text:
Mel C, more commonly known to those of us who grew up in the 90s as "Sporty Spice," is upset by designer Danny Boyle's decision to exclude the Spice Girls from his Olympic opening ceremony playlist. Since the rumored playlist has not yet been confirmed, Sporty hopes it might not be quite right. She told The Mirror:
I'd be really upset if the Spice Girls weren't included in the Olympics, whether it be the opening or closing ceremonies or any other playlists, because I think we absolutely represented Britain in the 1990s.
We literally flew the flag—and Geri even wore it—around the globe.
Although the 90s girl-power-pop group is not listed on the playlist, the 86-track lineup, which features a solid mix of traditional and contemporary British music, does include everything from classics like The Beatles' "She Loves You," to the theme from James Bond. Even some controversial selections from the British punk era such as the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" made the list, despite lyrics suggesting the Queen "ain't no human being." (Her Majesty will be in attendance, by the way.) Much more detestable, however, is the decision to include not one, but two Oasis songs. I've heard one too many sloppy, booze-fueled renditions of "Wonderwall." If I ever hear that song again, I will vomit on someone. I'm sure the Queen would agree. Also weird: progressive rocker Mike Oldfield's only two hits "Tubular Bells" and the Christmas song, "In Dulci Jubilo," made the cut. Don't fret. There was still room for "Chariots of Fire."
And still the Spice Girls—"the most widely recognised group of individuals since John, Paul, George, and Ringo," according to Rolling Stone writer David Sinclair—were overlooked, it seems, for the other British girl pop group, the Sugababes, whose song "Push the Button" once reached the top five. Also surprisingly absent are rock-gods Genesis, disco's Bee Gees, and Sir Elton John. But, you know, with all the cow and sheep action happening on Boyle's grandiose English countryside/"Isle of Wonder," setup, who will even notice?
Here's the full list: [Telegraph]
Captain Algernon Drummond, William Johnson Cory - Eton Boating Song
Elgar, AC Benson - Land of Hope and Glory
The Jam - Going Underground
Muse - Map of the Problematique
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
The Clash - London Calling
Simon May - EastEnders Theme
Sir Hubert Parry, William Blake - Jerusalem
Elgar - Nimrod
Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Eric Coates - Dambusters March
Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks
Monty Norman - James Bond Theme
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo
Vangelis - Chariots of Fire
Arthur Wood - The Archers Theme
Winifred Atwell - Black and White Rag
Sugababes - Push the Button
OMD - Enola Gay
David Rose - The Stripper
Lionel Bart - Food Glorious Food
Irwin Kostal, Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman - Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Rizzle Kicks - When I Was a Youngster
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Colin Tully - Gregorys Girl Theme
William Pitt - City Lights
The Who - My Generation
The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
The Beatles - She Loves You
Mud - Tiger Feet
Led Zeppelin - Trampled Under Foot
The Specials - A Message to You Rudy
David Bowie - Starman
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
Duran Duran - The Reflex
New Order - Blue Monday
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Soul II Soul - Back To Life
Happy Mondays - Step On
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Prodigy - Firestarter
Underworld - Born Slippy
Jaan Kenbrovin, John William Kellette - Im Forever Blowing Bubbles
Blur - Song 2
Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers
Tigerstyle - Nachna Onda Nei (featuring Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure and Ilaiyaraaja - Naanthaan Ungappanda)
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse - Valerie
Radiohead - Creep
Muse - Uprising
Kano & Mikey J - Random Antics
Tinie Tempah - Pass Out
MIA - Paper Planes
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
The Chemical Brothers - Galvanize
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
Roll Deep - Shake a Leg
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Oasis - The Hindu Times
Oasis - Wonderwall
Emeli Sande - Heaven
William Monk/Henry Francis - Abide With Me
Pink Floyd - Eclipse
The Beatles - The End
The Beatles - Hey Jude
David Bowie - Heroes
Eric Spear - Coronation Street Theme
Ron Grainer - Doctor Who Theme
John Philip Sousa - Monty Python Theme/The Liberty Bell
David Bowie - Absolute Beginners


text:
Pool / Reuters
George Zimmerman arrives with his lead counsel, Mark O'Mara, left, for a hearing in Seminole Circuit Court in Sanford, Fla.
George Zimmerman won't seek criminal immunity next month under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin and instead will likely let a jury decide his fate.
Meanwhile, his defense team has revealed the ordeal has led Zimmerman to pack on more than 100 pounds.
In court on Tuesday, defense attorney Mark O'Mara waived his right to use court time set aside for an immunity hearing, NBC station WESH reported. In that hearing a judge could have quickly cleared Zimmerman of any criminal liability under Florida law that allows lethal force for personal protection.
Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer of white and Hispanic descent, has maintained he shot Martin on Feb. 26, 2012 in self-defense after Martin attacked him. He has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge.
O'Mara said outside Seminole County Courthouse on Tuesday that Zimmerman believes it would be a better outcome to be found not guilty of murdering Martin, rather than being granted immunity, WESH reported.
"George wants a jury of his peers to decide the case," O'Mara said. "It's going to be, I think, a more accepted result for everyone who has to result that he gets an acquittal at trial even more so than immunity hearing by a judge."
Zimmerman has not been seen in public since he was released on bail last July.
"George is doing as well as can be expected," Sean Vincent, spokesman for Zimmerman's defense team, told NBC News. "He is in hiding and has gained 105 pounds," putting him in the "ballpark" of 300 pounds. "Everyone deals with stress differently," Vincent said.
Vincent said that releasing the court dates doesn't waive any rights Zimmerman has to have an immunity hearing, and indeed the defense may raise "Stand Your Ground" claims at trial. In addition, Zimmerman could seek immunity from civil claims at a later date.
"By entertaining the option of not having an immunity hearing before trial, George preserves the option of having a civil immunity hearing should he need it in the future," Vincent said.
Bernie de la Rionda, lead prosecutor, said he was "bewildered" by O'Mara's move but didn't elaborate.
The Zimmerman case ignited an emotional debate over race and gun rights in the weeks after Martin's death. Local police initially did not charge Zimmerman with any crime, which ignited protests. He was later charged by special state prosecutor Angela Corey following an investigation.
Last week, a number of demonstration and memorials took place to mark the anniversary of Martin's death.
Also on Tuesday, the prosecution revealed that one of their witnesses, identified as Martin's girlfriend, or Witness 8, did not tell the truth when she said she was in the hospital on the day of Martin's funeral because of trauma.
The defense wanted medical records from the hospital — but the state admitted no such records existed because the woman was never at the hospital that day.
She is a key witness because she said was on the phone with Martin on the night of his death and provided key details about what took place.
A trial is scheduled to begin on June 10.
Lisa Lampkin contributed to this story
Editor's note: George Zimmerman has sued NBCUniversal for defamation, and the company has strongly denied his allegations.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Local Events
Movie Gallery
Latest Updates
Mr & Miss India International Runway Model Auditions at IRFW Modeling
Latest Local Events
Hi-life Pop-Up Exhibition 2020 Curtain Raiser
Brand Factory - The Biggest Fashion Unlock Sale 2020
Truefitt & Hill Opens Its 2nd Outlet in Hyderabad at Gachibowli
Sutraa Fashion & Lifestyle Exhibition 2020 Curtain Raiser
ISM Edutech Proudly Announces Sonu Sood as Its Brand Ambassador
Linen House Launches E-Commerce Portal at Hydernagar
Prabhas Adopts 1650 Acres of Forest Land
Samantha Akkineni Announces the Launch of Her New Clothing Brand Saaki
Latest News
Sonu Sood joins the shoot of Bellamkonda-Santosh Srinivas' 'Alludu Adhurs'
'Mosagallu': Sam CS' Title theme music wins applause
'Parigetthu Parigetthu' First Look drops!
Samantha Akkineni's women's clothing line Saaki goes live!
Swathi Deekshith makes her presence felt in Bigg Boss-4!
Read More News
Latest Reviews
Bucchinaidu Kandriga Movie Review
Amaram Akhilam Prema Movie Review
V (Nani) Movie Review
Metro Kathalu Movie Review
Johaar Movie Review
Read More Reviews
Latest Updates
Hi-life Pop-Up Exhibition 2020 Curtain Raiser , Hyderabad
Renu HD Photo Gallery
Chitti Babu Audio Release
JLSR Wellness unveils first of its kind, Smart Sensible Oxygen Generator
Samantha Akkineni's women's clothing line Saaki goes live!
Launch of new electric three-wheeler, Mahindra Treo in Telangana
Amazon Original Series Breathe: Into the Shadows in Telugu and Tamil
Cardiological Society of India, Telangana
5 reasons why Anushka Shetty is one of the most-talented actresses
Kavita Mahatho HD Photo Gallery
View More Updates


text:
What a fantastic job by Interweave and the designers and writers! The magazine is selling for $14.95.
I am so excited to offer each of 5 winners a copy of this extraordinary magazine!
To enter to win please leave a comment on this blog post that includes your Ravelry ID or an email address where I can get in touch with you if you win. The winners must have a U.S. mailing address. Please only leave one comment. It takes awhile for your comment to show up on the blog.
Thank you to F+W Media and Interweave for this opportunity!
Good luck and let the comments begin!
best, susie


text:
"The most fun part was being able to touch everything I ordered. It was like Christmas," Perry said. Students started using the building and its brand-new equipment in January.
Imagine there was a new building in which culinary arts classes were to be taught, and it was your job to choose the cooking equipment and gadgets needed to fill the drawers and racks of the teaching kitchens.
That was the job assigned to chef Denise Perry when Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill., had a new Workforce Careers Center built. Inside is a restaurant, line kitchen, food production lab and pastry kitchen, and they all needed to be stocked.
"It was like registering for my wedding," said Perry, 32, the school's lead culinary instructor. She had experience stocking working kitchens when she was employed in the culinary program at Robert Morris College in the Chicago area.
Before Lincoln Land's winter break in 2010, Perry was approached about selecting the 3,000 items the school's new culinary center would need. She got her hands on a pile of food-related catalogs –– including US Foods, JB Prince, Sur La Table and Chef Rubber –– and started thumbing through the pages.
"In the old building (Menard Hall), we never had enough equipment for the students. Knowing there are 18 students in our classes, I did a visual walk-through of each class and what was needed," said Perry. "In garde manger (cold dishes), we were always short on fish poachers and enamel tureen molds. And I knew from teaching that we didn't have enough specialty pastry equipment."
She made her list on an Excel spreadsheet: meat mallets, springform pans, balloon whisks, cake decorating stands, French bread molds, refrigerator thermometers, plates and cups, tongs, condiment dispensers, Silpat silicone mats, measuring cups, induction saucepans, sheet pans, forks and spoons, cutting boards, dough dividers, sausage stuffers, apple corers, microplane graters, tart molds, pastry bags and tips, tomato corers, serving platters, chef knives, chocolate molds, rolling pins and on and on.
"If we were making the mother sauces, I wanted each student to have a pan they could wash out and use again," said Perry, a graduate of the Seattle Culinary Academy.
There were appliances to be chosen, such as induction ranges and refrigerators and metal countertops. And some envy-inducing items as well: Robot Coupe food processors, PacoJet frozen dessert machines and an anti-griddle that immediately freezes foods to subzero temperatures.
"We went for the industry standards, with a little bit of fun. We wanted the students to have equipment they would come across in the real world," she said.
After many eyes reviewed the list, it was submitted to the school's board of trustees, which approved it.
Lincoln Land Community College spokeswoman Lynn Whalen said the culinary area in the $26.1 million Workforce Careers Center is filled with $1 million worth of equipment. It arrived at the school last November and December.
"The most fun part was being able to touch everything I ordered. It was like Christmas," Perry said. Students started using the building and its brand-new equipment in January.
There was only one thing Perry forgot to put on her list: corkscrews. But students taking wine classes need not worry because six wine-bottle openers quickly were ordered.
Food editor Kathryn Rem can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @KathrynRemSJR.


