text:
We get a lot of email from students and usability professionals asking how one goes about becoming an interaction designer, and what background one needs to get into the field. What are good interaction design programs? What real-world skills and experience are required? What, exactly, do interaction designers do on a day-to-day basis?
Pursuing academic training
The first thing to keep in mind is that interaction design is a new discipline that is still being defined in the academic setting. There are only a few institutions in the world offering degree programs specifically in "interaction design," and while their curricula share similarities, they are by no means standardized (which may very well be a good thing). Most of these and other "computer-related," "human-computer interaction," or "new media" design programs are outgrowths of either art schools or technical departments (often architecture or computer science departments) at larger institutions, each of which brings its own history, perspective, and preconceptions to its teaching approach.
There isn't agreement (though this is happily beginning to change) in the academic community about what the core elements of an interaction design curriculum might be, or how to approach the teaching of that curriculum. Art schools tend to approach interaction design as a means of personal or brand expression rather than as an approach to solving product definition and usability problems; technical departments tend to teach interaction design from the perspective of exploring and implementing technologies rather than discovering and addressing human goals. Programs that emphasize HCI techniques tend to focus on cognitive theory and user research, with less emphasis on design methods and practices (i.e., the craft of design). Many design programs still focus on tools rather than methods, but that too is changing.
How is interaction design different?
It's easy to understand the confusion, since interaction design as a discipline borrows theory and technique from traditional design, psychology, and technical disciplines. It is a synthesis, however—more than a sum of its parts, with its own unique methods and practices. It is also very much a design discipline, with a different approach than that of scientific and engineering disciplines. In an effort to clarify this, I offer the following definitions for interaction design.
Interaction Design is a design discipline dedicated to:
- Defining the behavior of artifacts, environments, and systems (i.e., products)
…and therefore concerned with:
- Defining the form of products as they relate to their behavior and use
- Anticipating how the use of products will mediate human relationships and affect human understanding
- Exploring the dialogue between products, people, and contexts (physical, cultural, historical)
Interaction design is also a perspective that approaches the design of products in several different ways:
- From an understanding of how and why people desire to use them
- As an advocate for the users and their goals
- As gestalts, not simply as sets of features and attributes
- By looking to the future-seeing things as they might be, not necessarily as they currently are
Given these definitions, interaction designers must:
- Learn new domains quickly
- Solve problems both analytically and creatively
- Be able to visualize and simplify complex systems
- Empathize with users, their needs, and their aspirations
- Understand the strengths and limitations of both humans and technology
- Share a passion for making the world a better place through ethical, purposeful, pragmatic, and elegant design solutions
Many academic institutions with new or established interaction design and HCI programs are beginning to develop an understanding of interaction design and the qualities and skills required of interaction designers. Some of the most forward-thinking of these institutions include:
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology
- North Carolina State University
- University of Art and Design Helsinki
- Virginia Commonwealth University
Other paths
But, do you really need a Master's Degree or Ph.D. to practice interaction design? There are advantages to rigorous studio training combined with adequate breadth courses (in art, business, humanities, and science), to be sure. But some things, as in any discipline, can't easily be taught. Empathy with users and the ability to conceptualize working solutions (and then refine them ruthlessly) are difficult skills to teach. At Cooper, we look for people with these talents, regardless of their formal education. Some come from traditional design backgrounds (industrial design and graphic design), but most have an eclectic education in the humanities, technology, or both. Many have had significant experience in software development organizations, working as technical writers, project managers, customer or technical support staff, and even programmers, where they created interaction designs out of pure concern for users being ill-served by technology.
If you are considering interaction design as a possible career shift, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Designers seldom code—if you are attached to programming, all power to you: the world needs more design-sensitive programmers. But unless you have complete control over your projects, you will be short-changing your users by trying to design and develop at the same time—it's a conflict of interest. So, if you can't stomach the thought of abandoning programming, interaction design may not be for you.
- Usability research is tremendously important, but it isn't design. It identifies problems, but doesn't (except at the most detailed level) suggest solutions. Can you envision and refine broad and detailed solutions, or are you more comfortable extracting facts from known situations? If the latter, then usability may be a better focus for your interests.
- Temperament is important. The best interaction designers I know are interested in everything, and willing (even eager) to immerse themselves in unfamiliar territories to learn and absorb. They are also very concerned about people as individuals and the human condition in general.
- Designers all need some basic skills; interaction designers should be able to draw or write well (doing both is rare and valued), and must be able to communicate excellently with both their colleagues and their clients. The toughest skill to acquire is that combination of creative insight and analytical thinking that is the hallmark of a great interaction designer.
If any of this resonates with you, you may be an interaction designer in the making. Good luck in your pursuits!


text:
BLM busted for booting whistleblower
Former BLM staffer Earle Dixon, who was in charge of cleanup at the abandoned Yerington copper mine in Nevada, says he was fired in October 2004 after one year of work for informing local residents and the media of radioactive contamination at the mine. He accused the BLM, the State of Nevada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of endangering the community by not notifying residents of the contamination. At the end of August, Department of Labor Judge Richard K. Malamphy ordered the BLM to pay Dixon back wages through October 2005, as well as $10,000 in damages — and to give him a favorable, or at least neutral, job reference.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Online Retailer Industry Awards – Best Pure-Play Online Retailer (2011) – Finalist
We are honored that www.OZScopes.ulu.com.au is nominated amongst established online stores in the ORIA Pure-Play category. Our team can continue to run dominantly online becuase of our customers who keep coming back and spreading the word about our stores!
|Online Retailer Industry Awards – Best Site Optimisation & Design (2011) – Finalist
In 2011 we focused our efforts on redeveloping and designing our site to improve your shopping experience. We're thrilled that you all think the changes have been helpful and that you love the new look of our websites! We're excited to be in the finalist position in the 2011 "Best Site Optimisation & Design" category.
|StartupSmart Awards Fastest 50 Growing Startups (2011) - 15th
The Startupsmart Awards recognises the most innovative and fastest-growing new businesses in Australia, and to come in at number 15 on this index was a huge motivation. Thanks to our valued customers' ongoing support in spreading the word about OZHut, we've been able to expand and offer better prices and services.
|StartupSmart Best Young Entrepreneur (2011)
Wai Hong Fong, founder of OZHut, was selected amongst the youngest entrepreneurs in Australia as the Best Young Entrepreneur in 2011! Wai Hong also shares his startup experiences as a blogger on the StartupSmart blog
|BRW Fast Starters - Top 100 Fastest Growing Startups in Australia (2011) - 68th
In 2011, the Business Review Weekly ranked OZHut 68th out of 100 Fast Starters in Australia. Being recognised by the BRW – the leading business magazine in Australia – is a great affirmation and trust earned from the industry!
|Smartcompany's Hot 30 under 30 (2010 & 2011)
OZHut founder, Wai Hong Fong, has made it into the top 30 young entrepreneurs below 30, two years running. He was featured alongside some of the most talented and innovative entrepreneurs from Australia's fastest-growing businesses, and we look forward to seeing him on the list in the years to come (at least until he's too old to qualify!).
|Pricewaterhousecoopers MyBusiness award for Best e-Business (2010) - Finalist
OZHut was nominated in the Best e-Business category in the PricewaterhouseCoopers' MyBusiness Award that recognises the most successful and popular small businesses in Australia.
|Smartcompany's Web Awards Best eCommerce Store (2009 & 2010) - Finalist
We were nominated for the best e-commerce store for two years in a row, and we could not have done it without the hard work of the team and of course, the ongoing support from our customers – including you! The progress that we made since we first started in 2008 was just amazing, and we were glad to have been recognised for it.
|Online Retailer Industry Awards – Emerging Star Category (2009) – Finalist
It was an honour to have been a finalist in the Online Retailer Industry Awards (ORIAs), which recognises and rewards excellence in e-commerce retailing. We were recognised in this category for quick and entrepreneurial innovation that made an impact in the industry and influenced the future of online retail. To have this as our first achievement definitely drove us to do better in the years to come – and so we did!


text:
If you don't have LED powered fog lights, then you're just behind the times! Thankfully the new Morimoto XB LED projector fog lights: Look great. Are well-built. Perform like champs. Have a virtually infinite life span. An unbeatable warranty, And best of all you won't need to sell your soul to afford them! Many of the guys here at the shop use them on their own vehicles, and they're easily one of our most popular product lines.
With many modern applications, these complete fog light housings will swap directly in place of the original halogen units that they're designed to replace, using all of the stock mounting locations. Their aim can be perfectly dialed in with the integrated height adjusters. Check the compatibility section below for a list of known applications.
Wiring is easy too! The XB LED Fogs are designed to work without any special wiring. They will plug into the factory connectors for the stock fog lights and each assembly includes all necessary connectors, rubber seals, and pigtails for a plug n play install.
By three Nichia 5500K LED's that produce around 1200 raw lumens per side. The projector based optics concentrate a total of 2400 lumens of pure white light into a beam that's super wide and perfectly distributed for use as a fog light. Make no mistake, these will produce a much different [better] result than slapping some LED replacement bulbs into your stock housings. The XB fogs meet & exceed all SAE, DOT, and ECE regulations.
Their durable polycarbonate lens will resist the test of time, keeping the housings looking new for many years to come. The powder-coated cast aluminum housing is light-weight and much stronger than comparable plastic alternatives. Doubling as the heat-sink for the LED's, the housings completely protect the internals from moisture and road debris. We've sold many thousands of these fog lights and to date, have only seen one or two develop a problem…no joke!
Don't just take our word for it, check out these customer reviews/installs on a variety of makes & models: Ford F150, Toyota Camry, Honda Fit, Ford Focus, Subaru Legacy
We have been doing this for more than a decade. If you are still unsure of what to do, where to go, or just plain have questions, don't be shy. We are always here to help you in every way that we can and will continue to keep helping out until you fully understand the entire process from start to finish. Remember, we are people too, and everyone starts off the same way with knowing nothing so we completely understand if this is overwhelming for you as we were in the same boat. So contact us and we will get you started towards the right path.
There are no reviews yet.


