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FreeShare Server 1.0.0
FreeShare is a feature-rich, stable, safe and free client and server suite based upon the GNU General Public Licensed "Openline" source code.
FreeShare's underlying architecture follows the original Hotline protocol. As such, it functions just like a regular Hotline client and server; and all original, or third party, clients which follow the Hotline protocol, should be able to easily connect to a FreeShare server.
While the FreeShare client and server suite is similar to the original Hotline software, in addition to a whole new toolbar and window icon set, and a new splashscreen, the FreeShare suite enjoys a unique feature set which you will not find in the older Hotline, Openline and Underline releases.


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- 838 William St, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
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subset: commoncrawl


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Autistic Planet is a picture book geared to children 6-10. In it, a little girl with autism makes a sphere out of clay and tells her friend that she has made "the planet where I'm from." She goes on to describe what makes her "planet" different:
People work in offices, where
Every seat's a rocking chair
We don't do something one time, when...
We can do it over and over again!
In brief rhyming couplets, the book addresses a full range of issues that are instantly familiar to those familiar with autism: sensory integration, limited food preferences, echolalia, hand flapping. But because these quick references seem to presuppose a familiarity with autism, I found myself wondering about the book's target audience. According to the dust-cover flap, "this book will be much loved by children, particularly those on the autism spectrum." I only have Bud as a point of reference, so I'm not sure how other children on the spectrum would react, but I think that in order for the book to resonate with Bud, he would need to recognize himself in its pages, which would require that he 1) recognize that he does many of the things in the book (uses echolalia, flaps his hands when he's excited, etc.), and 2) recognize that most of his peers do not do these things.
I may be wrong - I could certainly be wrong - but I don't think it has occurred to Bud that either is the case. I imagine that this level of self-reflection, self-assessment, and comparison with others is in Bud's developmental future somewhere, and that Autistic Planet could provide some of the fuel to get that process in motion - but I'm just not sure that Bud needs me to hurry him along to try to get him there. But, then, I also imagine that by the time he gets there on his own he may consider himself "too old" for rhyming picture books like Autistic Planet.
I thought, too, about Bud's neurotypical peers, and about whether or not this book could help them understand Bud a little better. I think that it could, if it were used well - but only if it were used well. Those of us who understand the many ways that autism manifests can quickly recognize that "And at the end of every day, we flap our hands and fly away" is a sweet reference to self-stimulatory behavior. But I don't think that Bud's friend Kelly, who is familiar with Bud, but not familiar with autism per se, would be able to make much sense of it on her own. On the other hand, I think it would provide a great jumping-off point for a conversation guided by a knowledgeable teacher or parent who wanted to help her understand, and who could fill in the blanks to help her to make meaning of it.
Ultimately, I think that's my overall assessment of Autistic Planet: it is a rich tool and a wonderful conversation-starter that could be helpful for children both on and off the spectrum. It exudes warmth and humor and it frames autism as a difference instead of as a disability. But for it to be most effective - for its warmth, humor and philosophy to really make a difference - it should not be a book that sits on the bookshelf in hopes of being stumbled upon; instead, it's a book that begs to be used intentionally, to be built into a curriculum, and to be presented thoughtfully, in the right way and at the right time, by older, more experienced guides.