text:
"Commit to the training before you commit to the race" – Trail runner, Rene Unser.
Image: Carrie Karsgaard (Feature image: Nathan Karsgaard)
Canadian Rene Unser, who will race the Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Run for the sixth time this year, is a trained coach with 13 years experience. She has also put together the official training plans for the epic Alpine race. So if anyone can give some helpful training tips it's Rene, here's what she had to say:
Commit to training
"Commit to the training before you commit to the race," says Rene. She knows how big a time commitment a long distance race can be. A training schedule is also key, she adds: "To be successful it's important to build up slowly, and train consistently. Find a training schedule that works for you and really dial that down."
Mimic the race terrain
Do you know whether you'll be running on hills or flat? Find out says Rene: "Mimic the terrain you will find during the race as much as you can! This can be hard for people who don't live near the mountains, but it's worth travelling to get there when you can."
Image: Schneider outdoor vision
Test your equipment
"Test your equipment and spend time running with your bag packed as it would be during different stages," says Rene. All races are different, with some equipment being mandatory, she adds: "Learn how to use poles efficiently if they are permitted in your race, and if you choose to use them."
Get your nutrition spot on
Of course fuelling before and after a race can make a huge difference, and Rene works with what she's given in any particular race. She says: "I train with Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem with water and Hammer Gels. Before a race I start to practice with the food I'll get at the aid stations. For TAR this is salami, cheese and cake. I am able to supplement with what's provided if I have my staples. I aim for 120 to 150 calories an hour during a race."
Take it easy
"A lot of people will cram a lot of races into a season, and it's natural to want to do this," says Rene. But try not to, she adds: "They want to squeeze in a 50k race as that's what one stage in the race might be like. I caution all my athletes training for races like TAR not to have too many late season races, as it uses up valuable training time, by the time you factor in your taper and recovery.
Follow Rene on her website, Facebook, instragram and personal website.


text:
The 100 Moments of TSU Athletics presented by Taco Bell® series continues by remembering one of the premier football players in Tennessee State history.
Richard Dent, a native of Atlanta Ga., is the first former TSU player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played with the TSU tigers from 1979-82 and was drafted to the Chicago Bears soon after, completing his last season with the Tigers.
Throughout his time at TSU, Dent was a three time All-American and is currently third in the school's all-time sack list. While helping to lead the Tigers to three Black college National Champions, Dent finished his career with 39 sacks.
After playing Football at Tennessee State University, Dent was drafted to the Chicago Bears in the eighth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. In 1986, Dent won a NFL championship with the Bears and was named Super Bowl XX MVP. He is also the Only TSU tiger alum to be named game MVP.
Beyond the Bears, Dent spent one year with the 49ers before eventually returning to Chicago in 1995. While under contract with the 49ers in 1994, Richard Dent won yet another Super Bowl ring. In 1996 Dent played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997 as a designated pass rusher for them both. Not long after his 1997 season, Dent retired and ended his lifetime career with 137.5 sacks and 8 interceptions, which put him Third in NFL history behind Reggie white and Bruce Smith at the time of his retirement.
Dent was selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Feb. 5, 2011. He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on February 15, 2008.
Hear Dent talk about his enshrinement below:
The 100 Moments of TSU Athletics presented by Taco Bell® highlights some of the greatest moments in honor of Tennessee State's centennial celebration. A new moment will be released each weekday for a total of 100. These moments were chosen by the TSU 100 Moments committee, which consists of alums from various departments. TSU has so many great moments, not all can be represented in these 100.
Sports Information Assistant Dewana Posely contributed to this article.
Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers and Twitter @TSU_Tigers.


text:
It's time to bend the first string up to an E! Milk it for all it's worth. The rest features a bendy journey down the Em pentatonic scale and a Hendrix-influenced trill with a twist. If you have a whammy bar, hit it a few times while you're playing the trill. It'll create a nice distressed sound.
Taught by Chris Liepe in Jekyll and Hyde Blues seriesLength: 3:59Difficulty: 3.0 of 5
Love this set of licks!!! I just wish it was being updated quicker.... I need to learn the whole solo!! Thanks Guys!
Blues is easy to play, but hard to master. Chris Liepe's mission in this series is to get you to master the blues.
Lesson 1
In this lesson, Chris Liepe introduces the "Jekyll and Hyde Blues." This is a 3 minute long blues guitar solo that incorporates techniques and lines from the blues greats. Chris breaks down the solo lick...Length: 3:17 Difficulty: 0.0 FREE
Lesson 2
Chris teaches the first section of this epic blues solo. This portion features string raking, muting, and a simple pentatonic line.Length: 3:40 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 3
Chris teaches the second section of the solo. This section features sort of call and response and also incorporates more bending, rakes and muting in a higher register.Length: 4:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Lesson 4
Based on an open "E" chord, this familiar sounding lick comes way down in dynamics and in range.Length: 2:57 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Lesson 5
Chris teaches the fourth lick in this solo. It is a dominant line that is played the same over both the V and IV chords just before the turnaround.Length: 3:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 6
This is one of the most familiar sounding licks in the entire pack. Chris teaches this classic turnaround and demonstrates how it can be used in the context of a blues solo.Length: 5:04 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Lesson 7
We really turn into the "nice guy" on this one! It starts with a subtle sweep/rake followed by some whispering bends. Then, you get to walk up with some clean 6th intervals and back down with some...Length: 5:06 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 8
This lick has bite! This lick remains soft for the most part, but has a few notes that really jump out dynamically. The beginning of the lick really nails the minor 3rd, but at the end, it rests on a...Length: 4:39 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 9
Play one more quiet lick before we crank the gain back up. Incorporate some fast triplets, palm muted legato notes, and a smooth slide down to E. Then, you'll reach for your volume knob!Length: 3:03 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 10
Bring back the bends and the loudness! This lick is designed to lead to another lick with a bit more resolve. It's written to be messy.Length: 3:44 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 11
It's time to bend the first string up to an E! Milk it for all it's worth. The rest features a bendy journey down the Em pentatonic scale and a Hendrix-influenced trill with a twist. If you have a whammy...Length: 3:59 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 12
If you like abusing your guitar, you'll like this lick. It features loud, open string double stops, slides, and a long bend that ends with you hitting your guitar to create a percussive and abrupt stop!...Length: 4:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 13
Time to return to nice playing. The use of staccato when playing quietly makes for a playful, controlled sound. Pay special attention to note durations on this one. In order to nail the crescendo at the...Length: 4:52 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 14
This lick only works if you play behind the beat. There are not many notes here, but each one counts. Using the whammy bar takes the listener to a modern instrumental rock place just for a second before...Length: 4:40 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 15
Chris focuses on playing melodic lines that mimic vocals.Length: 2:42 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 16
It's time to spend some time with the b5. This lick features lots of legato with some strategically picked notes that give this descent a free flowing sound.Length: 2:35 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 17
It's time for some more pedal tones! By taking the same pull-off feel, but slowing it down and using the 'B' string as a pedal tone, we're able to walk up to a higher register unison bend.Length: 3:05 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 18
The hook returns in plain form, this time in a quiet octave line. String muting is important here to generate the desired effect of sneaking around the guitar while tipping one's hat to the melody.Length: 4:48 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 19
Chris Liepe teaches an epic blues trill!Length: 3:30 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 20
Chris teaches another passage that features of vocal-like guitar playing.Length: 4:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 21
This section of the guitar solo is fast and features strategic use of slurs.Length: 4:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 22
We return to the opening melody once again. It's like we're coming home now. There are a few key variations from the original, but the point is to exit the guitar solo and bring in the song's end....Length: 4:41 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 23
You don't have to bend up a perfect 4th this time, but you do have a few more notes to worry about. You also have the opportunity to mimic a slide guitar player after you hit the highest note of the...Length: 4:01 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 24
In this lick the choked notes return. We contrast them with dominant chord arpeggios played very quietly.Length: 3:48 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 25
This lick features bends, open strings, and a lot of pull-offs. This revolving line draws from Jimmy Page influences and is the perfect highlight to transition to the final chords of the song.Length: 3:26 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Lesson 26
Chris teaches the final section of the "Jekyll and Hide Blues."Length: 2:49 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
About Chris Liepe
View Full Biography
Chris Liepe was born on September 17th, 1981 in Portland OR. His first instrument was piano which he pursued until discovering his love for the electric guitar in high school. He became fans of such groups as Soundgarden, Collective Soul and U2 inspiring him to start singing, songwriting and helping others in their musical endeavors with teaching, co-writing and album production.
Having moved to Colorado with his family, he began gigging, recording and teaching in a number of music stores as well as out of his apartment until deciding to pursue music full time. He moved to Denver, CO to complete a Bachelors in Music Technology and was then hired on by Sweetwater Productions, a division of Sweetwater Sound and one of the largest, most successful recording studios in the Midwest.
Chris spent nearly 4 years at Sweetwater as a producer, recording engineer, studio musician and writer. During this time he had the privilege of working with many artists including Augustana, Landon Pigg, Jars of Clay, and Mercy Me. He also wrote for and played on numerous independent albums and hundreds of radio/TV commercials.
Wanting to get back to his favorite State in the world (Colorado) and feeling the urge to 'go freelance', Chris moved to Greeley, CO and opened his own recording and teaching studio. He continues to write and produce music for artists and agencies and is happy to be among the proud JamPlay.com instructors.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Now we look at more harmonics, using a section of Amber's song - 'Love vs. Logic'Free LessonSeries Details
Miche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.Free LessonSeries Details
Greg kicks off his series telling a little about himself and introduces the C9 tuning.Free LessonSeries Details
Jessica kindly introduces herself, her background, and her approach to this series.Free LessonSeries Details
JamPlay welcomes David Isaacs to our teacher roster. With his first lesson Dave explains his approach to playing guitar with...Free LessonSeries Details
Tyler Grant is back with an introduction to his new series "Classic Country Chops." In this series, Tyler goes in-depth...Free LessonSeries Details
Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...Free LessonSeries Details
Phil discusses inspiration, where it's found and how you can take almost anything around you and use it to inspire your own...Free LessonSeries Details
Pamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...Free LessonSeries Details
Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.Free LessonSeries Details
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Just like with the plucking hand, Brent-Anthony shows us the basics of proper fretting hand technique. In addition, he shows...Free LessonSeries Details
This is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.Free LessonSeries Details
Learn a variety of essential techniques commonly used in the metal genre, including palm muting, string slides, and chord...Free LessonSeries Details
Find out what this series is all about.Free LessonSeries Details
Chris brings his ingenuity to this lesson on the American folk song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Also known as...Free LessonSeries Details
Meet John Shannon and his approach to rhythm guitar. John discusses why he put this lesson series together and what his...Free LessonSeries Details
In lesson 14 Mark debuts a thumb and fingerstyle technique used to create some separation in the bass and chords or melody.Free LessonSeries Details
Nick explains how to use scales and modes effectively when soloing over a chord progression.Free LessonSeries Details
Kris analyzes different pick sizes and their effect on his playing. Using a slow motion camera, he is able to point out the...Free LessonSeries Details
Dive into the playing of Rex Brown. As the bass player for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill, Brown's real world experience...Free LessonSeries Details
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
|Price Per Lesson
|< $0.01
|$4 - $5
|$30 - $50
|Money Back Guarantee
|Number of Instructors
|1 – 3
|Interaction with Instructors
|Daily Webcam Sessions
|Professional Instructors
|Luck of the Draw
|Luck of the Draw
|New Lessons
|Structured Lessons
|Learn Any Style
|Track Progress
|HD Video
|Multiple Camera Angles
|Accurate Tabs
|Scale/Chord Libraries
|Custom JamTracks
|Interactive Games
|Learn in Sweatpants
|Socially Unacceptable
|Gasoline Needed
|~$4 / gallon!
Mike H."I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J."With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.


