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I can't decide whether this is more hilarious or creepy:
Virginia GOP Will Make Voters Sign Oath
Voters planning to vote in Virginia's Republican presidential primary will be required to sign an oath swearing their Republican loyalty, the AP reports.
'The oath leaves such voters with a touch choice to make: "lie," "stay home from the Feb. 12 elections and keep your options open," or "commit to an unknown Republican candidate nine months before the election."'
Sure fits the GOP model, though, loyalty to party before all else....
28 November 2007
Loyalty oaths
I can't decide whether this is more hilarious or creepy:
Posted by shadowfax at 11:35 AM
3 comments:
Incredible. Just, incredible. While reading it, memories of George Washington's farewell address came to mind. In it, he warned of what he called "the Spirit of Party"ReplyDelete
"It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another."
I'd love to hear your discourse on the entire speech. It's a great read.
i'll go for creepy. or maybe hilarious... as in, hilarious how thinly veiled their failure toReplyDelete
seperate religious fanaticism from
political fanaticism is, and how pathetic the GOP's attempt to explain it as anything else is.
So, the point is to prevent Democrats from disrupting the Republican primary, right? The oath would not be a contract to vote for the Republican candidate, which is obviously illegal.ReplyDelete
That said, Democrats need to start talking about Republican politicians who are more loyal to their party than their country. The solid support of George Bush in letting our children and soldiers suffer is evidence of that. Or at least, that's a good talking point. ;). And this fits well with that theme.


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Arts Calendar: Storytelling in Central Vermont
Due to the frequency of event cancellations during the COVID-19 crisis, we cannot guarantee that events listed in our calendar are current. Please confirm with the listed venue before attending.
Have you listed an event in our arts calendar that has since been cancelled due to COVID-19? Please email Desmond Peeples, Content Manager, at email@example.com to update your listing.

subset: commoncrawl


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(The Crowhouse) For every question regarding our world, there is a conspiracy theory offered from some quarter claiming to address it. These conspiracy theories number into the hundreds and they are nearly always dead ends, or at best, lead to another conspiracy and so on, ad infinitum. Even though it's become obvious to most that something is not quite right, and that some sort of global conspiracy does indeed exist, it is still hard to see exactly what it is, and where the truth really lies.
It is time the people of the world stood up and paid heed to the urgency and importance. Yet, you say, even if one were to do so, then how do we the ordinary individual, ever get to the bottom of this? And if we do ever get to the bottom of it, then what are we to do then? And those are both very good questions.
Well, the best way to start is to get all fluoride out of your diet and gain an understanding of history. Then learn to look at each news story from a global perspective. Disregard most of what the announcer tells you to believe, and place the event where it belongs, on the Global stage. Then ask yourself that old Greek adage – Cu Bono.
Who Benefits? And more importantly, when you discover a truth, uncover a lie, or find an anomaly, tell your friends. Spread the information as far and wide as you can reach because the media most certainly will not. However the most important thing of all in order to be able to do either of the above is to be aware of your surroundings in a global sense. See the BIG Picture. (Excerpt from thecrowhouse.com)


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Contains: Butyrate
Sold Out Price
Sold Out Price
SANE Certified Quality & Safety Assurance: When you shop SANE, you are enjoying the highest quality organically grown, raw, vegan, gluten free, all natural, sugar free, non-GMO products available whenever possible. Your superfoods are powdered using proprietary low temperature techniques to preserve all the vital enzymes & nutrients. Your superfoods also pass strict quality assurance inspection which includes testing for botanical identity, heavy metals, chemicals & microbiological contaminants. Please click the Ingredients link at the top of each product page for more info.


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Rotterdam: Gilles Simon became the first player to reach the quarterfinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament by beating Italian qualifier Matteo Viola 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.
The fifth-seeded Frenchman will face the winner of the second-round match between Martin Klizan and Igor Sijsling, who upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round.
Marcos Baghdatis reached the second round when his French opponent Benoit Paire retired while trailing 6-0, 6-7 (3), 4-0.
Another French player, fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet, beat Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6 (3), 6-1 to reach the second round.
Later Wednesday, defending champion Roger Federer was playing Grega Zemlja in his first match of the tournament.


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Think Apple and Samsung are the only two phone companies battling it out in patent disputes? Think again. A Swedish arbitrator has just ruled in favour of Nokia against RIM, claiming the BlackBerry maker owes Nokia royalties for every Wi-Fi enabled smartphone sold.
The arbitration proceeding was initiated to try and extend a 2003 patent deal between the two companies to include devices with Wi-Fi.
In the end though, the ruling fell in Nokia's favour. "RIM is liable to pay royalties and damages to Nokia for its ... sales of any subscriber terminals (handsets or tablets) ... compatible with the WLAN standard," the ruling stated.
There doesn't seem to be too much wriggle room for RIM to get out of this one. The ruling can't be appealed, which means that the Canadians either need to reach a royalty agreement with Nokia, or risk having an injunction put against all their products.
Tough timing
The ruling comes at an inopportune time for the Canadian company, just months away from releasing its long awaited BB10 operating system.
With so much riding on the new platform's success, analysts are expecting the company to reach a royalty agreement with Nokia relatively quickly to enable the smoothest possible launch for BB10.
Via: Reuters


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Hi you guys!
I just wanted to drop in to see if any of you have you heard of the 100 Happy Days project? If not you should check it out – it's such a lovely initiative, and a really fun/easy way to start appreciating the things that make you happy every day. We could all use a bit more of that now and then right?!
A few days ago I signed myself up to take part and am posting the happy moments from my every day over on Instagram.. do follow along! Or even better, take part in 100 Happy Days with me :)


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Events Calendar
Featured Events & Networking Groups
Tuesday 04/24/2012
InHouston - Northwest Networking Event
Venue: Baker Street Pub & Grill
Address: 17278 Tomball Parkway, Houston, TX, 77064
Hours: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Cost: FREE to attend!
RSVP: http://theinhouston.com/events/inhouston-northwest-networking-mixer-7
Come and visit with old friends and make new ones! Great place to network. Bring your business cards. Remember, people like to do business with people they know and trust.


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The next day, Kroth and his squire Lanseril visited Jhirian Eindrik – the leader of Garheim. Kroth entered into the great hall in the city of Mikithdar. A few of Jhirian's men carried the head of great serpent into the hall and then exited the room. For several moments, the only living creatures in the room were Kroth and Landseril. In that time, Kroth had a few long moments to take in the throne room. The lighting of the room was mostly provided by six torches placed around the room, but he imagined that later in the day the sun would shine brightly through the large blue windows that took up much of the back wall. In front of the windows, was a raised platform containing Jhirian's throne. The floor was a mix of blue and white marble. Kroth remembered hearing that the path leading up to the throne from each entrance was a symbol of the path through the wilderness that Jhirian had forged and the two large triangles represented the strength of the Garhiem to resist against all that would oppose them. The side walls and ceiling were decorated with white marble and gold leaf highlighting the blue chalcedony stones that were placed with shields of the realm.
After a few long minutes, the door on the right side of the hall opened and in marched Jhirian, flanked by two guards and bringing up the rear was a fool. The two guards took up a position in front of the raised platform and Jhirian climbed the steps to his throne. The fool ran over to the serpent, opened the giant mouth and stuck in his head like he was a great toy. Kroth and Lanseril lowered to one knee to show respect, but there were sure to not lower their head as he was well known to openly mock anyone that did so.
Kroth presented Jhirian the head of the great serpent and the possible sword of King Karlamac. Kroth promised to be sure that the traditional 20% tax would be paid on the treasure that had been found. Jhirian then asked what was to be done about the destruction of Havenhill. Kroth shared the plans that he had already put into place. After hearing the plans Jhirian, came down the first two steps, took the sword and placing the sword on each of Kroth's shoulders. He then said that Kroth would now be known as Sir Kroth Stonegrinder and would have the responsibility of rebuilding Havenhill as well as being the Lord of that area. In order to help him along, Jhirian would use his tax to help this effort as well as send architects, miners and builders form the city to help in the rebuilding efforts.
Made for the Heroes Guild - Master Challenge 1 at LCC
More photos can be found on Flickr.
Any comments, suggestions and/or criticism are welcome.


