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ESA and CNES experts ready for Galileo's first orbits
Lift-off for Galileo satellites 5 and 6 is set for Thursday, 21 August, at 12:31 GMT (14:31 CEST) on a Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.
Just 9 minutes and 23 seconds later, the Fregat upper stage carrying the payload will separate from the Soyuz third stage, and conduct a pair of engine burns separated by an approximately three-hour ballistic coast phase.
Three hours and 47 minutes after launch, the Galileo satellites will separate into free-flight orbit, 23 522 km above Earth. On board each satellite, an automatic sequence will be triggered, switching the spacecraft on, booting up the onboard software, deploying a pair of solar arrays and orienting the spacecraft toward the Sun.
Separation also marks the start of the critical launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) for the joint ESA/CNES (French space agency) mission operations team at ESOC, ESA's control centre in Darmstadt.
Watching for a call home
"Separation is when we'll be watching very carefully, waiting to acquire the first signals from both satellites via the CNES Kerguelen ground station for satellite 5 and the Prioranet ground station Dongara, Australia, for satellite 6," says ESA's Hervé Côme, Lead Flight Director for Galileo.
"For this critical period, we'll rely on the expertise of the CNES Network Operations Centre, which operates the ground station."
The team expects to receive the first telemetry – spacecraft status data – just two minutes after separation.
"If all looks OK, we can start checking out the spacecraft systems and status right away," adds Hervé.
'CNESOC' blends expertise
As part of the highly integrated ESA/CNES mission operations team, Hervé shares flight director duties with Jérémie Benoist, from CNES, and with another ESA expert, Nic Mardle, to cover the three shifts that will support LEOP operations around the clock.
Under the lead of the flight directors, some 15 engineers from CNES have been working with a similar number of ESA experts as part of a single team for Thursday's launch, which caps many weeks of intensive simulation training at ESOC.
The same team also oversaw the first two Galileo launches, with those LEOPs being conducted from CNES's control centre in Toulouse. In the future, the same team will conduct LEOPs alternately from Darmstadt and Toulouse.
"We call ourselves the 'CNESOC' team, but this somewhat humorous acronym accurately reflects the fact that personnel from the two agencies have created a truly blended, capable operations team that is helping make Europe's Galileo system a reality," says Jérémie.
Two agencies have created a truly blended, capable operations team that is helping make Europe's Galileo system a reality.
Hervé agrees, adding, "On our team, we have engineers from either Agency sharing duties in each of the specialist areas, from Flight Director or Spacecraft Operations Engineers to Flight Dynamics; this allows us to alternate LEOP teams between the two launch centres and have full redundancy. It really is one team."
Cooperation continues after LEOP
LEOP for the Galileo pair is expected to last about 10 days, and includes a series of crucial manoeuvres to move the satellites into their final orbits.
Then, the two spacecraft will be handed over to the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, for routine operations, and ESA's Redu Centre in Belgium, for detailed payload testing.
Even after handover, the flight dynamics specialists on the combined ESA/CNES team will continue providing accurate orbit determinations and computing orbit manoeuvres to position the satellites in their final target slots.
"This is a further example of cooperation between European space control centres," agreed both Hervé and Jérémie.
The lift off can be followed live on 21 August via webcast.


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subset: commoncrawl


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I wrote this radio play based on one of my comic books that is currently being drawn. For anyone interested in seeing what it looks like:
And if anyone is interested, I can post the link for the first episode of the radio play.
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No score between the A's and Twins in the bottom of the 1st.
The Yankees - Tigers game should be subtitled "Anger Management 2"
Between Randy Johnson and Kenny Rogers, you've got 80 years of surly pitchers. Bad night to be a water cooler (or an autograph hound) in Detroit.
Chavez homers to put the A's ahead, 1-0
I hope this series goes 5...I like this series all around -- but I don't think it's going to happen...
Last edited by Matt700wlw; 10-06-2006 at 05:01 PM.
I feel really terrible for Radke.
"Reality tells us there are no guarantees. Except that some day Jon Lester will be on that list of 100-game winners." - Peter Gammons
Twins are coming back now down 4-2 but what looks like a bad call at the plate just cost them a run.
Oh my...Big Sweat in the game again
A's score 4 in the 7th and are about to sweep with an 8-2 lead.
Simply wow. A's up 8-2 in the 7th - looks like a sweep.
The Twins were one of my favorites (sorry, I don't pick Yankees). The Twins have become the Braves of the last decade - they have had great success the last few years, but just cannot get out of that first round.
A's win 8-3.
I'm happy for the A's; though Minnesota was my pick to win, I like both these teams. But this had better not be a postseason full of sweeps. October baseball is to me what acorns are to squirrels: I need to fill up on as much as possible to get me through the winter.
There is no such thing as a pitching prospect.
haha I picked Twins to win the whole thing.
A's come out with the shocking sweep, congrats to them.
Go Reds!
Im a normal guy blessed with the ability to hit a baseball. - Sean Casey
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
I can't believe they lost that game without using Nathan. How do you let your team get eliminated while your best available pitcher just watches?
"Reality tells us there are no guarantees. Except that some day Jon Lester will be on that list of 100-game winners." - Peter Gammons
Twin's Hunter really picked an optimum time to stink it up.
C'mon Detroit!
The A's always seem to hit a wall in the post-season - it's called the Yankees.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


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Unlock Nokia Phones
Learn how to unlock your Nokia phone for use on other networks. Unlockapedia is an impartial service to help you find out all you need to know about mobile phone unlocking. What's more is that these unlocking services have been used and reviewed by other giffgaff members to help you find the best solution for you. Many unlocking options are free; visit our FAQ section to find out more about phone unlocking, or select your Nokia handset model from the dropdown menu.


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Occasionally my readers write in with some seriously existential questions that make me look long and hard at myself in the mirror that is my blog. Such an exchange occurred today when I received an email from Jabu, who wanted to know what the trendwatching company I used to work for measured its scouts against in order for them to be "cool enough". The following exchange ensued, and I feel its educational worth transcends my inbox:
On 9/16/08 11:46 AM, "Jabulani" wrote:
Hey, how's it going Alexandra? I trust life is going alright that side of the world and stuff. Just a quick question I wanted to ask you… What was the mechanism and criteria you used when recruiting trendscouts? I mean, how did you decide who was cooler then whom?
From: Alex [email@example.com]
Sent: 16 September 2008 12:08 PM
To: Jabulani
Subject: Re: Heita hola
Because it's market research, it's a question of covering all demographic / genre bases. Often we'd meet amazing people but we'd already know similar people, and it would be a question of – we have so MANY young interesting black peeps who dig Manga from Langa, we need more Black peeps who drink whisky from Soweto – or – we have tons of Tiger Tiger chicks and we need more Melrose Arch preppies. That's all. Eventually everyone gets their turn, you know? Just a question of timing and keeping a fairly balanced spread of different types of young people from around the country.
When it comes to the individual, 'cool' was largely determined by who our clients are at the time, and whether that person would feed in relevant info on a regular proactive schedule.
Lastly, apart from the word 'liberal', 'cool' is the most misunderstood and misused descriptor out there – ESPECIALLY by trendwatching companies and their clients.
What they mean is something more like 'early adopters'.
There is no such thing as 'cool', nor criteria for such.
'Cool' kids look the same in every part of the world.
It's just another life phase, to be remembered by most as 'That time I convinced myself that skinny jeans are actually "cool". Shame.'
Hope it answers your question,
On 9/16/08 12:47 PM, "Jabulani" wrote:
Thanks, that helps quite a bit.
So… how is the word "liberal" misunderstood and misused? What is a liberal exactly? Would you consider yourself a liberal? Am I a liberal – or am I counter-revolutionary?
From: Alex [firstname.lastname@example.com]
Sent: 16 September 2008 12:08 PM
To: Jabulani
Subject: Re: Heita hola
Ways people misinterpret and misuse the word 'liberal':
1. Describe yourself as having a 'liberal nature' when the truth is that you just have a drinking problem
2. Put your 'liberal nature' down to your parents being 'liberals', who were really only people with drinking problems
3. Describe yourself as a 'liberal' to excuse your sexually promiscuous behaviour with most of your friends (and pretty much anyone, since you have a drinking problem)
4. Describing your political point of view as being 'liberal' because you believe in equality (reality check: being liberal means believing in communism, in not having to work for what you get, in endless government handouts and in being okay with other people taking your stuff).
If I were to pick a side I'd probably say that I am conservative, that I am educated and believe in educated leaders, that I value intellect over popularity, that I will support someone DOING good as opposed to someone who's DONE good, that I will fucking kill you if you touch my Merc, that if you want a Merc, you should work as hard as me to get it and not expect it to fall into your lap. Okay, I drive a Yaris, but it will be a Merc one day, since I believe in work. Do you think it's some sort of a coincidence that Merc rhymes with work?
You, however, strike me as being a bit of a fence-sitter, which is probably a smart place for a young emerging market Dark Carbon Allotrope (c) (BlAcK DiAmOnD) like yourself.
Aligning your personal brand with the ANC at this point isn't very sexy, since they keep kicking each other in the bum like battery chickens.
You could be described as a "Revolutionary Counter", because it's a smart twist on your question without being too blatant a dodge of the issue.
I hope this answers your question, young D.C.A.
P.S. I'm blogging this, FYI
P.P.S. Props for the K.D. reference, though I know you think I missed it. Peace.
This is all very deep for a Tuesday.