text:
New Milford nursery helps gardeners create outdoor sanctuaries
NEW MILFORD -- At the Green Spot, landscaping is more than just plants, it's about a holistic approach to your natural surroundings.
"It's not enough for us to be a roadside garden center," said owner Chris Bruzzi. "We want to be something different, a destination. It's always been my desire to combine horticulture, design, food and teaching. They really all work together hand in hand."
Customers who visit the Green Spot, which opened its doors about six weeks ago, will find a tranquil setting and lush gardens wrapped around the babbling East Aspetuck River. Unlike garden centers that have rows of plants, the Green Spot is designed with gardens that can inspire customers to create their own environments around their property. The gardens at the Green Spot surrounds a recently renovated house and barn that are more than two centuries old.
Bruzzi, who has been in the landscaping business for more than 20 years, said his original intent was to create a showcase for customers about what might be possible in their own backyards. Much of the plants at the Green Spot are native species and are locally grown.
Visitors can tour the gardens, pick their own bouquet of fresh flowers, pick some fresh organic vegetables, pot their own plants or drop a fishing line in the nearby river. A natural amphitheater built from boulders near the river's edge serves as the center for educational programs. There is also a small play area to keep children entertained.
The Green Spot also offers fresh locally produced baked goods as well as bento style lunch boxes for those who want a snack while touring the gardens, which are constantly evolving and recreated by the staff depending on the season.
"I've driven by several times and I just had to stop by and check it out," said Linda Shiffert, a resident of New Hartford who occasionally does business in New Milford. "They've really done an incredible job. It's so creative how they laid everything out. I especially like how they use the river as a backdrop for the property."
Bruzzi said he hopes the center will help to attract more people to the Northville area which includes the Northville Market and The Silo, an art gallery that also holds exhibits and cooking classes.
"The Northville area is a hidden gem," Bruzzi said. "There are so many interesting things to see and do in the area."
Chris Fisher, the general manager of the Northville Market, said that as a resident who lives in the area, he's always happy to see the community being developed.
"It helps tie people and the community together," he said. "It seems like the Green Spot is something that could really help do that. It could also help bring more people to the area."
email@example.com; 203-731-3358; www.twitter.com/DirkPerrefort


text:
Adman Don Draper and madman Walter White will renew their rivalry Sunday night at the 2012 Emmy Awards, while a couple of upstarts will try find their place in a field that appears unusually wide open.
AMC's "Mad Men" (17 nominations) tied "American Horror Story" for the most nominations, and finds itself in position to claim an unprecedented fifth consecutive Best Drama award. But to do so, it will have to overcome one of the strongest fields in the awards' history, as it goes up against "Boardwalk Empire" (12), "Breaking Bad" (13) "Downton Abbey" (16) "Game of Thrones" (11) and "Homeland" (9).
And while "Breaking Bad" tries to upend "Mad Men," "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm will try to finally win Best Actor in a Drama, a prize that has been denied him three times by "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston. Hamm goes up against Hamm's best chance at victory came last year when Cranston was ineligible, but "Friday Night Lights" star Kyle Chandler beat him to the punch. Cranston is again nominated this year.
It's not just the drama field that's particularly impressive, as the stars of two new entries in the Comedy category have quickly risen to new heights. The words "television" and "auteur" don't often find their way into the same sentence, but this year's Emmy nominations find both Lena Dunham and Louie CK getting nods for writing, directing and acting.
Dunham, whose "Girls" (5) is also up for Best Comedy Series, is the creative force behind the most divisive show on TV. Hailed by some as a genius, dismissed by others as a hack, Dunham's show was so affecting that even some people who professed to hate "Girls" couldn't help but watch.
"Louie" (4), Louis CK's self-titled show, meanwhile, has established itself as TV's most original, unpredictable and disorienting comedy. The show explores the vagaries of parenting, artistic pride, racism and romance, and on more than one occasion finds out hero in some toe-curling sexual encounters. Louis CK also received three other nominations for his brilliant stand-up special, "Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater."
"Girls" will join "30 Rock" (7), "The Big Bang Theory" (5), "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (5), and "Veep" (3) in trying to knock off two-time defending Best Comedy champ "Modern Family" (14). How "Louie" got left out of this mix is a mystery—when you've got nomination-worthy acting, writing and directing, you pretty much have the bases covered, no?
The ascension of "Girls" and "Louie" represents a changing of the guard, as for the first time since 2005, neither "The Office" nor "House" received a nomination in any category.
Once again, the Outstanding Miniseries or Movie category is stacked, with "American Horror Story," vying with "Hatfield & McCoys" (16), "Hemingway & Gellhorn" (15) "Game Change" (12), "Luther" (4) and "Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal on Belgravia" (13).
This crop of nominees may force the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to to again tweak their categories. It doesn't quite seem fair that "AHS" with its 13-episode arc competes with the 6-hour "Hatfield & McCoys" and the stand-alone "Sherlock Holmes" and "Game Change" entries. This isn't to suggest that anyone enjoys an unfair advantage, necessarily, but each one is trying to do something very different.
Jimmy Kimmel will serve as host of this year's Emmys, and presenters this year will include Louis C.K., Jon Cryer, Claire Danes, Jeremy Davies, Zooey Deschanel, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ginnifer Goodwin, Mindy Kaling, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Parsons, Martha Plimpton, Amy Poehler, Emily VanCamp, Kerry Washington, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael J. Fox, Jon Hamm, Julianna Margulies and Julianne Moore, along with Andre Braugher, Connie Britton, Ron Howard, Lucy Liu and Keifer Sutherland.
Coverage of the 64th annual Emmy Awards on Emmys.com will begin with Backstage Live! at 7 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC.


text:
Conservative MP David Davis this week slammed the idea of using Google as part of the NHS IT solution as "naïve" and "mad".
Writing in the Sunday Times yesterday, he said: "I could only hope that it was an unapproved kite-flying exercise by a young researcher in Conservative HQ. If not, what was proposed was both dangerous in its own right, and hazardous to the public acceptability of necessary reforms to the state's handling of our private information."
The kite-flying – if such it was – was reported by Times Online about three weeks ago. An article stated: "Health records could be transferred to Google or Microsoft under a Tory government."
It went on: "Patients will be given the option of moving their medical notes to private companies after the Conservatives said that they would replace Labour's 'centrally determined and unresponsive national IT system'."
There is a superficial attractiveness to this proposal. Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault are both packages that are capable of taking inputs from medical systems and managing patient records in such a way as to give patients a far greater degree of insight and even control over their own healthcare.
The difficulty is that the systems are clearly structured around the idea of patients accessing views of their records. It is likely that major re-structuring work would be required to make it conform to the requirements of current NHS practice and bureaucracy: to turn it from a patient-facing system to an admin system.
At this point, the advantages of a pre-existing system would sink beneath an avalanche of new systems requirements essential to make the packages conform. It might be as easy – and safer in design terms – to go back to the drawing board and build a system up from scratch.
In his article, David Davis recognises clearly the benefits of giving patients access to their own records. He sounds as though he may well be an advocate of a future government, sweeping aside any red tape that might prevent patients from copying their medical details to Google – if that is what they wish.
However, he is seriously alarmed at the thought of Google (or Microsoft) getting their hands on such sensitive data. He writes: "Google is the last company I would trust with data belonging to me".
In part, that is because Google has a "history of ignoring privacy concerns", citing their "amoral" stance over China. It is in part, too, because the state is not very good at managing megalithic commercial concerns of this kind. There are enormous issues around the anonymisation, management and use of personal data – and without cast-iron guarantees on this front, no deal should be possible.
There are also question marks over where the data is to be hosted – Conservative spokespersons imply in the UK, which may not be Google's preferred solution – and the ownership of such data once it is on Google's machines.
On the other hand, he suspects that Google may be seeking such a deal for reasons that no UK government could possibly allow: as a research base for data mining and opportunity spotting. In that case, the commercial case for a deal is seriously reduced.
As on previous occasions, Mr Davis appears to have identified and highlighted the key points where IT and privacy issues overlap – and continues to prove himself one of the few MP's who speaks about technology from a position of genuine comprehension.
In this, he seems at odds with many of his fellow MP's, whose approach to IT is more akin to buying a toy for its shiny bells and whistles, rather than asking any serious IT questions - like what is its purpose? What objectives is it meant to fulfil?
The only significant omission from Mr Davis' piece was any reference to the embarrassingly close ties that have been documented between David Cameron's Conservative Party and Google.
According to the Times: "Steve Hilton, one of David Cameron's closest advisers, is married to Rachel Whetstone, the company's vicepresident of global communications and public affairs. Mr Cameron flew to San Francisco to address the Google Zeitgeist conference in 2007 at the company's expense.
"Five months ago, it was announced that Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, was joining a Conservative business forum to advise on economic policy."
These are significant political criticisms of any proposal along the lines quoted. Maybe Mr Davis is right, however: perhaps all such proposals should be considered solely on their IT merit. ®