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Almost a year ago we reported on the Beam Brush and informed you that it would be available within a month. Well, that month turned into a year, but it's finally here. The brush, if you'll recall, contains an accelerometer and keeps track of a bunch of tooth-brushing metrics, such as the number of strokes, the amount of time spent brushing, and even which quadrant of your mouth you're paying attention to (to ensure even coverage). In an age where ubiquitous tech is enabling an increasing number of hand-holding lifestyle products, it's not entirely surprising to see a toothbrush that helps you brush (remember the HAPIFork from a week ago?). This one even goes as far as connecting to your smartphone so you can keep track of just how well you've been keeping your pearly whites white.
It's nice to see that price hasn't changed since it was announced, so you can expect to pay $50 for the brush itself, and possibly $3 for each replaceable head.
[ Product Page] VIA [ MedGadget ]


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A roll of quarters went a long way at Fun Time Amusements at the Billerica Mall. And the pet store in the mall often offered a look at Billerica's latest group of adoptable kittens or puppies. Today, the mall still stands just off Boston Road, on the southern approach to town. Fun Time is gone. The pet store left too. Even Papa Gino's packed up and left after 25 years at the mall. It's hard to remember the Billerica Mall's heyday today, even with the ongoing redevelopment efforts. Until the early 1990s, though, the mall continued to be a vibrant member of Billerica's commercial community.
When Musgrave's Dairy closed in the early 1970's, the Billerica Mall rose in its place. By 1974, construction of the mall began on land owned by J. Everett Farmer. Excitement abounded as the mall arose on Boston Road, across from Charnstaffe Lane. Planners reported that the L-shaped mall would border St. Theresa's on the north, and the town's massive water tank on the south.
Townspeople prepared to welcome the mall's two anchor stores, the A&P and K-mart. K-Mart, the mall's largest store, boasted some 84,000 square feet of retail space. The A&P, the second-largest, had 50,000 square feet. The mall location would be one of three Greater Lowell locations planned for the chain, which was re-entering the area after seven years away.
(Photo Credit: Flickr: Svadilfari)
Planners announced an August 1975 opening. In addition to the A&P and K-Mart, 40 additional shops were planned, including some familiar tenants like Radio Shack, Papa Gino's, Fanny Farmer, and Fun Time Amusements. Others like My Store for Levis and Smart Look had much shorter tenures at the Mall.
The mall's architecture, reflecting its mid-70s origins, was touted by its developer as 'reflecting a growing awareness of the relationship a mall has with the community it serves.' He contrasted that with the shopping centers of thirty years earlier that 'were an ugly convenience, the symbol of unplanned growth, suburban sprawl.'
(Photo Credit: The Caldor Rainbow)
The mall aimed to lessen the mall's impact on the community. Its comparatively narrow 25-foot wide hallways brought shoppers closer to the stores' merchandise. To avoid a "sea of glass", storefronts were purposely staggered to create visual breaks.
Billerica embraced its mall, which thrived until the early 1990s. Stores came and went. The A&P became Market Basket. Almy's evolved into a Burlington Coat Factory. Falling foot traffic, and later a failing roof cost the mall additional tenants. Today's mall, known as the Shops at Billerica, has kept K-Mart, an original tenant, as well as Burlington Coat Factory and Market Basket. Attempts to revive the aging mall have been made in recent years. The results are starting to show with the addition of Planet Fitness and Big Lots to the mall.
Related articles
- The Billerica Car Shop Murder of 1918 (forgottennewengland.com)


