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===GStreamer on the DSP===
===GStreamer on the DSP===
There is a package available for the beagle called gst-dsp, which is a native GStreamer plug-in to give it access to the DSP. Along with gst-opamfb and the dsp-bridge driver, this should allow us to access the DSP directly and output video directly to the framebuffer. OpenCV can interact with GStreamer, so this appears to be a very promising direction for the project. See [http://felipec.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/new-project-gst-dsp-with-beagleboard-demo-image/ this article] for more information and a demonstration. That article also has a link to a minimal beagle image that provides a native framebuffer video player without requiring X.
There is a package available for the beagle called gst-dsp, which is a native GStreamer plug-in to give it access to the DSP. Along with gst-opamfb and the dsp-bridge driver, this should allow us to access the DSP directly and output video directly to the framebuffer. OpenCV can interact with GStreamer, so this appears to be a very promising direction for the project. See [http://felipec.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/new-project-gst-dsp-with-beagleboard-demo-image/ this article] for more information and a demonstration. That article also has a link to a minimal beagle image that provides a native framebuffer video player without requiring X.
Revision as of 22:49, 20 May 2010
- 1 Project Overview
- 2 Team Members
- 3 Steps
- 4 Installing OpenCV (Development Machine)
- 5 Installing OpenCV on the Beagle
- 6 OpenCV Haar Training
- 7 Display Buffer Mapping
- 8 Pico Projector Integration
- 9 Future Directions
- 10 Reference
Project Overview
The goal of this project is to use the beagle board to run image recognition on a camera feed located inside a car, and then signaling to the driver via a pico projector various objects of interest.
Team Members
- Create Minimal Linux Image that can run OpenCV and run the display
- Determine hardware needed for the project
- Work on getting a camera functioning on the beagle board
- OpenCV running nativly on beagle with min config
- OpenCV working on video stream
- Projector working on Beagle
- Car integration (power)
- Algorithm development
Installing OpenCV (Development Machine)
This is a script that will install OpenCV on a debian-based development machine. The script will add the debian testing repositories and install OpenCV and its dependencies. The repositories are then removed to avoid conflicts with existing packages during regular updates.
#!/bin/bash echo "deb http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ testing main" > /tmp/opencv-temp.list echo "deb-src http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ testing main" >> /tmp/opencv-temp.list sudo mv /tmp/opencv-temp.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opencv-temp.list sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y --allow-unauthenticated libcv4 libcv-dev libhighgui4 libhighgui-dev libcvaux4 libcvaux-dev sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opencv-temp.list sudo apt-get update
Installing OpenCV on the Beagle
Probably the easiest place to start is by using narcissus. Choose beagleboard as the machine type and unstable for the release. In order for highgui to work (necessary for camera capture unless you are using GStreamer), you must build an image with X11 support. Therefore, choose X11 for the user environment. The choice for the X11 desktop environment is not critical, but it would be wise to choose something fairly lightweight, such as Enlightenment. It took several hours for Gnome to configure upon first boot. Once the filesystem has been extracted to a properly formatted SD card with an appropriate kernel on the boot partition (we tested this using 2.6.29), you should be able to boot. Upon boot, you will need to run opkg update. After this, you will need to run opkg install with the following packages:
- gcc
- gcc-dev
- binutils
- binutils-dev
- opencv
- opencv-dev
- g++
You should now be able to compile using:
g++ signdetect.cpp -o signdetect -I /usr/include/opencv/ -L /usr/lib -lm -lcv -lhighgui -lcvaux
OpenCV Haar Training
Gather Samples
Due to the large volume of sample data needed to create a effective Haar Cascade (about 1000 positive images) it is easier to gather video of a positive target and then break apart the video frame by frame and use the results as images. There are 2 two types of images, good and background. Both types of images are important in order for the cascade to be trained accurately.
Create Index File
There are two index files needing to be created in order for the system to train on the images, a background index file creating a list of filelocations, and a positive index file containing the positive file locations, the number of objects in the picture and the rectangular locations for the object.
Creating the Negative Index File
Use the following automated script from within the background images folder:
#!/bin/bash find ./*.jpg -maxdepth 2 -print > background.idx find ./*.png -maxdepth 2 -print >> background.idx find ./*.bmp -maxdepth 2 -print >> background.idx find ./*.jpeg -maxdepth 2 -print >> background.idx
Creating the Positive Index File
Use the following source code to create a training program that allows the user to click on the upper left and lower right of a object to select it and then press a key to return.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // // Calibrate.cpp // Date: 4/20/10 // Author: Christopher Routh // This program brings up the necessary images and allows the user to // select correct training spots for objects and generates a index file. // //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// #include <stdlib.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <math.h> #include <cv.h> #include <highgui.h> #include <sys/types.h> #include <dirent.h> #include <errno.h> #include <vector> #include <string> #include <iostream> #include <fstream> using namespace std; static CvSize imageSize; static CvPoint old_click_pt; static CvPoint new_click_pt; static std::vector<CvPoint> pointsClicked; /*function... might want it in some class?*/ int getdir (std::string dir, std::vector<string> &files) { DIR *dp; struct dirent *dirp; if((dp = opendir(dir.c_str())) == NULL) { std::cout << "Error(" << errno << ") opening " << dir << std::endl; return errno; } while ((dirp = readdir(dp)) != NULL) { files.push_back(string(dirp->d_name)); } closedir(dp); files.erase(files.begin(), files.begin()+2); return 0; } // handle mouse clicks here void mouse_callback(int event, int x, int y, int flags, void* obj) { if (event == CV_EVENT_LBUTTONDOWN) { cout << "(x,y) = (" << x << "," << y << ")" << endl; // reset old_click_pt old_click_pt.x = new_click_pt.x; old_click_pt.y = new_click_pt.y; // get new click point -- note the coordinate change in y new_click_pt.x = x; // coming in from the window system new_click_pt.y = imageSize.height-y; // window system and images have different y axes pointsClicked.push_back(cvPoint(new_click_pt.x, new_click_pt.y)); } } int getCorrectObjectLocation(string file, vector<CvRect> &results) { IplImage* img = 0; // load an image cout << "Trying to load: " << file << endl; img=cvLoadImage((file.insert(0, "./good/").c_str())); if(!img){ printf("Could not load image file: %s\n",(file.insert(0, "./good/").c_str())); exit(0); } // get the image data int height = img->height; int width = img->width; int step = img->widthStep; int channels = img->nChannels; uchar* data = (uchar *)img->imageData; printf("Processing a %dx%d image with %d channels\n",height,width,channels); // create a window cvNamedWindow("mainWin", CV_WINDOW_AUTOSIZE); // show the image cvShowImage("mainWin", img ); cvSetMouseCallback( "mainWin", mouse_callback ); // wait for a key cvWaitKey(0); int properClicks = pointsClicked.size() % 2; if(properClicks != 0 || pointsClicked.size() == 0){ cout << "Improper Number of Points Clicked: " << pointsClicked.size() << " Selected" << endl; return -1; }else{ //Process new rectangles for(unsigned int i = 0; i < pointsClicked.size(); i++){ cout << "Recieved Points X: " << pointsClicked.at(i).x << " Y: " << pointsClicked.at(i).y << endl; } for(unsigned int i = 0; i < pointsClicked.size(); i=i+2){ CvPoint topLeft = pointsClicked.at(i); CvPoint bottomRight = pointsClicked.at(i+1); results.push_back( cvRect(topLeft.x,abs(topLeft.y), (bottomRight.x - topLeft.x), abs((topLeft.y - bottomRight.y)) ) ); cout << "Rectangle Created --- X: " << topLeft.x << " Y: " << abs(topLeft.y) << " Width: " << (bottomRight.x - topLeft.x) << " Height: " << abs((topLeft.y - bottomRight.y)) << endl; } pointsClicked.clear(); } // release the image cvReleaseImage(&img ); return 0; } int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { IplImage* img = 0; int height,width,step,channels; uchar *data; int i,j,k; string dir = string("./good/"); vector<string> files = vector<string>(); getdir(dir,files); vector<CvRect> objectRects = vector<CvRect>(); ofstream vecFile; vecFile.open ("./good/signs.idx"); for (unsigned int i = 0;i < files.size();i++) { int success = getCorrectObjectLocation(files.at(i), objectRects); if(success != 0){ i--; pointsClicked.clear(); }else{ vecFile << "good/" << files.at(i) << " " << objectRects.size(); for(int j = 0; j < objectRects.size(); j++) { vecFile << " " << objectRects.at(j).x << " " << objectRects.at(j).y << " " << objectRects.at(j).width << " " << objectRects.at(j).height; } vecFile << endl; objectRects.clear(); } } //Close the Vector File vecFile.close(); cout << endl << endl << "****** INDEX FILE CREATED ******"; return 0; }
Also, there is another way to crop the positive samples from sample set. Using images clipper tools can help to crop the positive samples directly from the image sets. And the find command and identify command (from ImageMagick) will find and gather images' information like width and height.
$ find <dir> -name '*.<ext>' -exec identify -format '%i 1 0 0 %w %h' \{\} \; > <description_file>
Create Samples
Using the positive samples the creasamples cammand can apply transforms to the images and add them to the background images creating a wider range of images to train on. The syntax for this command is:
Usage: ./createsamples [-info <description_file_name>] [-img <image_file_name>] [-vec <vec_file_name>] [-bg <background_file_name>] [-num <number_of_samples = 1000>] [-bgcolor <background_color = 0>] [-inv] [-randinv] [-bgthresh <background_color_threshold = 80>] [-maxidev <max_intensity_deviation = 40>] [-maxxangle <max_x_rotation_angle = 1.100000>] [-maxyangle <max_y_rotation_angle = 1.100000>] [-maxzangle <max_z_rotation_angle = 0.500000>] [-show [<scale = 4.000000>]] [-w <sample_width = 24>] [-h <sample_height = 24>]
There are two way to achieve it. The first and simple one is to generate the samples from one positive image. With background images, rotating angle and insensitivity deviation setup, the positive samples can be generated quickly by computer. However, comparing with gathering samples from tons of real images, the accuracy for this sample set will be low.
The example command is as below.
$ opencv-createsamples -img stopSign.jpeg -num 1000 -bg background.idx -vec signs.vec -maxxangle 0.6 -maxyangle 1.1 -maxzangle 0.6 -maxidev 100 -bgcolor 0 -bgthresh 0 -w 40 -h 40
The second one is to create samples from multiple images which either selected or cropped from the method described above. This is the method we used for training stop signs. Because unlike using one standard positive image, the multiple positive samples are much more accurate, comparing with color intensity and image distortion. Using the good images' description file, the command is like below:
$ opencv-createsamples -info signs.idx -vec signs.vec -w 40 -h 40
Run Haar Training Program
The utility of Haar training is as below:
Usage: ./haartraining -data <dir_name> -vec <vec_file_name> -bg <background_file_name> [-npos <number_of_positive_samples = 2000>] [-nneg <number_of_negative_samples = 2000>] [-nstages <number_of_stages = 14>] [-nsplits <number_of_splits = 1>] [-mem <memory_in_MB = 200>] [-sym (default)] [-nonsym] [-minhitrate <min_hit_rate = 0.995000>] [-maxfalsealarm <max_false_alarm_rate = 0.500000>] [-weighttrimming <weight_trimming = 0.950000>] [-eqw] [-mode <BASIC (default) | CORE | ALL>] [-w <sample_width = 24>] [-h <sample_height = 24>] [-bt <DAB | RAB | LB | GAB (default)>] [-err <misclass (default) | gini | entropy>] [-maxtreesplits <max_number_of_splits_in_tree_cascade = 0>] [-minpos <min_number_of_positive_samples_per_cluster = 500>]
Commands differ based upon application and intended sample size, the command my group used was:
opencv-haartraining -data signs_drivedata_rev1 -vec signs.vec -bg background.idx -nstages 20 -nsplits 2 -minhitrate 0.995 -maxfalsealarm .5 -npos 730 -nneg 835 -w 40 -h 40 -nonsym -mem 2048 -mode ALL
Display Buffer Mapping
In order to get access to the display buffer on the beagle, you will need to run the following in U-Boot
setenv bootargs console=ttyS2,115200n8 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rw rootwait omapfb.mode=1024x768MR-16@60 omapfb.debug=y omapdss.def_disp=dvi omapfb.vram=0:10M,1:10M vram=20M
Other sources have mentioned setting a value for mmcargs. However, we were not able to get it to work properly until the options were applied directly to the bootargs variable.
Pico Projector Integration
As of revision C4 of the Beagleboard there is no necessary configuration needed to display native resolution on the projector.
Future Directions
GStreamer on the DSP
There is a package available for the beagle called gst-dsp, which is a native GStreamer plug-in to give it access to the DSP. Along with gst-opamfb and the dsp-bridge driver, this should allow us to access the DSP directly and output video directly to the framebuffer. OpenCV can interact with GStreamer, so this appears to be a very promising direction for the project. See this article for more information and a demonstration. That article also has a link to a minimal beagle image that provides a native framebuffer video player without requiring X.
Learning OpenCV: Computer Vision with the OpenCV Library, Gary Bradski and Adrian Kaehler Haar training Tutorials: http://note.sonots.com/SciSoftware/haartraining.html