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by Jay Parr
Well, it's getting to be election season again. I'm sure you've noticed. Fox News hosted the first "debate" recently, and there are, what, seventeen candidates going after the Republican nomination now? At least on the Democratic side it's mostly Hillary against that plucky underdog Bernie Sanders. That is, unless Uncle Joe decides to throw in his hat.
So I've decided it's time for me to announce this: Under no circumstances will I be running for the office of President of the United States of America. No way. Just ain't gonna happen. Or, to paraphrase that old Sherman dude, if nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve.
First of all I was an adventurous and nonconformist poor kid in my teens and twenties (okay, and thirties). There's way too much dirt to be dug up on me. Sure, my response to most of it would be, "Yeah? And?" But no one wants their friends to end up becoming collateral damage, right?
That and I really have no stomach for the machinations of politics. I get a bellyful of politics and diplomacy just trying to advocate for our students, here in my bottom-rung administrative position for the BLS Program. If I had the entirety of Congress trying to stymie me at every turn (Every. Single. Turn.), I would probably either have a psychological breakdown or a psychotic break. Think, "Hammer-Wielding President Rampages Through Capital!"
Anyway, it's still fun to think about what one would do as the "leader of the free world," so why not?
I'm thinking my campaign slogan would have to be SHAMELESSLY LIBERAL. Something along those lines anyway, and I don't think "What a Pinko" has quite the right tone for a presidential campaign.
Anyway, I hear you say. Enough of this navel gazing, what would you do?!
Universal Health Care: Single-payer style. You need a doctor, you go to a doctor. Doesn't matter if you're a billionaire or homeless, a veteran or an artist. Every citizen, every veteran, every President, every billionaire, every college student, every crack addict, every member of Congress (yes, every member of Congress), has the same level of coverage. I am firmly of the opinion that for-profit health insurance and for-profit medicine are among our great societal evils, in that they profit handsomely on the misfortunes of others. So let's take them out of the picture; you go get the medical care you need, and your taxes pay your doctors' salaries. Yes, your taxes will go up. Yes, the doctors' gross incomes will go down. You'll still be paying less for your healthcare, and your doctor will still be making the same net income, maybe more, after our taxes also pay for her education. Which brings me to…
Access to Education: At any level. Free of charge. Any student who is doing reasonably well can attend any public university, in-state or out-of-state, to any level, absolutely free, with a stipend for living expenses, and can finish a BA, an MA, an MFA, an MDiv, a PhD, a JD, an EdD, or what have you, and walk away totally debt-free. Also paid for by our taxes. It's not as expensive as you might think (a fraction of our annual spending on our recent wars, less than we spend incarcerating nonviolent offenders), and in the long run it is simply in the best interest of the nation to invest in an educated populace. Educated people contribute more to their communities and to their countries, both in tangible contributions to GDP and in intangible contributions to quality of life. When the reason a talented and motivated young person doesn't pursue her PhD in engineering is because her family's working-class background makes it financially untenable, it's not just that child that suffers. It's all of us. When the person who would have discovered the cure for diabetes is stuck flipping burgers in West Cowtown because the cost of education is prohibitive, it's not just she and her family that suffers. It's all of us. When the poor black kid from Baltimore starts his lifelong career in the corrections system at fourteen simply because he is presumed to be a criminal by everyone he meets, that's one more life lost. One less chance for the world to have its next once-in-a-century artist, musician, scientist, statesman, what have you, and at a cost several times higher than providing him with a top-notch education.
Campaign Finance Reform: The billionaire Koch brothers want to eliminate all limits on campaign contributions so that the wealthiest citizens can basically buy the government. I want the opposite. At the very least I would like to see individual donations limited, and corporate donations and superpacs eliminated altogether. I even like the idea of going a step further and requiring candidates to campaign under uniform conditions (think of NASCAR's equipment restrictions): Each candidate campaigns through a standardized system supported by tax dollars, through which their sponsored bills and voting records are shown, they have the opportunity to comment on their votes, and they can make positional statements. Advertising reminds voters to study the candidates, make their choices, and to vote on election day. And hey, let's make election day a national holiday while we're at it.
Automatic Voter Registration: Oregon just did it. We can do it nationally. Anyone who is eligible to vote is automatically registered upon receiving a driver's license or state-issued identification card. Other mechanisms may also be explored to catch the people who have neither (e.g., Social Security rosters). The idea is that anyone who is eligible to vote is registered by default. To further encourage participation, it would be worth exploring a small stipend for each voter, to be issued when the ballot is cast at the polls (or when the absentee ballot is processed). For less than the costs of recent campaigns, each voter could be offered a few bucks to encourage her to actually show up and vote. Democracy simply doesn't work when most of the population doesn't bother to vote.
Eliminate the Political Party System: The party system mostly works to keep representatives in line with the wishes of an elite power base. Independent candidates are rarely elected (there are 2 in Congress, out of 535 members), and that leads anyone with political aspirations to align themselves with one major party or the other. From that moment they endure pressure to vote certain ways on specific items of legislation and even on whole issues. This pressure, in effect, means they can no longer represent their constituencies or even their own consciences, because they are beholden to represent their political party. When there are no sides of the aisle, no party affiliations, that pressure is removed and the candidate can run, and the representative can represent, according to their own convictions and the wishes of their constituencies.
Eliminate Corporate Lobbying: Another method by which a monied few exercise disproportionate influence on political outcomes. No energy-policy debate can be balanced when petroleum-industry interests are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into lobbying efforts. Likewise, no healthcare-policy debate can be balanced when insurance-industry interests are doing the same. Lobbying is a $3,250,000,000.00-per-year business. That's over a thousand dollars a year for every single person in the country. Imagine what could be done with that money if it weren't being used to skew political outcomes in the favor of the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
Restructure Congress: In 1789, there were about 30,000 constituents per representative in the House. Today, there are some 700,000 constituents per representative. That makes each seat more powerful and thus more subject to big-money influence. It's time to go back to representatives who actually know their constituencies; in today's world of teleconferencing and telecommuting, we could easily go back to one representative for every 30,000 constituents. Yes, that would make the House some 10,000 members. No, it would not be necessary to assemble a 10,000-member House of Representatives at the Capital building for every session of Congress. Each member could work from a local office in her district, accessible to her constituents. That office could be her designated location for voting and for filing legislative documents. Floor debate could be held with a combination of in-person and electronic attendance. A representative could serve her entire term, in fact, without ever setting foot inside the Beltway.
Eliminate the Senate: Having two senators per state skews senatorial representation in favor of the less populous states: Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Delaware, and Vermont each have only one representative in the House, and they each have two senators. California, with 53 representatives and a far greater population than those seven states added together, also has two senators. Further, having two senators who represent a large and wealthy state means those senators are far more likely to be influenced by big-money interests within their states (and maybe even from outside their states). Basically, senatorial representation is in no way representative of the populace, and is far too subject to big-money interests. It's a throwback, a mimicry of the equally non-representative House of Lords. Let's get rid of it.
Marriage Equality: Wait, I hear you say. The Supreme Court just did that. Well, not exactly, and not completely. Yes, Obergefell v. Hodges was definitely a step in the right direction, but a Supreme Court ruling is an interpretation of constitutional law. It is not, and should not be, federal law or even federal policy. The ruling also has its limitations, and I'm sure you've heard about folks agitating to resist, or ignore, or otherwise malign the Supreme Court's authority in this matter. I'd like to put an end to all that.
The first order of business would be separation of church and state in the marriage business. A couple of ways this could be done: 1) Perform all legal marriages in the courts, as is done in Mexico, and let the spouses also have a non-legally-binding church ceremony if they're so motivated; or 2) Separate the role of officiant (i.e., representative of the state in the matter of the marriage to be performed) from that of ordained clergy (i.e., representative of the church), and create a process by which a person can have herself authorized to officiate a wedding ceremony. Anyone would go through the same process, ordained clergy or otherwise, but it would be a separate process, a legal process, and the role of officiant would be understood to be (and literally) a legal role independent of any religious ordination.
On the matter of marriage equality, I would also go a step further than simply same-sex marriages. Marriage equality needs to be for everyone. As marriage is the legal codification of a committed relationship, and the legal status carries certain rights and benefits, the legal framework should accommodate any configuration of committed relationship. This means not only same-sex marriage, but nonbinary-gender relationships and consensual polygamy in any configuration (polygyny, polyandry, or other polyamorous arrangements). I don't have this all sorted out, because I'm not a gender-studies person and the math can get complicated in a hurry, but the basic idea is that there is a status for spouse and one for co-spouse, and that the legal rights carry between anyone in that status (and yes, in theory, one could be in more than one multiple marriage, with branching relationships of co-spouses in either direction). My one caveat would be that all parties in the marriage would be required to sign the license to add a new member.
A Legal Third Gender: Here are the facts: Not all people identify as the gender they are assigned at birth. Not all people identify as either gender. Not all people even fit into binary gender categories at birth (i.e., intersex). There needs to be a legal gender category for people who don't fit into that binary. I like "nonbinary" as a catch-all term, myself ("other" is, after all, quite literally othering). And yes, there are countless subdivisions of nonbinary gender, but in the end it's a small enough population that I'm inclined to think one catch-all category is sufficient for most legal purposes (I'm talking driver's licenses and the like) . Of course, finer distinctions can be made where they're called for, but any legal document that notes gender needs to have a nonbinary option.
End Mass Incarceration: We love to call ourselves the "land of the free," and yet we have an embarrassing percentage of our population incarcerated, most of them minorities, and most of them for nonviolent crimes. Zero-tolerance drug laws, three-strikes policies, and other hardline legislation mean a lot of people are serving years- and decades-long sentences over petty lifestyle offenses and what I like to call crimes of poverty. Oh, and it costs us a ridiculous amount of money. As in, enough money to make college free for every student in the country. Justice would be better served, and in the long run it would cost us a lot less money, if the majority of those prisoners had their sentences lifted. Of course, amnesty isn't quite that simple, as most of those prisoners, by virtue of their disadvantages from having been prisoners, will need financial support and career rehabilitation to help them get reestablished in society. In the short term, implementing such an amnesty policy would be herculean, but it shouldn't be necessary in the first place. So here are some thoughts on how to correct the situation in the long term.
End the War on Drugs: The War on Drugs hasn't done a whole lot to reduce drug use in this country. Most of what it has accomplished (aside from creating an enormous prison population) is to drive the black market for drugs further underground and make it more violent. Prohibition taught us that illegal distribution creates violent gangs, whereas legal distribution creates a peaceful business culture. It also taught us that, all moral objections aside, where there is demand for a product or a service, someone will provide a supply. The demand for weed isn't going away. Neither, unfortunately, is the demand for harder drugs such as heroin, cocaine, crack, meth, et cetera. The solution is not to attack the suppliers of those demands with militarized law-enforcement agencies. All that does is create a militarized black market. Instead, we should allow businesses to create legal, taxed, and regulated supply streams, at prices that can out-compete the black markets, and let the economy run its course (how often do we see black-market liquor these days?). Instead of sinking revenue into futile attempts at enforcement, we generate tax revenue, which we in turn use to discourage the more violent elements of the market, and to provide quality rehabilitation services to those who need them.
Decriminalize Prostitution: Most people who engage in prostitution do so because they have little choice. We must create a legal system which protects those sex workers from further harm and recognizes their vulnerability to abuse, instead of criminalizing them for engaging in what may well have been a last resort for survival. Sex workers should be able to come to law-enforcement agencies knowing that they will find sympathetic advocates. The current reality is that most sex workers find themselves unprotected, in lawless conditions, because approaching law-enforcement agencies will most likely result in slut-shaming and denigration at best, and arrest and imprisonment at worst.
Decriminalize Poverty: Let's face it, in the final analysis the vast majority of people in prison are there because they are poor (and minorities). The wealthy Duke student gets busted with ten grams of weed, his family knows a good lawyer who keeps the kid out of jail, and maybe successfully argues to have the arrest expunged because, you know, wouldn't want to ruin the kid's career potential over a youthful indiscretion. The poor black kid from a bad Durham neighborhood gets busted with the same ten grams of weed, the entire system presumes it to be one sign of a larger pattern of criminality (not helped by the fact that he's not very good at code-switching into white "civilized" speech), he gets assigned a green public defender straight out of a bottom-tier law school, and there's that time he got busted for throwing a rock at a cop car on a dare, and next thing you know the kid's serving a good chunk of his twenties in county.
Outlaw Private Prisons: The incarceration of prisoners should never be a for-profit business, and allowing it to run as such only encourages prisoner abuse. The corrections system also allows prisoners to be paid well below minimum wage for assigned work; combine that with a for-profit prison and you basically have slave labor.
End Capital Punishment: Two words: Posthumous exoneration.
Police Reform: It has become obvious to me that there needs to be a sea-change in the attitudes of police agencies. There seems to be a default assumption of criminality on the part of law-enforcement personnel in far too many of their interactions with the citizenry. Police departments need to be demilitarized, and shows of military-grade force on the part of police departments needs to come to a stop nationwide. Right now. The climate of policing needs to shift such that police personnel interact with the public from an assumption of innocence, that the person they are facing, even the person they are detaining, is a fellow citizen trying to do his best to get by. Even if he runs. Gunfire should be reserved for situations in which the officer or nearby civilians are actively under threat of imminent harm. I'm even starting to wonder if the average beat cop may even be better off without that sidearm. That will bring me to my ideas on gun control in a bit.
But first, I think policing could be improved with a couple of other little adjustments. First, fine revenue should be divorced from municipal budgets in such a way as to remove any pressure on police personnel to generate fines (and most fines should be eliminated anyway, as they disproportionately impact people with lower incomes). There should be no room for even the perception that a police officer's primary role is to ticket law-abiding citizens for minor offenses. I also think a lot could be done for the quality of policing if the starting salary were somewhere in the range of $50,000.
Gun Control: I'm going to lose some people here. I'm okay with that. I've hit on an idea that I think might help reduce some of the insane gun violence in our country without inciting the "well-regulated militia" to revolt. Here it is: You get to keep your guns. No one is going to come and take them away from you. Some of them might become a little harder to buy in the future, and some of them you may not be able to sell to anyone but the government for destruction. But you can keep them. The catch: If you have that firearm in public it must be unloaded and in a locked case. If the firing chamber can be disassembled without tools, it must be disassembled. If you have ammunition, it must be in a separate locked case. That way, you can still go hunt on private property or shoot at the firing range. But if anyone walks into a big-box store with a holster on her hip, or walks down the street with a rifle on his back, we don't have to wonder if that is someone about to go on a killing spree or a law-abiding citizen who just happens to be an open-carry activist. Because anyone in public with an uncased and loaded firearm is not a law-abiding citizen. Possession of an uncased firearm would be a primary offense under this law (which is to say you could be arrested on sight for it), and such possession within sight-lines of a school, hospital, place of worship, shopping area, performance venue, or other public gathering place would be a felony.
Immigration reform: A path to citizenship for dreamers and past illegal immigrants, and reasonably open borders for people who would come to live and work in the United States. As with drugs and prostitution, I am essentially proposing a legal path for what is already happening on the black market, and a recognition that our current laws tend to criminalize actions taken out of sheer necessity. As things are, illegal immigrants are literally second-class citizens in this country. Our immigration and naturalization system considers the fact that they are in the US illegally more important than anything they may come to law enforcement agencies about, be it that they were cheated out of pay for work they've done, or that they were detained, imprisoned, and forced into slave labor, or even that they were raped, physically abused, and forced into prostitution.
And So Much More: Comprehensive sex education and free, no-questions access to contraception for students. Close GITMO (not like Obama didn't), not just the prison camp but the whole base, and give the land back to Cuba. While we're at it, close all our bases in foreign nations where our presence is a signal of oppression and not cooperative peacekeeping. End our involvement in sundry military engagements, significantly downsize our standing military, divert those funds into improving the quality of life in our own country and taking care of the veterans who have made lifelong sacrifices in the line of duty. End subsidies for fossil fuels and subsidize development of domestic renewable energy sources. Subsidize a shift away from point-source power plants to distributed generation and storage of energy (rooftop solar, neighborhood-level wind generation and power storage). Subsidies to encourage the development of offshore wind and desert solar generation. Mass transportation at a level that can effectively compete with personal transportation, both on a local level and on a city-to-city level. Road-use taxes and fees to subsidize mass transportation and encourage use of alternative, non-car modes of transportation. A legal class of intermediate city vehicle between the highway-rated passenger car and the 25-mph NEV ("neighborhood electric vehicle," essentially a golf cart).
As it turns out, putting together a platform for president means thinking deeply about a whole lot of issues. I'm gaining on 4,000 words here and still haven't addressed any number of major issues. But I'm done. I've run long, I've run out of time, and I'm not really running for president anyway so I don't even have to answer your questions if I don't feel like it. And of course, these are all just my opinions. Some of them are more thought-out than others. Some of them may be downright uninformed, but that hasn't stopped any number of presidents from doing any number of things in the past. The ideas in this post have been a long time in the making, and I am glad to see certain candidates talking about some of these ideas, and calling attention to a lot of things that have been very wrong for a very long time. I am even glad to see our sitting president, with whom I have had my disagreements, using his lame-duck position to get serious about some of the things that he has been talking about for a long time.
And I will leave you with this: No matter your political convictions, please please please (please!) take the time to keep yourself politically informed, to research your candidates, and at the very least, to get out on election day and vote. Democracy only works if the people participate. Otherwise, it reverts back to some form of plutocracy, in which the wealthy hold all the political power and we hoi-polloi become more and more disenfranchised. So for the love of all that is sacred and holy, please, vote! Or to put it a different way…