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Charles Krueger is founder of BigLever, a pioneer in software production lines. He recently spoke with Dr. Dobb's editor in chief Jonathan Erickson.
Dr. Dobb's: Henry Ford is given credit for the production line. What would he think of SPL?
Krueger: Henry's initial reaction would likely be negative. His great accomplishment came from engineering innovations that removed all product variation, so that the identical automobile could be reproduced over and over again, with an efficient means of production. He would likely recoil at the notion of deliberately reintroducing product variation into manufacturing -- be it systems or software.
With equal certainty, I believe the "SPL epiphany" would eventually bring a smile to his face, once he realized that his accomplishments in the efficient means of production had been extended from merely capitalizing on commonality to also incorporate feature-based product variation.
Dr. Dobb's: Where's SPL having the biggest impact?
Krueger: There are two characteristics that we consistently see in the big SPL success stories. The first is a compelling need or desire by the business for a game changing advantage. For example, a strategic business opportunity to dramatically increase revenue by rapidly expanding product and feature diversity in a product line. Or, a critical need to quickly respond to market turbulence by significantly increasing efficiency or reducing deployment time in a product line.
The second characteristic of current-day SPL successes is that they come from the revenue generating side of systems development organizations rather than groups such as internal IT development organizations. I attribute this to the fact that "top line" revenue generation in product development provides stronger SPL motivation than "bottom line" cost savings in IT.
The markets where we currently see the strongest pull for SPL are automotive, aerospace, and defense.
Dr. Dobb's: Can agile and SPL co-exist?
Krueger: The correlation between agile and successful SPL practice is very strong, although sometimes not explicit. For example, you wouldn't necessarily expect Aerospace & Defense organizations that are contractually bound by waterfall processes to have agile SPL practices. However, even though the process for deploying any individual system may be waterfall in nature, the overall process for efficiently managing an entire product line must be agile in order to rapidly adapt to unpredictable requests for new products, new features, evolving feature combinations, new diversity and changing boundaries for commonality.
Dr. Dobb's: When organizations opt for SPL, what hurdles can they initially expect?
Krueger: The biggest hurdles we encounter are around changing people -- their roles, responsibilities, job descriptions and processes. Changing technology is easy by comparison.
Development organizations are often based on a product-centric perspective, where the primary focus for a team or individual is on the development, delivery, schedule and budget for an individual product. The SPL approach gains its efficiency and effectiveness from a shift in perspective, changing from the "vertical" silo'ed product-centric perspective to a "horizontal" SPL-asset perspective that cuts across all of the products in the product line.
This organizational shift from vertical to horizontal perspective -- and the inevitable resistance to change by some of the individual team members -- is by far the biggest hurdle organizations experience. Because the SPL approach ultimately reduces complexity and overhead, the early detractors soon recognize and appreciate the benefits, so "hurdle" is the correct term. It is a short-term upfront obstacle.
Dr. Dobb's: What role does "testing" have in SPL?
Krueger: The SPL approach impacts tools, assets and processes across the full systems and software development lifecycle -- from requirements to design, implementation, and very importantly testing. The best answer to this question might be in terms of what we see happen when a test organization initially opts out of a transition to SPL practice. The upstream stages in the development lifecycle may increase their output by factors of 2 to 10, quickly overwhelming the test organization that hasn't implemented corresponding SPL efficiencies. The test organization becomes the high-profile bottleneck that prevents the business from realizing SPL benefits.
This illustrates that testing plays a critical role in SPL. We see the most value from two SPL-specific testing techniques. The first is automated unit testing that includes "variants" to match all possible implementation "variants" of a component or subsystem. Nightly or continuous builds and unit test execution for all component variants provides good visibility into the health of the overall product line. The second is integration and system test minimization, by sharing test results from common or similar tests across different products in a product line. Knowing when duplicate testing can be avoided across multiple products is somewhat of an art, but we have seen good results in organizations that strive to put test effort into the areas of highest payoff.
Dr. Dobb's: Is there a place for SPL in small groups or organizations?
Krueger: Absolutely. One of our earliest success stories was with a small startup company that needed speed and efficiency to roll out a large product line of similar systems, without the corresponding need to hire a large engineering team.
Also, we find that the most effective way for organizations to transition to the SPL approach is incrementally by small teams. For example, by first migrating a small subsystem team and then repeating to bring in one small team after another.
Dr. Dobb's: Do SPL and compliance conflict?
Krueger: Compliance introduces some unique challenges to SPL that might initially appear as conflicting, but that can ultimately be turned into positive opportunities. Imagine creating a commercial avionics system product line under strict FAA DO-178B compliance. If you introduce an enhancement to a software component that is shared across multiple avionics products in your product line, have you just introduced multiple re-certification burdens for the component in each of your products? If you aren't careful, the answer is a costly "yes". But with well-defined SPL impact analysis and change management processes, the controlled introduction of this change into different product baselines and shared certification effort across multiple products in a single baseline can actually result in less overall certification effort and lower defect density in your systems.
Dr. Dobb's: What's unique about BigLever's approach to SPL?
Krueger: BigLever provides technically innovative and advanced SPL tools, methods and framework, but what is truly unique is our intense focus on the pragmatic issues that enable predictable and successful SPL deployments and benefits. Our patented Gears SPL Lifecycle Framework provides consistent and integrated SPL engineering throughout the lifecycle, from product line management to requirements, design, implementation, testing and deployment. We have pioneered a "second generation" SPL approach with an out-of-the-box solution for automated configuration of all product line assets across the lifecycle, using concise "feature profiles" to indicate which product capabilities to include or exclude in any particular product.
BigLever's SPL framework makes it uniquely easy to transition to the SPL approach by allowing organizations to utilize their existing legacy assets and their preferred engineering tools as the basis for their SPL practice. BigLever has a unique 3-tiered SPL Methodology that pioneered and validated techniques that now enable organizations to make incremental and non-disruptive transitions to SPL practice.
Dr. Dobb's: What does it mean when we talk about "second generation SPL"?
Krueger: First generation SPL (1G SPL) approaches showed how organizations could reuse existing SPL architectures and software components to more efficiently create new product variants in a product line. However, the effectiveness of 1G SPL was hindered during product evolution and maintenance, due to the reliance on "application engineering", where each of the individual products in the product line were maintained as cloned copies or branches. This led to an exponential growth in effort and complexity around branching, merging, impact analysis and interdependency management. We observed that this complexity in 1G SPL was responsible for the limited degree of success and adoption in the early days of the SPL industry.
Second generation SPL (2G SPL) approaches address this limitation by creating, evolving and maintaining a single, consolidated "superset" collection of product line assets, for each stage in the engineering lifecycle, and then using an automated "SPL configurator" to automatically assemble the "subset" of the product-specific assets required to match the features for any particular product. Maintaining the consolidated assets with 2G SPL is dramatically simpler than was possible with the multiple clones of 1G SPL. The 2G SPL approach is leading to much higher degrees of success and adoption by the mainstream industry.
Dr. Dobb's: Do changes in technology -- new programming languages, new platforms, etc -- affect SPL implementations?
Krueger: The impact will be comparable to what engineers are already familiar with in changes in technology for individual products or systems. There is really nothing special about SPL when it comes to technology evolution. For example, changing an embedded software component to a networked service will be similar if that component is part of a one-of-a-kind system or if that component is reused as part of dozens of different systems in a product line.
Dr. Dobb's: Microsoft and others have talked about "software factories." How does this tie into SPL?
Krueger: Unfortunately the term "software factories" has been used over time to mean different things in different contexts, ranging from very general concepts such as repeatable software development processes to very specific concepts such as a particular SPL approach. Microsoft has used the term "software factory" to describe it's solution for creating domain-specific languages (DSL) and DSL compilers for a system of similar systems, thus it is an SPL approach that is appropriate for the subset of product lines that can be expressed with a DSL. But in general, SPL and software factories are not always used to mean the same thing.


text:
So I've got OpenVG (via ShivaVG) rendering the SVG tiger IF I use the float[] arrays it defines. However, I wrote a simple SVG loader (loads in only paths and only move to and cubic curves) and if I pass my float pointer (float *blah = new[dataCount] , it just hangs the application in vgAppendPathData.
(Edit: I've verified that my data is valid several times, including putting it into a compile time array. Additionally, the vgGetError() function returns VG_NO_ERROR after creating and appending the path)
The reference also uses a compile time array, so it's no help. I was planning on cleaning up my load function and releasing what I have (at the very least as a working example of getting ShivaVG set up with SDL, not that that was terribly difficult), but this issue has me stuck. So whoever helps me will be the first to see the code


text:
If you're an aspiring games artist, and you see the stuff we post here on Fine Art and think "uunnnhhhhhh I'll never be able to afford to get that good", you might be in luck.
VERTEX is a book series set up by games artist Ryan Hawkins. Fed up with the limited selection of commercial books available, he got a bunch of industry friends (like Sparth, John Park, Furio Tedeschi and Ubisoft's internal teams), together and started publishing guides on how to make art for video games.
The fact so many professional artists got together to make a guide is great. The fact they release these things for free is even better.
There are currently two volumes of VERTEX available. You can grab them here.
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they're big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the "expand" button in the bottom-right corner.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!


text:
For the blog this week I altered a little mini lantern that I found in a $2 shop. It was already painted white, so that made this a pretty easy little project. I again used one of the co-ordinating stamps as a platform for my large flower cluster, which gave some nice little leaf details (see close up). As is often the case for me, I also added some larger leaf dies to bulk up the clusters.
This project made a nice little gift idea with some chocolates inside. I really like how this one turned out :)
As always the other designers have some really pretty projects to show with this collection too, check out the blog here.


text:
The biggest myth of caregiving? That you won't be a caregiver.
"I think the myth is that we will be untouched by it," said Cindy Bouvet of the North Shore Caregiver Support Program. "We aren't taught what it is and we don't see it because we no longer have multiple generations living together. We're afraid to think about it because we don't want to deal with our parents' mortality. But then people are blindsided."
The reality, she said, is best described by former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter's quote: "There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers."


