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A recent post on Hacker News entitled "Why I still don't contribute to open source" raised a series of thoughts in my head - but then, before I could even take the time to generate the smallest of replies, Brian Curtin swooped in and made probably one of the single best comments in reply, and on the subject of contribution that I've ever read. The original post; and Brian's excellent reply were enough to get me obsessing about this subject again - eager to share my thoughts and feelings on it.
A while ago (almost exactly a year, oddly enough) I posted a question here to my blog - "Why aren't You Contributing (to Python)" - the replies to that post, both in the original comments, Hacker News, Reddit and other thoughtful responses by Tim Golden, Yaniv Aknin and Brian Curtin made me sit back and think for a long time what we - as a "python core" team could do to help reduce the friction and overall barrier to contributing to core itself. It also made me take a step back and ask myself why I contribute to Python - not just via core, but also to PyCon and the PSF.
In the replies; there was a common series of "barriers" cited - and as you read through those posts above, you will note that many of them aren't just applicable to Python-Core itself. They are applicable to open source in general. This is something important to note, as solutions to these problems identified by "us" and other projects can be globally applied to projects "suffering" from a "lack of new blood" and new contribution.
New contribution is the lifeblood of projects - it brings new, fresh perspectives and ideas, new solutions to old problems, in addition to adding bandwidth to a project's maintenance overall.
The key "barriers" were:
- Time - this is the easiest to extract; all of us are incredibly busy people. Especially people with families, or hobbies outside of just hacking on code, technology. We have our day jobs, or school - or we have wonderful little children and beautiful spouses that absorb (deservedly so) our time. This leaves a finite amount of time wherein people can contribute if it's something they have any time to do at all. Most of us don't get paid to contribute to open source projects, and even then, if we do, once again it's a finite amount of time (let's say, 25%).
- Knowledge - A lot of people cited difficulties in finding information about how to help and where help is needed. Still others mentioned they didn't even know there was a bug tracker, etc. Having a low barrier to entry - meaning a low friction method of having someone contribute something (a bug, a patch, a doc fix, etc) is critical. Hopefully the new Dev Guide helps, and hopefully the core-mentors project helps too.
- Friction - Many people cited (both publicly and privately) that they felt that responses on the bug tracker and mailing lists were extremely hostile. Not only is there a perceived high barrier - it's a high barrier loaded with friction. Ignoring the hostility, real or perceived, there's also the friction of debate over changes, and the friction of time. If I submit a patch, and nothing happens for months, I am going to be less inclined to contribute anything.
- Hostility - While I mention this in the friction part; it's important to note on it's own - people that don't feel welcome or that they can safely ask questions or explore ideas without being "yelled" at or judged harshly. Email is a terrible forum to transmit emotion, so even if the person writing the email didn't mean for it to come off as such, very frequently, emails that are short and to the point come off as cold, hard and sometimes insulting. Having a global developer community that spans cultures further complicates electronic exchanges.
- Qualifications - many people felt that they were simply unqualified to contribute, in any way. People are daunted by projects like Python, and JQuery - anything with a user base or established "niche" seems to automatically generate higher barriers and more friction due to the simple fact people are scared they are not skilled enough to contribute.
Let's assume that all of these are real barriers (I feel they are) and there's a limited number of things to counter these things in place. Why bother?
Brian's comment touches on something I think is important:
I strongly believe that everyone, and I mean everyone, is ready to contribute to OSS. On the Python project, Jesse Noller recently started a "core mentorship" group to help people put the rubber to the road. There's an almost endless amount of work to be done on CPython, and we'll literally take anyone with any amount of knowledge and help them contribute. Whether it's people contributing to OSS for the first time, or people new to contributing to Python, we can find something.
If you understand English, you can write documentation. If you can write Python code, which is obviously a common skill for someone interested in contributing to Python, there's plenty of work. If you know C, dig right in.
The group of core contributors ranges from 18 to the upper 60s, from the self-taught to multi-PhDs, from students to Googlers. I think the only people who aren't ready to contribute, wouldn't be interested in contributing in the first place.
(minor quibble: s/write documentation/improve documentation/ - see also JKM's post on great documentation, just like code, documentation contributions differ in scale)
Brian is dead right - I, like him, believe that everyone and anyone contribute to OSS, and in the local case - the Python case - everyone can contribute something no matter who they are, or what their skill set it. If you know english (especially better than I write it) then man, help with documentation - a seeming blind spot for many projects. If you're a designer, we both know most OSS needs some design help - web site designing, themeing, GUI work, and so on. The number of OSS projects out there with bad UI/UX and or just a bad interface (I'm looking at you, git) is astoundingly large.
I truly, fundamentally believe that OSS is is the perfect proof that anyone and everyone can contribute to something. Why? Code and projects are blind - or if they aren't, they should be. They don't care if you're a sentient ham sandwich, they don't care if you don't have the proper schooling, how old you are, the color of your skin, or your religious beliefs. They don't care where you are located or what you did before you contributed something. They just care about what you have contributed - doc patch, code patch or feature. That thing you have submitted should be able to stand on its own merits, regardless of anything outside of that atomic change. I'm not saying that what you've changed, proposed or patched won't be debated (see: bikesheds) - it will - but if it passes technical muster, then there should be nothing standing in the way of that change.
Why do I feel this way? Because - they (they being you - the Python community) welcomed me - I'm not qualified for contributing to something as large and amazing as Python! I'm barely qualified to raise my dog. I suffer from near constant impostor syndrome - I run across things inside of Python that frequently blow my mind, things I don't even grasp. I'm hot headed, brash and belligerent. I lead with my passion and my beliefs and I'll fight for something until I pass out from exhaustion. I overcommit, stretch myself thin. I signed up to maintain a module, then I had a kid and changed jobs. I'm not exactly a good programming citizen.
Even today, as I sit on the board of the Python Software Foundation, and I am now chair for PyCon, I look around in constant wonder and ask "why accept me"?
It's because OSS, and especially the Python community, of which I am very proud, truly doesn't care who you are - if you're a dog who can beat timsort, we'll take the patch if you can prove it. We accept social misanthropes, perfectly normal people with 2.5 kids, a dog and soccer practice on Sundays.
You've got to be passionate.
I'll admit - I'm not a cold, calculating mathematical engineer. Seriously, big surprise. What I am is insanely passionate about something, and the community around something most people consider "just a tool" (e.g. a language). I'm passionate about its community - I'm passionate about the language philosophy. My motivation comes from that very passion. The reason I am involved in OSS in any way is because I found myself incredibly passionate about something that changed my life. The reason why I steal time from my family, my job, and myself to work on these things is because they kindle a fire inside of me. Seeing something I've done help someone, make something better, change someone's life in some small way just feeds that fire.
I'm not in this due to a higher "human calling" - I don't contribute because I owe something to my fellow man - in fact, many times I've had to make the decision not to do something so I could spend more time putting food on the table for my family and myself. I contribute patches, ideas and what I can because it makes me feel good, it makes me feel rewarded and self-fulfilled.
If you're approaching contributing to a project - to a community - out of a sense that "you just should" or some broken ideal that you have to serve the greater good - it's just another job you're not passionate about. You're looking at contribution from the standpoint of a solemn duty, and not what it should be - something that is rewarding, exciting - something that when you look up and see someone using what you've made, fixed or improved you feel accomplished and awarded.
You have to pick a project, and something within that project that gives you that thrill, that fires up your passion (even if it's anger). You have to do it because you're inspired and you want to do it. Sure - there's a lot of drudge work at the end of the day - cleaning things up, fixing broken test suites, the equivalent to sweeping the floors once the party is over, but heck - you did something amazing, or some small thing that's going to change someone's life, go ahead and pick up a broom while you've still got that glow.
I contribute not from altruism; I contribute because I like to and I want to (and sometimes need to). Some part of me feels that yes, I am paying back some amount of debt - but no amount of social or moral debt will make you overcome the barriers I outlined in the preamble. Not amount of social extortion will make you pay the bill - only you can motivate you, and you have to want to do it. OSS is about scratching your itch; if something like python-core isn't itchy for you - find something that is.
After that little side rail into motivation - especially what drives me - I think it's important to go back to the mechanics. Those barriers are real - and as Brian points out, we (python-core) are working on them as a team, and the Python Software Foundation is working on them as a community. Since the original post I've been lucky to help spin up the python sprints project - the goal of which is to onboard new developers via face to face programming sprints. It's been pretty successful, and we still have lots we can and should do with it, but I like to think that we've done some work addressing the Knowledge, Friction and Qualifications issues on a local, sprint level.
People don't communicate face to face quite the same way they do on a mailing list, and a lot of people are much more comfortable sitting next to you asking questions then wading into/navigating the jungle of a mailing list. Especially when so many people expect negative "go look in the archives" and "RTFM". Mailing lists answer specific questions well, but tend to suck for getting big-picture information needed to get rolling on something.
Hence why we've also started the Python Core Mentorship program - which, if luck holds out, should be moderately successful in helping us ramp up new core developers in an environment that aims to remove the final barriers - we can't bend time. But I'll be damned if we can not lower the knowledge, friction, hostility barriers and make every person feel welcome and qualified, no matter who they are. I want the OSS world - even "my" own small corner of it to be welcoming when my children one day wander into it (if they want to).
We (as a community) have a long way to go - Python-Core as a team is still evolving - as a community, and as a development team - we have plenty of work to do to make conversations and discussions more civil, more welcoming. We have barriers that prevent us from being as diverse as we could be (notice I avoided should) - these are things we can help fix with outreach, leadership and guidance. We have to make it easy for people to contribute, and we have to make it friendly and fun. We have to take people who are afraid and make them feel confident and worthwhile (As Brian put it - "Having early success is key to having continued fun on the project.").
But Python-core isn't the center of the universe, nor should it be. The Python Software Foundation itself is simply a marketing and legal arm of a massive community. If language maintenance or community efforts aren't your thing - go find one of thousands of PyPi packages and help that project out, help it get a mentorship program, help it's docs, UX/UI. If you have a passion that's not solved - make a library and release it on github, bitbucket and PyPi and contribute that way. As I said in "Explaining the Python Software Foundation (Part 1)":
... Each and every Python programmer, author, and individual talking about Python right now is performing the mission of the PSF. Every bit of work (from writing code and documentation, to answering a question) moves Python's ecosystem forward. Every person reading this post or commenting about Python moves it forward. Essentially - if the ecosystem is a codebase - all of you have the commit bit.
Contribution can be "as small" as a documentation example (sometimes, more important than the code) - or it could be a PEP for a new language feature. Contribution could be organizing a conference, answering questions on a mailing list or introducing new people to the community and tools around you that you're passionate about. It has to be interesting and challenging to you.
You have to be fired up about it, maybe you're angry about a bug, maybe you love the tool, remember though a million bees with one sting can take down an elephant - you already know how to program, or how to write - this isn't monkeys at typewriters, this you, an intelligent and bright person working with other intelligent, bright people towards a common goal. You want to make, or contribute something awesome - you want to make the best damned hammer in history.
It can be daunting; it can feel like a shark tank - but trust in the fact that there are others out there that feel like you, and do want to help - and despite the fact that they won't express thanks (or don't know how) - everything you do contribute that's more than random nonconstructive criticism on a blog, email thread or bug report, or constantly telling people "you're doing it wrong" - is appreciated (Even when poorly expressed in an inappropriate location, constructive criticism can still prove useful in the long run).
At the end of the day, it is pretty cool to be able to do this on a modern, shipping operating system:
bender:~ jesse$ grep -r "Jesse Noller" /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Resources/English.lproj/Documentation/_sources/whatsnew/2.6.txt: PEP written by Jesse Noller and Richard Oudkerk;
And yes. You can help. All of you can, all of you do.
For further reading, you can also see:
- Musings on the Culture of python-dev (Nick Coghlan)
- Status Quo wins a stalemate (Nick Coghlan)
- Addition: The Story of George - Ayttm's Most prolific non-developing contributor
- Addition: Contributing to Open source
- Addition: The development of Python and You (PyCon 2011)
Special thanks to my wife, Brian Curtin and Nick Coghlan for reading drafts of this post.