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Reconstruction efforts in Gaza will be halted due to lack of funding, announced the United Nations Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) on Wednesday.
The announcement comes despite a pledge by international donors of $5.4 billion in aid at money at a conference in Cairo last October. The months on, and barely a truck full of reconstruction material has passed into the besieged trip. Approximately 108,000 people in the Gaza Strip were left homeless after the July – September 2014 war, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
During last summer's 50-day onslaught, Palestinian bomb disposal experts from the Ministry of Interior in Gaza estimate Israeli military forces dropped 20,000 tons of explosives, or the equivalent of 6 atomic bombs, on the Gaza Strip. The tiny coastal enclave, sandwiched between the Egyptian Sinai desert, the Mediterranean Sea and present day Israel measures only 360 square kilometres, and with approximately 1.8 million people it is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. The scale of destruction was unprecedented, even for Gaza – a place which has come to be associated with war, death and devastation in the minds of people the world over.
The esteemed American academic and political commentator, Noam Chomsky, when talking about Israel's periodic wars on Gaza, often repeats the slogan: "Israel destroys, Gazans rebuild, Europe pays." This time, however, it appears that despite initial promises, the usual suspects have not been as generous as before in footing the bill. At the Cairo aid conference, international donors promised a total of US $5.4bn to help rebuild Gaza, approximately $1.4bn more than the total $4bn sought by the Palestinian Authority.
"This is a major breakthrough, a very important signal of solidarity to the Palestinian people in general and not at least to the people that are suffering so badly in Gaza, "said Norway's Foreign Minister, Boerge Brende, when announcing the final sum.
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, highlighted the urgency of Gaza's reconstruction needs, saying: "The people of Gaza do need our help desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, but they need it now."
The director of UNRWA in Gaza, Robert Turner, announced on Tuesday 27 January, "$5.4 billion was pledged at the Cairo conference last October and virtually none of it has reached Gaza. This is distressing and unacceptable… It is unclear why this funding has not been forthcoming… UNRWA has been a stabilizing factor in a very challenging political and security context and if we cannot continue the programme, it will have grave consequences for affected communities in Gaza."
"People are desperate and the international community cannot even provide the bare minimum – for example a repaired home in winter – let alone a lifting of the blockade, access to markets or freedom of movement. We've said before that quiet will not last, and now the quiet is at risk," he added.
This note of caution was echoed by Khalil Al-Haya, a Hamas official, who Agence France Presse quoted as recently warning a meeting of the Islamic group's officials of the growing threat of extremism in the area. "Our message to the world, which is scared of terrorism and extremism, is that the delay in rebuilding Gaza and the continuing blockade against it will make it a ripe environment for the spread of extremism and terrorism."
This warning comes a week after a demonstration at the French cultural centre in Gaza during which a small number of Gazan extremists waved ISIS-style black flags.
It is unclear which parties to the Cairo aid conference have failed to put their money where their mouths are, but regardless of where the fault lies, the facts on the ground attest that the majority of those left homeless since the war are still living in appalling conditions. In a recent report, Gisha, an independent Israeli NGO, outlines that only 3.9% of the required construction materials have entered Gaza in the past four months. The organization, which focuses on freedom of movement issues, argues that the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) agreed upon between Israel and the Palestinian Authority following the cessation of hostilities last summer has totally failed in its stated goals, and that the flow of essential goods and construction materials coming through the Kerem Shalom crossing remains miniscule.
Despite the political grandstanding of many world leaders at the highly publicized Cairo aid conference in October, the reality for homeless Palestinians in Gaza remains unbearably grim three months down the road. An immediate reaffirmation of support from the US, EU and regional Arab countries for the reconstruction efforts, facilitated by an easing of the blockade of construction materials by Israel and Egypt is urgently required. Otherwise, the homeless of Gaza face many a cold night amongst the rubble of their former homes in the weeks and months ahead.
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The Harry Potter Studio Tour is opening tomorrow, 31st March in Hertfordshire, London.
Fans of the Potter franchise will be able to see sets from the films at Leavesden Studios in Watford, where all of the eight movies were filmed. The tour features real sets, models, props and costumes from the movies. Sets, which have been made in great detail include the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Harry Potter's dormitory, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's office and Diagon Alley.
Fans can also watch short films about designers talking about their work, ride a broomstick in the green-screen effects room and see how animatronics, prosthetics and make-up were used to bring to magical creatures to life.
David Heyman, a producer on all the Potter films has said: "This is a tour for Harry Potter fans, but it's also a tour for people who are not necessarily Harry Potter fans. It's such a good insight into the making of a film…basically a how-to."
Tickets for the tour can be bought online at http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/en/your-visit/tickets-prices. Tickets cost £28 pounds for an adult and £21 for a child. The tour promises to be a magical experience for the whole family.


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Five-year-old Chinese boy becomes youngest pilot
The boy's father says he wanted his son to become braver by flying a plane and develop his curiosity and desire to explore. Yide has also sailed a yacht in an international competition and climbed Mount Fuji during a rainstorm. Video inside.world Updated: Sep 03, 2013 16:22 IST
A five-year-old boy from China has become the Guinness world record holder for the youngest person to pilot a plane.
He Yide, nicknamed Duoduo, made a 35-minute flight in an ultralight aircraft across the Beijing Wildlife Park on August 31, Chinese media reported Tuesday.
Zhang Yonghui, the person in charge of the aviation club where Duoduo learned flying, said the distance of the flight was 30 km.
He Liesheng, the boy's father, said he wanted his son to become braver by flying a plane and also develop his curiosity and desire to explore, according to the Global Times.
The boy earlier sparked a fury in 2012 when a video of his running half naked in the snow went viral on the internet. The video was shot by his family in New York at minus 13 degrees Celsius.
The boy has also sailed a yacht in an international competition and climbed Mount Fuji in Japan during a rainstorm, the media reports said.
Duoduo's father was nicknamed "Eagle Dad" because of his strict parenting methods and has prompted debates over his style of parenting.
"He's education style is worth learning, but not every child is suitable for it," the Global Times quoted Gu Li, the director of a learning research centre in Nanjing, as saying.
Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Centre, said if the boy had encountered problems, it could have impacted his entire life.
"We should not force children to do what they are not able to do. Children can benefit more from playing with toys or mud than flying a plane," he said.