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The Sapphire Radeon HD 6570 is the perfect card for the home theater frantic that loves great video playback, especially Blu-ray. Building a HTPC around a card like this not only benefits the end user because of it great video playback but also because of its low power consumption and quiet operation. A lot of factors go into building a great HTPC and this card would definitely fit the bill.
Pris: 666.25


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Paul Penders Vegan Natural Lipstick, Cinnabar
by Vanity Wagon
Save Liquid error (product-badge line 32): -Infinity%
Rs. 650.00
Paul Penders Natural Lipstick is a part of the botanical vegan color cosmetics range made with 22 organic herbs and plant oils are carefully made by hand. This organic lipstick provides radiant looks without the nasty chemicals.
This hand-made organic lipstick brings out the natural beauty in you.


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From 29 September 2019 till 05 May 2019 edited by…
The San Callisto Catacombs
One of the most famous historic and religious landmarks in Rome are the Catacombs of San Callisto, along the Appian Way. Among the many underground cemeteries of the City, those are the best known and most popular, best known for the "Crypt of the Popes."
Unlike the other catacombs in Rome, these were found larger .Catacombs of San Callisto have become true places of worship and pilgrimage after 313 when the Emperor Constantine ended the persecutions against christians.
Tunnels and galleries on four levels is a maze of niches still open or walled custom made and designed for a simple burial, without cash but only in a sheet, sarcophagi and crypts, cubicles, epitaphs and carvings, the remains of oil lamps and vases containing perfumes.
During the visit falls only on the second floor, undoubtedly the most interesting from an archaeological point of view. Now we find the copy of a statue of the fourth century preserved in the Vatican Museum, depicting the Good Shepherd, a symbol of Christ's love. Among the other images, belonging to the vast symbolism devised by Christians during the persecution, when their religion was declared a "a strange religion" with the decree of 35 senators.
You can see the Crypt of the Popes where the faithful descended on a pilgrimage to honor the martyrs. Continuing on, you can see the Crypt of St Cecilia where to place the coffin containing the body of the patron saint of music, now housed in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, there is a copy of a famous sculpture of 1599, the Cubicles of the Sacraments, five small rooms where you retain some of the oldest frescoes of Christian era, representing precisely the most important sacraments in the Christian faith: baptism and the ' Eucharist. Crypt of St. Eusebius, smaller but decorated with marble slabs on which are three arches, one of which contained the tomb of the saint.
Not quite everything, so you can enjoy a beautiful day to teach the history of Christianity and the history of Rome.
- Visiting hours: 9.00 – 12.00 e 14.00 – 17.00
- Price tickets : € 8,00 / € 5,00 reduced fee
How to arrive:
- From Termini Station:
Metro A (direction Anagnina) to stop Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano. Than take a bus line 218.
Metro B (direction Laurentina) to stop Circo Massimo. Than take bus line 118.
Hotel Des Artistes and Lucci Hotel are the best places in the city center! Go ahead with your reservation!


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Kommisjonens arbeidsdokument: Evalueringrapport - Virkninger og effektivitet av EUs regelverk for offentlige innkjøp
Siste nytt
Evalueringsrapport lagt fram av Kommisjonen 24.6.2011
Nærmere omtale
BAKGRUNN (fra Kommisjonens arbeidsdokument, engelsk utgave)
Single Market Act: EU public procurement framework has saved around 20 billions euros
Brussels, 24 June – Budgetary constraints mean that efficient public purchasing is moving up the policy agenda in all Member States. In order to ensure the efficient use of public money, reforms to existing rules should create more flexible and user-friendly tools to reduce costs and the duration of contracting procedures. That is why reform of public procurement legislation is one of the 12 priority actions articulated in the Single Market Act, which was adopted in April 2011
Today, the Commission published the results of a comprehensive evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU public procurement legislation. It also published a synthesis of the main views expressed by the over 620 respondents to the Green Paper on modernisation of EU public procurement legislation (IP/11/88).
The evaluation draws on a comprehensive body of evidence and new independent research. It finds that EU public procurement Directives have helped to establish a culture of transparency and outcome-driven procurement in the EU. This has triggered competition for public contracts, and generated savings and improvements in the quality of procurement outcomes. Open and competitive public procurement has driven down costs by around 4%, generating savings of approximately €20 billion. This far exceeds the costs generated by the regulatory framework, which are estimated to be €5 billion.
While responses to the consultation reveal diverging views on the priority that should be given to each of the different objectives of the reform there is strong support for simplification, improving market access, notably for SMEs and fostering innovation. There is also a certain consensus that streamlining the procedures and making them more flexible is particularly important and that all actors of the procurement world could greatly benefit from it.
The Commission will draw on the evidence collected in the evaluation, and the insights obtained from stakeholder consultation, to prepare its legislative proposals before the end of 2011. The priorities for legislative reform will be debated at a landmark public procurement conference in Brussels on June 30th.
Additionally, the evaluation reveals scope for efforts to strike a better balance between the costs of the regulatory system and the resulting benefits – particularly for lower value purchases. The average public procurement procedure takes 108 days and costs €28,000 - 3/4 of which is accounted for by the costs of preparing tenders (5.4 tenders received on average) and 1/4 for the contracting public authority. The worst performing Member States take 3 times longer to complete a purchase than the best-performing.
The feedback statement on the Green Paper consultation reveals that all different stakeholder groups (public authorities, business, civil society organisations, legal experts as well as individual citizens) have a strong interest in the upcoming reform.
The findings from the evaluation and the responses to the Green Paper provide a substantial body of evidence and opinion on the functioning of existing legislation, as well as identifying some scope for improvement. They will be invaluable in the preparation of the legislative proposal, which will be published by the Commission before the end of 2011.
The next step in this legislative reform process will be a Commission-hosted conference on June 30th. This will give leading policy-makers, procurement practitioners and civil society the opportunity to discuss the priorities for the legislative reform. The evaluation and responses to the Green Paper set the scene for these discussions.
More information
|Annen informasjon


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I am going to the post office and the grocery today! Aren't you jealous??
Monday, September 29, 2008
In The Excitement That is My Life
Posted by Mom to 5...Daughter of the King at 7:40 AM
Labels: Daily life
7 comments:
- Kate said...
Add wiping the butt of my 3 year old and I'm with ya sista!!
- September 29, 2008 at 9:26 AM
- a Tonggu Momma said...
Ooooh.... can I come?
- September 29, 2008 at 9:28 AM
- Andrea said...
Sounds as exciting as mine - one son to PT and the other to soccer practice - yeah me!
- September 29, 2008 at 10:18 AM
- Tracy said...
But YOU get real live contact with the outside world!!!!!!!
- September 29, 2008 at 10:49 AM
- Dawn said...
Hey I got to go to the post office on Friday!!! We had to walk though. I need to go to the grocery store but that will probably not be for a few more days.
- September 29, 2008 at 6:24 PM
- Unknown said...
very jealous!
- September 30, 2008 at 4:23 PM
- Anita said...
Oh you crack me up! Sounds like my kind of fun and life too. I TRIED to go to Pier I today, but Miss Kaylin decided to fall asleep on the way there LATE in the afternoon and didn't have the heart to wake her...so I sat in the parking lot for a bit and then headed back home. Isn't that sad! :)
- September 30, 2008 at 9:53 PM


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Michael A. Oshin (Ph.D)
Michael A. Oshin is a researcher at two of the South African universities. He is also a Mozilla representative (regional representative).
As a Mozillian, he hacks the Mozilla codebase to create innovative solutions. He developed the TransferHTTP Firefox extension (transferhttp.mozdev.org), which led to WebRTC (a browser-to-browser mechanism that is now being standardized). He is also a technical evangelist for Mozilla. He currently finds and fixes bugs for FirefoxOS.
Tagsaustralia, extdev, firefoxos, nigeria, webrtc, mozilla africa
Fähigkeitengraphic design, javascript, prototype development, python, research, standardization
Jeff Beatty
I know Michael through his efforts to localize Firefox into Yoruba and his Reps efforts within South Africa.
Josh Smith
Michael is an active Mozilla Rep who organizes events in Africa. He is also a part of the Firefox OS Tablet Contributor Program, and has filed some gaia bugs.
Schalk Neethling
Michael is always working hard to push the Mozilla brand and products in South Africa and is first to sign up to take part, and organize, events all over Africa.
Pierros Papadeas
Michael has been an active Mozillian and a local Rep for over 3 years that I have been working with him.