text:
President Barack Obama's allies in organized labor and progressive groups are drawing a line in the sand when it comes to so-called "triggers" that would require a secure border as a precondition to allowing undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship.
Left-leaning groups told the president during a meeting this week that any preconditions on creating a pathway to citizenship would be a deal-breaker in terms of winning their support.
"That is not the starting point," said Marielena Hincapie of the National Immigration Law Center when asked about part of the Senate's bipartisan immigration reform proposal that would make prospects for full citizenship contingent on increased border security. "What we are demanding is a road to citizenship that's clear, that's direct, not contingent at all on additional enforcement."
The concept is one of the "basic legislative pillars" of a bipartisan Senate proposal on comprehensive immigration reform. While vague, the language is geared towards conservative lawmakers who want tough enforcement mechanisms in place before a path to citizenship can be formed.
The second of the Senate's four pillars reads: "Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required."
The trigger has been an essential component for conservatives like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the four Republican senators to help craft the plan.
"I will not be supporting any law that does not ensure that the enforcement things happen," he told conservative blogger Ed Morrisey in late January.
Yuri Gripas / Reuters
President Barack Obama waves as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 6 before his departure to Annapolis, Md.
But progressive groups have been ratcheting up the pressure on the president, whom they assert agrees about the concept of a trigger.
"There is clear alignment between us and the president and we look forward to expressing that power as the debate carries forward," said Marshall Fitz of the Center for American Progress, adding, "We're going to focus like a laser beam on the path to citizenship."
While White House press secretary Jay Carney seemed to split the difference between the two approaches, saying the president remained committed to both border security and a path to citizenship, but not going so far as to link the two.
"He remains, as part of the comprehensive immigration reform process, committed to increasing our border security further," Carney said. "But when we talk about comprehensive immigration reform, we're talking about a whole package that moves as a whole, and that includes a clear path to citizenship for people who are affected here," Carney said.
Cornell University Law School professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert, said one possible compromise between the two sides would be an enforcement mechanism based on objective criteria, like a certain number of Border Patrol agents along the border or amount of money spent on security.
Politico Playbook: "The usual suspects pushing immigration reform have a new ally in the fight this time -- the religious right," writes Politico's Anna Palmer. Mike Allen joins Morning Joe to discuss how the Faith and Freedom Coalition is springing into action for the cause.
But he said that if Republicans insist on a subjective measure, such as whether a poll finds the majority of Americans think the border is secure, or whether Republican governors of border states agree the border is secure, common ground will be much more difficult to find.
Asked about the political feasibility of objective measures in a final immigration bill, Yale-Loehr said, "I would hope than an objective one would satisfy the conservatives enough that they could live with it while not antagonizing the other side too much."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to the Peak Edge Hotel
The Peak Edge Hotel, a family owned 4 star, modern boutique hotel nestled on the edge of Derbyshire's Peak District National Park located 10 minutes drive from Chesterfield Town Centre and its sister hotel Casa, It is in an ideal location for guests who enjoy walking, outdoor pursuits, cycling, golfing or those who just want a complete getaway.
The luxury boutique hotel has 27 bedrooms and all boast stunning views over the Derbyshire Countryside yet you are only a few miles from all major road networks. Historic Haddon Hall, Chatsworth House, the market towns of Chesterfield, Bakewell & Matlock are all on our doorstep.