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I love to read so during pregnancy, I signed up to a few baby sites. They sent information through weekly and I read it all. I like to be prepared. I felt prepared but still I have had many surprises that I am going to write about. Mostly so when my daughter asks me in 25 years' time, I will have a reminder of those 'whaaaat?' moments.
- The Pain: I already mentioned in previous blogs about birthing positions but it was such an eye-opener that I feel I must mention it here. First, I will acknowledge that pain is subjective and every woman experiences it differently. Having said that, the labour pain I felt was manageable despite being induced and on a syntocinon drip (which is meant to make it more painful). Until I made the mistake of lying flat on my back. Those minutes of being in that position where the most painful, second only to the post-birth examination. Upright was a million times better. Again, I'll reiterate the hell the post-birth examination was. It was the single most painful part of giving birth and nothing to do with the baby. When the midwife had to examine me for tears/lacerations, it was all I could do not to scream the house down. After 8 hours of labour where I barely made a peep. Horrible. Steel yourself. Don't be like me and mentally heave a sigh of relief once the baby is out. Hold it for that final examination to be over and pray you don't need to have stitches.
- Inability to make decisions: even before the exhaustion and sleep deprivation peaked, I struggled with making the simplest decisions. Specially to do with the baby. First, I couldn't decide what the room temperature was. I'd spent most of pregnancy feeling like I had a very hot water bottle strapped to me. I simply couldn't tell if the ambient temperature was just right or if it was cold but that suited my constantly hot self. And it was important as there was a little baby who couldn't tell me how she felt and she didn't have much fat to insulate her in those first few weeks. I also struggled to decide what to dress her in, what to eat and when to eat it and when it was best to ask my mama to have her for an hour so I could try to have a nap. It took roughly 3 months to reset my brain into first gear. I'm nearly back to full capacity 9 months later.
- The sleeplessness: I thought I understood that a baby sleeps for short periods initially day and night but as time goes on, the intervals get longer and longer until you can manage some (few hours of) deep sleep. My baby never seemed to need much sleep. First two months, it was mostly 1-2 hours sleeps for her which means less for me as I was feeding, putting her to sleep then laying down and listening for too long if she was going to stay asleep. By the time I drifted off, she was beginning to surface so I was barely getting any quality restful sleep. Daytime was worse because whilst at night she would let me put her down, in the day time there was none of that (there still isn't). She seems to have an internal sensor that is on in the day time. This sensor alerts her when she is asleep that she is being removed from human arms. As soon as her head touches down, her eyes spring open and all traces of sleep are gone. My mama was here for the first 6 weeks and she found a way to put her down for 1 nap a day. The idea was to give me the best chance of some sleep. Did I sleep? Not much. I would lie down and listen to even the minutest sound in the house. Eventually the exhaustion would come over me but usually I would have wasted an hour so that if I got 1 hour, I was lucky. By week 2, I felt like a zombie and that feeling didn't leave until she was over 3 months old.
- The guilt: every time she cries, I feel guilty as hell. I can't seem to rationalise the fact that babies cry. You can do your best and do everything you can think of and then some and still, they cry. Even when I ignore her and carry on with my essential tasks, my heart feels so heavy with guilt hearing her cry. Even when I can see she is faking it (they learn these tricks way too early) and there are no tears, I feel this overwhelming guilt. I spent the first few months focusing all my energy on her and avoiding her cries. So much so that I would forget to eat, drink or have a wee until my body was desperate. A couple of months after my mama left, I had to have a word with myself. It was only after I reminded myself that a few tears wouldn't harm her that I started to get on with everyday tasks. In the early days when I was trying to get her to sleep in her basket, it was tough. She would wake every hour and I was exhausted. Lots of people advised just letting her cry herself to sleep once I was satisfied she was fed, had a dry nappy and the room temperature was just right. I struggled on and on until I thought I had to try it. That night, I settled her down in the basket and lay in bed next to her. She was up within the hour so I didn't pick her up. I let her cry. She cried and cried and cried some more. She was not stopping! I lay awake listening to her and after about 5 minutes, I started to cry myself. I rocked her basket but didn't pick her up. I left her for as long as I could (probably 15-20 minutes) and the guilt nearly killed me. I didn't try that again for a month. Again, she just continued to cry until I gave in.
- The joy: so many little things that I always thought were cute in babies now bring me the most intense joy. When my daughter wakes up, searches for me and smiles the biggest happiest smile because I am there. When she reaches out her hand to touch my face as if to check I am real. When she laughs joyfully, as only children can. When she fakes a cough to get my attention. When she notices I am off-guard and pulls my glasses off with glee. When she grabs my sleeve/hip/belt as I walk past her highchair. When she splashes in the bath. When she comes back in from a walk with daddy and her face lights up on seeing me. My heart is always full to bursting with all the little joyous moments each day. And full of dread for when I must leave her and go back to work.
- The pride: Every time she does something the first time…the first social smile, the first proper belly laugh, the first babbles, the first time she rolled over, the first time she sat up without support, the first time she crawled, the first time she pulled to stand. I watch her figure out how do something the first time, the intense concentration on her little face as she works it out. I watch to see the triumphant expression on her face when she succeeds. I watch the surprise on her face when she falls over or bumps into something and how hard she tries not to cry. I was so impressed that when she was immunised on 3 separate occasions, she cried for less than a minute each time. Same with when she got her ears pierced. I know I am biased but she is such a brave little girl. Her joy, her determination to learn new skills and her bravery make me such a proud mama.
Our journey together is at its very infancy so I am certain I will discover many more unknowns along the way. Suffice it to say, I am loving motherhood and I cannot wait to see what our tomorrows will bring. What fun!


