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After the murder of 20 children in Newtown, Conn., parents may find some reassurance in a single fact: Students are far less likely to be killed in school than elsewhere.
In the 2009-2010 year, 17 children age 5 to 18 died in homicides at school, traveling to or from campuses or at school events, according to the US Education Department. That's about half the annual figure during much of the 1990s. In a population of more than 50 million students, the school-related death toll has been about 1 percent of all homicides for that age group.
Responding to high-profile shootings since the late 1980s, school districts stationed police officers on campuses, established single points of entry for buildings, trained staff through ''lockdown drills'' to minimize casualties, and promoted programs to teach conflict resolution and fight bullying.
''Schools are safe, and they are safer than they were,'' said Stephen Brock, a professor of school psychology at California State University, Sacramento, who has trained more than 4,000 educators in preventing and responding to such crises. ''Unless we turn our schools into prisons, we aren't going to be able to prevent some truly motivated person from entering school grounds. There are things we should do, but there are limits.''
On Monday, some parents kept their children home from school, some school districts added extra security, and police investigated several reported threats against schools. But for the most part, the first day of classes since the Newtown massacre was routine.
Police in California said Monday that a man was arrested and nine guns, including rifles, were seized after Los Angeles elementary schools reportedly were threatened in a social media post. The Associated Press later reported that Kyle Bangayan, 24, of Pomona would not face charges because there was no specific threat.
In northern Oklahoma town of Bartlesville, police said Monday that a small-caliber rifle and notes about a possible attack on a high school were found at the home of a teenager accused of plotting to shoot classmates and detonate bombs. Sammie Eaglebear Chavez, 18, has been charged with a felony count of planning violence.
Nationwide, the safety measures public schools have put in place in recent years followed two previous school attacks: At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., two students in 1999 killed 12 classmates and a teacher. At Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., a gunman in 1989 murdered five students.
Security often varies based on the age of schools, as newer buildings typically have the most important protection — a single entryway, often with a vestibule or buzzer to control access — according to Paul Timm, president of RETA Security Inc., which consults with school districts.
Middle schools and high schools often station a police officer on their campus, both for security and to train staff and form relationships with students to prevent violence, said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers in Hoover, Ala. Such full-time officers are less common in elementary schools.
Though some schools have tried metal detectors, most have found the technology expensive, unnecessary, and difficult to staff, security specialists said.
Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., has eight security guards on its fenced-in campus of 3,600 students, along with a system of guest passes. The school doesn't subject everyone to searches with metal detectors, as they do at airports, an approach that would be unworkable, said Richard Baniszewski, Hamilton's assistant principal.
After Columbine, school districts have increasingly focused on what Brock calls ''psychological security,'' or measures that foster communication among staff, parents, and students.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut illustrates the limits of these measures. The school locked its entrances and controlled entry through a buzzer system and its staff seemed to follow a lockdown plan. But the heavily armed gunman, Adam Lanza, forced his way in, authorities said.


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February 22, 2019 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Monthly on 4th Friday, forever
For kids of all ages. Join us for farm activities, seeing newborn piglets, turkeys running around. Participate in seasonal farm projects like apple picking and making maple syrup. You may get to experience chicken harvesting and learn about anatomy in the process.
This event is weekly, but sometimes we have to cancel, so please check in before making a long drive. We usually post cancellations to the Bardo Farm Facebook page event (https://www.facebook.com/BardoFarm/).

subset: commoncrawl


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September 11, 2001
Los Angeles — UCLA Anderson has raised $10 million to launch a new center for real estate research and education. Richard S. Ziman, a leading Southern California real estate executive with a long history of support for education and community causes, provided the lead gift of $5 million to kick off the center, which will be named the Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA Anderson.
Ziman, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based Arden Realty, Inc., a premier Southern California real estate investment and development company, said the real estate industry has become one of the most important forces in shaping our nation's urban centers.
"Real estate extends far beyond its traditional focus on bricks and mortar, as it now reflects and is a major factor in the significant social and political issues of our time," Ziman said. ""Where we live and the quality of our future personal and business lives will be determined by the planning, design and development of our urban environment. Are we up to the challenge? The answer is 'yes,' if the vision begins at institutions like UCLA, working in tandem with business and political leaders to take us to each successive level of innovation."
Bruce G. Willison, dean of UCLA Anderson, said the Ziman gift and other contributions will help position the center as a global resource for academics and practitioners as they confront new challenges in the real estate industry. The infusion of funds will enhance UCLA Anderson's real estate curriculum, academic and practitioner-oriented research, and professional activities in this rapidly changing industry. The Ziman Center will be officially launched and named during the Multi-Family Housing Forecast Conference, which will be presented by UCLA Anderson on Sept.13.
"Richard Ziman's generosity will enable the center to be at the forefront in addressing critical issues facing our urban society and the role of the real estate industry in Southern California," Willison said. "This gift will serve to bring vitality and prominence to the center and will capitalize on UCLA Anderson's defining strengths — expert faculty, outstanding students, research and forecasting, dedicated alumni, and corporate alliances," he added.
The Ziman Center is also well positioned to become a leader in real estate education and research due to its strategic position at the heart of Southern California and the Pacific Rim, as well as at UCLA — one of the world's premier universities with top-ranked programs in management, law, public policy, technology, economics, engineering and architecture.
In addition to Ziman, major contributors to the Ziman Center include John S. Long, founding partner and chairman of the center and managing partner of Highridge Partners, who provided an endowed fund for research and teaching; John and Marion Anderson, whose gift established an endowed fund for the Marion Anderson Chair; Arden Realty, Inc, which provided funding for the Arden Realty Chair; and Lenore and Murray Neidorf, senior partner of Perry and Neidorf, who provided an endowed fund for fellowships.
With more than 25 years of experience as a leader and innovator in the industry, Ziman exemplifies the qualities esteemed by UCLA Anderson. As chairman and CEO of Arden Realty, Inc., he has led the company to redefine the role of commercial property owners. The recipient of numerous awards, Arden Realty is the largest owner of office space in Southern California. A New York Stock Exchange real estate investment and development company, Arden Realty's portfolio includes more than 140 office properties containing almost 20 million rentable square feet in more than 250 buildings.
Ziman has held many leadership positions in the cultural, educational and social service life of Southern California. He has served three two-year terms as chairman of the board of directors of the City of Hope National Medical Center and its Beckman Research Institute. He also holds prominent positions with such institutions and organizations as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Jewish Home for the Aging, the Los Angeles Arts Council, and the Democratic National Committee. He is a founder of the University of Judaism and the Los Angeles Music Center.
Reflecting the rapid changes in the real estate industry, the Ziman Center's activities will integrate UCLA Anderson's strengths in finance, technology, and entrepreneurship in redefining the real estate business, said center Chairman John S. Long of Highridge Partners, a major international real estate investment and development company. "Grounded in solid teaching, research and practical application principles, combined with strong professional outreach, the Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA Anderson is poised to be the leader in the evolution of this industry," Long said.
"The industry is rapidly becoming more integrated, particularly in terms of capital markets, the recent growth of real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other publicly traded real estate companies, advancements in economic theory and finance modeling tools," said Walter Torous, director of the center and professor of finance.
The Ziman Center's plans and initiatives include:
Curriculum: In addition to expanding the concentration in the MBA program, the center will develop undergraduate courses in real estate and an executive education program customized for real estate professionals.
Research: The center offers an integrated program of academic research, practitioner-oriented research and database development. Research topics include the California housing crisis, the lack of standardization in capital markets, the dynamics of the real estate market and the implications of technological advances.
Professional activities: The center currently offers the premier forecast on the Los Angeles multi-family housing market. It proposes to expand this forecast to serve as an industry resource, particularly in terms of investment funds on individual, national and global levels. The center also plans industry symposiums, career services and other activities geared for real estate students and practitioners.
The Ziman Center is led by Chairman John S. Long; Director Walter Torous, a professor of finance; and Associate Director Stephen Cauley, a lecturer in real estate finance. World-renowned UCLA Anderson finance professors Richard Roll and Eduardo S. Schwartz will also serve as faculty members with the center.
For further information about the Ziman Center, please visit www.anderson.ucla.edu/research/realestate.


