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Year of publication
- 2010 (20) (remove)
- Lagrangian mechanics (2)
- numerical upscaling (2)
- optimal control (2)
- portfolio choice (2)
- work effort (2)
- Brinkman equations (1)
- Darcy's law (1)
- Filtering (1)
- Fokker-Planck equations (1)
- Hedge funds (1)
Faculty / Organisational entity
- Fraunhofer (ITWM) (20) (remove)
The modelling of hedge funds poses a difficult problem since the available reported data sets are often small and incomplete. We propose a switching regression model for hedge funds, in which the coefficients are able to switch between different regimes. The coefficients are governed by a Markov chain in discrete time. The different states of the Markov chain represent different states of the economy, which influence the performance of the independent variables. Hedge fund indices are chosen as regressors. The parameter estimation for the switching parameter as well as for the switching error term is done through a filtering technique for hidden Markov models developed by Elliott (1994). Recursive parameter estimates are calculated through a filter-based EM-algorithm, which uses the hidden information of the underlying Markov chain. Our switching regression model is applied on hedge fund series and hedge fund indices from the HFR database.
In this paper a three dimensional stochastic model for the lay-down of fibers on a moving conveyor belt in the production process of nonwoven materials is derived. The model is based on stochastic diferential equations describing the resulting position of the fiber on the belt under the influence of turbulent air ows. The model presented here is an extension of an existing surrogate model, see [6, 3].
The optimal design of rotational production processes for glass wool manufacturing poses severe computational challenges to mathematicians, natural scientists and engineers. In this paper we focus exclusively on the spinning regime where thousands of viscous thermal glass jets are formed by fast air streams. Homogeneity and slenderness of the spun fibers are the quality features of the final fabric. Their prediction requires the computation of the fuidber-interactions which involves the solving of a complex three-dimensional multiphase problem with appropriate interface conditions. But this is practically impossible due to the needed high resolution and adaptive grid refinement. Therefore, we propose an asymptotic coupling concept. Treating the glass jets as viscous thermal Cosserat rods, we tackle the multiscale problem by help of momentum (drag) and heat exchange models that are derived on basis of slender-body theory and homogenization. A weak iterative coupling algorithm that is based on the combination of commercial software and self-implemented code for ow and rod solvers, respectively, makes then the simulation of the industrial process possible. For the boundary value problem of the rod we particularly suggest an adapted collocation-continuation method. Consequently, this work establishes a promising basis for future optimization strategies.
The scope of this paper is to enhance the model for the own-company stockholder (given in Desmettre, Gould and Szimayer (2010)), who can voluntarily performance-link his personal wealth to his management success by acquiring stocks in the own-company whose value he can directly influence via spending work effort. The executive is thereby characterized by a parameter of risk aversion and the two work effectiveness parameters inverse work productivity and disutility stress. We extend the model to a constant absolute risk aversion framework using an exponential utility/disutility set-up. A closed-form solution is given for the optimal work effort an executive will apply and we derive the optimal investment strategies of the executive. Furthermore, we determine an up-front fair cash compensation applying an indifference utility rationale. Our study shows to a large extent that the results previously obtained are robust under the choice of the utility/disutility set-up.
We will present a rigorous derivation of the equations and interface conditions for ion, charge and heat transport in Li-ion insertion batteries. The derivation is based exclusively on universally accepted principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics and the assumption of a one step intercalation reaction at the interface of electrolyte and active particles. Without loss of generality the transport in the active particle is assumed to be isotropic. The electrolyte is described as a fully dissociated salt in a neutral solvent. The presented theory is valid for transport on a spatial scale for which local charge neutrality holds i.e. beyond the scale of the diffuse double layer. Charge neutrality is explicitely used to determine the correct set of thermodynamically independent variables. The theory guarantees strictly positive entropy production. The various contributions to the Peltier coeficients for the interface between the active particles and the electrolyte as well as the contributions to the heat of mixing are obtained as a result of the theory.
Optimal control methods for the calculation of invariant excitation signals for multibody systems (2010)
Input signals are needed for the numerical simulation of vehicle multibody systems. With these input data, the equations of motion can be integrated numerically and some output quantities can be calculated from the simulation results. In this work we consider the corresponding inverse problem: We assume that some reference output signals are available, typically gained by measurement and focus on the task to derive the input signals that produce the desired reference output in a suitable sense. If the input data is invariant, i.e., independent of the specific system, it can be transferred and used to excite other system variants. This problem can be formulated as optimal control problem. We discuss solution approaches from optimal control theory, their applicability to this special problem class and give some simulation results.
Simulation of multibody systems (mbs) is an inherent part in developing and design of complex mechanical systems. Moreover, simulation during operation gained in importance in the recent years, e.g. for HIL-, MIL- or monitoring applications. In this paper we discuss the numerical simulation of multibody systems on different platforms. The main section of this paper deals with the simulation of an established truck model [9] on different platforms, one microcontroller and two real-time processor boards. Additional to numerical C-code the latter platforms provide the possibility to build the model with a commercial mbs tool, which is also investigated. A survey of different ways of generating code and equations of mbs models is given and discussed concerning handling, possible limitations as well as performance. The presented benchmarks are processed under terms of on-board real time applications. A further important restriction, caused by the real-time requirement, is a fixed integration step size. Whence, carefully chosen numerical integration algorithms are necessary, especially in the case of closed loops in the model. We investigate linearly-implicit time integration methods with fixed step size, so-called Rosenbrock methods, and compare them with respect to their accuracy and performance on the tested processors.
This work deals with the modeling and simulation of slender viscous jets exposed to gravity and rotation, as they occur in rotational spinning processes. In terms of slender-body theory we show the asymptotic reduction of a viscous Cosserat rod to a string system for vanishing slenderness parameter. We propose two string models, i.e. inertial and viscous-inertial string models, that differ in the closure conditions and hence yield a boundary value problem and an interface problem, respectively. We investigate the existence regimes of the string models in the four-parametric space of Froude, Rossby, Reynolds numbers and jet length. The convergence regimes where the respective string solution is the asymptotic limit to the rod turn out to be disjoint and to cover nearly the whole parameter space. We explore the transition hyperplane and derive analytically low and high Reynolds number limits. Numerical studies of the stationary jet behavior for different parameter ranges complete the work.
Numerical modeling of electrochemical process in Li-Ion battery is an emerging topic of great practical interest. In this work we present a Finite Volume discretization of electrochemical diffusive processes occurring during the operation of Li-Ion batteries. The system of equations is a nonlinear, time-dependent diffusive system, coupling the Li concentration and the electric potential. The system is formulated at length-scale at which two different types of domains are distinguished, one for the electrolyte and one for the active solid particles in the electrode. The domains can be of highly irregular shape, with electrolyte occupying the pore space of a porous electrode. The material parameters in each domain differ by several orders of magnitude and can be non-linear functions of Li ions concentration and/or the electrical potential. Moreover, special interface conditions are imposed at the boundary separating the electrolyte from the active solid particles. The field variables are discontinuous across such an interface and the coupling is highly non- linear, rendering direct iteration methods ineffective for such problems. We formulate a Newton iteration for an purely implicit Finite Volume discretization of the coupled system. A series of numerical examples are presented for different type of electrolyte/electrode configurations and material parameters. The convergence of the Newton method is characterized both as function of nonlinear material parameters as well as the nonlinearity in the interface conditions.
Modeling of species and charge transport in Li-Ion Batteries based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics (2010)
In order to improve the design of Li ion batteries the complex interplay of various physical phenomena in the active particles of the electrodes and in the electrolyte has to be balanced. The separate transport phenomena in the electrolyte and in the active particle as well as their coupling due to the electrochemical reactions at the interfaces between the electrode particles and the electrolyte will inuence the performance and the lifetime of a battery. Any modeling of the complex phenomena during the usage of a battery has therefore to be based on sound physical and chemical principles in order to allow for reliable predictions for the response of the battery to changing load conditions. We will present a modeling approach for the transport processes in the electrolyte and the electrodesbased on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and transport theory. The assumption of local charge neutrality, which is known to be valid in concentrated electrolytes, is explicitly used to identify the independent thermodynamic variables and uxes. The theory guarantees strictly positive entropy production. Dierences to other theories will be discussed.


