text:
First, I'd like to touch on the history:
Ten-man raids had been available in previous editions of the game, but they were not available for all of the content, so the vast majority of raiding guilds were built for 25-man (or earlier, 40-man) raiding. Ten-strict raiding is a format that became available at the beginning of the WotLK expansion for raiders who wanted to see all of the available content, but without having to deal with the bureaucracy of a larger guild. It was an interesting experiment. Many say that it was aimed at "casuals," but it also catered to a small subset of burnt-out officers and raiders who would otherwise have just quit the game from the social drama seen in larger raiding guilds.
In trade for the smaller, less-traumatic raid organization, these newly formed guilds had lesser rewards. Their gear would be "subpar," making PvP and pugs slightly more difficult, and they would constantly have to put up with many (not all) of the "better geared" 25-man raiders sneering down their noses at their gear, raid style choice, and achievements.
In spite of this, it WAS chosen by many, and not just those "casuals." Guilds like Vox Immortalis formed, striving for progression with all the intensity of a hardcore world-leading 25-man guild. Guilds like my own Vortex formed, a bit more relaxed but still quite serious about skill and dedication to the guild's progression. Other guilds formed, taking things at a somewhat slower, more casual pace. Some 10-man guilds opted to allow their members to pug 25s, while others opted to take the strict rankings. Some guilds formed that were the stereotypical casual 10-man team: a bunch of friends dabbling in raids for fun and not putting any headache into it. This is the same gamut of raiding focus seen in the 25-man raiding scene, just on a far smaller scale, as each player CHOSE to forgo the higher rewards in favor of the more intimate, smaller guild.
- Recruitment
- Difficulty
- Roster Size
- Time Commitment
- Leadership
- Raiding Experience
- Gear
- Performance Expectations
1) Recruitment
These guilds must hunt down players who are interested in purely 10-man format. This meant giving up 25-man pugging if you wanted to be truly ranked as strict: tackling the content with the item levels and loot table it was balanced for. GuildOx set the ground rules for this as the only ranking site that acknowledged 10-man raiding, using the guild's kills and achievements to monitor whether they were raiding or pugging 25mans that would give them an edge with gear.
The GuildOx rules were such (at the time of ICC's release):
|The 10-man strict rankings show the achievements of pure 10-man raiding guilds. A 'pure' 10-man raiding guild is one that does not participate in 25m progression content. We recognize that 25-man guilds or guilds that regularly participate in 25m pug runs often have a distinct advantage since they can gear up at accelerated rates and move faster through 10-man content. Consequently, our 10-man strict rankings exclude guilds which access any 25-man content that offers higher ilvl gear than what the current 10-man normal content provides. If you are a 10m guild that has members which want to run 25 man pugs then the 'strict' classification is not for you.
Guilds will be excluded when they earn any Icecrown Citadel (ICC) 25 normal kills or any TotGC 25 hard-mode kills. Guilds must also have their 10M Progress World Rank be better than (lower than) their 25M Progress World Rank.
We have added a special trigger for the ICC 25 normal kills that will exclude a guild from strict rankings when 8 players achieve it over time. For example, if your guild pugs ICC 25 normal then you will be excluded from the strict rankings when a total of 8 players in your guild participate in the Lord Marrowgar 25 normal kill. Please ensure you discourage your guild members from participating in any ICC 25 normal and TotGC 25 hard-mode runs if you wish to remain on the strict rankings. Also be sure minimize the recruitment of players that have previously achieved these kills since they will contribute to the guild total, regardless of when they achieved it. VoA 25 and Onyxia 25 are exempt from the criteria and can be run without risking your 10m strict rankings.
Some 10-man guilds were more casual and ignored the GuildOx criteria, allowing their raiders to pug 25s: they are not included on the strict rankings, and thus loose that extra bit of advertisement for new players to track them down. 10 man casual rankings were added later to GuildOx to track these guilds. As you can imagine, though, even those recruiting for purely strict (and its subsequent lack of legendaries and superior item levels) have a tough go of finding players. While there are fewer players needed to fill the roster, finding players who don't care in some way about item levels and "best gear" is a truly difficult task.
If a ten-man guild picks up players who really are just interested in gear, then the guild is nothing but a stepping stone, and they'll have to recruit to fill that spot again in a short time. 10-man guild recruitment is very difficult in WotLK.
