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We can now add Oman to the ever growing list of teetering or toppled Muslim country governments that already includes; Pakistan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain, and Libya.
Oman clashes: Two killed during protests in Gulf state
Two people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the Gulf state of Oman, witnesses and officials said.
Hundreds had gathered for a second day in the industrial city of Sohar to call for political reforms.
At least five people were said to have been wounded when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.
Until now, Oman had mostly been spared the unrest which has affected other Arab states in recent months.
Demonstrations are also taking place in the southern town of Salalah, according to Reuters news agency.
See also:
Protests turn violent in Oman port
Deaths in Oman protests
Middle East unrest spreads to Oman
Oman shuffles cabinet amid protests
Oman police clash with protesters
Two Killed In Oman As Protesters Clash With Security Forces
Clashes Between Police, Protesters Kill 2 in Oman
Anti-Govt. Clashes Kill 2, Injures 5 in Oman
Protesters clash with police in Oman
Two dead as Oman police move to quell protests
Police station, state office burning in Oman town
Six killed in Oman protests on Sunday: government hospital
Factbox: Facts about Oman
Oman is yet another country in political turmoil that borders Saudi Arabia. If this unrest consumes Saudi Arabia, all world economic hell will break loose and you can expect to pay a lot more for a gallon of gas. Will the Saudis be able to keep the wave of regional ant-government rebellion from splashing across her borders?
/we probably won't have to wait long to find out, youth groups and workers in that country now calling for a "day of rage" demonstration in the capital, Riyadh, on March 11th
Filed under: Blog Entry | Tagged: Algeria, Arab States, Bahrain, Clashes, Demonstrations, Egypt, Gathered, Gulf State, Industrial City, Killed, Lebanon, Libya, News Agency, Officials, Oman, Pakistan, Police, Political Reforms, Protesters, Protests, Reuters, Reuters News Agency, Rubber Bullets, Saudi Arabia, Security Forces, Sohar, Southern Town, Tear Gas, Tunisia, Unrest, Witnesses, Wounded, Yemen |


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The Social Work program's Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors are taken directly from CSWE's 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Faculty has mapped the program's course curriculum content including readings and assignments across these competencies to ensure curriculum coherence, continuity and coverage. Practice behaviors further operationalize each competency and can be seen in the Field Practicum Educational Plan and Field performance evaluations.
Social Workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its core values. They know the profession's history. Social workers commit themselves to the profession's enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth.
Social workers:
1. Advocate for client access to the services of social work.
2. Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development.
3. Attend to professional roles and boundaries.
4. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication.
5. Engage in career-long learning.
6. Use supervision and consultation.
Social workers have an obligation to conduct themselves ethically and to engage in ethical decision making. Social workers are knowledgeable about the value and base of the profession, its ethical standards, and relevant law.
Social workers:
1. Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice.
2. Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (NASW, 2008) and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles (IFSW, 2004) and, as appropriate. other codes of ethics.
3. Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts.
4. Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.
Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. They use critical thinking augmented by creativity and curiosity. Critical thinking also requires synthesis and communication of relevant information.
Social workers:
1. Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom.
2. Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation.
3. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues.
Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors. Appreciate that as a consequence of difference, a person's life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power and acclaim.
Social workers:
1. Recognize the extent to which a culture's structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power.
2. Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups.
3. Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences.
4. View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work.
Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the global interconnections of oppression and are knowledgeable about theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work incorporates social justice practices in organizations, institutions, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice.
Social workers:
1. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination.
2. Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice.
3. Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice.
Social workers use practice experience to inform research, employ evidence-based interventions, evaluate their own practice, and use research findings to improve practice, policy, and social service delivery. Social workers comprehend quantitative and qualitative research and understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge.
Social workers:
1. Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry.
2. Use research evidence to inform practice.
Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development.
Social workers:
1. Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation.
2. Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment.
Social work practitioners understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know the history and current structures of social policies and services; the role of policy in service delivery; and the role of practice in policy development.
Social workers:
1. Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being.
2. Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action.
Social workers are informed, resourceful, and proactive in responding to evolving organizational, community, and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers recognize that the context of practice is dynamic, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively.
Social workers:
1. Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services.
2. Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.
Professional practice involves the dynamic and interactive processes of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation at multiple levels. Social workers have the knowledge and skills to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Practice knowledge includes identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-based interventions designed to achieve client goals; using research and technological advances; evaluating program outcomes and practice effectiveness; developing, analyzing, advocating, and providing leadership for policies and services; and promoting social and economic justice.
Social workers:
1. Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
2. Use empathy and other interpersonal skills.
3. Develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work and desired outcomes.
Social workers:
1. Collect, organize, and interpret client data.
2. Assess client strengths and limitations.
3. Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives.
4. Select appropriate intervention strategies.
Social workers:
1. Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals.
2. Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities.
3. Help clients resolve problems.
4. Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients.
5. Facilitate transitions and endings.
Social workers:
1. Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions.
Mary Kay Brennan, DSW, LICSW
Estella Williamson, DSW
Field Director
Anna McCain
Administrative Assistant
Location: Casey 330

subset: commoncrawl


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Not only is pizza universally loved, but also it's endlessly versatile. You can create limitless combinations of crusts, cheeses, sauces, and toppings. Here are a couple of new no-guilt recipes from your pizza-loving pals at Hungry Girl...
Entire recipe: 320 calories, 7.5g total fat (3g sat fat), 902mg sodium, 34g carbs, 6.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 32g protein -- PointsPlus® value 8* -- SmartPoints® value 8* The garlic is GREAT, the tomato is tasty, and the whole thing is downright delicious!
Ingredients: 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese 2 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping 1/4 tsp. chopped garlic 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Dash black pepper 1 stick light string cheese 1 high-fiber pita 2 oz. cooked and shredded (or finely chopped) skinless chicken breast 2 tbsp. diced tomato 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil Optional topping: red pepper flakes Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine cheese wedge, 1 tsp. Parm-style topping, chopped garlic, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until smooth. Break string cheese into thirds and place in a blender or food processor -- blend at high speed until shredded. (Or pull into shreds and roughly chop.) Place pita on the baking sheet. Evenly spread with cheese-wedge mixture and sprinkle with shredded string cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with chicken and sprinkle with remaining 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. Top with tomato, basil, and remaining 1 tsp. Parm-style topping. Bake until hot and lightly browned, 10 - 12 minutes. Enjoy!
1 mini pizza (1/12th of recipe): 154 calories, 4g total fat (2g sat fat) 578mg sodium, 20g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 3g sugars, 8g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4* -- SmartPoints® value 4* A slice of regular deep-dish can be a calorie disaster. But these diminutive 'n decadent deep-dish pizzas are totally innocent and totally YUM!!! Ingredients: Two 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 1 tbsp. chopped garlic 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. onion power 1 package Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust refrigerated dough 1/4 cup reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix spinach, shredded cheese, chopped garlic, and salt. In a medium bowl, mix crushed tomatoes with seasonings. Roll out dough into a large rectangle of even thickness, at least 12" X 9". Evenly cut dough into 12 squares. Place each square in a muffin cup, and press it into the bottom and up along the sides. Evenly distribute spinach-cheese mixture among the cups, about 3 tbsp. each, and firmly pack it in. Evenly top with seasoned crushed tomatoes, about 1 tbsp. per cup, and sprinkle with Parm-style topping, 1 tsp. per cup. Bake until dough is firm and golden brown and filling is hot, about 15 minutes. Enjoy! MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Pass this email to your pals and get the pizza party started -- click "Send to a Friend" STAT.
Today, February 23rd, is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. While we're not exactly the target audience, we do know a few furry friends who will be more than happy to celebrate with you...
SmartPoints® value not what you expected? Click here for more info on how the values are calculated, plus more FAQs about PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® values on our website.


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There are as many action cameras out today as there are energy drinks, but the GoPro Hero3 Black is the hands-down best for capturing everything from stupid stunts to sensational achievements. Not only is it smaller and easier to mount, the Black also supports such best-in-class specs as the ability to snag both ultracrisp 1080p video at 60 frames per second and cinema-quality 4K resolution video at 15 frames per second. It can even snap stills while recording. The proof is in our post-test footage: The Black caught everything more clearly than its competitors. [$400; gopro.com]
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!