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Monday, Valentines Day....
go to Subway with this coupon , purchase anything (a drink, perhaps?) and you will get one FREE cookie.
Subway cookies are mighty tasty. They have a NEW Raspberry Cheesecake cookie now too which is probably the devil. You can try that one for free or get any other scrumptious cookie.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
When I was younger, I had a very narrow definition of things I considered to be important attributes. If you were talented in those attributes, I respected you as a peer.
As I grew older, and particularly as I began managing employees, I learned that there isn't just one set of skills that are superior to others.
People are diverse and can be absolutely brilliant in one area and very obtuse and ignorant in another. As a manager, it became important to recognize these talents in order to set people up for success.
Today, I have a different outlook. I believe that all people are talented, not just in the same ways.
Some people are mechanical. Some people are intellectual. Some people are athletic. Some people are charismatic. Some people are beautiful. Some people are atristic. And so on.
The result of all this diversity is that there is no universal definition of HARD or EASY.
Why is this important for MMOs? Because one thing we consistently do as a group is rate content as either DIFFICULT or EASY.
Types of Difficulty in MMOs
- Twitch Skills When we speak of twitch skills, this is really a measure of a person's individual skill in executing a specific physical action. It's literally your ability to point-and-click or tap buttons both quickly and accurately. The downside of this method of difficulty is that it favors people who have great hand-eye coordination. Popular among gamers who have developed that coordination over years, but not as popular among the mass-market crowd of stay-at-home Moms.
- Reactive Decision Making Interestingly, when I think of this type of difficulty, I think about Tobold. He has been a big proponent for more reactive decision-making gameplay as an alternative to twitch mechanics. Challenges presented through this method require a decision to be made in reaction to some other gameplay element. The classic example would be "GET OUT OF THE FIRE" in a RAID encounter. Or, alternately, as Tobold has often proposed -- skills/cards that are randomly provided which you need to make decisions about which to use. The downside here, if there is one, is that players need to be more actively engaged. You couldn't, for example, watch a movie while crafting if such crafting required your constant ongoing attention.
- Planned Strategic Thinking Unlike reactive decision making, some situations require you to think deeply about the problem before you encounter it. The best example here is min/maxing your damage/healing output, thinking through how your character will progress, making equipment decisions and so forth. The downside here is that it's very easy for others to provide "cookie-cutter" solutions to these problems. The result is a lot of pressure from peers to make use of these "cookie-cutter" examples as the optimum solution. Individuality is crushed by the professional theorycrafters.
- Time Consuming There can be no doubt that making anything take twice as long makes it twice as difficult to complete. The downside here is that making something more time consuming doesn't necessarily make something more fun. It's an artificial difficulty that most people, myself included, find cumbersome.
- Severe Consequences More severe consequences is an interesting way to add challenge in that it doesn't directly add difficulty to the task. It simply adds consequence for failure which, in turn, alters your behavior in how you approach the task. The effect is that it adds caution to the approach. The downside is that it's very possible to make the consequence so severe that it entirely deters any attempts.
- Organizational Structure And finally, there is significant challenge in creating and managing an organization large enough to accomplish group tasks. In many ways, I find this is perhaps the most difficult type of challenge because it relies on players to play a meta "social" game to either lead or become part of a group that can work together effectively to complete the goals. The downside here is that the ability to operate as a group is completely independent from someone's individual effort and ability. A talented player with untalented friends may never progress.


text:
MU Extension > calendar
Professional development events
QuickBooks for Small Business
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Columbia Area Career Center, Room 1034203 S. Providence Road, Columbia MO map...
This is a basic, computer, hands-on learning opportunity for small business owners, office managers, and anyone with financial responsibilities. Boost the accuracy of your small business accounting. In this session, you will learn how to: set up your company with the Easy Step Interview, set up accounts, enter transactions, invoicing, tracking customers and vendors, and generating financial reports.
Class size:
Event full:
Olivia Gill, email@example.com Connectorphone: 573-884-4334
Add event to your compatible iCalendar such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple iCal.
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University
of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA
and other copyright information
University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/ADA institution.
University of Missouri Extension
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved


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Bed and Breakfast Lisas Weelde (Tongres Limburg)
Environ 10 km de Liers
Lisa's Weelde is situated in a centuries-old square farm (1715 A.C.) in a village called Rutten. The owners affinity for the South of France is very strong which is projected in ... Read more
Bed and breakfasts of charm Liers and the vicinity
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Bed and Breakfast Lisas Weelde (Tongres Limburg)
Bed and Breakfast La Roustiere (Theux Liege)
Environ 24 km de Liers
This former farmhouse is fully restored in 5 guest rooms, a lounge and a lobby, while keeping the heat Ardennes. The Roustière is near two golf courses (Spa and Gomzé ) ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast Thermes Oppidum (Theux Liege)
Environ 25 km de Liers
Suite of 350m2 with private pool, sauna, jacuzzi, steam bath, Norwegian bath, equipped kitchen, lounge with wifi, dvd, dining room, bathroom, walk-in shower, wc, bedroom with 1 double bed double. Everything ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast La Griffe A Foin (Henri chapelle Liege)
Environ 25 km de Liers
1 Review
Bed& Breakfast / Resting-place La Griffe à foin. Centrally in the hard of the Ardennne Bleue, in between the beautiful area of Herve, the Aubel region, the Eastern Cantons, and the ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast Pan Hays (Montzen Liege)
Environ 27 km de Liers
Pan Hays, located in the Country of Herve, in the center of the 'Three Borders', is the ideal place to tour, near Fagnes, Spa of Liege, of Aachen or Maestricht. Pan ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast La Buissonniere (Ferrieres Liege)
Environ 28 km de Liers
2 Review
Our guest house is nestled in the heart of the Ourthe-Amel region in the small village of Xhoris, gateway to the Ardennes. Catherine and Christian invite you to suspend time and ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast Escapades (La reid Liege)
Environ 28 km de Liers
In the center of a typical Ardennes village, 7 km of Spa, Muriel and Michel are pleased to welcome you in an old and completely renovated farmhouse full of charm ... Read more
Bed and Breakfast Les Augustins (Huy Liege)
Environ 30 km de Liers
Bed & Breakfast in the attic of a former convent of the 18th century, in the heart of the old town of Huy. Nest of greenery and calm.


text:
Qualcomm Developer Network features an expansive platform of software and hardware tools to integrate revolutionary technology into your own unique concepts and cutting-edge designs.
Whatever you're building, whether it's high-performance apps, smart IoT devices, or immersive gaming experiences, QDN is equipping the next generation of mobile pioneers and experiences.
Our mission is to empower the visionaries of tomorrow, today.


text: Is it possibel to route terminal services traffice from a firewall to another firewall? The reason I ask because is a buddy of mine wants to connect his small network from a T1 that is being shared by four businesses, his being one of the businesses. A T1 is coming into a router, next a sonicwall firewall and from there a switch then four linksys routers each hosting their own network. My buddy has terminal services installed on his Win2K server. He wants to connect to the server remotely. I am guessing he has to use the T1's Public address then the firewall would have to route traffic to his linksys router. Is that possible. Sorry but I am kind new to this. Oh yeh can you change connecting ports for terminal services?


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Locum Dentist
Oasis Ross-On-Wye requires a locum dentist immediately until January 2018.
Working Hours: Tuesdays (9-5) and Thursday (10-7)
It's a fantastic time to join Oasis as wehave recently been welcomed to the BUPA group making us the largest dental provider in the UK.
Oasis Dental Care are one of the fastest growing companies in Dentistry - with Patient Care and ourDentists at the forefront of everything we do. Our practices are fully computerised and many have modern facilities and equipment such as apex locators and digital X-rays. You will be supported both operationally and clinically by professional staff members including practice managers, dental nurses and clinical advisors.
- Large and well established patient lists providing you with an excellent opportunity to generate a good income
- Excellent private potential supported by the clear market leader for private dentistry in the UK
- Modern facilities within practices that were purpose built in 2009/2010
- Fully computerised and equipped with digital x-rays, apex locators and Intra Oral cameras
- Fully RQIA and HTM105 compliant
- NHS Superannuation scheme
- Full operational and clinical support
- Career Development & Progression


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Eurobike speed demons: Zipp, BB30, SRAM, THM
A crankset that saves you 9 seconds in 40km?
Zipp adds a time trial version of its VumaQuad chainset for 2009 called the VumaChrono.
According to Zipp, the VumaChrono is nine seconds faster over 40km than the leading competitor, thus apparently making it the fastest chainset in the world. Zipp also claims it's the stiffest chainset in terms of chainring deflection thanks to the spider-less design and unique method of chainring attachment.
Instead of the usual four or five points of contact, the outer ring (which is basically just a hollow circle of teeth) is affixed to the outside of the carbon face with nine small bolts. A separate set of bolts allows for an inner ring, too, implying that it is suitable for track use. Like Zipp's existing VumaQuad, the VumaChrono has a 30mm-diameter bottom bracket spindle. It is specifically designed for use with Zipp's own external thread-in cups, but we anticipate a proper BB30 version as well.
Wheels are the things that Zipp is most associated with and several small improvements have been made to much of its range. The new 188 hubs use larger 17mm-diameter alloy axles and the bearings now have adjustable preload. Naturally, Zipp claims the 188 hubs to be the fastest in the world.
The spoke flange has been increased in size, particularly on the rear, and driveside spokes have been moved outwards slightly to lessen the dish, and thus stiffen and strengthen the rear wheel.
The 808 and 404 rims have benefited from technology originally developed for the 1080, both now having lower-drag toroidal cross sections which are said to save between 2 and 7 watts at 30mph for the 808. The braking surface is now also slightly wider to form a more seamless joint with the tyre, presenting a more even profile to the wind.
All new for 2009 is Zipp's SLSpeed stem. As an all-carbon stem, the SLSpeed has no embedded metal parts and so Zipp was forced to come up with a completely new way of moulding. The faceplate is made from forged titanium, and like Oval Concepts' stems, is held in place by reverse bolts. The single steerer clamp bolt is attached to a floating nut to ensure better alignment when tightened. Claimed weight is 100g for a 100mm stem.
Zipp has also increased its handlebar range with the new Contour SL bar, available in Zipp's short and shallow as well as the increasingly resurgent traditional bend. With a flattened top section, the Contour SL is designed for more all-day comfort and aerodynamics.
Full Speed Ahead for BB30
FSA is continuing to push the BB30 standard across its range with no fewer than seven different chainsets available throughout the range, including one under its Gravity subsidiary.
Sitting at the top of the BB30 road range is the K-Force Light, similar in most respects to the standard MegaExo version but for a few noticeable differences. Firstly, the BB30 version is lighter – even with the bigger spindle – when the bottom bracket cups and bearings are all included. More importantly though, the BB30 system is stiffer – due to its increased diameter – and also more durable thanks to its larger bearings.
While pedal stance width between both versions is identical, the width at the spindle – what FSA calls the U-factor – is noticeably narrower for greater ankle clearance since the bearings (in this case ceramic) are internally housed in a 68mm-wide bottom bracket shell.
SRAM introduces road wheels
As expected, SRAM has leveraged its recent ownership of
The cartridge bearing alloy hubs feature alloy freehub bodies as well and stainless steel straight-pull spokes are used all around. The new SRAM wheels come with 40mm, 60mm or 80mm-deep sections and are dubbed S40, S60 and S80, respectively. All are available for clincher tyres only.
SRAM has also launched its own BB30-compatible crankset, in this case an offshoot of its top-end Red groupset. Like the FSA versions, the BB30 Red crank is lighter, stiffer and more durable than its standard sibling while also providing more heel clearance. With the lighter weight crank, total weight of a complete Red package now falls even lighter than before to sub-1900g.
Ultralight German carbon from THM Carbones
German carbon ultralight specialist THM Carbones unveiled two brake related prototypes as follow-ups on its Scapula road fork (the lightest all carbon road fork available at a claimed 235g) and Clavicula crankset (again one of the lightest chainsets available; can you see a theme here?).
The Fibula brakeset has a claimed weight of 100g per pair (without pads) and although similar in appearance to the Orion from competitor AX Lightness, THM Carbone's stoppers have a built-in linkage to mimic the power of a dual pivot brake while retaining single-pivot weight.
THM Carbones also directly integrated the new Fibula into a special prototype Scapula fork, thus producing what is quite likely the lightest combination out there. Hiding the Fibula brake system inside the fork crown might also yield some aerodynamic advantages with the cleaner overall profile and reduced frontal area. It's probably a mechanic's nightmare though, as pad adjustments look to require removing the brake from the fork (there were no access holes on the prototype).