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Good news for fans of wrestling games, as 2K Sports will be the new label for WWE games, and the studio behind WWE '13 and the Smackdown vs. Raw titles is being kept on.
Following the dissolution of THQ, the WWE license had been up for grabs, and Take-Two Interactive has agreed to take on the license and retain Japanese studio Yuke's as developer.
Take-Two subsidiary 2K Sports is already known for producing licensed basketball and baseball games such as NBA 2K13 and Major League Baseball 2K13.
Yuke's had been involved in THQ's series of Ultimate Fighting Championship games, with UFC Undisputed 2010 and then UFC Undisputed 3 in 2012, but the UFC licence was transferred to Electronic Arts later that year.
WWE '13 was revealed as part of a televised WWE event in May 2012, with the game then released five months later, at the end of October in North America and early November elsewhere.


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Hell Hound poses
Posted on 10:03 PM, under night creature
Hey guys,
We are really glad to announce the most anticipated project from us - the creature atelier blog. We will have the task to bring together and present some of the best local concept 2d and 3d creature artists. As first posts here we'll start with presenting the main authors who have started the creature atelier. Our common idea is to design creatures on various topics which we will discuss and develop after that. Our goal is to have fun from the whole thing, to help each other during the development of the concepts, share knowledge, make overpaints on everybody's images and put all of this here. We hope for great start to our first topic so... let's waste no time and may the fun begin!
Posted on 10:03 PM, under night creature
Posted on 8:00 PM, under night creature
Posted on 8:00 PM, under night creature
Posted on 6:35 PM, under night creature, vampire
Posted on 8:00 PM, under night creature, werewolf
Posted on 4:17 PM, under
Posted on 8:00 PM, under
Creature atelier is a collective of Bulgarian artists working in the field of creature design for art and entertainment. It's a place to showcase marvelous creatures, share tips on how to create them and have fun while doing it.
Copyright 2012, creature atelier. VertexBee. theme by Blogger Templates.


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"SMALLVILLE" � (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
"Hex" (CONTENT RATING TBD) (HDTV)
IT'S FREAKY FRIDAY FOR CHLOE AND LOIS WHEN DC CHARACTER ZATANNA APPEARS � At Chloe's (Allison Mack) birthday party, a mysterious magician named Zatanna (guest star Serinda Swan) grants Chloe's wish to be more like Lois (Erica Durance) and switches the two into each other's bodies. Zatanna searches for her father's book of spells so she can conjure up his spirit but not before also granting Clark (Tom Welling) his deepest wish. Aaron Ashmore and Justin Hartley also star. Mairzee Almas directed the episode written by Bryan Q. Miller (#3T7467).


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Bar pressure seems to be fairly relative.
If you are used to (for example) a SS T2 kite, or an old Cabrinha 2:1 bow, then everything else feels light.
If you are used to the kites that have really light pressure, like an Ocean Rodeo Rise (for example) and then you try a kite that is normal, it will feel medium heavy at the bar.
I find the Epic kites to be more than the really light bar pressure kites, but less than medium, for sure.
I like T-Shirts with the back printing just in the upper center and nothing down below.
But the first version above is better than the square logo in the second.
As has been respectfully requested several times, please control yourself and limit your negative posting to your bullshite thread.


text:
The Jak and Daxter Collection - PlayStation 3
- Genre: Platform
- Publisher: Sony
- Developer: Naughty Dog
The Jak and Daxter Collection features all three best-selling PlayStation 2 classic hits: Jak and Daxter, Jak II and Jak 3 fully remastered in high definition and stereoscopic 3D. This collection follows the adventures of fan favorite Jak and his friend Daxter through a series of action packed adventures. The Jak and Daxter Collection blends action, shooting, driving, and action platformer into one complete PS3 package.


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NEW release #1!
This is Absinthe, named after the green fairy, because it is delicate looking and flutters gracefully in the wind as you walk. It comes in 6 beautiful colors, shown above is a light green and navy blue. This dress also comes with 2 skirt options a tiered ruffle (shown in blue) and an asymmetrical version (shown in green). Comes in pink, purple, black, red, navy blue and green.
NEW release #2!
Next, I've added two new uniforms to Cheeralicious! Both are influenced by Saturday Night Live's famous and lovable Spartan cheerleaders! Available in both the male, Greg, version and the female, Arianna version. Uniforms come complete with basic tennis shoes.
I've also added a new dollarbie to the store and a whole new dollarbie section I plan on filling up! Terri is the newest addition to that area, it is a strapless pink ribbed terri cloth minidress!
The Missy skins and bodies are for sale for ALLOT less than they were! Skins are marked down to $120L each and the megapack with all of them is only $600! With this pricing you can get the entire pack for LESS than the regular price of one! The body pack is only $100L and includes 9 different full mod body shapes, this is a steal! The skin and body pack is now only $645! I'm not sure how long I'll keep these marked down this low, so if you like them get them now.
COMING SOON, sneak peak!
TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Haute Couture


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Above is a bonus gallery from the event. Below are the bangers.
Words: Laura Austin
Captions: Pat Bridges
Have you ever been to a demolition derby? You know… where tons of high quality people surround a dirt pit to watch cars smash each other into oblivion. Well Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails is kind of like that, but in this case the competitors weren't the only ones getting smashed.
This was the 7th annual Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails competition held at Bear Mountain Resort. The event has quite the reputation, boasting to be one of the largest spectator events on the West Coast. Which makes sense seeing that it is so close to LA and early enough in the year that people can hang out in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt and watch some of the top pros ride. And with so many people up there, the competition itself isn't the only entertainment…the people-watching is some of the best I've witnessed. Catfights, kids dunking their heads in a toilet full of lemonade to retrieve snickers, and 12 backflips done in 30 seconds were just some of the highlights. The things some people are willing to do for some free stuff will never fail to amaze me.
But obviously the thousands of spectators aren't the only ones providing the entertainment, it's the snowboarding that everyone comes up to see. Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails is known for it's unique setups and this year it lived up to it's expectations. With 34 riders and two separate zones there wasn't a shortage of visual stimulation. On one side there was a Red Bull feature which was literately a rail garden consisting of two handrails with stairs and boxes surrounding a planter, which included all sorts of trees and shrubs. The other setup was Bear's new signature feature, which included a close out rail with a bomb drop into a wall ride.
Being one of the first contests of the season you would think riders might play it safe seeing as they may have not been on a board for a while and an injury at this event could destroy their whole season, but that definitely wasn't the case. Every rail trick you can imagine was thrown down at this contest. And with a 3 hour session it forced people to get creative throwing spins, flips, and one footers into the mix. In the end Nick Visconti took the top spot, which he definitely deserved after his fastplants off the wall ride and front flips off the planter. Jake Kuzyk ended up taking second and Johnny Lazz snagged third. Those two were probably the most consistent though out the day. Standouts Mike Casanova and Jess Kimura didn't walk away empty handed, winning the Red Bull Best Trick. Kimura decided she is going to put winnings towards Paige Rainer's hospital bill after splitting open her head during the competition.
The night at the mountain closed with premieres of Bear's video Paint It Red and People's Cheers. Then the party migrated to Mandarin Garden for even more drunken debachury. Except for Paige Rainer, Dylan Alito, the person who was arrested behind the award ceremony, anyone who went just to see Bradshaw ride, and a chick that had her top ripped of in a catfight, Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails turned out to be a great success.