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In this week's New York State of Mind Amoeblog is a preview from the forthcoming XXL magazine on the return of New York hip-hop, a review of a unique new record store/barber shop Deep Cuts at the Silent Barn in Bushwick Brooklyn, plus a novel, budget conscious, way to celebrating Valentines Day in New York City, as well as a righteous rewarding way to participate in V-Day's One Billion Rising in NYC, plus concerts picks and happenings for the week ahead.
Concerts include gospel great Mavis Staples (pictured right) on Feb. 14th as part of the American Songbook series in the Allen Room, Jazz At Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall at Broadway at 62th Street. 8pm show. More info 212 721-6500 and at AmercianSongbook. Also on Feb 14th (Valentine's Day) soul singer Freddie Jackson plays BB King's on 42nd Street in the Times Square area. More info. On Friday, Feb 15th heavy metal masters Meshuggah headline a bill at Roseland Ballroom on W 52nd near 8th Avenue with both Animals As Leaders and Intronaut opening. Tickets and info. Big Head Todd & The Monsters play Irving Plaza on Saturday, Feb 16th. More info. Longtime homegrown hip-hop acts M.O.P. and Smif-N-Wessun, both from Brooklyn, team up to play a show at the Highline Ballroom at 431 West 16th Street in the Chelsea district on Sunday Feb 17th. More info.
On Friday and Saturday (Feb 15 & 16) in celebration of Black History Month 2013 Reg E Gaines will present three performances of his multimedia one-man show The Last Celebrity which is billed as a "non-linear look at Reg's accidental brush with fame and his journey from obscure street poet to writer of the Tony Award winning musical, Bring in da Noise/Bring in da Funk." For each of his three performances (two on Saturday and one on Friday) he will have a different opening act. For the 7pm Friday show NJ to the Bay to NY artist Azeem will do a performance of his acclaimed one man show Rude. Technically it is not a New York event since it happens across the river over in Jersey City at Art House Productions at 1 McWilliams Place. But Jersey City is only a five minute PATH train ride from WTC station in Lower Manhattan. Tickets are $10 and you can buy them here.
"New York is back" - that's the word according to New York City based Harris Publications hip-hop magazine XXL who, in celebration of this proclamation, feature on the cover of their brand new (March/April) issue both Harlem's A$AP Rocky and The Bronx's French Montana in both solo covers and the joint cover (left). These two newcomer NYC rap stars, "are sure to be two of 2013's most celebrated MCs" write XXL's editors. A$AP Rocky's debut album (as distinct from his mixtapes), LONG.LIVE.A$AP, debuted at No. 1 on the Amoeba chart and on Billboard 200 upon its release last month. Meanwhile fellow NY rapper French Montana's debut disc, Excuse My French, will drop on April 16th and is expected to do extremely well. In the new XXL issue, which hits stands nationwide on February 19th, both artists give intimate in-depth interviews with Rocky talking about such things as his former drug dealing days and the recent death of his father, and Montana discussing such things as his relationship with 50 Cent and his feelings on that almost deadly day he was shot in the head.


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Washington (CNN) - A conservative group that attacked Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign for his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright is launching a new campaign against vulnerable Democratic members of Congress with the goal of linking them to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her "leftist agenda."
The National Republican Trust PAC announced Monday the creation of "The Pelosi Index," an online database that rates members of Congress according to how often they side with Pelosi on votes on touchstone issues, such as the stimulus package and health care reform.
Democrats who have lined up with House leadership more than 75 percent of the time - closer to the "Tyranny" end of the group's scale, as opposed to the "Liberty" end - are labeled "The Worst of the Worst."
Scott Wheeler, the executive director of the PAC, told CNN the new effort will be accompanied over the next 90 days by a $3 million television and radio ad blitz against several Democrats seeking re-election in 2010, with a specific focus on members who hail from districts won by John McCain in 2008.
Wheeler would not list every Democrat in the PAC's crosshairs, but he did name four who will be targeted by ads in the coming months: Florida Rep. Ron Klein, Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry.
"There are others that I think that can be put in a position to have to explain and defend voting for an agenda that is completely inconsistent with the values of their district," Wheeler said of other Democrats on the PAC's hit list.
He said the PAC group was still evaluating whether Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith - who switched parties to become a Republican in December - will be targeted or treated "as Republican who might start voting more conservatively."
You people didn't seem to mind this when MoveOn did it. How about the people who bashed McCain for how often he supported Bush. Typical liberal hypocrisy. Just 10 months until you rabble lose your Congressional majority. At least then the harm Obozo can cause will be limited.
This is just plain stupid!
I love it. Any idiot who consistency aligns themselves with MRS. BOTOX needs to be expelled from office, including OBOZO, REID, FRANK, SCHUMER, etc.
I would like to see the Cheney Index as prepared by these experts – there'd be lots of material to pour over, too, in order to do the job right.
And when you finish that, do one on Karl Rove, too!!!
This is consistent with the new term orginating in Japan
OBAMU – regardless of facts, to proceed ahead with enthusiam
The majority of americans do not want this health care, but he must win and pelosi must win so they proceed.
The merits of PACs aside, if the Rev. Jeremiah Wright can be credibly linked to any candidate, I will vote for somebody else.
The "startled look" in Pelosi's accompanying forehead shot is priceless. Bravo, photographer.
The Republicans have no other "strategy" but......hate.... lies..... fear and division!
Americans need to read up on history to educate themselves on how often the Republicans have been on the side of Corporations not on the side of the People!
I expect that the 2010 midterm elections will be as vicious as never before! The GOP will be vile & evil.
Pelosi and the Democrats are putting the welfare and safety of the American people ahead of money and party politics.
The GOP only cares about tax cuts for the wealthy, who use that money to build factories overseas, hire cheap labor and manufacture in countries with no job safety or environmental protection laws.
I'll take Pelosi and the Democrats any day.
Yeah, my guy, Dave Price of NC-4, is basically a spineless rubber stamp for whatever the Dems want him to do. I don't why he doesn't just give Pelosi and irrevocable proxy, stay home, and save the taxpayers his travel expenses.
What I want to see is not only the list of names of the wealthy Americans who've been hiding money in UBS and other Swiss banks to avoid taxes – along with their political party affiliation.
My bet is that chart would be decidedly RED – and very easy for even a Republican to understand.
Some of these Repubs. thinking pattern is farther than three Earth like planets not far from here..one a vast tropical forest the other inhabit with people like we are. Enough said.
Republicans have so much to offer the American people don't they?..Balanced Budget...first since 1930 ..When Herbert Hoover balanced the budget during the Great Depression... and now the Republcans want to cut spending during the Great Recession...Of course ask yourself.. do you ever .. do you ever hear any Republicans ever talk about the millions of Americans who have no health Insurance...All the while the Republicans in Congress enjoy their great government Health Insurance?..Any answers to the above concerns?
Let me add my two-cents to this 'braintrust' of an idea: if you're going to have TYRANNY at one end of the graph, make sure that you accurately describe those that are more in line with the RethugliKlan Party line by having EXTINCT at other end.
Where do these braindead, on-the-gov't payroll thieves, domestic terrorists, good for nothing spreaders of lies, fears, and innuendoes find the time AND money for this tripe, but can't seem to lift a finger to help anyone BUT themselves and their cronies?
Liberal dems are the 21st century plague on democracy. The non-thinkers that populate that group follow their leaders to totalitarianism.
So What?
As a country, we and President Obama, are left with what the last 8 years of Republican rule gave us. Debt, war, unemployment because many jobs were shipped over seas and then under Bush, given 'tax' benefits for doing such.
People have not forgotten the legacy the GOP left us with and hopefully, will never forget this. Oh, i'm not kidding myself to think the Democratic Party won't do whatever is best in their interest but atleast they haven't created the issues the GOP gave us. And as with all things, we'll have to see.
GOP, go away! you were self-serving, bedded the RR for power and left us in shambles. You're not wanted anymore!
maybe they should have a bone head meter of the number of bills the thugs voted no to including extending unemployment, healthcare reform etc.
LOL! Its funny when Republicans refer to anyone as falling under the category of Tyranny. We're talking about the party who attacked freedom in the United States of America so visciously for years when they held power, and continues to do so from the minority now. This is a party who wants government to control people's private choices. The Republican Party is at least as far from Libertarianism as the Democratic Party, possibly moreso.
The Grand Obstructionist Party, the pary of NO, somehow was allowed to exist in 2010.
I've never understood the Republican demonizing of Pelosi. Forget "radical", she's barely even progressive. She hasn't been particularly effective, or heavy handed (relatively speaking), as the House leader either. Guess their big problem with her is that she's a she, and a smart one at that. Intelligent women running things? Anathma! Can't have that! Break out the torches and pitchforks! 😀
What, pray tell, does it prove anyway? Person 1 agreed with her 50% of the time...oooooh. Person 2 agreed with her 25% of the time...ooooooh. Not one GOPers would with her or ANY other Dem EVER (at least based on their behavior since losing control of teh WH and Congress). I fail to see where the valid and valuable analysis lies...you know, other than highlighting the fact that the GOP's strategery is "obstruct everything when we don't have control." I dare say, their sophomoric joke cuts them just as deeply as any it delivers to Pelosi et al.
Irony 1,299,412: GOP 0
Tyranny? Really? I'd like to pack up the people who made this stupid index and ship them off to live in a time and place where TYRANNY ACTUALLY EXISTED. You know, someplace where people who didn't think the same way as you or looked different from you were TORTURED and EXECUTED...Where no one had a voice or freedoms of any kind. Then perhaps they would realize how ignorant and dangerous these outlandish claims truly are.
Never mind that the numbers on that "Pelosi Index" don't mean squat without context. It's colorful, graphics-heavy, and has a sarcastic MAD Magazine sensibility. In other words, it's dumbed down perfectly for its intended demographic of naive, derisive individuals. I just wonder whether this was deliberate to instigate a purely emotional response, or if this PAC is made up of that same demographic and they actually believe they've created something of substance here. (I'd bet on a little bit of both.)
I wish peope would focus more on the agenda at hand instead of using their "what little brains" they have on this kind of garbage. Pretty soon I won't watch any news or vote or anything else. I am so sick of these people doing this kind of childish behavior.
After 8 years of destroying the economy, they do not possess the credibility to judge for the next 7 years.