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Permanently Banned
Two small notices of upcoming changes to the OLDC:
Effective for the November/December 2011 contest, intentionally awful maps are now grounds for entry rejection. This does not apply to stages that are just bad; only levels where the author is deliberately trying to make a bad stage are affected by this change. What this means for you is that your joke maps need to actually have a little thought put into them for how they play. It's totally okay to have intentionally ugly visuals or use bad music as a joke. It is not okay to have a stage that plays bad on purpose.
Effective for the January/February 2012 contest, the circuit division is discontinued. The November/December 2011 contest will contain the last circuit division in the OLDC. Circuit is an unbalanced game mode that nobody can really agree on what good levels are, so it really isn't a good choice of gametype for what is intended to be a feedback mechanism for improvement of level design skill.
I am not sure if getting rid of circuit in contest wads is such a great idea. There have been some fun maps that came from the contest, even some that are in the 2.0.6 IWADs.
Although I do believe circut is unbalanced, it is mainly because the host will win most of the time from lack of c-lag. I am not sure that the differencing opinions is a good enough reason. There are differencing opinions on how maps should work on ANY gametype. Think of how many people love or hate nimbus ruins.
If you see any people named "Torgo" outside of SRB2, it isn't me. I also go by "TorgoRandomNumbers"
Permanently Banned
I'm not really talking about the difference in opinion on specific maps as much as I'm referencing the lack of any sort of consensus on what even constitutes a bad circuit map, much less a good one. If you ask 20 people what they want in a circuit map, they will provide 20 different, frequently conflicting answers. It's basically impossible to improve your stage when the very stage feature that earned you high marks from one voter caused you to get low marks from another.
In contrast, while there are certainly controversial maps in our other gametypes that produce conflicting feedback (Nimbus Ruins being a great example), generally the feedback you get is pretty consistent. Despite the difference in taste, it's possible to obtain a good amount of proper feedback because you get a lot of different but generally not diametrically opposed opinions. Even if you do end up with a controversial stage, it's often easy to nail down exactly what feature of your stage half of the audience likes and the other half dislikes, such as the ease of falling to your death in Nimbus Ruins. People are much more able to isolate exactly what causes them to like or dislike a stage in match and CTF, while in circuit the answer frequently is "I don't know why, but in my gut I really like/dislike this". While that's perfectly valid feedback, it's not helpful for the purposes of improving level design skill. Even worse, it's often actually feedback on the circuit gametype and not the stage itself, regardless of whether the voter thinks he's being objective or not. The entirety of this argument is essentially distilled perfectly in this thread: http://mb.srb2.org/showthread.php?t=36224
Finally, I assume this is obvious, but I'd like to start to phase circuit out as a serious gametype. Match and capture the flag are both deep, compelling gametypes with tons of player interaction and complicated decisions to make. Circuit, at the end of the day, involves thokking a lot. This can be an amusing diversion, but it simply has no depth and no matter how much you dress it up with pretty stages and complicated sector layout, it boils down to time attack with lag, and at that point we might as well encourage single player stage design instead, as that has a lot more gameplay involved than just time attack.
Formerly known as 'Neo'
Re: Intentionally awful maps. I wholeheartedly approve of this decision, because it's been thoroughly established that 95% of the users SRB2 attracts have no clue how to be funny. However, I do hope this does not become grounds for disqualifying would-be controversial maps (see: Nimbus Ruins) strictly due to someone's bias. I've always considered the contest less of, gasp, a contest and more of a forum to post your work with the safe knowledge that it will get played by a lot of people. If we start axing controversial maps before they have a chance to get wildly differing opinions, then I think a vital part of the OLDC will be lost.
Next, the Imminent Discontinuation Of Circuit and Why I Think It's A Bad Idea:
While it's true that what goes into making a good Match or CTF stage is much more formulaic, it's also always a partial crapshoot -- something in the gut of the map maker that he or she thinks will work for the gametype. Unwritten, or maybe unwritable rules, if you will. Circuit is nothing but a more extreme example of this. A lot less hard science goes into making a good Race map than a Match map, but this is not inherently bad. Hell, I would argue the same thing goes for Single Player levels, as well. You can try to distill what makes Egg Rock 2 so awesome, and you might come up with several valid points, but at the end of the day what caused the stage to make the leap from "great" to "embodiment of Christ" is simply the natural talent Nev3r has in making a flowing, well architected experience. That's something you can't break down into bullet points. And that is not a bad thing.
So essentially what I'm saying is that yes, you're right. People end up praising Circuit maps where there are glaring flaws and reject others simply due to something rather trivial. It's not as easy to put the author on the right track as it is for Match or CTF, it may very well be impossible. But I say that's the way the game works. Which brings me to my final point:
Next, Match is a deep, strategic gametype while Circuit has no depth and boils down to multiplayer time attack. Oh no! Wait, why is this a bad thing?
If there's one thing that attracts me to the Circuit gametype is the very fact that it has very little depth to it. In order to play a good game of Match, you need to a) round up a decent number of players (8 is recommended, 6 at the very minimum) and b) ensure that they're both experienced in first-person shooters with WASD and mouselook control AND the specifics of SRB2 Match's strategic gameplay. The game isn't fun if nobody hits you, and it's also no fun if nobody dodges your shots. With Circuit, on the other hand, all the player really needs to know is the layout of the levels and how to handle the player character, both of which are already assumed for Match as well. This leads to Circuit being a much easier game to set up, because it is very inviting to anyone strolling around the Master Server and therefore easily amasses lots of people with varied skill levels, which can then make the shift to Match or CTF after a consistent group of players has been established. There's a reason I always, always start a netgame with Circuit.
Just a small thing:
it's lamp for supper, kids
Planning ahead is for ninnies who think they can predict every possible outcome. The future is mutable! Go with the flow!
it's lamp for supper, kids
One more thing: How do you tell if a map is intentionally bad, Mystic? Canyon CTF was not intentionally bad, yet, many people thought that. There needs to be some sort of concrete standard, or I can see some people getting upset when their hard work is rejected. I mean, you can obviously tell that "obnoioxies mym litltle pnony refenrence znone" was intentional, but that's not the case with everything.
Planning ahead is for ninnies who think they can predict every possible outcome. The future is mutable! Go with the flow!
Over The Speed Limit
Simple: If it's not as crystal clear as it is with "obnoioxies mym litltle pnony refenrence znone", then it won't be rejected.
it's lamp for supper, kids
Okay, that's fair enough.
Planning ahead is for ninnies who think they can predict every possible outcome. The future is mutable! Go with the flow!
Permanently Banned
The Zelda franchise is both deep and complex. There are tons of decisions to make and a massive amount of rules the player needs to understand about the gameplay structure. By the end of the game the player is managing a massive inventory while making complicated decisions to solve complicated problems.
Tetris is deep and simple. There are a ton of decisions to make, but the rules of the game are incredibly easy to understand. Nobody is going to have any problems figuring out what's going on, but the game remains very interesting because despite the simple ruleset, there are tons of options of how to approach your problem.
The Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises (and many other JRPGs) are shallow and complex. While there are a massive amount of rules the player needs to understand in order for their party to have optimal statistics, in actual practice there aren't a whole lot of choices in the gameplay itself. You just keep attacking with your strongest attacks, healing as necessary, until whatever you're fighting dies.
Tic-Tac-Toe is both shallow and simple. There are few decisions to make and very simple rules. In such situations, the game quickly stagnates into repetitive game states because the lack of choices prevent any variety from entering the gameplay, and there isn't the complexity of the rules to hide this behind an RPG statistics system.
Now, with those examples, let's apply this to SRB2. SRB2 has two layers of rules complexity, as you've pointed out above. Our single player game has one set of mechanics, while out match weapon system adds an extra layer of complexity on top of that. More complicated rules, as mentioned earlier, create a longer learning curve before the player can fully comprehend what's going on and can be a barrier to entry for newer players. Now let's look at our gametypes in particular:
Single player mode is deep and relatively simple (Obviously, not even close to as simple as Tetris, but compared to the rest of our modes, it's by far the easiest to understand). While the physics ramifications of the tools the player are given are complicated, the rules themselves are relatively easy to understand. The player has a lot of decisions in how to go about approaching their goal, though, with non-linear stage design, multiple character abilities, and lots of stage-specific mechanics to play with.
Match mode is deep and complicated. All of the gameplay rules from single player carry over into match, while also adding a weapon and ammo system. The gameplay itself provides a ton of choices to the player as well, because even though the player's movement options are slightly restrictive compared to single player, the complexity of using the right weapon for the situation adds more than enough to make up for it.
Capture the flag mode is deep and even more complicated than match. The addition of teams, team rings, and all the CTF mechanics adds even more complexity. CTF provides and absolutely massive amount of depth because of all the various methods of accomplishing your goal, as the addition of an objective other than just attacking other players reintroduces a lot of the movement tricks from single player that aren't viable in match.
Finally, circuit mode is shallow and simple. The gameplay rules are the same as single player, with the exception of time being the most important thing. However, because of the emphasis on speed, there are absolutely no choices for the player to make. All of the decisions to make in single player are thrown out of the window because the player is encouraged to go as fast as possible. You play as Sonic, take a linear path, and whoever executes thokking the best wins. Thus, all the games of circuit end up feeling the same, like Tic-Tac-Toe once you figure out how to play optimally. While in circuit it's possible to mess up on reflex while it isn't possible in TTT, the decision tree is completely non-existent.
This is why I say circuit is a subpar gametype. Each game ends up working out exactly the same way, and while it can be an amusing diversion for a small period of time, it will quickly become stale once the players in the game figure out the stage layout because nobody gets to make any decisions. There are no cool sequence breaks like in time attack, no stage exploration and variety of character abilities like in single player, and no player interaction like in match and capture the flag. Every game is exactly the same, leading to the winner being determined by latency or someone making a stupid mistake while thokking.
Last edited by Mystic; 11-01-2011 at 10:44 PM.
The unreliable judge
So, I trust many of us will be making circuit levels with a little effort put into them now to overwhelm the final OLDC that allows circuit maps with the very gametype that will soon be removed from the OLDC?
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I don't know about you all but removing circuit levels in the OLDC can be a good or bad idea. However you look at it. By removing circuit maps. We wont have much to play but Match and CTF. And most players I know never feels up for a good old coop. But I do see your point for the votes and rating for the circuit levels. Every time i join a OLDC server. There always giving high rating for such a nice level while someone don't like a part and will rate it lower for his/her own opinions.
I just truly think this is a bad idea for removing the circuit division.
And I love racing a lot. And by removing the circuit division. All I got my hope now is match.
And c-lag never bother me in race ever.
I really hope you know what your doing Mystic.
There is nothing much to read here.
Yes, I agree on this point that the victory in Race is a matter of chance accompanied by a minimum of experience, of course. Experience means know the levels and the rules of thok, and the chance is ... to do not to break his head against a wall because of the bad luck, as you say so.
Now, you consider that Race = Coop. Yes, it's your own opinion, but I also like to give my version.
The SRB2 Wiki (Level Design 101) has two different parts for race and Coop ! Both game modes have different rules of construction. During the race, some parts must be straight and tall, usually with few obstacles, however in Coop ... we find slow teleporters (ERZ2), lasers ... barriers, and especially : enemies !
There are many specific rules for Race to gain speed easily OR even with some difficulties !
And also a very important thing : except in this aerial level so fresh called Heaven Pass, where Tails can compete, I see no chance that a thok-thok-thok Sonic can not win against a Knuckles or Tails.
In other words, a victory for Co-op, which is a basic game mode (exploration, take pleasure in killing small crawlas, etc..) receives S, T and K, whilst the victory in Race only receives the most Sonic of you.
To return to the basic race topic ...
There is a difference between Race and 1-P / Coop.
And, whatever the work, create levels can only enhance the level design skills.
So yeah, I, personally, I would have liked to keep Race, I do not consider it like Coop, it's really too bad to don't have access to this mode soon. I'm sure some players like this gameplay (especially plumber-on-karts drift fans)
Topic : "For the lulz" levels
Players who make small jokes like create intergalactic casinos riddled with holes invisible in the wall ... it depends if the joke is to the chocolate or to the strawberry. If this is a unplayable level joke (and to don't recreate discussion on this : unplayable, HERE, means "deceptive textures, awful gameplay, unpredictable traps etc ...." I do not speak about the file loading.) If this is a level unplayable joke, so I'm FOR the deletion of those psychedelic areas. I do not really fun type "setlives 99" in my console ...
Now, if a joke is quite playable, but low quality (such as ... a massive platform in space that looks like a kitten in a body composed of toast where matches can be played, and so, where the Rail ring can affect anyone on the level) should be accepted. I know it's a joke, but I still consider it as "level" because I can play inside happily with other players. Then, the only downside, of course, is the quality ...a joke level, which is still easily playable, get a bad grade according to the Level Design... But it's a playable level. It's according to "joke" sense.
I also limit myself to mention this piece of Mystic summarizing what I mean :
"It's totally okay to have intentionally ugly visuals or use bad music as a joke. It is not okay to have a stage that plays bad on purpose."
Now, you have to recognize if a psychedelic level is a joke, or if a level is just supposed to be serious, but very difficult. Yes, like Neo said, like Nimbus Ruins, why not. But I think the textures are going to say for themselves whether the level is a joke or not, so I'm not too worried about it !
It's alright, go on, you'll never know anything if you don't try
Last edited by Internet Explorer; 11-02-2011 at 07:05 AM.
With that in mind, nobody said that Single Player and Race are identical - far from it. The closest anybody came to it was when Neo called Race "bite-sized Single Player". What he means is that Race takes the design rules for Single Player stages and simplifies them to a high degree. Multiple paths, enemies and complex or time-consuming obstacles for example are thrown out for maximum straightforwardness. So, in essence, Race isn't a different gametype with its own rules, it's rather a reduction and simplification of Single Player. Which of course poses the question: Why make a simplified Single Player stage when you can make a real one?
Regarding the "for the lulz" levels as you called them, I think you misunderstood something: We're not talking about joke maps. We're talking about maps that are bad on purpose. This doesn't happen very often; in fact "obnoioxies mym litltle pnony refenrence znone" might be the only such level that was in the OLDC in the last two years.
Circuit Mode has been worked on far less then any other gametype, which explains why it falls short when compared to the other three. So I'm going to post some suggestions to make it feel less like a "watered down singleplayer"
- Add weapon rings
Easiest way to add more depth to Circuit mode. Restrict the player to holding only one weapon panel, and keep ammo to a minimum so that more choices would be made.
- Rayman Arena styled traps
For those who haven't played it, there were switches that would close shortcuts and slow down the leading player so he/she would have to take a longer route, giving the other players falling behind a chance to catch up. You could easily do this with gates that you run through (Using linedef executers) instead of switches to close up the shortest path to prevent Sonic from dominating. Think of that switch in Azure lake Zone in Sonic 3 to get a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
-Change Circuit maps to Sprint type maps
Just design Circuit mode with a start and finish, and remove the whole lap system. The 4 lap design already limits what you can do to balance the three characters, and some of the single-player maps beat out quite a few Circuit maps when it comes to balance anyway.
Just plain removing it from the OLDC isn't going to solve anything. It's the only time we ever got any interesting Circuit maps in the first place
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Feature :
Mount it on your bike and go, the Stealth 10 is set-up free and uses GPS technology to calculate your position quickly. Track speed, distance, elapsed time and record up to 60 hours of data that you can upload and share via web-based training sites, such as CatEyeAtlas.com and TrainingPeaksTM.com. Monitor performance and stay motivated with online challenges.
Other features include a full-time backlight, auto-stop/start and programmable odometer. The Stealth 10 is waterproof, USB rechargeable and can be used on multiple bikes, so you'll always be ready to ride.