text:
Cimatron Limited (NASDAQ and TASE: CIMT) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved, subject to Israeli court approval, the distribution to Cimatron shareholders of up to US$10 million. The distribution may be effected over the course of a 12 month period following the approval of the court, subject to subsequent Board approval of specific payments out of the total potential distribution amount, and subject to certain approvals from the Israeli Tax Authority that the company intends to seek.
Under Israeli law, a company such as Cimatron with practically no distributable earnings (within the meaning of such term under Israeli law) is required to obtain approval from the court for a cash distribution to its shareholders, which can instead be made from additional paid-in capital. The company intends to shortly file an application with the Israeli court for the requisite approval. There is no guarantee that the court will approve the distribution on the terms requested by Cimatron, or at all.
Cimatron also intends to seek certain approvals from the Israeli Tax Authority prior to commencing any actual distribution. Prior to any specific distribution, Cimatron will issue a press release announcing the exact distribution amount, record date and distribution date.
"Our steady cash flows from operations, as well as free cash flows, make a cash distribution from our additional paid-in capital a good vehicle to unlock value to our shareholders." remarked Yossi Ben-Shalom, Cimatron's Chairman of the Board of Directors. "We hope to obtain the necessary approvals and commence distribution as soon as practicable."
About Cimatron
With over 29 years of experience and more than 40,000 installations worldwide, Cimatron is a leading provider of integrated, CAD/CAM software solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts. Cimatron is committed to providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles and ultimately shorten product delivery time.
The Cimatron product line includes the CimatronE and GibbsCAM brands with solutions for mold design, die design, electrodes design, 2.5 to 5 axes milling, wire EDM, turn, mill-turn, rotary milling, multi-task machining, and tombstone machining. Cimatron's subsidiaries and extensive distribution network serve and support customers in the automotive, aerospace, medical, consumer plastics, electronics, and other industries in over 40 countries worldwide.
Cimatron's shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the symbol CIMT. For more information, please visit Cimatron's web site at: http://www.cimatron.com
This press release includes forward looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements may relate to Cimatron's plans, objectives and expected financial and operating results. The words "may," "could," "would," "will," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions or variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Cimatron's ability to control. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: currency fluctuations, global economic and political conditions, marketing demand for Cimatron products and services, long sales cycles, new product development, assimilating future acquisitions, maintaining relationships with customers and partners, and increased competition. For more details about the risks and uncertainties related to Cimatron's business, refer to Cimatron's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cimatron cannot assess the impact of or the extent to which any single factor or risk, or combination of them, may cause. Cimatron undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For More Information Contact:
Ilan Erez
Chief Financial Officer
Cimatron Ltd.
Phone: +972-73-237-0114
Email: Email Contact
SOURCE Cimatron Ltd
|Cimatron Ltd


text:
Spina de Mul
Summer 2012, along with my tireless friend Helmut Gargitter, a talented alpinist and strong mountain guide, we've managed to establish another difficult route up the outstanding south face of Col Bechei.
The route is located on the righthand side and follows a series of obvious pockets up almost always solid, rough rock. We have equipped the route with bolts but we recommend you nevertheless take a set friends and nuts.
You can either abseil off the route if you want to repeat another line nearby, or walk off easily down the alpine meadows, along the path that leads to Lake Limo and on to Rifugio Fanes.
From Brunico continue to San Lorenzo and on to San Vigilio di Marebbe. From here follow the road up to the Pederü hut. Park here.
From Rifugio Pederü (1540m) ascend to Rifugio Fanes (2060m) in circa 1.5 hours. From here, continue to the Limo col at 2174 m. Head towards the lake and take the path that leads to the top of Col Bechei. At the lake (after ca. 150 meters) leave the main path rightwards and continue along a track, gain circa 40m in altitude and then descend circa 80m in altitude into a valley, following the track used by chamois left towards the SE Face. From here the obvious wall springs tinto view. Scramble up the steep grassy slopes beneath the face, then traverse across. The route starts on the very right, close to a niche, a bolt marks the start. 1 hour and 10 minutes from the Fanes refuge.
P1: 6c
P2: 6b
P3: 7b
P4: 7b
P5: 7c
P6: 6c
P7: 6a
From the summit, follow cairns and traverse diagonally left (facing the mountain) slightly uphill, quickly reach the path that leads fromt he summit of Col Bechei. Follow this for about 25 minutes to Lake Limo and reach the Fanes or Lavarella hut in a further 20 minutes.
Share this page
COMMENTS for the route "Spina de Mul"
No comments found for Spina de Mul


text:
May you guys help me with this problem. Can you guys use not a very complex style of writing this program? Thanks.
Build a RemoveString class that prompts the user for a sentence and a word to remove.
(a) Write a method, removeString( sentence, word), that removes the first occurrence of the given string from
the sentence.
(b) Write a method, removeAll( sentence, word), that removes all occurrences of word from the sentence. This
method should call the method you developed in part (a) repeatedly until all occurrences of word are removed.


text:
This is a pretty broad question. I know the definition of OLTP. But it seems like unless you have an environment that has a clear distinction between OLTP and OLAP, in the sense of a database that handles DML transactions and a replicated database that handles the reporting, then this is a bit of an abstraction.
Would it be safe to say that most production databases are OLAP and OLTP?


text:
ACC M5: 01.22.14 EditionPosted by mpatton on January 22nd, 2014
- Sports Illustrated: Good stuff on CJ Fair here, whose two sporting idols are Carmelo Anthony and Michael Jordan. Anthony makes sense for a multitude of reasons: Fair is also from Baltimore, has the same Syracuse pedigree, and Anthony has one of the best mid-range games in the world. Jordan? More of a stretch. Here I'll turn to Kelli Anderson: "A few years ago Fair read an interview in which Jordan was asked how he stayed motivated to give his best effort every single game, even against lesser competition. Jordan's response: There might be a family out there seeing him for the first time, and he wanted to make a good impression."
- Tallahassee Democrat: The end of Florida State's recent game at Virginia got ugly. After an admittedly unnecessary alley-oop with 18 seconds left, Justin Anderson was called for a technical foul. During the stoppage in play, some players started jawing. As the officials were separating the teams, London Perrantes and Okaro White continued talking and Perrantes appears to have shoved White. White shoved him back, whereupon two Virginia players then left the bench and were ejected. After a lengthy review from the officials, a double-technical was assessed to White (his fifth personal) and Perrantes. After the game in the handshake line, there was a second scuffle catalyzed by more contact between the two. Long story short: White was "publicly reprimanded" by the ACC, but the league won't take further action.
- Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician: Syracuse starting forward Dujuan Coleman is out for the year. To be clear, Coleman starts over Jerami Grant, but Grant plays a far larger role in the Syracuse rotation. Coleman only averaged 13 minutes per game this season, but without him Jim Boeheim effectively plays seven players (and Michael Gbinije has only played between four and 11 minutes in any of the team's five conference games). That's not a lot of depth available, which means that four guys are likely to suit up for 30-plus minutes per game from here on out. Depth is overrated — especially on teams that mostly play zone — but the Orange lose much of their wiggle room if a player gets sick, injured, or in foul trouble.
- Washington Post: Glad to see Mike Wilbon take up for tradition here. Wilbon once worked the Maryland beat and currently serves on the board at Northwestern. He didn't mince words when talking about Maryland's move to the Big Ten: "Because if it's not [a windfall], it just destroys the tradition and the history of rivalries, and the competition, and just says, 'Okay, let's pimp ourselves out, we're going to go for the money.'" What sparked the commentary was NC State fans chanting "A-C-C" in the closing seconds of their win over the Terrapins on Monday night.
- Tar Heel Blog: Great piece on why Roy Williams didn't recruit any wing players for this season. The obvious answer is that he didn't expect to need any with Reggie Bullock and PJ Hairston expected to be available. But the issue is more complex than that, and Brian Barbour does a good job looking at a lot of different angles here. Recruiting issues tend to play out a couple of years later (except at Kentucky), but right now, I tend to agree with the theory that North Carolina is suffering because of early defections (both transfers and departures for the NBA) along with a couple of players who haven't developed like Williams hoped.
VIDEO EXTRA: Mark Gottfried was psyched after NC State's win without TJ Warren.