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
7: Planning for Assessment
[Students] want to believe that every performance they complete, regardless of what that task or product might be, that they're working to get better over time. Assessments are their opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, skill, and understanding.
- Allison Zmuda, education consultant, Understanding by Design
Learning GoalsHow do you plan and carry out an assessment that informs both you and your students about their progress? In this session, you'll review relevant research, observe video discussions and classroom examples, and do a culminating activity on planning an effective assessment of student work. At the end of this session, you will better understand how to:
Key Termscommunicative modes
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MommyHope wrote:Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for your reply. We put back 4 frozen embryos this time. My first beta was rather low at 60, but 2 days later it went up to 168. My RE thinks I just had a late implantation. I thought about the Vanishing Twin, but since my hCG numbers were so low, I kind of gave up on that.
I don't have hardly any cramping, which is promising I suppose. It's just soooo scary to go to the bathroom every time and see red blood. I'm getting tons of rest as I work from home so I take lots of naps.
Our second ultrasound is tomorrow, so we hope we'll be able to see the heartbeat. We're praying for a positive outcome.
MommyHope wrote:Unfortunately, we received bad news today.
I miscarried my baby earlier in the week. That was the cause of the bleeding. My RE said there's no longer a sac. The thought of starting this whole process AGAIN is devastating.
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Photo Wedding Guest Book - Portrait
Photo Wedding Guest Book - Portrait
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Gayborhoods. Rising Rents. De-Gaying. 'Straightening.'
What does it all mean?
Princeton University Press author and associate professor of Sociology Amin Ghaziani has dedicated his life's work to defining these terms and to bringing the study of sexuality to the forefront of sociology. Naturally, the intent of his latest book, There Goes the Gayborhood? is no different.
In many respects, the book is an ode to the enclaves which have historically acted as havens of support, providing community and allowing those with common sociopolitical goals to coalesce in their quest for equality, meanwhile striking rich friendships and developing culturally vibrant and economically robust neighborhoods.
Throughout the book, Ghaziani analyzes deep demographic data looking for trends of same-sex and straight households moving in and out of traditionally gay neighborhoods like San Francisco's Castro district, Chicago's Boystown, and New York's Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods. His findings show that gay neighborhoods are becoming decidedly less "gay"—the number of gay men who live in gay neighborhoods has declined eight per cent while the number of lesbians has dropped 13 per cent in the last 10 years. He also found that other areas of the country are becoming more diverse with same-sex reported households in 93% of the counties in America.
The amount of media attention to Ghaziani's book, and particularly to his unique sociological diagnosis of this issue, has been nearly as overwhelming as his findings. Mainstream media outlets like Time Magazine, Yahoo! News, Chicago NPR's "Morning Shift," Huffington Post's "Gay Voices" and Huffington Post: Live, and the Chicago Tribune, among others, have responded accordingly to the radical realization of "straightening." Salon has also paid due diligence to the dilemma, asking, "[A]s demographics shift, is it a sign of acceptance of a community – or the dilution of it? Is it possible, as the New York Times so damningly put it, that "gay neighborhoods face the prospect of becoming passe?""
"Gay neighborhoods have been crucial to the struggle for freedom, and have produced globally important contributions, from politics to poetry to music and fashion," Ghaziani says. "[I]t is critical that we continue to find meaningful ways to preserve these culturally important spaces."
Fortunately, Ghaziani's own commentary in the Advocate rejects the claim that 'gayborhoods' are growing increasingly obsolete, no longer a necessary comfort to the gay community. He says that, "[t]here is a fine line between acceptance and the closet, just as there is between integration into the mainstream and the cultural loss of what makes gay people unique." Although LGBT individuals have become "incorporated into the societal mainstream," there's no reason to dismiss such an integral and distinctive feature of the gay community.
And that's not all the coverage. Not even close. The book has received recognition from French and German news outlets as well, in addition to an array of exclusively gay media sites like Pink News (Europe's largest gay news service), Towleroad, and Joe.My.God, and we're sure that the buck won't stop there.
Even with this blitz of interest, though, it's important to bear in mind the essence of Ghaziani's argument: he is fundamentally fighting for these communities and seeking ways to preserve them without naively denying the realities of urban change. All neighborhoods change, of course, and gayborhoods are no exception. But they are evolving in unique ways as the long arc of the moral universe bends toward justice.
Amin Ghaziani is the author of:
|There Goes the Gayborhood? by Amin Ghaziani
Hardcover | 2014 | $35.00 / £24.95 | ISBN: 9780691158792 | 360 pp. | 6 x 9 | 5 halftones. 2 line illus. 15 tables. 6 maps.| eBook | ISBN: 9781400850174 | Reviews Table of Contents Introduction[PDF]