text: Randall Jouett wrote: > On Sat, 2003-01-04 at 11:58, Donald Becker wrote: > >>Not at all! MPI does not handle faults. Most MPI applications just >>fail when a node fails. A few periodically write checkpoint files, and >>a subset ;-) of those can be re-run from the last checkpoint. > > > Checkpoint files? BLAH!!! :^). Admittedly, I'm a total neophyte > when it comes to parallel processing and the beowulf architecture, > but computin is computin, and I think I might have a "el-cheapo, > ham-operator solution." (Hams are infamous be being TOTAL cheapskates > :^). Ummm...'all "computin" ain't equal'. While checkpoint files might not be useful for what you do, they save thousands of machine and man hours in my business. We have gigabytes of raw data from satellites being recorded per day. Processing a day's worth of data requires 2 days on a 2.5ghz P-4. So, divide the data into orbits and process the orbits in parallel. The mathematical model is such that fine-grained parallel processing is not practical at this time (massive redesign and the scientists don't understand parallel). If a process dies, then we can go back to the logs and correct the problem and restart from the last checkpoint (which was a minute or so ago) instead of starting over at the begining, which could be as much as 24 hours ago... > > > Off the top of my head, why couldn't you just plug in an old > 10Base-T card to each node. Add a server node that specifically > polls each machine via hardware latch and software response. > Just a quick, "Hey, I'm still here." This fault server would > then send the root/head node a quick "we're running, boss!" > message, or it would tell the root/head node that a particular > machine was down. If the root machine sees a fault message, > it parses the packet, ignores the broken node, then reschedules > the task for execution. It could also send an e-mail to the > sysadmin, page him, and even play a "RED ALERT!" sample from > Trek :^). > Apparently you are not current on cluster technology, or you wouldn't be proposing something that is common knowledge. > > Now, if your REALLY wanted to be cheap :^), you could do something > like this with a USB hub, although I'm pretty sure it wouldn't > be as fast as the 10Base-T setup. OTOH, 10Base-T gear (e.g. hub, > switch, NICs) can probably be had for the asking at most > institutions, I'd imagine. 10Base-T is too slow for typical parallel application. Switched 100Base-T is almost as inexpensive. > > > BTW, has anyone bothered to calculate all the wasted cycles > used up by check-point files? :^). Yup, and it is significantly less than the number of cycles that would be wasted having to rerun 24 hours worth of processing because a machine hiccuped and the process died... > Randall > -- > Randall Jouett > Amateur Radio: AB5NI > > P.S. > > The model I mentioned does have its flaws, of course, such > as a switch or hub going down, or maybe a busted CAT-5 cable > here or there. Something tells me, though, that it HAS to be > infinitely superior to check-point files and the like :^). > That is, if I'm understanding your meaning here of check-point > files. If I'm off base here, Donald, maybe you could clarify? > In my world a check point file is a "snapshot" of the state of running process at a given time. This "snapshot" is complete enough to restart the process at that point should it fail at a later point. John


text:
Fat Albert In The Hood Part 3 [The Take Over]
Whackpiktures reports "n this new episode of Fat Albert In Da Hood The recession has hit his family hard when his daddy get's laid off his job. So Fat Albert had to man up and hit the block to bring in that cheddar to help his parents with the bills. And gets into some deep hood block shit with a little bad ass kid named Lil Pee- Wee and a mob connected dealer names J-Ball. But Albert in the gang and having that and wont go out like some punks and allow some outsider to take over they block. "
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text:
Apple has begun notifying customers who have ordered a cellular 4G LTE iPad mini that their new tablet will be shipped next week.
An email sent to customers in the US by Apple on Thursday reads: "Good news - we plan to ship your iPad in the next five business days. We'll email you with a tracking number and carrier information once your iPad is on the way."
Apple has also added new downloads of iOS 6.0.1 for the cellular iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad ahead of their launch, indicating that they are expected to arrive imminently.
On the UK Apple Store, the dispatch estimate for the WiFi plus Cellular iPad mini and iPad 4 is still listed as "Late November."
MORE INFO: First 4G network goes live 11 cities across the UK
Apple launched the WiFi only iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad on 2 November, and sold three million units in total within the first three days.
Have you received an email from Apple regarding your WiFi plus Cellular iPad mini or iPad 4 order? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter. We'll update this story when we learn more.
[Via Apple Insider]
See also:
iTunes 11 available for download next Wednesday, probably
Microsoft Surface RT has a higher profit margin than the iPad
iPad mini cases, covers, and accessories
iPad mini 2 release date, rumours and leaked images
How to get iPhone 4G LTE on your iPhone 5 with EE - UK guide