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Urinary Incontinence Drugs May Be More Trouble Than They're Worth
Analysis found many women stop taking the medications because of bothersome side effects.
MONDAY, April 9, 2012 (HealthDay News) — For women with urinary incontinence, the available treatments may cause more problems than they solve and many stop taking the medications because of side effects that can include dry mouth and constipation, a new analysis indicates.
Urge incontinence is marked by frequent, sudden urges to urinate that can result in leakage and accidents. Standard treatment includes lifestyle changes, pelvic floor exercises, bladder training and/or medication. There are several types of medications that may be used alone or together for the condition. Generally, these medications relax bladder contractions and help improve bladder function.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health analyzed data from 94 studies to see how well the available drugs worked. A given medication was deemed effective if women achieved a 50 percent or more reduction in daily episodes of urge incontinence. Researchers also compared side effects and discontinuation due to side effects of the drugs. Overall, drugs were more effective than a placebo in helping women stay dry, but the improvements were small and treatment discontinuation due to side effects was frequent, the review showed.
There were few head-to-head comparisons in the literature. One study showed that Toviaz (festerodine) bested Detrol (tolterodine) in helping people stay dry. More women stopped taking Ditropan or Urotrol (oxybutynin) due to side effects than Detrol. The lowest rates of treatment discontinuation was seen with 5 milligrams of Vesicare (solifenacin). The review was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
"Since all drugs for urgency incontinence have comparable effectiveness, therapeutic choice should consider the harms profile, and women should be informed about all possible adverse effects," the researchers concluded. Their report appears in the April 10 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said she always starts with behavioral changes to help women manage urge incontinence. "Kegel exercises, fluid restriction and staying way from bladder irritants such as coffee, tea juices and alcohol are the first-line treatments, and if they don't improve, we move to medication."
"Some women find these drugs work great and don't have any side effects," she added.
Dr. Yvonne K. P. Koch, an assistant professor of urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the findings run counter to what she sees in her practice. "Some women may not be 100 percent dry, but are 50 percent improved and are pretty happy with that." She said she always starts women at the lowest dose of the drug with the fewest side effects.
"There is a lot of trial-and-error," she said. "Most people do try two or three before they find one that works."


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The internet is drowning in Samus fan art, but this beautiful image, complete with subtle redesign, might just be my new favourite. It's like a cross between a Nintendo game, a rock poster and early 80s anime. In other words, the perfect picture.
Samus [Muju @ DeviantArt, via Copiously Geeky]


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The C Desk is the world center and prime anchor desk of truthiness. It's located smack dab in the center-right of the Eagle's Nest.
Stephen sits within the confines of this comfy "C"-shaped desk during most of the Colbert Report. He leaves it, to the delight of the audience, only when he moves stage-left (of course) to the Axe Body Spray Interview Zone where he nails a guest.
On a few rare occasions, a guest has been granted the rare privilege of sitting next to Stephen in an honored spot at the C Desk. Jon Stewart, George Lucas, Andrew Sullivan, John Hall, and Elizabeth de la Vega have been given that rare opportunity.
The extraordinary privilege, along with a wingback chair to sit in, was also offered to lily-livered Senator Joe Lieberman who unaccountably refused.
Bobby, the Report's stage manager, stands near the C Desk but is not allowed to touch it or step onto its pedestal.
Cronkite originsEdit
Countless critics have noted that the anchor desk used by old-time CBS anchor Walter Cronkite was also shaped like a "C". Even though Cronkite was a founder of the liberal media, he was widely respected in his benighted day. (That was when Fox was only making monster movies and hadn't yet shown the world how news should be done.)
Dr Colbert is thought to have adopted the "C" shape partly because he is today's most respected anchor, but without Cronkite's Cut-and-runnyness.
Super PowersEdit
- the C-Desk can play VHS tapesEpisode #345
- Stephen receives faxes at the C-DeskEpisode #350
- can receive Jewish Apologies
- the gentile phone is a rotary modelEpisode #352
- shred ungracious magazinesEpisode #391
- bake brownies at high-altitudesEpisode #440
Contents of The DeskEdit
- a pistol and whipEpisode #368
- a sleeping cap, pillow and blanketEpisode #420
- a StarbucksEpisode #424
- another StarbucksEpisode #429
- a sprig of grass & an even longer sprig of grassEpisode #428
- a laptop and hobo bindleEpisode #453
- termites and a stick with which to eat themEpisode #468
- a blonde wig and puppyEpisode #579
Other Things That Live In Or Near The C DeskEdit
- The Junk Holder
- Stephen's Big Red Button
- Box of Medical Waste
- The Atone Phone
- Awards Fax Machine
- Someone's skullEpisode #489


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Virginia state government agencies have sent Gov. Bob McDonnell suggestions for cutting their spending by more than $132 million over the next 18 months should spending reductions be needed to balance the state budget.
Shortly after the Nov. 6 election, McDonnell cited the potential of deep federal spending cuts barring a congressional debt-reduction deal in ordering department heads to prepare contingencies for cuts of 4 percent.
The governor could implement all the cuts, some of them, or change any of the recommendations. Or, if revenues remain on track or ahead of appropriations as they were through October, McDonnell could impose none of the cuts.
Thanks largely to a 15.7-percent spike in tax collections in October, general state revenues that had lagged well below official forecasts through the first quarter of the fiscal year increased to 4.8 percent revenue growth after four months.
Spokesman J. Tucker Martin said the proposed spending cuts, released to reporters late Friday, are only advisory, submitted for the governor's information, and that McDonnell has requested similar spending reduction contingency plans in each of his three years in office.
The largest share of the recommended cuts -- 40 percent -- totals almost $53 million from public safety agencies. More than half of that amount, about $30 million, would come from the Department of Corrections.
Health and Human Services agencies would lose $34 million, representing one-fourth of the total cuts. The deepest cuts would come from the Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth ($10 million) and grants to localities ($8.8 million).
The 21-page spreadsheet, with its tiny 5-point type, is rich with proposals that state agencies proffered that would reduce or eliminate aid to local governments, a popular budgetary expedient in recent years as legislative budget writers coped with the worse economic downturn since the Great Depression.
Almost $9.8 million would be cut in appropriations for offices such as sheriff, commonwealth's attorney and circuit court clerk. Another proposal would eliminate the state reimbursement for any of the employers' share of retirement contributions and group-life insurance premiums for constitutional officers.
Other proposed savings that would affect localities, for example, include nearly $350,000 in funding cuts for drinking water and sewer system development programs in southwestern Virginia, and $324,000 to the State Board of Elections budget that is used to help local electoral boards compensate people who work the polls on Election Day.
Education programs would lose up to $4.4 million, with $1 million of it coming from the Library of Virginia, cuts that could force six layoffs if they occur. Central office operations would be trimmed by about $900,000.
Recommended cuts to transportation, by contrast, totaled only $1,210, the least of any executive branch secretariat.
Other suggested cuts:
- $704,000 from the Eastern Virginia Medical School for undergraduate medical education, likely forcing the school to boost tuition;
- $590,000 in aid to local libraries;
- $34,298 to help school districts with the costs of testing applicants for general equivalency diplomas;
- $125,000 saved from eliminating a nursing scholarship and loan repayment program.


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- "There were fifteen of us, all boys from the village. But one of us betrayed the group. It was a setup... for money! Twelve people died, three escaped."
- ―Niko Bellic.
The "fifteen man squad" was a military squad which saw active service during the Yugoslav Wars. Members of this squad included Niko Bellic, Florian Cravic, Darko Brevic, Goran, Mijo, Dragan, Dmitar, and eight other unnamed members. All had grown up together in the same village.
According to Darko, the squad also killed civilians (Niko does not comment on this), some of whom were Darko's neighbours, which was his motivation to betray them.
Sometime during the war, the squad was ambushed by enemy forces. Twelve members of the squad were killed, with Niko, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic surviving and escaping. Niko believed that the squad could not have been ambushed unless someone within the group had sold them out. He travelled back to where the ambush had taken place, and found a large pit containing the squad members' bodies. Niko identified each of the bodies, but did not find those of Florian or Darko.
Concluding that one of the two had been the traitor within the squad, Niko vowed to track down and kill the culprit. Unbeknownst to Niko, Florian would later move to Liberty City, while Darko fled to Bucharest, Romania.
Events of GTA IV
In 2008, Niko arrived in Liberty City, both to visit his cousin Roman, and to track down Florian Cravic, whom he had learned was living there. Eventually, Niko tracked Florian down — who had come out as homosexual and was in a relationship with Liberty City's deputy mayor, Bryce Dawkins. He protested his innocence, and Niko was angered to know that he would not get his revenge any time soon as he had no idea where Darko Brevic could be.
Later in the game, an agent of the United Liberty Paper Company located Darko in Bucharest. Darko was kidnapped and smuggled into Liberty City. Niko confronted Darko at the cargo bay of Francis International Airport and discovered that Darko had sold the squad out for $1,000 to fund his heroin addiction. Niko was all the more appalled that he and his friends were sold out over such a paltry sum. Darko called Niko a "hypocrite", knowing that Niko had frequently killed for money. He also told Niko that Goran had killed Darko's friends and neighbours, giving Darko another reason to betray the unit.
The decision to kill Darko or let him live is then left to the player.
If the player chooses to kill Darko, Niko will shoot him twelve times, one shot for each fallen squad member. Before dying, Darko will thank Niko. Roman, who is with Niko during the confrontation, says that it is over now and Niko says he feels empty for killing Darko.
If the player lets Darko live, he runs off, never to be seen again. Niko is angry with himself for letting Darko live, but eventually decides that it was the best choice, and feels better. He lets Florian know, and Florian tells Niko that he is "proud" of him, and that both men now have the closure they desire.
If the player decides to spare Darko by walking away, but then manages to kill him while he is fleeing, the game will act as if Niko had chosen to kill him, but the cutscene will not play.
- In a conversation with Dwayne Forge during a friendship activity, Niko reveals that eight of the twelve squad members who died were friends of Niko, with the other four merely being acquaintances from the village.