text:
ATEN's KVMP™
has the following features:
1. Synchronous and Asynchronous Switching
2. Multiplatform Support
3. Support for PS/2 and USB Console Interfaces
4. Firmware Upgradeable
5. Port specification for Console's keyboard
and mouse
6. Audio Enabled
7. Multi-function Mouse Support
Further details on the features indicated
above are as follows:
1. Synchronous and Asynchronous
Synchronous Switching is normal KVMP™
concurrent switching, and is currently the
most common type of switching. During the
switching process, the Synchronous Switch
allows simultaneous switching of audio,
monitor and USB device signals. The Asynchronous
Switch, on the other hand, allows exclusive
flexible independent switching (information
transfer, file printing, playing music,
PC use) with no wait time. The Asynchronous
Switch is the most suitable choice for media
producers or design engineers who need to
switch between different PCs. ATEN KVMP™
switches realize both Synchronous and Asynchronous
Switching and effectively increase work
performance and allocation flexibility.
Using ATEN's proprietary signal simulation
technology helps to solve common problems,
such as identifying signals or signal quaking
during the switching process. (See the figure
2. Multiplatform Support
the multiplatform support of switching between
PCs is accomplished through the use of the
USB interface (Windows, Mac, Linux and Sun
support USB). As a result, USB signal transfer
and identification is the biggest challenge
to USB KVM operation. Today, there are many
types of mouse and keyboard brands and the
hot keys and functions identified by different
companies are complicated.
switches include a proprietary USB ASIC,
which is compatible with the majority of
USB keyboards and mice. With a precise
hotkey, you can use a PC keyboard to emulate
the hotkey of a Mac or Sun keyboard to realize
cross-platform switching between PCs, without
the need for a Mac or Sun Connector.
3. Supports PS/2 and USB Console
switches are packaged with a PS/2-to-USB
Console Converter. Regardless of whether
users have a PS/2 or USB keyboard and mouse,
they may freely select any combination for
the console interface.
Firmware Upgradeable
switches have firmware upgrade support;
users may download the latest firmware from
the Internet.
5. Port specification for Console's keyboard
and mouse
Usually, the USB peripheral port of a USB
switch is installed on the rear of the KVM.
This can confuse the user and cause them
to insert USB peripherals into the USB mouse
or keyboard port, instead of the USB peripheral
port. ATEN is the
first to separate the USB console ports
and USB peripheral ports, making the USB
peripheral ports more accessible while simplifying
and improving the user's experience.
In addition, the keyboard and mouse interface
of the console on the USB KVMP™
switch uses different specifications. Some
companies design the Console for PS/2, but
claim that they support USB, when in reality
they use the USB peripheral port to support
USB keyboard/mouse. In the ATEN KVMP™
product series, the console's keyboard/mouse
is designed using a USB interface and does
not occupy a USB peripheral port.
6. Audio Enabled
switches are audio enabled. You can listen
to the audio output of 2 to 4 computers
on a single set of speakers, or use a microphone.
Multi-function Mouse Support
Users may choose to use a traditional mouse
or multi-function mouse at the console.
do not support this feature.
Dual-Interface USB KVMP™
The CS1732A / CS1734A comes with customized
KVM cables and a PS/2-to-USB console
converter, providing users with the
convenience of using one console to
control 2 (CS1732A) to 4 (CS1734A)
PS/2 or USB computers.
The CS1762 / CS1764 allows users to
go through one console (a DVI monitor,
a keyboard and mouse) to conveniently
control 2 (CS1762) to 4 (CS1764) computers.
Dual-View USB KVMP™
The CS1742 / CS1744 has a second video
channel that supports dual display
This is ideal for users to use one
dual-monitor console to conveniently
control 2 (CS1742) to 4 (CS1744) computers
with dual video cards.
Related Media
• Hong
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ATEN Offers Built-in USB and Ethernet
Switch Hubs
• Spain
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text:
Peregrine Wines of New Zealand: Awards-Winning Wines, Architecture, Philanthropy
Filed Under Wine Trends
What is this? And where is it?
Actually, it is not a secret defense weapon in the US Air Force arsenal, but upon approaching it, it does look numinous and otherworldly. It is actually the Peregrine Winery, situated in Gibbstown, New Zealand, on the famous Central Otago Wine Road, a road that takes the oenophile 20 minutes outside Queenstown, NZ on a great tasting trip, beginning with Peregrine.
Before discussing the wine, it is important to mention this architecture's many awards, the most recent being the New Zealand Supreme Architectural Award. Judges from UK magazine The Architectural Review like it too, placing it, in 2004, in the top five of its annual emerging architecture awards. The jury described the Winery as "an elegant blade of light [that] contrasts with the rugged and sublime natural landscape.
But Chris Kelly, the architect, described the building in a more avian manner: "It was recognized early on that the building would be important in reinforcing the Peregrine wine brand, so the changing roof gradient was inspired by old images freezing the kinetic rotation of a bird in flight. The roof is evocative of the majesty the Peregrine or native falcon has as it glides on the thermal uplifts off the heated land."
However it is interpreted, it is also on DesignCrave's 2009 list of the Ten Architectural Wonders Of The Wine World, for among other things, its inventive handling of space and light.
Continue reading Peregrine Wines of New Zealand: Awards-Winning Wines, Architecture, Philanthropy.
By Susan Kime | Source :: www.luxist.com


text:
This is a site devoted to casting a spotlight on those comics in the Sunday pages that for one reason or another, were never collected. Also, I'll be paying attention to other comics worthy of wider recognition.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
22 Manga Panels That Always Work
In the meantime, here's some common elements I've noticed keep popping up in Shonen series. I'm sure there's a bunch of widely reused panels that I've missed, but I chose the ones that would best tell a story, even if the protagonists keep changing every panel. I might do a Shojo equivalent in the future, unless someone else beats me to it first.
#1. Establishing shot
#2. Scene of normalcy
#3. An announcement from outside
#4. Running past a surprised person
#5. Walking feet
#6. Falling down
#7. Gang of three
#8. Defiantly looking up
#9. Scornfully looking down
#10 - 11. Two opponents staring at each other
#12. Presenting something from behind
#13. Slump of despair
#14. Extended palm / index finger
#15. Heroic sacrifice
#16. Cradling a dying body
#17. Manly crying
#18. A scream that dislocates the jaw
#19. Punch to the solar plexus
#20. Coughing up blood
#21. Waving goodbye from behind
#22. Hero's face superimposed against the sunset (very rare nowadays)
2 comments:
Presenting something from behind?ReplyDelete
"Presenting something from behind?"ReplyDelete
Yeah, this was the one I had the most trouble with. I envisioned a better kind of panel of this, where the presenter would make a sweeping motion to show the background. This is usually done by tour guides giving a general idea of the surroundings. It's characterized by a large head, combined with an outstretched and spread fingers pointing towards the background.
The problem was that I couldn't find anything that would show a villain making a grand gesture
The closest comparision was Franken Fran showing the waste disposal unit in the 26th chapter, page 9. But I excluded her because, despite all her horrific operations and grey morality, I simply couldn't think of her as evil.
I've currently replaced it with another panel. If anybody can think of something better, let me know, and I'll exchange it.