text:
Black at Uber
Uber's community for Black employees and allies
Our mission
Our mission is to provide a channel that promotes Black diversity, culture, and inclusion for all employees at Uber. Whether our members are of African or West Indian heritage, grew up in the US, come from mixed families, or identify most closely as allies, Black at Uber is a community where we support one another.
What we stand for
External partnerships
Partner with third parties to improve how Uber is perceived in Black spaces while creating value for the Black at Uber membership
Internal campaigns
Work with internal stakeholders to ensure that Uber's focus considers a Black perspective
Member services
Make sure Uber is a great place to work for all Black at Uber members and allies by ensuring that they're equipped with the tools necessary to succeed
Global strategy and process
Serve the dual purpose of ensuring that Black at Uber's mission is being carried out globally and that we're attracting all the great minds to join our ranks
Featured members
Calvin Simmons
Restaurant Operations Manager
As a Black person, I know first-hand how lonely Silicon Valley can be. Oftentimes, we're the only person who looks like us in a room and likely living a vastly different experience than our peers. There's a dual consciousness that comes with being different. Black at Uber allows a safe space for us to connect with each other and has served as a great support system for our membership.
Angela Johnson
Counsel, Litigation
Seeing the Coalition of Black Excellence Week events and Code Black Gala come to fruition was one of my proudest moments at Uber. I am so excited about Uber's pivotal role in shaping the way that companies collaborate, connect with community leaders, and give back. A lot of companies have diversity groups, but real impact comes when the leadership teams empower those groups to run with positive ideas and drive internal and external impact.
JQ Hendrickson
Project Manager, Community Operations
I started at Uber as a brand ambassador. I was helping get potential New York City partners through the long and confusing TLC licensing funnel. I fell in love with the fast-paced startup that everyone said was going to change the world. From that point, I knew that this was somewhere I wanted to be. Black at Uber and the rest of Uber's ERGs allow a safe space for me to connect and build with people who look like me and have similar experiences.
Camiel Irving
Manager, Central Operations, Rider
I joined Uber after spending 4 years in the consumer products industry. Succeeding as a business leader in a tech company is a unique intellectual and organizational challenge, and it's been rewarding. My team operates Uber's Rider Pricing and Incentives products to shape and grow demand in Uber's complex Rides Marketplace. This is my first role at Uber, and I'm looking forward to many more. Black at Uber is both my support system and a way for me to create value beyond the Marketplace.
Matthew Mengerink
Executive sponsor, Vice President, Core Infrastructure Engineering
"As a leader at Uber—someone who manages people, makes hiring decisions, and also makes product and technology decisions that affect our customers—I have a responsibility to do better. Not only to sympathize and understand the issues, but also to do what I can to make tangible changes and to join in the cause of others who are pushing to better us all. This is a perfect example of why I'm an executive sponsor for Black at Uber."
Coalition of Black Excellence Week
For Black History Month 2019, in partnership with OurCollective.us, we spearheaded the creation of the first-ever Coalition of Black Excellence Week in the Bay Area. More than 40 tech companies and community partners came together to surface educational, inspirational, and entertaining events. The week culminated in the Code Black Gala, which honored the business leaders and community partners who are driving change in Silicon Valley.
Global reach
Black at Uber has local engagement groups in locations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, as well as the United States and Canada.
Starting conversations
In support of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, we hosted a series of fireside chats with Meena Harris, Head of Strategy and Leadership on the Diversity and Inclusion team, and special guests in multiple Uber offices. The purpose of these chats was to discuss the importance of diversity in the workplace with successful women of color.


text:
Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie2018-11-26
- Course: Dessert
- Add to favorites
- Yield : 1 (9-inch) pie
- Prep Time : 25m
- Cook Time : 45m
- Ready In : 40m
Average Member Rating
(0 / 5)
0 People rated this recipe
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows
- Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs
- Chocolate sandwich cookies (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs (recommended: Oreo)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Step 1
In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie.
Step 4
When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 6
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs.
Step 7
In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
Step 8
Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling.


text:
Browse by Author
|Up a level
Group by: Item Type | No Grouping
Jump to: Report / Paper
Number of items: 1.
Report / Paper
Deleersnyder, Barbara and Dekimpe, Marnik G. and Steenkamp, Jan-Benedict E.M. and Leeflang, Peter S.H. (2007) The Role of National Culture in Advertising'S Sensitivity to Business Cycles: An Investigation Across All Continents. [Working Paper]. p. 43. ERIM Report Series: Research in Management


text:
Quick Ship Muslin Backdrops are a selection of designs that are available to ship in just a few days. These photography backdrops are usually in stock. These backdrops are not washable and care should be taken to avoid soiling.Shipping and Return Policy
HSM42189 - Granada
Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Featured Products


text:
Macedon And Spa Country, Victoria, Australia
Sorry --- We couldn't find what you are looking for. You should try: Searching a different area, A more general search (Paris, Shopping, etc), Checking your spelling.
Get the latest Wedding information, expos, inspiration & special deals to your inbox
Remember Me
Forgot password? | Register
Terms & Conditions
Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.
Login | Forgot password?
Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
Username or Email:


text:
Services on Demand
- Cited by SciELO
- Access statistics
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in SciELO
- Similars in Google
Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society
On-line version ISSN 0717-9707
PATIL, AMOD S; SHIRKHEDKAR, ATUL A; SURANA, SANJAY J and NAWALE, PRAJAKTA S. SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF PROPRANOLOL HYDROCHLORIDE AND FLUNARIZINE DIHYDROCHLORIDE IN BULK AND CAPSULE USING REVERSED - PHASE HIGH -PERFORMANCE THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY / DENSITOMETRY. J. Chil. Chem. Soc. [online]. 2012, vol.57, n.1, pp.1033-1035. ISSN 0717-9707. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-97072012000100017.
A simple, rapid and sensitive RP- HPTLC method has been established for the determination of Propranolol hydrochloride (PRH) and Flunarizine Dihydrochloride (FNZ) in bulk and capsule formulation. Separation of both these drugs were achieved on aluminum backed silica gel 60 RP-18 F254S HPTLC plates, prewashed with methanol using methanol: toluene: ammonia (7:3:0.5 v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric scanning was performed at 267 nm. The Rf values for PRH and FNZ were found to be 0.63 and 0.48, respectively. The amount of PRH and FNZ estimated in capsule formulation were found to be 99.20 ± 1.04 and 98.89 ± 1.23, respectively. The accuracy of the method was found to be in the range of 99.30 - 100.41% for PRH and 99.56 -100.87 for FNZ. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines and can regularly used for analysis of PRH and FNZ in capsule dosage form.
Keywords : Propranolol hydrochloride; Flunarizine dihydrochloride; RP- HPTLC.


text:
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2010.
Just like video killed the radio star, Jay Baer has proclaimed that Facebook has killed websites. Is it true? Maybe. Polls (both national and among my contacts) confirm that people check their email and Twitter/Facebook feeds first thing in the morning and many times throughout the day. It is impossible to individually check every interesting website and to read every relevant article.
With 500 million members and counting, Facebook turns that equation on its head. Like the walled garden of the original AOL, Facebook can make the case that they already have access to all of your customers, so why wouldn't you want to just ride their coattails? If there is a killer party with tons of people, a great band, and free booze it's going to be tough to get a couple dozen people to leave to come over to your house to watch Jimmy Kimmel and eat microwave popcorn.
Jay has a point. (Though my friend Sabrina won around $20,000 on Wheel of Fortune because she watched Jimmy Kimmel the night before she went on the show.) Facebook has collected a tremendous amount of data on each user. From birthdays, email addresses and hometowns to groups, pages and things that you 'like' and the status updates you post, they know you inside and out. Additionally, there are more and more ways to connect your Facebook page to sites upon logging in, 'liking' and 'sharing'. Think about it, Facebook probably knows things about you that your parents and closest friends don't know, unless they comb your profile.
Personally, I think companies that ignore social media, especially Facebook, are missing out. They are missing out on customer interactions and true engagement. They are missing out on free feedback and quality reviews.
What do you think?


text:
There's never been a better time
to apply to Otterbein University.
Apply online today!
I am a
you're on the air
From behind the mic or behind the reporter's desk, your broadcast can be heard. Otterbein offers you the opportunity to broadcast through its student-run radio station, WOBN-FM 97.5, and television station, WOCC-TV. You'll gain hands-on experience broadcasting, reporting, producing and so much more. You're live in 3...2...1...
Check out these areas:
Get to know...
Otterbein University, 1 South Grove Street, Westerville, OH 43081 614.890.3000
Otterbein University is a private, non-profit, United Methodist affiliated, regionally-accredited institution.
© 2019 Otterbein University. Otterbein University is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer


text:
hey guys,
it's weird and I've never experienced that before. I've created a new blog and a custom theme. I'm using
<?php echo date("H:i"); ?>in my theme.
The time that's put is 2h earlier. e.g. if it's actually 16:00 o'clock the date generated with date() is 14:00.
I don't know why that happens? I'm using the german wordpress version with the german language pack.
Also doesn't make a difference when putting
setlocale(LC_ALL, 'de_DE');
into wp-config.php.
any idea how I could solve that? the time set in my wordpress settings is UTC+2 which is the correct time.


text:
This is my media day story from today's Gannett New Jersey papers, focused on the early impact of fab frosh Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique:
Dynamic duo embracing expectations
This is my notebook, which leads with J.R. Inman's interesting comments about the suspensions:
PISCATAWAY — J.R. Inman has all the motivation he needs this season.
The Rutgers senior, who along with classmate Jaron Griffin was suspended from game action indefinitely for a violation of team rules, appears to be working his way back into good standing.
"I think good things can always come from negative occurrences," said the forward, who led the Scarlet Knights in scoring and rebounding last winter. "Just the fact that we're still working hard in practice every day and involved in all team activities, it's something we can use as motivation and fuel for when we do come back."
Rutgers coach Fred Hill Jr. has said the length of the suspensions will be determined by the players' actions on and off the court.
"As of this moment they've been outstanding," Hill said. "They've been great leaders, handled all business when they're supposed to. They've been terrific ever since the decision came down."
So how might that affect the suspension?
"I'd like to return for game one, but it's really up to the coach and he's evaluating how we've been doing on and off the court," Inman said. "I would say it's going to be soon. I can't tell you how soon, but I would think the first couple of games, hopefully Coach Hill will give us the head nod."
High on Hamady
Hill offered high praise for junior center Hamady N'Diaye, who played little organized basketball before coming to Rutgers two years ago.
"In 27 years coaching I've never seen a kid improve so much from the time he stepped on the floor to where he is today," Hill said. "But I still think his best basketball is going to be five years down the road and we're going to see him playing the NBA one day."
Rugged practices
To illustrate how intense the practices have been, Hill told of one marathon session that was witnessed by a handful of high school coaches.
"We got done in 3:15 and the high school coaches looked at everybody and said, 'They're done already?' They felt like it was an hour-and-a-half practice," Hill said. "That's a pretty good practice."