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REPORTED cases of Lyme disease in the metropolitan region rose sharply in 2005, according to health officials, with increases of 34 percent in Connecticut, 23 percent in New Jersey and 9 percent in New York State.
But some counties showed declines. Westchester had 458 reported cases, a decrease of 39 percent from 2004. On Long Island, Suffolk County, with 542 cases, declined 3 percent, while Nassau County, with 122 cases, had an increase of 107 percent.
Fluctuations in case numbers are common, officials said, and the causes are difficult to pinpoint. Connecticut's increase last year, to 1,810 cases, is "right within what we've been seeing historically for the past 15 years," said Randall Nelson of the infectious disease division of the State Department of Public Health. "There's variation from year to year."
Contributing factors are food supplies for deer and rodents, which carry the ticks that spread the disease; weather (ticks have a two-year life span and flourish during warm, wet winters); and human activity, including prevention efforts and disease reporting.
Mid-May to early July is peak season, when about 90 percent of cases are transmitted, officials said. The disease often causes a bull's-eye-shaped rash near a tick bite. It can spread through the body if left untreated, causing arthritis, cardiac irregularities and neurological problems.
Reported cases have been increasing over the last decade, experts say, partly because of greater awareness of the disease.
"There's either a real increase or an increase in recognition, and it's probably a combination of both," said Dr. Steven E. Phillips, the immediate past president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. The disease was first identified in the 1970's in Lyme, Conn., thus giving it its name.
Another expert, Eddy Bresnitz, the state epidemiologist in New Jersey, where 3,372 cases were reported in 2005, cited the increased proximity of humans to wildlife. "There's more and more suburbia constructed closer to parks and areas where there's increased vegetation," he said. "We have more deer and more deer ticks."
Anyone who walks through leaf litter in the woods or on the edge of fields or lawns this time of year should check regularly for the nymphal stage of the tick, said Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine. The size of a poppy seed, the tick spreads 95 percent of cases, Dr. Fish said.
Some prevention efforts appear to be working. In Hunterdon County in New Jersey, the rate of reported cases fell almost by half, to 268 per 100,000 residents in 2005 from 554 in 1996. For comparison, the rate of Lyme disease nationally in 2005 was 6.7 cases per 100,000 people, and it is 27.4 in the 12 Eastern and Midwestern states where it is most common, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hunterdon experienced an increase in the number of cases in the 1990's after the completion of a section of Interstate 78 in western New Jersey in 1968 led to housing construction and more people moving into deer habitat, said John W. Beckley, director of the County Health Department.
He said some of the recent decline in Lyme disease in the county might be attributable to public health efforts that included putting signs in county parks warning visitors to check for ticks; distributing fliers about the disease to doctors' and veterinarians' offices, garden centers and schools; and publishing a Lyme-O-Meter in a local newspaper announcing the level of tick danger each week.
Dr. Andrea Gaito, a rheumatologist in Basking Ridge, N.J., in neighboring Somerset County, said in mid-May that she was already seeing three to four new cases of Lyme a week.
"There's more awareness, that's what brings people in early, and that's the good news," she said. "It makes early diagnosis and treatment so much better." As a result, she said, she is seeing fewer cases of chronic Lyme disease, which she estimates account for 15 to 20 percent of cases.
Kim Uffleman, 49, of Rivervale, N.J., in Bergen County, suffers from the chronic form of the disease, which she contracted 17 years ago. Nine months after being bitten by a tick, she was bedridden, and it was two years before Ms. Uffleman, who used to run almost 50 miles a week, could leave her house without help. It took her too long, she said, to find a doctor who could give her a clear diagnosis, even though she had had the classic bull's-eye rash.
"I grieve the loss of my health, and that I had to raise three children while being extremely ill," she said. "They know nothing except for a sick mother, and that's very difficult."
She still has headaches, back pain, fatigue, numbness in her hands and burning pain down her arms.
Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, a national nonprofit group based in Jackson, N.J., said her group had helped develop two bills now before Congress that would provide $100 million for research, education and prevention, in part to develop a definitive diagnostic test.
People who receive an early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics generally recover and do not develop chronic symptoms. But diagnostic tests have only been about 50 percent accurate, Ms. Smith said, adding that she has seen an increase in chronic cases since the disease was identified, because as the number of cases grows, the number of undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and slowly treated cases has also grown.
"Some people have to go to dozens of physicians before they get diagnosed, and people are getting delayed or inappropriate treatments," she said.
Linda Davis, 42, of Freehold, N.J., in Monmouth County, had misdiagnoses of multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, among other ailments, before learning she had Lyme disease in 2003. She was using a wheelchair when she finally started receiving proper treatment.
Her sons, Austin Hutcherson, 8, and Myles Hutcherson, 6, also have the disease.
"None of us had the bull's-eye rash," she said. After receiving antibiotics, they are all doing better, though they still have symptoms; Austin has gastrointestinal problems, and Myles has chronic fatigue.
"We try to keep everything normal," she said. "They're always playing outside. Most people don't even know they have Lyme disease."
Ms. Smith said the Lyme Disease Association was also raising money for an endowed research center at Columbia University devoted to chronic Lyme disease and supported research into the genome of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark are determining the genetic structure of 17 strains of the bacteria, with help from researchers at the Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., Stony Brook University and the University of Utah.
One New Jersey researcher, Dr. Steven Schutzer, said, "Knowing the genetic sequence will help in diagnostics, and possibly different kinds of therapeutics."
Despite concerns about the disease, Mr. Beckley, the Hunterdon County health officer, urged people to enjoy the outdoors.
"You can go on as many hikes as you want through the woods, but stay on the path," he said. If you must go off the path, "you should tuck your pants in your socks," he said, and use insecticides or insect repellent and check for ticks on yourself, your children and pets after being outside.


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Program outline
The circus has come to town and the delegates are the stars of the show! Battle of the Big Top is an exhilarating, energetic and demanding experience that climaxes with a unique performance specially created by the delegates. They organise, stage, manage and perform their show in front of a genuine invited audience!
In less than one day and with the expert guidance of professional artists, budding circus stars learn and perfect skills to become seasoned performers. As the clock ticks towards 'show-time' the group divides into teams to focus on specific performance and management elements of the show, with many individuals having dual roles. Everyone contributes and learns a new skill or two that they may have initially thought impossible. These new-found-skills are then choreographed into a performance involving their immediate colleagues and added to the show roster.
All skills require a collective team approach and vary from stilt-walking, clowning, trapeze, juggling, floor gymnastics and walking the low-wire amongst others. There are also a host of behind the scenes roles that are equally important, such as stagehands, show calling, sound and lighting, as well as, of course, the Ring Master!
The grand finale is the perfect showcase for a united team as they perform the 'Greatest Show on Earth!' Everyone is bursting with pride as their hard work is rewarded with cheers and applause.
Learning and development outcomes
This adrenaline-fuelled and unforgettable event inspires individuals to go beyond their personal expectations. It is also a fantastic way to encourage collaboration, leadership and creativity whilst, at the same time, communicating and managing all the resources and, in so doing, reflecting the true spirit of the circus.
Corporate Social Responsibility ideas
Battle Of The Big Top has been used to create a special occasion for disadvantaged youth. After perfecting your act children are invited into the 'Big Top' and served with popcorn and other treats. They are then entertained in a truly unique fashion watching your own circus show. Everyone is a winner as your people enjoy the shared team experience and see the delight in the faces of the children for whom this will be a truly memorable day.


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Photo Samples of Sign Panels
Below are sample photos of our vinyl sign panels. For more photos of custom banners, sign panels, vehicle graphics and more, including: stickers, decals, labels, and window lettering, check out our Portfolio.
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For a Free Quote call us at (920)-664-4769
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So check out our 100s of photo samples of banners, signs, vehicle graphics and MORE. Including: Stickers, Decals, Labels, Window Lettering. Free Quote! (920)-664-4769
For more photos of custom vinyl sign panels, vehicle lettering, banners, vehicle graphics and more, including: stickers, decals, labels, and window lettering, check out our Portfolio.


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Halloween Mashup
Tuesday Tubin'
Each Tuesday, The A Cappella Blog presents a link to a scholastic a cappella performance, or related material, that we recommend to you.
We welcome clip suggestions from anyone who would like to submit them.
This week we present the NYU Vocaholics performing their Halloween mashup.