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April 4, 2011 -- For children diagnosed with autism, hope comes in many forms -- stimulants, hormone therapy, vitamins, powerful antipsychotic medications, intensive behavioral therapies, and strict diets.
It is harder, however, to find treatments that have been scientifically proven to help.
Now three government-funded studies, published in the journal Pediatrics, have examined the evidence behind common medical and behavioral treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). They concluded that there's little proof that some therapies actually work. And although some medications may ease disruptive and aggressive behaviors, they can have significant side effects.
"I think we are making slow progress," says Lynne C. Huffman, MD a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and associate professor in the Center for Health Policy at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
"It's like treating the cough in the child who has pneumonia, if you don't know what's causing the pneumonia," Huffman says. She recently published a similar but separate review of medical and complementary and alternative treatments for autism. She was not involved in the current research.
Part of the reason there's so little consistent evidence about what works for treating autism, Huffman says, has to do with how variable the symptoms can be.
"Given that, we have this very heterogeneous group of kids who have this great big range in terms of how impairing their symptoms are, and we've got some medications that have been pretty well studied and show some effect in some targeted areas," she says.
What the Studies Found
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Vanderbilt University, funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, reviewed the evidence behind three types of treatment currently used for children with autism: drugs, intensive behavioral therapies, and injections of the hormone secretin.
"The most important finding from the reviews that were conducted is that there's still a lot of work to be done to understand how specific treatments affect specific children so that we can tailor recommendations to maximizing improvements and gains," says Zachary Warren, PhD, director of the treatment and research institute for autism spectrum disorders at Vanderbilt's Kennedy Center in Nashville.
All of the studies included in the reviews had been published between 2000 and May 2010 and included children 12 or younger.
In the study that looked at medications, researchers reviewed studies of antipsychotics, serum serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and stimulant medications, which are generally used to decrease symptoms like aggression, repetitive behaviors, self-injury, and severe tantrums.
They found good evidence that two antipsychotic drugs, Risperdal and Abilify, decreased "challenging" behaviors like irritability, agitation, crying, hyperactivity, and noncompliance, compared to placebos.
But there were significant side effects reported with the use of these medications, including weight gain, drowsiness, and symptoms such as tremors, involuntary movements, and rigidity.
Though trials of the SSRI Prozac and the stimulant Ritalin showed potential positive effects on repetitive behaviors and hyperactivity, the reviewers declared current evidence to be insufficient to recommend their use.
Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions
Intensive behavioral therapies, where a therapist or parent works one on one with an autistic child for more than 25 hours a week over several years, have made recent headlines as studies have shown that these approaches may yield substantial improvements in IQ, language, and interpersonal skills.
But when reviewers sat down to compare apples to apples in this range of different approaches, they found themselves looking at mixed fruit.
"When you start talking about interventions that are primarily behavioral or educational in nature that are delivered for many hours a week over the course of a year or two, there are so many factors that need to be brought into that comparison that it is very tricky," Warren says.
"What we do see is a body of work that suggests that yes, in fact, young children with autism spectrum disorders who do receive early intensive intervention do show or tend to show benefit," he says, "But there are some who show much more benefit than others. And there are some interventions where the effects are very modest, and some subgroups are showing tremendous gains."
Researchers looked at three broad categories of therapies. The first was the so-called University of California at Los Angeles/Lovaas approach, where therapists work with children at least 25 hours a week to try to combat specific behaviors and deficits associated autism.
For example, if an autistic child shows interest in a toy, but not necessarily a person in the same room, a therapist might hold the toy and prompt the child to ask for it in an appropriate way, in an effort to develop communication skills.
The second category of interventions included programs that attempt to address autistic tendencies in very young children, who are under 2 years of age. In general, these are studies based on the Early Start Denver Model, which uses play-based therapy to encourage language and social skills.
The third kind of therapies reviewed were programs that train parents to help their kids at home.
"The mantra in the field has been that with early identification and early intervention, you can improve the long-term developmental trajectory of the illness," says Eric Hollander, MD, director of the Compulsive, Impulsive and Autism Spectrum Disorders Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
Among 23 studies of the UCLA/Lovaas method and four studies of the Denver Early Start program that were included in the review, many showed gains in IQ, cognitive performance, language skills, and adaptive behaviors.
But those findings appeared to be biased from the get-go, experts say, because children who got the intensive interventions, as opposed to "eclectic" community-based programs, started out with milder symptoms.
"The early studies were flawed," Hollander says. He was not involved in the reviews.
"There are some kids who get response to some treatments over a short period of time, but it's kind of hard to figure out which of the kids respond best to which specific treatments and whether those treatments have a large impact over time," he says.
It's a critical question, too, considering what it costs to provide these therapies.
"There are high costs associated with these treatments, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year," Hollander says.
Reviewers cited a lack of high-quality studies and a lack of confirmatory research, or studies that independently duplicate previous findings, as a reason to further question these approaches. They noted that one finding that was "powerfully replicated" across studies was that many kids who get these therapies "will not demonstrate dramatic gains ... ."
Among seven studies of parent-training programs, researchers said small sizes, failure to randomly assign participants to different treatments, wide variation in the symptoms of children enrolled in the studies, and a lack of objectively assessed outcomes limited the conclusions that could be drawn.
The final review looked at evidence behind the use of controversial therapy of the gut protein secretin.
Out of 4,120 studies considered, only eight met criteria for inclusion in the review.
When secretin was compared to a placebo, no studies have shown improvements in measures of language, cognition, or autistic symptoms.
"That's one of the interventions that have the most powerful evidence," Warren says, "and the evidence really powerfully suggests that this is something that should not be pursued."
Hope on the Horizon
Hollander and Warren say although current therapies appear to offer little in the way of help, a new generation of medications in development aim to ease symptoms by targeting the underlying causes of the disease, not just the symptoms.
"We're on the verge of an era of being able to think about being able to develop new, targeted treatments based on an understanding about what we know about autism and how autism is related to our brain," Warren says. "In animal models, they've been able to demonstrate recovery of certain symptoms and certain behaviors."
And many experts feel that with better designed studies, at-home behavioral training, where a therapist educates parents about ways to find opportunities to practice communication skills, will ultimate show great benefits.
"Parent training approaches, where parents learn to find teachable moments with their child, that's a very powerful thing," says Byrna Siegel, PhD, director of clinical services at the University of California at San Francisco's Autism Clinic.
"I tell people that there's a lot of stuff you can do to help your kid, but it involves a lot of hard work," she says.


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Vendor Service Lifecycle
|1. The formally acknowledged, documented or recorded existence and evolution of a Vendor Service and anything relevant to it, such as anything it is composed of or dependent on, bounded within a lifespan that begins with its initial inception all the way through to its complete decommission or termination and purge from existence.
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|1) The Semantic Root Noun for this term is: Vendor Service
2) Semantically Related Terms: The "Vendor Service Management Glossary"
3) The Vendor Service Management Home Page covers much more about other related terms and concepts associated with this term or phrase.


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Live in or near Chicago? Love The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin and have nothing to do tomorrow night? He'll be a special guest on Mark Bazer's The Interview Show to talk about his new book with "Weird Al" Yankovic, Weird Al: The Book.
The Interview Show is a monthly talk show hosted by columnist Mark Bazer that features a variety of guests in a casual and conversational setting. Other guests for tomorrow's show include Chef and Wine Director Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser of the soon-to-open Grace Restaurant and Chicago-based jazz musician Frank Catalano.
The show begins 6:30 pm and the $8 tickets can be purchased at the door of The Hideout.
Meanwhile, enter The A.V. Club's contest to win one of five autographed copies of Weird Al: The Book.


