity of sisterhood MTF folks so often pine over.
9 Replies to "Sorority Sobriety"
I don't know. It sounded like the chapter itself was very nurturing — half of those who weren't thrown out left in solidarity. I think that's pretty impressive, actually.
But your point is very well taken.
This calls for snarky comparisons to TriEss. Oh, yes it does.
I will never, ever, ever understand the need or the desire to join either a fraternity or a sorority. Ever. GDI forever.
This situation is really unfortunate and short-sighted but a terrific example at how diversity gets crushed by institutionalized systems that pretend to be doing something good, "Hey, we're only trying to raise recruitment numbers.â€
I've been following this one for awhile as my colleague's daughter—she's the one featured in the second picture—has been in the middle of this. What a lovely parting experience for her senior year. It is a sober reminder of how categories get valorized at the expense of people's humanity, and that is something those who inhabit T-World know intimately well. In the words of one rapper, "And it don't stop.â€
Wow, Katherine. Glory to your colleague's daughter; pass it on, if you can.
Megan, don't write 'em all off. My fraternity mailing list is currently discussing the story, with unanimous disgust. I just suggested (yes, from my Catherine address) that we send a letter of salute and encouragement to the expellees and the rebels, along with 29 forms for transfer application to MIT. We might even be able to rush them, depending on the present state of our seesaw struggle aganst our national organization to go co-ed.
One other point…there was tremendous solidarity among the women of the sorority itself. The national organization has problems, but the local women seem to me to be wonderful people.
Such battles are not uncommon, I think. My fraternity chapter lasted three years. Midway through the third year the National gave up on us completely–wouldn't even answer our letters.
I can understand Megan's POV. I "went Greek" in college. It was my "military experience" that many T*s go through (I thought joining a fraternity would "make a man out of me"). Obviously, it failed. My home chapter was mostly a group of College Republican-type homophobes and little assholes out for doing every pretty blonde Kappa and drinking every weekend. I got shit for dating women from the sorority that had the "girls with the good personalities." Hell, they were more interesting in that one, not all blondie Orange County, cookie-cutter types! However, I encountered good people and lifelong friends in chapters at other schools.
There is good and bad in every Fraternity and Sorority. I'm glad to hear that Jade, and I know where you're coming from, Megan.
Slim, Pretty, White? Sorority Wants You (Other Women Need Not Apply)
WASHINGTON (March 1, 2007) — If you're a young woman who is of color, majors in math or science, or is overweight – there is a place for you on campus. It's just not with Delta Zeta Sorority. In a "membership review" that has a campus community outraged, national representatives of the sorority dismissed all of the DePauw University chapter's black, Korean, Vietnamese and overweight members.
The national sorority's efforts to revitalize its image and strengthen recruitment efforts at DePauw University, resulted in only twelve members — all of whom would be considered thin and "pretty" by conventional standards — being invited to remain and help grow the chapter. Six of those members have quit the sorority in protest.
"College should be about cultivating the next generation of female presidents, community leaders and executives — not enforcing a narrow and unrealistic Barbie-doll code of femininity," said Brittney Hoffman, Youth Coordinator for the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. "Believe me, I work with college youth everyday — no matter who this sorority purges, they're not going to be able to restrict the thinking of young women to focus only on make-up, model figures, and men."
As part of the membership review, officials staged a recruitment event on the DePauw campus that only included "pretty" chapter members and "slender" sorority members from the Indiana University chapter. The remaining chapter members were asked to remain in their rooms.
"They had these unassuming freshman girls downstairs with these 'plastic' women from Indiana University, and 25 of my sisters hiding upstairs. It was so fake, so completely dehumanized," said Kate Holloway, a senior who quit the sorority during the membership review.
23 chapter members were transferred from active to alumna status, which required them to vacate the sorority house and find alternate housing before the start of the second semester. University officials have called the "membership review" an unacceptable disruption in the academic lives of its students- leaving many uncertain about housing arrangements and unable to focus on year-end assignments. Several former members have pulled out of classes – attributing their withdrawal to depression.