text:
Letters The people have spoken. Vista seems to be a success, of sorts. While some of you are experiencing teething problems, the majority agree it is very pretty. Which is nice.
This reader was particularly flattering…
I read one of your articles "Vista creeps over the Horizon" where you asked for emails from people who have downloaded vista and office 12.
I have installed both and have been running them for the past fortnight or so via an MSDN license. My experiences have in large been fantastic. Reliability has been top notch and I have experienced no serious issues at all.
The only minor issue seems I have experienced seems to be playing some mpegs in windows media player. Bizarrely they work fine in the preview through picture viewer but not through media player? I have used the new backup and shadow copy features and they seem to work great.
The ability to open folders, especially large ones set to thumbnail view is massively faster in Vista. One particular folder in XP takes on average 3 mins to open, in Vista it takes only a few seconds. The search functionality, whilst similar to Google Desktop, is integrated much better and easier to navigate and to find the items you really want.
I love the new UI in both Vista and Office. Office is a revelation, some of the enhanced rendering and functions make advanced and basic using significantly easier, and the results can look like very professional. It takes a bit of time getting used to some Office applications "ribbon" menu, but once you have got used to it, it is much easier to find what you really want.
I have also noticed that Office 11 (not sure on other versions) seems to automatically download a compatibility pack to ensure it can open and use some of the functionality of documents written in Office 12, possibly meaning that organisations don't necessarily have to update everyone's software in one go. In large, I have been massively impressed.
I've installed it on a brand new laptop... and it sure is pretty and the graphics render quickly.. I've not been so impressed by a User Interface since a 1985 and the Apple Mac.
Some things seem to be broken:
- Forgets that I've already selected the "keep google as default search", and prompts to select from a list.
- Treats Java like a dangerous virus.
- The news feeder does not allow non MSN news to be added
Other comments:
- Project 2007 & Visio 2007 do not share the new office button-bar
- Visual Studio 2005 prompts to download a fix for Vista because of compatibility.
- Memory usage at rest went from 300mb to 700mb in the upgrade
I installed Vista (MSDN Ultimate Edition) and Office 2007 onto my ancient Toshiba Tecra M1 laptop which I'm not even sure counts as having any sort of graphics card. Not only does it now boot faster than XP ever did, it also supports all the onboard hardware out of the box and is much more responsive than XP ever was. Overall, I'm extremely impressed so far – particularly as I was expecting it to run like an absolute dog on this laptop!
I have also installed 64-bit vista on my hand-build Atlon64 X2 system and it also runs nicely there too – only issue I've come across is that I can't get drivers for my cheapie Actiontec USB 802.11b WiFi thingie
Applications can no longer steal focus when they want your attention. Instead, they now politely blink on the taskbar. That alone is worth the upgrade for me.
Have just set up Windows Vista 64 bit and I'm emailing from it now. Seems good so far (3 hours ish!), but it completely ignores Windows Server 2003 group policies. Looks pretty though, nicer than OS X Aqua IMO. Haven't had to install any drivers yet at all, this on a Dell Precision 380. I've only had problems with finding drivers for printers, presumably because of being the 64 bit version.
Overall, not as bad as some people make it out to be.
Not too bad, eh? Unfortunately, Windows Vista Business N hasn't received the same accolades:
I downloaded Vista about a week and a half ago. I have it running on 3 machine.
There are two versions of Vista Business, one with an "N", and one without.
It seems that the "N" stands for nobbled, because Media Player (and other less important stuff) has been removed.
The non "N" version is better. The aero interface runs on a basic graphics card (a cheap Dell machine), but some applications won't work with the aero interface, and resort to a "basic" look until the application is shutdown. Bizarrely this includes Flight Sim X (better on Vista according to the box!)
The rest is a typical Same Old, Same Old. Some stuff works, some doesn't (Nero 7, I'm looking at you)
On my home computer (for testing purposes obviously), the COM keeps crashing, and I've had a few lockups, especially with regards to the sleep-mode. Once the computer rebooted whilst sat doing nothing what-so-ever.
A strange feature is the Power Off button, which puts the computer into sleep mode. This takes longer to start-up again than a clean start. Now turning the computer off becomes a menu option, not just a button press.
Final analysis is that there is no big improvement from XP, it still feels buggy, and whatever you do, don't get Windows Vista Business N!
Nor is this reader impressed:
So here I am, downloaded the iso, burned to DVD, installed on suitably powered work horse. Install drivers, well the ones I can find any way! Install office 2007, and everything looks clean, tidy, fresh and new! And here is where the fun starts, we use isa server 2004, and given that there are applications that are not proxy aware one needs to install the isa server firewall client, however the firewall client has "known compatibility issues". No worry, let's just install the new one for windows vista... but there isn't one... and then a user approaches me, can i change my password for the network please? Of cause I say! So I go to install the windows server 2003 SP1 admin tools... seem to install fine, run active directory users and computers... and hey presto...! Broke.... I could go on and on...! I think it's safe to say the Beta testing process has just begun...!
I just read your article on Vista and thought I'd give you my brief experience of it having just downloaded and installed it from MSDN this afternoon. Everything went fine, including updating the drivers via Windows Update then I clicked on IE's icon and got a blue screen of death! Fortunately after the automatic reboot IE decided to open.
Oh and it does look very pretty!
Pretty or not, things get worse.
You asked for first impressions - have been running Vista Business today on a Dell Precision.
UI is lovely - no complaints there.
Cannot get it to talk to our department 'Snap Server' at all - I've tried changing NTLM negotiations to no effect.
Server 2003 admin tools simply do not work. On running 'Terminal Services Manager' for example, I am told that it failed, then a pop up tells me this will be fixed in the 'final version' of Vista. (I tought this WAS the final version...)
The new Terminal Services client is INFURIATING. Say you want to do something simple, like connect to a terminal server that is in a domain. First, you HAVE To input a username before it will even attempt to connect, but then, it will treat the username you give it as a local account on the server, tell you that it failed to log in (no shit, but worse - this could cause an account lock out) then finally you get to be able to type in your credentials, but the domain is set to the local machine context. Come back TS client 5 - all is forgiven.
I was initially impressed with support for Rupert, my Orange M3100 - connected it and in a few seconds it was ready to go. Vast improvements over active sync include the ability to browse the device exactly like the existing drives (i.e. my internal storage and storage card are presented in explorer as drives) and a lot faster. Still can't simply save directly to the phone which would be nice as it would be like having a flash pen but at least I can double click images and view them from Vista without having to transfer them first.
'Sync Center' seems to be the replacement for ActiveSync, however it only seems to want to let me sync music with Windows Media Player, but worse - it doesn't let me choose the 1Gb card I have in the phone - only the 53Mb of internal storage I have free. Naturally in true Microsoft fashion it warns me that this is not enough storage, while totally ignoring the 800Mb I have free on the storage card.
The ability to sync with Outlook does not present itself. Hmm.
Am going to be experimenting by installing Vista on various other hardware we have lying around.
And then worse again...
My review of Vista is limited to: I wouldn't install it even if you paid me to. Even if you paid me a lot.
It is crap. And I thought XP was bad. Pretty new graphics don't make up for constant reminders, questions, and babying by the OS.
Oh dear.
A few of my fellow moderators who are lucky enough to have earned MVP status have their free MSDN accounts, and have had vista for almost 2 weeks now, there is plenty about it in our Windows Vista Forum here: http://discussions.virtualdr.com i'm not lucky enough to catch Microsoft's eye yet, so i guess i'll have to wait until January 30th aswell.:-(
I installed Vista (MSDN Ultimate Edition) and Office 2007 onto my ancient Toshiba Tecra M1 laptop which I'm not even sure counts as having any sort of graphics card. Not only does it now boot faster than XP ever did, it also supports all the onboard hardware out of the box and is much more responsive than XP ever was. Overall, I'm extremely impressed so far – particularly as I was expecting it to run like an absolute dog on this laptop! I have also installed 64-bit vista on my hand-build Atlon64 X2 system and it also runs nicely there too – only issue I've come across is that I can't get drivers for my cheapie Actiontec USB 802.11b WiFi thingie J
I installed Vista RC1 and it scared the daylights out of my PC (3.0GHz, 2GB RAM, 128MB Graphics, etc.) and I cleansed my system of it in less than a week. I didn't get round to testing RC2, but I have recently downloaded and installed the latest release through MSDN and it installed a lot easier than RC1; I only had to hunt for 1 device driver.
I have only put a few applications on it so far, mostly Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2005, but the one application that caused grief was Nero. I upgraded my OEM v6.3 copy to the latest "Vista compatible" version from Nero, but got multiple failures during the installation. I have been able to burn a DVD using Nero Burning ROM, but find it concerning that there were so many problems during the installation. As the latest version of Nero comes bundled loads of stuff (why would I want a replacement for Media Centre when I don't use the Microsoft version anyway?) it may take some time to figure out what doesn't work properly. I have emailed Nero about this, but they haven't bothered to respond to me yet.
On the whole I have to say it looks nice enough and I shall probably switch to Vista full-time (currently dual-booting) in the very near future.
So there you have it. If you've just downloaded the new products, or are busy doing so, we want to hear how you got on. Send your views to email@example.com. ®


text:
This excerpt was taken from a commentary delivered by Ben Stein about the observance of Christmas, in an interview with Charles Osgood on CBS Sunday Morning, December 18, 2005.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto . In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Here's to you Ben!! Merry Christmas!