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Cutting the Cord Part 2: Building your HTPC - The Hardware
The Hardware - Part 3
DVD Drive – ASUS SDRW-08D2S-U USB External CD/DVD (Optional)
DVD and/or Blu-Ray drives are optional components of your media center build that will depend on your own use case. While I had a DVD drive in my previous Windows 7 HTPC, I can count the amount of times we used it in the last year on one hand. Almost all the content we've been watching has either been TV recorded over the air or streaming video. For our occasional use, I was originally planning to put an old LG internal DVD drive into the new HTPC, but it wouldn't fit into the Silverstone case when a full size ATX power supply was installed. I decided that just having an external DVD drive on hand for the occasional need to watch DVD's should cover our needs. One thing to keep in mind is if you plan to install a Blu-Ray drive, Windows 7 Media Center does not come with built in Blu-Ray support and you will need to get a 3rd party application for Blu-Ray play back. Look for an application like Arcsoft's TotalMedia Theatre 5 (at $99) that will easily integrate Blu-Ray playback right into the Windows Media Center UI.
Memory – 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) G.Skill Ripjaw 1333 DDR3 RAM
The G.Skill RAM is another one of those components that I happened to have lying around after recently having upgraded my main gaming machine and had this RAM left over. You can certainly get away with as little as 4 GB of RAM for a Media Center PC since most of the tasks will not be memory intensive. While 4 GB would be fine, I generally think you can never have too much RAM, and throwing the 8 GB of RAM at the box should meet the HTPC's needs for a good long time. At $37 for two 4 GB sticks, you can't go wrong with the Ripjaw's.
TV Tuner Card – AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet A188
Vultured from my old HTPC and still working fine, I didn't see any reason to pick up new TV Tuner cards. Sadly no longer available, these AVerMedia tuner cards have worked like a champ. PCI-Express x1 cards that are able to record and/or watch 2 streams simultaneously I'll be putting two of these to my Media Center to give us the capability to record and/or watch 4 shows at once. Previously I had individual HTPC's set up in different rooms, each with their own tuner card, but I'm moving to combine all my recording and tuners into a single box which I will then be able to stream the recordings and broadcasts to the other TV's using 'Windows Media Center Extenders' (more on those in the next article). Since you can no longer get your hands on these cards, I've listed a few other options below, including the AVerMedia 'MTVHDDUET' card that superseded my cards.
- AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet (A188) MTVHDDUET - $79.99
- Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 1850 - $94.99
- Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad Tuner (Works with Cable Cards) - $199.99
OS – Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64 Bit Version
I truly wish I could recommend going with the Media Center version available with Windows 8, but I can't. Windows 7 Home Premium makes a solid and stable platform to build a great Home Theater PC with. There are certainly other options out there for set top boxes, but in my opinion, Windows 7 Media Center is the one to beat. Since Microsoft is really pushing Windows 8, there's a good chance you may be able to get a copy of Windows 7 even cheaper. Windows Media Center is available in most versions of Windows 7 including Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise.
My Experience: In case anyone is interested in what I'm upgrading from, here's the specs of my old HTPC that's being put out to pasture. Of course, I won't be tossing the machine, I'm sure I'll find way to repurpose it.
- Case: heC Black SECC 7K09 Micro ATX Case with 270 Watt FLEX Power Supply
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
- CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor
- Memory: 4 GB (4 x 1 GB) Crucial DDR3 1066
- Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB, 7200 RPM Drive
- Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD5450
- Capture Card: AverMedia AverTVHD Duet (A188)
Other Components
There are a few additional components outside of the HTPC itself you may need to pick up as well. The two key ones are an antenna and a remote.
HD Digital Antenna
If you are planning on building a HTPC and using a tuner card with cable television or don't care about broadcast television, you can skip this part. On the other hand if you are hoping become a 'Cord Cutter' but still want access to the major networks, you'll need some sort of digital high definition antenna. Your antenna needs will vary greatly depending on your location and what is being broadcast near you.
If you live in the middle of a large city you may very well be able to get away with a simple and small indoor antenna. On the other end of the spectrum, if you live out in the sticks and many miles from your nearest broadcast stations, you may need a hefty antenna that can pull signals from up to 70 miles away mounted in your attic or on your roof. Before you run out and grab the biggest antenna you can find, spend a few minutes on both TV Fool and the Antennaweb sites. In addition to showing you all the specifics about the stations you should be able to pick up, they can give you information on what type of antenna you should pick up and where it should be located to get the best reception.
My Experience: Whatever antenna you go with, keep all the original packaging/box and receipt. You may find that the antenna doesn't work well for you and you'll want to return it and get a different one.
In our case, there's two batches of broadcast towers for local stations we want to pick up, one batch at 20 miles and another just under 40 miles from us. At that range I needed something that with a little bit of oomph and I went with the Clearstream 4 HDTV Antenna from Antennas Direct for around $90. With their 30 Inch Universal J-Mount (STM-715) I was able to mount the whole thing in a dormer in our attic without having to worry about dealing with a roof mount. From there, the antenna easily picks up all the local major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, The CW, PBS as well as a handful of others. I run a co-ax from the antenna through an inline amplifier down through my garage and outside to the old cable distribution splitter on the side of the house. From there, the antenna signal feeds all the coax lines going to all the old cable jacks in the house, and as simple as that, I have access to an antenna signal in any room with a jack. While this works great for us, you may not be able to do this if you live in an apartment or somewhere that you don't actually own the cable box on the side of your home.
A final comment regarding antennas, if you do go with a directional antenna, be sure to actually point it in the right direction! They aren't kidding when they say 'directional'. If Antennaweb or TVFool tells you a station is broadcasting at 310 degrees from your house, get a compass (or use Google Earth) and figure out what direction you need to face the antenna so it's pointing at 310 degrees. Pointing it 20 or 30 degrees off can have an impact on the quality of the signal you get. Depending on the location of broadcast towers for the signals you want to pick up, you may need to 'split the difference' between broadcast towers. If there's a station you want to pick up at 90 degrees, and another at 120, then the best bet is to point your antenna at 105 degrees. If the 90 degree station is further away than the 120 station, you might need to angle it a bit more in their direction. With a bit of experimentation you can determine what the best direction to face your antenna to pick up the best signal for all the stations you want.
With the right antenna and proper setup/orientation, you'll be able to enjoy the free digital HD signals from your local broadcasters that are better quality than even the cable and satellite providers offer.
Remote Controls
Something that many people overlook is the importance of a good remote control. Your entire experience with your Media Center PC revolves around how well you can control the Media Center UI with your remote from half way across the room. There are tons of different "Media Center" compatible remotes available, ranging from cheap $15-$20 dollar models all the way up to $300 'Cadillac' remotes. Regardless of what you decide to try, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
First, your Media Center can't magically recognize the IR or Wireless signal from your remote control and you will need some sort of USB based IR/Wireless receiver. Luckily they come bundled with many media center remotes, but just make sure they do come with one or you'll need to purchase one separately. Second, there are a few key features that I've found very useful for a media center remote that you may want to look for. If you plan on using your remote in a darkened room, having backlit buttons or keypads is extremely handy. Additionally, the capability of a remote to 'learn' some button presses from other remotes so you can control the Power and Volume of your TV or Receiver with your Media Center remote will make it so you don't have to juggle three different remotes. Finally, if you do plan to have multiple Media Centers or Extenders, try to get the same remote control for all of them if at all possible. Trying to remember where volume, channel or even the media center specific buttons on remotes with different layouts can get annoying really fast.
My Experience: We went through three different remotes before we finally settled on one we liked. Unfortunately the one we liked is probably the hardest to find, but if you can find it, we've been very happy with the Microsoft Model 1039 Remote. The remote itself is backlit and comes with a USB based IR Receiver for the Media Center PC. The remote is also a 'Learning' remote and you can program the second power button, the volume and the channel buttons to control other devices like your TV and receiver. Our remote actually controls our TV (Power), the Media Center (Everything) and the Receiver (Volume) so we don't have to juggle multiple remotes, but can control 3 devices with a single remote.
While our favorite, the 1039 is difficult to find, I'm sure there are new remotes out there that work just as well. Be prepared to experiment a bit with different remotes and once again, do not throw out the packaging or receipt for any remote until you are sure you are comfortable with it. As one final tip, when you do finally settle on the remote that you really like, pick up one or two 'spares' (assuming they aren't $300 each) just in case they decide to stop making them.
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That Silverstone case is nice, I used one for the HTPC in our bedroom: Master Bedroom HTPC- Biostar TA75M/AMD email@example.com/8Gb DDR3-1600/Samsung 830 128Gb SSD/LG DVD-RW/Silverstone ML03B case/Win7 x64/Toshiba 32C120U 32" LCD TV.
Our main HTPC: Living Room HTPC- Asus F2A85-M-CSM/ AMD email@example.com/8Gb DDR3-1866/Samsung 830 64Gb SSD /Samsung EcoGreen 2Tb SATA3 HDD/LG BDRW/Allied 500W PSU/Antec Fusion Remote case/Samsung PN42C450 42" plasma TV/Pioneer VSX-821-k a\v receiver/ Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Also use a Synology DS111 with a Samsung EcoGreen 2Tb drive. So between the Main HTPC and the DS111 all of our media is available to all the devices on our home network (7 computers, 2 iPads, 4 Android phones). Using an ASUS RT-N66U router, awesome data through-put.
What are you using for Tuner card(s) if you're using any?
Glad to see the HTPC coverage (I use one for all my bluray playback using a combo of MediaBrowser and MPC-HC to bitstream hd audio, i3-2100 + 4gb ram + 64gb m4 and a 20TB unRAID server). One thing I would recommend for a remote is the Harmony One. You can customize the hell out of it, it controls everything else in your home theater, and you can pickup a USB IR receiver for around $15 on eBay. It's a little pricey, but its actually not bad for what you get, and its by far the best remote I've used in 10 years. For the occasions I need a keyboard/mouse, I use a Logitech dinovo mini, which can be found for about $50 on eBay.
I've found Windows Media Center to be a wonderful DVR and a subpar everything else. I really wish I could get that level of DVR functionality with the plugin type system of say XBMC.
I've got a pair of those AverMedia Duet tuner cards myself, love them but they do have a rather annoying quirk that shows up when used in certain motherboards. On Intel based builds they work perfect, but a lot of people (myself included) had issues with them in AMD systems. Basically sometimes if the system were waking up from sleep the cards might not. Avermedia never fixed whatever the problem was, opting to just pass the buck saying the chipsets on those boards weren't designed to spec properly (whereas I've never heard of any other cards of any kind having this sort of issue before on those systems). I was perfectly happy with them when I first got them because I had them in an Intel system, but when I moved them into an AMD box it certainly tried my patience. And that is why my current dedicated Media Centre recording box is basically just my old main desktop that they work perfectly in, NOT the AMD box that I either had to leave running 24/7 or else miss a lot of recordings.
Don't know if they finally fixed it with this new version of the card that you've linked to, or if the chipsets for AMD's APUs are any less problematic than their 800 and 900 series chipsets could be. Good luck.
Interesting, I may have to experiment a bit with it, but to be honest, the plan is to never let this box go to sleep because it's going to be feeding extenders in other rooms.
The Silicon Dust network tuners are the way to go for OTA/Cable. Nothing like being able to watch on every single computer in your house. I used to use PCI/PCI-E cards, but why waste the space inside the computer with a very limited tuner?
As a SiliconDust HDHR3 user, I agree with this statement :).
The network tuners are great, but I'm trying to get down to a single HTPC in the house and then go with Media Extenders (which I'll take more about in a later installment) for the other machines. With my first go around we had 3 HTPC's running at once, and I'd like to get away from having all the extra PC's lying around the house, sucking up power, windows licenses and components.
That being said, I know a few people (Tim included) that love the network tuners, and it's certainly something people should consider.
"I still don't understand why Microsoft hasn't licensed or even produced their own device with their excellent Media Center UI."
Actually, Microsoft has licensed WMC to companies that sell high end custom home installations (System Integrators) for years. Try a Google search for "Media Center Integrator Alliance".
Ah, that's great to know. I hadn't ever heard about that. Yet I still don't get why MS didn't license it for lower end consumer products. I see all these little set top boxes like Roku, Boxee Box, WD TV, etc. and don't think any of their interfaces hold a candle to the WMC UI.
Boxee is actually releasing their new "Boxee TV" with an integrated tuner and tons of streaming apps for $99. If MS could have just partnered with someone to do something similar with their Media Center UI I think they would have done very well with it.
Chris, I bought a Boxee TV (weird obsession with streaming media players) and I can say it isn't worth $20... Horrible. I'll send you some details, but this thing is so disappointing.
I've been MIA and didn't see this until today. Great to see PCPer picking up this area. I been messing with this stuff for 10+ years now and own just about every streaming device you've never heard of... LOL.
Great case - I have the LC16M and just built a second box using the Fortress Mini. Also have a ThermalTake Lanbox that doubles as an HTPC.
Need to finish the article reading :-)
Good to see some more HTPC articles. I have been writing about HTPCs on my Kulture blog ever since I built myself a new HTPC:
Case: A-Tech Fabrication 2800HP
Motherboard: Intel DH77DF H77
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770T
RAM: Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 1600Mhz DDR3
HDD #1: Corsair Force Series GT 120GB SSD
HDD #2: Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EZRX 1TB
ODD: Sony Optiarc BC-5650H
TV Tuner: DigitalNow Quad DVB-T Receiver
Wireless NIC: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 Mini PCIe (6235AN-HMWWB)
PSU: 160 Watt PicoPSU
Overkill yes, but it's totally awesome. It's so silent I struggle to hear the HDD during seek even when I put my ear right next to it. The ambient noise easily drowns out any noise my HTPC makes.
just a question, why not use a A10-5700 instead {my new budget champion} For $50 more you get about $100 more video power, a nice little boost in CPU speed all at the same wattage. Adding some light gaming potential for $50 seems like a no brainier.
If you're looking to do some gaming on the box, I defnitely agree the A10 would have been a better choice. For that $50 you do get a nice increase in CPU/GPU power. But in my case, I already have a pretty hefty dedicated gaming machine, and the A6 more than covers what I need the HTPC to do. That $50 in savings on the APU just about covers the motherboard cost, so for my build it was worth going with the A6.
Fair enough.
I know i may be jumping the gun on the next article, but did you experience any issues with sound devices / drivers 'colliding' with each other (i.e., the APU HDMI sound drivers, the integrated sound drivers on the mobo, and the two Avermedia tuner card sound drivers)?
I've had issues with this in the past - especially when using Logitech PC surround speakers and an SB live discrete sound card; and an LCD and HDMI feed from a Radeon HD discrete vid card. The HDMI sound would tend to override the SoundBlaster and 5.1 speakers.
Just curious.
These days, I'm seriously considering going the Networked Media Player route vice HTPC - having a stand-alone BRDVD player alleviates one of my main needs for the HTPC.
As an aside, I echo your 'rant' about Win8 and Media Center. Kudos on the remainder of the article.
Haven't had any sound issues as of yet, and the box has been up and running for about a week. I'm pushing everything out through HDMI into a receiver which then passes on to the TV.
I had built a system with the ML03B case. In choosing the power supply, Silverstone had indicated one that is less than 140-mm long would allow an optical drive to be installed, without the need in going to a microATX PSU. I had put an Antec 380W (non-modular) in there and the optical drive (BD-ROM/DVD/CD) fit without any issues with the 90-degree connectors. My question is, why did you go with the Rosewill unit?
Which Antec unit did you go with? I'd be interested in checking it out. Main reason why I went with the Rosewill unit is pretty much why I pick any hardware component, it had great reviews on Newegg and Amazon and had a good price. Also the big 140mm fan and 80 plus gold certification were perfect for an HTPC build for noise and power efficiency.
Good to see someone writing about HTPCs.
I just recently build mine using some old parts I had around the house. The case that I used was a nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204030 this case will allow full sized PCI cards in case you want to add a true video card to your system. I used a HD7770 so that I could use the HTPC with emulators and steam to make it a true Home Entertainment System.
I also wanted to mention that if you are going to use MCE that you get the Media Browser plugin, I don't have a tuner card so this is all that I use MCE for at this time.
You can simply download VLC for free which now supports Blu-ray play. I have had no issues with mine and in fact prefer it to PowerDVD I had before VLC came out with Blu-ray support.
I think your HTPC is overpriced for what you need it to do.
I built a system last week with Foxconn barebones ($59.99 for H61 itx/htpc case/mini psu) + Sandy bridge Celeron ($34.99) + 8gb ddr3 1866 ($29.99) + old hdd's + tv tuner.
AMD A6-5400K passmark score 2141
Celeron G530 2274
Cost of CPU+case+psu+memory = around $120-130.
Your A6 build comes to over $300 for the same components.
Another thing -
You can use a nintendo Wii controller as your remote.
You can buy a $1 bluetooth USB dongle, download bluetooth recognizing software (I think this is free in win 8). I used a toshiba one i found online for free.
Will the " DVR/Storage Drive – Western Digital AV-GP WD20EURS 2 TB Hard Drive" cope with recording 4 simultanious HD channels? Or do I need to look for a RAID solution?