text:
Among recent enforcement actions by the SEC and FINRA were charges against a private equity firm, a former executive and an unregistered broker over some $500 million in improper investment solicitations; a $2.8 million settlement over misleading investors about fund performance; censure of a firm for not reporting its involvement in civil litigation related to securities; and censure of another firm for failure to execute short sales properly.
Ranieri Partners Charged by SEC Over Unregistered Broker
Ranieri Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, together with a former executive and an unregistered broker, were charged by the SEC for improperly soliciting more than $500 million for the private funds it managed.
The unregistered broker, William Stephens of Hinsdale, Ill., was hired by former senior managing director Donald Phillips; Phillips, who lives in Barrington, Ill., was a longtime friend of Stephens and was in charge of efforts to raise capital. He was also responsible for overseeing Stephens' activities; Stephens was supposed to be a "finder" and simply introduce prospective investors.
The finder, however, went far beyond that role, staying in constant contact with investors and providing them with important documentation on investments supplied to him by the firm. He also shared confidential information about other investors and their commitments to the funds, and brought about investments.
Instead of curtailing Stephens' activities, Phillips not only ignored the signs that his friend was exceeding his supposed role, but provided him with the data he needed to bring about investments for the firm. According to the SEC, Phillips aided and abetted Stephens in his illegal actions.
While neither admitting nor denying the SEC's findings, all three agreed to settle the charges. Ranieri Partners agreed to pay a penalty of $375,000 and Phillips $75,000, in addition to other actions, and Stephens agreed to be barred from the securities industry.
SEC Charges Oppenheimer & Co. Advisors With Misrepresentation
Two investment advisors at Oppenheimer & Co. (not affiliated with OppenheimerFunds) were charged by the SEC with misrepresenting to investors the valuation policies and performance of a private equity fund that they manage.
Oppenheimer Asset Management and Oppenheimer Alternative Investment Management were found by the SEC to distribute misleading quarterly reports and marketing materials stating that the fund's holdings of other private equity funds were valued "based on the underlying managers' estimated values." In fact, that was not the case at all, and the difference in valuations was substantial.
Oppenheimer Global Resource Private Equity Fund I (OGR), which invests in other private equity funds, was marketed primarily to pensions, foundations, and endowments, as well as wealthy individuals and families, from around October 2009 to June 2010.
OGR's single largest investment, Cartesian Investors-A, was valued not by its underlying manager, but by OGR's portfolio manager, who bumped up the value and improved the appearance of OGR's performance considerably. For the quarter ended June 30, 2009, the internal rate of return for OGR jumped from approximately 3.8% to 38.3%. But the increase was credited to overall performance, and not, as was the case, to the change in valuation methods.
Other misrepresentations included a claim that Cartesian's value was written up by a third-party valuation firm and that OGR's underlying funds were audited by third-party auditors. Neither was true.
Without admitting or denying the charges, Oppenheimer has agreed to pay more than $2.8 million to settle. The sum includes a penalty of $617,579 and the return of $2,269,098 to those who invested in OGR during the time period when the misrepresentations were made. In addition, it will pay a penalty of penalty of $132,421 to the commonwealth of Massachusetts in a related action taken by the Massachusetts attorney general.
An Oppenheimer & Co. spokesperson stated: "Oppenheimer Asset Management has cooperated fully with the SEC and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office throughout the course of their joint investigation of this matter. Oppenheimer Asset Management believes it has put in place additional policies and procedures designed to ensure that valuations of portfolio positions in its marketing documents are determined in a manner consistent with its obligations to investors. We are pleased to put this matter behind us and to continue to serve our investors with innovative strategies both in the U.S. and around the world."
FINRA Censures, Fines UBS Securities over Civil Litigation Case
UBS Securities LLC was censured and fined $100,000 by FINRA for failing to report its involvement in a civil litigation case. The firm was named as a defendant in a securities-related case, but failed to provide copies of any of the filings to NASD/FINRA at the time. Instead, some time later it self-reported its failure to FINRA, but even then did not report all of them until a month later.
FINRA came down on the firm for its reporting failures and also for supervisory and WSP failures that were inadequate to keep the firm compliant with NASD reporting obligations.
UBS neither admitted nor denied the findings.
Tejas Securities Group Censured, Fined by FINRA on Short Sales
A fine of $91,000 and censure were waiting for Tejas Securities Group of Austin, Texas, after FINRA found that it had failed to correctly mark short sales as short, and had accepted and/or executed short sales when it neither borrowed nor arranged to borrow the security in question.
FINRA also found that Tejas' ledger had recorded numerous short sales as long; the firm also failed to report short sales correctly to the FNTRF or the OTCRF, and failed to provide accurate reports to OATS. In addition, customer confirmations were inaccurate, with errors ranging from trade price to execution capacity to commission/commission equivalent charges. There were also supervisory and WSP failures, as well as recordkeeping inaccuracies.
Tejas consented to the censure and fine without admitting or denying FINRA's findings.


text:
I've made macarons a few times, but always using French meringue. The results have mostly been good, with the problems mainly being me (pulling them out of the oven too early, not resting them before baking enough). The macarons were smooth, with-feet and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I had never made Italian meringue macarons and I am very pleased with the results. Some of the things I've read say that French meringue macarons are less reliable and more sensitive to things like humidity and overmixing. Italian meringue macarons on the other hand, are more difficult to overmix and are generally used in professional kitchens as less can go wrong.
Although macarons are not my favourite thing to eat, of all those that I've tried, this rose, raspberry and lychee one is really good, the Ispahan by Pierre Hermé. This blog beautifully illustrates how to make and assemble it.
1. Make your filling, I used rose-flavoured mousseline, or you can use rose-flavoured buttercream. Leave in the fridge to firm up.
2. Make your macaron shells as per the recipe. You can add raspberry flavour if you wish. Colour them a light pink when the meringue has cooled down; a little goes long way.
3. Assemble the macarons, as per the Travelling Foodie's blog, with a lychee in the middle (sadly canned), fresh raspberries around, and a rose petal and raspberry on top.
4. Decorate with a rose petal and raspberry.
Thanks Pierre Hermé!
– Make your macarons in advance as they freeze (unfilled) extremely well.
– You can make the mousseline filling in advance as well, it keeps in the fridge for a few days
– When making the Italian meringue – for macarons – pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites when they are at soft peak. You will get lumps and bumps in the macaron if you wait until stiff peaks.


text:
NORMAN PODHORETZ: Yes I have. He was very non-committal. He didn't say "no".
MOSAIC: Do you think he'll do it?
NORMAN PODHORETZ: Yes I do. I believe, contrary to what many people assume, that he will do it before he leaves office, possibly shortly before he leaves office. I think he agrees with the analysis that I offer, namely that there is no alternative to military action, nothing else will stop them, not negotiations, not sanctions, there won't be an internal insurrection at least in time.
Here's the complete 3-minute interview of Guardian of Zion award winner Norman Podhorezt:
Web Link


text:
Have you heard?
Feedback on cataloged Anime Music Videos
Forum rules
Please observe the following unique rules for this forum:
Please observe the following unique rules for this forum:
- Please limit your new threads (not replies) to one per week. If you have several new videos to announce, create one thread for all the videos. (Note: if you forget one you can edit your post!)
- Offsite links are allowed, but you are required to have a catalog entry for that video as well. Threads announcing videos that do not contain a catalog entry will be moved to the Awaiting Catalog Entry sub-forum and will be deleted in 2 weeks if an entry is not created.
- When posting announcements, it is recommended that you include links to the catalog entries (using the video ID) in your post.
- Videos that do not contain anime are allowed to be announced in the Other Videos section and are not required to have catalog entries.
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Have you heard?
My failure of a return
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Re: Have you heard?
rofl 1:13 Nice work. Keeper
- LittleAtari
- Call Me Moneybagz
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Re: Have you heard?
I havent heard >.>
- Ghet
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Re: Have you heard?
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- Polemic Apologist
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- Pwolf
- Friendly Neighborhood Pwaffle
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that was amazing
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and it's back to hiding for another 3 years...
- Kitsuner
- Maximum Hotness
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- Status: Top Breeder
- Location: Chicago, IL
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Looks like the Addiction saw his shadow...AMV_4000 wrote:and it's back to hiding for another 3 years...
OtakuGray wrote:Sometimes anime can branch out to a younger audience and this is one of those times where you wish children would just go die.
Stirspeare wrote:<Stirspeare> Lopez: Vanquish my virginity and flood me with kit. ["Ladies..."]
- Enigma
- That jolly ol' bastid
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- Type-Moon <3
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Best dance AMV EVER
- Rubeeh
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Re: Have you heard?
OMG, LOL. Keeper, yes yes.
/joins dance now
/joins dance now
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"The people cannot be [...] always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to [...] the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to public liberty. What country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned [...] that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."-Thomas Jefferson
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text:
There is nothing that enhances the Super Bowl experience more for men than lessons during the commercial breaks on pervasive sexism in the media. Though I didn't have a decisive opinion on which team I was rooting for (I wanted the tearful murderer to lose, but I also wanted Sandra Bullock's son to win, except they were both on the Ravens so just call me Natalie Imbruglia [I'm torn]), I was certainly sure about one thing: the sexual objectification of women in Super Bowl commercials is a major bummer!
I'll admit that not every commercial was sexist; some were racist and some had cute animals.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking about this subject since women are allowed to vote and because it's technically illegal for a male employer to rub his khaki covered genitals against a female employee while he pretends to reach for a coffee filter in the break room. You'd think between the right to participate in a democratic society and the right to not get Mad Men-ed at work we woman would finally feel like we have it all. Well, there's still a bunch of stuff we could all work on, so why don't we have a ourselves a kiki and talk this mothah out?
To make sense of it all, I have broken down some of the stand-out commercials and rated their lady-hating on a scale of arbitrary numbers and symbols.
So this sad, dateless boy is driving to prom in his Audi, when suddenly some kind of penis adrenaline fumes emitting from the car seep into his brain. He hits the gas, marches into prom, physically grabs a hot girl, turns her around, and kisses her. CUT TO: Boy driving home with a black eye, presumably caused by the boyfriend of the girl he just assaulted. Fade to black and the word, "bravery".
Score: I'll give this one 5 Notre Dame Football Players. This commercial basically says that it's manly to take what's owed to you (the sexuality of women) and taking a punch for it is cool and admirable (oh, and every girl secretly wants "it"). Little white boy, you are just so brave. Like, adolescent leukemia patients have nothing on you.
I just posted a screenshot instead of the actual video because I have a strict "no audible kissing" policy on my blog. The commercial is basically talking about how GoDaddy is sexy and smart, with a sexy woman and smart man making out. Poor, Bar Refaeli. This is just the absolute worst way to stick it to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Score: 3 Ed O'Neills from Little Giants. The ad was just perpetuating the stereotype that women should only be valued for their looks and men for their intellect.
Here, Kaley Cuoco plays a fully clothed genie granting wishes for a family. Although I don't think a scantily clad woman is inherently sexist, sometimes it's just refreshing to see an attractive young woman in a well-fitting pants suit, boobies contained. The best part of the ad was when the young daughter asks the genie to make her a princess, and instead of just dipping that girl in glue and rolling her in glitter like I was expecting, they turn her into this badass Joan of Arc-y princess complete with a sword and army.
Score: 10 Tami Taylors. I can drive my 2006 Corolla proudly knowing that it's both dependable and socially conscious.