text:
Toggle navigation
Emperor Ken's World
Pastel, Pencil, Ink
Songbird ReMix
Store & Downloads
Bird Encyclopedia
Nature's Wonders
Hall of Fame
Elsa's Cockatoo Corner
Nature's Wonders
Quail Hollow
The Houses
The Garden
Flora and Fauna
Bird List
Bird Photos
Fauna Photos
Flora Photos
Fun Stuff
WOT Condors Clan
KBGB Enterprises
About Ken
Art Biography
Eco-Talk Blog
Search Emperor Ken's World
View source
From SongbirdReMixWiki
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Jump to:
= Songbird ReMix General Topics = == What do I need to upgrade or get to use Songbird Remix or the add-on packages? == '''You'll need:''' * [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/shop/itemdetails/-/?item=1196 Songbird ReMix Standalone] '''OR''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/shop/itemdetails/-/?item=1195 Songbird ReMix Upgrade] '''+''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/shop/itemdetails/-/?item=719 "DAZ Original" Songbird Model] '''Add-on Packages requiring the Songbird Model:''' * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-character?item=1321&cat=&_m=d Characters] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix2-woodpecke?item=1480&cat=&_m=d Woodpeckers] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-character?item=1945&cat=&_m=d Threatended, Endangered, Extinct] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-character?item=2092&cat=&_m=d Cool & Unusual Birds] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-european?item=3053&cat=&_m=d European Edition] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-pose?item=3054&cat=&_m=d Pose Pack] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-africa?item=3523&cat=&_m=d Songbird ReMix Africa] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix2?item=4351&cat=&_m=d Second Edition (aka SBRM2)] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix2-pet?item=4667&cat=&_m=d Pet Shop] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix2-game?item=4748&cat=&_m=d Game Birds] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-parrots?item=5266&cat=&_m=d Parrots of the World] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-more?item=5464&cat=&_m=d More Cool & Unusual Birds] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-threatened?item=5607&cat=&_m=d More Threatended, Endangered, Extinct] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-yucatan?item=5993&cat=&_m=d Songbird ReMix Yucatan] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-amazon?item=7449&cat=&_m=d Songbird ReMix Amazon] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/shop/itemdetails/?item=12002 Europe Edition2] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-threatened?item=12448&cat=&_m=d Threatened, Endangered, Extinct 3] '''Stand-Alone Packages:''' (meaning they don't require the base Songbird Remix Model). * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/wild-turkey?item=5822&cat=&_m=d Turkey] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/toucans?item=6093&cat=&_m=d Toucans] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-motherhood?item=6828&cat=&_m=d Motherhood] (It's stand alone but the Songbird ReMix Model is recommended) * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/vultures?item=8091&cat=&_m=d Vultures] ** [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/condors?item=8121&cat=&_m=d Condors] (Requires Vultures) * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/penguins?item=8221&cat=&_m=d Penguins] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-seabirds?item=8846&cat=&_m=d Seabirds] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-pelicans?item=9052&cat=&_m=d Pelicans] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-puffins?item=9353&cat=&_m=d Puffins, Auks and Auklets] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-shorebirds?item=9884&cat=&_m=d Shorebirds v1: Wading Birds] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-shorebirds?item=9913&cat=&_m=d Shorebirds v2: Herons & Bitterns] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-shorebirds?item=9986&cat=&_m=d Shorebirds v3: Small Waders] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-flamingos?item=10178&cat=&_m=d Flamingos] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-jacanas?item=10359&cat=&_m=d Jacanas] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-owls?item=10620&cat=&_m=d Owls] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-australia?item=11066&cat=&_m=d Asutralia v1: Doves and Pigeons to Whipbirds and Babblers] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-australia?item=11067&cat=&_m=d Australia v2: Australasian Robins to White and Silver Eyes ] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-australia?item=11124&cat=&_m=d Australia v3: Previously released] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-birds?item=11512&cat=&_m=d Birds of Legend] * [http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/0/songbird-remix-dodo?item=12450&cat=&_m=d Dodo] == The Songbird ReMix "2" Confusion == '''The Songbird ReMix 2 Package and the Songbird Remix 2.CR2''' I made a mistake in the naming of the Songbird ReMix "2" package... most everyone thought it was an upgrade when in fact in was a package signaling revisions on the series using the new morphs, conforming crests and improved texture maps. "2" was short for it's true title, "Second Edition", on hind sight I should have called it "New beginning" or something like that. Immediately after the release of SBRM2, I put together service releases for all the other packages including the revisions found in the SBRM2's cr2. So let me say this plainly again, '''Songbird ReMix 2 is not an upgrade to Songbird ReMix 1.''' So if SBRM2 isn't an upgrade, what is it? Think of it as an add-on pack showing the diversity in the model since you can create everything from hummingbirds to pigeons to cockatoos with it. == The Songbird ReMix "3" Confusion == I'll try to say this as plainly (too) as I can... '''Songbird Remix 3 is the latest version of the model(s)'''. Unlike many other products (such as Victoria 1, 2, 3, 4) you do not have to toss and repurchase everything. I upgrade everything for '''FREE'''. '''To get the latest version of Songbird ReMix:''' The core product, Songbird ReMix (also in upgrade and bundle) were last updated July 30, 2010. Reset your DAZ download to get it. Included in that base package are all the SBRM3 bases (Songbird, Parrot, Gamebird, Syndactyl and Zygodatcyl). You'll need those bases for the other volumes (listed above in the "Requires Songbird ReMix" list) I do update my CR2s from time to time. The latest CR2(s) can be found the [http://www.empken.com/downloads/downloads2.html Songbird ReMix Downloads] === Differences between older versions and SBRM3 === The big changes within SBRM3 were the addition of new geometry within the models, repositioning of the thighs, some new model bases, new materials, over 30 new morphs and reshaping of most of the bird species using the new morphs. For complete details on this, read the [http://www.empken.com/tutorials/SBRMv3.pdf SBRM3 Manual]. * '''Old Vs. Files with the SBRM3 updates'''... I've purposely labeled the files in the updates with a sbrm3 in the folder name. In Poser, you should use only the SBRM3 base cr2. with these SBRM3. I deleted the older SBRM 1/2 files from my runtime, SBRM3 stuff is so much better, I see no plausible reason to use the old stuff again. '''Some other changes....''' * '''Poser Filenames...''' back when the older volumes were released, It was the practice of most content provider to use abbreviated filenames. The abbreviated filenames were done in part to ensure compatibility on both the PC and MAC platform. Through the years, the operation systems and software have evolved to allow much more descriptive and much longer filenames, so I in turned start the create the files with the complete bird name. In my more current volumes such as Australia, Shorebirds, Legend, the bird names are fully spelled out in the Poser version (they always been spelled out in the DAZ Studio versions.) With the updates, I have chosen to use the complete bird name on the older versions. To avoid confusion with older versions, I've put a SBRM3 label on the folders. So what do you keep? The sbrm3 versions are better in every way-- delete the older versions. * '''The SBRM3 models and differences from the older ones'''... Most of my newer SBRM models will work close to flawlessly with the older libraries. The biggest issue will be applying the older poses. A long standing error in the feet joint parameters was corrected in the SBRM3 models so when applying the older poses, some of the talons may be askew. This will be corrected when all of the poses with adjusted to SBRM3 as part of my revisions. The one model which is much different than older model bases is the new SBRM3 Parrot Base. The Thigh, shin and foot size in the new model has been adjusted specifically for parrots. In the older base (SBRM2), the parrot base was simply the Woodpecker base with some additional morphs. This older base needed dramatic scaling in the thighs, shins and feet to get a parrot "look". When an older sbrm2 parrot character is used with the newer SBRM3 parrot base the scaling is amplified because the scaling is already in the model. There are three ways to resolve issue; 1). Use the SBRM3 Woodpecker base or 2). Manually return the scaling on the thighs, shins and feet to 100% or 3.) Best Way... use the new revised SBRM3 parrot characters with the Sbrm3 Base. == I'm having troubles with the Conforming Crests in Poser? == Well, if you're like me, you don't read those readmes and other documentation when the DAZ installer asks if you want to read them. They then get buried some where in the Poser Runtime and are soon forgotten. There's a PDF file you'll find incredibly useful; the Manual and Field Guide. Now I know I roll my eyes at manuals but you'll find the Field Guide part of the manual pretty cool-- there's all sorts of information about the birds featured in the package like habitat, status, nesting habits and cool facts. If you can't find the PDF, go to [http://www.empken.com/downloads/downloads2.html Songbird ReMix Downloads] ; copies of all the manuals are there. == The texture and transparency maps don't seem to line up right == One of the most common problem emails I received is that the texture maps don't seem to work. 99% of the time this is because the user is trying to use the Songbird model with the Songbird ReMix maps. These are NOT compatible. You need to use the Songbird ReMix model with the Songbird ReMix maps. Why...? See below. == Will the Original Songbird Maps work with Songbird ReMix? == No. while close to the SBRM maps they need to be adjusted to match the SBRM Templates. There are no plans to revise the Songbird maps to Songbird ReMix format and visa versa. == Will Songbird ReMix work with Mimic? == There's a Mimic configuration (DMC) file for SBRM in [http://www.empken.com/downloads/downloads2.html Songbird ReMix Downloads] . How good does Mimic work with a bird? Click [http://www.empken.com/movies/Toucantalk.html here] for a demo movie (Flash8 format) == Ken's take on Songbird ReMix Vs. other artist's bird models == Many people have asked me what I think of other artists creating birds or textures for my Songbird ReMix series. That's easy question... the more birds out there, the better for the users (more choices), and the more visibility and respect birds will get. It's probably clear to most that I do the birds I want to do. I don't really look at market trends-- if I did, I'd be creating skimpy clothes for the Victoria and Stephanie models. In some cases at my chosen vender, DAZ3D, I have overlapped some bird species found in other artist's product list (Blue Tit, Raven, Pigeon, etc) and, in some cases, they have overlapped my library. If I create an overlap, it's just simply I wanted them in Songbird ReMix format. == Expansion Plans == I've had numerous requests for all sort of birds around the world. While I try to try each request seriously, there's only so much I can do. Many times a number of requests end up in a Regional and theme volume. I eventually plan to cover select species of the entire bird world with Songbird ReMix or SBRM hybrid models. == Morph Questions == * What does the "MirrorStretch" morph do in the conforming crest models? MirrorStretch: Mirrors the "Stretch" Action morph found in the model Head's section. = DAZ|Studio Use = == How to use SBRM in DAZ|Studio == I always get people confused with DAZ|Studio. It is partly because most DAZ|Studio content is Poser-based and you epect to get it from a Poser Runtime. I have created '''native DAZ|Studio content''' so you will find it in the "Content" folder of your DAZ|Studio installation '''not''' the "Runtime". '''If you are using DAZ|Studio, download and install the DAZ|Studio version, not the Poser version( unless you are using Poser too).''' There are 3 ways you can use Songbird ReMix with DAZ|Studio. One is very easy and the other more difficult and the last... very painstaking. * '''The Easy Way:''' Make sure you have the Native DAZ|Studio versions installed. If you don't, and have the imported Poser Versions, reset your downloads at DAZ and get the native DAZ|Studio version. Load the bird from the appropriate library in the Content : Animals : SBRM folder * '''The Difficult Way:''' Make sure you have the Native DAZ|Studio versions installed. If you don't, and have the imported Poser Versions, reset your downloads at DAZ and get the native DAZ|Studio version. ** Go to the Content : Animals : SBRM folder : ! CreateYourOwn Folder ** Consult the PDF manual and determine which bird and what part(s) you may need in the Quick Reference chart. ** Load the Appropriate bird base (and conforming part if needed) *** Select the Conforming Part(s) (is used) to "Fit to" the bird base part ** Go to ! CreateYourOwn : Characters and choose the appropriate library folder ** Apply the character settings to the models * '''The Painful Way''' Use the Poser imported version. With this way, you'll have to apply conforming crests and tails, materials, correct feet scaling and other issues DS doesn't import improperly from the Poser version. ** Running from the Imported Poser Version. *** Use SBRM as you would any POSER content. *** Load from Runtime:Figures Base Bird Model. *** Apply the appropriate MAT/MOR file in the Runtime:Poses:SBRM PP-P6 folder to Base Bird Model. *** Open the DAZ|Studio:Content folder and select the SBRM2 folder inside the SBRM folder, then apply the appropriate Materials. *** See Conforming Crest Problems with DS below if using crests. * Conforming Crests Problems. Getting the DAZ version of any SBRM products now correct these problems. Conforming parts( with the exception of a few Woodpeckers) use the "FIT TO" command in DAZ|Studio. May sure the conforming item is scaled to 100% before using this command. Another word of caution, DAZ Studio isn't quite as forgiving on User error as Poser is. If you apply the wrong MAT/MOR file to the conforming crest, it wipes out it's original positioning on the head. You'll have to manually reposition the crest correctly on the head or, BETTER, delete and reload the conforming crest and apply the correct MAT/MOR file. * The Ivory-bill and Pileated Woodpeckers have issues with DAZ|Studio regarding the Conforming Crests. This is because D|S automatically resizes the Crest and also applies the additional MOR sizing commands when the "FIT TO" command is used. Here's the work around process for this: ** Load from Runtime:Figures the Conforming Crest and Base Bird Model. ** Apply the appropriate MAT/MOR file in the Runtime:Poses:SBRM PP-P6 folder to Conforming Crest and Base Bird Model. Don't use "FIT TO" ** Open the DAZ|Studio:Content folder and select the SBRM2 folder inside the SBRM folder, then apply the appropriate Materials. ** In the Scene tab, move the entire Conforming Crest to the HEAD section of the Bird Base Model. This parents the Crest to the Head of the Bird Base. Feet Scaling Issues with imported Poser Version * Most versions of DAZ|Studio have problems with the Propagating Scale of the Feet in Songbird ReMix. Unfortunately, the only current solution is to manually scale all the digits on each foot. To determine if manual scaling is needed, look at the SCALE settings on rFoot or lFoot parts in DAZ|Studio. If the amount is more than 100%, then all the digits (rPinky1, rPinky2, rMid1, etc.) will need to be scaled accordingly. As this is a known bug in DAZ|Studio that will hopefully get corrected in a forth-coming release/patch. The easy way to correct the scaling issues is to use the "Scale Feet" pose commands in the Songbird ReMix Native DS versions otherwise use the Scaling Tool == Using the Latest CR2 in DAZ Studio. == * While the premade DS birds are great, there are issues when wanting to take advantage of the latest master CR2. Unlike Poser, all the joint parameters and morphs are hard coded to the preassembled bird. Thus to take advantage of the latest CR2, it needs to be rebuilt from a Poser import of using the latest CR2 and PZ2 files. Native DS version will be periodically updated in the Download section. = POSER Use = == How to Remove the Black Triangles in Renders == * Download the latest Songbird ReMix CR2 (Version 2.7 or above) == Square Shadows == Small birds may render with a SQUARE shadow. This is a bug in Poser. Poser can't figure out how to render a shadow for something really small, so it creates a square shadow. The solution is to put a larger item that casts a normal Poser shadow in the scene (even if it is off camera) and the square shadows will be fixed. = Vue, Bryce & Other 3D App Use = == When importing Poser 6 content, the morphs are not coming in correctly. == * In Poser, switch off External Binary Morph Target support on the Misc tab of the General Preferences dialog (CTRL/CMD+K) before saving your PZ3/PZZ for import into Vue. == There are weird artifacts/triangles showing up near the bird in my renders. == * Those are probably the invisible wing and beak controller guides labeled as RForeArm, RHand, RFeather, LForearm, LHand, LFeather and Beak. In Vue's Material Editor either make them invisible again by turning transparency to 100% or delete them. == Textures on the Wings or fluff feathers in Vue aren't rendering correctly == *Vue has trouble with back-facing polygons which tend to show-up in certain wing poses. The easiest and fast solution is to limit the amount of bending in the Forearm, Hand and Feather controllers. The better (but much slower solution) is to in "Polygon Mesh Options", bake the model. You might also click "Force double-sided baking" as well as playing with the Max smoothing angle and checking Dynamic Subdivison. Put Quality boost into the as +2, +3 or even +4 AREA. Also playing with the "Smooth Angle" can help. Then bake it—"baking" will take hours on most computers. == The eye texture is missing or white == * The eyes are probably too reflective and are using a reflection map. Reflective properties differ between programs. The "Eye" material uses a Poser reflection map; since Vue has a built-in environment, it's better to use the Vue one and cut down the reflection to 20-50% depending on light in the scene. ** Select the imported bird model from the Layer it's loaded in – usually it's called "BODY" ** The Material editor Section should say "BODY" and have a " 1 of 15" materials with a down arrow and two left/right page arrows, Select the DOWN arrow and the EYES material. ** Double the material icon to open the EYES material. ** Click the "Reflections" tab. Uncheck the "Use reflection map" box—this turns off the Poser reflection Map. ** Turn "Global reflectivity" down to 25% == The Bird is too shiny == * Vue reads Poser highlight settings differently than Poser reads them. You'll find often Vue reads the opposite of what Poser would do what highlights, thus materials such as plummage, bodyfeathers, wings, legs read in the 80-90 range when they should be in the 30-40 range. I also turned down the Highlights on Plumage, PlumageNH, Beak and WingFeathers and TailFeathers to Highland Global intensity 45% and Highlight Global size 30%. = Carrara Use = ==Using Songbird ReMix within Carrara== * It is '''strongly recommended''' that you use DAZ Studio as the vehicle to get Songbird ReMix to work properly in Carrara. Importing from a Poser Runtime may cause issues and deform the model. ** Load the DS version of Songbird ReMix bird you want and Export the bird using Collada with DAZ Extensions. ** Importing that Collada file into Carrara should clear up any issues often found importing from the Poser Runtime. ** You can then adjust the shaders and drag and drop the bird to the Carrara Browser, thus having a Carrara native version of your bird. == Weird Hip bumps and messed up feet == * This is caused by importing from the Poser Runtime. Carrara (and DAZ Studio) do not support internal Poser Propagating Scale commands within the Songbird ReMix series extensively. It also fails to read the SmoothZones in the hip region when Thigh yScaling is used and radically distort the hup/rump region. The best solution is to use the DAZ Studio Collada export option described above. If you do not want to use that method, there is a work-around: ** If you are experencing deformed feet, look at the Scale values for one of the feet and apply those values to the rest of the digits on each foot. ** If you are experencing a deformed rump, turn both yScale values in the Thighs to 100% ** If you are experencing deformed wings, check both wing parts and make sure WingFold=0. Allow the BODY section morph to control the Wing Fold ** If you are experencing "Graying" around the Fluff morphs, you'll need to either Hide off/Hide those Fluff areas or adjust the material settings to improve the "look"
Return to
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Retrieved from "
View source
Personal tools
Log in
Main Page
Songbird ReMix website
Songbird ReMix Products
Environment & Birds
Random page
Songbird ReMix Bird Library
Within the Continental US
Northern Canada & the Arctic
Central America & Carribean
South America
Asia & Indonesia
Oceania: Australia & New Zealand
Oceania: Hawaii & Polynesia
Antactica & Sub-Antartica
Imaginary & Mythical
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Content is available under
Privacy policy
About SongbirdReMixWiki