text:
Browse beautiful Snowflake background images, transparent clipart, vectors and illustrations.
Choose from the best scary and funny haunted house transparent images for Halloween holiday.
This favorite holiday will be spook-tacular with the creative and spooky black cats, crow, ghost, grave, haunted house, jack-o-lantern and witch design elements.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas! Decor this Christmas day with Frosty Christmas Tree.


text:
Kelly delivers, Cardinals defeat Mets 5-4
New York had won seven of eight before loss
ST. LOUIS — Rookie Joe Kelly pitched 6 2-3 effective innings and also doubled, helping the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Mets 5-4.
Kelly (5-6) allowed five hits and two runs. He made his second start after a brief stint in the bullpen, and turned in his longest outing of the season.
Edward Mujica got the last out of the seventh, giving him 16 straight scoreless appearances since coming over from Miami at the trade deadline. Jason Motte recorded five outs for his 33rd save in 38 chances.
Skip Schumaker hit a solo homer and Matt Carpenter drove in two runs for the NL wild card-leading Cardinals.
Daniel Murphy and Kelly Shoppach hit two-run homers for New York, which had won three straight and seven of eight.


text:
Poker clubs and rooms: Ioannina
Are you going to visit Ioannina or you are the resident of this city and want to play poker for money or participate in a poker tournament? Our service will provide an extensive list of offline poker clubs with the schedule of cash games and tournaments. You just have to choose the poker-room, which is fully consistent with your requirements from our list.
Found Clubs: 1


text:
Email Newsletter
Shop by Category
Shop by Type
More Options
Welcome to Santa Monica Distributing Company
We do deliveries to businesses within the Los Angeles area ONLY.
For customers out of state
You can have UPS or FedEx pick up your order. Simply email us the shipping labels and they will pick up.
Resale number MUST be provided for any taxable items.
Pickup is also available at:
3180 West Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica CA 90404.
Please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 310-453-9197 if you have additional questions.
Thank you.
We are the premiere wholesale distributing company located in Santa Monica, California and serve all of Southern California. We also offer free and low cost shipping in Los Angeles.
The Simple Solution for Your Business.
Santa Monica Distributing Company works as the simple solution for all small businesses to receive shipment of the most popular as well as specially requested items to be sold to customers. We work with Gift Shops, Gas Stations, Pharmacies, Restaurants, Cafes, Liquor Stores and Convenience Stores in the area and across the US. By connecting our clients with top quality products and unparalleled services, we have maintained our status as the top Wholesale Distributing Company in the Los Angeles area.
Low Prices. Huge Variety. Free Delivery.
At Santa Monica Distributing Company our large variety of the most popular and necessary items, as well as our low prices, will keep you and your customers content. We offer items from the most well known vendors, such as Kellogg's, General Mills, Trident, Coca-Cola, Hershey's, all brands of tobacco, as well as specialty items, such as, vegan and protein items, unique energy drinks, various iced tea beverages and more. In addition, enjoy the convenience of free delivery within the Los Angeles Area with your minimum $500 purchase.
What Does SMDC Sell?
Practically Everything! We offer the lowest prices on the most popular products as well as unique or discontinued products that you may not be able to find elsewhere. From the most popular brands of Hair Care Items such as Herbal Essences and Goody Accessories, to Over the Counter Drugs such as Advil and Tylenol, as well as Health Care Items, including Oral Care, Eye Care, Personal Goods and more. SMDC has the variety you want and the low prices you love. At SMDC you will also find a large range of household items such as cleaning products, kitchen and bathroom necessities, canned and bottled grocery items, and wholesale plastic plates, bowls and cutlery all at cheap prices.
Best Selling & Favored Chocolates, Candy, Gum & Confectioneries
We offer wholesale Prices on the most popular candy, chocolates, gum, mints, and more. We offer top of the line products, great quality sweets and exceptional service. For the lowest prices in the Los Angeles area as well as wholesale candy online, look no further than Santa Monica Distributing Company. Choose from popular brands such as Wrigley, Trident, Altoids, Wonka, Lindt, Godiva, Ritter Sport, Hershey's, Mars, and Nestle as well as unique products such as Kosher, Vegan and Gluten Free Candy, Gum, Mints and Chocolates.
Learn more about the benefits of working with Santa Monica Distributing Company and how a partnership can increase your profits tremendously as well as save you money on your day to day purchases.
Featured Items
©2020 Santa Monica Distributing Company - Santa Monica Distributing Company Offers Wholesale Groceries, Candy, Chips, Snacks, Beverages, Tobacco, Health and Beauty Products and more at great prices within the Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Terms of Use
Free Ecommerce Software Hosted By 1FreeCart.com - Get Your FREE Shopping Cart Software Here
A great eBay Alternative and Yahoo Merchant Alternative


text:
Chase Marinell led the Flames at the Linger Longer Invitational, finishing tied for fifth place with a four-under par 212.
Liberty was one of only a handful of teams that was able to survive the challenging final round conditions at the Linger Longer Invitational where the Flames finished the two-day event tied for fifth place.
Rain and cooler temperatures made the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters Golf Course at Reynolds Planation much more challenging on Sunday where only three teams in the 15-team field carded scores below 300.
Liberty nearly added a fourth team to the group, as the Flames finished with a 14-over par 302 to climb one spot up the leaderboard.
Liberty (281-291-302), currently ranked No. 41 in the country by Golfstat and No. 39 by Golfweek, finished the event tied with tournament co-host No. 33/36 Mercer (278-287-309). Both teams finished with an overall 10-over par 874.
No. 5/5 Georgia kept two-time event defending champion Alabama from winning the title for the third year in a row. The Bulldogs (278-278-281) bested the Crimson Tide (281-275-291) by 10 shots during the final round to win the tournament by the same margin with a 27-under par 837 to Alabama's 17-under par 847.
No. 15/13 Oklahoma took third place with a three-over par 867 (271-295-301) to finish ahead of No. 26/22 Clemson, who posted a six-over par 870 (286-286-298).
Georgia also took home individual medalist honors for the event. After the Bulldogs' Michael Cromie (71-67-69) and Alabama's Robby Shelton (69-66-72) finished tied atop the 84-man leaderboard, Cromie was able to claim the honor with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Liberty's Chase Marinell was five shots off the overall pace and finished tied for fifth place with a four-under par 212 (68-72-72). The senior closed out his best showing of the spring evenly offsetting four bogeys with for birdies and he led the event in par-4 scoring (3.90 average).
Niklas Lindstrom moved up the leaderboard 10 spots on Sunday to finish tied for 15th place with an even-par 216 (68-75-73). The senior eagled the par-5, No. 18 hole (his 12th hole of the day) to get back to level par on the day, but a double bogey on the par-5, No. 2 hole kept him from finishing the event in red figures.
Mathieu Fenasse was unable to keep us his under-par scoring on Sunday, falling back to a share of 25th place with an overall three-over par 219 (71-71-77). The junior, who finished the event tied for third with 37 pars, closed the tournament with three bogeys, a double bogey and a birdie.
Liberty's final two golfers in the field were Harrison Winger, who finished tied for 61st place with a 14-over par 230 (77-73-80), and Ian McConnell, who finished tied for 70th place with a 17-over par 233 (74-79-80).
The Flames will return to action on April 5 when they welcome George Mason, James Madison and Radford to Poplar Grove Golf Course in Amherst, Va., for a one-day, 36-hole match play event.


text:
A former Alvin High School coach has been charged with sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, and with having an improper relationship with a student after allegations of a history of sexual relationships with a number of female students came to light.
Manvel resident Garret Taylor, 44, was formerly the girls power-lifting coach at Alvin High School. He had been employed by the school district for 14 years, according to a district official.
He resigned in October 2013 after the Alvin Independent School district received a report from Child Protective Services alleging he had engaged in an improper relationship with a female student, according to AISD.
A further investigation by the Alvin ISD Police Department followed, and the case went to a Brazoria County grand jury. It was learned that there was more than one alleged victim, according to court documents.
Taylor was arrested on Wednesday by Brazoria County deputies and is now out on bond after being indicted on six felony offenses.
It's alleged that the first of these relationships began in 2008, according to the district. Court documents detail incidents with three underage female students.
"These events conflict with the values of Alvin ISD, as we actively pursue ensuring that every student is able to learn in a secure environment," said district spokesman Daniel Combs on Thursday.
Attorney Paul Doyle is representing Taylor and says his client had an impeccable record as a coach at Alvin High.
"The accusations are the result of gossip and rumors from individuals who have an ax to grind," Doyle said via email on Thursday.