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|Winfield, Ill.
|High School:
|Wheaton North
|Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
2013: One of MIT's primary starters … second team All-NEWMAC … shared the team-high with 10 starts … also pitched four times out of the bullpen … finished the year with a 7-3 record with a 2.56 ERA … struck out a team best 55 over 70.1 innings ... second in the NEWMAC in games started and wins … third in innings pitched and strikeouts … finished among the top-10 in the league in games and ERA … picked up the win in the first game of the season against Clark (3/16), giving up just one run in 5.2 innings … blanked Springfield (3/22) over six innings, giving up just one hit while striking out eight … gave up just one earned run in 7.1 innings against Amherst (3/28) while striking out six to earn the win … struck out five in a 2.1-inning relief appearance at WPI (4/6) to pick up a win … threw all nine innings against Coast Guard (4/13), allowing four hits and two runs while striking out eight for the victory … defeated Wheaton (4/22) by not allowing an earned run over seven innings, striking out five … blanked Elms (5/11) over seven innings at the ECAC Tournament, allowing just four hits.
2012: Appeared in 10 games and started nine as a junior... CoSIDA Academic All-District ... Academic All-NEWMAC... led the Engineers to a 4-2 win in the rubber match of a double header against Trinity (3/10) throwing for five strong innings giving up just two runs on five hits striking out seven ... went five and a third allowing two runs while striking out four against a tough Wheaton team (3/17) ... tossed a gem against Coast Guard (3/30) going eight and two thirds striking out eight giving up just one run on five hits in a 2-1 win... struck out seven against WPI (4/21) in seven innings surrendering only a single run ... had a 3.04 ERA for the season striking out 43 and only giving up 19 runs.
2011: One of the top starting pitchers in the NEWMAC... NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year ... first team All-NEWMAC ... CoSIDA Academic All-District ... Academic All-NEWMAC ... led the team with 10 starts, 62.1 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts ... led the NEWMAC in Ks ... shared the team lead with five wins ... picked up the win in his first outing of the season with five innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts against Trinity (3/14) ... tossed six scoreless innings to pick up the win against Wheaton (3/19) ... one hit in six innings with 7Ks against Coast Guard (4/3) ... struck out a season-high eight in seven innings at Springfield (4/9) ... six shutout innings with five strikeouts at Clark (4/16) ... picked up the save at Babson (4/20) by striking out two in his one inning of work.
Off The Diamond at MIT: Majoring in computer science and electrical engineering with a minor in economics ... internships with Motorola Mobility Inc. and RBM Technologies ... member of Kappa Sigma.
High School: A 2009 graduate of Wheaton North High School.


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Inspired by "Summertime Blues" designer Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Quiltmaker: Laura Boehnke
5—10" squares assorted orange prints (blocks, appliqués)
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2-7/8 yards backing fabric
51" square batting
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Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. {C}


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On March 12, 2013, Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion to the company's blockbuster real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Heart of the Swarm's campaign focuses on the vengeful Queen of Blades as she struggles to reunite the fragmented zerg Swarm. The expansion also introduced a vast number of updates and improvements to StarCraft II's acclaimed and wildly popular competitive multiplayer experience.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty launched on July 27, 2010, and sold through more than 1 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability and more than 3 million in its first month, making it the fastest-selling strategy game of all time. Alongside the launch of StarCraft II, Blizzard released a brand new version of its acclaimed online gaming service, Battle.net, which has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.
In South Korea, StarCraft's mass popularity played a major role in the birth of the professional-gaming and game-broadcasting phenomena.
The original StarCraft, which Blizzard Entertainment released in March 1998, was the company's third #1-seller and was listed as the bestselling game of 1998 by PC Data. The game's expansion set, StarCraft: Brood War™, was named best expansion of 1998 and is still considered by many critics to be one of the best add-on products to date.
The games in the StarCraft series are a long-running staple of professional tournament gaming. This is especially the case in South Korea, where the original game's mass popularity played a major role in the birth of the professional-gaming and game-broadcasting phenomena, as well as serving as one of the key drivers behind the growth of the PC-game-room business.
Diablo III was launched on May 15, 2012, and sold through more than 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability, setting a new all-time record for fastest-selling PC game. Together with
the more than 1.2 million players who received Diablo III as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion, more than 6.3 million players worldwide had a copy of Diablo III within its first week of release—representing
the biggest PC-game launch in history.
On September 3, 2013, Blizzard made a long-awaited return to console development by redesigning Diablo III for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation® 3 systems. The revised loot system, difficulty settings, and other updates made for Diablo III's console incarnation were well-received by gaming press and players, and many of these improvements were added to the PC version of the game.
The next epic chapter in the Diablo III saga—the Reaper of Souls expansion—was released on March 25, 2014 for Windows and Mac, and sold over 2.7 million copies as of the first week of its availability. The content added to Diablo III in Reaper of Souls made its way to PlayStation 3, PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 on August 19, 2014 with the Ultimate Evil Edition™.
The original Diablo, which shipped to stores in the last week of December 1996, debuted at #1 in the United States and was widely credited as having helped to revitalize the RPG genre. In 2000, Blizzard Entertainment launched the game's sequel, Diablo II, which set the record for fastest-selling PC game ever at the time of its release. The company followed up in 2001 with the expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction®, which sold more than a million copies in its first month and was one of the biggest sellers of 2001, in addition to receiving widespread critical acclaim.
Heroes of the Storm™ is Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming action-packed online team brawler, featuring iconic characters drawn from throughout the company's history. In Heroes of the Storm, powerful warriors from Azeroth, Sanctuary, the Koprulu sector, and beyond have been drawn into a transdimensional battleground known as the Nexus. In this mayhem-filled realm, these heroes and villains have but one fate—join forces and battle endlessly for glory, survival, and just plain fun.
Overwatch® is a team-based shooter set on a near-future Earth, where teams of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities clash for control of key locations around the world. The game features a diverse cast of 21 unique heroes—including Tracer, the time-jumping adventurer; McCree, the outlaw gunslinger; and Winston, the brilliant gorilla scientist—each armed with signature weapons and awe-inspiring abilities. These extraordinary characters must team up and work together to complete objectives and achieve victory.
Prior to the release of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Blizzard Entertainment served as a third-party developer, creating entertainment software for various platforms, including MS-DOS, Macintosh, Sega Genesis, and Super NES. The company's best-known titles from this era include Rock 'n Roll Racing®, The Lost Vikings®, and Blackthorne®.
Each member of the Blizzard Entertainment staff is a true game enthusiast, giving the company invaluable insight into creating products for gamers.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard, was founded in 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by Allen Adham, president & CEO Michael Morhaime, and chief development officer Frank Pearce.