text:
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|Quad Vert All kinds of aggressive skating on quad roller skates including quad vertical roller skating, quad bowl skating, quad skatepark tricks, and street skating tricks in quad skates.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
|August 29th, 2010, 03:45 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 7
Very new, I know nothing....
Bit of background.....
Didn't skate as a child, started training for roller derby a few months back. I'm still not great but have the basics down
A friend of mine recently got some inlines, wants to learn all the aggressive stuff, so today (now I have outdoor wheels) we went to our local skate park where she was taught how to go up and down ramps by a friendly 10 year old....
Meanwhile, I was skating around, getting used to my new wheels, and getting ignored due to my 'alien' boots with wheels in the corners
Thing is, I want a go! It looks like fun! Do I need anything special to play, skate wise? Think I may need some sort of metal plate if I ever get advanced enough for the grind thing, but just for playing on the ramps, would my normal skates be OK for now?
And does anyone have any tips specific to quads?
|September 3rd, 2010, 10:51 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,950
Yes.....normal skates work fine in a skate park. I recommend that you keep it that way until you feel ready for the next stage. I used my indoor speed skate set-up in skate parks for years before I changed them (started with outdoor wheels on them).
The next stage is getting harder wheels. I started with 78 durometer outdoor wheels that were 70mm tall. After becoming more accustomed to ramps, I switched to smaller and harder speed wheels. I then progressed to even smaller and harder wheels, until I recently made the switch to skateboard wheels. Once you start doing grinds and slides, you'll need to switch to skateboard wheels.
The best skateboard wheels are rounded on both the outside of the wheel, and on the inside of the wheel. Otherwise known as Dub-cons (double conical), they tend to not catch as much on copings, rails, or ledges. They work even better in conjunction with wider trucks.
Some wide trucks can be found that are specifically for roller skates. But.......the best trucks are mid-track trucks made for skate boards, as they hold up to the abuse of skate park skating. Also, wide trucks give you better stability for jumps, airs, and just in general.
Start with what you have now, and then progress to the other stuff if you decide to stick with skating ramps and bowls. Also, IM me if you want other website sources for quad skate park skaters.
Trucks that I use shown below
Factory Rider for Pro'Designed Inc.
..................Biff Riley.................
Last edited by biffsk8er; September 5th, 2010 at 06:14 AM.
|September 4th, 2010, 10:48 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 7
Thanks for the info - I have 62mm 78s for outdoors atm, they feel a bit wide to me, but when I replace my indoor wheels in a few months, they'll probably become outdoor wheels (they're the ones in my avi - 92s and only 28mm thick)
No chance to get to the park this week, no matter as the skate shop sold me the wrong size bearings grrr
|September 5th, 2010, 03:12 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,950
You are very welcome!
I used to use wheels w/ cores, like the ones in your avi, too. I've found that when it comes to aggressive skating, they do not work as well as wheels without a plastic or aluminum core. Still, for basic skate park skating, they will work fine. Once you start really attacking the parks, switch them out for the type of wheels that I mentioned before.
Right now, I am using BDS Winged Skulls, like the ones below, except that mine are white.
Factory Rider for Pro'Designed Inc.
..................Biff Riley.................
|September 8th, 2010, 07:09 PM
Rock e. Horrorshow
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 11
Your situation speaks to me
I've been doing roller derby for a little over a year, and aggressive quad skating for 6 months. I use my derby skates with outdoor wheels, as I haven't advanced to stalling or grinding yet, and that seems to work fine. But be warned - they are torn up from all of the abuse, and I'm going to need new boots soon.
To start, you just need to attack it. Be sure you are comfortable skating backwards and on one foot at a time, first! You'll also want to be very mindful of your center of gravity, it's important that you have very good balance. Then again, all of that can be learned. I think the most important thing, for me, was not being afraid of falling. Lots of nasty bruises and huge patches of road rash later, that cannot be a deterrent.
Try skating up and some verts and turning to come back down, and then coming back down backwards. Experiment with different aspects of the street course, and eventually you'll be able to approach things backwards, get enough air to jump things and learn some "tricks".
I love skating at the skatepark, but I'm always getting looks from people haha. You'll just have to get used to that.
|May 24th, 2012, 08:26 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 17
"I know nothing" sounds like a good thread to start at as I've been to the skatepark only about 6 times... So this is like an introduction. Hello. I've done roller derby for about two years now and always fancied the idea of going to a skateapark.
I've linked my Youtube vids here . I finally went early this year and really enjoyed it. I went two or three times and skated around the bowls (shallow, rounded, no coping or vert sections) and did little jumps from one to the other. About two weeks ago I tried a ramp (skating into a quarter pipe and doing a jump turn) and that's when I got totally hooked! Every time I've tried to get a bit higher/faster. The day before yesterday I tried dropping in the quarter pipe the first time (about 6ft?) and the first time was success and the second time I landed on my bum - I wear crash shorts and very glad about that!! It hurt! Once I learned to drop in I tried to combine it all in the half pipe - dropping in and then carrying on with jump turns. Yay, it worked!
Okay so this far I've got to... Any hints what to do next? Just practice it more? Get more air or something? I'm skating with the same boots I use for derby: Bont boot with black aluminium Avenger DA45 plate, Roll-line Formula 88 wheels (diameter 62mm, width 31mm). I've been thinking of putting together another pair of skates with grind bars but I guess that could wait as I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks! I'm so obsessed though, just want to spend all my free time on the ramps!
Another thing I'm quite proud of is that I've found the courage to go on my own - I'm so the odd one out, being female aged 30. But the kiddies have been nice and I've found out some grown ups go there too late at night...
|May 24th, 2012, 08:38 AM
Roll Player
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Somewhere near London
Posts: 4,162
Holy thread reserrection! This seems relevant 'cause there's a new indoor skate park in Sheffield openning on June the 4th! I'm intersted in giving it a go - am I right in thinking firm cushions and a long wheelbase is a good start?
To get myself aquanted with quad skates before starting derby practice (from being on artistic ice skates) I hit up a couple of skate parks, and after failing at using even the most basic of ramps I jsut used the smooth concrete to get used to the basics, lol
Now I'm confident on quads, it seems like a good time to give it a go. So, the tips above are useful but any additional finer points would also be appreciated!
"You guys better git some HEAD TRANSPLANTS QUICK! " ~ Okie
|May 24th, 2012, 06:14 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,950
Learn to 'pump'. Staying crouched toward the top of the half pipe, push your feet against the transition as you go down the curved section of the ramp. It speeds you up with less effort. Do the same when going up the wall, too. Never skate in a ramp setting unless you have to do so. Pumping is always better.
I also recommend watching other skaters videos so that you can learn from watching them and get a feel for what style you might like most. And most of all...have fun!
Factory Rider for Pro'Designed Inc.
..................Biff Riley.................
|May 24th, 2012, 06:19 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,950
Factory Rider for Pro'Designed Inc.
..................Biff Riley.................
|May 24th, 2012, 06:27 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Notts. UK
Posts: 103
I've been skating a few small parks recently, and found that landing any decent air with any grace was my problem...
So I've been working on my landings, jumping as high as I can tucking in (from standing or rolling) and trying to consistently land smooth and balanced. Now I'm a bit more confident, I've started doing the same jumps, but with a 180. I can 360 whilst rolling, but not quite with the full tuck yet.
Since I've been doing this, I seem to stick my landings better and seem to travel slightly further in my jumps.
I would say 88 durometer is about right to start with. I'm on 78d and I'm pushing all the time to try and speed up. I did try skateboard wheels (95d), but too hard for me right now, I was sliding all over the place.
Nike Tiempo footy boot Build :Avenger Alu, Avengers 92a, Qube 8 Balls.
Still got my Bauers
|May 28th, 2012, 05:05 PM
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 68
I started skating ramps about six months ago after getting back into roller derby. I love it and I also believe that it really improved my derby skating. I am more agile than before. To start, I just used my regular outdoor set up. I had an old set of Riedell Outlaws that I learned derby in and some outdoor wheels. I purchased a pair of skates recently solely dedicated to ramp skating. I am much faster and go much higher now, but that would have been really scary to start with. So whatever you are using for outdoors should be good for now. Have fun!
|May 28th, 2012, 05:22 PM
Roll Player
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Somewhere near London
Posts: 4,162
Great, thanks for the advice
As for vert helping derby, I can believe that! I first went off and started doing dance, that helped, just recently got started on slalom and realized how little I know about good footwork ... the more diversity the better I recon!
"You guys better git some HEAD TRANSPLANTS QUICK! " ~ Okie
|May 28th, 2012, 05:39 PM
Geriatric Quad Class
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Old folks home
Posts: 372
Hey Roller Demon
Thanks for posting the RollerGirl link.
Lisa's "Aggressive Roller Skating 101" .pdf has many frame by frame stills that I feel are better than just another how-to video. It also explains park etiquette which may reduce altrications with the "woodpushers" . Definately a must read for anyone thinking of going quad vert.
"...the more diversity the better I recon" HK47
Absolutely!....and also think quad vert will help you with Derby.
"If the good Lord wanted us to walk he wouldn't have invented roller skates." ~Willie Wonka 1971
60 secs of Quad Vert Fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJgY2PJ_vk
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Latest News
Facebook Forums Competition: Design a Slogan for RedWolf Airsoft (2009-12-10)What does Redwolf Airsoft mean to you?
What emotions does the name Redwolf Airsoft stir within you?
Our current slogan as you may know is "The Leader of The Pack", can you come up with a better one? Design a Slogan for Redwolf Airsoft to reflect your views on our company for a chance to win fabulous prizes!
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Characterization of the Adherence Threshold for HIV Suppression of a Kaletra-based Regimen
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00200369
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : September 20, 2005
Last Update Posted : November 5, 2009
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infection
|Device: MEMS cap
The existing dogma is that patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat their HIV infection must take at least 95% of prescribed doses in order to maintain full suppression of viral replication. This belief is largely based on a single study that was performed between 1997 and 1999 (Ann Int Med 2000;133:21-30). The vast majority of patients in this study were receiving regimens based on either indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, or saquinavir. All of these agents have relatively short half-lives, and therefore must be taken on time two or three times per day. Newer medications such as lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) feature much more favorable pharmacokinetic profiles. On the basis of improved pharmacokinetics, there is reason to believe that regimens built around such agents may be more forgiving of missed medication doses.
This study aims to enroll 90 patients from the MMC I.D. Clinic who are either receiving or are about to receive Kaletra. Patients who agree to participate will be furnished with a MEMS cap, a bottle cap that electronically records each time that the bottle is opened and stores the data for computer download, and will undergo electronic monitoring of their Kaletra adherence for a period of siz months. Adherence data will not be reviewed during the study, but at study end (and at interim time points), the investigators will analyze the MEMS cap data from patients who have completed the study in order to determine the threshold value of adherence necessary to achieve satisfactory rates (i.e. 70-80%) of complete virologic suppression.
An additional aim of the study is to collect specimens from patients receiving Kaletra based regimens who experience virologic failure and to archive them for possible studies of genotypic and phenotypic resistance in the future.
|Study Type :
|Estimated Enrollment :
|90 participants
|Observational Model:
|Time Perspective:
|Official Title:
|Characterization of the Adherence Threshold for HIV Suppression of a Kaletra-based Regimen
|Study Start Date :
|May 2004
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|March 2006
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|19 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- HIV infection
- Receiving twice daily Kaletra at an FDA approved dosage
- Age>18 years
- CD4 and viral load available within seven day of enrollment
- Patient willingness to accept MEMS cap monitoring
- HIV genotype within 60 days of enrollment for patients with viral load>1000
- Patient willingness to grant informed consent and complete five study visits
Exclusion Criteria:
- Provider or patient deem it unlikely that Kaletra therapy will continue for the ensuing 24 weeks
- Prescription of any medication that is contraindicated for Kaletra recipients
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00200369
|United States, New York
|Montefiore Medical Center I.D. Clinic
|Bronx, New York, United States, 10467
|Principal Investigator:
|Jonathan Shuter, MD
|Montefiore Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
Abbott Laboratories #378-03-71
|First Posted:
|September 20, 2005 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|November 5, 2009
|Last Verified:
|November 2009
Antiretroviral therapy
Protease inhibitor
HIV Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases


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Paris: The Novel (Hardcover)
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From the grand master of the historical novel comes a dazzling, epic portrait of the City of Light
Internationally bestselling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris.
Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties , passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city—from the building of Notre Dame to the dangerous machinations of Cardinal Richlieu; from the glittering court of Versailles to the violence of the French Revolution and the Paris Commune; from the hedonism of the Belle Époque, the heyday of the impressionists, to the tragedy of the First World War; from the 1920s when the writers of the Lost Generation could be found drinking at Les Deux Magots to the Nazi occupation, the heroic efforts of the French Resistance, and the 1968 student revolt.
With his unrivaled blend of impeccable research and narrative verve, Rutherfurd weaves an extraordinary narrative tapestry that captures all the glory of Paris. More richly detailed, more thrilling, and more romantic then anything Rutherfurd has written before, Paris: The Novel wonderfully illuminates hundreds of years in the City of Light and Love and brings the sights, scents, and tastes of Paris to sumptuous life.
About the Author
EDWARD RUTHERFURD is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including the New York Times bestsellers New York, London, The Princes of Ireland, and The Rebels of Ireland.
Praise For…
Praise for PARIS: The Novel
"Anyone who has ever visited Paris or desires to do so will definitely want to dig into this movable feast. Both Paris, the venerable City of Light, and Rutherfurd, the undisputed master of the multigenerational historical saga, shine in this sumptuous urban epic."
"Rutherfurd's sense of epic sweep is admirable."
"Paris has been both good and bad to the aristocratic de Cygne family over the centuries. While one generation was welcome at the nearby court of Versailles, another faced the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. Edward Rutherfurd's latest historical novel tracks the de Cygnes and a few other families in Paris from 1261 to 1968 as the city evolves from a medieval outpost to world-class metropolis. His primary focus is on the cohort born later in the 19th century who grew up to witness the existential threat to Paris in two world wars. Aside from the noble de Cygnes, the book follows the merchant Blanchard family, the working-class Gascons and the lefty Le Sourd clan. Action jumps from their day to points in the past. The fates of the families intersect over the centuries like lines on a Paris subway map. The churches, gardens and back alleys of long-ago Paris are revealed through the characters' eyes…The last part of the book, is set in occupied Paris during World War II. In this long, climactic section, Rutherfurd succeeds best at describing not just the buildings and gardens of Paris, but also the actual mood of the city under Nazi rule. Some of the characters respond heroically, another cynically, leading to a familial reckoning that is both tense and enjoyable to read."
—Associated Press
Praise for New York: The Novel
"Sweeping…History has never been so fun to read."—USA Today
"[A] riotous, multilayered portrait."—The Washington Post
"Incredible storytelling . . . Readers will fall in love with the iconic city."
—The Post and Courier
Praise for The Princes of Ireland
"A sweeping, carefully reconstructed portrait of a nation…leaps through centuries."
—New York Times
"A spellbinding tour of ancient Ireland."—Booklist
Praise for The Rebels of Ireland
"Teeming with a huge cast of finely drawn and realized characters, and dripping with authentic historical detail [that] will satisfy the appetites of discerning historical fiction aficionados."
Praise for Sarum
"Strong…Appealing…Fascinating."—Chicago Sun-Times
"A sparkling window upon history with a superb narrative."—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A richly imagined vision of history, written with genuine delight."—San Francisco Chronicle
Praise for London: The Novel
Remarkable…Grand."—New York Times
"Rutherfurd is a skilled storyteller…juggles his immense cast with great poise and momentum."
—Washington Post Book World