text:
- 15% denaturing acrylamide gel [1X TBE, 7 M urea, 15% acrylamide (19:1 acryl:bis-acryl)] Since this gel is used to separate the ~21-mer mature miRNA species from RNA that is significantly longer, the resolution does not need to be optimal. We recommend using a 0.75 mm spacer, and a comb appropriate for the sample volume.
|for 15ml
|6.3 g
|Urea (high quality, e.g. Ambion cat #9900)
|1.5 ml
|5.6 ml
|40% Acrylamide (19 acryl:1 bis-acryl, e.g. Ambion cat #9022)
|to 15 ml
|distilled deionized water
Stir at room temperature until the urea is completely dissolved, then add:
|75 μl
|10% ammonium persulfate
|15 μl
Mix briefly after adding the last two ingredients, which will catalyze polymerization, then pour the gel into a
prepared mold immediately.
- 10 X TBE: Tris-Borate-EDTA Buffer; Ambion Cat #9862–9864
- Ambion Gel Loading Buffer II for denaturing PAGE (Cat #8546G, 8547)
- Linear Acrylamide: Ambion Cat #9520
- 1M NaCl: Dilute Ambion's 5 M NaCl Cat #9759 with high quality nuclease-free water to 1 M.
- 100% ethanol: ACS grade or higher quality
- 80% ethanol: Make 80% ethanol from high quality nuclease-free water and ACS grade (or better) 100% ethanol.
- Ambion MEGAclear™ Kit Cat #1908
- Prepare a 15% denaturing gel and pre-run it for 10–15 min
- Using standard procedures, prepare a 15% denaturing acrylamide gel [1 X TBE, 7 M urea, 15% acrylamide (19:1 acryl:bis-acryl)].
- Warm the gel to ~50°C by running it for 10–15 minutes in 1 X TBE running buffer.
- Add an equal volume of Gel Loading Buffer II to each RNA sample.
- Heat to 95°C for 5 min to denature the RNA, then place the tube in ice.
- Rinse the wells of the gel with 1 X TBE and load sample.
- Run the gel until the bromophenol blue dye front (the leading dye) migrates about 4–5 cm down the gel.
- Recover the gel slice that contains miRNA, add 10 ml 1 M NaCl, crush gel, and incubate overnight at 4°C with rocking
- Excise a band from the gel starting just below the center of the xylene cyanol band, and extending to three quarters of the way to the bromophenol blue band. Place the gel piece in a 15 ml conical tube.
- Add 10 ml nuclease-free 1 M NaCl to the tube with the gel slice.>/li>
- Crush the gel slice with a syringe plunger until the pieces are as small as possible ( ≤ 1 mm).
- Soak the crushed gel slice overnight with rocking at 4°C.
Centrifuge the crushed gel mixture for 5 min at 2000 x g. Decant the 1 M NaCl into a sterile 50 ml screw cap tube.
This solution contains most of the miRNA; store it at 4°C while you complete the elution.
- Add 2 ml 1 M NaCl to the crushed gel slice and incubate for 1 hour at room temp with rocking.
- Centrifuge for 5 min at 2000 X g and pool the supernatant with the first supernatant (from step 2).
Before starting the miRNA clean-up, preheat the Elution Solution (from the MEGAclear Kit) to 95°C.
Wash with 4 ml of 80% ethanol
With the vacuum still on, slowly pipet 4 ml of 80% ethanol into the column, allowing the vacuum to pull the solution through the filter.
Using a centrifuge, wash with 500 μl of 80% ethanol, then dry the filter
Elute the miRNA in 2 x 50 μl 95°C Elution Solution and dry the miRNA to completion
Before starting the miRNA clean-up, preheat the Elution Solution (from the MEGAclear Kit) to 95°C.
- Add the following to each miRNA sample, and pass the mixture through a MEGAclear Filter Cartridge
- Place a MEGAclear Filter Cartridge in a 5 ml syringe barrel, and mount the assembly on a vacuum manifold.
- Add linear acrylamide and ethanol to each sample, vortexing after each addition to mix thoroughly:
Amount Component 1.5 μl Linear Acrylamide (5 mg/ml) to 60% 100% ethanol (typically 18 ml)
- Pipet the RNA mixture from the previous step into the MEGAclear Filter Cartridge. Vacuum pressure will pull the solution through the filer.
With the vacuum still on, slowly pipet 4 ml of 80% ethanol into the column, allowing the vacuum to pull the solution through the filter.
- Place the MEGAclear Filter Cartridge in a Collection Tube, and pipet 500 μl of 80% ethanol into the column.
- Centrifuge for 1 min at 5,000 x g and empty the Collection Tube.
- Centrifuge again at 10,000 x g to remove excess ethanol.
- Move the MEGAclear Filter Cartridge to a fresh Collection Tube.
- Apply 50 μl heated (95°C) Elution Solution (from the MEGAclear Kit) to the MEGAclear Filter Cartridge, and leave at room temp for 2 min.
- Centrifuge for 1 min at 10,000 x g. Purified miRNA will be centrifuged into the Collection Tube.
- Repeat the elution with a second 50 μl aliquot of heated Elution Solution, centrifuging purified miRNA into the same tube.
- If you isolated miRNA from more total RNA than is needed for a single mir Vana miRNA Labeling Kit reaction, split the eluted miRNA into single reaction-sized aliquots. (Use miRNA obtained from 5–50 μg of total RNA per mir Vana miRNA Labeling Kit reaction.)
- Place miRNA sample in a vacuum concentrator and dry completely.