text:
The deadline for the implementation of the HHS contraception/abortion mandate is now upon us. As of August 1, religious organizations will have to compromise their consciences and comply, or apply to the government for an extension or exemption, or risk the penalties of non-compliance.
This deadline will probably have little direct and immediate impact on ordinary Catholics who already have health insurance from Medicare or a private employer. But for the Church, any danger of being forced to compromise with sin will do incalculable damage. A number of Catholic institutions and dioceses are challenging the mandate in court, but those cases won't be decided for quite some time.
In the meantime, here are some suggestions about what people can do at this point:
Prayer — This is, of course, our ultimate weapon. We need to pray for our nation; for our elected and appointed officials, for a conversion of heart; for our judges, for wisdom in applying the law to these cases; for those who will be affected by this mandate, that they will have the wisdom and courage to resist as best they can. For some suggestions about prayer activities, see our webpage about the Fortnight for Freedom.
Advocate — There are significant legislative initiatives that would overturn the HHS mandate and protect our freedom of religion. First and foremost are the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act and the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act. These bills stand on their own, but they are also being attached to appropriations bills that are pending in the House of Representatives. if your Congressional representative is on the Appropriations Committee, please contact and urge them to keep conscience protection in the funding bill.
Support our Bishops — During this bruising political season, our bishops have been taking a beating in the media. They need our support and help, and it would lift their spirits if they heard from faithful Catholics, in support of their efforts to defend the freedom of the Church.
There is an old saying, often mis-attributed to Edmund Burke, but which is true regardless of who said it: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
Don't lose hope! Throughout history, the Lord has stood by us in our hour of need, and assured us, as He did to Gideon, "I will be with you" (Judges 6:16). Let us pray with confidence to Our Lady, Help of Christians, for the strength and constancy we need.
Tags: HHS Mandate, Religious Liberty


text:
In the decades that Nuance has created software products, the world of information technology has changed immeasurably, bringing the power of technology to an increasingly greater percentage of the population.
Nuance believes that its products reflect a commitment to universal usability. We are dedicated to improving the accessibility of our products and creating new and better technologies that everyone can use. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act provides guidance for Nuance as it relates to accessibility standards for our technology.
Nuance addresses accessibility of our technology through a product review process which includes considerations of Section 508 guidelines. After reviewing product information against Section 508, Nuance completes a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) which describes how a given product does and does not meet Section 508 standards. To view a VPAT, please select the product from the list below.
NOTE: These VPATs are in the form of PDF files.
For information on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, please visit the Department of Justice Section 508 web site:
Worldwide Headquarters
1 Wayside Road
Burlington, MA 01803
United States
Tel: 781-565-5000
Fax: 781-565-5001
If you would like to contact the Nuance Communications Legal Department concerning a legal matter, please click here.


text:
| 21.9°C Dublin
Rio Ferdinand has dropped the clearest hint yet he intends to sign another contract at Manchester United.
The 34-year-old collected his sixth Premier League winners' medal on Sunday and marked the occasion by slamming home the decisive goal in the 2-1 win over Swansea. With his contract about to expire, there have been suggestions Ferdinand may take up a lucrative offer from abroad. Outgoing United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that will not happen, and Ferdinand has said as much now too.
Ferdinand told MUTV. "The manager has left the club in great health and we are looking forward. We have a great number of good young players who are eager to win things and be successful and work hard. That is what the manager has instilled in these players. The work ethic has to continue if we are going to be successful. I would like to be part of that."
With Ferguson standing down in the summer, senior figures in the United dressing room are going to be pivotal in ensuring the transition into the David Moyes era is a smooth one. Now that Paul Scholes has also retired no-one has more experience than Ferdinand, with the exception of Ryan Giggs who has also signed a one-year deal..
Ferdinand has been on top form this season too, underlining why Roy Hodgson wanted him in his England squad for the recent World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.
It remains to be seen whether Ferdinand will receive a call on Thursday, when Hodgson is due to announce his squad for the friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil. If Ferdinand is selected, he will link up with the status of a player who has won as many championships as Kenny Dalglish.
Not bad for someone who claims he would have been happy with just one when he arrived at United from Leeds in 2002. "I dreamt of getting one when I turned up here," he said.
"I remember looking at Ryan and the others when I arrived. At that stage they had five, six and seven. I just wanted one. I thought I would be happy with that. But once you get it, you want another. You continue striving to succeed, to achieve things and win trophies. To get six is unbelievable. But that is the main thing at this club, you want to be successful."
Unlike Giggs, and the other home-grown members of the United squad, Ferdinand does have the experience of working for a different club manager. Still, it is going to be a strange situation in the summer when the most familiar face at the entire club is no longer around.
"There have been a couple of emotional moments," said Ferdinand. "The manager's announcement was like a bolt out of the blue. No-one was expecting it. It disappointed a lot of us but I understand the manager's reasons."
PA Media


text:
Movie studios are constantly flipping through stacks of comic books looking for their next idea. But the clever folks at Legendary Pictures have cut out the middle man, launching their own comic-book publishing house, which has released a trailer for its first story: Frank Miller's "Holy Terror."
"Terror" is about The Fixer, a brand new, hard-edged hero as he battles terrorism The graphic novel is a no-holds-barred action thriller told in Miller's trademark high-contrast, black-and-white visual style, which seizes the political zeitgeist by the throat and doesn't let go until the last page.
U.S. & World
The book is due to be released Sept. 14, 2011, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that helped inspire Miller's tale.
"My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat," said Miller last year in announcing the project. "He's not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that's committed to our annihilation is kind of silly. It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to what's going on out there. I've taken Batman as far as he can go."
Incidentally, "Holy Terror" was originally called "Holy Terror, Batman" as was Miller's attempt to bring mainstream comics back to their propaganda roots. Back in the 40s, it was common for costumed heroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman to fight real-world villains like Adolpf Hitler. When DC balked at the idea of Batman vs. al-Qaeda, Miller substituted his own character, the Fixer.
The movie can't be far behind, right? Why else would legendary get into the comics business? You may recall that last year the studio released a comic book prequel to "Inception," which in retrospect appears to have been a trial balloon.


text:
note: allegro
how do you write the code for something like
if user hits key lets say 's'
then the "spaceship" shoots a laserbeam
do u know what keyboardfunctions to use
also i have problems makings short beams
please help!
note: allegro
how do you write the code for something like
if user hits key lets say 's'
then the "spaceship" shoots a laserbeam
do u know what keyboardfunctions to use
also i have problems makings short beams
please help!
.................a week later...
More like 3 days but anyway
use something like kbhit() and then check what key got pressed with a getchar.
ok that one i cracked yesterday
but my big problem is the spaceships and the laserbeams
to Barjor: are u really 7.5?
What problem are you having with the beams?
Allegro precompiled Installer for Dev-C++, MSVC, and Borland: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~springs/
No I am way older then that, it is a sarcastic comment to people that use there young age as an excuse to bragg and behave poorly.
for now the only way i can make a "beam"
is like this example:
for(int beam=0;beam<140;beam++)
this will draw i line now i want it to get no longer than half a cm.
and i need it to stay a half cm long then move at the direction
it points to untill its out of the screen or a enemy but i'm saving that part to later.
if u know a better way to make make i beam plese post!
to Barjor:u mean like that 12 year old programmer??!
To draw a 2D beam you need to use a general-case line-drawing algorithm ( assuming your beam can go in any direction ).
Bresenham's line drawing algorithm is the fastest ( you can get it by a simple search on google), although I think allegro must have some line drawing algorithm somewhere ( I've never used it, so I can't tell you. Search its documentation or look through the code )
You can use a simple struct ( or class ) for your beam that looks like the following
Whenever something fires the beam from somewhere on the screen, that's the beam's start position. The direction is defined by the shooter's orientation (and it's a 2D unit vector), the lenght is how long you want your beam to be (in pixels).Code:struct Vec2_t { int x,y; }; struct Beam_t { Vec2_t vStart; Vec2_t vDirection; Vec2_t vVelocity; float fLength; };
When you draw your beam, you simply Multiply fLength by vDirection (scaling a 2D vector, in case you don't know this. Search some math encyclopaedia or notify me and I'll explain it) to get the beam end point.
Pass the start & end points to allegro's line-drawing routine, and you've got your beam.
Each frame update, increase the beam's vStart by vVelocity to update its position.
More about checking whether it's inside the screen or not later ( No time now )
Muhammad Haggag
sorry man,
i didnt get that
In the Allegro documentation under "Drawing Primitives" see:
line(BITMAP *bmp, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, int color);
do_line(BITMAP *bmp, int x1, y1, x2, y2, int d, void (*proc)());
Line is the basic thing, do_line is if you want to get all fancy with your beam.
If you want the beam to be of a certain length, then you will need to keep track of its head and tail with variables.
int hx, hy;
int tx, ty;
Give the head a head's start (no pun intended) from the origin then send the tail drawing after it, erasing what the head coordinates drew. Once the tail coordinates are less than or greater than the screen coordinates, the beam has left the screen and may be safely dismissed. Once the head coordinates equal that of an enemy ship's perimeter, then the beam has struck and big explosions should ensue. Hope that makes sense.
Last edited by Justin W; 03-14-2002 at 09:52 AM.
Allegro precompiled Installer for Dev-C++, MSVC, and Borland: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~springs/
why cant u just do something like this
{//from x1,y1 to x2,y2
line(buffer,my_pic_x, my_pic_y,my_pic_x ,shot_y , 800);
line(buffer,my_pic_x, my_pic_y,my_pic_x ,shot_y , 0);
this doesnt work but why cant u just use a delay function
like sleep(); or a loop that counts to 10 or something
Because you are erasing the whole line, not just the part of it that is leftover trash from the previous draw operation.
If I start at (0,0) and paint one pixel, wait for the screen to update (consider this a "frame"), then paint another pixel next to it until I reach the end of the screen, I will end up with a line that extends from one side to the next.
If, instead, I wanted it to appear that the pixel is moving accross the screen, then I have to erase where I drew it in the previous frame so that it only appears in the new place I've placed it. Using a delay will only make either of these processes happen slower. Think flip book animation. It isn't really moving, it is tricking the eye.
Allegro precompiled Installer for Dev-C++, MSVC, and Borland: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~springs/
do u have an example?