text:
One of your (favorite?) Kotaku editors is on College Humor's Nerd Alert show. The topics: Duke Nukem Forever not being very good. EA possibly imbalanacing Battlefield 3 through some downloadable content shenanigans...then we talked to a quadraplegic gamer who wants developers to make controls re-mappable so people like him can play them (which he does well, with his face!). Yeah, I think only one of those things really matters. Give the whole segment a look at College Humor.
More from Kotaku
Very nice! But does it rival this...


text:
Navigate to Norfolk
Convenient to Norfolk International Airport and Virginia Beach
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For the Latino moviegoers who already saw Argo or who will now see it due to the 7 Oscar nominations it received today from the Academy, you might be plunged into the controversy that has arisen from the big reveal in the movie — Ben Affleck, who directs and stars in the film, plays the lead role character named Tony Mendez, an obvious Latino.
So why did Affleck, an Irish guy, play him as opposed to a Latino actor? What did Tony Mendez, the real life CIA agent that inspired the film think? And is he really a Latino (couldn't find any detailed news on his heritage on the web)?Many people are upset at Affleck's logic here, but I decided to go to the source, Mendez himself, and interview him about his Latino roots and Affleck's decision not to hire a Latino thespian to play the lead role.
Jack Rico (JR): What is your full name?
Tony Mendez (TM): Antonio Joseph Mendez
JR: When I first saw "Argo," I was stunned when Ben Affleck's character revealed himself to have the last name of Mendez. Was the star character of one of the best movies of the year Hispanic? I then tried to look for as much information as I could about your Hispanic heritage and I couldn't really find anything that officialized you as a Hispanic. So now that I have you exclusively here… what is your nationality?
TM: I was born in the U.S. in Nevada and my family came there, to this location, Eureka, Nevada, during the time of the gold rush.
JR: So, the 1900's?
TM: Turn of the century. My great-grandfather came from Italy and he married an Irish woman and there was a French connection there. So, that's my mother's side. On the other side, on my father's side, his family was originally from Mexico.
JR: Wait, what part of Mexico?
TM: We don't know, it's kind of a mystery surrounding him, because we think our name might not be Mendez, but Gomez. There was a time that he was living in Los Angeles and my great-grandfather… great-grandmother, his daughter was killed in an automobile accident, she was a young woman. He didn't get along with her sister and from what we understand he took the two boys and disappeared and renamed himself and the boys Mendez. So, that's where it gets cloudy.
JR: Do you speak Spanish?
TM: No, I was in a household without my father because he was killed in the copper mines in Nevada and my mother's side didn't speak Spanish and there was nobody around speaking Spanish when I was growing up. I've studied languages as part of our training, but I don't have a native language other than sometimes English. *laughs*
JR: But you did learn Spanish while you were in the CIA, correct?
TM: You end up speaking whatever you need to speak, to defend yourself. We had people who specialized in area studies, languages and so forth working with us. In a real expatriation, you would at minimum have an artist and a linguist, because you need to be able to read and write this stuff so you can make false documents and whatever else, you need to be able to create it.
JR: A lot of Hispanic moviegoers, when they found out that the name of Ben's character was Tony Mendez they immediately thought — "why is Ben playing a Hispanic character?" Ben is obviously not Hispanic. No one has been able to get a legitimate answer on the matter, until now. Were there ever discussions at any point, maybe even from Ben, to have a Hispanic actor play you and maybe just have himself concentrate in directing?
TM: Never heard of it.
JR: Did you feel okay with Ben Affleck playing you oppose to maybe somebody else?
TM: Yeah, but I don't think of myself as a Hispanic. I think of myself as a person who grew up in the desert. If I had been in a different family circumstance, I might have felt that way. But, mostly, my family was at odds with each other in a playful way, they weren't talking about heritage in that regard.
JR: In the Hispanic film community, there is much debate surrounding this topic. Many Hispanic actors feel they're progress halts when Hollywood decides to place an anglo star name in a Hispanic role. When you see Ben portray you on screen, do you feel he represented you with integrity? The right way? Did you see yourself in him?
TM: What I already knew about Ben was that he was a real diligent creator down to the fine nobs in the clumps of dirt and so forth, that he was real. What I found about him when he's acting is that he does the same kind of due diligence on the part he's playing. A lot of things I kind of discovered about myself he had already up picked on and was portraying them on the screen.
JR: He almost did you better than you do yourself.
TM: He knew more about me, that's for sure.
JR: Thank you very much Tony, I really appreciate your time.
Source: ShowBizCafe.com Exclusive
Jack Rico, NBCLatino contributor and founder of showbizcafe.com.


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"Did you know penguins push one of their own into the water to see if it's safe?" I asked a teen. We were discussing social angst among teenagers and the evolutions he has been through in recent years. "No," he answered, a smile forming on his face as if he knew where I was going with it. I set out to describe the flock, thousands of black and white winged bowling pins, bobbling and chattering at the edge of the ice, wondering if it's safe to go in the water. When, "Plop!" — there goes Joe, into the water. If he survives, the others know the water is free from predatory seals. In the alternative, if Joe gets munched, well, it's clearly not a good place to dive in. Actually, scientists aren't really sure if the penguin collective intentionally sacrifices a martyr member, or if it's more of an accident. What's most likely is — with the group's high energy, en masse jostling at the waters edge trying to decide if it's a good launch spot — somebody gets bumped. And "Joe" gets to test the waters. Now there's something to be said for Joe — if he survives — because he will have faced enormous risk and emerged triumphant from the cool blue, appearing to be a hero to his fellow fowls. But probability tells us it could go the other way just as easily, and for the next guy in the Joe row, the outcome may be entirely different. And the teen, he was relating to "Joe," actually dozens of "Joes" that he has and continues to encounter in his daily life. Positioned somewhere in the middle of the flock, he was watching the frenzy along the water's edge as his friends struggle with their experiences. Swirling all around him were feelings of depression, melodrama, anger, identity, family problems, stress, fear. And the outcome of those feelings were what was bothering him as he watched friends struggle with their problems, often turning to the wrong things as solutions. Some of it he had already been through on his journey, some of it was shocking and some of it he just couldn't understand.But in his desire to help them, he ran the risk of getting to close to the front row. "Where do you think the best position is in the penguin flock?" I asked."… Right where you are now." I went on to tell him if I were a penguin, I would want to be somewhere in the middle, close enough to see Joe, but not close enough to be Joe.
I could gain from Joe's experience just from watching. If he survived, I'd know there was smooth swimming in my future, if he didn't make it, well, I would hate to see that but I have the opportunity to apply the lesson where he won't get to.The guys in the back have no clue what's going on and will struggle to the front until one day they are Joe simply because they never knew. But it is those penguins, who have a good view of what is happening at the front who will benefit most, even though they may have to see a little tragedy along the way. And those who have had their turn along the ice's edge but were lucky enough not to get bumped in are sometimes even better off, as long as they realize their luck and learn to move back a little. Sometimes we think we need to be out front, sometimes we think we need to be the ones making the waves so everyone else has to follow us — And sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. There's a time to face risk and danger, but you do it on your own terms with wisdom and knowing without a doubt it's right — not because you just happen to be the one that fell in or got bumped.
Knowing where you've been, knowing where you stand and knowing when there's a risk in front of you goes a long way.
If you're a penguin that is …


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MCTS driver maneuvers bus to block drivers from downed power lines
Truck hits power line pole, part of Highway 100 closed for about 5 hours
The normal morning routine hit a roadblock on Highway 100 near Interstate 94 Friday morning.
Milwaukee County Transit System driver Renee Turnage had been on the road less than 45 minutes, when her Route 28 bus came across a close encounter.
"I didn't know exactly what had happened. I just saw that the power lines were low," Turnage said.
Just before 7 a.m., the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said a tractor-trailer hit and knocked down a power pole on Highway 100.
Turnage noticed the slowing traffic, stopped the bus and then saw an oncoming truck hit the power lines.
"It said snap, crackle and boom, so you know it got really loud and I was like, 'Oh.' Then I got outside and realized, 'Oh, more power lines,'" Turnage said.
After 19 years behind the wheel of a bus, this was a first.
Turnage said she evacuated her passengers and did what she was trained to do, maneuvering the bus to block other drivers from the scene.
"I didn't think the severity was so big at the time, but it was so. You know, thank God that I did block the traffic with my bus. It's good having a 40-foot vehicle," Turnage said.
The passengers were put on another bus. No one was injured.
The road reopened at about noon.
The driver who struck the pole was being cited for inattentive driving and operating an over-length vehicle with a permit.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department said the driver did have a permit that required him to exit at Highway 100, but the permit also required a police vehicle escort. He did not have the escort, which then nullified the permit.
The truck was carrying bridge support beams for a Kenosha construction project.