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Updated 2 p.m. ET- DENVER – Voters will have their chance to size up President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney side-by-side, when both men take the stage at the University of Denver Wednesday night for their first of three debates.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is preparing to face off against President Obama at tonight's debate in Denver, Colo. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
And with Election Day just a month away, expectations and anticipation for tonight's showdown are mile high.
Romney, the Republican presidential hopeful, trails Obama in most polls, both nationally and in key battleground states. Tonight's debate offers the challenger an opportunity to change the dynamics of the race and Romney is expected to take an aggressive posture in hopes of doing just that.
Both candidates have spent a lot of time in the critical swing state fighting for those nine electoral votes but recent polling has President Barack Obama in the lead. Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., discusses.
For his part, Obama will have to guard against his Republican opponent's attacks – particularly on the anemic economy and the administration's response to a terrorist attack against a U.S. embassy last month in Libya – all while trying to illustrate the "contrast" between himself and Romney.
"Gov. Romney, to me, seemingly shifts his shape. I don't really know what Gov. Romney stands for – you look at his Massachusetts record, you look at what he promoted when he was running for the U.S. Senate – and now you compare that with his various proposals since he's been running for office," said Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat. "So I think this debate tonight will continue the dynamic of the campaign that's focused on contrasts and differences."
Recommended: In Colorado, Latinos anxious to hear what candidates have to say
The stakes on Wednesday evening are especially high for Romney, who's trailed Obama in most polls since each party's national conventions concluded at the beginning of September. A series of missteps by the former Massachusetts governor – involving his quick response to the Libya incident and the revelation of secretly recorded remarks seeming to write off 47 percent of voters, whom he called "dependent" upon government – have put the private equity titan in the unenviable position of having to make up ground versus Obama.
NBC's Kristen Welker reports from Denver, Colo., where President Obama will debate Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tonight.
October's three debates might be Romney's last, best hope to accomplish that goal. Political observers typically look toward three moments in an election for a candidate to change the state of the campaign. The first two – choosing a running mate and the national convention – have come and gone.
Reuters, Getty Images
In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.
That leaves the debates – tonight in Denver, Oct. 11 in Hempstead, N.Y., and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla. – for Romney to make his argument.
The Republican nominee will look to deliver the kind of aggressive attacks on Obama for which his conservative supporters have clamored.
Several Romney voters at events here in Colorado preceding Wednesday's showdown said they feared he currently trailed Obama. All of them said they wanted to see the GOP nominee come out swinging versus the president.
"I don't think he has been tough enough," said Caroline Peale, who attended Ann Romney's event on Tuesday afternoon in Littleton. "He has so much ammunition. He doesn't use it!"
Peggy Fulster, a self-described independent voter who decided for Romney in recent months, said: "I believe he's behind, but I think he can make up ground. I think a lot of people are sitting on the sidelines to see what happens in the debates."
Related: First debate crucial for Romney
The risk for Romney could involve seeming too aggressive; he must straddle a delicate dividing line between criticizing the president and seeming petulant in a way that could turn off many swing voters.
- / AFP - Getty Images
This combination of file pictures shows President Barack Obama Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney addressing crowds.
Obama is sure to play defense at moments of the debate, which will be moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. But the debate format is largely open-ended in a way that could maximize interactions between the candidates. As a result of a coin toss, Obama will deliver the first opening statement and Romney will give the final remarks of the evening.
The president's campaign has sought to play down expectations for Obama, emphasizing that the president hasn't debated since the 2008 general election. Obama spent much of the past weekend and the first half of this week practicing for tonight's matchup, huddling in Henderson, Nev., with senior staff and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who is playing the role of Romney in mock debates.
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd takes a "deep dive" into key presidential debates in America's history.
Obama, speaking a few days ago in Las Vegas, framed the debate as an opportunity to engage with Romney on issues of substance, playing down expectations and dismissing the notion of debate winners and losers.
"Gov. Romney, he's a good debater. I'm just OK," the president said. "But what I'm most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing and restore security for hardworking Americans. That's what people are going to be listening for. That's the debate that you deserve."
Much of Obama's campaign has focused on illustrating the differences between the two men, rather than embracing the model of an election that is effectively an up-or-down referendum on the president's first term.
This evening, Obama is likely to continue in that vein, and has ample ammunition of his own to go after Romney. The Democrat's campaign has turned Romney's "47 percent" video into the subject of attack lines, and the president invokes Romney's own low effective tax rate as evidence for why taxes should be reformed such that the wealthy pay a higher share of taxes.
One difficulty for both candidates involves letting the other's attacks get to them.
"I could see both men bristling a little bit at a comment the other one might make," said Udall. "There are times where you feel no good deed goes unpunished, and you want to at least push back – if not punch back – and set the record straight. I think there's a way to modulate it ... You respond with a punch, but it's got to be a clean, above board punch that's appropriate for that setting."
Recommended: Obama leads Romney by 50 points with Latinos
Like Obama, Romney has spent a considerable amount of time preparing for these attacks and downplaying expectations. Romney's team has pointed out that, despite the numerous primary debates earlier this cycle, the Republican presidential nominee hasn't faced a Democratic opponent in about a decade, when he first ran for governor of Massachusetts.
"There's going to be all the scoring of winning and losing, and you know, in my view, it's not so much winning and losing or even the people themselves," Romney said at a rally Monday evening in the Denver area.
NBC's Mark Murray breaks down the newest national and state polling ahead of tonight's debate.
Romney added: "I look forward to these debates. I'm delighted that we're going to have three debates. It'll be a conversation with the American people that will span almost an entire month."
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a veteran of debate preparations for past Republican nominees, has taken the lead on playing Obama in practice sessions versus Romney. Portman traveled with Romney to Denver, and the two of them mostly worked privately on Tuesday in anticipation of tonight's debate.
Would-be first lady Ann Romney pronounced her husband "excited" and "focused" in a rally Tuesday afternoon.
But whether there are that many undecided voters remaining on the sideline is another question. The challenge – for both candidates – could end up involving the number of voters who appear to have already determined their vote, making it more difficult than usual for either Romney or Obama to sway voters with a strong debate performance.
Tuesday's NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that most voters, 60 percent, called the debate either "just somewhat important" or "not at all important."