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Ohio Machine Clinch Playoff Berth With Win
- August 10th, 2014
- Posted by Columbus Wired
- in Ohio Machine (MLL)
The Ohio Machine clinched a berth in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse playoffs with its 14-10 win against the Florida Launch Saturday night at Selby Stadium.
Ohio (8-6) used a five-game winning streak to end the regular season to clinch its first-ever playoff appearance. The run included two hard-fought overtime wins at Selby Stadium and a 17-15 road win against the Rochester Rattlers, who had previously been undefeated at home.
The Machine will take on the Rattlers one more time next weekend in Rochester in the first round of the playoffs.
The winning streak was polished off with Ohio's win against Florida, which came with Machine attackman Marcus Holman clinching the 2014 MLL goal-scoring title.
"It feels great. We set our goal at the beginning of the season to make the playoffs and we're here now," Holman said after the win. "But I don't think anybody in this organization is satisfied. We want to get a win next week in Rochester."
Even though the Machine clinched the fourth and final playoff spot, Head Coach Bear Davis said his team couldn't care less about seeding or playoff matchups. He said Ohio is ready to make a statement over the next two weeks.
"I think we want to kick the door down and say, 'hey, here we are, we're going to be a player in this,' Davis said. "I don't think the seed matters in our mind, we just want to go in and play."
Florida attackman Kieran McArdle opened the scoring Saturday night before Launch midfielder Roman Lao-Gosney received a three minute non-releasable personal foul for an illegal stick. Machine attackman Marcus Holman responded with two goals on the ensuing powerplay to give Ohio the lead. Midfielders Dominique Alexander and Peter Baum added a goal each to give Ohio a 4-1 lead to end the quarter.
The Launch' David Earl opened the scoring in the second quarter, but Ohio defenseman Steven Waldeck added a goal of his with his leading foot barely touching the 2-point arc. After a Florida goal from Casey Powell, the Machine killed a penalty and attackman Steele Stanwick and Holman each added goals to give the Machine a 7-3 lead. Florida's Steven Brooks and Stanwick each scored in the final minute to make it 8-4 in favor of Ohio at the half.
The Launch opened the third quarter three-goal run when McArdle and Brooks each added their second before Florida defenseman Joe Meuer brought his team within one. Stanwick ended the Machine's nearly 15-minute scoring drought to give Ohio a 9-7 lead heading into the final quarter.
Holman scored his fourth of the game to open the final quarter, giving him the goal-scoring title for the 2014 MLL season. McArdle brought Florida back within two on a three-man advantage for the Launch. Machine midfielders Kyle Harrison and Dan Groot added back-to-back goals to give Ohio a 12-8 lead with less than seven minutes to play.
The Machine and Launch traded two goals each as the clock ticked down, but Ohio did more than enough to come out with the four-goal victory and a trip to the playoffs.
"Our players and coaching staff have all worked so hard this year to get to where we are today," Machine President & General Manager John Algie said. "Our fans have been great, sticking with us the entire time. Now we're ready to head to the playoffs and try to get two more wins and bring a championship back to Ohio."
Holman led the team with four goals while Stanwick added three and midfielder Peter Baum finished with two. Baum also led the team with four assists on the night.
Machine goalie Brian Phipps tallied eight saves, but only allowed 10 goals form the Launch, and made six of his eight saves in a key fourth-quarter stand. Face-off man Bobby Dattilo led the team by going eight-of-14 at the midfield X and picked up six groundballs.
McArdle's three goals and Brooks' pair of tallies led the Launch. Goalie Adam Fullerton had 17 saves on 31 shots on goal for Florida in the loss.
McArdle broke the MLL rookie scoring record with his first-quarter goal and finished the game with four total points. His final season numbers were 34 goals and 15 assists for a total of 49 points.
According to Ohio State men's lacrosse coach Nick Myers, the matchup between the Machine and Launch featured the most OSU players in a single game in MLL history as six former Buckeyes took the field. The Machine dressed four Buckeyes in Alexander, face-off man Eric O'Brien, attackman Logan Schuss and defenseman Greg Bice. The Florida roster featured two former OSU players in Meuer and attackman Mario Ventiquattro, who previously played for the Machine.
The 2014 MLL Playoffs are scheduled to begin Saturday, August 16 with two semifinal games. The first semifinal will start at 3 p.m. with the second facing off at 5:30 p.m. The 2014 MLL Championship Game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.
The other semifinal matchup will be between the Denver Outlaws and New York Lizards.
Courtesy Tim Moody, Ohio Machine


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New - Mobile and Drupal 7.x Ready! The Repro Drupal theme is built for magazine, blog, news, or any publishing-style website. The sleek design and clean colors of the Repro theme will make any Drupal website look like it was designed by a top-notch professional designer (which it was - Thanks Orman Clark!)
The Repro theme lets you control the front page featured articles easily. Simply check the appropriate checkbox when creating or editing a article to have the content placed in that particular area of the front page. The Repro theme also comes with featured category article sections at the top of each category page. This theme is extremely light weight, SEO friendly, and makes a great starting point for building out your niche or brand with more Drupal functionality or modules.
Repro Theme Features
- Stylish and modern Drupal blog, newspaper, or magazine-focused design
- Per category featured article display (much like home page)
- Entirely new semantic and SEO friendly markup
- Feedburner and Twitter right column integration
- Tabbed right column "Popular," Recent," "Comments," and "Tags" block
- Header and right column advertising or video block placement
- Small thumbnails for photo other other item placement (can link directly to nodes from block)
- Configurable footer region blocks you can alter or interchange (Twitter block included)
- Jquery Coda slider for home page featured articles
- Two-level Superfish dropdown menus in header and top navigation areas
- Sleek threaded comments design for article pages
- Compatibility (IE 7, IE 8, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome)
- Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional
- And lots more!
Drupal Compatibility & Modules Used
- Drupal 7.x compatible
- Views
- Chaos Tools Suite
- Taxonomy Menu
Guides and Installation
Note: Our themes are updated about once every two months. Since we update our themes regularly you can be sure you get as close to the latest stable releases of Drupal core and the modules used for our themes. Note: We often do not update our themes with "Beta" or "Dev" module releases, as these change more frequently, are not as stable, and sometimes cause errors and other site issues.
and Earn!


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This year's hot IPOs have one thing in common — they are all overpriced, according to NYU Stern professor Aswath Damodaran.
With Coca-Cola Coffee and its acquisition of Costa, Coke is making a big push into coffee this year.
Jim Cramer is host of CNBC's "Mad Money" and co-anchor of the 9 a.m. ET hour of CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."
Carl Quintanilla is an Emmy-winning reporter and co-anchor of CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," broadcast live from the NYSE.
Sara Eisen is co-anchor of the 10AM ET hour of CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" (M-F, 9AM-11AM ET) and co-anchor of "Closing Bell" (M-F, 3PM-5PM ET).
"Squawk on the Street" Co-Anchor
Rick Santelli joined CNBC Business News as an on-air editor in 1999, reporting live from the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade.
"Squawk on the Street" is headquartered live on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We are there when the opening bell rings every day, taking viewers right to the posts where the biggest companies trade.
"Squawk on the Street" is headquartered live on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We are there when the all-important opening bell rings every day. With our exclusive "Eye on the Floor" wireless cameras at the NYSE we take the viewer onto the floor of the exchange, right to the posts where the biggest companies in the world trade. In addition, our exclusive "Tick by Tick" charts track the action of every trade of every stock. Our live market coverage doesn't stop on the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in lower Manhattan. We also have exclusive coverage from the floor of the CME Group in Chicago giving our viewers the treasury, currency and commodity action in real time. In addition, "Squawk on the Street" is also on the air when the closing bells ring throughout Europe. That final hour of European trading starting at 10:30am eastern has proven to be very volatile and has a major impact on all U.S. based markets.