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When can blow that shit up with C4 or stick a knife in its back ...
Motar strike would be usefull too ......
Mebbe i play bfbc2 to much :D
*nade for obvious reasons
Most Reg readers are familiar with the idea of ordinary laypersons contributing computer time to academic research, in distributed computing projects such as SETI@Home. But it turns out that in some kinds of science, human brainpower - not that of trained boffins, but everyday people - can be a much more valuable resource, and …
...does not send a bitmap to the brain. The three bitmaps generated by the rods (Y) and two types of cones (I and Q) are enhanced and correlated beginning at the sensors themselves, and further decoded along the optic nerve into values like "circleness" "squareness" "nearness" even "faceness" before they reach the visual areas. Just the kind of information needed to solve folding problems.
Because these analyses are so very compute intense when attempted with linear processing, the slow (~44Hz) but massively parallel human eye/brain has a speed advantage.
It is interesting to note the similarities in the human hearing system, transcoding sound from the pressure domain and transmitting a frequency analysis to the brain.
Arseprints of those who have yet to master the intricacies of the bogroll; The results of experiments combining alcoholic beverages, strange foods and motion; lip prints on mirrors (You might consider girls: What other cloths occupy my apron pockets?); feminine hygiene products that outdo the offal bin at a tuna cannery; and chewing gum anywhere and everywhere.
The absence of neatly folded crisp packets on the floors of my trains and forced into gaps with what generally seems to have been a caulking pick would be a very nice start thankyou very much.
We got more than plenty to do, just dealing with the scuffs, drips, fluff and grit of everyday patronage. Dicks who think that we're there to pick up after them are what makes the difference between clean and gleam.
It's reasonable that we, a species that evolved swinging through trees, can analyse a complicated branching structure quickly, but perhaps our close cousins that have more recent brachiating practice would be even better?
Cancel that Shakespeare re-write, and get the monkeys onto it!
Mine's the one with the loose sleeves.
It is over 20 years ago I was introduced to a mind hive bidding process for contracts. The strange thing is that it can produce better results than bidding by calculation and is somewhat faster. The process involves each individual in the team guessing the price, secretly, the prices are all opened and the results discussed, no one is to say what their price is. There is a second and third iteration, by this time the prices are very close. The average is taken. The process is called ESP. Not surprisingly.
If you averaged the each of the steps, each average is probably not that different. What will be reduced is the standard deviation from the group average, with people who gave values at the extremes shifting thier expectaions\guesses to more closely match the herd.
If you had one of extremely high bids, but didn't change it after the second or third itteration it would just be dissmissed as being the product of someone who was clearly out of touch with the group consensous, was unable to compromise & wouldn't listen to reason.


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This Week at State: April 14, 2017
By DipNote Bloggers on April 14, 2017
Did you miss key foreign policy developments this week? We've got you covered. Each week DipNote will recap the latest U.S. Department of State highlights spanning a wide range of global issues, events, and initiatives in one blog post.
Here are the highlights from This Week at State:
Secretary Tillerson Discussed U.S. Strategy in Syria Following Military Airstrike
On April 9, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson appeared on ABC's This Week and CBS's Face the Nation to discuss the situation in Syria. In his appearances, Secretary Tillerson emphasized, "The President was very clear in his message to the American people that this strike was related solely to the most recent horrific use of chemical weapons against women, children, and, as the President said, even small babies. The strike was a message to Bashar al-Assad that your multiple violations of your agreements at the UN, your agreements under the chemical weapons charter back in 2013, that those would not go without a response in the future. And we are asking Russia to fulfill its commitment, and we are asking and calling on Bashar al-Assad to cease the use of these weapons. Other than that, there is no change to our military posture."
United States Condemned Terrorist Attacks in Egypt
On Palm Sunday, suspected suicide bombings at Coptic Christian churches in two Egyptian cities killed at least 44 people and injured more than 100 others. President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt on April 9 to convey his deepest condolences to the families and friends who lost loved ones in the heinous terrorist attacks. The State Department released a statement condemning the attacks and affirming the United States' continued support of Egypt's security and stability in its efforts to defeat terrorism.
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric attacks on Christian places of worship in Tanta and Alexandria that killed dozens of innocent people and injured many more on this holy day of Palm Sunday. We express our condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wish a quick recovery for all those injured.
- Press Statement by Acting Spokesperson Mark Toner, April 9, 2017
Secretary Tillerson Addressed International Challenges at G-7 Foreign Ministerial Meeting
On April 10-11, Secretary Tillerson attended the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Lucca, Italy. Secretary Tillerson joined the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the High Representative of the European Union in a series of meetings to discuss the crises in Iraq and Syria, as well as concerns involving Ukraine, Libya, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The leaders also addressed transnational challenges of defeating ISIS, cyber security, and seeking greater peace and prosperity in the Middle East and Africa.
Following the ministerial, the Group of Nations released a joint communique outlining several issues covered in their sessions to advance global security. The joint statement noted that the G-7 stands united to face the most pressing international challenges and is determined to coordinate its efforts in "promoting the rules-based international order, tackling terrorism and violent extremism, promote stability, inclusion and prosperity."
Secretary Tillerson Visited Moscow to Facilitate Open, Frank Exchange with Russia
Secretary Tillerson traveled to Moscow on April 11-12, as part of an effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed on international issues of mutual interest including Syria, DPRK, and Ukraine. While in Moscow, Secretary Tillerson met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following his meetings, Secretary Tillerson stated, "We understand that improvement in the long-term relationship will be required if we are to make progress on issues where we have different views. We spoke extensively about Syria, and in some areas we share a common view. Specifically, we both believe in a unified and stable Syria, and we agree we want to deny a safe haven for terrorists who want to attack both of our countries. We agree that North Korea has to be de-nuclearized. We agreed there needs to be more senior-level communication between our two countries, both at a diplomatic and military level."
U.S. and Partners Put Forward UN Security Council Resolution on Chemical Weapons in Syria
On April 12, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States put forward a draft United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning the April 4 use of chemical weapons in Syria. The draft resolution reiterated the UNSC's support for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' Fact-Finding Mission and the Joint Investigative Mechanism. The draft resolution also emphasized the need for full access to relevant sites and recalled Syria's obligation to cooperate pursuant to resolution 2118 from 2013, in which the UNSC decided that Syria would not use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons.
Amb. @nikkihaley condemns Russia's veto of a #UNSC resolution on accountability for #SyriaChemicalAttack → https://t.co/u0wQkcujYR #UNSCprez pic.twitter.com/XShUnxp8L9— US Mission to the UN (@USUN) April 12, 2017
The UNSC failed to adopt the draft resolution following a veto by the Russian Federation. In her remarks following the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged "Russia to join forces with the overwhelming number of countries that are pushing for a political solution" in Syria.
U.S. Urges Venezuelan Government to Stop Silencing Opposition Voices
The United States expressed concern over the Venezuelan government's actions to bar Miranda State Governor Henrique Capriles—a prominent, democratically-elected member of Venezuela's political opposition and former presidential candidate—from participating in the country's public life for 15 years. The United States urged President Maduro to reconsider the decision to bar Capriles and ensure Venezuelans can exercise their right to elect their representatives in free and fair elections in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and consistent with international instruments, including the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
We note the largest public demonstration of the year on Saturday, as well as protests today, and echo the Venezuelan people's calls for prompt elections, respect for the constitution and the National Assembly, and freedom for political prisoners. We urge demonstrators to express themselves non-violently and call on government security forces to protect peaceful protest, not prevent it. The freedom of assembly is a universal human right which the Venezuelan authorities must respect. - Press Statement by Acting Spokesperson Mark Toner, April 9, 2017
Editor's Note: This entry is also published on Medium.com/StateDept.
Follow the State Department on Twitter and Facebook for additional information and updates.