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As I mentioned in late summer, Contributor Engagement is knee deep in a contributor lifecycle audit with Dave Eaves. Our charter as the Contributor Engagement team is to help grow Mozilla and this poses a challenge if we don't step back and assess the experience of volunteers at Mozilla. Enter the audit: we aim to get a sense of why people do or don't get involved with Mozilla, why or why they don't complete a project, why they stay or leave, how we can make the whole experience better and more.
He'll be providing a set of recommendations that will help us improve the contributor experience and polling our volunteers is absolutely critical to this exercise and will shape our efforts for the rest of 2011 and into 2012. So if you're a current or past contributor, please take some time to fill this survey out (http://mzl.la/pCnv4Q). Be thoughtful, be candid. Share it with your follow volunteers and get the word out. Reponses should be in by Oct. 21st. (Note: we're in the process of ensuring that forums like surveys and townhalls are a regular happening.)
I appreciate your help with the survey and of course, all you do for Mozilla. Let's make contributing to Mozilla even more
awesome splendid.


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Monday, July 27, 2009
Randy LaJoie Sparks ESPN's Saturday Night
Randy LaJoie looks about as comfortable in a suit and tie as many NASCAR fans. His language is plain and sometimes a bit rough. He seems to be the kind of guy who would be a lot of fun at a party. He was exactly what ESPN needed on Saturday night.
ESPN split its announcing staff between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and O'Reilly Raceway Park this weekend. Marty Reid and Rusty Wallace were paired with LaJoie as the team calling the network's Nationwide Series race at ORP.
TV viewers had been sitting through hours of Jerry Punch and company over at IMS as long rain delays kept the action to a minimum. Once things dried out, Punch hosted a Sprint Cup Series qualifying session that contained no real excitement and featured the usual cast of characters.
It was the moment that Reid led his TV team onto ESPN that everything changed. Pit reporter Mike Massaro took charge of the pre-race show and informally hosted it while walking up and down pit road. Massaro has been having a great season on ESPN and showed once again that he is the kind of versatile announcer this type of coverage needs.
Instead of all Carl and Kyle, ESPN worked to spread out the pre-race content and did a much better than normal job of treating everyone equally. The real stories of the race were presented in an upbeat and casual fashion.
Once the action moved to the booth, it became clear very quickly that Wallace was going to have to shift gears to keep up with Reid and LaJoie. This is Reid's first season calling this group of Nationwide races and he has been a breath of fresh air. Nothing is going to shake his enthusiasm and ORP under the lights was the perfect location for this type of announcing.
Momentum is something talked about for race teams, but it was very clear that the entire TV crew caught Reid's enthusiasm. They delivered one of ESPN's best NASCAR telecasts of the season. Suddenly, NASCAR on TV was fun again and that has not been the case for a long time.
One great TV element in use was the blimp. Used by the director for wideshots and restart coverage, this ultimate high camera really helped viewers get a perspective of this facility. The ESPN director also resisted the urge to overuse the in-car cameras and kept the coverage moving through the field.
It was easy to watch and listen to this race as even the pit reporters began to get caught up in Reid's enthusiasm. Even normally polite and low-key Shannon Spake got fired-up and put in a solid performance on pit road. It should be interesting to see how her Saturday night experience carries over to Sunday's Cup Series race.
Reid again called out the start and park cars the moment they pulled into the garage. This exposure is the only way to get a handle on this problem. The TV team was also aggressive in getting interviews with drivers out of the race after several accidents. That was appreciated.
LaJoie was simply a blast. When the pace car pulled out early and caused an accident on the track, he asked if maybe it was battery powered. Nothing like a little swing at the Sprint Cup hybrid version. LaJoie delivered many classic lines and great humor all night long. Simply put, ESPN needs him on the Nationwide broadcasts.
Wallace is more at home in the infield with Allen Bestwick, but he hung in there and enjoyed watching the success of his teams during the race. This type of telecast really does not need a third announcer in the booth. Reid and LaJoie together may be a pairing that can bring this series home over the next several months.
A great combination of elements came together for an enjoyable NASCAR telecast from ORP. Hopefully, someday soon network TV will figure out a way to guarantee viewers a full post-race show regardless of the time. Kudos to ESPN for staying focused and listening to the feedback of the fans. We can only hope the Sunday Sprint Cup telecast builds on this success.
TDP would like your comments on the Saturday night Nationwide Series telecast on ESPN. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
19 comments:
- TexasRaceLady said...
THIS was the ESPN we all knew and loved back in the 90s.
I had fun ---
fun watching the race because I could SEE the race, not driver cams/bumper cams
fun listening to the guys in the booth and the pit reporters because they were giving me information, not fluf and nonsense.
- July 25, 2009 at 11:11 PM
- Dot said...
Wasn't it last year that we were singing the praises of a NW race only to be disappointed for the CUP race?
Tomorrow is the big test for BSPN. Indy is so hyped. I hope it's a good race.
- July 25, 2009 at 11:20 PM
- Anonymous said...
Wow. A race that started off a little soft in the first half grew real big pointy fangs as the second half emerged. What a treat to have Marty lead the way in the booth. He drove the coverage, keeping the viewers on top of all the salient action with enthusiasm and focus not seen since BP was in the booth. No small feat that. Having seen, well TiVo'd actually, every race in the top three NASCAR series this year, last year and the year before that. This was the best performance from any team in a NASCAR TV announce booth, full stop.
Marty was superb. Wilst his talent shone on previous ESPN NASCAR broadcasts, but this one shimmered like the Aurora Borealis. JD's comments on Randy were dead on. I can add nothing. Rusty too came along for the ride with his enthusiasm up a sizable notch from normal.
Massaro couldn't get any better, and he did, and Vince Welch was really up on the chip with great reporting. Shannon seemed uncharacteristically lost at times and Jack Arute, who deserves a racing broadcast hall of fame nomination somewhere for wonderful work over the years, seemed tired. I chase race cars for a living and am about Jack's age. This is a game for the young.
Gold stars across the board for this gem.
- July 25, 2009 at 11:30 PM
- Sophia said...
It was great improvement but I am with Dot on the NW vs Cup races and ongoing disappointment last year even as the NW improved.
so I am not hopeful. Different DIRECTOR tonight than Cup races it appeared..and they can NOT resist the roof cam, in car cam, bumper cams in the CUP races.
we shall see.
I must say Rusty was better than he usually is as he did not dominate so much.
I don't remember hearing Kenny Wallace coming in 10th I think? No drop down menu.
THAT would be helpful at the end along with finish line of cars ..and stopping the unbiquitous PIT CREW celebration. THAT can always be replayed later..the end of the race it can not.
- July 25, 2009 at 11:40 PM
- Indira Newell said...
I really enjoyed the coverage of the race; normally Rusty Wallace irritates me beyond belief but he did not dominate the broadcast like he usually does. Randy was a breath of fresh air and Marty was awesome. I liked that they covered the exciting racing and not just the Cup guys.
- July 26, 2009 at 2:10 AM
- RobFromCanada said...
Happily..my local sports network TSN..left it ALONE!!..i got the espn broadcast in all its glory..it was one of the best in years..for the first time in many moons..i at no time started to nod off.
It didnt hurt the race itself was one of the best..most exciting nail biters in ages either..combined..the race..the broadcast..it was a classic..a gem :)
- July 26, 2009 at 2:30 AM
- Lesley said...
Rusty needs to stop moving his hands around so much!!Its not just him,But for god sakes please tell these retired athletes gone sports casters...You dont need to move your hands around to get us to listen to you!!Who came up with that anyway??JUST BE YOU!! I like Randy!I dont like Marty!but he is good at what he does!Call me old fashion..but when I here Jerry Punch..I think of Nascar the way It use to be..
- July 26, 2009 at 3:20 AM
- Anonymous said...
Marty Reid is a much more dynamic voice than Jerry Punch who is ever increasingly monotonous and seems to be surprised and confused at crucial junctures of races. Jerry's lack of analysis into even some most cliched, tried-and-true talking points is remarkable. He essentially, quite monotone, reads what is on the screen in front of him and us with no regards to past or future - no context from earlier int he race or earlier in the season.
- July 26, 2009 at 6:14 AM
- Anonymous said...
I agree that Randy Lajoi was exceptional last night. Personally, I can't stand Rusty. Worse, I think they went totally overboard shilling for Steve Wallace. Granted, he didn't wreck half the field and did finnish in the top 10 for a change, but listening to the booth, you'd think he was leading the race!! The Indy Cup race never lives up to all the hype with its flat corners.
- July 26, 2009 at 6:24 AM
- tom in dayton said...
Well, it's 7:45am and time to head west two hours to get back to the track! Boogity, Boogity, darn the gopher and watching out for the bat-cam, I'm going racing and will check back for everything I miss on the telecast by being at IMS to see the race!
- July 26, 2009 at 7:50 AM
- 50 yr. fan said...
A good improvement, but still need
to get rid of Rusty and his faux
excitement. Two announcers would
have been plenty for this short
Still too many in-cars. I'm thinking about writing my legislature and see if we can get them banned in the last 25 laps.
- July 26, 2009 at 8:29 AM
- dawg said...
It didn't hurt that they had a very good race to cover, but I have to agree. Less Rusty, means less annoyance. Could no Rusty, mean no annoyance? Randy would seem to be perfact for the Nationwide series, as he's proved he doesn't like to work on Sundays.
- July 26, 2009 at 8:35 AM
- Vicky D said...
Very entertaining broadcast and race but maybe it's the small track that does that. Lots of action all around but Marty, Randy & Rusty kept up with the action. I think Marty & Randy work well together, on air Marty seems to respect Randy's accomplishments in the Busch series. Liked seeing the old video of the #74 cross the finish line too.
- July 26, 2009 at 8:45 AM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- July 26, 2009 at 10:21 AM
- Unknown said...
Mr Editor -
Good show all the way ...Marty, ever the old pro, educated, enlightened and entertained throughout the broadcast ...Randy seemed better than ever and several times seem to prompt Rusty to his best effort in quite sometime ...production, direction and execution was strong
- July 26, 2009 at 10:34 AM
- Anonymous said...
The race coverage last night was just what NASCAR on espn needed. Racing shown on the track, with an announce team that was awake & fully involved, enjoying what they were doing & fully focused on it. I want to add my thanks for the mentions of the S&P brigade & interviews with drivers post wreck.
It was a good race, after a bit I quit checking this blog, kicked back & simply (for the first time in a long while w/espn) enjoyed watching a race!
Thank you ESPN & may you do the same today for the Cup race ( fingers crossed)
(verify word = oveedo?)
- July 26, 2009 at 11:56 AM
- Newracefan said...
It was a well done race by ESPN and a great race. Staying with the fight for 3rd instead of staying with the leaders was a fantastic decision. I really enjoyed watching the race and ever Rusty didn't annoy we too much and that is saying something. How well this race was done makes me even more worried about what we are going to get with the cup race. ESPN has stepped up before in NW and the crushed me with the cup coverage. But I am hopeful.
- July 26, 2009 at 12:06 PM
- WC Diane said...
@ 50 yr fan...maybe congress could bury your "no in-car cam" request in the 1000+ page health care bill as a remedy for high blood pressure!
Ditto all the positive remarks. I like Marty Reid...can only get better with more races. Randy is great...just being Randy. Rusty...not so much, but tolerable with the other 2 guys. How about just Marty and Randy.
Camera work light years better. Thank you.
Yesterday I said "ESPN, go away". Well if you can replicate the NW race today at INDY I'll retract my request.
- July 26, 2009 at 12:52 PM
- WickedJ said...
LOL the pacecar caused a wreck? i slept through most of the race..is this footage on youtube?
- July 26, 2009 at 9:09 PM