text: On Saturday, September 20th, the gallery walls at XLarge were covered with another solo art show from Kris Markovich. The art show was made possible by Allyance Clothing. Kris's large panels and paint cover decks can be seen at XLarge in west LA. Here's the flyer and pictures from the opening.


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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Blog Archive
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text:
Making Mapping Easier
By Samantha Guss and Himanshu Mistry
After a successful pilot this past summer, the Data Service Studio (DSS) has now launched the NYU Spatial Data Repository service, which allows NYU researchers who require geographic information systems (GIS) data to easily find and access it directly through ArcGIS software or by downloading it through the Libraries website. This new service has enabled the DSS to add even more spatial data to its collection while making it easier to access.
GIS Services As the DSS
The GIS services at the DSS support teaching, learning, and research with geospatial technology across the University. The Spatial Data Repository (SDR) is a welcome addition to the GIS services long provided by the Data Service Studio (and previously by ITS Statistical Computing).
The DSS provides free access to and actively supports the use of ArcGIS software, spatial data, and training modules. Produced by Environment Systems Research Institute (ESRI), ArcGIS includes mapping and analysis software such as ArcInfo and various components like ArcMap and ArcCatalog. Although ArcGIS is not the only GIS software available on the market, it is the clear market driver—nearly all other GIS software is interoperable with ESRI's spatial data file type, the shapefile.
NYU GIS Research
Currently, much research is being done that utilizes spatial technology. GIS has enabled researchers to integrate various data into one system, overlay map layers, analyze and model spatial data, and visualize the results in maps, reports, and charts. As a result, the DSS has seen a significant increase in the number of GIS users from many departments, disciplines, and administrative units across the university. GIS use at NYU is particularly common in the urban planning, transportation, environmental planning, housing, real estate, public health, political science, archaeology, history, food studies, economics, epidemiology, and urban design fields.
One of the most time-consuming tasks when conducting research that involves GIS is finding and accessing relevant spatial data sets. Since its inception, the DSS has provided access to spatial data and helped members of the University community find other available data (such as public data from the City of New York). Prior to the Spatial Data Repository, however, those with GIS data needs had to physically come to the Library and meet with a GIS specialist or data librarian to get the data they needed, which was then delivered via physical media or copied to a memory stick.
Additionally, even though some of the data is freely available, downloading the giant files is time-consuming and repetitive. For example, if a researcher was looking for data on a small study area like Greenwich Village (approximately a 0.20 MB file), they might have had to first download the whole New York City data set (a 250 MB file), or even the entire New York State data set, and then extract the needed subset. This is primarily due to the way government agencies distribute their data in a packaged, or zipped, format. It became very clear that the DSS needed a better way for researchers to find and access spatial data, and so the idea for the NYU Spatial Data Repository was born.
The SDR launched in August 2011. It is the result of more than a year of work with input from seven main team members in ITS and the Division of Libraries, with many others consulting. The SDR contains more than 145 datasets, most of which contain ESRI data and frequently-used public data from the City of New York, such as NYC Community Districts and NYC Streets (LION).
Using the SDR, researchers can quickly and easily find available data without having to visit the DSS in person. They can access all the data they need much faster and more easily, whether it's for a small park, a community district, or the entire country.
Accessing the NYU Spatial Data Repository (SDR)
The SDR is available to all current NYU community members with a valid NetID and password, and can be accessed in two ways. The first is by making a direct database connection to the SDR through ArcGIS client software; for instructions on setting up your connection, see the PDF guide. This option allows you to search and browse the DSS' spatial data collection, quickly preview data without downloading it, and extract what you need for your particular project using ArcMap. (Note that to connect from off-campus, you'll need to be logged into NYU-NET using a VPN connection; instructions are included in the SDR documentation found at the link provided above.)
The second way to find and access data through the SDR is by visiting NYU's GIS website. Here you will find a list of the data sets in the SDR, which are available for download in zip file format (.zip). This method of access makes the DSS' spatial data collections available to those using software other than ArcGIS and to ArcGIS users who wish to browse the available data and download it for future use. (To view and download data from off campus, you will need to sign in with your NYU NetID and password.)
Future of the SDR
The SDR service is continually evolving and project team members already have many ideas for expansion and future improvements. For instance, we plan to move away from downloading through the GIS website and incorporate the data collection into the Libraries' wider search environment. The DSS will be working with the Libraries' Knowledge Access and Resource Management Services (KARMS) department to determine how to best simplify searching, discovery, and access to the spatial data sets residing in the SDR.
Of course, the DSS will also continue to expand its collection of spatial data to meet the needs of its clients. This will include continually refreshing ESRI data and data derived from free sources as well as considering new licensed data resources. Another important area of collection development will be to include data sets created by NYU faculty members and others who want to share them with the NYU community. Because data creators often want to share the results of their research with colleagues outside their own institution, the DSS will also prioritize providing wider access to original data and crafting a preservation plan to ensure long-term access to our collections.
If you use GIS, or would like to, the Data Service Studio offers training on GIS software and accessing data through the SDR several times each semester; see the Libraries' Classes website for current offerings. Additionally, the DSS GIS website has documentation available to get you started, and consultants at the DSS are always available for one-on-one help. If you have feedback on the SDR, or are interested in contributing your own spatial data, please contact the Data Service Studio by sending an e-mail to email@example.com.
About the NYU Data Service Studio (DSS)
The DSS at NYU is a joint Information Technology Services (ITS) and Libraries facility on the 5th floor of Bobst Library that opened in fall 2008. The DSS is a center for statistical computing, GIS software, and data-related research. It also provides services and support for all parts of the research data lifecycle. For more information, see the Data Service Studio website.
About the Authors
Samantha Guss is NYU's Data Services Librarian. Himanshu Mistry is the GIS Specialist and manages GIS services at the Data Service Studio. He has worked with NYC Department of City Planning as an urban planner-designer.