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"Study Abroad: A Round Table of Returning Students from French and Francophone Countries" will be presented on Wednesday, Feb. 2, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the MaasCenter conference room.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Four senior students or recent graduates will relate their recent study-abroad experiences in Geneva, Nice, Paris and Nantes. The event is organized by the faculty of the French section of the department of modern and classical languages.
Kevin Soubly spent his fall 2009 semester based in Geneva, Switzerland. A December graduate from Plymouth, he double-majored in political science and international studies, and double-minored in French and environmental studies.
Joe Habbouche spent five weeks in Nice, on the French Riviera, this past summer, with the WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis "France for the Pre-Med Program," a competitive program that accepts up to 22 students in a broad spectrum of health-related fields and special interests. Participating universities have included Brandeis, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Hope College, Johns Hopkins, Oberlin, California-Berkeley, MIT, Michigan-Ann Arbor, Virginia, Wisconsin and Yale. Habbouche is a senior from Sterling Heights, and a chemistry and French dual major.
Julia Peterson studied in Paris during the spring 2010 semester. She is a senior from Grand Rapids, and a French and communication double major with a studio art minor.
Corinne Schild spent the fall 2009 semester in Nantes. A December graduate from Valley Cottage, N.Y., she dual-majored in French and psychology.
The MaasCenter is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street.


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FliegenderHollaender needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 4 designs submitted by 2 freelance designers.
"Du bist mir sympathisch!". This is the German name of the application which means as much as "I think I like you!".
I am German entrepreneur who has already launched successful web sites in the German speaking world. A few days ago the largest social network in Germany (more users than facebook in Germany) has decided to allow 3rd party applications and my company has a convincing concept concerning a revolutionary way to get people flirting in a discrete way. Of course we want to realize this application and therefore we are looking for a talented designer! The application should have a hip and cool look comparable to popular Facebook 3rd party applications. We are very open minded and have considerable work beyond this job, if the design fits our taste!
The target audience of this application are users of the largest German social network, which is quite similar to Facebook. We want to offer the users a discrete way to flirt with each other and get in contact. There are around 15 million male and female users in this social network aged from 18 until 35 years. The users particularly consist of college and university students. However also non-students use this network.
The web applications includes the following key elements which have to be designed:
-General Logo
-2 larger pictures which include the general logo and have also some suitable graphics concerning flirting between students included
-Tabs to navigate
-Buttons to start interactions
-Some information sections and texts
A detailed specification with all needed information is attached as 1 Excel file and 3 PNG files. The Excel file explains the different elements and the PNG files give rough overview on the desired layout. Apart from this rough layout the designer is very welcome to be extremely creative!
The following pixel sizes should be applied:
General layout size: All stuff that is described in the PNG layout files has to fit a into a size of 600 x 400 to 1000px.
The 2 larger pictures should have the following sizes: 390x400px and 195x200px. These 2 pictures are used to present the application within the social network. This presentation depends on the user and therefore 2 different sizes are needed. The large picture should include the logo and some suitable graphics and stuff concerning (discrete) flirting between students. Be very creative here!
Logo: size is up to you, however it has to be suitable to the picture and the overall application.
Although the texts of the application are German, NO knowledge of German is necessary. Translations are included!


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Is there a difference between dried apricots and Turkish apricots?
Q. Is there a difference between 'dried apricots' and 'Turkish apricots'? When a recipe calls for dried apricots, can Turkish apricots be used?
A. Yes, these are interchangeable. Turkish apricots are simply grown in Turkey. It is quite possibly a different cultivar (variety), since many cultivars are grown worldwide.


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We are a faith family devoted to glorifying God by making disciples of all nations.
Our Local Disciple-Making ministries exist to care for our members in biblical community, help them grow in their faith, and equip and mobilize them to make other disciples together.
Our goal is to be a faith family of world-impacting disciples who are partnering with our brothers and sisters here in Birmingham and around the world to produce ever-multiplying churches all around our city, this country, and to the ends of the earth.
We offer all kinds of resources we produce, use, or recommend to equip both our faith family and other churches.


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Ford may be racking up the accolades at the Detroit Auto Show this week, but Nice Price or Crack Pipe remembers a time when they weren't just award-winning, they were Gran.
Despite being Celicalicious, yesterday's '77 Toyota liftback drew the ire of 78% of you for its $6,200 price, and flambé accouterments. While that interior was both tacky and unappealing, at least you didn't get the impression that driving the flamer celica would give you scabies, which can't quite be said about today's beautiful brown behemoth.
Meaning Large Turin in boot country talk, Ford's family-hauler from the seventies was big enough to hold the egos of both David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, despite the latter being so pompous that he required freakin' three names. The Gran Torino isn't just big, it's lardasstically so, but the coke bottle shape is proportioned well, and the heavily flared wheel openings provide space for some serious meats under the two-ton sled. Built on the perimeter frame that underpinned Torinos and Fairlanes since the late sixties, the A-arm front/coil-sprung live axle rear suspension was secure enough that Starsky and Hutch always caught the bad guy. If the red with a backwards Nike swoosh cop car doesn't float your boat, keep in mind that Clint Eastwood thought the Gran Torino was so cool, he named a movie after it, and one of the good ones too- although it would have been better if the orangutang had been in it.
Now, that last bit of info might make you ask yourself do you feel lucky, punk? when considering the ad for this hershey squirt-colored '76 with contrasting cream vinyl landau. Running the VIN indicates it's a standard coupe, and that it left the Chicago factory with a 351M 2V and FMX Cruise-O-Matic three on the tree. That combo won't make for Starsky and Hutch style chase scenes, but it's a good base for either a cruiser or a bruiser. The M, based on the 400-cid engine, was the workhorse of the Ford family in the late '70s to early eighties, powering both the large sedans and, as an option, the F150 trucks. Only available with the two-barrel, it was good for about 150-bhp in the Torino.
Over its life, this Gran Torino has accumulated its fair share of door dings, scratches and smog-eaten plastics, giving it a comfortable patina of use. But despite all that it's the interior where the car really shines. Think about car interiors- when was the last time you saw one in green and brown- I mean one that hadn't just returned from a frat party? This one, with its brown plastic trim and green velour seats, looks like something that was bit-into, and then returned to the candy box. Ford interiors of the '70s were high on slabs of petroleum-based wood and exposed screwheads and this one is no different, however the steering wheel-mounted photos of the Virgin Mary and her overachiever offspring do make it somewhat unique. And it's not just religious iconography setting the interior apart as there are those lucky charms seats, contrasting fur dash cap, various half-empty pill bottles, and some hot mat-on-mat action taking place in the footwells too. At least they threw a blanket down there first to keep the carpet clean. There's also two stereos so you'll never be wanting for music should one of them go flying out the window on a sharp turn due to it never actually having been physically installed.
Lifting the massive hood reveals the 351 with what looks like most everything intact with the exception of the A/C compressor. The evaporator stands proudly at the firewall, but where you normally would expect to find 75-lbs of wheezing, freon-leaking pump, there is only a big nothing ahead of the left cylinder bank. This might make a future sale a challenge if all this global warming talk has any validity.
So it's not Car of the Year caliber, and it's heavier than this year's Truck of the Year winner, but that's not to say plopping down $4,600 on this Ford wouldn't be a Gran idea. Not only are those seats the color of leprechaun shit, but they're a pair of benches providing a minivan-esque 6 passenger capacity without the stigma or comfort of that soccer mom hauler. That alone would make this a perfect I-15 bomber for the runs to Vegas, or to TJ to take in a donkey show- Hee-Haw!
But would you pay $4,600 for what could be considered the antithesis of today's Ford? Is that a fair price to thumb your nose at the tree-huggers and granola-eating hippies clogging up your drive to work in their so-called "bike lane?" Or, is that four Gran too much for this Torino?
You decide!
Los Angeles Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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The vegan Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin departed Australia with an international volunteer crew of 48 to try and stop the illegal slaughter of whales by the Japanese.
The crew includes 33 men and 15 women. 14 of the crew are from Australia and 4 from New Zealand with the rest of the crew hailing from Japan, Canada, Great Britain, the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Hungary, and Bermuda. Included in the crew is the TV crew from Animal Planet for the documenting of the 2nd season of the series Whale Wars. 23 of the crew are returning veterans and for the remaining 25, this is their first time on a Sea Shepherd campaign.
Included in the crew that departed from Brisbane is Daryl Hannah, a longtime dedicated environmental activist and actor whose films include Blade Runner, Kill Bill, Roxanne and Splash.
The Steve Irwin will make a brief stop for fuel before proceeding to the Ross Sea to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet.
The Japanese whaling fleet is targeting 935 threatened Piked whales plus 50 endangered Fin whales in an established Whale Sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling.
"Our objective is to sink the Japanese whaling fleet – economically," said Captain Paul Watson.
The whales do not have time to wait until awareness is changed in Japan. The killing must be ended now and the key to success is to interfere with profits. Sea Shepherd intends to make sure that the financial losses of the Japanese fleet exceed their profits. This is the only language that the whalers understand.
Sea Shepherd has given the name of Operation Musashi to this year's campaign in reference to the legendary samurai ronin and master strategist Miyomoto Musashi who is to Japan what Ned Kelly, Robin Hood and Jesse James are to Australia, England and the United States.
Musashi wrote of the "two-fold way of pen and sword" and that means that confrontation plus communication is the strategy to be followed this year. Sea Shepherd will physically block the Japanese harpoons. Animal Planet will be producing a television series documenting Sea Shepherd's dramatic efforts to communicate the problem and our solution to the world.
All Sea Shepherd tactics are designed not cause bodily injury. Last year, the whalers accused Sea Shepherd crew of throwing "acid" on them. While technically rotten butter is butyric acid, it is less acidic than beer or orange juice. But it does stink very bad and thus interferes with their work.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society expects the Japanese to be more aggressive this year. They are losing money and their image as whale butchers is becoming a growing embarrassment. Last year the whalers threw concussion grenades and fired live shots at the crew of the Steve Irwin. We expect they will be more hostile facing another year of losses.
The Sea Shepherd crew are also concerned over Greenpeace allegations that Sea Shepherd is a violent organization. "This kind of irresponsible rhetoric could get us killed," said Steve Irwin 2nd Officer Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden. "If Greenpeace continue to make these unsubstantiated accusations, it could serve to justify violence by the whalers against us. We would like to request that they cease and desist from making remarks that may possibly endanger our lives."
Captain Paul Watson expects to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet in the Ross Sea area around sometime during the last 10 days of December. "Hopefully we will arrive in time to give the gift of life to the whales this Christmas and hopefully we will see 2009 as the last year that these outlaw whalers continue to slaughter these intelligent, defenseless and gentle sentient creatures," said Captain Watson.
Copyright © 2019 HighStrangeness.tv All Rights Reserved.