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Dr. Oz Busts Paleo Diet Myths
Originally aired on 10/26/2015
Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, cofounders of Whole30, and Dr. Oz discuss common misconceptions about the Paleo diet.
Guests: Dallas Hartwig , Melissa Hartwig
Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, cofounders of Whole30, and Dr. Oz discuss common misconceptions about the Paleo diet.
Melissa and Dallas Hartwig explain how to stick to your diet and navigate the menu when you go out to eat.
Dallas Hartwig and Dr. Oz demonstrate the quick way to follow a Paleo diet and still enjoy your morning muffin.
Dallas Hartwig shows Dr. Oz how he makes a Paleo-friendly burger using portobello mushrooms in place of buns and turnip fries as a healthier side.
Melissa Hartwig explains how people on a Paleo diet typically experience fewer cravings because their blood sugar is better regulated.
Wendy shares her tried-and-true tactic to looking young in her 60s.
Felicia talks to Dr. Oz about how putting black tea bags on her eyes helps reduce the appearance of tired, puffy eyes.
Dr. Oz reveals one of the dirtiest items in your kitchen that you don't know about and demonstrates how to clean it.
Dr. Oz reveals the type of bacteria found on a can opener that rarely gets cleaned.
Dr. Oz demonstrates the best way to clean a blender gasket in order to eliminate the 640,000 types of germs that can live in it.
Everyone is talking about the Paleo diet, but not everyone understands it. We break it all down to see if the diet right for you and give classic comfort dishes a Paleo makeover. Plus, does shapewear make you eat more or less?
Food Network's "Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond shares her Southern cooking secrets, tricks, and tips for the best comfort food...Click for more


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Photos of the UK and of the British
Isles - in high resolution.
Essex, Chelmsford, Moulsham Street, Old Friars c.1912.
Since January 2015 we have added thousands of additional old photos to the website, including many new pages of places not previously covered. I am constantly updating the website, and continue to hope you enjoy your visit.
There are thousands of old photographs on this website - many never before seen.
stop press - There is a totally new addition to this website with thousands of contemporary
and old photos of Churches - click here
Click on a link to a part of the U.K. at the foot of the page.
website is a collection of old photos of the United Kingdom of Great Britain,
including old photos of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the rest of the
British Isles, and the Republic of Ireland (which of course is not in the
United Kingdom). The website was initially launched as an aid to family historians
and genealogists, but has now gone way beyond that.
website was launched in July of 2005, with the intention of preserving old
pictures in perpetuity, and displaying as many images as we can of England,
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands. I hope those of you who are researching your family history
will find it of great interest.
content is filed first by country, then by (historical) county, thus making
it simple to find images of any location. In addition, if you want to find
a photograph quickly, enter any search term you like in the search box below.
of the photographs date from the 1890's and 1900's, and there are even older
ones than that. Most vintage photos and antique photographs in those days
were taken by photographers working for postcard companies, so many of these
are scanned from old postcards, some of the most interesting being from Victorian
and Edwardian times.
have images of the smallest villages, and of the great cities like Cardiff,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.
Amongst this collection of old fotos there is quite a collection showing
people - indeed, many can genuinely be referred to as antique photos..
with your help - by submitting your own photographs - we can maintain this
position as the best photographic resource on the internet. Together we can
build a wonderful archives of old images of the United Kingdom in order that
generations yet to come may still enjoy them. If you have any old, vintage,
historical, Edwardian or Victorian pictures of England, Ireland, Scotland,
Wales or the rest of the British Isles, from the earliest years, and right
up to the 1960's, not only of the places you live or have lived, but also
your old family photos, then please do scan them for display and preservation
on this website. Please scan them in at a high resolution, preferably either
1280 pixels in width, or for portrait style photographs 1280 pixels in height.
Please take time to read the Copyright Statement. and then email your scanned pictures here.
United Kingdom of Great Britain consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland
and Wales. The United Kingdom has arguably some of the most picturesque countryside
and friendliest people in the whole world, and our photographs of life between
the 1890's and the 1960's will attempt to illustrate some of the beauty within
the four member countries.
the mountains of Wales, to the glens of Scotland. To the unique architecture
of Ireland and the great mansions of England. You will find photographs of
all of these countries, plus old fotos of people, and much more besides.
have built this website into a reference site of great interest, a unique
resource of pics that you will want to return to time and time again.
are many of us with old photographs and postcards of the countries that make
up the United Kingdom, or of our families that have lived there. These photos
are a pictorial record of our times, and those of our ancestors, and with
your help we can build a wonderful archives of these images.
England>>>>>> >Ireland> >>>>>>Scotland
Wales>>>>> Isle of Man>>>>>>Channel Islands
>Film and Movie Stars >>>>
Home>>>>>> >About
>Privacy Policy>>>>> Copyright Statement>>>>> Sitemap
FREE HELP with FAMILY HISTORY


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Instructions: Find the adverbs and tell what they modify in the following sentences.
1. After the hike my muscles were extremely tired and very sore.
2. Yesterday I had hardly completed my very hard assignment when I was rudely interrupted.
3. Gradually everyone reached the top of the mountain they had climbed before.
4. Just now he remembered his rather important assignment.
5. Often you go too far with your jokes.
--For answers scroll down.
1. extremely modifies the adjective tired, and very modifies the adjective sore
2. yesterday and hardly modify the verb had completed, very modifies the adjective hard, and rudely modifies the verb was interrupted
3. gradually modifies the verb reached, and before modifies the verb had climbed
4. just modifies the adverb now, now modifies the verb remembered, and rather modifies the adjective important
5. often modifies the verb go, too modifies the adverb far, and far modifies the verb go
For your convenience, all of our lessons are available on our website in our lesson archive at http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html.