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|Southeast Spotlight
Wild Image Project reveals rare glimpses of the Natural World
Published: 08/08/2013 12:00:00
As the modern age and the digital world begin to overtake the simpler ways of life, people often seem to lose touch with their connection with the natural world. One man however has found his own way to re-establish that connection and to help others do the same through his efforts, hence; the Wild Image Project, by Daniel Fox, who explained to us what it means to him.
VIDEO: Explorer/Photographer Daniel Fox shares his relationship with our Planet and reminds us of the importance of re-connecting with Nature. (Image: Nathaniel Stephens)
"The Wild Image Project is an ongoing narrative about my relationship with Nature, so I write stories, I do photography and I do short videos, and it's kind of a poetic approach, sometimes philosophical, about our relationship with the planet and how sometimes we need to re-connect with nature.
I go to places and I stay there for about two weeks or a month and I just wait for my surroundings to speak to me, my creative process is pretty particular in that way. This kind of expedition is a different process because you're constantly on the move, but when I really want to create these portraits that I do, or more of the artistic photography that I do, I just go to a place and I just stay there for a while and then I just absorb it and then I start to create."
And his creations are stunning images that he shares with the rest of us on wildimageproject.com;
A website born in a manner that most of us can only dream of.
"So the Wild Image Project basically came up five years ago when I reassessed my future and decided that the corporate world was not for me and I wanted to go back and do what I always wanted to do which is this, traveling the world and spending time in nature, coming to Alaska and Kayak."
We met Daniel last week just after he completed his most recent expedition, a kayak trip along the outer coast.
"Nathaniel, my expedition partner, and I, we've been wanting to do trips in Alaska for a long time and the timing was never right and then finally all the pieces came together so he came up with the route of kayaking from Sitka to Hoonah and so we did it, we just actually got off the ferry two hours ago and it was a wonderful trip. I'm falling in love with Alaska; I think I'm going to be coming back real soon."
By: Rik Pruett - email@example.com


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Posts Tagged 'manscape'
Manscaping Tips For Bear Hairy Furry Fuzzy Men
I think I crossed a fine line. As a Gay Bear man, there's certain things I should hold sacred. Such as the furry, fuzzy parts of other men. To simply appreciate them as is: Bristly, Wooly, Scruffy, Fuzzy, Furry, Gnarly, Stubbly bits – in total. I mean after all – it is the hair that makes the Bear.
And I love it I do, those big burly beefy hairy thick stocky bearded bristly men. But we all need to own hair-clippers and razors and shavers and scissors to clip and trim and otherwise TRY to control the uncontrollable growth of hair all over our bodies. And Bear Hairy Men need some of The Best Manscaping Tools to do that.
Please men: as this Manscaped trend continues – and it is HOT, HAIRY and IN THE NEWS – resist the pressure to over-trim, over-clip, over-nip. Most of that body hair is wanted, not un-wanted body and pubic hair. So it's best to leave most of it be. But for edging the hedge, de-bristling the balls, trimming the tool — shop for quality manscaper clippers, razors and fur trimming tools that can survive your thick, bristly pelt that will last for years to come. Philips-Norelco, Gillette, Oster, Wahl and other fine hair-care companies are waking up to the deeper, further down manscape needs of a Bear Hairy man – and I'm not just talkin' from the neck on up. See these pictures of hairy bear men to see what the personal grooming companies are going after.


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World Organisation for Animal Health
Animal welfare was first identified as a priority in the OIE Strategic Plan 2001-2005. OIE Member Countries mandated the organisation to take the lead internationally on animal welfare and, as the international reference organisation for animal health, to elaborate recommendations and guidelines covering animal welfare practices, reaffirming that animal health is a key component of animal welfare.
The development of standards
The OIE develops standards through the work of expert ad hoc Groups that are convened to develop draft texts for the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code). The draft texts are normally reviewed by the OIE Animal Welfare Working Group, which provides recommendations to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission (Code Commission). Following review by the Code Commission, draft texts are sent to OIE Members for comment. After two rounds of comment, a draft text may be proposed for adoption in the Terrestrial Code, in accordance with the democratic and transparent Standard Setting procedures of the OIE. Reports of ad hoc Groups on animal welfare are normally released to the public as annexes to reports of the Code Commission. The Code Commission meets in February and September and its reports (in English, French and Spanish) are placed on the OIE Internet site after the meetings (normally in October and March).
History of the OIE's global animal welfare initiative
The OIE Animal Welfare Working Group was inaugurated at the 70th General Session of the OIE in May 2002 and the first recommendations of the Working Group were adopted one year later. The OIE Guiding Principles on Animal Welfare were included in the Terrestrial Code in 2004.
The OIE convened a First Global Conference on Animal Welfare in February 2004. As well as the Veterinary Services in OIE Member Countries, the Conference targeted livestock producers and actors in the meat sector, veterinary practitioners and international non governmental organisations (NGOs) working in animal welfare. The main objective of the Conference was to raise awareness of, and to explain, the OIE's animal welfare initiative.
Since May 2005, the World Assembly of OIE Delegates (representing the 178 Member Countries and Territories) has adopted seven animal welfare standards in the Terrestrial Code and two animal welfare standards in the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Code (Aquatic Code). These standards cover:
These standards are regularly updated to take account of latest scientific findings.
The Terrestrial Code Chapter on the Control of Stray Dog Populations falls within the OIE mandates for animal health, public health and animal welfare, as it addresses humane methods for the control of dog populations and the prevention of important zoonotic diseases, such as rabies and hydatidosis, in communities.
The Second OIE Global Conference on Animal Welfare entitled ''Putting the OIE Standards to Work" was held in October 2008 in Cairo (Egypt ). More than 400 participants, who came from all OIE regions and from all relevant sectors, including government, industry, academia, research and non governmental organizations (NGOs), strongly endorsed the fundamental importance of the active involvement of Veterinary Services and veterinarians for improving animal welfare. The most important outcome of the conference was the identification of key needs and tools to help OIE Members to strengthen their capacities, including good governance and relevant infrastructure, to implement the OIE standards.
The OIE is organising a Third OIE Global Conference on Animal Welfare, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 6-8 November 2012. The main objective of the Conference is to support the implementation by Members of OIE Animal Welfare standards, with a focus on addressing regional specificities and expectations.
On the side bar to the right of this page you can find information on the membership of the Animal Welfare Working Group, as well as relevant presentations, meeting reports, reports of Collaborating Centers and a link to the Terrestrial Code online.
Last update :14 December 2011