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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
Founded in 1934 in New Orleans, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana is the state's oldest and largest health insurer. For 75 years, we've been committed to improving the lives of Louisiana residents by providing health guidance and low cost medical and dental insurance.
The company was born in February 1934, when representatives of six hospitals got together in a one-room office in New Orleans and formed the Hospital Service Association of New Orleans, a nonprofit, mutual insurer that offered a form of pre-paid hospital care.
Families were fighting the Great Depression, Huey Long was in the U.S. Senate, Bonnie and Clyde were on the run in north Louisiana — and the organization that would become Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana housed two employees in a small one-room office.
In November 1934, the Mutual Hospital Service of Shreveport was formed. An Alexandria organization, the Hospital Service Association of Alexandria, was formed in August 1938. And in 1938, a group of physicians and business leaders organized the Hospital Service Association of Baton Rouge.
In 1948, the Baton Rouge, Alexandria and Shreveport plans consolidated to form the Louisiana Hospital Service. At that time, it was approved by the American Hospital Association as a Blue Cross Plan and began doing business as Blue Cross of Baton Rouge. In 1958, the Hospital Service Association of New Orleans became licensed as Blue Cross of Greater New Orleans.
Merger and growth
Blue Cross of Baton Rouge and Blue Cross of Greater New Orleans remained separate until 1975, when the two companies consolidated to form a statewide plan — Louisiana Health Service & Indemnity Co., doing business as Blue Cross of Louisiana.
On Jan. 1, 1985, the company began doing business as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana to reflect the fact that both hospital and physician coverage were provided by one plan.
Consolidated Statewide Organization
Blue Cross soon outgrew the small building on Florida Street where it had made its home in Baton Rouge since 1968. Under then-CEO Howard Reitz, a search for suitable property began, and Blue Cross purchased 102 acres near Bluebonnet Boulevard and Interstate 10 in 1978. Construction began on the IT section in 1983, and the company's new headquarters was completed in 1987.
The campus in Baton Rouge was expanded in 1998 with the addition of the state-of-the-art Customer Service Center, an 82,000-square-foot building carefully designed with the needs of both employees and customers in mind.
The 1980s and 1990s were also a time of dramatic technological change and diversification. The company created Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, in 1994. In 1996, we reactivated our subsidiary, HMO Louisiana, Inc., which offers HMO and point-of-service products. Membership hit the 1 million mark in 2004.
Challenge and opportunity
In August and September 2005, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated south Louisiana, Blue Cross reached out in extraordinary ways to help our own employees as well as members, providers and producers affected by the storms.
In 2006, the company launched an in-house wellness program to help employees make healthier lifestyle choices. The Louisiana 2 Step program was launched in January 2007, followed by a child-friendly companion site, 2 Step 4 Kids, in March 2008.
Two years after Hurricane Katrina, BCBSLA ended 2007 with increases in membership and market share despite the many challenges faced by businesses here. Our hard work after the hurricanes paid off in the form of high customer satisfaction ratings and excellent member retention rates that exceeded our goals for the year. Our growth necessitated physical expansion in the form of a new building and parking garage for our main campus. Construction began in April 2007.
Blue Cross today
Today, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana provides group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance and group voluntary products to more than 1.2 million Louisianians.
One out of every four Louisianians is a Blue Cross member. All told, we have a $4 billion impact on the state's economy through taxes, community sponsorships and, most prominently, reimbursement for the medical claims of our members. On average, 85 cents of each premium dollar goes to pay members' claims.
Blue Cross has regional offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport — and our Bluebonnet campus grew again with the completion of the new Operations Center in December 2008.
In 2009, Blue Cross celebrated our 75th anniversary with a new brand promise: "Your Health. Our Commitment." More than 40 wellness and preventive care programs are highlighted on our website.
Throughout 2009, we worked to inform and educate our members about the debate over healthcare reform. After the healthcare reform law was passed in March 2010, we focused on implementation: helping our members understand the provisions of the new law and guiding them wherever possible in complying.
Early in 2010, we expanded our presence in Shreveport, opening a new and larger office that includes a local call center and disaster recovery headquarters. In April 2010, the state of Louisiana faced another challenge even as the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached. A BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and causing a massive oil spill in the Gulf. The disaster radically affected the environment, the wildlife and the physical and economic health of thousands of Louisianians and those in neighboring Gulf Coast states.
Although BP and other groups worked hard to clean up the spill and cap the leaking well, the residents of Louisiana's coastal parishes were suffering from the loss of their jobs or businesses. People all over the state, including BCBSLA employees, wanted to help but felt helpless to know what to do.
As the oldest and largest healthcare provider in the state, Blue Cross is ready and willing to commit resources and expertise in times of crisis. We committed to taking a leadership role in providing health education and related services to our members, friends and neighbors who were devastated by this disaster. We reached out to other organizations and state agencies and founded the Our Home, Louisiana Coalition – named for the message of unity and hope we conceived in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, we're proud to look back on 75 years of commitment to the health of all Louisianians … and to look forward with a vision for a healthy Louisiana.
(Information updated as of 2011 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana's website)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana in the News
- BCBS of Louisiana sues J&J subsidiary, alleges it filed sham lawsuits to thwart competition - Becker's Hospital Review
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield awards $96,679 grant to ULM for health screenings - MyArkLaMiss
- La. Consumers Accuse BCBS Of Boosting Drug Prices - Law360
- Blue Cross Blue Shield overcomes obstacles of Affordable Care Act - American Press
- BCBS foundation awards grant to ULM for health screenings - The Franklin Sun


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Difference between revisions of "Bug Day"
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Revision as of 10:25, 29 April 2008
To help foster community outreach and growth, Eclipse will have a day ("Eclipse Bug Day") (preferably the last Friday of each month) that is dedicated to:
- Bug triage
- Guiding new developers in submitting patches
Because Eclipse committers don't have all the free time in the world (that would be awesome though), some bugs tend to enter the abyss without some coordinated effort to keep up with them. Bug days help keep bug-fixing on the radar and provide a great lightweight opportunity for contributors to help.
In the end, this should help users and developers feel closer to the committers that help drive Eclipse. This also provides the opportunity for constant contributors to even attain committer status over time!
If you have anymore questions about Eclipse Bug Day, please check out the FAQ
Eclipse Bug Days
- December 28, 2007
- November 30, 2007
- October 26, 2007
- September 28, 2007
- August 31, 2007
- July 27, 2007


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I know, I know, you're looking at that headline and wondering, British food? British vegan food? Is she off her rocker?
It's true that British food has long suffered the bad reputation of being, well, boring. But let's not be quick to judge. After all, who gave the world sandwiches, scones, jams, pies and muffins? And potato chips, which are just about my favorite food in the world.
The Brits, of course.
What's more, modern British cooks like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, to name just two, have breathed delicious new life into the food of the land. And the sizeable populations of immigrant communities in Britain — led by Indians– have contributed their own rich flavors to the local cuisine. In fact, former foreign secretary Robin Cook once declared Chicken Tikka Masala Britain's national dish! 🙂
Of course, chicken tikka masala or anything chicken or animal-related is not allowed into this event, as you well know. But feel free to come up with vegan versions of any meat-containing dish, or just any vegan dish as we explore the cuisine of yet another country.
Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes just concluded It's A Vegan World: Moroccan, and the roundup should be up shortly on her blog.
Meanwhile, here are the guidelines for IAVW: British–
-The deadline is July 31, 2009.
-These foods are no-nos in vegan cooking, so please leave them out: honey, butter, eggs, cheese, ghee, milk, yogurt (basically no milk-based products), gelatin, and, of course, no meats or fish. Vegan meat or cheese substitutes are fine.
-The recipe should be cooked for this event. You can cook any recipe that would either be traditionally British, or have roots in typical British cuisine (including Scottish, Irish and Welsh), or classified as, say, British-Indian or British-any-other-country. But while the dish could have originated from these other countries, it should now be considered uniquely British. For instance, see this recipe for Golden Zucchini Balti. Balti is a type of Indian curry that's distinctly and uniquely British.
-Link back to this announcement, and feel free to use the logo below.
-Non-bloggers are also very welcome. Just send me your recipe and a picture.
-As for bloggers, send me an email with your post to myveganworld[at]gmail.com. Include these details:
Your name
Blog name
Post url
To go with my announcement for It's A Vegan World: British, I thought I'd whip up some Blueberry Jam to slather over those scones and muffins.
This is one of the easiest jams you can make. There's no need for thickeners like pectin. All you need is blueberries, sugar, and some lemon or lime juice.
Have a great Fourth of July weekend everyone!
Blueberry Jam
1 pint blueberries, washed and dried
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (vary based on how sweet your berries are)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
Combine the blueberries and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. (Slice or crush the blueberries first if you want a finer-textured jam. I like mine chunky and textured, so I use them whole).
When the sugar melts and the juices of the blueberries start to flow and bubble, add the lemon and zest.
Crush the blueberries carefully with a potato masher or the back of a ladle.
Continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the juices have thickened.
Allow the jam to cool and transfer to an airtight jar. Store in the refrigerator.