According to Hoffman, recent studies have linked hyper-sexualized ideals of women to increasing rates of depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders among girls and women. A forthcoming University of Illinois study of high school girls found that nearly one-half (47%) of students witnessed girls being teased and verbally taunted for not being "feminine enough" and one-third (34%) have seen girls who aren't "feminine enough" excluded from groups.
Delta Zeta Sorority has issued a statement that summarily dismisses accusations that the membership decisions were based on race or nationality. The statement does not directly address any physical appearance or popularity criteria that may have been used in the process.
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Margherita Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil
When topping pies like this Margherita, less is more, especially with sauce.
Total Time:
Level: Moderate
Yield: one 10-inch pizza
- Perfect Neopolitan Pizza Dough
- ½ c. Perfect Pizza Sauce
- ¼ lb. fresh mozzarella cheese
- 10 leaves fresh basil
- extra-virgin olive oil
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Set a pizza stone on a rack in the top third of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F for at least 45 minutes. Meanwhile, remove dough ball from refrigerator and let stand for 20 minutes.
- Working on a floured surface and using your fingers, press and stretch dough ball out to a 10-inch round, working from center toward edge; avoid pressing on outermost edge. Transfer dough to a lightly floured pizza peel. Spread pizza sauce onto dough, making sure to leave a 1-inch border around edge, and top with mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, a drizzle of the extra-virgin olive oil, and a light grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- Turn oven to broil for 5 minutes, then return it to 500 degrees F. Slide pizza onto pizza stone, opening and closing oven door as quickly as possible. Bake until bottom is lightly charred and toppings are bubbling, about 6 minutes for a chewier crust and 8 minutes for a crispier one; avoid opening oven door during baking.
Looking for more dinner options? Check out our pork chop recipes, chicken recipes, and potato recipes.
More From Recipes


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Using Physically-Modeled Synthetic Data to Assess Hyperspectral Unmixing Approaches
AbstractThis paper considers an experimental approach for assessing algorithms used to exploit remotely sensed data. The approach employs synthetic images that are generated using physical models to make them more realistic while still providing ground truth data for quantitative evaluation. This approach complements the common approach of using real data and/or simple model-generated data. To demonstrate the value of such an approach, the behavior of the FastICA algorithm as a hyperspectral unmixing technique is evaluated using such data. This exploration leads to a number of useful insights such as: (1) the need to retain more dimensions than indicated by eigenvalue analysis to obtain near-optimal results; (2) conditions in which orthogonalization of unmixing vectors is detrimental to the exploitation results; and (3) a means for improving FastICA unmixing results by recognizing and compensating for materials that have been split into multiple abundance maps. View Full-Text
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Stites, M.; Gunther, J.; Moon, T.; Williams, G. Using Physically-Modeled Synthetic Data to Assess Hyperspectral Unmixing Approaches. Remote Sens. 2013, 5, 1974-1997.
Stites M, Gunther J, Moon T, Williams G. Using Physically-Modeled Synthetic Data to Assess Hyperspectral Unmixing Approaches. Remote Sensing. 2013; 5(4):1974-1997.Chicago/Turabian Style
Stites, Matthew; Gunther, Jacob; Moon, Todd; Williams, Gustavious. 2013. "Using Physically-Modeled Synthetic Data to Assess Hyperspectral Unmixing Approaches." Remote Sens. 5, no. 4: 1974-1997.


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In Good Company
Nov. 12, 2011 at 5:12 a.m.
Dr. Gary Mueller of Victoria, received The Academy of General Dentistry's 2011 Mastership Award during the association's 2011 annual meeting and exhibits, July 28-31 in San Diego, Calif. He completed 1,100 hours of continuing dental education. Mueller is a graduate of the UT School of Dentistry at Houston and has practiced for more than 30 years in Victoria. He is a member of the Guadalupe Valley District Dental Society and the Victoria Lions Club. Mueller devotes some of his time on mission trips lending his dental skills to under-served areas.
John Zacek was recently promoted to executive vice president, regional sales manager for First Victoria National Bank. Zacek holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Economics from Texas A&M University and has 29 years of banking experience.