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
"What's my act of valor?" That's what Keith Urban asked himself before he wrote the "For You." It was right after he'd seen a screening of the film Act of Valor and was asked to write a song for the movie. So he said the song he wrote was intended to ask the listener that question. (His own answer was, "For me, it's absolutely my family.") But he also took the time to break down the song almost line by line and talk about what the words meant to him. So the lyric about "I'm not trying to be the hero/I don't wanna die" is one Urban loves because he didn't want the song to be bravado. "It's more, 'I don't want to do this, but if I have to, I will,'" he told People Country. He adds that he didn't want to get into the politics of war, which explains the part of the song where he sings, "You don't think about right, you don't think about wrong." And as for the part of the chorus where he wonders if he'd give his life, Urban says, "I felt like I can't be asking these sorts of questions without giving my own answer. I may not be able to do what these guys are doing, but I know who I would do it for."


text:
Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Ba targets speedy return
Chelsea striker Demba Ba appears to be trying to accelerate his first-team return by looking for a way around his broken nose.
Ba suffered the injury during a collision with former team-mate Fabricio Coloccini during Chelsea's defeat to Newcastle last weekend, having to be withdrawn owing to the discomfort.
That appeared to rule him out of this weekend's game with Wigan, but the Senegal international tweeted to say he was looking to have a mask fitted.
With an accompanying picture of him on a plane, he wrote: "Me and the club docteur in the place (sic) going to milan to get a mask done."
Should Ba have a mask fitted to his face, he would not be the first. His team-mate and captain John Terry wore one against Valencia last season owing to a broken cheekbone, while Paul Gascoigne used one to protect a facial injury while a Lazio player.
Chelsea were unable to comment on Ba's progress or how long he may be out for when contacted.


text:
Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans & Wyoming Counties
ADR Program
Applications and Instructions | Training | Contact Information
The 8th Judicial District ADR Program is assembling a Court Roster of arbitrators to handle commercial matters pending before the Court.
Arbitrators will not be compensated for the first two (2) hours spent in ADR. Thereafter, arbitrators, not employed by an agency having a contract with the Office of Court Administration, will be paid at the hourly rate they have listed on the Court Roster for arbitration work. Billable time will include actual time spent in arbitration sessions and up to one-half hour of pre or post preparation time for each scheduled session. Compensation exceeding $1,500.00 is subject to prior court approval.
Arbitrators responsibilities may include:
• Coordinating with Court staff;
• Managing cases promptly and efficiently;
• Conducting arbitration in accordance with the procedural and ethical standards related to arbitrations;
• Preparing decisions and/or disposition forms in a format acceptable to the Court.
Requirements for roster membership include completion of at least six (6) hours of training in procedural and ethical matters related to arbitration and either be:
1) A lawyer admitted to the practice of law for at least five (5) years AND have at least five (5) years of substantial experience in the specific subject area of the cases that will be referred; OR
2) A Judge, JHO, Court Attorney-Referee or Confidential Law Clerk to a Judge AND have at least five (5) years of substantial experience in the specific subject area of the cases that will be referred; OR
3) A "Subject Matter Expert" defined as a professional with at least five (5) years of professional experience in the specific subject area of the cases that will be referred to arbitration.
Appointment to the Court Roster is at the discretion of the Administrative Judge of the Eighth Judicial District in consultation with the Coordinator of the Unified Court System's Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs. Admission will be competitive and will be based on each applicant's training, experience, education, and availability to arbitrate. Applicants may be required to participate in an interview process before a review committee appointed by the Administrative Judge.
Arbitrators may be removed from the panel at the discretion of the Administrative Judge in consultation with the Coordinator of the Unified Court System's Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs.
To be considered for the Eighth Judicial District Court Roster of Arbitrators, please complete the enclosed application and return it to:
Sheila Schwanekamp, Esq.
8th Judicial District ADR Program Administrator
One Niagara Plaza, 5th Floor
Buffalo, New York 14202
Include a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae including references along with your hourly rate. Please also indicate if you utilize a sliding fee scale in appropriate cases.
Answer all questions completely.
Inform your references that they may be contacted by the 8th District Administrative Judge's Office.
Sign and date the declaration at the end of the application.
(in .PDF format)


text:
Introduction & Comment policyFriday, May 21st, 2010 12:17 am
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Find out how Ireland's hostel network and student discount schemes can make your backpacking trip a real adventure.
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Ireland's compact size means air travel is not essential, but if you do decide to fly, here are some things you'll need to know.
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Electricity Energy Storage Technology Options: A Primer on Applications, Costs and Benefits
A confluence of industry drivers—including increased deployment of renewable generation, the high capital cost of managing grid peak demands, and large capital investments in grid infrastructure for reliability—is creating new interest in electric energy storage systems. New EPRI research offers a current snapshot of the storage landscape and an analytical framework for estimating the benefits of applications and life-cycle costs of energy storage systems.
This paper describes in detail 10 key applications which can support the entire chain of the electrical system, from generation and system-level applications through T&D system applications to end-user applications. Included are: wholesale energy services, renewables integration, large and small storage and transportable systems for T&D grid support, ESCO aggregated systems, commercial and industrial power quality and reliability, commercial and industrial energy management, home energy management, and home back-up storage. Capturing multiple benefits—including transmission and distribution (T&D) deferral, local or system capacity, and frequency regulation—was found to be key for high-value applications and for supporting the business case for energy storage. Applications that achieve the highest revenues do so by aggregating several benefits across multiple categories. An analytic framework is presented to estimate the benefits and life-cycle costs, and help guide and shape the economic treatment of energy storage systems. Because energy storage systems have multi-functional characteristics, which complicates rules for ownership and operation among various stakeholders, policy challenges were identified that need to be resolved to realize the true potential of storage assets.