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For 25 years, the field of robotics has been bedeviled by a fundamental problem: If a robot is to move through the world, it needs to be able to create a map of its environment and understand its place within it. Roboticists have developed tools to accomplish this task, known as simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM. But the sensors required to build that map have traditionally been either expensive and bulky or cheap and inaccurate. Laser arrays cost a few thousand dollars and weigh several pounds, and the images they capture are only two-dimensional. Stereo cameras are less expensive, lighter, and can construct 3-D maps, but they require a massive amount of computing power. Until a reasonably priced, easier method could be designed, autonomous robots were trapped in the lab.
On November 4, a solution was discovered—in a videogame. That's the day Microsoft released the Kinect for Xbox 360, a $150 add-on that allows players to direct the action in a game simply by moving their bodies. Most of the world focused on the controller-free interface, but roboticists saw something else entirely: an affordable, lightweight camera that could capture 3-D images in real time.
Within weeks of the device's release, YouTube was filled with videos of Kinect-enabled robots. A group from UC Berkeley strapped a Kinect to a quadrotor—a small helicopter with four propellers—enabling it to fly autonomously around a room. A couple of students at the University of Bundeswehr Munich attached a Kinect to a robotic car and sent it through an obstacle course. And a team from the University of Warwick in the UK built a robot that had the potential to navigate around post-earthquake rubble and search for trapped victims. "When something is that cheap, it opens up all sorts of possibilities," says Ken Conley of Willow Garage, which sells a $500 open source robotics kit that incorporates the Kinect. (The previous non-Kinect version cost $280,000.) "Now it's in the hands of just about anybody."
Robot freaks weren't the only people to explore the Kinect's possibilities. Researchers, visual artists, and pornographers have all begun cobbling together home-brewed Kinect projects and posting the results online. Artist Robert Hodgin built a makeshift motion-capture animation program that allows users to manipulate video of themselves on the fly, turning their bodies into bulbous cartoon characters or reflective mercury-like blobs. Two students at Germany's University of Konstanz bolted a Kinect to a helmet, creating a bare-bones navigational system for the blind. And a company called ThriXXX built a rudimentary sex game that allows players to rub women's body parts with a creepy disembodied hand.
None of these projects were sanctioned by Microsoft (especially that last one). Indeed, for the past few months, if you wanted to use the Kinect on anything other than an Xbox, you had to install homemade drivers cobbled together by a dedicated group of hackers. Yet the company's official response to all this activity has gone from hostility to acceptance to vigorous support. In June, Microsoft expects to release a software development kit that makes it easier for any academic or hobbyist to build Windows applications using the Kinect's camera and microphones. The company is also granting access to the high-powered algorithms that help the machine recognize individual bodies and track motion, unleashing the kind of power that was previously available to only a small group of PhDs. (Microsoft is also working on a commercial version of its software development kit, which will allow entire new businesses to be built using the Kinect's technology.)
Major manufacturers have long recognized the value of letting customers modify their products, a fact obvious to anyone who has ever swapped out factory-issue tires for performance treads. Many successful technology companies have encouraged independent developers to build on top of their platforms—consider, for instance, Windows, Facebook, and the iPhone App Store. And over the years, modders have introduced several innovations that have grown into entire product categories—like mountain bikes, heart-lung machines, and rodeo kayaks.
But today, unsanctioned tinkerers have more power than ever. Sophisticated computers, sensors, and accelerometers are all common ingredients in personal electronics, available for $100 or less at Best Buy. As a result, the kind of equipment that was recently available only to research universities or major corporations is now accessible to anyone with a cell phone and a soldering iron. That has dramatically altered the kind of projects modders can take on. "If you're talking about changing the spoiler on the back of a Ford, that serves a very specific purpose," says Eric von Hippel, a professor of technological innovation at MIT's Sloan School of Management. "But a depth camera or an accelerometer or a GPS chip enables not just one application but a wide range of new activities."
When DIYers combine those cheap, powerful tools with the collaborative potential of the Internet, they can come up with the kinds of innovations that once sprang only from big-budget R&D labs. In 2009, a PhD student named Daniel Reetz turned two Canon PowerShot A590s into an improvised high-speed book scanner. He detailed the project on a website, DIYbookscanner.org, where readers have since posted hundreds of tweaks, suggestions, upgrades, and entirely new designs. The open source MPGuino project, which uses an Arduino microcontroller to track gas consumption as you drive, has inspired a small community of fans who help refine and customize the gizmo. In December 2007, a Carnegie Mellon PhD candidate named Johnny Chung Lee reverse-engineered the Nintendo Wiimote to create a 3-D display that responded to the position of his head. Videos of his hack garnered millions of views on YouTube. Eventually, Lee landed a job at Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group, where he worked on the Kinect, among other projects.
Your Computer
For $150, the Kinect packs some high-powered hardware. Here's a look at how the smash-hit Xbox add-on knows where you are and what you're doing.—J.T.
Microphone array
Four mics pinpoint where voices or sounds are coming from while filtering out background noise.
IR emitter
Projects a pattern of infrared light into a room. As the light hits a surface, the pattern becomes distorted, and the distortion is read by the depth camera.
Depth camera
Analyzes IR patterns to build a 3-D map of the room and all objects and people within it.
Tilt motor
Automatically adjusts based on the object in front of it. If you're tall, it tilts the box up. If you're short, it knows to angle down.
USB cable
Transmits data to the Xbox via an unencrypted feed, which makes it relatively easy to use the Kinect with other devices.
Color camera
Like a webcam, this captures a video image. The Kinect uses that information to get details about objects and people in the room.
Illustration: Kate Francis/Brown Bird Design
For most companies, the response to such hacks falls somewhere between benign neglect and lawsuit. When users began jailbreaking the iPhone—modifying the operating system so it could run unapproved apps—Apple quickly declared the practice illegal. (Last July, federal regulators determined that jailbreaking was allowed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.) When a hacker named George Hotz published code allowing anyone to run applications or operating systems on the PlayStation 3, Sony responded by pursuing subpoenas against Hotz, investigating his PayPal account, and collecting the IP address of anyone who visited his website, before settling in April.
A few companies, though, have welcomed the hackers. When iRobot learned that academics and hobbyists were rewiring its robotic vacuum cleaner, the Roomba, the company released a special vacuumless version—the iRobot Create—designed explicitly to be modded. "It really builds awareness of our company," says Kristen Stubbs, who until recently served as iRobot's outreach program manager. "When people do cool things with our robot and our platform, it's great exposure."
But until now, no company has made it so easy to hack into a product as popular as the Kinect, the fastest-selling consumer-tech product of all time. The Kinect racked up 10 million sales in just four months. That means 10 million people now have fully functioning depth cameras (which measure the distance between the Kinect and objects in front of it) sitting in their living rooms. And Microsoft is giving every one of them the tools and its blessing to build new applications with those cams. "We're trying to usher in a new era of computers, a world of tomorrow," says Xbox general manager of incubation Alex Kipman, who adds that the Kinect's gesture-based interface is an early example of how we will soon interact with all of our computers and appliances. "It's going to take a lot of people—from within Microsoft as well as outside it—to enable that to happen."
Kyle Machulis' Berkeley apartment looks like a museum of obscure technology. His desk is cluttered with rare machines—a handheld computer for teens called the Cybiko; a 40-button controller created for the Xbox game Steel Battalion; a couple of haptic gadgets that jiggle and buck when touched, creating the illusion of texture—as well as an array of sex toys, oscilloscopes, and personal data-tracking devices. Machulis has already figured out how to control most of these gadgets, posting source code for drivers (which allow programmers to connect the devices to other operating systems or applications) on hacker websites like GitHub so that anyone can write software for them. "Basically I just pick up new hardware, whatever seems interesting at the time," Machulis says.
In the fall of last year, what seemed interesting to Machulis was the forthcoming Kinect. A couple of years earlier, he had spent weeks building a rudimentary body-tracking program; if he held his hand in just the right spot, his computer could recognize it. The Kinect, with its built-in color and depth cameras, promised to make that process much easier and more sophisticated. On the day the Kinect was released, Machulis rushed to GameStop, eager to be the first to post open drivers for the new machine.
Machulis was not alone. One hour after he returned to his apartment, he saw a posting on the website of Adafruit Industries, the open source hardware company run by hacker impresario Limor Fried. The company was offering a $1,000 bounty to whoever posted the first open source Kinect drivers to GitHub. Would-be modders should imagine being able to use the Kinect with "Mac, Linux, Windows, embedded systems, robotics, etc.," the announcement read. "Let's reverse engineer this together," it encouraged, and "make cool stuff!"
Not everyone was so enthused about the project. By 4 pm that same day, in response to a question about the so-called Open Kinect contest, a Microsoft spokesperson told a reporter from CNET that "Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products," threatening to "work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant." Adafruit reacted by bumping the bounty to $2,000. Four days later, Microsoft released another statement, pointing out that the company would not support the practice of using the Kinect with any device other than the Xbox and "strongly encourag[ing] customers to use Kinect for Xbox 360 with their Xbox 360 to get the best experience possible." "This is silly," the Adafruit team responded in an online comment, "so now we've made it $3,000."
On November 9, Machulis had almost finished his driver. It took a bit longer than he expected, largely because capturing the data streaming out of the Kinect's USB cable required a costly piece of equipment called a USB analyzer, which retails for around $1,000. Machulis convinced Adafruit to purchase the device and publish the results online, but that process took the better part of a week. Still, mere hours after Adafruit had posted the USB analyzer data, Machulis and a group of online collaborators had figured out how to control the Kinect motors and had initialized the camera. The Berkeley modder went to bed around 1 am, confident that nobody else would be working while he slept.
But Machulis didn't take into account the fact that on that very day, the Kinect had been released in Europe—where it was still morning. By the time Machulis awoke, Hector Martin, a hacker from near Bilbao, Spain, had claimed the prize. Martin, who didn't even own an Xbox, had submitted a video showing all of the color and depth-camera source code displayed on his Acer Aspire. The key to Martin's speedy accomplishment was Microsoft's decision not to encrypt the USB feed—thereby making the data Adafruit had extracted readily usable. "It was easier than I expected," Martin says. "Microsoft was nice enough to say, 'We aren't going to tell you how it works, but we aren't going to prevent you from figuring it out.'"
That benevolent attitude didn't seem to mesh with Microsoft's public statements. In the days after Martin's victory, nobody knew how the company would respond to this public flouting of its stated wishes. "Everyone just assumed that we would get sued," says Phil Torrone, Adafruit's creative director.
But that didn't stop the hackers. Now that the drivers were public, every day seemed to bring an exciting new innovation. A German company called Evoluce built a gesture-based control system for Windows. A group of interactive designers conjured a way to use the Kinect to turn any surface into a multitouch interface, so a user could control the action on a screen by dragging their finger across a desk, wall, or book. And two artists based in New York designed a digital puppet, a giant bird that moved in coordination with a user's arm, wrist and hand. The projects found an eager audience online, where they were posted on popular tech sites like Engadget, Boing Boing, and TechCrunch. A new site, Kinecthacks .com, was created just to keep track of the massive output. (As of mid-May, 58 pages of videos were posted on the site.) Meanwhile, Machulis and other programmers continued to refine the open drivers, figuring out how to adjust the color camera's white balance, how to control frames per second, and how to make it compatible with Mac computers.
If the hackers were worried about Redmond's response, however, those fears were allayed on November 19, when Microsoft's Alex Kipman appeared on Talk of the Nation, NPR's call-in show, to discuss the Kinect. About 18 minutes into the program, the show's host, Ira Flatow, read a question from a listener: "Are you going to talk about the guy who hacked the Kinect?" Kipman responded that technically, the Kinect had not been hacked. Nobody had accessed the Xbox's proprietary algorithms or figured out a way to cheat the system. They had merely tapped into the USB connection, which Microsoft had left open by design.
"So no one is going to get into trouble?" Flatow asked.
"Absolutely not," Kipman said.
Three months later, Microsoft would go even further. On the Microsoft Research site, the company announced that it would make it easier than ever to modify the Kinect by releasing its own software development kit. In a matter of weeks, Microsoft's reputation within the hacker community had completely flipped. Instead of acting like a lumbering, power-mad hegemon, it had lent its support to what was shaping up to be one of the biggest and most successful open source development projects the world had ever seen.
And there was one more surprise to come. The same day as that Microsoft Research posting, Johnny Chung Lee, the Wii hacker who had worked at Microsoft on the Kinect, made an announcement of his own. In a blog post, he confessed that he was the one who had come up with the idea for the Open Kinect contest—while he was working for Microsoft. After months of fruitlessly trying to persuade the company to develop drivers for Windows, he wrote, he approached the Adafruit team and asked them to host the competition. He put up the prize money himself. Lee had left Microsoft for Google not long before the software development kit was announced, and now that Microsoft had committed to opening up the Kinect, he felt comfortable going public. "Best $3,000 I ever spent," Lee wrote.
Lee's announcement was a final triumph for the hacker community, which set about congratulating itself for showing Microsoft the error of its ways. "Any time Microsoft releases something from now on, they'll think about this," Adafruit's Torrone predicts. "I think they got religion."
Sitting in his corner office on the Microsoft campus, Craig Mundie doesn't seem like he's undergone any recent conversion. Mundie, the company's chief research and strategy officer, has been at Microsoft for 19 years. He is wearing his ID on a lanyard around his neck, despite the fact that he is among the most powerful people at the company. Mundie can be quite eloquent when discussing the potential that the Kinect represents, a so-called "natural user interface" that lets people navigate the digital world through gestures rather than mouseclicks and keyboards. "We want humans to interact with computers much like they interact with other people," Mundie says. "That's our goal."
But when the topic turns to the Kinect hackers, Mundie's demeanor turns taciturn. Did he have any reaction to the Open Kinect contest? "No." What are his opinions about Adafruit? "Haven't looked at that one." Any thoughts about Johnny Chung Lee? "I don't know the guy." And those hackers who bent the Kinect to their will, seemingly making it perform feats for which it was never designed? "They were just going down the path we planned."
Indeed, Microsoft's reaction to the entire Open Kinect kerfuffle seems to be: Nothing to see here. According to Mundie and Kipman, the company always expected tinkerers to experiment with the Kinect—that's why they left the USB feed unencrypted. Microsoft always planned to release a software development kit, executives say, but simply couldn't devote the necessary resources to it until after the Kinect had launched. And those threatening public statements that so exercised the Kinect modders? Simple miscommunication—a knee-jerk response from an untrained PR representative to a question about "hackers."
Whoever deserves the credit, the relationship between Microsoft and the Kinect hackers has blossomed into an unlikely love affair. Microsoft is now openly courting modders. When the company announced the software development kit in February, it followed that news with a demonstration of the navigational system for the blind developed by the University of Konstanz team. "We can help create together," says Anoop Gupta, a distinguished scientist at Microsoft Research who helped implement the software development kit. "I think we can do amazing things." Meanwhile, the hackers are ready to help. "I think it's sad that most companies can't see the value of their products outside their initial idea," says Hector Martin, the Spanish hacker who first cracked the Kinect. "There are millions of people who might have better ideas they would never think of."
If Microsoft has any doubts whether it made the right call by inviting hackers into its fold, Sony's recent experience should serve as an object lesson: Less than two weeks after Sony announced its settlement with George Hotz, hackers launched a full-on assault against Sony, breaking into its PlayStation Network, its Qriocity media-streaming service, its Online Entertainment division, and several other properties, potentially accessing the login and credit-card information of at least 70 million users. Sony's PlayStation Network was down for more than three weeks while the company scrambled to repair the breach—a delay that annoyed customers and did untold damage to Sony's reputation. Although the identity of the culprits remains a mystery, Sony has suggested that the break-in might be a retaliatory act from the hacker community for the company's dogged pursuit of Hotz. In other words, by embracing hackers, Microsoft benefitted from their enthusiasm. By punishing them, Sony became a target of their considerable wrath.
More companies are beginning to adopt the Microsoft approach. Motorola recently amended its policy of locking down its Android phones, announcing that future devices will be easier to modify. Sony Ericsson has a web page devoted to helping hackers unlock its phones. In May, Google released its Android Open Accessory Development Kit, which gives the operating system to tinkerers who want to build their own Android-powered devices. (Even Sony's PlayStation division has belatedly tried to join the effort. On March 2, even as it pursued its case against Hotz, the company announced that it would release a software development kit for its PlayStation Move controller in an attempt to "inspire applications that we could never have imagined.")
Still, Microsoft isn't waiting for a bunch of hackers to unlock the Kinect's potential. The company is investing millions of dollars in the traditional in-house model. Teams of researchers have built a rough prototype of a kind of Kinect-powered holodeck—images, projected into the real world in 3-D, that respond to touch. Others are combining the Kinect's camera with advanced optics to create an LCD screen that can beam different images to different viewers. And Microsoft is already preparing its first major Kinect software upgrade, which will capture facial expressions as well as body movements. All of this work is expensive and difficult and the result of many hours of dedicated labor—the kind that probably won't be replicated by a loose-knit group of enthusiasts.
Or at least not today. That's because high-end optics, next-generation LCD screens, and proto-holodecks cost a lot of money, and figuring out how to build them takes a lot of time and close collaboration. But depth cameras were once prohibitively expensive, too; the Kinect changed that. And as more and more technology becomes commoditized—and as the web continues to make it easier for far-flung individuals to work together as a team—hacker communities will grow more and more capable. As everyone gains access to the same resources, the best ideas will win. And millions of hobbyists will usually come up with more interesting ideas faster than a few thousand professionally employed engineers.
That's how Johnny Chung Lee sees things, in any case. Lee is sitting on the patio outside Charlie's, the famously lavish cafeteria of his new employer, Google. It's a sunny April afternoon, and Lee is dressed in a monkey-head T-shirt from hacker outfitter ThinkGeek. Although Lee has become something of a hero since publicizing his involvement with the Open Kinect contest, he is reticent. He isn't interested in rehashing his conversations within Microsoft or taking credit for the company's decision to release a software development kit. It doesn't really matter, he says. "What matters is having such an interesting new device embraced by so many smart people and having the fruits of that labor embraced by the company that created it." Lee smiles. "I think it paints a bright future."
Music: Pump Audio/Getty
Wired New York editor Jason Tanz (firstname.lastname@example.com) interviewed Square CEO Jack Dorsey in issue 19.06.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