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian apologists around the world have been screaming "massacre" over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in and around Gaza.
Armed with only vague numbers, the Jewish state's detractors insist that the disproportionate number of deaths in Gaza compared to Israeli fatalities is evidence that "the Zionists" are indiscriminately killing Palestinian civilians.
The noise has reached Western halls of power, and leaders are demanding an immediate ceasefire seemingly based on casualty figures alone, while all but ignoring the reasons for and objectives of the war.
But Al Jazeera, the global Arab news network that has thrown in its lot with Hamas, has been publishing a running tally of those killed in the Gaza Strip that would suggest misinformation is behind the charges against Israel.
The data includes names and ages for most of the deceased, and an analysis of this information by enterprising Israeli blog Israellycool reveals something quite interesting: the vast majority of Gaza's fatalities over the past two weeks have been males of fighting age.
According to the list published by Al Jazeera, 81.9 percent of the Gazans killed in the war have been males, which already blows out of the water assertions of an overwhelming number of dead women and children.
The number of children killed stands at around 18 percent of the total, which Israellycool noted is quite interesting, given that census figures put the number of Gazans under the age of 14 at 50 percent of the population.
Among the male casualties, more than 70 percent were between the ages of 18–48. While it is impossible to know how many of those were actual gun-toting terrorists, the high number of men killed within this age range would suggest many of them were targeted by Israel, and for a reason.
All speculation aside, this data demonstrates the genuine nature of Israel's claims to be going out of its way to avoid casualties among innocent civilians in Gaza. The numbers are simply too skewed toward men of fighting age to reasonably conclude that Israel is indiscriminately bombing Gaza, let alone purposely targeting women and children.
Unfortunately, this will all be lost on those who have pre-determined that Israel is in the wrong. Hamas knows this audience well, and knows just how to play to it. The Hamas Interior Ministry last week instructed its people that when taking to Facebook and other social media, they should use only the words "innocent civilians" to describe anyone killed in Gaza.
Predisposed to hostility toward Israel, apologists around the globe have been eating up that message, with nary a concern for the facts.
PHOTO: Demonstrators participate in a "die in" in Brussels to protest Israel's military action in Gaza.
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Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
For Information & Reservations:
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What does JSIO stand for? Aaron Batalion will tell you.
LivingSocial CTO Aaron Batalion tells entrepreneurs to "just shit it out"
If you're an entrepreneur then you're probably familiar with a few terms and phrases in the startup lingo dictionary, such as "minimum viable product" and "fail fast." They both translate to "peddle your shit fast so you can figure out what works." But have you heard of LivingSocial co-founder and CTO Aaron Batalion's product strategy JSIO?
"What is JSIO?" Bambi Francisco asked Batalion at Tuesday night's Startup Sessions at Google Ventures' Startup Lab in Mountain View.
"JSIO stands for Just Shit It Out," said Batalion.
Intrigued? I'll bet you are.
"It means fundamentally, you need to focus on what matters," Batalion explained. "You need to take the core idea of what you're building, get it on the Internet fast, iterate quickly, and learn what you think your hypothesis is as quickly as possible. I struggle when I see companies spend a year working on something, launch it, and for some reason, it doesn't work."
That segued into the story of how LivingSocial expanded. While hoards of daily deal startups flooded the market in 2010 like a swarm of locusts, they typically followed a similar pattern: they put down roots in one city, built up a following there, and then expanded to a handful of other cities. But LivingSocial seemed to spread across a broad array of U.S. cities very quickly.
"We saw there were a lot of businesses trying to grow in our space and we could've just gone to LA, creating a sales team in LA, doing these deals in LA, generating revenue, waiting three months, and then doing the same thing in New York, we decided it was important to just generate an audience," said Batalion. "So we built an app on Facebook, took that technology and started building these audiences in dozens of cities."
He added: "Lots of companies can build a commerce page with a buy button. That's not the hard part. The hard part is getting the users. You have to sell them a story, sell them a pitch."
A member of the audience later asked about the meaningless phrase "fail fast" and when it's not okay to fail.
"I don't think it's a meaningless phrase," said Batalion. "We did one thing, quit that, did something else, quit that, built social commerce and quit that. Welcome to founderhood of asking yourself 'when should I stop doing something?' That's the challenge. We've definitely started doing things and then stopped, but that's okay. You have to get rid of the noise to focus. The focus matters more."
See the full interview here.
Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
Aaron Batalion
Joined Vator onAaron is a father, husband, hacker and entrepreneur. As co-founder/CTO of LivingSocial, he is responsible for building products that meet the changing demands of it's members and merchants.


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St. Paul Raccoon Reaches Roof After Scaling Downtown Tower
A raccoon that appeared to be stranded on a ledge after climbing more than 20 stories of a high-rise office building in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, has made it to the roof, easing concerns that the animal could plummet to its death.
Onlookers and reporters tracked the raccoon's progress Tuesday as it scaled the UBS Tower. By early Wednesday, the animal made it to the roof, where St. Paul Animal Control had placed cat food and a trap in hopes of enticing the animal to safety.
The raccoon's adventures caused a stir on social media, with many Twitter users voicing concern for its safety or joking about the drama surrounding the animal's exploits. Minnesota Public Radio, from a building less than a block away, branded the raccoon #mprraccoon.
Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Call to Action - What can womb twin survivors do to help make this diagnostic code a reality - this validation would open the doors for our cause and its treatment:
Home » Scientific American Magazine » June 2011
The Science of Health | Mind & Brain
See Inside Shades of Grief: When Does Mourning Become a Mental Illness?
The new edition of a psychiatric manual called DSM-5 tackles what to do when mourning becomes complicated or leads to depression
By Virginia Hughes | June 7, 2011 | 3
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MORTAL TOLL: For most people, extreme grief subsides with time. For some, however, it may continue unabated or lead to depression.
Image: Michael Blann Getty Images
Sooner or later most of us suffer deep grief over the death of someone we love. The experience often causes people to question their sanity—as when they momentarily think they have caught sight of their loved one on a crowded street. Many mourners ponder, even if only abstractedly, their reason for living. But when are these disturbing thoughts and emotions normal—that is to say, they become less consuming and intense with the passage of time—and when do they cross the line to pathology, requiring ongoing treatment with powerful antidepressants or psychotherapy, or both?
Two proposed changes in the "bible" of psychiatric disorders—the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)—aim to answer that question when the book's fifth edition comes out in 2013. One change expected to appear in the DSM-5 reflects a growing consensus in the mental health field; the other has provoked great controversy.
In the less controversial change, the manual would add a new category: Complicated Grief Disorder, also known as traumatic or prolonged grief. The new diagnosis refers to a situation in which many of grief's common symptoms—such as powerful pining for the deceased, great difficulty moving on, a sense that life is meaningless, and bitterness or anger about the loss—last longer than six months. The controversial change focuses on the other end of the time spectrum: it allows medical treatment for depression in the first few weeks after a death. Currently the DSM specifically bars a bereaved person from being diagnosed with full-blown depression until at least two months have elapsed from the start of mourning.
Those changes matter to patients and mental health professionals because the manual's definitions of mental illness determine how people are treated and, in many cases, whether the therapy is paid for by insurance. The logic behind the proposed revisions, therefore, merits a further look.
Abnormal Grief
The concept of pathological mourning has been around since Sigmund Freud, but it began receiving formal attention more recently. In several studies of widows with severe, long-lasting grief in the 1980s and 1990s, researchers noticed that antidepressant medications relieved such depressive feelings as sadness and worthlessness but did nothing for other aspects of grief, such as pining and intrusive thoughts about the deceased. The finding suggested that complicated grief and depression arise from different circuits in the brain, but the work was not far enough along to make it into the current, fourth edition of the DSM, published in 1994. In the 886-page book, bereavement is relegated to just one paragraph and is described as a symptom that "may be a focus of clinical attention." Complicated grief is not mentioned.
Over the next few years other studies revealed that persistent, consuming grief may, in and of itself, increase the risk of other illnesses, such as heart problems, high blood pressure and cancer. Holly G. Prigerson, one of the pioneers of grief research, organized a meeting of loss experts in Pittsburgh in 1997 to hash out preliminary criteria for what she and her colleagues saw as an emerging condition, which they termed traumatic grief. Their view of its defining features: an intense daily yearning and preoccupation with the deceased. In essence, it is the inability to adjust to life without that person, notes Mardi J. Horowitz, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and another early researcher of the condition. Prigerson, then an assistant professor at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, hoped the meeting would begin the process of finding enough evidence to support changing the DSM. "We knew that grief predicted a lot of bad outcomes—over and above depression and anxiety—and thought it was worthy of clinical attention in its own right," says Prigerson, now a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
June 16, 2011
June 12, 2011
Amalia Rodrigues - Cansaço (Tiredness)
Por trás do espelho quem está Who is that, behind the mirror,~
De olhos fixados no meus? With eyes fixed on mine?
Alguém que passou por cá Someone that came by
E seguiu ao Deus dará And followed her own God given way
Deixando os olhos nos meus. Leaving her eyes on mine.
Quem dorme na minha cama Who is sleeping in my bed,
E tenta sonhar meus sonhos? Trying to dream my dreams?
Alguém morreu nesta cama Someone died in this bed
E lá de longe me chama And is calling me from far away
Misturado nos meus sonhos. Mixed in my dreams.
Tudo o que faço ou não faço Everything I do or don't do
Outros fizeram assim Others have done
Daí este meu cansaço Hence this my tiredness
De sentir que quanto faço That I feel that whatever I do
Não é feito só por mim. Is not done just by myself.
Author: Luis de Macedo
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Member benefits/financials
Sales & Marketing
Contact Us
About us
Getting here
Car rental
Photo Tour
The friendly staff
Name :
Cindy Davis
Function :
Operations Manager
General Information :
Hi, I'm Cindy Davis. With over 14 years in the tourism industry, it is always a pleasure serving you. As a guest of our facility, your considered family, we are your home away from home vacation spot. You can expect to be greeeted with a warm smile and a friendly hug here in the Bahamas. Helpful,courteous and efficient are just a few of the words I would use to describe myself. So on your visit to the resort be sure to drop in and say hi. If you would like some general information prior to your arrival I would be glad to help. You can email me at email@example.com.
Design by Iseeyou