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It was John Lydgate that once said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." And never has a truer word been spoken, particularly when broaching the subject of hotel rooms. There is no hotel in the world that can boast a comments book free of complaints. Even the most exclusive of establishments get it wrong occasionally, or at least they do in the eyes of their guests. When paying for a hotel room, people expect it to be up to their standards; if this is not the case then they will not be afraid to voice their opinions to anyone that is listening. However, while some complaints can be considered 'picky', there are many that are common enough for guests to bond over – here are 10 of them.
Few things in life can dampen the mood like outdated decor in a hotel room. Pink floral curtains and matching duvets, chestnut sideboards, CRT (big back) TVs, and artex ceilings should all be nowhere near a modern hotel.
A shower is an as-standard feature in the majority of hotel rooms these days; one that works properly, however, is not. Fluffy bathrobes may be all well and good but weak water pressure in the shower is enough to have guests confronting hotel receptionists in nothing but their Egyptian cotton towels.
A lack of maintenance in a hotel room is simply unacceptable. Peeling wallpaper, broken TV remotes, light bulbs not working, and jammed windows are all things that do not sit well with guests.
One of the hardest things to get right for hoteliers. Rooms are either too hot or too cold and finding the middle ground is virtually impossible. And the fact that guests cannot adjust AC settings to suit their preferences definitely does not help the situation.
No one wants to stay in a smelly hotel room and issues with damp, mould, smoke and, according to HoboTraveller.com, cat smells, are too much for many guests to put up with.
The one thing above all else that you want to do in a hotel room is sleep and uncomfortable beds is not going to help you do this. Some people like soft mattresses while others prefer firm, so you have to have some sympathy for hoteliers in trying to cater to all needs. Sags and dents in mattresses, however, are unacceptable.
Whether you are staying at a seven-star hotel in Dubai or a cheap B&B in Blackpool, a clean room is the least you expect – no dust, no dirt, no hairs in the shower, and definitely no stains on the bedspreads!
A clear sign of the changing times. A recent study has shown that the average holidaymaker spends at least an hour a day of their downtime going online and having to pay to do so is a major source of frustration. A survey of 2000 hotel guests by Thistle Hotels revealed that 38 per cent of them were unhappy at the fact that they had to pay for Wi-Fi. Over half of all guests surveyed (51 per cent) said that free Wi-Fi is crucial to their enjoyment.
Good manners do not cost a thing – a phrase, it seems, many hotel receptionists are unfamiliar with. Sixty-nine per cent of people surveyed by Thistle Hotels said that rudeness was their number one gripe with hotels.
The number one complaint of hotel guests in 19 of 20 cities, according to a study by ReviewPro. Noise drives us all crazy; however, market research firm JD Power says that only half of the cases are reported to hotel management at the time. Many guests decide to tough it out during the night and complain in the morning, but "that doesn't give the hotel a lot of opportunity to recover on that problem," says JD Power's Jessica McGregor. So next time hotel noise is driving you crazy, march on down to reception and air your grievances!


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The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC),
RECALLING that Article 5, paragraph c, of the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea of December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA), establishes the application of the precautionary approach as a general principle for sound fisheries management;
NOTING that recommendations 37 and 38 of the Performance Review Panel, adopted by the Commission as Resolution 09/01 [superseded by Resolution 16/03], indicate that pending the amendment or replacement of the IOTC Agreement to incorporate modern fisheries management principles, the Commission should implement the precautionary approach as set forth in the UNFSA;
RECOGNISING the need to ensure the sustainability of fisheries for tunas and tuna-like species for food security, livelihoods, economic development, multispecies interactions and environmental impacts in its decisions;
CONSIDERING the Resolution 12/01 on the implementation of the precautionary approach, in accordance with relevant internationally agreed standards, in particular with the guidelines set forth in the UNFSA, and to ensure the sustainable utilization of fisheries resources as set forth in article V of the IOTC agreement;
RECALLING that the objective of the IOTC Agreement is to ensure, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of stocks covered by the mentioned Agreement and encouraging sustainable development of fisheries based on such stocks;
RECOGNISING that all gears deployed to target resources under the competence of IOTC should be managed to ensure the sustainability of fishing operations;
GIVEN that "Aircraft" means a contrivance used for navigation of, or flight in the air and specifically includes, but is not limited to, planes, helicopters, and any other device that allows a person to fly or hover above the ground. "Unmanned aerial vehicle" means any device capable of flying in the air which is remotely, automatically or otherwise piloted without an occupant, including but not limited to drones;
RECOGNISING that the use of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle as fishing/searching aids significantly contribute to the fishing effort of tuna fishing vessels by increasing their fish detection capacity;
ADOPTS, in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article IX of the IOTC Agreement, that:
Contracting Parties and Cooperating Non-Contracting Party (collectively CPCs) shall prohibit their flagged fishing vessels, support and supply vessels from using aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles as fishing aids.
Notwithstanding paragraph 1, CPCs whose fishing vessels currently use aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles as fishing aids may continue to allow such vessels to use them until 31st December 2017. The CPC that wishes to apply this provision shall so report to the Secretariat within 120 days after the adoption of this resolution.
Any occurrence of a fishing operation undertaken with the aid of aircraft or any unmanned aerial vehicle in the IOTC area of competence shall be reported to the flag State and the IOTC Executive Secretary, for communication to the Compliance Committee.
Aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles used for scientific and MCS purposes are not subject to the prohibition set out in paragraph 1 of this measure.


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Crestwood High School
This work is a reflection of my state of wakefulness during the day as a result of my medical condition, narcolepsy. It expresses the emotional turmoil in my transition from dreaming to waking as my subconscious mind interacts with my conscious mind. Found and created objects are used in varying scale to juxtapose the conscious and subconscious mind. My artmaking practice draws upon the work of Kris Kuksi and his 'kit-bashing' technique in which parts of a model kit are not used for their intended purpose.
Influencing artists: Kris Kuksi, Piet Mondrian, René Magritte


text:
Balaam's Obduracy
Living Oracles with Roger Salter
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