text:
History for the Herd
A Bisons blog wasn't even available when the Bisons tossed back-to-back shutouts in a twin-bill at Coca-Cola Field. Nearly 12 years have passed since Buffalo blanked Indianapolis 8-0 in both games during the 1997 season. That night Sean Casey was the star, hitting three homers between the two games. Tonight, pitching became the buzz at the ballpark.
In game one, Jonathon Niese dominated Toledo during a 1-0 win and in the nightcap it was Nelson Figueroa's mastery that leads to the 2-0 blank versus the 'Hens.
Buffalo looks for a series win against Toledo at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. Additionally, the Buffalo and Toledo game can be seen on SNY, the TV home of the New York Mets.


text:
A few Disneyland photosPosted on June 12th, 2012 No comments
While most of my photos this time around were taken at California Adventure, here are a few extras from Disneyland:
Radiator Springs Racers on-ride videoPosted on June 12th, 2012 No comments
Here's a low budget HD video of the entire Radiator Springs Racers ride. Consider this your spoiler warning!
California Adventure: Cars Land and Buena Vista StreetPosted on June 11th, 2012 No comments
I got the chance to go to one of the charity Cars Land / Buena Vista Street previews that was offered to Disneyland annual pass holders. I went for the $75 package, which included all-day access to Buena Vista Street, 5 hours in Cars Land, and a private showing of World of Color.
It feels like California Adventure has finally come of age. The new entrance is understated but classy, as opposed to the somewhat tacky original entrance. The style of Buena Vista Street reminds me a lot of the Studios theme park in Florida, which is okay by me. The only thing that seemed out of place were all the generic Starbucks cups being sold at the new FF&P cafe — hopefully themed cups will arrive soon.
Cars Land looks fantastic. You can tell that no expense was spared. The big E-ticket attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, is a fun ride for the whole family. I wouldn't call it a thrill ride, but it's certainly fun — especially the racing aspect. The technology and animatronics are impressive, as well. Like its predecessor, Test Track, RSR seems prone to breakdowns — it went down at least three times in about 3 hours. Hopefully it'll get more reliable in time. Oh and a little tip — the single rider line moves quickly!
I didn't try the other two attractions: Luigi's Flying Tires and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. The former looked pretty boring and I wasn't about to wait in line for it. Mater's looked a bit more exciting but I chose to take photos and ride RSR a few more times instead.