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Summit Outside: The national symbol
Special to the Daily
One day an eagle was sitting on the top of a tree on Dillon Reservoir. We watched a pair of ospreys swooping down, repeatedly dive bombing it. Eventually it gave way and flew off. Recently we saw an eagle flying being chased by several gulls. A friend said he has even seen them harassed by hummingbirds. What's with this?
When you look at the eagle it seems like such a large magnificent bird: our nation's symbol should be at the top of the pecking order, not being pecked at.
When I started checking in the literature, I found a comment by Benjamin Franklin who said if he prevailed, the U.S. emblem might have been the wild turkey. In 1784, Franklin disparaged the national bird's thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by small birds. "For my own part," he wrote, "I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. Besides he is a rank coward: The little king bird not bigger than a sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district." And so it turns out that bald eagles are often harassed or chased by their fellow raptors and by songbirds including blackbirds, crows and flycatchers as well.
During breeding season you may see bald eagles defending their territories from a variety of intruders, including raptors and ravens, coyotes and foxes. When feeding at carcasses though, bald eagles may push turkey vultures out of the way, but other species including ravens, coyotes, bobcats and dogs sometimes hold their own.
Bald eagles are powerful fliers. They soar and glide gracefully over long distances. Capable of floating, a bald eagle may use its wings to "row" over water too deep for wading.
Picking a mate and pair-bonding in bald eagles is a fascinating ritual behavior probably few people are lucky enough to witness. They perform aerial acrobatics and in one of several spectacular courtship displays, a male and female fly high into the sky, lock talons, and cartwheel downward together, breaking off at the last instant to avoid crashing to earth. More often, two birds can be observed soaring together or chasing each other. In chases, one bird will chase after the other, usually in a rather shallow glide. It is also not uncommon to see them switch places during chases. They might also be seen passing sticks in mid-air.
Another part of pair-bonding is side-by-side perching. This usually happens in the near vicinity of the nest, sometimes on the nest itself. They may even lie in the nest right next to each other.
Adult bald eagles generally mate for life, but if one of the pair leaves or is killed, the survivor will take another mate. The nest might be abandoned if it is the female that is lost. Whether the birds are taking their first mate, second or third, the process is the same: pair-bonding, nest-building and production of young. A pair may repeat this year after year until the pair is more than 20 years old.
A bald eagle's nest grows with each year and the nest can grow to more than 6 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The male usually brings nest material to the nest site where the female does the building and arranging. Sometimes the male will pass sticks to the female on a branch near the nest or even between them in mid-air.
Bald eagles generally lay one to three eggs. Females will incubate the eggs about 60 percent of the time. During incubation, the male will bring food for the female; usually to one of the supporting branches of the nest. She will usually come off the eggs to eat, with the male taking her place on the nest. Sometimes the female may hunt for herself while the male takes his turn on the eggs.
During the first 90 days of life, little eaglets grow from a hatch weight of 10 ounces to their adult weight that might reach 12 pounds. An eaglet that is last to hatch in a brood of three may not survive. The older siblings will out-compete the littlest one for food and have been known to shove their way around the nest, sometimes inadvertently killing the youngest. If all siblings survive, it is probably because the parents are in a habitat with abundant food, where feeding themselves and multiple young is possible without causing strife at the nest between the youngsters.
At 12 weeks of age the young will take off from the nest. The first flight is generally short and typically, to a perch lower than the nest site. The landing might be anything but gentle. It takes practice to figure out when to stop flapping their wings while grabbing a perch. The result can, surprisingly often, be a perfect two-point landing, except that the bird ends up upside-down. Injuries rarely occur during these episodes and in just a few tries the young eagles will look like they've been landing on tippy branches for years.
For the next four to six years, an eagle's life is spent hunting and eating. During this time they will probably start forming some sort of a bond with another eagle. Eagles do not reproduce until they are about five years old, and at this time they undergo their final plumage change with the distinctive white head and tail.
Coward or not, the bald eagle is a beautiful, fascinating bird!
Joanne Stolen is retired from teaching microbiology at Rutgers University.
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Graffiti has been among the most powerful art forms and tools of Egypt's revolution and the turbulent months since, but it also has proven to be its most vulnerable and ephemeral.
For nearly two years, the slogans, portraits and artwork that went up on walls around the country depicting the goals, heroes and events of the uprising have been erased nearly as quickly.
So a group of artists, photographers and a publisher joined hands to preserve the images. "Wall Talk" - their newly released 680-page book - collects hundreds of photos of graffiti dating from the Jan. 25, 2011 eruption of the revolt against then-President Hosni Mubarak until today. The result is a street history that chronicles image by image the evolution of Egypt's upheaval, which has yet to settle.
In a sign of the continuing resonance of graffiti, the artists have recently turned to a new target: Newly elected Islamist President Mohammed Mursi.
Last month, a giant mural of revolution graffiti on a street off Tahrir Square, the focus of the revolution's protest demonstrations, was partially painted over, and within hours, artists refilled much of it with new images, some of them denouncing Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood.
"You are a regime that is frightened by paint brushes and pens, you oppress and stamp on the oppressed. If you were doing the right thing, you would not be afraid of what's painted ... but you are a coward in your heart of hearts," reads a rhyming Arabic verse, addressing the president, one of the new images on the street, where some of the deadliest clashes between protesters and security forces took place last year.
But already the whitewashing has returned, erasing a portrait ridiculing Mursi, showing him with a smug smile and the inscription, "Happy now, Mursi?"
"Wall Talk" publisher Sherif Boraie says graffiti was the vehicle that delivered clear, strong and angry messages during the anti-Mubarak uprising and afterward. Now it reflects the depth of frustration over the perceived failure of the revolution to realize its main goals, he said. He sees the latest to go up as even angrier.
"We are in a difficult period, and the youth are very angry, while avenues for expression for them are limited," he said. "Will the anger continue to simmer indefinitely without boiling over? I don't think so."
The book includes a chronology of events of the past two years, but the images speak most strongly to the arc Egypt has taken. The pictures also show graffiti's increasing sophistication. Graffiti was almost never seen in Egypt during Mubarak's 29-year rule, where police kept a tight grip and where society generally frowns on street art of any kind. But it was the ideal medium for the leftist and progressive youth activists who led the protests against Mubarak.
"It's an important part of history," said one prominent artist whose graffiti appears in the book and who identifies himself only by his pen name "Ganzeer," Arabic for chain. "Many of the graffiti photographed and published in the book have been removed or painted over."
During the 18 days of massive protests against Mubarak's rule, much of the work was simply scrawled slogans, like the simple word "Erhal," the Arabic word for "Leave!" next to images of Mubarak.
After Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011, the message and the images changed, with a colorful burst of optimism. There were the clinched fists symbolizing power and images suggesting unity and harmony between the nation's Muslim majority and Christian minority, with high expectations and a sense of confidence that if people power can bring down Mubarak's dictatorship, it can do anything.
"It's just the beginning," read the English words alongside drawings of women with long hair in the black, red and white colors of Egypt's flag on one Cairo wall, shown in the book. The exuberant slogan "Hold your head high, you are Egyptian" was found on walls around the capital. One graffito was written on the pavement, reading: "Don't look down, freedom is ahead of you."
But very quickly the word on the walls turned to revolt once more - this time against the military council of generals that took power after Mubarak's ouster and ruled until Morsi was elected this year and was inaugurated in late June. Protests repeatedly broke out against their rule and were met by bloody crackdowns.
Graffiti portraits mocked the council's head, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi - who was later removed by Morsi - and other generals, unprecedented in a nation where the military has held immense powers since a 1952 coup and was considered above questioning.
Throughout the past 19 months, graffiti has also sought to keep alive the spirit of the young activists' vision of the revolution despite continual setbacks - including by enshrining their heroes.
Slogans often went beyond current events to encourage change in a society accustomed to dictatorship. "The truth is not cruel, but freeing oneself from ignorance is as painful as going into labor," one cries out. "Chase after the truth until you are breathless. Endure pain so you can be born again."
A common theme was elaborate portraits of the "martyrs," the hundreds of protesters killed in multiple crackdowns. Some shown in the book are idealized, even giving them an angel's wings. Others depict them casual and smiling, as if they are standing right next to you.
A frequently depicted heroine is Samira Ibrahim, a young woman who went public with accusations that soldiers conducted humiliating "virginity tests" on her and other detained female protesters. One image shows her face, in her conservative headscarf, over rows of soldiers, proclaiming, "Above the military."
"Graffiti has won us freedoms we had never dreamed of before," said Mohammed Hashem, a prominent publisher whose office in downtown Cairo has been among the most favorite meeting places for leftist revolutionaries. "It has been the strongest voice of the revolution."
Ironically, graffiti has also broken into an Egyptian art world long dominated by elites who tended more to traditional landscapes or abstract art.
In a first, Ganzeer adapted his graffiti work to traditional tools - oil on canvas, wood or water colors- and took it to a gallery in Cairo's upscale Zamalek district this week. He called the show "The Virus Is Spreading," a name he said he chose to suggest the spread of graffiti from being a street art to a genre that could win acceptance and respect.
"It is an art that is totally different from the art sanctioned by the Mubarak regime," said Ganzeer, whose work is on offer for anywhere between $400 and $5,000.
Another prominent graffiti artist, known by his signature of Sad Panda, exhibited alongside Ganzeer. But he sees attempts to preserve graffiti as, at least in some ways, conflicting with the genre's very nature. Like Ganzeer, he does not give his real name to the public for fear of retribution.
"Every art form has its rules. When I paint on wall, I commit my art to the street. The street owns it. The street and whoever in it can do what they want with it," he said. He shot to prominence with his images that always included a big-bellied panda with a sad but pensive face. In reality, he recounts, he was called panda by school friends because he was overweight, and he added the "sad" because it reflects what he describes as his "black disposition."
"To me, politics is absurd, stupid and sad. It is all about winning power," Sad Panda said. "But I did take part in the revolution. I cannot be living in a nation that has a revolution and not participate."