text:
The Hollywood studio that procuded such major hits as "Pulp Fiction" and "Good Will Hunting" has been sold.
The Walt Disney Company sold Miramax Films to an investor group for $660 million, ending a 17 year relationship after a six-month bidding process.
The entertainment company signed the agreement late Thursday with Filmyard Holding, an investor group led by construction magnate and Hollywood outsider Ronald Tutor. Other investors include Colony Capital LLC, a real estate investment group, and its CEO Tom Barrack.
U.S. & World
Tutor and his partners put down a nonrefundable deposit of $40 million to Disney on Thursday. Disney said the deal could close as soon as Sept. 10.
Disney had been looking to sell Miramax amid a studio overhaul because it no longer resonated with its other family centric studio units such as Pixar and Marvel.
"Although we are very proud of Miramax's many accomplishments, our current strategy for Walt Disney Studios is to focus on the development of great motion pictures under the Disney, Pixar and Marvel brands," said Disney president and CEO Robert A. Iger said in a statement. "We are delighted that we have found a home for the Miramax brand and Miramax's very highly regarded motion picture library."
Miramax has been on Oscar powerhouse since its founding in 1979 by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The studio's library contains critical favorities such as "My Left Food", "Good Will Hunting" and popular hits like the "Kill Bill" movies.
The brothers sold to Disney for $80 million in 1993, and stayed on as managers.
Their recent bid to buy Miramax with the financial backing of supermarket magnate Ron Burkle was halted after Burkle cut the offered price to about $565 million from $625 million.


text:
|add code
|Last Modified
|Amortization Schedule Calculator 1.0
|Arsidian Limited
|2005-12-02 09:41:31
|[ link ]
|[ show ]
|The free Amortization Schedule Calculator - also known as a loan calculator - lets you estimate your monthly loan repayments. It also lets you figure out how much of your repayments will go towards the principal and how much will go towards interest. Simply input your loan amount, interest rate, loan term and repayment start date then click Calculate. Add this handy tool to your website FOR FREE to help your customers, clients and home buyers calculate the interest and repayments on their purchases. Full installation and integration instructions are included along with free online support. No ads, no annual fee, complete source code is included and you may modify the software for your own use.
|Calculate Net Present Value (npv, netpv) 0.1
|Lucas Baltes
|2000-03-08 16:36:21
|[ show ]
|Function to calculate the Net Present Value (NPV or NETPV)
|Currency Convertor 1.0.0
|John Shifter
|2002-03-09 17:06:37
|[ link ]
|A simple script for converting currensies. Just set up your base currency and the converted figures. The script does the rest
|currency selector and calculatoer for phpShop 0.80
|2006-08-18 07:30:51
|[ link ]
|The currency selector gives the user a choice to select his preferred currency on flypage and cart. Products and cart are displayed in the selected currency. For PayPal compatibility only currencies, which are accepted by PayPal are displayed. Exchange rates are updated automatically. The currency selector converts from Euros to other currencies. A list of available currencies is included.
|CurrencyConverter 1.0.0
|2001-11-10 16:47:52
|[ link ]
|CurrencyConverter can convert from USD, CAD, EUR and GBP to over 150 different currencies
|Dream Mortgage Calc Pro 1.0
|Tony L.
|2001-05-25 17:15:10
|[ link ]
|* Very compact and quick loading (only 4.5K of HTML). * Everything integrates into one HTML page * Easily customize the fonts, colors, & general layout in any HTML editor * User can choose to view a running principal and interest table. * Works fine with any version of PHP running on any server.
|Financial Management 1.0
|William Lucking
|1999-01-04 15:44:49
|[ show ]
|A suite of financial management functions including present and future value of an annuity and a loan payment calculation function.
|Mortgage Calculator 1.0
|Tony L.
|2001-05-22 13:04:11
|[ link ]
|This fast script calculates your interest, total payments, and monthly payments. Includes a nice HTML template for use on your website.
|Mortgage Calculator Plus 1.1
|Arseniy Olevskiy
|2005-02-02 11:41:41
|[ link ]
|Free online graphical calculator designed to calculate mortgage repayments.
|Mortgage calculators 3.2
|Mortgage Tools Developers
|2008-01-08 03:31:26
|[ link ]
|Comprehensive set of 22 mortgage calculators allows your site visitors to perform easily complicated real estate math. It features very unique LEAD GENERATION feature - calculation results in PDF format to let your visitors print them hassle free and have your contacts on the paper sheet even when your visitors offline. Other features are: great amortization tables, multi-lingual support, initial values settings to match your market and much more. This collection is fully rebrandable and can be easily integrated with any new or existing web-site in minutes.
|Mortgage Calculators Plus 1.1
|Arseniy Olevskiy
|2005-02-21 04:18:24
|[ link ]
|Mortgage Calculators Plus is a set of 10 mortgage calculators: "Monthly payment calculator", "Additional payment calculator", "How much do I have to earn", "How much can I borrow", "Should I pay discount points", "How much will I save by refinancing my loan", "How much will my tax deduction be", "Bi-weekly mortgage calculator", "APR calculator", and "Interest only monthly payment calculator". Customizable currency symbols, thousands separator, decimal point, and initial values let you match your Website audience.
|phpLoanCalc 1.0
|Arseniy Olevskiy
|2004-04-09 07:55:04
|[ link ]
|This loan calculator can be used to figure out regular payments of any kind of loan, based on the loan amount, loan length, interest rate and pay periodicity. phpLoanCalc uses template, that's why you can easily change its appearance for seamless integration with your website.
|Quick Quote 1.2
|Eric Pfleckl
|2000-09-19 12:50:27
|[ show ]
|Gets quick stock quotes from user-entered stock symbols and refreshes the info every 5 minutes. Data is gleaned from Yahoo!, so this code is only for personal use. Use the \"Pretty Code\", the plain text isn\'t working. (I mean, can we get a \"stripslashes()\" here?!)
Comments or questions?
PX is running PHP 5.2.17
Thanks to Miranda Productions for hosting and bandwidth.
Use of any code from PX is at your own risk.


text:
Chef-Driven Menu
We know that sharing great food and drinks with loved ones is a key part of creating memories at Topgolf. Tapping into the region's top culinary talent, each Topgolf venue features an accomplished Executive Chef and chef-driven menu. With shareable portions and fresh, high-quality ingredients, we hope you find the food and drinks as enjoyable as the games. We offer versatile event catering packages perfect for your next birthday party, company event, fundraiser or social get-together!


text:
Despite a day of misty downpours and gray skies, students, faculty members and their supporters gathered in the lobby of the City College of San Francisco's Conlan Hall on Wed/28 in anticipation of a sit-down with the school's chancellor, Dr. Arthur Q. Tyler.
The meeting had been requested to discuss increasing displacement at CCSF, with the number of eliminated classes on the rise every day. Yet questions were still swirling about whether college administrators had used much-needed funds to approve higher administrative pay scales without public notice.
Students and faculty delivered a petition signed by nearly 2,500 students opposing the recent course cancellations. When they unrolled the long list of signatures, it reached from the lobby all the way up the stairs to the chancellor's office door, a physical display of growing dissent. And with the cuts' affect already resulting in the cancellation of 27 foreign language courses alone, student anger over the course cancellations is building.
Matt Lambert, a CCSF student for several years, said he'd been informed just that morning that his photography class had been cancelled. He said he'd "spent all day this morning talking to people who were in a similar situation as I am, everybody has a class being cut somewhere. So how come classes are being cut, when supposedly City College is getting cash from Proposition A, how come with all that cash classes are still being cut?"
Proposition A, a special tax approved by voters in November of 2012, provides for a new channel of funding for CCSF with a $79 parcel tax. This tax was intended to help the relieve a bit of the struggle that's burdened the college as of late, but now students and faculty are finding themselves fending off class cuts as enrollment declines under the ongoing threat that the school could lose its accreditation.
The meeting with the chancellor was intended to be an open discussion, but in the end, only three individuals were permitted to speak to Tyler face-to-face. A chancellor's assistant informed the crowd the only three members–including faculty union AFT 2121 president Alisa Messer–were allowed to enter the office and represent the instructors and staff. While students were told they would have to follow the proper channels in order to arrange a formal meeting, many students regarded the move as a cop-out.
Following the meeting, Messer provided a recap. "They say they're looking at the class numbers, and looking at what they did cut, and making sure they didn't make any big mistakes," she told the Bay Guardian. "And maybe they should reconsider or learn something from what they do cut. They did say that they will be setting up quite a number late start classes, which is all news to us. But we made it really clear about the quality of education, and the trust that students have in getting their education at City College, and that it is not the right time to be cutting classes."
Despite an agenda item that was hastily withdrawn last week after being up for approval, recommending salary scale increases of 19.25 percent for certain administrative positions, Tyler is said to have denied the amount this increase, telling Messer, along with two colleagues, that "there was no intention to raise salaries by 20 percent," that there was confusion about the lower approved salary ranges posted on the school's website, and that Tyler is working to clarify this.
On Monday, AFT 2121 submitted formal records requests to learn the exact amount administrators are being paid.