text:
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com Are you preparing for the long drive home for Thanksgiving and do not have any music? Have no fear! Jake's Take has reviewed some of the hottest new albums and singles that you should consider downloading into your iPhone. Let's get started! 24K Magic by Bruno Mars Welcome back, Bruno Mars! […]
You are here: Home / Archives for Bruno Mars 24K Magic album review
Jake's Take's New Music Reviews (Week of November 18, 2016)
November 18, 2016 By Jacob Elyachar Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Music Tagged With: 2016 music reviews, : Jake's Take's New Music Reviews (Week of November 18 2016), A Fragile Tomorrow Best Cover Song Award, A Fragile Tomorrow Joan Baez Indigo Girls song review, A Fragile Tomorrow One Way Ticket, A Fragile Tomorrow song review, Brad & Curtis Rempel High Valley, Bruno Mars 24K Magic album, Bruno Mars 24K Magic album review, Bruno Mars album review, Bruno Mars Versace on the Floor, Cole Whittle DNCE, Dear Life album review, DNCE album review, DNCE debut album, Hamilton Mixtape album review, Hamilton Mixtape singles, High Valley album review, High Valley Dear Life album review, Independent Music Awards winner, Jack Lawless DNCE, Jake's Take articles, Jake's Take music reviews, Jake's Take song of the week, Jenna Torres Heart on Wheels, Jenna Torres Heart on Wheels song review, Jin-Joo Lee DNCE, Joe Jonas DNCE, Lin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton Mixtape, Miranda Lambert and Anderson East relationship, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton divorce, Miranda Lambert The Weight of These Wings, Miranda Lambert The Weight of These Wings album review, November 2016 articles, November 2016 music reviews, One Way Ticket cover, Party Monster review, The Weekend Party Monster, The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey collaborations, Usher Wait for It, Usher Wait for It song review


text:
Deschooling Society
Marion Boyars, 2002 - 116 頁
Schools have failed our individual needs, supporting false and misleading notions of 'progress' and development fostered by the belief that ever-increasing production, consumption and profit are proper yardsticks for measuring the quality of human life. Our universities have become recruiting centers for the personnel of the consumer society, certifying citizens for service, while at the same time disposing of those judged unfit for the competitive rat race. In this bold and provocative book, Illich suggest some radical and exciting reforms for the education system.
讀者評論 - 撰寫評論
|5 顆星
|4 顆星
|3 顆星
|2 顆星
|1 星級
LibraryThing Review用戶評語 - dypaloh - LibraryThing
Ivan Illich doesn't mince words. So far as formal schooling goes, he argues for a society where school is not just out for summer, it's out completely. In Deschooling Society he writes, "The modern ... 閱讀評論全文
LibraryThing Review用戶評語 - P_S_Patrick - LibraryThing
Deschooling Society is a collection of essays based around the author's idea that society might be better off without the formal schooling system that is prevalent in most industrialised countries. He ... 閱讀評論全文
Why We Must Disestablish School
Phenomenology of School
Ritualization of Progress
4 個其他區段未顯示
其他版本 - 查看全部
ability acquired American Aristotle become bureaucratic cars centers certificates child childhood Church CIDOC citizens classroom clients competence consumer consumption cost countries create creative critical Cuernavaca culture defined demand Dennis Sullivan depends deschooling of society DESCHOOLING SOCIETY disestablishment dropouts educa educational institutions educational vouchers Epimetheus equal expectations goals hidden curriculum highway hope increase individual initiative institutionalized instruction IVAN ILLICH Latin America learner learning liberal logic major manipulation match means meet ment modern myth nomic obligatory schooling opportunity packages Pandora Paulo Freire pedagogical peer-matching peers planned political poor produce profes professional propositional logic Puerto Rico pupils radical regressive taxation requires result rich ritual role school system schoolteacher scientific share skill exchange social spectrum structure style taught teachers teaching things Thomas Kuhn tion tional treatment


text:
KITTERY, Maine — In Ears 'n' Eyes is a visual and auditory sensation that will treat ones ears and eyes to new conversations in jazz idioms at The Dance Hall, Saturday, March 9, 7-9:30 p.m.
In Ears 'n' Eyes is a visual and auditory sensation that will treat ones ears and eyes to new conversations in jazz idioms. This season's In Ears 'n' Eyes fuses painting, song, poetry, modal, tonal, bebop and classically inspired compositions into an astoundingly original not-to-be-missed cultural event. You will be hearing 6 original compositions plus one original arrangement based on a poem by Czelaw Milosz.
Past IENE performances have included jazz tap and video, but this iteration offers something new. IENE 2013 enjoys the addition of vocalist Taylor O'Donnell. She will be presenting her arrangement for 'voices,' of Milosz' poem 'Love,' set to the music of Sam Sadigursky. Jonny Peiffer is arranging his composition 'Starlings.' It is based on the intuitive, mesmerizing movement that starlings display when they migrate in flocks. New compositions will be debuted by Rob Gerry, Eric Klaxton, Zach Lange, Chris Klaxton and Matt Langley, who offered this about his piece. "It's taking shape, Matt stated." Chuckling, he continued, "No really, my piece is called 'Taking Shape.' It explores the link between lines, spaces and shapes as they relate to art and music and shows how the two genres effect each other using written and improvised musical material."
Each piece in the performance is designed to develop conversations with every performer: instrumental, visual and vocal. Rob Gerry's piece grows from classical roots using voicings and contrapuntal melodies with a straight eighth approach while Chris Klaxton's song builds from a single tone into a full-blown discussion as Roger Goldenberg's paint begins to gain influence. Because the production intends to engage the audience as Participant, each composer will say a few words about their compositions and in some instances the audience may be invited to participate.
The concept for In Ears 'n' Eyes germinated about 4 years ago after Goldenberg preformed his first improvisational painting with pianist Mike Melvoin at Dartmouth College's Hopkins Center during the Class of 59 reunion (view on YouTube). Goldenberg was already thinking of his artwork as visual jazz, however, and it was the inventive mind of Goldenberg's friend Matt Langley that conceived of In Ears 'n' Eyes. In fact, it was Matt who came up with its moniker. Matt proposed a more robust performance that would include other jazz performers. Goldenberg hesitated to make this leap because he had yet to work out the logistical details of mixing colors on stage during a performance. The idea percolated in Goldenberg for about a year.
Roger commented on his hesitancy, "The painting process is so much slower than music-making. I worry that watching somebody mix paint for a couple of hours would be only slightly more interesting than watching the paint dry." Goldenberg's logistical dilemma was solved and his performer chops were honed during his on-stage performance in the West End Theatre's production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris a while back. Now that a number of performances of In Ears 'n' Eyes are under their belts, these adventurous performers are working to deepen the level of murmuration and conversation between their instruments and genres; thinking of new ways to present their material and how to include yet untapped genres for future performances.
The performance at the Dance Hall on March 9th marks another landmark for In Eyes 'n' Ears. This performance is being recorded. The documentation is being done by videographer Amanda Kowalski and sound engineer Chris Chase of 1,130 ft. Creative Media. The reason for the recording is to document the performance as an educational resource and to promote In Ears 'n' Eyes workshops and performances to schools in New Hampshire and beyond.
In fact, Goldenberg received the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts' prestigious Artist Entrepreneurial Grant Award to partially fund the creation of this video. At the end of March, Goldenberg will file the video with the State when he registers In Eyes 'n' Ears on NHSCA Artist/Teacher's Roster. The Artist/Teacher's Roster is a tool used by New Hampshire schools as a resource for finding quality, visiting artists for their schools and for artists to promote the sale of their workshops to schools. One of the musicians commented "We are all experienced and devoted educators, so it's a no-brainer that we present educational workshops in our schools."
To date, a condensed version of an In Eyes 'n' Ears educational workshop was presented at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center to an all-ages contingent of students numbering eleven. The ages ranged from 12 to 70 something. It was a blast!
A raffle and silent auction will be held. The paintings created at the event will be sold by silent auction ongoing throughout the performance and concluded at the end of the evening. One painting will be sold by raffle. The proceeds will help cover costs of production, hall rental, provide a modest stipend for the musicians.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.thedancehallkittery.org or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/338093. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.


text:
Today, a Security Bulletin (APSB13-03) has been posted in regards to a security hotfix for Adobe ColdFusion 10, 9.0.2, 9.0.1 and 9.0 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX. Adobe recommends users update their product installation using the instructions provided in the security bulletin.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.


text:
Last year, British supercar builder, Ascari revealed its Ferrari Enzo FXX fighter, the 625 hp A10 — a track-day toy that, unlike the FXX, is street legal. Now, the $600,000 A10's making its grand entrance at the UK's MPH show this month. With a claimed zero-to-60 time of 2.8 seconds — and to 100 mph in just over three more — the A10 could wind up as serious competition for the Koenigseggs and Nobles of the world. The company claims the A10 is the fastest road-going production car around a race track, though we've yet to see any numbers to back that up. Nonetheless, with only 10 of the sicko A10s set to be built, let's hope most will stay off the pages of Wrecked Exotics.
Ascari Launches New Supercar [internal]


text:
We're looking for a better world, but what do we see?
Just hatred, poverty, aggression, misery.
So much money spent on war
When three quarters of the world is so helplessly poor.
Major General Despair sits at his desk,
Planning a new mode of attack,
He's quite unconcerned about chance or risk,
The Major General's a hard nut to crack.
Oh yes, he designs a cruise missile,
Tactically sound, operationally O. K.,
While the starving crawl onto the deathpile,
They can't avoid their fate another day.
Attack on the mind, but he calls it defence,
But I ask you again who's it for?
Do the starving millions who don't stand a chance
Hope to benefit by his stupid war?
Babies crippled with hunger before they could walk,
Mothers with dry breasts cry dry tears,
And meanwhile Major General Despair gives a talk
On increasing the war budget over the years.
How can they do it, these men of steel,
How can they plot destruction, pain?
Is it the only way thatthey can feel,
By killing again and again?
Is it some part of themselves that has died
That permits them to plan as they do?
Or is it us that is dead, do we simply hide
From the responsibility to stop what they do?
There's so many of us, yet we let them have their way,
At this moment they're plotting and planning.
We've got to rise up to take their power away,
To save the world that they're ruining.
They're destroying the world with their maggot-filled heads,
Death, pain and mutilation,
They've got the responsibility of millions of dead.
Yet they're still bent on destruction.
The generals and politicians who advocate war should be made to wade in the truth of it,
They should spend sleepless nights shivering with fear and by day time should crawl in the deathpit.
They'll find the truth of what they've done there,
Festering corpses they and their kind made,
Eyeless skulls that endlessly stare
Having seen the truth of military trade.
The earth was our home, the wind and the air,
The blue sky, the grass and the trees,
But these masters of war, what do they care?
Only sentiments, these.
It's our world but through violence they took it away,
Took dignity, happiness, pride.
They took all the colours and changed them to grey
With the bodies of millions that died.
They destroy real meaning through their stupid games,
Make life a trial of fear.
They destroy what values we have with their aims,
Make us feel it's wrong if we care.
Well, we do care, it's our home, they've been at it too long,
If it's a fight they want, it's beginning.
Throughout history, we've been expected to sing their tired song
But now it's our turn to lead the singing...
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
We know you've heard it before.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your fucking war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
1 - 2 - 3 - 4