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Gold Selling.
To players like me, nothing is more corrupting than selling. In a virtual world where you are suppoused to earn your your status, some people like to take shortcuts, ruining the game for others (farming anyone?) After my recent post about what IGE owned, I got a lot of positive emails, thanking me for the info. With that feedback in mind, I decided to delve a bit deeper into IGE.
PLEASE NOTE: This has involved a lot of research. Archive.org, whois.sc WHOIS history, talking to people, investigating relationships. It has been an intensive process, and I have documented all that I could (and relied on reliable sources when I couldn't).
In the Beginning
IGE.com was originally used by an imagine processing company. Sometime in the middle of 2003, the company sprung up. While their original history is a bit muddled, the creation of the company is a bit quizzical. The company was founded by Brock Pierce, who was a child actor (his most famous movie being First Kid, with Sinbad). Originally based in Spain, the commpany moved to Hong Kong (I have verified by sources that is where they started). There was an internet rumor/article that later went on claiming that Brock's former partners (from a company called DEN) were infact child molestors. This culminated in the following vulgar flash video (NSFW). Some quotable news pieces:
DEN Founder Marc Collins-Rector Arrested in Spain After Two-Year Manhunt
– VentureReporter.net Monday, May 20, 2002, 4:15 PM ET
SIX-MINUTE SHOWS. Although they weren't named in the suit, DEN co-founders Chad M. Shackley, 24, and Brock Pierce, 18, also resigned. Company officials say they left with Collins-Rector because the trio is closely aligned and plans to start a new data-storage business.
As a (related) aside, DEN was one of the most spectacular flameouts on the web. An interesting read is the FuckedCompany board.
So Brock was management in a company that fleeced millions, happened to be in Spain where Collins-Rector was also, and then moved the company to HK right after he got arrested? Interesting bit of coincidences.
With that vulgar picture in mind, we take a break, and look at the original pioneer.
Gold Industry begins with Yantis
Selling virtual currency was nothing new when Brock came rolling in. eBay had tons of auctions for UO Gold (and still has quite a few). Yet what really got the market going was a Mr. Jonathan Yantis, of MySuperSales fame.
Originally starting with EverQuest, Yantis (as he was referred to) quickly became a villian in the game. Looking to broaden his appeal, Yantis bought out Monkly-Business, which was the favorite hangout for EQ Monks. Gaining more traffic from this, he then expanded and bought out Luclin.com and Prexus.com
What ensued was a firestorm. While M-B had been left alone, Yantis directly moderated the newly bought boards. Removing all bad press about himself, and seeding in threads about how great his service was, the two sites were completely dead within weeks, all links changing from the original sites to newly ones created by users. Yantis had tried using his money to buy part of the market, and he had failed.
This all happened before IGE even existed on the radar.
At this time, Yantis had successfully become the biggest player in the market. Dominating the marketplace at PlayerAuctions.com (Sony had successfully gotten eBay to remove all EQ auctions, and thus people used this site instead), he had also begun to aggressively advertise on other sites. With a 10% comission and a rumored 40% profit margin, Yantis was sitting pretty.
Then came IGE. Well-financed, the company started making inroads into the market. A professional service equal to Yantis, they started to gain market share.
Yantis was not sitting idly. For all the money he (and IGE) were making, their exposure was still very little. He owned a few sites, advertised on a few (but none of the big ones), and was paying quite a bit to advertise through Google and and Goto/Overture. It was with the introduction of IGE that in late 2002 Yantis started playing the SEO game.
A lot of SEO (search engine optimization) can be cast as spam. Stuffing their page with keywords, buying links from pages with high PageRank, these specialists game the system so that their sites show up on top of search engine results. (Please note: A lot of SEOers are great people, who don't spam or whore sites. But an equally large portion is a shady underbelly of the internet).
Suddenly Yantis was getting tons of traffic from search engines. He even broke top 10 on google for the word 'everquest', displacing quality sites with his platinum-selling storefront.
So while Yantis was rapidly getting new customers, whats a competitor to do?
And so begun a movement engineered by IGE to discredit Yantis. While Yantis was marked as being an individual using exploits and dupes to create gold, IGE set themselves up as the 'conscientous' choice, a good and moral company that didn't employ and farmers and just paid wholesalers.
Yes, I'm serious. The sentiment actually shifted with Yantis being blamed for all of EQ's ills and IGE looked up as a 'good' alternative.
But that didn't stop Yantis. Far from it. He kept growing and growing. IGE was also growing (and building contacts with game providers), but was still second to Yantis.
And so this continued until end of 2003. Suddenly MySuperSales went offline. Was all that money making just a mirage?
Not even close. While I cannot trace it specifically to IGE, the attack worked. Whois history shows Yantis suddenly moving to Rackspace after the worm was identified. You can see that Symantec marked its distribution high, so whoever put this out did a good job. Almost sounds like online rackateering.
But this worm was just a preview of the upcoming fierce battle.
Yantis begins acquiring MMO websites
Around New Year's of 2004, while everyone at SOE was busy eating and sleeping, Yantis announced the acquisition of a few sites. Starting with EQBeastlord and EQDruids, the sites had suddenly sold out to Yantis. But this time, instead of moderating the forums, Yantis opted to just stick his banner on the site, and leave it alone. A smart move – most newbies would end up just viewing the content anyway, missing all the bitching happening in the forums. And since he wasn't moderating the sites, a lot of the links never got removed.
And so began a movement that finally broke down the barrier and made currency selling common.
Happy with the results from the first days, Yantis started snapping up websites left and right. Before SOE even new what had happened, half a dozen class websites were under Yantis' ownership. And he wasn't done – not even close. Over the next few weeks, deals were made, only to be broken by IGE waving around money. The peak (with EQ) came with interealms.com – the largest forum community, it suppousedly went for over $50,000. What made this even more nuts was that Yantis had already bought and paid for the site. The owner actually returned the wire transfer and stated that Yantis, enraged with what had happened, actually threatened to sue him for breach of contract.
Along the way, in continuing to develop its relationship with game developers, IGE hired Themis Group, an MMO consulting company. After a fierce backlash, the company removed all signs of the deal ever having occured. Themis Group also owns the WarCry Network.
That never happened, as what happened next blew most people's minds.
IGE buys out Yantis
In the middle of this frenzy, where Yantis acquired 75% of the websites, IGE 25%, and SOE only moving to help out EQInterface (paying them over $10k/month!), a stunning announcement came: IGE had purchased MySuperSales.
Announced on January 22, 2004, the rumored value was that IGE had paid $10 million to Yantis. Of course, my sources confirmed this was not true. Instead what had happened was that Yantis (whose revenue was actually twice that of IGE) had not only realized that his image was tarnished, but also that with them competing with each other and the market growing, it was easier (and likely more profitable) to work together. The end result was that MySuperSales (a brand with a negative stigma) ceased to be actively promoted. In turn, Yantis became the biggest shareholder in IGE, and IGE started to use his backend (and suppliers). So much for the 'Yantis is an exploiter' idea. A funny aside is that IGE had used a lot of money to lure people from Yantis' side to IGE. These people were promptly fired.
[B]At this time IGE had now become a juggernaut.[/B] With their management team (Brock as deal-making/schmoozing CEO, Alan as the president, Yantis for strategy/existing infrastructure, and Randy as their general counsel), IGE continued to grow while devouring its competition.
IGE's only visible competition at this time was Team-VIP. Suppousedly holding out for a million dollars, the company was suddenly engulfed by fraud and ceased to exist. The domain and site are now backup again, except this time owned by IGE.
At the same time, IGE had continued buying up marquee sites. While snapping up large sites like L2orphus.com for a reported $5000 (and generating that much in sales every day), the big payday came when IGE successfully purchased ThottBot. By far the most popular WoW website, it went for a reported $100,000, with Bill (Thott) hired at a $100,000/year salary. Not only did this give IGE the most trafficked MMO site on the internet, it also gave it a lot of leverage against Blizzard.
While all this was happening, IGE was still busy expanding. Hiring well-connected talent from other companies (such as Stephen Salyer, a Vice President at both Ubisoft and EA). This was a concentrated effort by them – connect and brand with users through MMO websites, and connect and establish relationships with developers through their hired executives.
And all around this time came the acquisition of OGaming. An upcoming network, IGE's latest purchase continued the trend of buying their way to prospective gold-buying customers. RPG Holdings was created as a new company that owns all MMO-fansite assets. IGE began to start advertising in magazines, and worked hard to hide the ogaming<–>IGE connection, and the Thottbot<–>ogaming connection. To their dismay, this relationship was exposed.
To further a positive image within the MMO community, a fake interview was put up on OGaming to push their agenda (this has since been deleted, but can still be viewed in the internet archive ).
Present Day
Today IGE stands as a monsterous multimillion dollar operation with a stranglehold over the MMO gold industry. Some recent events of interest to gamers include:
- IGE made a fake bid of $60k a few months back for a vanguard site just to confuse/scare Sigil Games.
- IGE has acquired key domains, including ffxi.com, daoc.com, mxo.com, eq.com
- Yantis leaves the company, suppousedly 36 million dollar payday (but over 3 years).
- IGE acquires other companies, including Enotts and ezgaming
- Originally working on deals with SOE, Linden Labs, and WB, all three fall through as SOE launches its own system, Linden does its own thing, and WB sells MxO to SOE.
- IGE continues picking up executives from Yahoo! and Vivendi Universal (owners of Blizzard) (press page)
- IGE, suppousedly bleeding money and unable to afford Yantis payment (estimated 1 million/month) releases him from non-compete. Yantis creates GamerKing, with a wholesale deal with IGE, and immediately starts stealing away IGE affiliates and trying to buy out websites.
- Mogs and Lewt emerge as new competition, IGE talking to both Mogs and Lewt about a buyout.
If that isn't enough activity for you, here's the big news:
IGE acquires Allakhazam.
The deal happened in complete secrecy in about November 2005. Even many IGE employees were kept in the dark of the deal that was almost certainly worth millions.
IGE's OGaming had been bleeding money, and IGE was looking for a new website strategy. After adding gold currency ads to sites like thottbot and Ogaming, IGE shopped Ogaming around to investers but no one bought in. Thottbot and OGaming take up over 100 servers.
The Spin
Working to integrate all of their web properties (Ogaming, Thottbot, and Allakhazam), IGE today announced plans to create a new super-network, Zam.com. This new MMO network is being spun to the community as if Allakhazam had purchased Ogaming when it was himself who was bought out. We thought the truth should be known.
Read Allakhazam's spin for yourself.
More news as it develops. Stay tuned.