text:
Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH recently spent time at Threeman Recordings in Stockholm with producer Nico Elgstrand (ENTOMBED). During the sessions, GORGOROTH frontman Pest replaced Gaahl's vocals for the "True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen" album, which was originally released in June 2008 via Regain Records. According to a posting on the group's web site, GORGOROTH mainman Infernus (guitar) "has already consulted legal representatives regarding this album, and is prepared to support Regain Records in the label's ongoing legal conflict with two of the band's ex-members, if any such support is needed."
The recording of GORGOROTH's new studio album "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" is proceeding on schedule, with a tentative October 2009 release date. The album will be made available via Sweden's Regain Records.
The 2009 incarnation of GORGOROTH consists of Pest (vocals), Infernus (guitar), Tormentor (guitars), Frank Watkins (bass) and Tomas Asklund (drums).
Infernus recently won a court battle against vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell over the rights to the GORGOROTH band name. According to a posting on Infernus' MySpace page, "The court has decided that King ov Hell's trademark registration of the band name GORGOROTH is NOT valid and shall therefore be deleted. The court states that King ov Hell and Gaahl excluded themselves from the band GORGOROTH when they tried to fire Infernus in October 2007. The court further states that Infernus cannot be excluded from GORGOROTH, unless he himself decides to quit."
Infernus filed a lawsuit against King ov Hell in September 2008 claiming that King (the sixth bass player in GORGOROTH's history) went behind his back in September 2007 and secretly applied for trademark protection of the GORGOROTH bandname and logo, which Infernus had been using since 1992.
"Live in Grieghallen" was recorded live at Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway by Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin and features Infernus on bass and guitar, Gaahl on vocals, and Garghuf on drums.
"Live in Grieghallen" was mixed and mastered by Nico Elgstrand (ENTOMBED) and features all the GORGOROTH "essential songs" from the band's back catalog performed live.
"Live in Grieghallen" track listing:
01. Bergtrollets Hevn
02. Destroyer
03. The Rite of Infernal Invocation
04. Forces of Satan Storms
05. Possessed (by Satan)
06. Unchain My Heart!!!
07. Profetens Åpenbaring
08. Revelation of Doom
Recording lineup:
Infernus - Guitar, Bass
Gaahl - Vocals
Teloch - Session Guitar
Garghuf - Session Drums
Album info:
All music and lyrics by Infernus, except track 1 (lyrics by Hat), track 2 (music by Tormentor) and track 4 (music by King). Recorded live in studio in 2007/2008. Engineered by Pytten at Grieghallen Studios in Bergen and Nico Elgstrand at Threeman Recordings in Stockholm. All bass re-recorded by Infernus at Threeman Recordings. Mixed by Nico Elgstrand. Mastered at Cutting Room in Stockholm by Infernus and Mats Lindfors. Cover design by Magnus Wolfhart.