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some souvenirs
We didn't buy much during out trip to PDX but we found so many great little shops, we didn't come home empty handed either. This set of German made Weck jars are from Canoe. The little Donna Wilson tumbler is from Ink & Peat, more photos of this beautiful shop to come... Jeremiah found this type book from Powell's. I stayed right next to Jeremiah the whole time, the size of this book store was so eerie, and we had to trek 4 floors to get to the art section.
And we stopped at Ikea for lunch on our way out and got some shelves and a few other little things. Jeremiah and I were surprised at how much we could cram into the back of our little car, good to know for next time! The little clothes for Israel are from H&M. They had some cute things but a very small selection. I found some little toggle sweaters for him too but nothing in his size, darn.
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9 comments:
You got the nesting tables at Ikea? I've been looking for something similar for my living room.. but I don't see them on their website?!ReplyDelete
I have a weakness for cardigans and sweaters with elbow pads :D Great finds!ReplyDelete
Are there Zara stores in US? They have the coolest kid clothes.ReplyDelete
Love all of the stuff that you picked up. Especially the nesting tables.
I love the jars...and Donna Wilson new collection. Great purchases!ReplyDelete
love the photos!ReplyDelete
We moved to Berlin a few months back and the windows of the h&m kids store make me swoon every time I pass them (we don't have h&m in australia where I'm from), cutest stuff ever!ReplyDelete
Love the photos!! The cardigan is adorable :)ReplyDelete
i love the donna wilson tumbler, i got it for one of my friends because it looks just like her! all of the illustrations have such personality!ReplyDelete
As a Portlander, I think you did a fabulous job seeing some of the best shops in the city! You hit many of my favorite places.ReplyDelete
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LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron promised Britons a vote on quitting the European Union, rattling London's biggest allies and some investors by raising the prospect of uncertainty and upheaval.
Cameron announced on Wednesday that the referendum would be held by the end of 2017 - provided he wins a second term - and said that while Britain did not want to retreat from the world, public disillusionment with the bloc was at "an all-time high".
"It is time for the British people to have their say. It is time for us to settle this question about Britain and Europe," Cameron said in a speech, adding that his Conservative party would campaign for the 2015 parliamentary election on a promise to renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership.
"When we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice to stay in the European Union on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in-out referendum."
A referendum would mark the second time British voters have had a direct say on the issue. In 1975, they decided by a wide margin to stay in, two years after the country had joined.
Most recent opinion polls have shown a slim majority would vote to leave amid bitter disenchantment, fanned by a hostile press, about the EU's perceived influence on the British way of life. However, a poll this week showed a majority for staying.
Cameron's position is fraught with uncertainty. He must come from behind to win the next election, secure support from the EU's 26 other states for a new British role, and hope those countries can persuade their voters to back the changes.
He also avoided saying exactly what he would do if he failed to win concessions in Europe, as many believe is likely.
Critics, notably among business leaders worried about the effect on investment, say that for years before a vote, Britain may slip into a dangerous and damaging limbo that could leave it adrift or effectively pushed out of the EU.
The United States, a close ally, is also uneasy about the plan, believing it will dilute Britain's international clout. President Barack Obama told Cameron last week that Washington valued "a strong UK in a strong European Union" and the White House said on Wednesday it believed Britain's membership of the EU was mutually beneficial.
Some of Britain's European partners were also anxious and told Cameron on Wednesday his strategy reflected a selfish and ignorant attitude. However, Angela Merkel, the leader of EU paymaster Germany, was quick to say she was ready to discuss Cameron's ideas.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was less diplomatic: "If Britain wants to leave Europe, we will roll out the red carpet," he quipped, echoing words Cameron used recently to urge France's rich to escape high taxes and move to Britain.
French President Francois Hollande repeated his refusal of special deals: "What I will say, speaking for France, and as a European, is that it isn't possible to bargain over Europe to hold this referendum," he said. "Europe must be taken as it is.
"One can have it modified in future but one cannot propose reducing or diminishing it as a condition of staying in."
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was more positive. He said he agreed with Cameron on the need to make the EU more innovative and welcomed the idea of a British referendum, saying he thought Britons would ultimately vote to stay in the bloc.
Billed by commentators as the most important speech of Cameron's career, his referendum promise ties him firmly to an issue that has bedeviled a generation of Conservative leaders.
In the past, he has been careful to avoid bruising partisan fights over Europe, an issue that undid the last two Conservative prime ministers, John Major and Margaret Thatcher.
His speech appeared to pacify a powerful Euroskeptic wing inside his own party, but deepen rifts with the Liberal Democrats, the junior partners in his coalition. Their leader, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, said the plan would undermine a fragile economic recovery.
Sterling fell to its lowest in nearly five months against the dollar on Wednesday as Cameron was speaking.
Cameron said he would take back powers from Brussels, saying later in parliament that, when it came to employment, social and environmental legislation, "Europe has gone far too far".
But such a clawback - still the subject of an internal audit to identify which specific powers he should target for repatriation to London - is likely to be easier said than done.
If Cameron wins re-election but then fails to renegotiate Britain's membership of the EU, a 'Brexit' could loom.
Business leaders have warned that years of doubt over Britain's EU membership would damage the $2.5 trillion economy and cool the investment climate.
"Having a referendum creates more uncertainty and we don't need that," Martin Sorrell, chief executive of advertising giant WPP, told the World Economic Forum in Davos. "This is a political decision. This is not an economic decision.
"This isn't good news. You added another reason why people will postpone investment decisions."
Cameron has been pushed into taking such a strong position partly by the rise of the UK Independence Party, which favors complete withdrawal from the EU and has climbed to third in the opinion polls, mainly at the expense of the Conservatives.
"All he's trying to do is to kick the can down the road and to try and get UKIP off his back," said UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
Euroskeptics in Cameron's party, who have threatened to stir up trouble for the premier, were thrilled by the speech.
Conservative lawmaker Peter Bone called it "a terrific victory" that would unify 98 percent of the party. "He's the first prime minister to say he wants to bring back powers from Brussels," Bone told Reuters. "It's pretty powerful stuff".
Whether Cameron holds the referendum remains as uncertain as the Conservatives' chances of winning the election. They trail the opposition Labour party in opinion polls, and the coalition is grappling with a stagnating economy as it pushes through unpopular public spending cuts to reduce a large budget deficit.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Wednesday his party did not want an in-or-out referendum.
Cameron said he would campaign for Britain to stay in the EU "with all my heart and soul", provided he secured the reforms he wants. He made clear the Union must become less bureaucratic and focus more on free trade.
It was riskier to maintain the status quo than to change, he said: "The biggest danger to the European Union comes not from those who advocate change, but from those who denounce new thinking as heresy," he said.
Asked whether, if he did not succeed in his renegotiation strategy, would recommend a vote to take Britain out, he said only: "I want to see a strong Britain in a reformed Europe.
"We have a very clear plan. We want to reset the relationship. We will hold that referendum. We will recommend that resettlement to the British people."
Cameron said the euro zone debt crisis was forcing the bloc to change and that Britain would fight to make sure new rules were fair to the 10 countries that do not use the common currency, of which Britain is the largest.
Democratic consent for the EU in Britain was now "wafer thin", he said:
"Some people say that to point this out is irresponsible, creates uncertainty for business and puts a question mark over Britain's place in the European Union. But the question mark is already there: ignoring it won't make it go away."
A YouGov opinion poll on Monday showed that more people wanted to stay in the EU than leave it, the first such result in many months. But it was unclear whether that result was a blip.
Paul Chipperfield, a 53-year-old management consultant, said he liked the strategy: "Cameron's making the right move because I don't think we've had enough debate in this country," he said.
"We should be part of the EU but the EU needs to recognize that not everybody's going to jump on the same bandwagon."
Asked after the speech whether other EU countries would agree to renegotiate Britain's membership, Cameron said he was an optimist and that there was "every chance of success".
"I don't want Britain to leave the EU," he told parliament later. "I want Britain to reform the EU."
In the 1975 referendum, just over 67 percent voted to stay inside with nearly 33 percent against.
(Additional reporting by Paul Taylor in Davos, Alexandra Hudson in Berlin, Brenda Goh in London, Jeff Mason in Washington and James Mackenzie in Rome; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, David Stamp and Alastair Macdonald)
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Mostly that girl gets written about in YA novels. In Gossip Girl. There is a beautiful person, who is magnetic to all, and then an underbelly-seether who loves and hates her. And then we find out that the beautiful person is not, really, or she is but is terribly emotionally crippled – and it seems to make everything better.
The August: Osage County press conference at TIFF is a study in this girl. What it's like to be adored when you are a grown woman who is doing her job like everyone else – but you just can't contain who you are.
It starts early. The first words of the press conference are "It's creepy quiet in here". Everyone laughs. Of course they do. And what follows is a 35 minute press conference that tries its damndest not to be about Julia Roberts.
That's not to say that she's self-centered or not speaking about the movie. This is what so many people mistake about her. It's not that she's so focused on being Julia, it's just that she cannot help but express all her opinions about everything. You're asking her, aren't you? She gives long-winded answers about how hard and diligently they all worked, racing home to "shower and then go over to Meryl's" - and then, when she realizes she's gone on for awhile, she's all self-deprecating. "Well. Aren't I fascinating?"
It's actually this kind of self-confidence that makes her so rare and attractive. That's what we don't see in the others. At one point during the press conference, Juliette Lewis says that people might think she's angry because "A million years ago I did a movie called 'Natural Born Killers' and I was kind of wicked in it" and the remark just falls so flat. Her humour is not welcome here, even though under other circumstances she would be the cleverest one on the panel – because all people want is more Julia. By contrast, when she says "It's a Jule-bilee", referring to her and Lewis and Julianne Nicholson, it's a terrible joke. And the whole room just bursts into this affectionate adoring laughter, like the first time a beloved preschooler tells a joke right. She just rides right over it.
I wonder if she gets frustrated? There are lots of talks about the work, about how hard it was, and some really interesting stuff about how when working on really tough scenes with Meryl Streep she needed assurance not just as an actress, but as a girl – that those were okay things that were happening between them. But there's less response from the adoring room about that then when she makes terrible jokes about her name.
Watch. Hate or delight, as is your pleasure. Either way you'll get a lot out of it. And that's the greatest gift. Julia gives in equal measure.


text: Whitney Houston fans the world over will have a chance to view the legendary singer's funeral LIVE on Ustream when it airs this Saturday starting at 8am PT/11am ET. The service will be held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she used to sing as a child. Only a select group of friends and family will attend the funeral service, among them her "Bodyguard" co-star Kevin Costner, friend and mentor Clive Davis, and singing legends Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, who will also perform. Our partners at the Associated Press have exclusive access to stream the event live, so if you'd like to pay your respects and leave a message in the social stream, tune in to the channel page for AP live events here: www.ustream.tv/aplive.


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Today in the Sunday New York Times, City section I found this article about Wayne Sosin of worksmancycles. Wayne was interviewed as part of an ongoing series from the times following small business owners trying to survive in this recession.
Small Businesses Face Challenges Amid Recession
Wayne Sosin, the president of Worksman Cycels in Ozone Park, Queens, is one of the small business owners The New York Times has been tracking during the recession.
photo by: Rob Bennett for The New York Times
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: March 21, 2009
Wayne Sosin, 55, the president of Worksman Cycles in Ozone Park, Queens, is trying to shift his company's product line away from the heavy-duty tricycles it sells to automakers and other big industrial companies. With a trimmed-down staff, Worksman is making more food vending carts for entrepreneurs and delivery bicycles for couriers and restaurants.
read article in full here.