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Perched 150 metres up on a roadside lookout, one can imagine the countless scenes that have played out down below on twisty Lac Wapizagonke, which, at 16 kilometres long, looks more like a river than a lake.
Thousands of years ago, nomadic aboriginals used it as a key travel route. In the 1800s, loggers moved in, cutting down trees and setting up sawmills along the lake. Later that century, private hunting and fishing clubs attracted vacationing wealthy Americans and Canadians.
Today, if you squint, you'll probably see a canoe or two gliding down the serene lake.
La Mauricie National Park, 200 kilometres northeast of Montreal, is a natural treasure of picturesque hills, waterfalls and lakes.
It has something for everybody: serious backpackers, car campers and those who would rather stay in comfier accommodations and explore by car along a 63-kilometre Parkway that zigzags through the park.
At 544 square kilometres, it's a sprawling haven for hikers and canoers, as well as mountain bikers and sightseers, not to mention more than 100 black bears, 600 beavers and a host of other permanent residents.
When we visited this month, we made the mistake of relying on the free map we got at the reception centre. Like the park's official website, the map is confusing and features little in the way of useful information. (Compared to Quebec provincial parks, Parks Canada seems to be in the information Dark Ages, a reason perhaps for the fact that Quebec provincial park usage is rising while it's falling at Parks Canada.)
Do yourself a favour: buy the excellent guide sold at the welcome centre. It features 18 suggested excursions, each with detailed information on hikes and canoe routes, plus swimming and driving destinations. Also get the Adventure Map, also full of practical info on hikes and attractions.
Together, the guide and map cost $18.
If you're travelling with kids, also grab an Xplorers or Xplorateurs activity booklet at the welcome centre. Kids ages 6 to 11 get a surprise souvenir at the end of their visit when they've completed four of the activities
Some things to do
Canoeing: The park has 150 lakes (unspoiled by permanent residences on the shores or obnoxious motorboats or Sea-Doos in the water). Bring a canoe or rent one from one of three rental sites (rates: $12 for one hour, $24 for four hours or $36 for the whole day). One-and two-person kayaks are also available for rent.
Hiking: The park has myriad hiking trails for all skill levels from easy (less than an hour) to intermediate (more than an hour and less than 10 km) to difficult (more than 10 km and with uphill and downhill slopes). Really serious backpackers can opt for the 75-kilometre Laurentien Trail, which crosses the more rugged sections of the park. Basic campsites are located every 7 to 10 km along the trail.
Swimming: Go for a refreshing swim in a cool lake. Lac Édouard is the park's most popular sandy beach, featuring a large adjacent area full of picnic tables, as well as a snack bar and boat rentals.
Sightseeing: The Parkway affords spectacular views. Lookouts along the Parkway double as star observatories, where you can admire the constellations without being disturbed by city lights.
Accommodation options
Camp: We camped during our visit. There are more than 500 campsites in the park. We stayed at one on Lac Wapizagonke, in a "pedestrian" campground, meaning you leave your car in a parking lot and lug your stuff to your site in a wheelbarrow. Apart from the fact that there was a woeful lack of wheelbarrows - three for 29 campsites - it was a great spot. Secluded, far from other campers, no sound of cars to disturb the chirping birds and frenetic chipmunks. For more on camping, visit Parks Canada's reservation site pccamping.ca or call, toll free, 877-737-3783.
Try a lodge in the park: For a rustic feel without having to pitch a tent, two lodges - the Wabenaki and the Andrew - are available, sharing a fully equipped kitchen. Now federally designated heritage buildings, they were once part of a hunting and fishing club. The Andrew features four dormitories that sleep four people each, while the Wabenaki is for larger groups with three dormitories available for parties of six, eight or 14 people. They're available to individuals and groups.
To reach the lodges, you'll have to walk, bike or canoe a 3.5-kilometre trail from a parking lot. Prices vary. There's a two-night minimum for weekend stays at a cost of $56.95 per adult per night at the Wabenaki, and $60.50 per adult per night at the Andrew. For more info, visit info-nature.ca.
Stay at a cozy inn: Several inns are peppered around the park, including these fourstar ones, both of which offer spa treatments and fine cuisine: The 34-room Le Florès (leflores.com, 800-538-9340) is in Ste. Flore de Grand Mère, near Shawinigan, about 40 km southeast of the park; rooms cost $119 on weekends. L'Auberge Le Baluchon (baluchon.com, 800-789-5968) has 90 rooms spread through four lodges in St. Paulin, about 75 kilometres south of the park. For other inn ideas, visit mauricietourism.com.
To reach La Mauricie National Park from Montreal, take Highway 40 east until you reach Shawinigan (Exit 196N) where you'll get on Highway 55 north. Take exit 226 toward St. Jean des Piles/Grand Mère and follow the signs to La Mauricie National Park.
The park charges a daily entry fee. It's $7.80 for adults, $3.90 for children 6 to 16, and free for children under 6. If you're camping or staying at a lodge in the park, you'll have to pay this fee in addition to your campsite fee.
For more info about La Mauricie National Park, visit the Parks Canada website (pc.gc.ca). You can all the park directly at 819-538-3232 or Parks Canada central line, toll free, at 888-773-8888.