Senior Helpers employees Patricia Tremaine, Esther Rutkowski, and Rita Warren have obtained certifications as Alzheimer's and dementia specialists. To obtain the certifications, they completed the Senior Gems Approach, a training program developed by Senior Helpers in partnership with Teepa Snow, a nationally recognized expert in Alzheimer's and dementia care.


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I've noticed some sites talking about an eHarmony free trial. I wasn't familiar with this and obviously would be interested in talking about it here for my readers, so I looked into it.
As far as I can tell, those websites discussing an eHarmony free trial are simply discussing the free features that exist within the site already. In other words, they are suggesting that the normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill version of eHarmony (where you can create your profile and view other profiles) is somehow a "special" eHarmony free trial.
I wanted to talk about this because I think it would be annoying to complete the personality test at eHarmony only to find out no free trial existed. So if you're looking for a free trial where you can use the service with 100% of its features for free, as far as I know no such thing exists. That being said, eHarmony does offer times where you can use their service for free which operates similar to reoccurring free trials.
Learn more about my thoughts on this service in my detailed eHarmony Review
Why Creating a Free Account at eHarmony Is Still a Good Idea
So while it would be frustrating to create an account for a free trial only to find out none exists, if you are looking to date online then creating an account at eHarmony is still a good thing. This is because about once a month (although sometimes it's every other month) eHarmony offers a free weekend. Sometimes these free weekends are actually five days worth of using the service.
I frequently talk about these free communication weekends and my general advice is that it's best to sign up for the service beforehand, if you can. This is because eHarmony provides you matches over time and they control who you communicate with. Now this is a selling point of the service, so not necessarily a bad thing. However if you sign up for an eHarmony free communication weekend on the day that it begins, not only may you find yourself waiting on matches while the weekend ticks away, you may also find yourself simply trying to figure out the service.
So, with that in mind, I encourage anyone who thinks they might be interested in trying eHarmony to sign up. While it is not a free trial, if you're patient you will get the free time you are looking for at eHarmony. And honestly, over time you'll end up getting many "free trials", so to speak, with each free communication weekend that you participate in.
I announce the eHarmony free communication weekends on this site but if you sign up at eHarmony they should also email you a few days before the free events begin. You can also see a list of free events at eHarmony which I've discussed on this site in the past here.


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Loving Life in Paradise!Posted in Uncategorized on June 12th, 2013 by admin – Be the first to comment
There's something about a boy, a dog and a fish. Every time I post a photo like this on our Facebook page it generates a huge response! After all, what a perfect way to spend a day – on the water, fly rod in hand, dog at your side, enjoying another perfect day in paradise. This photo of Josh and Brady's dog Jake was taken on the Madison River between Quake and Hebgen Lakes. The fishing there has been phenomenal this spring! Be sure to check out the Firehole Ranch Facebook page for many more photos throughout the year.


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memememememememememememememe. I grew up with that shit. Han Solo feels like family.
So who is looking forward to the latest installment?
Jar x2
When is released?
We managed to watch the original 3 films a couple of weeks ago in preparation for this one. Just got to watch the latest 3 now
The Alphabet Game #3
Try your luck at winning any trophy in your game but you must go in order from A-Z in the alphabet!
Click here to find out more and join in!
I predict that they'll be worse than the prequels.
The Phantom Menace was utter rubbish, Attack of the Clones was a big improvement and I thought Revenge of the Sith was actually good.
The casting (esp. Hayden Christiansen) and Jar Jar Binks killed the prequels. And a bit too much of the bigger is better aspect e.g. the Droid army Vs the Jedi.
There were some memorable moments - Darth Maul, Yoda Vs Dooku, the Sith understory and the general premise and story of how Vader came to be.
John Williams score was of course the best thing about all 3.
Have high hopes for these, having such old actors being brought back I guess is a slight worry. The images and videos so far have more of the darker and seriousness that the original trilogy had and less of the prequels comedy/child orientated aspect
Joking aside, I liked both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but Hayden Christensen, man. That's BS. I liked Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan, Ian McDiarmid was class too. I can't get over Christensen, though. How is that Darth Vader?
But like you said, John Williams' score gave it much more of an epic vibe than it actually was.