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Do you want a sign that the recession has sent waves through all the levels of the motorcycle industry? Take for example the Yamaha rugby team.
The Yamaha Jubilo rugby club competes at the pinnacle of the Japanese Rugby Football Union, where its currently 5th out of 14 teams. The team is comprised of 17 professional ringers, nine of whom are not even Japanese.


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EVENT: Surfers Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; 15th Anniversary
Surfers Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; 15th Anniversary
The Surfers' Hall of Fame is pleased to announce one of its most exciting and diverse classes on Friday, August 3, 2012 when it inducts a Waikiki Beach Boy mentored by Hawaiian Royalty, one of the most creative and gifted surfers on the planet and the man responsible for coaching hundreds of students and winning multiple national championships. Rabbit Kekai, Dane Reynolds and Andy Verdone will have their hand and footprints immortalized in cement for the ages at 10:00 a.m. in front of Huntington Surf & Sport. Famed sports commentators David Stanfield and Rockin' Fig will serve as Masters of Ceremony.
The nation's first imprint collection of legendary surfers, the Surfers' Hall of Fame celebrated its first induction in 1997 inside of specialty retailer Huntington Surf & Sport where several slabs remain. Four years later with the blessing of the City Council and a stunning bronze statue of sport's spiritual leader Duke Kahanamoku serving as a backdrop, the ceremony moved outside to the corner of PCH and Main; less than 100 feet from the famed Huntington Beach Pier, site of the U.S. Open of Surfing. Please visit http://hsssurf.com/shof for more information.
"Rabbit Kekai, Dane Reynolds and Andy Verdone are three Surfing Legends that have influenced generations of Surfers past, present and future," said Surfers' Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai. "We are very honored and excited to induct them into the Surfers' Hall of Fame this coming August!"
Rabbit Kekai: Rabbit Kekai is a living legend that has done it all from Waikiki beach boy to groundbreaking surfer to North Shore Beach Marshall. At age 10 he was taken under the wing of Duke Kahanamoku who paid his entries into canoe races and had him teaching surf lessons. A pioneer of North Shore surfing in the '30s with George Downing and Wally Froiseth, Rabbit became known as an innovator of drop-knee turns on short, finless boards. He practically invented hot-dogging, inspiring the likes of Phil Edwards, Joe Quigg, Miki Dora and Donald Takayama. Rabbit made his own redwood and balsa boards prior to World War II, at which time he served as an army frogman in the South Pacific. A winner of the Peruvian and Makaha International titles during the '50s, he has competed worldwide for decades. And each winter season he can be found at the Triple Crown of Surfing, doling out singlets, wisecracks and advice as Beach Marshall…just as he has every year since the first Pipe Masters in 1971.
Dane Reynolds: Dane Reynolds is a young charger known for his "go for broke" style of surfing that includes a number of experimental and aerial maneuvers. It was on the point breaks around Santa Barbara and Ventura that he honed his progressive approach. Reynolds competed in the 2003 and 2004 X Games and received the highest single wave score both years. His first video, "First Chapter", won Best Male Performance in a Video and Video of the Year at the 2006 Surfer Poll Awards. Dane qualified for the 2008 World Tour after finishing runner-up to Jordy Smith on the 2007 World Qualifying Series. He wound up 19th on the tour that year and then rocketed into the coveted Top 10 in 2009. Reynolds had a breakout year in 2010, ending up tied for fourth in the world. Despite injuries that held him back in 2011 and thus far in 2012, Dane is known for pushing the boundaries of the sport. He spends as much time in the air as he does in the water while surfing, and his aggressive, almost violent style in attacking waves have earned him the praise of fellow pros, many of whom who call him the most exciting free surfer in the world.
Andy Verdone: Coach Andy Verdone took over from the late Chuck Allen in '87-'88 and immediately lead Huntington Beach High School Surf (HBHS) Team to a NSSA National title. Known as the "Phil Jackson" of surf coaches, Verdone has built his program into among the most successful and winningest in the country, capturing 10 NSSA National Titles as well as a National Surf League (Brad Gerlach's "The Game" format) Title in 2010. He has trained and coached some of the best surfers in Huntington Beach including the Deffenbaugh brothers, Jay Larson, Micah Byrne, Shaun Ward and Brett Simpson. A huge part of Coach Verdone's program is his legendary surf trips with the team to such destinations as Australia, South Africa and Ireland. Coach Verdone and his young globetrotters appeared in a 2007 surf documentary called "Chasing the Dream", which follows eight kids on his squad who want to become pros. Year after year 100 students try out for his squad and only 30 make the cut. Verdone's impact on the sport of surfing in Surf City is such that one young surfer moved here from Nantucket, Massachusetts without his family just to surf for the Huntington Beach Oilers.
The Surfers' Hall of Fame induction ceremony pays tribute to those individuals who have made an indelible mark on the sport, industry and culture of surfing. Annually, tens of thousands of visitors to Huntington Beach's downtown area literally walk in the footsteps of surfing superstars and legends from several eras including Laird Hamilton, Andy Irons, Jack O'Neill, Robert August, Bob Hurley, Sean Collins, Kelly Slater, Lisa Andersen, Pat O'Connell, Al Merrick, Shaun Tomson and Rob Machado who are already immortalized in cement.
The Surfers' Hall of Fame induction ceremony is open to the public, free-of-charge. Further information is available at http://hsssurf.com/shof/.