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Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Canisius College men's basketball team has been selected to finish third in the MAAC's Preseason Coaches Poll, released today by the conference office. This marks the highest predicted finish for the Golden Griffins since the 2005-06 season when the Blue and Gold were picked to finish third as well. This year's poll was voted on by the league's 11 head men's basketball coaches.
Canisius earned 100 total points after closing out the 2012-13 season with a 20-14 overall record and an 11-7 mark in MAAC play. The 20-win season was the program's first since 2000-01 and the team's 11 MAAC wins last year are the most for the team since 1998-99. The Griffs posted a plus-15 win differential under first-year head coach Jim Baron, the largest single-season turnaround in school history and the third-best turnaround at the entire Division I level last year. Canisius saw its season end in the quarterfinal round of the CIT, the first postseason appearance for the Griffs since 1996.
Manhattan is the coaches' preseason pick to win the MAAC, followed by defending league champion Iona. The Jaspers received 119 points while the Gaels collected 108 points. After Canisius, Rider was picked fourth and Marist was chosen to finish fifth to round out the top-five. Rider earned 85 points, while the Red Foxes drew 69 points. Fairfield (61 points), MAAC-newcomer Quinnipiac (58 points) and Niagara (39 points) were chosen in spots six through eight, while Saint Peter's (38 points), Siena (35 points) and MAAC newcomer Monmouth (14 points) rounded out the poll.
The MAAC also announced a select number of games that will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks during the 2013-14 season. Canisius' game at Iona Jan. 17 will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 9 p.m. The Griffs will host a televised game (either on ESPNU or ESPN3) when Manhattan comes to town Feb. 7 and the team's game at Niagara Feb. 14, will also be shown on either ESPNU or ESPN3. Game times for the Manhattan home game and the trip to Niagara will be announced no later than 14 days prior to the game date by the MAAC and ESPN.
Season tickets for the combined men's and women's home slate can be purchased by calling the Canisius Ticket Office at (716) 888-2885 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.


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Inspired by classic French Moderne designs, this picture light, designed by Steven Sclaroff, has 170° of swing and 90° of rotation. Ideal for bookcase applications, the backplate is split into two rectangular mounts. The overall length of the fixture is customizable from 20" to 29".
Overall (extended): 3" h. x 20"-29" w. x 9" d.
Backplate: 2" h. x 3" w.
This item cannot be UL listed.
2 Edison sockets, maximum 75 watts per socket
Also available with 2 GU24 sockets
Will not cover a 2" X 3" Junction box
Please specify desired overall length between 20" and 29". Max wattage may be affected by selected length. UL dry listing with minor modifications.
For other configurations and sizes, see our Veronique Family.
Antique Brass, Burnished Brass, Burnished Nickel, Dark Pewter, Dark Waxed Bronze, German Silver, Light Pewter, Oil Rubbed Bronze, Polished Brass, Polished Nickel, Satin Nickel
View Finishes
Manufactured using 85% recycled brass


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de Saint Maurice G, Aouba A, Pequignot F, Auroy Y, Benhamou D, Jougla E, et al. Anesthesia-related mortality. Anesthesiology. 2009 Nov;111(5):1165; author reply 1166.
Bonnet F, Burty C, Lewden C, Costagliola D, May T, Bouteloup V, et al. Changes in cancer mortality among HIV-infected patients: the Mortalité 2005 Survey. Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Mar 1;48(5):633–9.
Fuhrman C, Jougla E, Uhry Z, Delmas M-C. Deaths with asthma in France, 2000-2005: a multiple-cause analysis. J Asthma. 2009 May;46(4):402–6.
Alpérovitch A, Bertrand M, Jougla E, Vidal J-S, Ducimetière P, Helmer C, et al. Do we really know the cause of death of the very old? Comparison between official mortality statistics and cohort study classification. Eur J Epidemiol. 2009;24(11):669–75.
Rey G, Jougla E, Fouillet A, Hémon D. Ecological association between a deprivation index and mortality in France over the period 1997 - 2001: variations with spatial scale, degree of urbanicity, age, gender and cause of death. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:33.
Salmon-Ceron D, Rosenthal E, Lewden C, Bouteloup V, May T, Burty C, et al. Emerging role of hepatocellular carcinoma among liver-related causes of deaths in HIV-infected patients: The French national Mortalité 2005 study. J Hepatol. 2009 Apr;50(4):736–45.
de Saint Maurice G, Pequignot F, Auroy Y, Aouba A, Benhamou D, Jougla E, et al. Patient blood management and transfusion. Anesthesiology. 2009 Aug;111(2):444–5; author reply 445-446.
Marcellin P, Pequignot F, Delarocque-Astagneau E, Zarski J-P, Ganne N, Hillon P, et al. Mortality related to chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C in France: evidence for the role of HIV coinfection and alcohol consumption. J Hepatol. 2008 Feb;48(2):200–7.
Ziadé N, Jougla E, Coste J. Population-level influence of rheumatoid arthritis on mortality and recent trends: a multiple cause-of-death analysis in France, 1970-2002. J Rheumatol. 2008 Oct;35(10):1950–7.
Kernéis S, Boëlle P-Y, Grais RF, Pavillon G, Jougla E, Flahault A, et al. Mortality trends in systemic sclerosis in France and USA, 1980-1998: an age-period-cohort analysis. Eur J Epidemiol. 2010;25(1):55–61.
Ziadé N, Jougla E, Coste J. Population-level impact of osteoporotic fractures on mortality and trends over time: a nationwide analysis of vital statistics for France, 1968-2004. Am J Epidemiol. 2010 Oct 15;172(8):942–51.
Béjot Y, Aouba A, de Peretti C, Grimaud O, Aboa-Eboulé C, Chin F, et al. Time trends in hospital-referred stroke and transient ischemic attack: results of a 7-year nationwide survey in France. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2010;30(4):346–54.
Benhamou D, Lienhart A, Auroy Y, Péquignot F, Jougla E. Accidents by ABO incompatibility and other main complications related to blood transfusion in surgical patients: data from the French national survey on anaesthesia-related deaths. Transfus Clin Biol. 2005 Nov;12(5):389–90.
Bonnet F, Lewden C, May T, Heripret L, Jougla E, Bevilacqua S, et al. Opportunistic infections as causes of death in HIV-infected patients in the HAART era in France. Scand J Infect Dis. 2005;37(6–7):482–7.
Bouvier-Colle MH, Flahaut A, Messiah A, Jougla E, Hatton F. Sudden infant death and immunization: an extensive epidemiological approach to the problem in France--winter 1986. Int J Epidemiol [Internet]. 1989 Mar [cited 2012 Jun 27];18(1):121–6. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2722354


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and Kristina and I was SO inspired. I have a difficult time creating simple cards and this class helped me not overdesign my projects.
I decided to create a card set that was full of fun and color but still simple. Here it is..
A closer look...THIS sentiment set from Paper Smooches. I am in love with their playful fonts and various greetings..
If you want to recreate this look, here are the supplies you will need:
I heat embossed THIS background image from Hero Arts (my new favorite background stamp) with white embossing powder onto white watercolor paper. Then I used my distress stains (love them!) and swiped it horizontally across the image to create a rainbow look. I matted the image in black cardstock and adhered it to a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch card. Then I stamped various greetings in black ink on white stips and adhered with foam dots. Super fast and easy.
Thanks for stopping by! :)


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Home & Community-Based Services-HCS Providers
HCS Program Provider Listings
This website has been created to assist you in your search for an agency that provides Home Community-Based Services care for you or someone you care for.
Program Provider Weblinks:
The direct links below were provided by agencies who elected to be on our Provider Gateway. If you wish to have a direct link in our Provider Gateway, review the "Website Provider Gateway flyer" and send your response to Teresa Kolenda, Administrative Assistant.
Home Community Based (HCS) Provider Links:
- A&M Residential Services
- Abba-Unlimited, LLC
- Abiding Choice
- Adonai Inc.
- Advantage Behavioral Services, Inc.
- All for One Services
- Behavioral Innovations
- The Center for Health Care Services
- Community Options, Inc.
- D & S Community Services
- Daybreak Community Services
- Dove's Haven
- Educare Community Living
- Enchantment Living
- Florence Bennett
- Golden Rule Services
- Homelife & Community Services
- Human Services Center, (210) 608-0088
- Integrated Community Services
- Just Like Home
- LaBryant Managed Care
- Lifetime Living, Inc.
- Maofu HCS
- Mosaic
- PepperTree Complete Care, LLC
- Progressive Life
- R&K Specialized Homes, Inc.
- Reaching Maximum Independence
- Regency Community Services, Inc.
- South Texas Behavioral Institute
- Total Care Home Health Inc.
- Unique Manor and Rehab
- Volunteers of America Texas
- Yes I Can