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Use of white noise to block sound at Guantanamo 9/11 hearing was an error, Pentagon says
The Pentagon on Wednesday acknowledged that a court security officer at Guantanamo last weekend erred when he activated a button that cut the audio feed during a hearing for five men accused of plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The button, which replaces sound from the courtroom with white noise, is intended to protect national security secrets from inadvertently being revealed to reporters and members of the public who are watching proceedings through a closed-circuit television transmission. But nothing said in court during the time the button was in use Saturday was sensitive, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon spokesman Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale said Guantanamo prosecutors recognized the error immediately. "The government's chief prosecutor was adamant that the accidentally 'white noised' portion be restored as quickly as possible, having been in the courtroom to witness the statement," Breasseale said in an email. "Upon completion of a thorough security review, the Office of Military Commissions did just that."
The use of the white-noise button occurred as Air Force Capt. Michael Schwartz was objecting to the treatment of his client, Walid bin Attash, who is accused of training some of the 9/11 hijackers. In the course of his statement, Schwartz said that he had replaced the court-issued headphones bin Attash had been issued to hear the translation of the hearing because "the torture that my client was subjected to by the men and women wearing the big boy pants down at the CIA makes it impossible . . ."
The rest of the statement could not be heard because of the security officer's action, the Pentagon said. A transcript of the bleeped-out portion showed it consisted of a 21-word exchange during which the judge, Army Col. James Pohl, cautioned Schwartz.
"Captain?" the judge said. "Yes, sir?" Schwartz replied. "You know the rules," Pohl said. "Your honor, the rules with respect to what?" Schwartz answered. Then Schwartz said to Pohl: "Your honor, a brief record reflection."
What statements can be made in open court at Guantanamo is a sensitive issue, particularly as it relates to how the accused were treated during the years they were held secretly by the CIA, which subjected them to harsh interrogation techniques many people consider torture, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation and physical slaps. Under CIA rules, any discussion of the treatment is considered classified, and defense attorneys have been prohibited from revealing what their clients have told them about their time in the CIA's clandestine prison system.
News organizations covering Guantanamo have objected, however, to efforts to close hearings at Guantanamo where such issues might be addressed. In an extraordinary appearance at Guantanamo last month, an attorney for a group of news organizations, including McClatchy, argued that much of what might be discussed is already known to the public through government documents that have been declassified.
In his arguments before Col. Pohl, attorney David A. Schulz asked that if such proceedings are closed, a redacted transcript be made available as quickly as possible.
Schwartz's use of the words "big boy pants" was a reference to a recent interview by the CIA's former deputy director of operations, Jose Rodriguez, who used the term in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" to imply that critics of harsh interrogation techniques lacked a mature understanding of the battle against terrorism.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the use of the white-noise button at the 9/11 suspects' hearing was the first it had been employed. In fact, the button had been pressed in February during a hearing for Majid Khan, a terrorist suspect who pleaded guilty in return for a possible reduction in his sentence. The button was pressed then when Khan was discussing his imprisonment by the CIA.


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IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin will consist of a 1.2-mile swim in the Irish Sea south of Dublin City, a 56-mile bike course through the stunning countryside surrounding Dublin and then a 13.1 run in the heart of the city with a finish in Merrion Square, one of Dublin's most iconic locations. Dublin is the ultimate tourist destination renowned for its culture, entertainment, stunning coastal setting and Irish hospitality, all of which provide the perfect offering for both athletes and their supporters.
One of more than 70 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin triathlon will have a US$15,000 professional prize purse and will be a P-500 race. Additionally, the race will offer 30 age-group qualifying slots for the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.


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- First mention of PL/SQL enhancements for Oracle Database 12c: In his PL/SQL newsletter for March 2012, Steven Feuerstein revealed that "I've also started beta testing Oracle Database 12c PL/SQL. I can't yet share with you any of the new features, but I can tell you that PL/SQL will certainly be a richer, more usable language when 12c goes production!".
- On that topic, a couple of things I personally would like to see in future PL/SQL include a UTL_FILE.LIST_FILES function that would list the files in a specified directory (without having to resort to unsupported features or workarounds in Java), a DBMS_JSON package for parsing and generating JSON (similar to PL/JSON, but built-in), and the ability to use FUNCTIONs as variables and parameters, like you can in JavaScript.
- PL/SQL rises strongly in the TIOBE ranking: I don't really care about or trust the TIOBE rankings, as the results tend to vary wildly from month to month and year to year, but it's nice to see PL/SQL climbing from 24th place to 12th place over the last year. (Then again, if you look at the chart, it appears that PL/SQL was popular in 2007/2008, then not popular in 2009, fairly popular in 2010, not popular in 2011, and rising sharply in popularity again in 2012. In other words it's seemingly popular every other year... so take these rankings and the methodology used with a grain of salt.)
- Improved PDF package for PL/SQL: Anton Scheffer has improved his package that generates PDF documents from PL/SQL. It's now in version 3 (AS_PDF3) and supports TrueType fonts and automatic headers/footers.
- Flexible document workflow in Apex: Michelle Skamene describes a simple but flexible design to handle document workflows in Apex. Based on a table and a dynamic PL/SQL region, it allows users to define and change workflow rules.


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Ernest & Bertram is a 2002 short film by Peter Spears that spoofs Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert. The film ran at the Sundance Film Festival, but kept from further distribution when its director was served a cease and desist order by Sesame Workshop's lawyers.[1][2] The short is based loosely on The Children's Hour, a tragic play by Lillian Hellman about unrequited love between two women.[2]
When the film starts, Miss Piggy has discontinued a romantic relationship with Bert when rumors of the roommates being gay hit the media. Ernie comes home and through conversation reveals that he does love Bert "that way." Bert seems not to return the sentiment, resulting in Ernie's suicide.
The film makes unabashed use of Sesame Workshop's characters and other copyrighted material. The similarities between Ernest and Bertram and Sesame Street included the names of the two principal characters, their physical appearances, and an arrangement of the Sesame Street theme song.
- ↑ Wolf, Buck "'Sesame Street' Threatens Lawsuit Over Gay Muppet Rumors" ABC News, April 9, 2002. Web. (Accessed 11/1/09.)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Goodridge, Michael "The best films you can't see: Ernest & Bertram is the latest in a series of acclaimed queer films banned from public view because their makers stepped on some famous toes." The Advocate (The National Gay and Lesbian News Magazine), July 23, 2002. Web. (Accessed 10/31/09.)