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Army officer, Fort Hood, Texas
The code on an ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) made for the U.S. military by defense contractor Trijicon. The lettering at the end, JN8:12 refers to the Bible passage John 8:12.
When the so-called "Jesus rifle" came to light in Jan. 2010, it sparked constitutional and security concerns, and a maelstrom of media coverage. The Pentagon ordered the removal of the secret code referring to Bible passages that the manufacturer had inscribed on the scopes of the standard issue rifles carried by U.S. soldiers into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nearly three years later — despite the military's assertion that is making "good progress" — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan, which some soldiers argue is endangering their lives by reinforcing suspicions that the United States is waging a crusade against Muslims.
"I honestly believe that this is a dangerous situation. It literally could be a matter of life and death for a soldier if he fell into the wrong hands," said an Army officer who spoke to NBC News from Fort Hood, Texas. "The fact that combatant commanders are not following (rules set by Department of Defense) commanders is very disturbing to me."
The officer, who asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal from commanders, provided a photograph, taken on Tuesday, of the code on an M-4 rifle assigned to a soldier who is slated to deploy to Afghanistan in coming weeks.
The code stamped into the metal of the soldier's ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) ends with the model number with "JN8:12." which refers to the New Testament passage, John 8:12, which reads: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Other rifle scopes among some 250,000 provided by Michigan-based manufacturer Trijicon were imprinted with codes that point to passages in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Corinthians and Revelation, ABC News reported when it broke the news in 2010.
Trijicon, reportedly had been following this practice for at least two decades, and it was well known to gun enthusiasts.
But these scopes attach to M-4 assault rifles used by U.S. troops, allies and Afghan and Iraqi forces being trained by the U.S. military.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group that aggressively pursues the separation of church and state in defense institutions, first flagged the issue in late 2009 after receiving scores of complaints from active duty military members.
"It's constitutionally noxious," said foundation president Mikey Weinstein. "It's an embarrassment and makes us look exactly like the tenth incarnation of the crusades which launches 8 million new jihadist recruiting videos."
The military first said it was unaware of the biblical code. Then Gen. David Petraeus, formerly the head of U.S. Central Command overseeing U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Jan. 2010 issued a press release saying he was "very concerned" to learn of the biblical markings, which were "contrary to U.S. Central Command guidance."
"Our mission is to protect the population we're serving and establish conditions for security, stability, and development, and we strive to do that while remaining sensitive to the cultural and religious norms of the populace we are supporting," he said.
In Jan 2010, Trijicon which had a multi-year Defense Department contract to provide up to 800,000 sights, announced it would stop printing the verses on new scopes for the military use and provide modification kits for the removal of the code on existing scopes.
The Department of Defense said it would modify the scopes, starting with those on bases, though in March said it might take as long as a year.
Not all observers thought removal of the unobtrusive lettering on the scopes was a matter of great urgency.
"I understand that we have already started to address this issue," said retired Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, in a debate with Weinstein on ABC News in March 2010. "You may argue it's not fast enough," but he said he saw "no evidence" that the code presented a security issue.
Fast forward two and a half years, and "Jesus rifles" are still widely used in the United States and in areas of conflict, according to the Fort Hood officer, who was deployed to Iraq in 2010-2011. He says he has never seen a fixit kit.
Weinstein of MRFF said he has received more than 2,800 complaints from troops about the Jesus rifles — now even more widely known to Afghans and Iraqis, in part because of the controversy.
Iraqis "absolutely" know that it's a Jesus rifle, said the Fort Hood officer, based on his experience.
"Do all the Afghans and Taliban know about this? Probably not. But the ones who do could ultimately affect the life of a soldier," said the officer. "There's absolutely no reason this couldn't have been done in the first six weeks. And that just leads me to wonder why is the Army leadership not taking ownership of the responsibility of completing this task?"
Contacted by NBC News, scope-maker Trijicon directed calls to the head of sales and marketing Tom Munson, who relayed the message through his secretary that "he had no interest" in discussing the Jesus rifle.
NBC News queries to the military about the plan to remove the gospel-referencing code were answered in the form of an email statement saying the "corrective measures the Army took to remove the code were still ongoing."
"We had to take steps to ensure the corrective measures did not impede ongoing operations in theater, but we've got procedures to catch this at multiple points," said the statement provided by Matthew Bourke, in the U.S. Army Media Relations Division. "We're making good progress."
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – As the Rams offense retired to the locker room at halftime following a sluggish first half in which yards were difficult to come by, they began an immediate search for some kind of spark.
They didn't much care where it came from but with usual spark plug
Danny Amendola inactive again with a foot injury and the Bills taking great pains to shut down the run game and Steven Jackson, there was no doubt it would have to be a more unusual suspect.
Enter receiver
Brandon Gibson. After finishing the first half with one catch for 10 yards on just two targets, Gibson took the reins.
"It was a huge jump start," quarterback
Sam Bradford said. "I think he went over 100 today or right at 100 today. We came in at halftime and knew we needed to make some adjustments. I thought Gibby did a great job getting open, creating after the catch too. The one third down I don't know what he ran for after he caught it but that was huge just getting us down there on their side of the field."
Indeed, Gibson became Bradford's favorite target and finished with 100 yards on six catches and one gigantic, game-winning touchdown catch. In the final 30 minutes, Gibson had five catches for 90 yards and his production gave him his first career 100-yard game.
With Amendola out, the receivers and Bradford have insisted that filling the void is a group effort but that group still needs someone to lead the charge. As Gibson continued to find ways to make plays at the most important of times, his teammates followed his lead.
"He didn't get as many looks in the first half and as receivers we just know in the back of our heads that we have got to go out and make plays to help this offense move along and put points on the board," Pettis said. "So I think it's a testament to Gibby's mental toughness to go out in the second half and play like a No. 1 receiver and carry us throughout the second half in the pass game."
Givens' role has only increased in recent weeks as the majority of Amendola's looks have gone Givens' way. That hasn't left many chances for Gibson but as the longest tenured of the Rams wideouts, Gibson hasn't let any of those things bother him in his pursuit to contribute.
"It's not something I can worry about," Gibson said. "All I can do is go out there and make sure I get open and week to week I try not to worry about getting the ball. I just want to be in the right spot when the right time comes."
There was no better time than the second half Sunday after the Rams offense mustered just 71 total yards in the first half. Trailing 6-0 coming out for the third quarter, the Rams immediately put together their best drive of the day.
And no play on that drive was bigger than Gibson's 22-yard catch and run to the Bills' 25 on third-and-7. That helped set up Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run and got the offense into something of a rhythm.
Still, it was the big plays on the final drive that mattered most.
"We knew it was probably going to come down to the last drive," Gibson said. "We kind of sputtered around the first half and coming up with points was big, we have to do a better job of that and winning on third down so those are our goals and we'll just continue to get better at it."
On the game-winning drive, Gibson narrowly missed a chance for a big play down the left sideline before bouncing back with a catch for 15 yards on third-and-10 to Buffalo's 13.
Two plays later, Gibson squeezed the winning touchdown in the back of the end zone and helped set off a wild celebration.
"This is huge for Gibby," Jackson said. "This season alone is huge for Gibby. When you have a guy that continues to grow each year…I think we have seen that and from when we traded for him and got him from Philadelphia, we have seen Gibby grow. This is a huge year for him and I am happy for him. He's showing up at big times."
RUN DOWN: The top priority for the Rams defense all week was slowing down the Bills' fourth-ranked rushing attack led by the two-headed monster of C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson.
There was further motivational fuel thrown into the mix during the week when one of the backs appeared on a talk back and made mention of a targeted number for fantasy production against the Rams.
Defensive tackle
Michael Brockers and Co. didn't take too kindly to that.
"It was a motivation thing," Brockers said. "On Friday, we watched first take or whatever it was and he said he wanted 15 fantasy points and that wasn't for us. We wanted to meet the challenge of stopping the run and keeping him in the backfield. I think that's where we were in motivation."
Whatever the additional motivation, the Rams defense absolutely answered the bell in shutting down Buffalo's vaunted rush attack. The Bills finished with 61 yards on 20 carries with nothing longer than a 14-yard burst from Jackson.
Jackson finished with 14 yards on nine carries and Spiller added 37 yards on seven totes.
Defensive tackle
Kendall Langford said the defensive line put it on itself to slow down Spiller and Jackson.
"Just dominate up front," Langford said. "Our front had to be better than their front. D line better than their O line and out tough them. I think we did a good job of that."
INJURY REPORT: For the most part, the Rams made it through Sunday's game relatively healthy but did have a couple of losses that will have to be monitored this week.
Craig Dahl left the game with a concussion and did not return. Darian Stewart replaced Dahl and posted three tackles. Dahl will have to go through the normal battery of tests before he is cleared to return this week.
Left tackle
Rodger Saffold was in and out of the game with back spasms. Wayne Hunter filled in for him but Saffold was able to make it through. His status will be clearer as the week goes on but coach Jeff Fisher offered a short take on the matter.
"He just had a hard day," Fisher said, acknowledging that Saffold would be OK.
IN THE HUNT: With three games to go in the season, the Rams remain right in the hunt for a playoff spot but didn't get much help from their NFC counterparts on Sunday.
Teams still in the mix with them such as Seattle, Washington, Dallas and Minnesota all won but the Rams do play the Vikings, Seahawks and Tampa Bay in the final three games.
While the Rams are pleased with their progress, they know they can only focus on continuing to take care of business to have a legitimate shot when the dust settles.
"It's a big turnaround from last year from 2-14 to 6-6-1," Brockers said. "We have beaten some really good teams this year. We are still in the hunt but it's an every week thing for us to try to win every game. We have to win one game at a time and try to come out next week and feed off this game."