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An enormous snowy white duck, 30 feet long, 20 feet high and 18 feet wide, roosts by the side of the road on Route 24 in front of some wetlands halfway between Hampton Bays and Riverhead.
It's one of the most photographed creatures on eastern Long Island, appearing on postcards and in schoolbooks alongside windmills and lighthouses, and it is visited by tourists, grammar school kids on outings, mothers and fathers with small children, and, on Christmas Eve by Christmas carol-singing boys and girls who stand in front performing for an assembled crowd. The duck—it is called The Big Duck—for the occasion wears a red elf's hat, a wreath around its neck and beautiful Christmas tree lights that decorate it from stem to stern and get lit up at night. And then on Christmas morning, the Big Duck wakes up to find presents left leaning up against him. [expand]
See a Gallery of The Big Duck Through the Years
This month, the Big Duck turned 80 years old. There was a big celebration for him on the lawn next to him last Saturday and Dan's Papers went with microphone and recorder in hand, to wish him happy birthday and hear his thoughts on this his 80th year.
"How is it to be eighty?"
"Well, it's a good start. The Sphinx of Egypt, I'm told, is 3,000 years old, so in Sphinx years, I'm barely a month old."
"But you have lived a long time."
"In human terms, yes."
"Can you tell us what it was like in the beginning?"
"Well, no I can't. I was too young to remember. But I do remember the lies that Mrs. Maurer told me."
"Well, she told me that in 1931, I was made by her husband Martin, a duck farmer, of wood, chicken wire, cement and plaster. And he made me and put me in front of his duck farm by the side of the road up in Riverhead so people could know they could drive up and buy duck eggs and broilers inside."
"That does seem pretty far fetched when you put it that way."
"You're damn right it is."
"But you are hollow inside. People could walk in and out and buy eggs and ducks."
"I think you'd get pretty hollow inside if this woman who was supposed to be a friend told you these lies over and over."
"But people have gone inside?"
"Not on my watch. Nope. I'm a duck."
"But a big duck."
"Yes. There are big ducks and little ducks. Just like with you people there are giants and dwarves. How tall are you?"
"Five ten."
"So you're middle-sized. Well I'm big."
"You know, back in the 1930s when you were built…"
"When you were born, there were all sorts of giant statues of different sorts out along the highways, especially in California. They were meant to attract people to shops and restaurants as a form of advertising. Giant hot dogs. Giant strawberries. Giant coffee pots."
"That has nothing to do with me."
"What has been your favorite time during these years?"
"Well, it has to be Christmas, of course. And then there was that big parade."
"In 1987, after Mrs. And Mrs. Maurer died, a developer bought the farm and announced he was going to drive roads through and build a housing development here. He wanted me off the property. The developer said nobody would buy lots if people were going to look out their windows and see me every day. I don't know why. They thought I was some kind of freak. Like I would freak them out or something."
"You are quite something."
"So then, you know what happened? The County bought me and one day moved me three miles down the road in a big parade, baton twirlers, marching bands, Mayors and County Supervisors and everybody, to the entrance to the Sears-Bellows County Park. And they put me there."
"But you're not still there."
"No. The State came in and told the developer to get lost. The development was on endangered wetlands. He went bust."
"So then they moved you back."
"Yup. Another big parade. That was in 2004."
"People tell me there was a time, about 20 years ago, when super model Christie Brinkley broadcast the story of the Big Duck from a low-powered radio station in a shed just behind you. You could drive toward the duck and when you got within a mile, coming from either direction, you could hear her tell the story."
"Are you asking a question?"
"Did you ever meet her?"
"That was a big disappointment to me. I'd heard she was going to do this and I was really excited to get to meet her. But in the end, she never came. Some County workers brought a cassette player and a tape. So that's what was in the little radio station here. It was just her voice. They had it broadcasting over and over until I was just so sick of it. Even though it was her. Then, finally, after a year, they took it away."
"Were there other disappointments?"
"No. Just that one. That was the only disappointment."
"Do you remember much about your growing up?"
"Oh yes. I have a photographic memory."
"Care to tell me about it?"
"Well, there was the Great Depression. Then there was World War II, then the Cold War. I remember when Franklin Roosevelt was President. And Harry Truman."
"Do you remember when Herbert Hoover was President?"
"I was too young. But I'm told he stopped in."
"Did he buy anything?"
"Buy anything?"
"How could he buy anything? He smiled, bent down, said I was a cute little tyke and he patted me on the head."
"That was it?"
"Then I remember Korea and Vietnam and the moon landing and President Reagan. Nice man, him."
"How do you know about all of this?"
"I talk with the other ducks. They fly south. They are worldly wise. They come back and tell me things. That's another thing I found to be a great disappointment."
"What's that?"
"I can't fly. I've tried. It just doesn't work and I don't know why. Some kind of disability I think. But you know, you learn to live with these things."
"People say you have the most beautiful eyes."
"I do. They light up at night. Lovely red peepers. They are very special."
"Mrs. Maurer said before she died that her husband bought an old set of Model T Ford taillights for your eyes. And they'd turn them on at night with the electricity from an old gasoline generator sitting on the ground in the back."
"More lies. Do you see any generator? I don't see any generator."
"No. But it doesn't mean it wasn't there before."
"She's a completely discredited liar. You can't believe anything she says."
"Did you do anything special today?"
"It isn't my birthday yet. I was born on July 1, 1931."
"So this celebration was early."
"It is."
"Well, do you expect to do anything special on July 1?"
"I am going to lay an egg."
"You think I'm making this up? You'll see."
* * * *
A second celebration of the 80th birthday of the Big Duck will take place at 230 Elm Street in Southampton on July 9 at 7 p.m. The big duck says one way or another he will waddle down for that, provided he's fully recovered from the egg laying. We shall see. [/expand]


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RIM's recent acquisition tinyHippos has brought the release of the Ripple emulator beta to support most of the BlackBerry WebWorks APIs. Bypassing the need to test the application in a simulator, the beta allows for a testing environment with advanced features including location based services and network response testing for apps.
Along with the Beta's release is some details and documentation on the emulator's support for the BlackBerry WebWorks APIs.
For more info on the Ripple emulator beta, visit tinyHippos.


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Plenty of people think they can file their own taxes but they really need to keep in mind they might be missing opportunities to get tax refunds by doing it themselves. Because they might not truly understand the full scope of the tax law, they might not be able to take advantage of all the deductions they possibly could.
Angie's List's tips for hiring tax help:
- Hire help or go alone? It's probably fine for most people with simple tax situations to prepare their own returns. However, for those with more complex situations, calling a professional is the way to go. Consider having the same person prepare your taxes every year. The longer you work together with someone, the more familiar they become with your needs — and the more likely they are to do a great job for you.
- Check credentials: Few states require tax preparers to be licensed, so it's up to you to find a qualified and reliable professional. Good bets are CPAs, tax attorneys, and enrolled agents – they are required to undergo education and testing requirements. Ask the preparer about his/her training. Will they represent you in case of an audit? Will you be able to contact them after the return is filed? Reputable tax preparers will ask to see receipts and will ask multiple questions to determine whether expenses, deductions and other items qualify. By doing so, they are trying to help their clients avoid penalties, interest or additional taxes. Angie's List collects reports on tax preparers and accountants – read reviews as part of your research when hiring.
- Ask for an estimate: There is a wide range of tax preparers with varying fees, so know up front what you're paying for. Beware of preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers. Fees are generally determined by an hourly rate.
- Money-saving tip: Get all your receipts organized to cut down on the amount of time your tax preparer has to pour over your finances.
- Get references: Ask questions from clients who have used the tax preparer before. Were they satisfied with their service?
Angie's List, the nation's premier provider of consumer reviews, asked its highly-rated accountants and tax preparers for tax season tips:
- Do your research: Visit the IRS online. It's a great resource for all the forms you need, as well as finding out what free assistance might be available to help you navigate the process. You can also learn about current tax schemes and scams.
- Make sure your pro is filing online so you can get a quicker refund: The IRS claims the e-file option is fast, secure and those who elect for a direct deposit can get their refund in as little as 10 days.
- Double-check your math and data entries and review your entire form: Math errors are some of the most common mistakes on tax filings. Make sure your Social Security and other identification numbers are correct. If you're filing a joint return, make sure you both sign and date the form.
- Check your return: Although the preparer signs the return, you are responsible for the accuracy of every item. Read it carefully and ask the preparer for a copy of the return.
- Keep track of your paper trail: The IRS has three years to audit returns, so they suggest holding on to your paperwork for at least three to seven years.
- Consolidate the clutter: If your pile of receipts has gotten out of control, try photocopying as many as you can onto a single sheet of paper, or scanning them onto a single computer file. It will be easier to organize your invoices, save room and keep your accountant from being buried under an avalanche of paperwork.
- File even if you owe the IRS, but can't pay: Submit the tax return by the due date and contact the IRS to ask if you can set up a payment plan. The IRS will charge a fee to set up a payment plan, but if you can't pay all at once – this is the best approach. The same applies to your state return.
Small business owners: Take all of your records from your business — your checkbook, prior tax returns, and any documents you received from the IRS. When in doubt about a form, take it to your tax preparer to let him or her decide if it's something they need.


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It's the question fans have been pondering since Daryl placed a Cherokee rose on an unmarked grave: Is Carol really dead?
The Walking Dead: Is Carol really dead? And 4 other burning questions
Daryl (Norman Reedus) may have said his goodbye with the rose, but in these exclusive photos from Sunday's The Walking Dead, he seems to be on the hunt for something or someone. Has he actually let Carol (Melissa McBride) go or does he hope to find her — dead or alive — within the prison? (We didn't see a body go into that grave, after all.)
Check out the photos below and hit the comments with your thoughts on whether Carol is actually dead.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.