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Going very much against the zeitgeist, an influential economist is arguing that what the economic world needs now is…more quantitative easing.
Adding to all the anguished talk about tapering (i.e., easing out of quantitative easing) at the Fed, The Wall Street Journal earlier this month published "Confessions of a Quantitative Easer," written by the former official who managed the Fed's mortgage-backed security purchase program, and is now critical of it.
So while panning QE is in vogue, not least among economic conservatives, John Makin, a resident scholar at the free-enterprise-oriented American Enterprise Institute (AEI), has been beating the drums warning that letting up on monetary stimulus might send the global economy into a dangerous deflationary spiral.
His influential economic outlook last month warned of the extreme danger of going over the "monetary cliff," and his warning grows more urgent in his new December outlook, updated with alarming new consumer price index (CPI) data. October U.S. CPI—which is one measure of inflation—rose at a meager 0.9% rate, down from a 2.2% pace a year ago. The disinflationary trend is even more pronounced in Europe, where the inflation rate was 3% at the end of 2011; 2% at the end of 2012; and has dropped to 0.7% in October.
"If this pace of disinflation (falling inflation) continues, Europe could be living with outright deflation by next spring," Makin warns.
With euro area Q3 growth barely registering a pulse—at 0.1%–there is little to encourage those who might think reflation is on the way. Indeed, Makin warns that deflation has already taken root in Europe's periphery. Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia are experiencing negative inflation; Ireland is at zero inflation; and most European countries are at or below a 1% inflation level.
The AEI scholar faults the European Central Bank's tight monetary policy and fiscal austerity policies imposed on Southern Europe, which he says has exacerbated the area's high unemployment (28% and 27% for Greece and Spain and 12% for the euro area as a whole).
Given the impossibility in a floating-exchange-rate world of effective currency devaluation, Makin says the only alternatives—increased QE, increased ECB security purchases, tax cuts or spending growth—are simply unlikely in the European context:
"Most of Europe is aiming at deficit reduction, spending cuts, and higher taxes, and the ECB has remained largely passive…," he writes, adding that the ECB's rate cut earlier this month was "largely symbolic," given the passivity of European borrowers.
Still, a number of ECB governors opposed the rate cut, fearing—plausibly, Makin argues—the further fueling of a dangerous asset bubble.
And therein lies the central bankers' dilemma: Push QE too far and a bubble ensues which, if allowed to burst, could "precipitate a return to recession and even a financial crisis."
Yet given the disinflationary trends he cites, Makin warns that "a passage over the monetary cliff from disinflation to deflation threatens a self-reinforcing deflationary spiral."
To Makin, that is the more realistic and imminent threat today. For that reason, he condemns "the Fed's tiresome game of taper ping pong" at a time when U.S. GDP growth is heading to a rate below 1%, and argues that the ECB must recognize that price stability means not only avoiding inflation but avoiding deflation.
To that end, Makin pithily recasts 2014 plans for the Fed and ECB as follows:
"Central banks have a plan: stay easy until the economy recovers and watch out for inflation. In short, get ready to tighten. Maybe in view of an alarming global drift toward deflation (a falling price level of goods and services), tepid growth, and stubbornly high unemployment, they should think about a different plan: get ready to ease more."


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Flights to Santa Clara from Tampa
Find cheap flights
Flights to Santa Clara from TampaFlights Tampa - Santa Clara fly from Tampa to Santa Clara at the best prices in the market. Flights from Tampa (Tampa, St. Petersburg-Clearwater) to Santa Clara (Santa Clara-Abel Santamaría) with Destinia. To search for availability and reserve your flight Tampa - Santa Clara look at the box above and select the departure and return date as desired. You can also buy several airplane tickets Tampa (Tampa, St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport) - Santa Clara (Santa Clara-Abel Santamaría airport) at the same time, by selecting the adults, children and babies travelling. You can filter the type of flight if you only want direct flights to Tampa - Santa Clara, multiple destinations or flight stopovers.
InformationTampa and Santa Clara are 665 kilometres away from each other, with an estimated flight time of 00:57 h (this may vary depending on the weather or air routes)
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Book your flights now from Santa Clara (Cuba) to the most important cities in the world. The box below contains flights from Santa Clara (Cuba) to the most important cities.
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- Flights to Santiago de Cuba
- Flights to Varadero


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HAVING taken in nine cities around the world, from London to Madrid in just over a fortnight and endured a seemingly interminable number of photo and media opportunities, James Bond actor Daniel Craig could be forgiven for being a little shaken, if not quite stirred, by the time he walks the red carpet in Sydney on Friday night.
Sydney is the final stop in a gruelling promotional campaign for the cast of the latest Bond film Skyfall.
With so much riding on the commercial success of the film, the cast has been contractually obliged to undertake an exhausting international travelling sideshow, led by Craig, which began in London on October 23 with a world premiere attended by the royal family.
By the time they have reached Sydney, the actors will have clocked up about 20,000 kilometres each – jetting around aboard private jets with stylists, hairdressers, make-up artists and publicists preparing for each premiere with military-like precision.
But not even Bond could beat nature. Craig had to pull out of New York because of superstorm Sandy which meant he was unable to attend the premiere there on November 5.
Instead he sent a video message in which he told New Yorkers: "I know it's Monday night but I beg you, please, get drunk."
In true secret service fashion, the cast's movements in Sydney are classified information. But Craig, along with Bond girls Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris have been scheduled for media interviews on Friday before the premiere at the State Theatre.
This week, flags featuring the actor in character were hung around the city's streets while local outposts of the film's multinational corporate marketing partners are planning an array of events across the city. They include the champagne house Bollinger, Bond's bubbly of choice, which is hosting a pre-premiere soiree on Friday.
It is estimated that product placement deals are worth about $45 million, about a third of the film's budget.
Billboards promoting watchmaker Omega's titanium Seamaster Planet Ocean model, which Bond wears in the film, have sprung up and ads for Heineken, featuring Craig in his character, have started to saturate network television.
And just in time for Christmas stockings, a range of 007 fragrances is about to go on sale in department stores.
The original release of this article first appeared on the website of Hangzhou Night Net.


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The name Letizia is commonly considered to be Female.
This Female name is believed to be of Italian origin.
The meaning of the name Letizia is thought to be: Joyful happy or glad.
For further options see the navigation area below.
Quick Navigation
Click Here to see more Female names that begin with the letter L
Or you can click here to see more Female names of the Origin Italian
You can even get a list of Female names that begin with Let
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street style
Tell me, does everyone in Stockholm wear photo worthy clothes? My sister and I went thrifting
today and saw leopard everywhere, ponchos, silk blouses and even on pillows. I came home
with a black top and pottery, I'll post those later this week.
Other Stories
3 comments:
Absolutely love the style on the right worn with the braided hair. Adorable. Happy wednesday!ReplyDelete
YES! When I was there I sat on a park bench in ostermalm for 3 hours just watching people. 95% of the people looked like they walked out of the sartorliast.ReplyDelete
If the Swedes are anything like the Danes then definitely yes! When we first got here last summer we were amazed by how nice looking and fashionable the people are. I think good design runs in their blood!ReplyDelete
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People love sunny day with blue sky and breeze which let us enjoy much fun in the outdoor. Therefore it will be very depressed if come across the rainy weather for days. At this time, you may think of the sunny doll, sunny doll can follow the day grandpa command so that the sky will clear. You can almost imagine the scene that sunny doll stood there motionless, eyes closed, be absorbed in to read aloud: clatter, clatter, sunny weather is coming! Suddenly, the rain stopped.
If you do not have one sunny doll, then why not get one? Compare to the traditional sunny doll which can only shake by the power of wind, new generation of solar sunny doll is much more cute since it can shake with the sunshine, as long as there is light exposure to the solar panels behind it, it will shake its head round that super cute. This lovely solar sunny doll can be hanged on glass and can stand on desks for car decoration or home use, I believe you will have good mood when you look at this cute sunny doll.
Don't miss this cute solar gadget .