text:
Television watchdog Parents Television Council is targeting AMC's hit zombie show Walking Dead.
The Hollywood reporter says the group is asking the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board to change the drama's 'TV-14' rating due it's violent content.
"Throughout its run, the AMC program The Walking Dead has featured some of the most graphic and brutally intense violence and gore imaginable," PTC president Tim Winter said.
READ: Got brains? These top 5 zombie movies do!
"The intensely violent content has included depictions of the cleaving of human skulls with a machete, extreme gun violence including graphic depictions of blood and brains splattering after gunshot wounds, and the use of a sharpened human bone as a weapon to stab another character."
In a letter to PGMB chairman Gordon Smith, Winter wrote: "Clearly, this is content appropriate to an adult-only audience, but AMC has rated every single episode of The Walking Dead as suitable for a 14-year-old child."
What do you think? Is the show suitable for 14-year-olds? Should the television show change it's rating to TV-MA?


text:
"The indispensable introduction to the indispensable writer. . . . Garber's is the most exhilarating seminar room you'll ever enter." –Newsweek
"The best one-volume critical guide to the plays. . . . Stimulating and informative." –San Jose Mercury News
"An enraptured ceremony of adoration. . . . Ambitious and thorough. . . . This is a useful book [and] a source of elucidation." –Newsday
"[Garber's] introduction is an exemplary account of what is known about Shakespeare and how his work has been read and regarded through the centuries, while the individual essays display scrupulous and subtle close reading." –The New Yorker
A Note on the Text
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Taming of the Shrew
Titus Andronicus
Henry VI Part 1
Henry VI Part 2
Henry VI Part 3
Richard III
The Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Richard II
King John
The Merchant of Venice
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Much Ado About Nothing
Henry V
Julius Caesar
As You Like It
Twelfth Night
Troilus and Cressida
Measure for Measure
All's Well That Ends Well
Timon of Athens
King Lear
Antony and Cleopatra
The Winter's Tale
The Tempest
Henry VIII (All Is True)
The Two Noble Kinsmen
Suggestions for Further Reading
General Index
Character Index


text:
Soup Spoon - Santol Mirror Finish
Santol by Charingworth
£0.28 per item
The Charingworth Santol cutlery is a fantastic range of heavy gauged, high quality cutlery, Santol has a contemporary curved form that is suited to formal and relaxed dining. A perfect cutlery hire choice for today's modern dining spaces. Charingworth from Studio William Welch


text:
In the wake of his impressive performance in Schalke's 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday night, Manuel Neuer says that moving to Old Trafford was "never an option" for him.
Only an excellent display from the Schalke goalkeeper kept the scoreline respectable in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final as Neuer underlined just why he is rated as one of Europe's best in his position.
The Germany international has already announced that he will leave Schalke at the end of the season with reports suggesting that a move to Bayern Munich has been agreed.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness confirmed on Wednesday that the club would soon start negotiations for Neuer, whose contract runs out next year, but insisted they would not pay through the nose.
"We have up till now not had any negotiations,'' Hoeness told TZ. "That will now be addressed. We want Manuel, and where there's a will there's a way. But Schalke cannot now demand an astronomical price.''
Sir Alex Ferguson, who said Neuer's performance was one of the best he had witnessed against United in 21 years at the club, has also expressed his belief that the goalkeeper is poised to move to the Allianz Arena.
While it is believed United were also interested in Neuer, the player himself says a move to the Premier League was never a realistic possibility.
"Manchester United was never an option for me. I will focus now on my performances and my team, all the other things don't matter at the moment," Neuer told Sky Germany.
In an interview with Schalke's official website, Neuer also reacted to Ferguson's praise. He said: "Of course it's nice to hear things like that. But we have lost 2-0 and that irritates me very much."
Regarding Schalke's performance, Neuer regretted his side's failure to replicate their remarkable win over reigning champions Inter in the quarter-finals.
"We played with too much respect in the beginning," Neuer said. "We knew of course that Manchester [United] are a big team but Inter were too. Today we wasn't as strong as the quarter-final. We weren't compact enough.
"The fans know we've done a big thing in reaching the semis. But this doesn't count in such a match, you want to win there. Maybe it would have been better to have an away match first."
Schalke forward Raul, scorer of a record 71 Champions League goals, has not entirely abandoned hope ahead of the second leg.
"In the return leg, everything is possible. We do not know what will happen, a penalty to us, a sending off for them. Nothing is impossible in football," Raul said.
"We expected a different result, another outcome to the game but we are still happy because we played to our level. The problem was that Manchester [United] played at another level.
"The only regrets we have are that we did not create enough scoring chances and that we conceded two goals in two minutes. Reaching the semi-finals for this club has given the supporters a great sense of pride. We tried everything, the fans realise this, and we were warmly applauded after the game."
Read more...


text:
Hello! Im Alex, the creative director and its about time we updated you on some progress. Lets get back to what most of you are interested in: the single player saga.
With Factions wrapping up shortly we have a very confident handle on the combat. Weve mentioned it before: combat in Factions is combat in The Banner Saga single player game. We hope that you guys like being able to jump in and try it for yourself instead of just reading about what it will be like. That system was, by far, the most complicated and risky part of the game and were nearly finished with it, aside from the enemy units that we havent released yet. Thats a great feeling.
Moving on! Game development is often thought of as one big whole- youve got story, level design, gameplay, art, features, dialogue, combat, so on and so forth. All of this naturally generates a series of dependencies. For example, you have to do concept art and story outlines before you can do animation and dialogue, and prototype gameplay before a final combat system. Were well past pre-production now, and deep into the meat of production. So lets talk about what that means.
Please keep in mind that we're basically showing everything- the good, the bad and the ugly. Some of this is polished and complete, other things are very rough and some might even look amateurish. Rest assured the final product will be as polished as Factions is now. It's all part of the process.
From a top-down view, we have three key systems that interact with each other to create the core experience of the game: travel, conversation and combat. Weve talked a lot about combat, but what about conversation, travel and the branching storyline that ties everything together?
Playing through the game means transitioning between all of these systems. Traveling across the land happens in two ways: youll shift between a world map and side-scrolling travel with an emphasis on your caravan, the people following you. Some of the following images are pulled directly from our high-level design docs; quick sketches used when proving out the ideas. They clearly dont represent final art!
Lots of games have world maps that let you roam a continent, discovering locations and giving the sense of a larger world. We wanted to capture that feeling, but with the sense of urgency and hardship that comes with thousands of people marching across a huge landscape. In The Banner Saga you dont have the luxury of mucking around. Time plays an integral factor, and traveling plays a huge part in the decisions you make.
With that in mind, youll have a specific goal as part of the story, and the world map is where youll plot a course toward that goal and make high-level decisions. Deciding which towns and territory to pass though and whether to make a straight shot for your destination or a safer, more roundabout route will have a huge effect on the events that occur along the way. You carry news with you that others have not heard, and how you use that knowledge also impacts the story. In addition, the world is not an unoccupied land mass peppered with friendly villages. There are contested territories and different factions who have different opinions of each other. Negotiating these problems is part of travel.
At key points along the path events will occur that are out of your control and have world-wide effects. How you react to them, and the path you forge in response, are part of your story.
When major events happen, or youve taken an action like setting up camp or entering a town or city, the world map transition into the side-scrolling mode shown in the trailer, called exploration. This is a big part of gameplay! Here you can see the size and mood of your caravan, how many people are traveling with you, and get a better view of the world around you. Exploration will introduce you to the stark beauty of the world around you, and better immerse you in the environment.
In exploration, youll be able to interact directly with your camp or a city to talk with characters in your caravan, enter buildings if youre in a city, rest for specific amounts of time and adjust how youre traveling. The city in Factions is a working example of how exploration will work.
The decisions you make along the way have an effect on how you are traveling. Your speed is a combination of factors, and youll need to manage the caravans endurance, morale, size and supplies to stay out of trouble.
Endurance inevitably decreases as you travel. The only way to restore it is to rest, but that costs time. Morale comes and goes based on your actions, how successful you are in combat, and how much the caravan agrees with your actions. Mobility is dictated entirely by the size of your caravan - the fewer people are traveling with you, the faster you can go. Of course, this also means the fewer people that may survive. Lastly, supplies amplify all of these other factors. Go too long without finding food or medicine and everything else will deteriorate quickly.
This brings us to events. If youve ever played King of Dragon Pass, youll be familiar with this sort of system. As you travel, the game notices how you are doing in each of your travel stats. If youre within a certain threshold, you may trigger an event.
Usually, events arise without warning, and are related to what is happening around you. Youll have to react to them in the way you think best for everyone. If youre low on supplies your caravan may try to revolt. If youre high on morale, you may end up with a camp full of rowdy drunken revelers. However, dont fear when an event pops up, theyre just as often positive experiences as they are negative, and may be crucial in keeping your caravan healthy and happy.
Even more importantly, dont think that events are one-time deals. The decision you make this time may cause a new event to arise later. Just because youve resolved a problem for now doesnt mean it wont come back to haunt you further down the road. Events can be related to the area youre traveling in, the decisions youve made in the past, the state of your caravan or pre-determined events along the way, and can affect everything from your caravans stats to which characters in your party live or die.
Weve now written dozens of events, some of which can be several parts long. Multiple playthroughs can feel wildly different.


text:
We have a huge choice of rugs available to order online at discounted prices including ranges from leading brands and you will find a fabulous large rugs range available with everything from the latest contemporary designs to traditional options or even shaggy choices.
Rugs are a great way of transforming any room. Our products have been carefully selected from around the World and are a great mix of quality and design that always represent excellent value for money. We have a huge range that covers all tastes from traditional patterns all the way to funky rugs for childrens bedrooms.