Personally, the trailer doesn't do it for me. Seems kinda gimmicky to me, that they'd need to highlight that rolling robot, the new lightsaber, a black stormtrooper. Anyway, only time will tell how it'll turn out.
Yeah Christiansen was just wrong.
He's not really a black storm trooper imo, probably some escape storyline
Great watch btw!!
Star Wars fans a serious fuckers, another good fanmade mash up (the preview image doesn't do the video justice)
According to many, best Star Wars in ages. I wonder .
Just seen this movie. It's brilliant.
Would be enjoyable even if you haven't seen Star Wars, but a lot lot better if you've seen the previous 6 episodes.
So much nostalgia and almost shouted out loud in the cinema when some old faces appeared. I wasn't even close to being born when the originals were released either!
Reminds me of DBZ: Resurrection of F then. Nostalgia and shouting HIS POWER LEVEL IS OVER 9000! .
Nothing even comes close to the DBZ originals.
It is very good. Although I thought Daisy and Domhnaill were poorly cast...She wasn't very good and he should have been 20 years older.
Kylo Ren shoulda left his helmet on.
I thought Daisy was pretty good.
Kylo Ren wasn't a very intimidating villain at all. The scenes without his helmet were actually pretty embarrasing.
Might come through the same arc as the originals, but don't wanna say too much.
But to say point on prequels, Revenge of The Sith was the only one that made sense with the becoming-Vader arc.
Might have been better represented, the issues of freedom, of love, and turmoil could have engaged more.
Would prefer a reckless and rather extreme Anakin over the lone we got, but meh. Guess Lucas rules over all.
I liked the prequels, but only because I'd watched 4,5 and 6 first. I imagine episodes 1 and 2 could be quite boring if you didn't know who the characters were and who they would become.
This film was awesome. The scene flying around the desert had me nearly jumping out of the seat to fist pump and cheer. Would go watch it again.
Why didn't they just stick to the formula that worked for the prequels. Great film
I really enjoyed the film. Didn't like the villian tho, seemed like a teenager ranting.
Haha .
No-one posted this.
Star Warssssssssss .
So I watched episode 2 the other week. Worst crap I've ever seen? It's a movie for kids. Storyline with Anakin S and his girlfriend was beyond awkward. I first thought that this was one of the old ones because the SFX var so incredibly bad.
Then I watched episode 3, much better! I think I've seen ep 4 and 6 before but will prob watch them first ones when I find the time.


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PEAK asphalt mix design Specifications
PEAK asphalt is a high oil content asphalt mix design with high rubber content. It is a perpetual life asphalt designed for infinite life with recyclable capabilities.
- Rubberized oil additive.
- Fracture rock additive.
- Existing asphalt in-place.
- Virgin asphalt as needed.
- PEAK asphalt shall have an oil content of 8 percent by weight.
- PEAK asphalt shall have a void content compacted at 100 % of 3% minimum.
- PEAK asphalt shall have a minimum asphalt film thickness of 25 microns. Calculation shall include 20 mesh or above and exclude 20 mesh minus.
- To help control rutting rejuvenating agent will have a Viscosity of 20 centistokes or greater at 40 Degree Celsius.
- To help control thermal cracking rejuvenating agent will have a Pour point of -20 Degrees Celsius or below.
Equipment used for asphalt recycling shall conform to the following specifications:
- Smoke leaving the recycler shall have an opacity of 20% or below at any location at all times. Smoke intermittently exceeding 20% opacity shall not be allowed.
- Heating of the pavement shall be controlled so the pavement temperature does not ever exceed 200 Degrees Celsius.
- To protect overhead trees and for personnel safety, hot gases leaving the recycler shall not be hotter than 100 Degrees Celsius.
- Equipment shall include but not be limited to shovels, rakes, lutes, hand torches, hot boxes containing RAP or virgin asphalt, in-place-heaters with and without screeds, brooms, hand and vibratory reversible plate compactors, sealcoat sprayer, rejuvenator heater and sprayer, mechanical brooms, hand laydown boxes, ten foot level, asphalt fines separator, and other necessary equipment to recycle asphalt.