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As noted in a prior Capitol Report post, the New York Fed estimates the economic value of college degree at around $300,000 over the course of the average graduate's career.
But that doesn't mean college is a good investment for everyone. The New York Fed's Jaison Abel and Richard Deitz have crunched more data. The annual wage for the 25th percentile of those with a bachelor's degree, and that number sits closer to that of those with only a high school diploma, at below $30,000 per year.
That means one in four college grads are making about the same, or less, than the average high school graduate worker — all the while racking up student-loan debt.
"In fact, once the costs of attending college are considered, it is likely that earning a bachelor's degree would not have been a good investment for many in the lowest 25% of college graduate wage earners," the report says.
The authors point out though there is no way to be sure that those in the 25th percentile wouldn't have earned even less had they not gone to college. Still, they note, "this pattern strongly suggests that the economic benefit of a college education is relatively small for at least a quarter of those graduating with a bachelor's degree."
— Trey Williams


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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Martinez focused on survival
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez insists the club's FA Cup triumph will not be a distraction as the fight for Barclays Premier League survival comes down to a make-or-break night at Arsenal on Tuesday.
The Spaniard believes the Latics, who need six points from their last two matches to have any realistic chance of staying up, made a worldwide name for themselves by beating Manchester City at Wembley to lift their first major trophy on Saturday. But he does not think it will affect the mentality of his players as they head to the Emirates Stadium needing a positive result to keep their eight-year top-flight status alive until the final day of the season.
Martinez said: "The history of the football club gets adjusted by days like Saturday but I don't think that is something we have to worry about. It was a moment that changed the perception of our club for millions of people outside the UK and that is really positive but it doesn't need to affect the next two matches."
He added: "To see a team like us deservedly win the trophy playing a powerhouse of world football in Manchester City is one of those incredible stories. The memories will live forever but we need to focus on the next two games."
Wins for Wigan against the Gunners and at home to Aston Villa on the final day of the season would see them survive. Martinez believes that is actually helpful to their cause as they know there is no margin for error.
"I think we are fortunate in terms of results because if you are relying on other people to do your job that doesn't work in football," he added. "We are very fortunate in that we are third from bottom but if we win the six points we don't have to rely on anyone.
"The way we see it is as we expected after the game against Swansea (which they lost 3-2 last week) - it is plain and simple, we need six points and we don't have to look elsewhere.
"It is important that mentally the mindset is right and it is right because of what is happening within the town and what happened at the weekend."
Aside from the FA Cup distraction there is also speculation about Martinez's future as he is one of the front-runners for the soon-to-be vacant Everton job.
However, the Latics boss refuses to be sidetracked by the rumours. "It is the wrong time to speak about individuals," he said.


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by Susannah Dryden
The upcoming 2011 Society of American Mosaic Artists and the Mosaic Arts International juried exhibition will include a wide variety of workshops and seminars suitable for artists of all skill levels. It will also give attendees a chance to tour some of the mosaic treasures located in the hosting city of Austin, Texas.
This article was originally published on page 44 of the Winter 2010 issue of Profitable Glass Quarterly.


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(For those familiar with Wikipedia, it's essentially the same deal, but Orthodox.)
I suppose that depends on your definition of "Orthodox."
The definition generally used on OrthodoxWiki is defined as the "Mainstream Chalcedonian Bias." You can read about it here.
I know, however, if you look up "Dioscorus"- one will not find any "mainstream Chalcedonian bias"- not even a discussion.
I think that "Orthodoxwiki" is simply becoming a forum for particular groups to put forth their POV rather than a source of information. The Wikipedia idea has some merits, but if scholars, theologians, and most important in the case of Orthodoxy, the Episcopacy, do not contribute, then we can make no claims to "Orthodoxy" in the articles. I am a member of Orthodoxwiki, but do not contribute for this reason- and I certainly wouldn't use it as a primary source.
I notice that you're from Australia. You may find it interesting to examine or help with some of the articles in our always expanding section dedicated to Orthodoxy in Australia or perhaps those for Australasia in general or New Zealand. I haven't worked extensively on those myself, but I have put a lot more into articles pertaining to my own country, the United States.
In any event, it's something of an irony to criticize and therefore not contribute. One would think you'd criticize and help to make the wiki better by means of your contributions. As to whether it is a good source of information, all are invited to judge for themselves, and especially if they see something lacking, to improve it. Thanks for your criticisms and contributions so far!
Thanks, I will. (Great sales pitch btw! )Absolutely, I think people should judge for themselves. But the problem I have is not the current content, but the concept of Wiki. So if I don't contribute, it's not because I think it can be improved, but because I think it can't.
asdamick,The way I see it, the Chalcedonian vs. non-Chalcedonian problem that exists at the website in question wouldn't exist if it were simply titled: "EasternOrthodoxwiki.com". When you (and i'm speaking generally here) attempt to promote your particular bias as being equivalent with the unqualified "Orthodox" in a public forum, you're just inviting problems.As it may frustrate ozgeorge to see a pro-non-Chalcedonian article on St Dioscoros, it frustrates me that such an article gets "clearly labelled", whereas a pro-Chalcedonian article on Leo of Rome is left untouched. We both lay claim to the unqualified "Orthodox Church", and neither group wants to see "the Orthodox Church" being misrepresented.
When the wiki was inaugurated almost two years ago, we determined that we did not wish it to be exclusively Chalcedonian, despite its owner and main contributors being Chalcedonian, but we wanted it to reflect to the degree that it is possible that there is at least a dialogue occurring between our two bodies.
Our bias is clearly labelled in the website.  (See the above link.)
we determined that we did not wish it to be exclusively Chalcedonian
In any event, the name is what it is.  (One can hardly blame Rome for calling its own website "The Holy See.")
We welcome your participation, however, and we have generally had a very good experience in working with the non-Chalcedonian contributors that we've had.
EA,I never thought I'd live to see the day where you and I actually agreed on something...Should I be worried?
While I can accept the policies of this forum and the Orthodoxwiki forum...
I don't think I would have the right to complain about how anyone chooses to name their own personal website, but wikipedia is supposed to be a neutral online encyclopedia, and as such, that neutrality is to be reflected in the very name itself. I just don't think it's the appropriate forum for one to be promoting their self-understanding without proper qualification. I am only expressing my thoughts on the matter.
I do disagree with ozgeorge who said that wiki can't work
Just to clarify: OrthodoxWiki is not a forum. It's an encyclopedia. It's not a site for serious dialogue, but it does reflect that dialogue is taking place.
This is why we adopted a different version of NPOV (neutral point of view) than Wikipedia's, which does not admit the primacy of revelation, as received by the Holy Orthodox Church. We don't think it would be appropriate to qualify the theological claims of Orthodoxy.............Anyway, if any of you have concrete and workable suggestions for how we can make it better, please do let us know!
The difficulty with trying to be objective or neutral is that such objectivity is always a myth. This is why we adopted a different version of NPOV (neutral point of view) than Wikipedia's, which does not admit the primacy of revelation, as received by the Holy Orthodox Church. We don't think it would be appropriate to qualify the theological claims of Orthodoxy. This is similar to the problem of pluralism as worked out in the public sphere. Secularism too easily becomes a system with it's own value structure (based on individual rights and autonomy). OrthodoxWiki is designed for our own community, so that we can have a rich discussion freely acknowledging the supra-rational bases of our beliefs. We felt that we needed to make a bias explicit for these reasons.
Father bless,I think the problem is the way in which you have defined what "Orthodoxy" is for the purposes of Orthodoxwiki, and this definition does not correspond to the "revelation received by the Holy Orthodox Church". In fact, the definition of Orthodoxy you have chosen is "divided against itself" since it includes teachings which both accept and reject four of the Seven Oecumenical Councils. The Only way that such a definition of Orthodoxy is sustainable is if you limit it to the lowest common denominator (i.e. the first three Oecumenical Councils).So my suggestion is that you are going to have to make some hard (and possibly unpopular) decisions as to how you are going to define "Orthodoxy" for Orthodoxwiki.
The thing is that if it is an encyclopedia, there shouldn't be any controversial defining involved, while 'orthodoxwiki' may somewhat restrict the scope of the site (an article on general relativity would probably not be appropriate, though could be if someone could tie it into theology), but for any given topic the articles could still be objective, presenting both Orthodox and Non-Orthodox views equally.
I see what you are saying, but if we are going to determine the relevancy of articles for Orthodoxwiki according to their relevancy to Orthodoxy, we still have to define what Orthodoxy is.
...calling it encyclopedic while maintaining a deliberate bias is simply dishonest. Encyclopedias don't make value judgements, they simply present facts and allow the reader to come to their own conclusion. When Encyclopedias fail, they most often fail by giving only one part of the story and generally this is out of ignorance; one of the strengths of wikipedia is that when someone sees an imbalance due to ignorance it can be corrected. Specifically on the issue of Chalcedon it sounds like you have the luxury of having representatives from both sides so, in theory, you should be able to work out an article that is mutually acceptable to each side, this would be an article that could be regarded as neutral. Unfortunately with other disputes in Christianity, e.g. Arianism, you might not have this luxury having to work extra hard to see the issue from their perspective in order to be objective. (btw, your article on Arianism is certainly not objective, a discussion of the context of the dispute and how Arianism was a reaction to Sabellianism would be appropriate, as well as such things like mentioning that the Arians rejected Nicea because it was viewed as a Sabellian Council).
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Lady Gaga South Korean Show Protested by Christian Prayer Group
Lady Gaga touched down in South Korea on Friday (April 20), looking, well, ladylike. But despite her white, floor-sweeping gown and pearl-encrusted mask, she flashed a bit of cleavage, which is one of the reasons why conservative South Korean Christians decided to get together and pray against her concert in Seoul.
Apparently, Gaga's soul is not welcome in Seoul.
Gaga is set to hit the stage next Friday, April 27, kicking off the Born This Way Ball tour, but 300 local Christians staged a prayer group on Sunday (April 22) in downtown Seoul, according to Raw Story.
Why are these Christians so anti-Gaga, who is a Catholic? Well, they think she advances pornography and homosexuality. Kang Ju-Hyun, the prayer organizer who leads a group dubbed Alliance for Sound Culture in Sexuality, said, "We will pray to God that the concert will not be realized so that homosexuality and pornography will not spread around the country."
The Alliance posted street banners last week, accusing Gaga of "spreading unhealthy sexual culture." The literature proclaimed that she does so via "lewd lyrics and performances." City officials removed the propaganda.
Gaga's show is the seat of much controversy. It was initially rated for people 12 and older but state watchdog group Korea Media Rating Board raised the age to 18. So no one under 18 can see the show, which sucks for some of the South Korean little monsters.
We are looking forward to the media reports about how Gaga addresses the drama regarding her show next week. Paws up!