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The last time The Who played to a huge TV audience as part of a major sporting event – as the halftime act at Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 – the reviews ranged from lukewarm to as cruel as pinball wizard Tommy's sadistic Cousin Kevin.
The poor notices, to our ears, were overstated, even if packing a medley of five classic songs into 12 minutes didn't best represent the group – or best serve more than 100 million TV viewers.
On Sunday, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will close the Olympics before an expected worldwide audience of four billion – offering the group's surviving members a chance to prove The Who is the perfect imperfect band to send the Games out on a high note.
U.S. & World
Sure, the reported reunion of the Spice Girls, who are expected to regroup for the closing ceremony, is grabbing much of the pre-show attention. And it's a fairly safe bet that if Robert Plant had acquiesced to just one more trip up the stairway, Led Zeppelin would have been the Games' final act. We're guessing the Rolling Stones, whose latest possible comeback has been unfolding in slow motion, also could have scored the gig.
But The Who might be best built to take the games home – and not just because of a catalogue filled with anthemic songs that still soar on Daltrey's preternaturally powerful voice and Townsend's windmill-fueled power chords, even as both approach 70.
The opening ceremony, wonderfully quirky with its share of odd moments, bounced – literally, during the trampoline-filled salute to the National Health Service – from the UK's impact on capitalism to literature to the Internet, a scattershot pastiche that underscored the country's ongoing post-British Empire search a place in the world. The show also reinforced that UK's greatest export during Queen Elizabeth II's reign has been music – brilliantly exemplified by Paul McCartney, who represented his fellow Beatles by leading the world in a sing-a-long of "Hey Jude."
The Who, however, more than any other British Invasion rock act, reflects in very personal songs their nation's search for its identity and place. Those themes – fueled in the group's youth by an energy born of rage and frustration, and in more recent years by a refusal to die spiritually by getting old – are at the heart of "Quadrophenia" and "Tommy," rock-opera masterworks by a group that famously asked in song, "Who Are You?"
Daltrey told reporters last month that he and Townshend were planning "a piece of music that is a fabulous ending for the Olympics ... and just shows the great music that has come out of this country." That's a tantalizing thought – as is the notion of capping the Games with "We Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Reilly" or "Pinball Wizard," which celebrated a sport of sorts that has yet to make it as an Olympic event.
Daltrey and Townshend, after taking the world stage, are set to embark on their first U.S. tour in four years this fall, playing "Quadrophenia" and a set of hits. But on Sunday, the group that both defied and defined Britain with "My Generation," will have the opportunity to put on a performance for the ages.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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QSC K8 8" Powered PA Speaker
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The QSC K8 8" powered loudspeaker features a 1000-watt Class-D power module, and its extremely compact size won't intrude on audience sightlines. Its...Click To Read More About This Product
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Amazingly powerful output in a compact cabinet ideal for crowded stages.
The QSC K8 8" powered loudspeaker features a 1000-watt Class-D power module, and its extremely compact size won't intrude on audience sightlines. Its 105 wide dispersion is a major advantage when the audience is up close to the loudspeaker. Low frequencies extend to 61Hz (-10dB) and the unit outputs an amazing 127dB.
QSC's K8 speaker features a 1-3/4" HF device in its 2-way enclosure. The primary differentiator is the resulting output dispersion-the K8 being the widest at 105 and the K12 the narrowest at 75. This radical approach is achievable due to a process called Directivity Matched Transition (DMT). DMT allows QSC to take advantage of a fundamental law of acoustics: smaller diameter woofers have wider coverage patterns than larger ones. The K Series matches the HF device to the LF dispersion, allowing for the smoothest and flattest frequency response possible across the entire sound field.
Add to this advanced DSP processing and an enclosure molded from ABS-a material far more rugged and sonically pleasing than conventional plastics-and the QSC K8 Speaker delivers exceptional performance in this category of loudspeakers.
Several proprietary QSC DSP technologies are incorporated into the K8 PA speaker. One such technology is Digital Extension and Excursion Processing (DEEP). DEEP allows the K8 to deliver levels of low-frequency extension previously impossible in enclosures of this size. Intrinsic Correction, first featured in QSC line-array technology, use dozens of spatially averaged measurements mapped to the processor to deliver smooth and accurate reproduction across the entire sound field.
Preventing amplifier clipping or overload is QSC's proprietary GuardRail technology. GuardRail closely monitors the input voltage and controls the amplifier output stage before the onset of clipping. Unlike typical clip limiters, when GuardRail is activated, the results are all but undetectable-there's none of the typical "pumping" associated with other methods. In addition, user EQ controls are provided to select between subwoofer settings (EXTSUB, VOCAL, or FLAT response).
The K8 speaker boasts other user-friendly features. For example, when the PA speaker is pole-mounted, the Tilt-Direct pole socket converts to a 7.5 down-tilt with a simple 180 rotation of the dial. A locking IEC power cord is included, preventing accidental disconnect during a performance. For installed applications, connecting a commonly available potentiometer to the unit's Euroblock connector allows the operator to have gain control from a remote location. Multiple K Series units can be daisy-chained together to one centralized control. Additionally, the QSC K8 Speaker enters Standby mode after 5 minutes of inactivity, conserving power.
The entire PA package is housed in rugged and sonically friendly ABS (the sub in birch plywood) with steel grilles and carry-friendly ergonomic aluminum handles.
Processing, Connectivity & Monitoring
The brain of the system is its expansive digital signal processing. While the DSP functions are optimized using Intrinsic Correction, DEEP, DMT and GuardRail technologies (with the high-pass filter included for use with subwoofer systems), two XLR-combi inputs, each with its own Level control, are provided. Both accommodate line-level inputs and one may be switched to microphone level sensitivity. Phono (RCA) input jacks are also included for connection of consumer electronics sources. Dual XLR outputs are provided for dual "loop-thru" XLR/M connectors and a single XLR jack is available as a summed output. All 3 input sources may be used at once and mixed via the 2 Gain control knobs.
Input Panel LED indicators are provided for Power, Signal Present, Mic Level Sensitivity and Limit annunciation. A front-mounted power LED may be disabled by means of a rear panel switch when desired or set so it indicates when the limit circuitry has been engaged.
Each QSC K8 model incorporates a conical waveguide that maintains pattern control all
the way down to the crossover frequency. The coverage angles of the waveguides are tailored for a smooth transition from woofer to compression driver with far less "waistbanding" or other directivity related anomalies than other products in this class.
Suspension and Mounting
The K-Series 2-way PA speaker may be pole-mounted, suspended, or yoke-mounted. The K8 yoke accessory kit (not included) allows for either horizontal or vertical yoke mounting, providing a flexible means of attaching The K-Series loudspeakers to a building structure or truss. When suspended deployment is required, M10 threaded inserts support vertical or horizontal suspension, while the integral pole mount socket accommodates 35mm speaker poles for use on a speaker stand or over a sub. The pole socket is designed so that the speaker may be angled down 7.5 in order to cover the audience while keeping acoustic energy off reflective walls and ceilings.
- 1,000 watt, efficient and lightweight Class D power module
- Lightweight (27 lb.)
- Professional appearance and rugged construction
- Directivity Matched Transition (DMT) and Intrinsic Correction DSP tuning for accurate, undistorted performance across the entire sound field
- GuardRail technology discreetly protects the system from damaging overload
- DEEP mode for enhanced low-frequency extension without a subwoofer
- Locking IEC power cable
- XLR and 1/4" connectors
- Phone Mic/Line and Line inputs with Loop-thru connectors and independent level controls.
- Phono (RCA) inputs
- Three 2-way models"each with coverage pattern optimized to match the LF driver
- Front mounted LED may be switched off or indicate "LIMIT" or AC Power On
- Dual angle, 35 mm pole socket with Tilt-Direct allows the speaker to be angled down to put the energy on the audience instead of the back wall
- 1-3/4" voice-coil compression driver
- High Pass Filter for use with subwoofers
- 1,000 watt subwoofer, efficient and light-weight Class D power module
- Threaded pole socket for solid, secure pole mounting
- Amplifier Power: 1000W Class D
- Transducers: 8" LF, 1-3/4" HF
- Coverage Pattern: 105 conical
- Frequency Response: 61Hz-20kHz
- Max SPL: 127dB
- Operating Voltage: 85-275 VAC @ 50-60Hz
- Unit Dimensions: 11" W x 17-7/10" H x 10-3/5" D
- Weight: 27 lb.