- Pavement to be recycled shall be heated three inches wider in all directions of the area to be patched to provide a hot bonded joint.
- Joint between newly recycled asphalt and existing roadway surface shall be angled at an angle of 45 degrees. This will reduce or eliminate water penetration into the joint and eliminate low compaction areas in the joint. Concrete joints shall also be made at a 45% angle.
- PEAK asphalt shall be place at 100 to 200 degrees Celsius.
- PEAK asphalt shall be compacted to 96% minimum of theoretical maximum.
- Mobilization
- Per patch each.
- Per square foot.


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Bite-Sized: Morsels of food news
Published 5:26 pm, Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Merry Monk-Saratoga to open Friday
The Saratoga Springs incarnation of The Merry Monk, a mussels-and-Belgian beer spot in Albany, is due to open Friday afternoon at 84 Henry St., site of the former Tiznow.
Co-owner Jeremy O'Brien said the core offerings will be the same as at the original: 17 draft Belgian and Belgian-style beers (one more than on tap in Albany), about 100 bottled beers, mussels and frites, and big burgers. Appetizers, salads and sandwiches will be slightly different than at the original Merry Monk, O'Brien said, and will showcase the personality of the new restaurant's chef, Brady Dillon, who is the son of the Siro's chef and former owner Tom Dillon. The menu is not yet online. New websites for both Merry Monks are due to launch by the end of this week.
Hours for opening weekend will be from 4 p.m. to close Friday through Sunday. Starting next Monday, regular hours will be 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. The telephone number for Merry Monk-Saratoga is 584-MONK (6665).
City Beer Hall hosting bull-riding benefit
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany is throwing the inaugural Mechanical Bull Riding Competition starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at The City Beer Hall in downtown Albany. The March Madness-style tournament will consist of 64 riders on 16 teams. Harpoon will provide a complimentary tasting and draft specials. Entry is $100 per four-member team. There will be multiple prizes awarded. Anyone interested in riding should contact Karis Flood at email@example.com.
The City Beer Hall is located at Howard and Lodge streets.
Schenectady Restaurant Week returns Feb. 18-24
The next Schenectady Restaurant Week will run Monday through a week from Sunday, Feb. 18 to 24. More than 20 restaurants will be offering three-course meals from special limited menus for $20.13. See the participants and menus at http://www.schenectadychamber.org/pages/RestaurantWeek2013/
Dinner and comedy at Mallozzi's
Mallozzi's Ballrooms in Rotterdam will host a dinner featuring three stand-up comics starting at 7 p.m. Friday. The price is $60 per person, including tax and tip, for hors d'oeuvres, buffet dinner, dessert and beer, wine and soda. The comics are Jeff Pirrami, Patty Rosborough and Rich Williams.
Co-sponsored by the Schenectady PBA, the event will donate partial proceeds to the family of of Nico Lattanzio, a local child with a rare form of cancer. Make reservations via PBA members, not Mallozzi's: John Steve, 379-6251; Ed Ritz, 591-9986; Eric Clifford, 337-0945.
Mallozzi's is located at 1930 Curry Road.
Beer-and-game dinner at Pump Station
The Albany Pump Station will host a dinner featuring its beers paired with game meats at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26. The price for four courses with pairings is $70 per person, including tax and tip. Highlights include pheasant breast, chipotle bison sausage, rabbit cacciatore, boar rack and chocolate-dipped goat-milk profiteroles.
Call 447-9000 for reservations. The Pump Station is located behind Quackenbush Square in downtown Albany.
Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be considered for publication must be submitted to firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog, http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping


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The Black Bull Inn, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire YO51 9AR
A North Yorkshire Inn, near the A1, that you will never forget......
...... not for another 750+ years.
A few quotes from regular customers -
Chris Horner - " There are a lot of chaps who come to the Black Bull wearing a cravat, but I really can't understand why Pete the Post does. That's Pete, I suppose".
Lise, from Bellingham, Washington, USA - "Just wanted to say, in 2009 we were driving around in our rental car, totally lost, in a rain storm late at night. We stopped at the Black Bull not knowing it was an Inn... and asked if you knew of a place nearby where we could sleep.... to which you replied "we've got a room in the back". Best relief ever. Thank you very much. Your kindness has not been forgotten and our stay was very pleasant- and warm!"