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rthornton needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 195 designs submitted by 53 freelance designers.
I'm interested in a logo & favicon for my company & website. Would like something professional. Words I use a lot in my work include balance, risk, return, planning, framework, roadmap, diversification, trust, etc.
Later, I may be interested in new business cards, so would like a logo that would translate well between online & print media.
Also, would like something that would look nice in black & white.
As we approach the end of this contest, I will use the ratings in the following manner:
1-2 stars - Not in consideration
3-4 stars - In consideration. See feedback, if any. Likely want to see more variations but still open to new ideas. 4 stars will likely make it final round of consideration but not guaranteed. If you have questions, ask me and I'll reply as quickly as I can.
5 stars - these will be in final round. I most likely will not rate anything a 5 star until the contest has ended.
If you have any questions, feel free to post comment or send me a message. Thanks.
Thornton Wealth Management
Want a logo (& favicon) for Thornton Wealth Management. Website address is http://www.thorntonwealth.com Something that can anchor my branding and communications with clients, other professionals and prospective clients.
About my company:
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, TWM serves a select group of individuals,trusts, foundations, endowments, and corporate retirement plans locatedacross the country. TWM takes a comprehensive approach to wealthmanagement and helps people make smart behavioral decisions about theirmoney—providing them with greater simplicity, independence, peace ofmind, and security for the long term. Russ is passionate about helpingclients realize their most important goals and objectives.
Many of TWM's clients share the following characteristics:
- Work with and value the opinions of professional advisors (CPA, Attorney, etc.)
- Nice people and enjoyable to spend time with
- Have important financial goals and varied interests
- Optimistic about the future and don't live in the past
- Family and other relationships are important to them
- Don't have the time and/or interest in managing their finances on their own
- Comfortable using email and the internet for communication and informationAbout me:
Russ, the founder, President, and Chief Compliance Officer ofThornton Wealth Management, LLC, graduated from Furman University in1993 with a degree in Business and Computer Science. Prior to startingTWM, Russ worked as a Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch for over12 years. In addition to 15 years of financial service experience, Russholds the following professional industry designations:
- Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM
- Accredited Wealth Management AdvisorSM
- Accredited Asset Management SpecialistSM
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®)Outside of TWM, Russ serves as a trustee for the non-profit GeorgiaEye Bank. In his spare time, Russ enjoys spending time with his wifeElizabeth and their two dogs.
- I like simple, fresh, clean, crisp
- Not looking for a specific color palette and am open to ideas, but I generally like black, greys, greens, & blues
- Want something professional
- Maybe a logo that plays off the "T" in Thornton or "TWM", etc.
- Maybe a graphic/icon that indicates the type of work I do: financial planning, investment advice, risk management, etc.
- Something that symbolizes trust, confidence, etc
- Would like the logo to be 2-D
I'm not set on any particular font or whether text is capitalized or lowercase
- Don't really like the brown color that is in my current logo on my site
- Not looking for a banner style logo like the one on my current site
- Prefer no 3-D logos or graphics
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Seasoned actress Bobita is busy with several upcoming films at present. She is working in seven to eight films simultaneously, Bobita informed. Acclaimed filmmakers like Kazi Hayat, Maleque Afsari and ...
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All Cloudberry Kingdom Release Dates!
And now the moment you have all been waiting for! Release dates for all platforms!
Playstation 3: July 30th
Steam : July 31st
Xbox... Read more
Playstation 3 release date revealed!
Hey Everybody!
We're sorry it's been so long since our last update! Between working our butts off and being silenced by powers higher than ourselves, we weren't able to keep... Read more
We have news!
Good morning everybody!
As some of you may heard, it was recently announced that we have teamed up with Ubisoft to help release Cloudberry Kingdom. It's a big move, and... Read more
We're all sorts of excited about the release date!
And I hope you guys and gals are too! Cloudberry is in the final testing phase and we should be ready to announce a release date soon! Better get practiced... Read more
New Trailer!
Hey everybody!
It has been a while since our last update, where we gave you a sneak peek at some of the new in-game art. Since you have had the... Read more
Updated Art, Sneak Peek Anyone?
We have a preview of the new direction that we are taking the art in. Let us know what you think! We're looking for any and all feedback.
Successfully Funded!
Woooah! We did it! We want to thank all of the backers so much for your support so far! You guys have been great!
We have already surpassed our goal,... Read more
Almost there!
Hey Everybody!
We want to thank our current backers for helping us along this far! 75% funded with 4 days left!
I would like everyone to take a moment, and... Read more
Cloudberry Kingdom Press!
We've had a lot of articles written about us lately, here are a few you can take a look at!
Indie Game Mag
Rock Paper Shotgun
HardcoreGamer... Read more
Check out our beta tester gameplay!
After getting their hands on the game, some of our backers have taken to recording themselves and posting the results on YouTube Check them out!
Our beta is now up and running on Steam!
Soon I will be sending out messages to each current backer to inform them of their beta key, as well as... Read more
Screenshots of Difficulties Delivered! Video Coming Soon!
Screenshots of different difficulties:
More Hats!
Let's face it. It doesn't really matter what kind of game it is, action, rpg, even a first person shooter. EVERYBODY loves customizing their characters! We recently started adding hats... Read more
Evolution of a Hero
From our humble beginnings, we always had our hearts set on having a stickman as the main character. And now, feast your eyes upon the evolution of the main hero!
New Platform Option!
We have been getting a lot of questions about whether or not you can get a copy of the game for the Wii U. And the new answer is yes!!!... Read more
Easier levels, we swear!
Some people have expressed concern the game may be too hard =D
We assure you otherwise! We promise! We totally want to make a game that's fun for everyone.
Here's... Read more
Finally updates!
While we've been hard at work making new additions to the game, we mindlessly pressed on without updating the Kickstarter world. Behold! Our well dressed hero!


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HP's Mobile Workstation notebooks are beasts worthy of the professionals that they target. Solid build quality, plenty of features and fast performance are the hallmarks of these machines, but they also carry a hefty price tag. The EliteBook 8560w Mobile Workstation, with its 15.6in screen, Intel Core i7-2820QM CPU, 8GB of RAM and NVIDIA Quadro graphics adapter is just shy of $5000. But as the saying goes, you've got to spend money to make money, and if you spend your money on a machine like this, chances are that the jobs you work on make you more than enough so that the EliteBook pays for itself sooner rather than later.
The EliteBook 8560w is the type of notebook that would suit anyone who works with computer aided design, engineering and animation programs. It's got a ton of power under its well built hood and the most important aspect of it is that it's mobile. You can use the same powerful computer at home, in the office and even out on a job site. It weighs 3.45kg and is approximately 40mm thick, 380mm wide and 255mm deep. It's also very solidly built and it has a battery that lasted 2hr 35min in our rundown test, in which we disable power management, enable Wi-Fi, maximise screen brightness and loop an Xvid-encoded video. This battery life is very good for a notebook that's so big and so powerful, and it's due to its large, 8-cell, 75 Watt-hour battery. The battery will last a little longer if you tone down the brightness and just use the notebook to take notes or undertake research on the Web.
It may be a thick unit, but it packs a lot of power and features in its sturdy chassis.
Specifications and performance
In our performance benchmarks, the EliteBook proved its worth. It recorded a time of 20sec in the Blender 3D rendering test, 46sec in the iTunes MP3 encoding test and 39min in the DVD-to-Xvid conversion test. All these tests show that there is nothing wrong with the CPU and overall configuration of this unit. They are expected results. The 750GB, 7200rpm hard drive (a Seagate ST9750420as) proved to be very zippy; it recorded a massive 78.51 megabytes per second in our transfer tests, in which we copy data from one area of the drive to another.
Even in 3DMark06, its score of 11648 indicates plenty of power for 3D accelerated applications. The NVIDIA Quadro 2000 isn't designed for gaming though; instead it's a mid-range workstation card with 2GB of dedicated RAM that's optmised to run workloads in AutoCAD and other design programs.
Build quality and features
The screen on the EliteBook 8560w is a 15.6in LED-backlit panel with a native resolution of 1920x1080. As far as notebook screens are concerned, it's excellent. It produced vibrant colour and contrast, fine details were clearly displayed and its viewing vertical angles were not too fussy. Its brightness can be regulated by the installed ambient light sensor. Best of all, it has a matte finish. We found it to be a pleasure to work with when editing photos and viewing videos.
The screen can tilt all the way back and it has metal hinges that hold it at pretty much any angle you desire. A very hard, metal lid protects the screen from the outside and it has a circular pattern (similar to what can be found on the ASUS Zenbook, for example) that looks very classy. Bending this lid as much as we could, the screen didn't even puddle. This rugged construction is a theme throughout the EliteBook's chassis, which feels as strong as a tank. It's definitely one of the best built laptops on the market, but for the price you're paying, you'd want it to be. It's also put together with great attention to detail; the components in base are, at least.
The tool-less panel can be popped off to expose some of the inner workings of the EliteBook, including two free RAM slots (it can accommodate up to 32GB of RAM via four slots) and very carefully laid out antenna wires for the communications modules.
However, we did have a problem with the keyboard when we first started using the EliteBook 8560w. The space bar would not produce a space no matter how much we pleaded with it. It looked and felt like it was busted — and unfortunately, it's not the first time we've had HP machines with dodgy keyboards. Upon taking off the space bar, we noticed that a tiny piece of the ribbon cable, presumably connecting the keyboard to its circuit board, was protruding through a hole near the space bar and not allowing the right side of the bar to travel enough when hit. For lack of a more elegant solution, we used a thin flat head screwdriver to tuck this cable back under the board. The space bar still wasn't perfect after this; it still didn't always work and we found that we had to press it harder than usual. We hope that we just ended up with a dodgy unit and that other units out there don't suffer from this same problem.
The other keys on the board were a delight to hit. They felt very soft and possessed just the right amount of travel. Their backlighting made typing in the dark a cinch as well as providing some very nice overall aesthetics. The lighting on this notebook is very classy, not only when it comes to the keyboard, but also the status lights. Instead of harsh, blue LEDs that can be found on mainstream notebooks, the EliteBook uses tiny white LEDs that give the notebook a rightful premium look. Most importantly, the white lights are not annoying.
We like the Synaptics touchpad, which is 109x50mm in size and very smooth and responsive. If you don't want to use the touchpad, you can take control of the Synatpics TouchStyk, which is similar to the TrackPoint that can be found on Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks, but with a much worse name. If you don't want to use either of these while working on your design programs, then you can just plug in external peripherals — there are plenty of ports for you to choose from.
The EliteBook has five USB ports along its edges, and two of these are USB 3.0-capable. You also get a mini-FireWire port, eSATA (shared with a USB port), VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, an ExpressCard/54 slot and DisplayPort. There is no HDMI port, which is more of a consumer feature. The DisplayPort allows monitors with resolutions far greater than Full HD to be run with ease. Other features of the EliteBook include a built-in DVD writer (BD-RE BT10N), a dial-up modem, an SD card slot and a docking station slot.
Wireless connectivity is handled by the Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 802.11n, dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. There is also a built-in mobile broadband module (HP hs2340 HSPA+) and a SIM card slot is located in the battery compartment. It also comes with a Bluetooth module. For security, you a cable lock facility, a fingerprint reader, a Smartcard reader and TPM 1.2. Intel Active Management is also supported.
As you can see, it's a packed notebook and one that should appeal to demanding users who require lots of processing power both in the office and while out on a job. It's a well built machine that feels sturdy and it has a wide array of useful features. We had a problem with the space bar on our test model, but we're hoping that's an anomaly. If we had the money and did the type of work that required a lot of mobile power, we'd definitely consider this notebook.