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(originally posted 1/19/2012) GM's X-Frame, upon which millions of GM full-size cars sat from the years 1957 through 1964 (Buick Riviera through 1970), has generated plenty of controversy, speculation, and accusations. Since there seems to be no complete survey of the X-Frame – at least any available on the web – let's lift off all those handsome and finned GM bodies by Fisher, and take a closer look at what's really under there.
Starting with a real stunner: The X-Frame first appeared in 1957, underpinning the new C-Body Cadillacs and Eldorado Brougham (pictured). It was obviously conceived as a way to facilitate lowering the total vehicle height, through deep floor wells for the passengers' feet to drop essentially to the bottom of the car, unimpeded by frame rails.
I'm not a frame expert/historian, but Cadillac's approach in developing the X-Frame seems to be rather unique, although it combines aspects of two very distinctive frame designs: the backbone frame and the X-braced ladder frame.
The backbone frame originates with Hans Ledwinka's revolutionary Tatra T-11 of 1921 (full story here). A strong solid steel tube was the carrying member for the whole car and its (lightweight) body.
The Tatra tube frame evolved into a combination central backbone-platform frame, as seen here in the mid-thirties Tatra 97. Needless to say, a very similar route was also taken by others, including Porsche for the now very-familiar (and similar) VW platform frame. In these, the body was rigidly bolted to the platform, to create essentially a unitized structure from the two halves.
The pure backbone chassis was taken up by others, none more famously so than by Colin Chapman, with his brilliant Lotus Elan. With a very deep central section, which worked well in a sports car, the Elan had unparalleled rigidity, the ultimate goal of any frame/body structure. Rigidity is the only way that a suspension system can be designed to optimize its function.
On the other end of the spectrum, sits the ladder frame, here immortalized in the frame rails from a Ford Model T. A certain amount of flex was an intrinsic part of the equation. Its origins are obviously in the heavy timber frames underpinning wagons, but the seminal 1901 Mercedes was perhaps the first to sport something akin to what became this timeless approach to automotive frame building
Jumping ahead about a century, here is a modern ladder frame, as now used in pickups and BOF SUVs.
The origins of using an X-member to reinforce a ladder-type frame has been credited to the fwd Cord L-29, and this excerpt from its brochure substantiates that claim.
But this 1939 Buick frame shows that its adoption had expanded by then, and for obvious reasons. It undoubtedly increased rigidity, at least in certain planes.
X frame centers were also used to stiffen ladder frames specifically for convertible use. This is a sedan frame for a '57 Chevy.
And here is the center section for the convertible version. It's important to note that the bodies of BOF (body on frame) cars contribute substantially to the overall vehicle rigidity, which is why convertibles require additional reinforcement to their frames.
There's no readily available background on the engineering decisions that led to the first GM X-Frame, on the '57 Cadillacs ('61 Chevy frame shown here). GM claimed improvements in rigidity, as well as the lower floor. It did result in a very large central tunnel, a distinctive feature of all X frame cars.
In order to make the X-Frame work, Fisher Body increased the strength of the rocker sills of the bodies, as well as side-to-side stiffeners in the floor. These can be seen fairly well in this shot of a '58 Chevy. In essence, GM was transferring a substantial amount of the overall structure's strength to the body; certainly any side impact resistance that this intrinsically vulnerable design might have had. The problem is not only whether the body sills had enough strength for that purpose in the first place, but these rocker sills were notorious for collecting moisture and rusting prematurely.
But before we discuss the X-Frame's safety weaknesses, real or perceived, let's do a survey of what all the GM divisions were doing frame-wise during this period. Contrary to some assumptions, not all the divisions used the X frame, either at all, or at least not during some of the time.
Vehicle design and construction at GM then was almost the exact opposite of today. Now, numerous vehicles (and brands) with distinctly different bodies share a "platform", generally the key underbody structure, suspension and/or floor platform. Back then, Fisher body engineered a common body to be used by various divisions, but each division engineered its own vehicle otherwise, including the frame, suspension, drive train, etc. It really was ass-backwards; or it certainly came to be so, given how increasingly little folks actually appreciated what went on under the floor, at least very technically speaking. And it was inevitable that GM would eventually centralize these aspects.
But not during the X-Frame's reign. The '57 and '58 Buicks, which shared Cadillac's big C-bodies, did not go with the X-Frame, keeping an X-strengthened ladder frame. So where did the rear foot wells go? Did the Buick C-Body ride higher than the Cadillac? If I could find overall height specs on both, it might possible to ascertain that.
Rather curiously, for 1959 Buick even dropped the X center-reinforcement, going with a strict ladder-perimeter frame, with a K-type front section. To each their own!
But beginning in 1961, Buick fell in with the X crowd, even touting it as the "Safety-X-Frame". Full-sized Buicks stayed with the X through 1964.
And the Riviera maintained its X-Frame all the way through the 1970 MY. Here's a 1969 Riviera showing off its skeleton. And for those that assume that X Frame cars were intrinsically poor handlers, the Riviera in GS guise was generally highly regarded as one of the most capable handlers in its size class. Even the base Riviera was considered to be quite good in this regard. It's more a matter of suspension tuning.
Olds was the only member of the GM family to not use the X-Frame at all. The '57-'58 Olds frame looks quite similar to the same vintage Buick frame.
But for 1959, Olds came up with what is essentially a variation the X-frame, incorporating wide side rails to do the work that the reinforced body sills were asked to do on the true X-frame cars. These side frame rails (or similar) have been widely adapted to high-performance X-frame cars, creating an overall stronger, more rigid and safer frame. And that came without any sacrifice in the X-frame's deep floor wells. Call it the improved X-Frame.
The other unique aspect about the '57 – '60 Olds chassis is that it had leaf springs in the rear suspension, the only GM full-sized rwd car to do so during the whole modern era, except for the '71 – '76 "clamshell" wagons, which did so for space reasons. The '57 Cadillac used leaf springs too.
For 1961 through 1964, Oldsmobile used a perimeter ladder frame. Note how much emphasis Olds places on the safety of "Steel Protection All Around".
The frame Olds used those years ('63 in drawing above)…
very much predicts the frame all the GM full-sized cars went to in 1965 (Riviera excepted). This one is from a '69 Cadillac. Olds' reputation for engineering advancements among the GM divisions seems to have gone all the way down to frame design.
Interestingly, Pontiac did not show off its frames in its brochures, unlike the rest of the divisions. John DeLorean, who was then running Pontiac, was an engineer by training, but was also an excellent marketer. He thought GM was generally lacking in modern marketing techniques at the time, and perhaps that explains why Pontiac frames didn't make it into brochures. Who cared? Folks were much more interested in how they looked, and even how they drove. Pontiac accentuated its very visible Wide Track stance, and left folks guessing about the frames.
But as the above frame spec chart shows, Pontiac followed Chevrolet and Cadillac with X frames for '58 – '60, but then went to a perimeter frame for '61 – '64 that looks very similar to the '61 – '64 Olds frame. (Update: Canadian Pontiacs did keep the X frame for '61 – '64)
Chevrolet's "little brother" relationship to Cadillac was more than skin deep, inasmuch as the two of them were the most consistent users of the X-frame; from '58 through the '64 MY, in Chevrolet's case. Here's the '59 version in full display. The '58 was unique to that MY; the '59 – '60 frames were identical, as were the '61 – '64 frames.
The '59 Chevy became famous in 2009 when it was crashed into a new Malibu, and (not surprisingly) fared rather poorly. The X frame probably played a relatively small part in that, given all the other aspects that were so different between these cars. And who knows how rusty the Chevy frame and/or body were. Speaking of, the X-frame is rather notorious for rusting, and there is a pretty brisk business in replacement frames, often reinforced. One wouldn't want to start throwing a Chevy low-rider hydraulically four feet into the air with a rusty frame.
In Ralph Nader's "Unsafe At Any Speed", the X-Frame merits some less-than flattering attention. Here's some excerpts from that:
A case in point is the "X" or "cruciform" type chassis frame. This frame was introduced in 1957, primarily to reduce the problem of restricted headroom and difficult entry into the "low-profile" automobiles that were becoming popular after the mid-fifties. The X frame construction does not have side rails along the passenger compartment, as did most previous conventional frame designs. From the time the cruciform type frame was introduced, it was widely used by General Motors on Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac. The Ford Motor Company continued to use frames with side rails, and it was evident that the two companies held strongly different opinions about the two designs.
In the fall of 1959, a photograph of a Chevrolet Impala that was broken in half after striking a tree broadside was widely circulated in newspapers throughout the country. The frame had severed at the intersection of the X. The report of the General Motors investigators who rushed to the scene attributed the severance of the frame to the semi-airborne position of the car as it struck the tree. This had apparently allowed the engine mass to act as the head of a sledge hammer. At the General Motors engineering center in Michigan the conclusion was that "automobiles are not designed to withstand such tremendous lateral forces – this would be extremely uneconomical."
General Motors spokesmen continued to defend the cruciform type frame as offering substantial resistance to side impacts because of the rocker panel and floor pan underbracing members — even though by 1965 all General Motors models except the Buick Riviera had abandoned the design in favor of the perimeter type. In 1960 the General Motors technical center offered proof that a unitized structure with side rails can also split into two pieces. A picture of a Ford Thunderbird, torn in half after slamming against a telephone pole and tree, was offered as evidence to critics of the X type frame.
This comparison enraged Ford engineers. Fletcher N. Platt, a highly talented research engineer at Ford, retorted that the Thunderbird case involved a telephone guy-wire that had "acted as a knife on the entire body structure." In contrast, he said, "the Chevrolet that broke in half failed at the center of the X frame after hitting a tree." Platt said, "The X frame has no advantages from the standpoint of passenger protection. It requires less material to support the four comers of the car, but it is obviously less rigid and provides little lateral [side] protection to the passenger compartment." He suggests consulting any "'unbiased' structural engineer regarding these two designs." Mr. Platt might not consider Mr. Harry Barr, vice president for engineering of General Motors, qualified for the designation 'unbiased,' but Mr. Barr did admit grudgingly, under questioning, that the Oldsmobile perimeter type frame had some advantages over the Chevrolet X type frame in side-impact crashes at speeds of about fifteen miles per hour. Further proof that some General Motors engineers agreed with Ford's Platt came in the form of an internal memorandum prepared by the Oldsmobile division in 1963 in which the Oldsmobile "guard-beam" frame was described as offering an "extra margin of protection" over the X type frames of Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac.
I was unable to find the picture of the broken-in-half '59 Chevy cited here. Undoubtedly, a side impact, especially against something like a tree or pole, would be the X-frame's most vulnerable aspect. There are other anecdotal negatives commonly cited on forums, such as cracking of the rear body sills, as well as other minor structural infirmities, especially with advanced age. The two-piece drive-shaft used with the X frame also comes for a lot of hate, especially the weakness of the center bearing, and the joys of replacing it.
But Ford clearly saw a marketing benefit to the X-Frame controversy, and touted their wide perimeter frame as a safety advantage over the X-Frame in their marketing materials, as in this on from 1960.
Our exhaustive look at the X Frame is complete. If you made it this far, you're now an expert. Hopefully, others will add further facts or insights.
brochure images from oldcarbrochures.com


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VANCOUVER — Canadian speedskater Clara Hughes is giving her bronze-medal bonus to a Vancouver program for at-risk youth, the.
Hughes, who carried the Canadian flag in the opening ceremony, said she'll give $10,000 to the Take A Hike Foundation. The organization takes youth from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside who are struggling in school and life on outdoor trips. They are provided with therapy and academic counseling, and they also take part in community service. The Vancouver School Board is partner in the charity.
Hughes, the most decorated Canadian Olympian, finished third in the women's 5,000-meter race on Wednesday. She had said it would be her last Olympic race.
It was her sixth medal in the Winter and Summer Games — she is the fourth Olympian to medal in both summer and winter. She won two bronze medals in cycling events at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
She won gold in the 5,000 at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and donated $10,000 of her own money to the charity Right to Play.
At a press conference Thursday, Hughes touched briefly on Canada's homeless problem. She said she took a wrong turn one day this past summer and ended up in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. She said she couldn't believe such a down-and-out neighborhood could exist in her country.
She also mentioned Joannie Rochette's performance in women's figure skating on Tuesday night. Rochette's mother came to Vancouver to watch her daughter but died of a heart attack on Sunday. Rochette delivered a gutsy performance that brought a thunderous ovation and put her in third place going into Thursday night's finale. Hughes said "because of what she did, she will continue to inspire me forever."
NBC News' Marybeth Fay contributed to this report.


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