text:
- User Name: lordsteal
- Member Since: Thursday, November 7, 2002, 2:37 PM
- Name: Mike Johnson
- Studio: Orbit Media Studios
- Location: Riverside, CA, U.S.A.
- Last Login: 2019-01-12 09:12:43
- Forum Info: Profile Posts (68)
- Journal: Last entry made on 2005-12-30 14:24:32
- Usefulness: 547.5 with
31 opinions
[average 119.5 of 231681 opinions; standard deviation 432.2 ]
- Profile: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Profile Update: Thursday, June 02, 2006, 3:26 A.M.
Table of Contents:
-My AMV History
-How you can reach me:
-Neighbor Community
-AMV Contest Status
-My Previous Anime Music Videos.org Account
-Software I use to make my AMV's
-Works In Progress
-Last AMV release
-Downloading video order
-Web Sites I've been a Member of
-Favorite Quotes
-My Inspiration
-My Opinion
-Video Not Downloadable
-Temporary Downloadable Files
-Collaborator Status
-Collaborator AMVs and Non-Collaborator AMV Status
-Listed AMV Count
Hi, my name is Mike Johnson (A.K.A. Lord Steal!) I'm 21 years old, and am in my second year in College, I am taking two classes for the spring semester. I've been working with Anime Music Videos for 7 years now. I started making AMV's when I started Summer School at my High School in the early summer of 1999. I was just coming out of the 8th grade than. But I've been watching Anime since 1988; I'm an Old School Anime Fan, I think.
More Info. To Come.
My AMV History:
-My Origin-
I watched my first AMV on the first day of Summer School, I was just arriving at school when I lost my way and ended up in this computer class. I sat down at a computer and looked through the files on the C drive and I found a file that said ("Freejack - DBZ - Matrix Soundtrack.avi"). I was going nuts, because I had watched the Matrix movie about three months ago and here I see a video to it. I opened it up and it was a DBZ music video done to Clubbed to Death by Rob Dugan. A guy by the name of Sean ("A.K.A. Freejack") watched into the classroom, say that I was watching his video and said, "Do you like what you see". I said, "Yes, I do." Then he said, "I make those you know." I wanted to know how he made this Anime Music Video, so he gave me the basic run done of everything I needed to know on how to make these things. It was only two weeks later that I found this guy named Robert ("A.K.A. Gogeta"), that gave me Adobe Premiere 4.0 and I began working on my first DBZ video.
-Current Information-
I am currently not with any sites other than "Dragon Ball Arena"! I've been taken a step down from my usual AMV production and have been resting an watching. I have been working on lots of projects over the last two years and only plan on releasing one when I feel it will live up to the standard I've set for myself. I have alot of good idea that I think will come soon, so please stay with me and you won't be disappointed.
-My Opinion of my Skill-
I would consider myself as a well-rounded AMV creator with a lot of good ideas. One of my favorite things to do in Music Video making is take a look at an Old School AMV and remake it better than ever. I'm a perfectionist in my own way, I always look at my last work and try to improve my skills by looking very closely at my flaws, and this method seems to work over the past year. I only wish I can someday measure up to some of the greats out their. I'm just someone who loves what he does and hopes that when someone new jumps on to the seen, I will be the reason they started making videos.
-My Dream-
My dream is to one day become one of the most well known AMV creator out there. I wish to be known by everyone. My main goal is to take a look at my competition and look beyond it to a much higher goal and beat out the best, so I can become the best. I want to do this for a living now. Hopefully I will make it to do this in Hollywood. Well thanks for your time.
More Info. To Come!
How you can reach me:
IM Me: lordsteal19
Chat With Me: Chat with Lord Steal
E-mail Me: email@example.com
-Please send me a Private Message on any of the following subjects:
-Music Video Reviews
-Music Video Suggestions
-Video Editing
-DVD Ripping
Neighbor Community:
Here are AMV Creators that I've lived close to them and worked with them for years. I've enjoyed working with them, I've helped most of them get started with AMVs and showed them the way. They have helped me with my AMV's, so this section is to thank them and for a happy 4 years that I've spent, working with them. Thank You Guys.
(AMV Name) - (Name) - (Career Length)
01) Majin Assassin - Frankie Rodriguez - 2 1/2 Years
02) Nexus Howler - Michael Martinelli - 2 1/2 Years
03) Majin Kewl - Chris Davis - 2 Years
04) SGT. Miller - Chris Miller - 1 Year
05) Master Exile - Joe Sanchez - 6 Months
06) Neo Alucard - Corwin Stephenson - Not Astablished
Statistics Subject To Change
AMV Contest Status:
-This is how many Anime Music Video Contests, I've entered, and what place I placed.
-I've Entered: 03 Contests
Which Contest - Date it Premiered - What I placed - What Video I used
01) AMV War's All Anime MV Contest (1st Tournament)
----Wednesday, February 19, 2003
----1st Place
---- A Noble Hero
02) Majin Planet's Fight Club (5th Tournament)
----Monday, November 17, 2003
----2nd Place
---- Liberation
03) AMV Village's Tournament 1
----Wensday, January 19, 2006
----2nd Place
My Previous Anime Music Videos.org Account:
1. Lord Steal
Well, since I couldn't remember my password on that account, I made a new account named ("lordsteal") which this is. I'm still trying to figure out the password!
Software I use to make my AMV's:
-Adobe Premiere 6.5
-Adobe After Effects 5.5
-Adobe Photoshop 7.0
-TMPG Encoder
-Windows Media Encoder
-Helix Producer Plus
-Real Producer Plus 8.5
-Virtual Dub
-Clad DVD
Web Sites I've been a Member of:
01) Fusion Kings - ("Augest 2000 to November 2000") - Dead!
02) Majin Fate - ("June 2001 to April 2002") - Dead!
03) RJ Video Productions - ("December 2001 to Febuary 2002") Dead!
04) Ryuken Studios - ("Febuary 2002 to March 2002") Alive
05) AMV Reviews - ("July 2002 to January 2003") - Dead!
06) AMV Wars - ("January 2003 to June 2003") Dead
07) Dark Eye Studios - ("June 2003 to September 2003") - Alive
08) Fused Anime - ("October 2003 to November 2003") Dead
09) Anime Ruins - ("December 2003 to March 2004")
10) Black Star Dragon Rage - ("December 2003 to January 2004") Dead
11)Majin Planet - ("October 2003 to Present Day") Alive
12) Dragon Ball Arena - (" Augest 2003 to Current Day") Alive
Statistics Subject To Change!
Favorite Quotes:
"If history is to change, let it change!
If the world is to be distoryed, so be it!
If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh!"
"In the name of God, all impure souls of the living dead shall be banished to Eternal Damnation, Amen."
"Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the gun."
-Ash: Army of Darkness-
"Your wish has been granted. Now I bid you, far well!"
-Eternal Dragon: Dragon Ball Z-
-Am, I Evil? Yes, I am!-
-Majin Mebs: Majin Planet-
- "And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath decended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."
-MacManus family prayer/The Boondock Saints
My Inspiration:
The person that was the first to inspire me to make AMV's was none other than: Sean (A.K.A. Freejack!) I wish he could see me now and know how good I've become. If it wasn't for this guy I wouldn't be creating AMV's and I don't know what I would be doing right now!
Freejack did three videos:
Video's Name - Group - Song - Anime
1. AFI - AFI - Perfect Fit - DBZ
2. Matrix Soundtrack - Rob Dougan - Clubbed To Death - DBZ
3. Army Ants - Stone Temple Pilots - Army Ants - DBZ
My Opinion:
If you would like me to rate, and review my opinion on your video, than you must do the following:
E-Mail me with all the following information:
-Your Anime Music Video.org Name
-Name of the Video
-The Artist
-The Song
-The Anime
-The downloadable status (Example: Direct/Indirect/Local)
(If not avalible for download on AMV.org, than give me a link so I can download it!)
(Remember) You must put the subject of the E-mail as ("I want Lord Steal's Opinion!") Once I've recieved your e-mail for your request for me to rate your video, I will download it and view it, depending on how good it is will depend on how long it will take me to review it!I give thorough and lengthy reviews, so expect a long one! Thanks!
Video Not Downloadable:
If my videos are not Downloading for some reason and you really want to see my videos, then I give you a copy. All you have to do is e-mail me the name of the video and out of the kindness of my heart I will get you an .RM version of the video. If I don't get to you within 2 weeks try again, I should get to you eventually. I'm just trying to give back to my fans. Just make sheer the e-mail's subject is ("Video Request for Lord Steal!")
Collaborator Status:
Creator: Majin Kewl
Video: Prelude To Darkness
Contributaitions: Videos Clips, Ideas, Information, Effect Knowledge, Some Editing Changes.
Reason for Collaborator: Reason being is because I was one of the reason's this video was even created. But the back bone of the video totally goes to "Majin Kewl", his blood, sweat, and tears are the most part why this video even exists. I was only responible for supplying the footage he used, gave him sound advise on how to make this video look good, gave him ideas for certain effect uses, and helped him with some of the editing on the video. So in part I'm responssble for about 10% of this video the other 90% is "Majin Kewl". You did a fantastic jod on this video and I'm very proud of you.
Collaborator AMVs and Non-Collaborator AMV Status:
Lord Steal's AMV Status: 45 AMV's Listed
Collaborator's AMV Status: 1 AMV Listed
AMV Creators Collaboratored with:
-Majin Kewl
Statistics Subject To Change.
Downloading video order:
If you were wondering what order I would recommend for you to download these videos at, I would have you download these videos in the order of my favorite to my least favorite!
01) Liberation
02) A Noble Hero2
03) A Saiyan Tyrant
04) Seizure of Power
05) A Childish Terror
06) A Possessed Gift
07) Search for Hope
08) The Imposters
09) A Saiyan Prince
10) The Next Generation
Lord Steal


text:
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