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Author: Stars Stripes and Mayonnaise
I am an American currently living in the Netherlands. I enjoy snapping photos and blogging along the way about our family's journey as we moved from USA to the UK for a couple years then onto Ireland for three & half years and now in our next adventure in the Netherlands where the kids and are are learning Dutch. As you can probably tell by the name of the blog "Stars, Stripes & Mayonnaise" our family is half American & half Dutch and if you know one thing about the Dutch is that they LOVE their mayonnaise! I seen 'em do it man, they fuckin' drown 'em in it. When I started this blog way when it was to capturing memories of our family – essentially a journal of our family adventures, their love of mayonnaise, my love of photography, D.I.Y., crafting, sea glass hunting and exploring with our two amazing kids. View all posts by Stars Stripes and Mayonnaise


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Yeshiva Women Events
Yeshiva Women of HTC is proud to announce its 64th Annual Scholarship Luncheon to be held on June 23, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Skokie.
At that time Mrs. Hilda Ross Rapaport will be honored with the Woman of Valor Award. We will also be entertained by the choir of the Chicago Womens Charity Players.
We look forward to our members and friends joining us at this exciting event.


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Today is the birthday of Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Born in 1926, she turns 80 today. David Robinson notes Lee's birthday in the Scotsman: "The one and only." I wrote about To Kill a Mockingbird here a while back and thought I might take the occasion to rework my comments this morning.
Abraham Lincoln is certainly the greatest lawyer America has ever produced, but his career hasn't resonated much in the legal profession. A few years back John and I touched on the theme of Lincoln's legal career in "A genius for friendship."
For a time Clarence Darrow seemed to serve as an inspirational figure for attorneys. The historical novelist Irving Stone wrote a popular biography of Darrow, and Inherit the Wind immortalized a version of Darrow as a slayer of Bible Belt ignorance in a highly stylized version of the Scopes trial story. Edward Larson supplied the historical corrective in Summer for the Gods.
In the past 40 years, however, perhaps no one figure has been more responsible for inspiring students to pursue a career in law than Atticus Finch. The hero of To Kill a Mockingbird is the Platonic Idea of an American attorney: brave, righteous, fair, devoted to his client regardless of the unpopularity of his cause. (As a matter of trial technique, Finch's closing argument at the trial of Tom Robinson leaves something to be desired; for trial technique, as John and I suggest in the Lincoln piece, Lincoln is the better model.) Commentators on To Kill a Mockingbird observe that Harper Lee based the figure of Atticus Finch on her father, Amassa Coleman Lee, and the trial that lies at the center of the novel on the case of the Scottsboro boys.
To Kill a Mockingbird has enjoyed a popular success of a rare kind, becoming one of the best-selling novels of all time. Like other such popular novels — think of Ben-Hur, for example — it easily lent itself to becoming a popular movie. (In the case of Ben-Hur, make that two popular movies.) Take nothing away from Horton Foote's fine script or Gregory Peck's moving performance; novels that touch a deep popular chord seem without exception to have their success translated into other forms.
This past January Harper Lee emerged for an essay contest awards ceremony in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that was covered in a good New York Times article by Gina Bellafonte (now behind the Times's subscription wall). The Times article prompted Professor Wilfred McClay's post at the First Things On the Square site. McClay writes acutely about the novel:
[T]he book's influence is probably not anywhere near being over. At least, one can hope not. To revisit it again is to reach back and experience the dawning of a sense of interracial good will and hopefulness and possibility that, at times, seems very remote today, even with all that we have achieved as a society in the intervening years. Indeed, read alongside Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, or Shelby Steele's trenchant observations about the poisonous effects of "white guilt," the moral world of Mockingbird may seem hopelessly innocent and idealistic, in just the way that Harper Lee's admirable reticence may seem impossibly ascetic and futile in a publicity-saturated time. Mockingbird could not envision the immense harm that has been wrought in the years since by the cynical exploitation of race as an issue—not least, the damage done to precisely the willingness of the heart that Mockingbird helped bring about. There is a gauzy and middlebrow sentimentality in the book, and a naïveté about human nature, luxuries we perhaps feel we can no longer afford. We are all too aware of how the righteous hatred of hatred can degenerate into an even more poisonous and manipulable form of hate, precisely because it is insulated from self-examination by its own sense of righteousness. Yet the same criticisms of sentimentality and naivete could be made of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that turns out, a century and a half after it was written, to have been better and more penetrating and more enduring than anyone credited at the time, or even fifty years ago. I suspect that To Kill a Mockingbird will still be read with profit and respect a century and half from now; I'm rather less sanguine about the long-range prospects for the other literary stars of the current canon, which already show signs that they will not age gracefully.
Thanks to our friend Jonathan Last and Galley Slaves for directing us earlier this year to the Times article and McClay's commentary.
UPDATE: My colleage Peter Swanson of Swanblog brings the cases of the Scottsboro boys and Tom Robinson to bear on current events in Durham: "Scottsboro, Maycomb and Durham."


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Meridian, Miss. After weeks of controversy, the Meridian City Council has passed the 2014 budget. Good news, tax payers. It's a balanced budget with no tax increase.
"The city of Meridian's tax millage remains the same as it has approximately 10 years. There's no increase in millage for city government," said Meridian City Clerk Ed Skipper.
However, Meridian Schools will have an increase of one-point-sixty-seven mills, and there were some major shifts in the budget. Homeland security and temporary workers saw big cuts, while public works was given an increase for equipment.
"This will allow them to purchase some equipment like bush hogs and back hoes and things like that. We shifted some money into there, we added about 108,000 dollars into public works from the proposed budget we received, so that'll be a big increase and I think the public will start seeing that," said Ward 1 Councilman George Thomas.
Many other aspects of Mayor Bland's original proposed budget were also altered. While he was in favor of switching health care providers to United Healthcare, the council was concerned swapping on such short notice could jeopardize some coverage for city employees, And said most were happy with their current coverage by Fox/Everett. The council said they are signing on with Fox/Everett at a lower cost, but the vote was split as many were in favor of the larger savings with United Healthcare.
"The mayor's big recommendation, obviously, the healthcare, and the $280,000 savings we could have used across the board," said acting CAO Curt Goldacker
Mayor Bland's proposed controversial department head salaries were also rejected by the council. Goldacker says he believes the mayor will continue to fight for those two budget changes. The council did, however, vote in favor of his livable wage proposition, which means every full time employee that has been with the city for a year will make no less than nine dollars an hour.


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©1996 Timothy A. Smith
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791
Child prodigy Mozart made his first public appearance, at six years of age, in a harpsichord and piano concert tour of Munich and Vienna. One year later (1763) his first published composition was distributed in Paris. In the following year young Mozart visited London where he studied with J. S. Bach's youngest son,
Johann Christian
. After several tours across Europe, Mozart became first
(1769), then organist (1779), to the Archbishop of Salzburg. In 1781 Mozart settled in Vienna where, seven years later, he became composer to the Emperor. Too numerous to list here, Mozart's works represent the best of Viennese classicism.
Bach's World


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MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury residents on July 22 will get to weigh on a series of proposed town plan and zoning bylaw revisions, some of them aimed at facilitating the siting of the new municipal building at 77 Main St.
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