Martin Henry -" I live in
Saudi now, a very big country. There's not a single pub half as good as
the Bull!"
Pete the Post - "It's hard work that makes any business successful, and Tony is proof of that".
Whitey - "It's a long walk from Roecliffe, but worth every step".
Dave Lowther - "I came to live nearby because the Black Bull is only a short drive from home".
"Cobbler" Paul (*) - " Having lived Down Under for many years, I certainly believe that the Black Bull is the best pub/inn within 6,000 miles".
* Paul's Mum, Flo, has complained that his real nickname is "Cobber", not Cobbler, so we must say how sorry we are, Flo, for this mistake. Next time you are Oop North you will get a free drink.
If any other customer would like to add an acceptable quotation, please send it to this e-mail address for consideration. Thank you.


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Come on Blizzard, give Shaman some real love.
For every 1 good player running LFR you have at least 24 no where near as skilled/capable/knowledgeable/equipped (either character or computer). So yup, they will continue to make it work for the people it is targeted at. If you are way to good for it, you should go run Normals or heroics, and be quiet. If it isn't what you are doing, you are just being jackasses sticking your nose in to ruin it for someone else.
!!! That is very, very cool that they added Simcraft to WoWprogress
The Druid looks like a dk and the dk looks like a warrior...
This argument makes sense when you are already into normal/heroic raiding and are wearing last tiers gear. And I am very sure all those people, who basically don't need gear from LFR, are not even using LFR because it is really not that much fun except for those very rare runs you might do with friends.
Besides that people also have alts. If you want to gear an alt then you would be stupid to not use LFR. It's the most effective way of gearing up and people expect others to not do it... Someone saying "just don't do dailies if you don't like them" makes much more sense.
---------- Post added 2013-06-17 at 07:07 AM ----------
I'm not even sure why you would nerf a boss this late into the tier in LFR with determination...
Can someone enlighten me pls?
Why are some rogues complaining about recuperate?? The last change i know was "healing up to 4%, up from 3%". So its actually a buff. Just from reading I (also rouge-player) would say, its not much, but a little survivability boost.
I like the Simcraft rankings, more stuff for people to throw at Blizzard, only in this case they would have a point. Clearly Mages and Monks need an adjustment.
Moreover, -any- simcraft ranking (even if coded perfectly) only makes sense for individual fights, not as much 'overall'.
The mere fact it shows monks above rogues/warlocks (just to name the most obvious) voids any value the ranking might have.
That DK set looks sick lol, looks like Activision is secretly implementing some CoD Ghosts with it though!
Do you actually see these classes completely dominating the meters? What about specs like elemental for cleave fights or classes with superior AoE over others? Classes that benefit from a longer execute phase? What about classes that are heavily deterred and diminished by movement exactly like mages?I like the Simcraft rankings, more stuff for people to throw at Blizzard, only in this case they would have a point. Clearly Mages and Monks need an adjustment.
Simcraft is by no means an actual indication of DPS capability and is not indicative of potential DPS outside of target dummy encounters (which are extinct).
Learn to understand what simcraft actually is before you have an opinion and start shouting "NERF!".
Blizzard would respond like they have in the past...that simcraft is largely useless for measuring DPS and deciding what needs nerfing or buffing. It's simply a tool for optimisation and you should leave it at that.
What WowProgress has done is only bad. The community will change for the worse. What purpose does it actually serve other than to stroke peoples epeen?
Last edited by RaZDaZ; 2013-06-18 at 04:13 AM.
nice Sim DPS build on wowprogress, cool stuff !!!


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Good day. I have a proton 2007 model bakkie. When I drive long distances the water light comes on. I check the water level and its fine. The electric fan is working good. What can be the problem. When I parked the care and drive short distances everything.
The water cooling light comes on but the water level is fine. The alarm system is disconnected. When I plugged it in and lock the car via central locking it going off. Can their be an electrical problem?
have the same problem?
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 AT 12:14 PM