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rabbit(redirected from rabbit syphilis)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
antithymocyte globulin (rabbit)
a purified gamma globulin obtained from rabbits immunized with human thymocytes; it is administered intravenously in the treatment of acute rejection occurring after renal transplantation.
see sylvilagus.
brush rabbit
rabbit calicivirus disease
rabbit fever
see tularemia.
rabbit fibroma virus
see leporipoxvirus, Shope rabbit fibroma.
rabbit fur mite
laboratory rabbit
some specialized strains have been developed to provide a consistent type of rabbit for experimental work in laboratories. The International Index of Laboratory Animals is a reference source for these strains. The most commonly used variety is the new zealand White.
rabbit pasteurellosis
see rabbit septicemia (below).
rabbit pox
see rabbitpox.
pygmy rabbit
Brachylagus idahoensis; a native of North America.
rock rabbit
Ochotona princeps; see pika.
rabbit septicemia
a disease of rabbits caused by Pasteurella multocida and characterized by sudden death preceded by fever, dyspnea and nasal discharge. In mild cases there is nasal catarrh and conjunctivitis. Called also snuffles (1).
rabbit syphilis
see spirochetosis (2).
rabbit tick
volcano rabbit
Romerolagus diazi; a native of Mexico.


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The nighttime soap (sex) operas are not the Insider's thing. You know the shows, there's a popular one called Grey's Anatomy and another is Desperate Housewives. There are dozens of other ones on different times of the week. Insider has a hard time imagining why anyone watches these types of shows, but it's clear millions of people do it each week including the old guy's best friend. It's no wonder young girls spend a great portion of their high school days learning the great art of kissing and how to make believe they are enjoying it. Learning how to kiss properly is of prime importance to these young romancers. There's a lot of pressure to do it and to do it just right. And learning the simple art of kissing isn't enough. They must be innovative, creative, unique and different (any way but the way the parents did it). So today we sit and try to watch television and all we see is a lot of tongues going in a lot of mouths. And in their search for true authenticity those neat directors have begun adding the slobber-spit sound that would naturally accompany any traveling tongue. High school boys also devote much time to the art of love and romance. They did, and still do, all of their studying in dirty books.
Where's all the money? Insider made the last payment on his pickup three months ago. The $300-a-month payments for 36 months has ended so he should have an extra $900 in his bank account, but he doesn't. Religiously he's been writing a check for $300 every month to good old Ford Credit and it's been no problem. The money has always been there. The payments have ended but the money has just disappeared. It seems like Insider's money is always there for other people but as soon as they get their pound of flesh the money dries up. He borrows money to pay his taxes and it's fairly easy to repay the loan. The funds are always there. When the loan is paid off though, you'd think he would have an excess amount, but it never happens.
So they took another word from us. Remember going to the druggist? Well, nobody goes to the druggist anymore because there are no druggists. All we have now are pharmacists. Insides guesses that the people who are always changing things didn't like the "drug" in druggist. Drugs are a bad word today so druggist had to go. And nobody, but nobody will admit they feel gay. The same with the DuPont slogan. Remember? It used to be "Better things for betting living, through chemistry." Today it is simply 'Better things for better living.' When did chemistry become a bad word?


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Let me guess, you have been playing Universal crossword and got stuck on the clue Bakery staples. Well, you have come to the right place to find the answer to this clue.
While some crosswords are much simpler than others, most require that players have a vast knowledge of the language and possibly even various topics. So while crossword puzzles are seen as a more intelligent game, they can be very frustrating for players to complete and even experienced crossword players need some help occasionally.
When finding the answers to the clues becomes too difficult, there's no shame in looking for them online.
Now you have the answer to your clue. Its time to move on to the next clue. You can browse through the list with all the answers to the Universal crossword of November 16th, 2018. Or you can use the search form below to find the answer (no matter if its Universal Crossword or any other crossword).
|Universal crossword of November 16th, 2018 other clues
|Jump when frightened, e.g.
|Bridge positions
|Solo in sci-fi
|Elegant wall hanging
|Altar statement
|Concrete crackers
|Anvil site
|Do ___ disturb
|Classic "I'm Sorry" singer
|Ball's bearing?
|Go nuts at the store
|Human body molecule
|Biblical birthright seller
|Vanity case, way fancy
|Grandfather clock point
|College VIPs
|Flies off the shelf
|Stallion, earlier
|Cuts corners?
|1:00-2:00, e.g., on a schedule
|It can lead to a landing
|Frigid cap material
|"___ and Loathing in Las Vegas"
|Eagle variety
|Just get by (with "out")
|On the other hand
|Any consumer
|Alias relative
|Potent finish?
|"Velvet" suffix
|Charles Bronson's ex
|Mighty animal
|Betelgeuse's constellation
|Fake ID seeker
|Kindly gentleman
|Placed atop
|Unnatural, as a play
|British rule, to Indians
|Historical time
|Parenthesis formation
|Like a crucifix
|Nightmare street
|"Ready, ___ ...!"
|Gregg specialist, cut
|Sonnet endings
|People from the backwoods
|French farewell
|Prying without a bar (var.)
|10/31 option
|Pungent veggie
|Prop for this theme
|Indian flatbreads
|Bemoans and regrets
|Bring together
|Cool bowling feat
|Thinking John or acting Sondra
|Beef bovine
|Overly cute, to a Brit
|Backslider, biblically
|Some Arizona natives
|Turns in coupons
|Move to a warmer climate?
|Laughter syllables
|Striped African creature
|Fired up a butt, e.g.
|U-turn from 55-Down
|Water closet, chap
|Guesthouse relative
|Biography snippet
|Winter beverage, cut
|Hang out on a line
We offer support and help with a wide range of crosswords and are guaranteed to make sure you complete everything; the site is also updated regularly to make sure that all of our answers are correct and to add more crosswords to the ever growing list.__IMAGE__
If there is any problem with the answer, please contact us! We will fix the problem.


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Score one for the rule of law!
Marty Lederman on scotusblog.com has an interesting analysis: "This [ruling] almost certainly means that the CIA's interrogation regime is unlawful, and indeed, that many techniques the administration has been using, such as waterboarding and hypothermia (and others) violate the War Crimes Act (because violations of Common Article 3 are deemed war crimes)."
The vote was 5-3. The dissenters were (surprise!) Alito, Scalia, and Thomas. According to the AP,
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a strongly worded dissent and took the unusual step of reading part of it from the bench  something he had never done before in his 15 years. He said the court's decision would "sorely hamper the president's ability to confront and defeat a new and deadly enemy."
The ruling can be found here (I warn you, it's long). I haven't had a chance to read through it, but I'm looking forward to it.
The ACLU press release, along with a copy of the amicus brief we filed in the case, can be found here.
All I can say is "Woo hoo!"


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February 27, 2012, 5:19 pm
New head of DEA in Colorado would rather "catch 'em than cook 'em"
[media-credit name="DEA" align="alignright" width="270″][/media-credit]
Barbra Roach arrived in Colorado six weeks ago, but as the head of Denver's U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, she's already watched her agents participate in one of the largest drug busts in state history.
Roach is the new special agent in charge responsible for overseeing Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.
She replaced Jeff Sweetin who was promoted to run the DEA's training center in Virginia.
In 1987, Roach joined the DEA, and for a short while was the only female agent in Tampa, Florida where she grew up.
"I never saw a glass ceiling," she said. "They were always nurturing to anyone who had potential."