text:
Visit our archives for more gold & silver articles.
In the classic 1964 movie Goldfinger, James Bond tries to prevent the main villain, Auric Goldfinger, from detonating a dirty nuclear bomb inside Fort Knox. While in Fort Knox, Bond says:
Well, if you explode it [the bomb] in Fort Knox, the... the entire gold supply of the United States would be radioactive for... fifty-seven years.
Goldfinger is only a work of fiction. Fort Knox wasn't under the threat of a nuclear explosion (then again, who knows?). Nonetheless, it has been argued that it wouldn't really make difference if the gold in the fort were radioactive – nobody has seen much of it since the 1950s. On December 4 and December 12, 2012 in our two-part story on gold and the U.S. dollar, we highlighted two possibilities: the dollar collapses, gold goes up like crazy or the dollar doesn't collapse, gold still appreciates. In those commentaries, we analyzed the possibilities of gold appreciating and tied possible price levels with a number of factors, for instance with U.S. gold reserves as presented on the chart below.
On December 4, 2012, we wrote the following:
This chart presents the (…) relation of U.S. debt to Treasury gold reserves – the amount of debt per one ounce of gold – up to 2012. The red line represents U.S. Treasury gold reserves in metric tonnes, while the yellow line denotes the amount of U.S. debt in dollars per ounce of gold. The debt per ounce has visibly increased since 1971, accelerating around 2000 and even more around 2008. In 2012, there were $61,796.11 of debt per one ounce of gold owned by the U.S. government.
Now, if a new gold standard is introduced and the agreement works like the Bretton Woods system, the dollar (or whatever other currency) would be tied to gold. As noted earlier in this essay, at the introduction of the Bretton Woods agreement in 1944 the debt coverage for the U.S. stood at 10.9% (or $319.90 of debt per one troy ounce of gold). If the new system were based on similar assumptions with debt coverage at 10%, this would imply a fixed price of $6,179.61 per ounce of gold ($6,179.61 per ounce of gold divided by $61,796.11 of debt per one ounce of gold gives us coverage of 10%).
Since the publication of this essay, we have received a particularly interesting question about the assumptions we used:
Dear Mr. Radomski
Your December 4, 2012 article (…) is exceeding well-written and researched, and I gained a lot of knowledge from reading it. However there is one potential problem I see in all the logic you are applying to the current situation. It seems to me you are assuming the USA actually has gold at Fort Knox and West Point. But there is mounting, but unproven evidence, both places have no gold in them at all, and are rather storage places for nerve gas. (…) An audit of the US gold holdings has been demanded by some for years, but the government will not allow it. The gold belongs to the American people, so why won't they let us see it? Many think it is because it is no longer there. If that is indeed the case, do we not face a "financial Armageddon?" Thanks for reading this and any response you might have. (I am not a conspiracy freak!) (…)
We always appreciate our readers' feedback and would like to thank for it here. We also appreciate spot-on questions and see this particular one as intriguing, to say the least. Which brings us back to Fort Knox.
At first it may sound shocking, but the last audit of gold stored in Fort Knox took place in 1953. No typo here, 1953, just after U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower took office. Even though it is the last audit up to date, it can't be described as satisfying. No outside experts were allowed and the audit team tested only about 5% of gold hoarded in the fort. So, there hasn't been a comprehensive audit of Fort Knox in at least 60 (!!!) years. This is at least surprising, given the fact that large entities listed on stock exchanges are usually required to undergo an outside audit at least once a year. Of course, the U.S. Bullion Depository is no conventional company. Nonetheless, not auditing it independently for more than half of the century raises questions such as the one posted above.
This is no new topic. One of the first written accounts questioning the amount of gold really stored in Fort Knox appeared in 1974 in a tabloid, the National Tattler. An unnamed informant claimed that there was no gold left in Fort Knox. The sensational nature of the story, and of the newspaper, wouldn't perhaps contribute to the credibility of the account but it was later revealed that the informant, Louise Auchincloss Boyer, secretary to Nelson Rockefeller, had fallen out of the window of her New York apartment and died three days after the publication in the Tattler. The tragic incident resulted in controversies over the possibility that the U.S. Bullion Depository may have misstated the actual amount of gold held in Fort Knox. Congressman John R. Rarick demanded a Congressional investigation and, on September 23, 1974 six Congressmen, one Senator and the press were allowed to enter Fort Knox to see for themselves if the gold was there or not.
The tour showed that there was gold in Fort Knox but, all the same, it sparked even more controversies. Only a fraction of the gold reserves were available to see. A photo of one Congressman published by Associated Press suggested that gold bars held in the fort may have been less heavy than would be usually expected.
Quite obviously, this has resulted in even more doubt about the fineness of gold in Fort Knox. None of these doubts have been put aside by any of the audits carried out since 1974. When the reserves were audited, the amount of the gold examined was fractional and there has been no comprehensive bar count and weighting. The same goes for assaying – if a fraction of gold bars were examined at all, then a fraction of this fraction were assayed. The methods used in the assaying process were not conventional. Usually, during an assay, gold bars are examined by means of drilling, which is called the core boring method. But the bars in Fort Knox were examined merely by cutting of small chips of the metal from their surface. This method only proved that the outer layer of the bars examined was made of gold.
This difference in assaying methods is important if you consider that counterfeit "gold bars" have been showing up in New York recently and that fake gold bars turned up in LBMA Approved Vaults in Hong Kong. All these bars had one common characteristic: they were made of tungsten, which has similar density as gold, and covered with a gold veneer. The problem here is that such bars can go undetected if they are examined with X-ray fluorescence scans or by means of simply scraping of a bit of the metal from the surface. So, to properly assess the fineness of gold bars in Fort Knox, a full core boring method should be employed.
In 2012, the German federal court ordered that the German central bank, Bundesbank, conduct an audit of German gold reserves stored abroad, particularly in the U.S., U.K. and in France. The German authorities have never before conducted a comprehensive audit of their foreign gold reserves and the last time they were able to see their gold stored in the New York Federal Reserve vaults was supposedly in 1979/80. The Bundesbank has expressed that it doesn't doubt the trustworthiness of the U.S. authorities but demands stricter control over its gold reserves. Because of that 150 tons of gold will be shipped from the U.S. to Germany to assess the fineness of the bars.
All of this shows that the measures applied by the U.S. government to gold storage in Fort Knox and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's vaults are questionable and that this fact may have been recognized by German authorities. It's hardly conceivable that there is no gold left in Fort Knox or the New York vaults. On the other hand, the lack of a comprehensive audit of either facility is unnerving. So are other irregularities associated with Fort Knox: missing shipments, audits acknowledging the existence of gold based on seals that were not broken, not on the actual count and examination of bars and so on.
Of course, a full audit of Fort Knox wouldn't be an easy task because of the sheer amount of gold to be examined. But it's feasible. The U.S. Mint estimated the cost of such an audit to stand at $60 million. The Treasury came up with a lower estimate – $15 million. Even if we take the higher value, and compare it to the value of gold stored in Fort Knox (as of December 31, 2012, $240.8 billion) it adds up to about 0.02% of these reserves. In this light the Treasury cannot really claim that this is too expensive.
So, what does all of this mean for the analysis we presented in our essay on gold and the dollar collapse? In short words, not much. Our price target for gold is to be treated as a general indication of where gold might go if the dollar collapses. If the value of the greenback is reduced to paper, we would expect gold to appreciate, but not exactly to $6,179.61. It could appreciate to $5,000 or to $10,000 (in today's dollars). Nobody really knows that. The point is that if doubts about the amount of gold stored in Fort Knox are just that – unproven doubts – gold could be a lot more expensive (in dollar terms) than it is today. If, however, there's any substance in these doubts and gold reserves in Fort Knox are lower than officially reported, gold could go even higher, and the price of $6,000 per ounce of gold could be viewed as the lower bound of where it might go.
The bottom line is that if the dollar collapses and the gold reported to be in Fort Knox is really there, gold could appreciate very strongly. If the dollar crashes and Fort Knox is (partially) empty, gold could go sky-high (in dollar terms).
For more information on how to structure your gold and silver portfolio to deal with both the possibility of the dollar collapsing and the possibility that it will endure in spite of the current U.S. debt levels, please consult our essay on gold and silver portfolio. For information on why we use past gold tops as reference points, check our essay on the 1980 top in gold.
Thank you for reading.
Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA


text:
The internet ws crawling with Jobs reports last Thursday. Nearly every news aggregator put Apple's new leadership situation ahead of hurricane Irene evacuations. (Though always-classy AOL promoted the 10-year anniversary of Aaliyah's death and some scandalous Blake Lively pictures instead. Finger on the pulse!)
So the CEO torch has been passed to Chief Operating Officer and occasional substitute CEO Tim Cook. Visionary founder and leader Steve Jobs takes a strictly strategic role as Chairman of the Board, and may dump his trademark turtlenecks for a Sinatra-style tuxedo.
Torches pass down all the time, sometimes even from standout leaders in Steve Jobs' class. So let's look at a few famous stories of charismatic leaders passing the baton to see what history suggests about Apple under the leadership of Cook.
Case study 1: Microsoft from Bill Gates to Steve Ballmer
Perhaps the closest analogy to Steve's resignation comes from arch-rival Microsoft. Bill Gates made Microsoft into the most valuable company in the world before stepping down: Apple's $349 billion market cap as of last night looks paltry next to Microsoft's $600 billion valuation at the end of 1999.
Two weeks after that moment, Gates announced his resignation from the CEO post, passing the buck to trusted lieutenant Steve Ballmer. Gates stayed active as Chief Software Architect and Chairman before relinquishing the architect job in 2008, though he still runs the Board of Directors. Gates' operational duties have been scaled down in an orderly manner, giving him more time to spend on the Gates Foundation's charity work.
This was a dramatic change. The strategic planning that Bill Gates had done "in his head," according to Ballmer, became a job done by committee. At the same time, Ballmer went public with his rejection of Gates' leadership: "I'm not going to need him for anything. That's the principle. Use him, yes; need him, no," he said to The Wall Street Journal in 2008.
So how has that worked out for Ballmer? Microsoft's stock hit its zenith when he took the reins and has lost nearly 60 percent of its value since then. Microsoft is still big and important, but only the fifth-largest company in the world counting by market cap—some $150 billion behind Apple.
And that market slump is not undeserved. Under the reign of Ballmer, Microsoft has largely failed to capture the Internet opportunity and missed the mobile revolution. Windows Vista was a long time coming and then turned out to be a dud, much like Duke Nukem Forever. Sales growth over the last decade has been timid, profit margins are dwindling, and the once-reliable cash machine sometimes burns more cash than it makes.
You may not like the Gates way of doing business with a ruthless knack for erasing competition, but that model worked. Apple, which has nearly created several markets in the last decade (iPod, iTunes, iPad), needs to keep its eye on the next new thing rather than surfing its current product line into a wipeout.
Case study 2: Intel from Robert Noyce to Paul Otellini
Intel tells a happier story. The chip giant's first three CEOs were all cofounders with very different strengths: visionary Robert Noyce passed the job to engineering marvel Gordon Moore and then to "Only the paranoid survive" businessman Andy Grove. Craig Barratt and Paul Otellini have continued the tradition of strong leadership with orderly succession planning, and at no point in its 43-year history has Intel's survival been in doubt.
Granted, Intel's stock chart has followed Microsoft's pretty closely over the last decade. Like the other half of the WinTel partnership, Intel is growing more slowly these days due to the cooler PC market and explosive growth of ARM-powered smartphones and tablets. But Intel is squeezing more profit out of every sales dollar today even as Microsoft's profit share keeps declining. In short, I think Intel's bad market rap is undeserved while Microsoft's isn't.
Noyce, Moore, and Grove set the tone for decades of dominance and provided a blueprint for success to their heirs. Through popped Internet bubbles and economic chaos, and amid spirited challenges from AMD and ARM, Intel still stands tall. If Cook can keep the Good Ship Apple on course without losing momentum, and also culture an obvious next-in-command to take his place one day, this could be Apple's future.
Case study 3: Sun from Scott McNealy to Jonathan Schwartz
Scott McNealy wasn't Sun's first CEO, but he was one of its four cofounders and one of the longest-running chief executives in business history. After 22 years at the helm and with some turbulence at the end as that Internet bubble popped, McNealy signed off in 2006. On his watch, Sun Microsystems had played a major part in Internet history both on the hardware and software sides.
Jonathan Schwartz only had two years of high-level management experience, but he had a decade of company commitment. Schwartz lasted just three years at the top before the mortgage-based financial crisis of 2008 destroyed Sun's order flows. IBM and HP were armed with rock-solid balance sheets and could take a kidney punch, but Sun had no such luxury. In 2009, Sun signed an agreement to be acquired by Oracle; McNealy's successor never had a chance.
Was that McNealy's fault for not preparing the transition better or simply a stroke of bad luck? The truth probably lies somewhere in between those extremes. McNealy did nearly double Sun's cash balance in the last two years of his reign—buoyed by a $2 billion payment that ended a patent and royalty war with Microsoft—so he didn't hand over the keys of an already-crashed car. Perhaps he could have chosen a less reckless prince to take the throne.
We don't think that Apple's future looks anything like this.
The big picture
It's hard to come up with leadership-change examples of the magnitude Apple is facing. Much respect to Tim Cook and all, but Steve's shoes look nearly impossible to fill.
I find it comforting that Mr. Jobs stays on as Chairman, much like the Intel tradition of moving from CEO to board leader as the generations go by. Also, the recent health-related leaves of absence have helped prepare the new man for the job.
Still, Steve probably can't hold Tim's hand for a decade as Bill Gates did with Ballmer. There are health issues at work here, something Microsoft never had to deal with. In due time, we'll see exactly how much of Apple's success comes from Steve's visionary brain and how much can be done without this genius on deck.
Photo illustration by Aurich Lawson
See Also:
- The End of Innocence at Apple: How Steve Jobs Was Able to Save the Company
- Money Quotes, Steve Jobs-Style
- Aug. 6, 1997: Apple Rescued —�� by Microsoft
- The Plans For Steve Jobs' New House
- Photos: The Historic House Steve Jobs Demolished
- Steve Jobs | Epicenter
- Steve Jobs | Gadget Lab
- Steve Jobs | This Day In Tech


text:
Last week's Oracle OpenWorld was one of the largest IT conferences in the world, and was likely the largest vendor-focused conference. With 60,000 total attendees, including about 5,000 partner attendees both in person and online, Oracle OpenWorld was easily the best way to learn about and discuss all things Oracle from a customer and solution provider perspective.
At the same time, the conference provided no small measure of drama centered around the come-from-behind America's Cup win by Oracle Team USA, which included Oracle CEO Larry Ellison skipping a keynote to attend a race and a confrontation between an America's Cup protestor and police.
Regardless of whether you missed Oracle OpenWorld, or were there but way too busy to see everything, just turn the page to see some things you may have missed.


text:
There is no way to cure post-traumatic stress disorder, but those suffering from it can learn to manage it, health professionals said Tuesday night.
Kevin Smythe, a supervisory psychologist in the Mental Health Service Line at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, said managing the disorder is currently the only option.
"There are a lot of ebbs and flows (with the disorder)," Smythe said.
He was one of five panelists to speak about the disorder and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
The Cumberland County Public Library headquarters on Maiden Lane hosted the event, where about 60 people attended to learn more about the disorder and how it affects the community.
Other panelists included John Bigger, of the Regional Area Health Education Center; Dr. Harold Kudler, associate director of the VA's Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Deployment Mental Health and medical lead for the VISN 6 Rural Health Initiative; Heidi Vance, a licensed professional counselor associate and yoga therapist; and Molly VanDuser, a national certified counselor.
Post-traumatic stress starts after some life altering event that can be visible through several symptoms, including irritation, nightmares and hypervigilance, Kudler said.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is when those symptoms have lasted longer than a month and affected one's ability to work and socialize. It is a diagnosed disorder, he said.
Library officials said the topic was important to discuss in the community because Fayetteville's population is greatly affected by nearby Fort Bragg, one of the U.S. military's largest installations.
"I still think there is a stigma attached to get information about this topic," said Jennifer Taft, who is the library system's awareness coordinator.
Taft said the talk was aimed toward a general public audience to keep the discussion relevant as to how the disorder can affect the community.
While Smythe said there's no cure for the diagnosis, VanDuser said family members and neighbors can work to address and soothe disorder symptoms.
"Support them," she said. "That way, when (soldiers) get back, you'll have a pulse on them."
VanDuser said being friendly with soldier neighbors and knowing their normal behavior could make it easier to notice changes in their behavior after they return from war.
Even noticing changes and offering to assist those suffering from the disorder is only part of the equation, panelists said.
Smythe said the only way someone can get better or remedy their symptoms is when they are ready to address their diagnosis.


text:
Back To Projects
In-Line Painted White
View Project
In-Line Painted Light Grey & White
Inset Cube Dusk Grey & Bellato Grey
In-Line Painted Light Grey & Vertical Hemlock Nordique with Inset handle
In-Line Gloss Cashmere
Inset Gladstone Oak and Oblique Gloss White
Brown Grey Avola & Satin White
In-Line Gloss White & Brown Grey Avola
In-Line Painted Taupe & Hemlock Nordique Inset
In-Line Gloss Grey
In-Line Painted Light Grey
Milton painted Light Praline
In-Line Painted Anthracite
Inset Mattonella Gloss White
In-Line Gloss White
In-Line Gloss Light Grey
Click here to read more about our company.
Read More
Click here to view what our customers say about us.
Click here to read more on frequently asked questions.
Call or email us now for free, no obligation advice – we'll be happy to recommend something perfect for your requirements.
Email Us
85 Church Road
01784 245964
1-2 The Parade
The Broadway
Farnham Common
01753 642362
Copyright © 2019 Ashford Kitchens and Interiors ltd. Registered in England and Wales No.6404041 Registered Office: Hershel House, 58 Hershel Street, Slough SL1 1PG | Directors: R. T. S. & G. Flower & G. Fox VAT Reg. No. 925 1805 31
Website Designed and Developed by Exposure Ninja
Farnham Common


text:
Columbia River Graham Stubby Folding Razel 2″ Blade, Ram Horn Handle
Another in the great, Razel series.
Here is the Columbia River info:
Serious craftsmen love the Razel™ idea. But some demanded folders, so here they are, the hardest-working knives we have made.
Our CRKT fixed-blade Razel™ series designed by Jon and Josh Graham of Graham Knives in Cleveland, Tennessee, has captured the attention of every craftsman who has seen them. But many insisted that we make folding versions, so they could whip out the knife for a task, open it with one hand, make the cut, close it with one hand, and clip it back into their pocket or work apron without looking down for a sheath. We had to admit it was faster, so the Grahams went to work and these new folders are the result.
Because we know that craftsmen respect a quality tool, we decided to make these models using premium 8CR13MoV stainless steel blades and top-of-the-line scale materials. Removable stainless steel clips are included on all models.
The Stubby Folding Razel™ is a short little frame lock with straight cutting edges of 2.0″ and 0.923″. The blade is easily opened with either hand, thanks to dual knurled thumb studs. The hand-contoured ram horn scales swell to fit securely in your palm. Three stainless steel back spacers yield an easily cleaned open build. This is the perfect tool to use for any precision cutting task, such as shaving just a few thousandths of an inch from a woodworking cut, or cleaning up the inside corners of a mortise. And it is strong enough with hefty liners, a 0.13″ thick blade, a deep finger choil and ample thumb friction grooves, to handle any rough cutting job, too. Whether you're a woodworker, electrician, mechanic, sculptor, or home hobbyist, you'll become attached to this little guy.
* Blade: Width: 0.923″ (23 mm)
* Length: 2.0″ (51 mm)
* Thickness: 0.13″ (3.3 mm)
* Steel: 8Cr13MoV, 58-59 HRC
* Closed: Handle length: 3.25″ (83 mm)
* Open: Overall length: 5.25″ (133 mm)
* Weight: 4.4 oz. (125 g)
About the Knife Designers
Jon and Josh Graham of Cleveland, Tennessee, were born to a father who had an appreciation for knives, and at a young age they were taught the importance of a good knife. "At the ages of seven and eight we got our first knives on the same day, and haven't been without one since." In the late '80s while stationed at Aviaono AB Italy, Jon discovered handmade knives in a magazine and knew that was something he wanted to do. After getting out of the Air Force and settling into a job, Jon started making kit knives on a table with basic tools in 1994. Tired of making other people's designs, in 1999 Jon asked his brother Josh to go in on some equipment and learn how to make knives by stock removal. They have both been hooked ever since, and constantly strive to improve their designs and skills, building on Jon's experience as a diesel technician, and Josh's background in cabinetmaking. They specialize in utility tactical designs with an emphasis on EDC fixed blade pocket knives, but their favorite knife line is the Razel, which they make in many sizes and styles.