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Straight from Branson, MO, the popular group will appear on Monday, September 13, as the season opener of Blue Mountain Entertainment. The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Monticello High School auditorium. A grant from the Utah Arts Council's On Stage Utah allows BME to present this outstanding performing family.
With over 250,000 hours of practicing, 10,000 music lessons, 50 instruments, and 25 years of entertaining, the Lowe Family has earned the reputation at America's Most Talented Family.
Through music, song, and dance, the Lowe Family shares its talents via TV, radio, and live performances around the world.
Versatile with many instruments, the Lowes offer an amazing blend of show-stopping classical, Broadway, Irish, jazz, bluegrass, old-time favorites, spectacular dance, 6-part harmony, gospel, and more.
Based in Branson, MO, the Lowe Family spends several months each year performing in the Lawrence Welk Theatre. When they're not in Branson, they tour throughout the United States and in select international venues. Most recently, the Family appeared with the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and has been featured as special guests during the Olympics.
"The musical capabilities of the entire family are amazing. They have honed their skills so that they can perform any type of music and do it with exceptional skill," said Cincinnati Post writer Johnnie Wolfe. "The finale was the Best! Simply outstanding!"
You don't have to go to Branson to enjoy this fantastic program. BME memberships, which will gain admittance to all of the season's programs, are again available: Families $60, Adults, $24, and Students $12. Individual program tickets will also be sold at the door: Families $30, Adults 12, and Students $6.


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Guinness World Records 2013 - "Guinness World Records" published today in more than 100 countries and in more than 23 languages. The first book was published in 1955 and immediately soared to the top of the British bestseller list. The most recent book in the series - "Guinness World Records 2013." Some records in this post.
1 - Most Little People
18-year-old student from India Jyoti Amge was entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest woman in the living. Her height is only 62.8 cm And the smallest man in the world of the living is a 72-year-old Chandra Bahadur Dungy (Chandra Bahadur Dangi) from Nepal. His height is only 54.6 cm.


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The "Summer Capital of the Philippines" on the Cordillera mountain range offers pleasant home rentals from luxury log cabin privacy in a gated community to comfortable town home comfort. Complete amenities include tasteful furnishings, fully-equipped kitchens, flat-screen televisions and internet access. Traditional hotel stays simply can't compare with the space, comfort and amenities you and your family will enjoy in your own holiday rental.
Golfers have two excellent choices in Baguio's mountain atmosphere - the Baguio Country Club – a par 61, 18-hole club at 5,000 feet sea level - and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Camp John Hay Golf Club. The kids will enjoy horseback riding in Wright Park and visiting Camp John Hay, formerly the R&R site for American military. Definitely plan a day of fun at the camp for horseback riding, picnic areas, dining, shopping and loads of children's activities – rappelling, mini golf, hiking, playgrounds and more. For more family fun, take a jeepney ride to visit the strawberry fields and pick all the fruit you want.
Session Road is the liveliest part of Baguio, where shopping and dining are the mainstay activities. At the lower end of the road, Bagio City Market offers everything from flowers and meat to handicrafts – totes, baskets and the famous "walis tambo" brooms. Be sure to pick up some creamy jam and peanut brittle, home made by the nuns of the Good Shepherd Convent. Climb the stairway to Baguio Cathedral for a hilltop view of Session Road and Cordillera mountains in the distance.
Near Nevada Square, Forest House Bistro & Café offers a broad range of delicious dishes from wild mushroom soup to ginger lemon grass chicken and prawns thermidore. Barrio Fiesta on upper Session Road serves a variety of authentic Filipino fare, especially chicken, beef and pork dishes.
Having your own home base from which to explore delivers a large measure of comfort and convenience for you and your family. You can plan the day's activities after a hearty, home-cooked breakfast and relax in the evening in perfect privacy.


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I've been resisting getting more involved in the field of genealogy, but with a recent call to serve as a Family History Consultant for my congregation, I've seen the writing on the wall and have started seriously considering some form of genealogical certification.
Anyway, here's a guest post at Keepapitchinin: The Mormon History Blog, complete with discussion by readers:
Puzzilla is a new resource for users of FamilySearch Family Tree. It shows an overview of the ancestral lines and is helpful in finding where work needs to be done.
Here is a follow-up article on my father's LDS-oriented family history blog, "Rejoice and be exceeding glad...":
Why can't I find any undone families in Puzzilla?
He specifies the difference between finding research that needs to be done, which Puzzilla can do, and temple work that needs to be done, which may be the ultimate purpose, but not what the application does.


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Tuesday Morning QB rankings: Peyton Manning on top heading into showdown with Little Brother
As never before, the NFL is in a quarterback transition. Add Terrelle Pryor, EJ Manuel and Geno Smith to last year's first-year starter class of Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, RGIII, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill. Still, it's the oldest QB who showed them all. The Broncos' Peyton Manning is 37 and 7 TDs richer.
Week 1 in year three of Tuesday Morning Quarterback:
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos
If it's about touchdowns – and why wouldn't it be? – then Big Brother Manning opened with best quarterback performance in 51 years (Y.A. Title at Yankee Stadium in 1962).
2. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers
Anquan Boldin's favorite QB threw for 412 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs in impressive win against Green Bay.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
If not for Jermichael Finley's drop-and-pick, Rodgers would have had 350-plus yards, 3 TDs, no pick performance on road against tough 49ers.
4. Andrew Luck, Colts
Started the game 11 of 11 passing with 2 TD passes. Finished the game with 19-yard TD run for fourth-quarter comeback win.
5. Drew Brees, Saints
Got his offensive-minded coach back and promptly threw for 357 yards, 2 TDs in comeback win against tough Falcons.


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HygroLog - HL-NT2 - High-End Data logger
This product will be discontinued at the end of 2021.
upgrade now
The HL-NT2 is the basic version in the HL-NT data logger series. Further probes can be connected to the data logger via a docking station.
Clean rooms, storerooms, server rooms, production areas, residential and office rooms, shipping
• Saves 47'000 data records per MB card storage capacity (incl. 32 MB card)
• Range of application: -30…70 °C (-10…60 °C, with display), 0…100 %rh
• Calculation of all psychrometric parameters
• Integrated clock for timestamp for every measured value
• Freely selectable logging interval, 5 s…24 h
• Power supply: 9 V (battery, rechargeable battery or docking station)
• Networkable with PC, via docking station (USB, Ethernet, WLAN)
• Audible alarm
|Accuracy at 23 ±5 °C
|±0.8 %rh / ±0.1 K
|Operating range
|-10…60 °C / 0…100 %rh
|Measuring range with integrated probe
|-100…200 °C / 0…100 %rh
|Power consumption
|via optional docking station
|Long-term stability
|<1 %rh / year
|Humidity sensor
|Hygromer IN-1
|Temperature sensor
|PT100 1/3 DIN Class B
|Probe protection
|Response time t 63
|Typical 4 sec.
|Psychrometric calculations
|All psychrometric values
|with Backlight
|Calibration / adjustment
|with HW4 / docking station
|Engineering units displayed
|Value display, status display, operation, adjustment and view the log data.
|Input for temperature sensor
|Optional adapter cable
|Measurement interval
|between 5 s and 24 h
|Number of probe inputs
|Keypad (with display only)
|LED status indicator and audible alarm (beeper)
|Acoustical alarm (Beeper)
|Real time clock w.backup battery
|Memory size
|Memory up to 47,000 records per MB on memory cards
|Exploitation software
|ROTRONIC HW4 / card reader, PDA
|Menu guidance
|Trend indicator
|Yes, for models with display
|Probe adjustment by software
|Yes, with service cable
|Probe adjustment by keypad
|display / keyboard
|Event logging
|via software HW4
|Country settings
|via software HW4
|Choice of Battery / rechargeable battery
|Operation with a rechargeable battery or battery
|Anti theft device
|Optional with Docking Station
|Communication interfaces
|via docking station
|Enclosure material
|Probe material
|Service Interface
|FDA/GAMP compatibility
|FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GAMP compatible
|128 x 109 x 42 mm
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