Beyond this, 10-mans often need to recruit for very specific class/spec combinations to provide a certain buff--and offspec tank or healing role--for their raid. Applicants' secondary specs need to be reviewed in far more detail than for 25-mans, as well, because WotLK 10-mans often require a raider to swap their spec, even if they are a pure DPS class.
Cataclysm will broaden the interested pool as greed towards item levels, the "best" drops, is removed as a stigma against 10-man guilds. Granted, there will be a smaller pool for recruitment for 25s due to the larger number of 10-mans that will form, but I doubt it will be as difficult to recruit for 25s in Cata as 10-strict recruitment is in WotLK. Things will certainly be shaken up on the recruitment front in Cataclysm for both sides.
In terms of offspec and specific class recruitment, the previously released plans for the homogenization of class buffs and skills for Cataclysm hint at making this a bit less of a hassle in a "bring the player, not the class" sort of way, but buffs will still be limited to certain classes. Thus, recruitment will still be more specific than just a "looking for a ranged dps."
Every expansion has seen the rise and fall of guilds. It is a prime time for guilds to disintegrate and others to form, as differing goals and personalities create rifts in a guild and fresh guilds tempt players to "greener" pastures. The small leveling scene is ripe for meeting and recruiting new players, especially as some guildies level more slowly than others and leave the fast-levelers bored and looking for parties to play with. Cataclysm will be no different, it will just have the additional choice of recruiting players based on your advertised raid size: some players will still prefer 25s, others will look to 10s. The guilds that hold together for 25s will be those that are most successful in maintaining a raiding core and recruiting as they level. Some 25-man guilds may voluntarily fracture, or stick together for a pair of 10-man raids that has a larger, more vocal guild community to participate in outside of raid times.
2) Difficulty
10man is still difficult content when wearing the appropriate iLevel gear. No 10-strict guild has killed LK-hardmode yet, as of my typing this (Edit: the first 10-strict HLK kill occurred almost 4 months after posting this), and not for lack of skill or trying. There is still a pressure to perform if you want to be "cutting edge" progression on the 10-man listings, just as much as there is in 25s. There are guilds in 25-man gear who still haven't cleared normal 10man, and pugs don't get far past the first wing (as of time of writing). Some mechanics are easier with 10m, others are harder. Raid composition is a struggle when fighting new bosses, and dual specs are required even among pure DPS, so they can swap between certain spec strengths or buffs.
Most players view 10mans as easy. In 25man gear, yes, it is much easier. Even in full 251/264 gear, the normal mode ICC content can be laughable (if you know the strats): you're meant to be doing hardmodes then (especially with the ever-growing zone-wide buffs in ICC!). The minor stat upgrades on gear make a huge difference in overall health pools, healing power, and mana, and the instance isn't always properly balanced towards this. Sometimes the mechanics are accidentally left on 25-man mode (see Rotface ooze spawns at ICC's release). However, because most raiders are in 25s and use the 10s as a more casual, fun, badge-farming run, they have trouble believing that the 10s may actually be difficult for someone who is not overgeared for it, while often at the same time barking about their gearscores and requiring certain gear levels for their pugs. Irony?
Outside of those who forget or underestimate the gear differential, some like to harp on the smaller raid size making it easier to spread out, ignoring that this is easily fixed by other mechanics such as the need for AoE heals (and their limited range) or regrouping mechanisms for things like the council's flame orbs, or that the smaller size can be countered by the devs altering splash radius, growth speed, or increasing the size of void zones. This prevents a 10-man raid from making use of all the available space, especially when they don't have the same health pools or spellpower to handle less AoE healing.
For further details on 10 vs 25 man instance difficulty, you can read my previous post here.
Many have wondered at Cataclysm's making the 10s and 25s "equal difficulty," thinking it to mean that either 10s will suddenly become incredibly hard or 25s will become easy. This stems from the misconception that 10s are easy content. I think it means, instead, that the devs don't want the raiders used to steam-rolling 10s in their 25m gear to think they can have an easy time on the future 10s. It's not so much a "change" as a statement of how it will be, that the instance will be balanced to the expected gear levels.
I think it also means they're going to be very careful (read: more careful than they were in WotLK) balancing the raid difficulty across an instance, based on mechanics and typical raid compositions. Some bosses may be easier on one raid size or another, but I believe they'll be balanced out by other bosses in the same instance. 10-strict is a challenge now, and raiding progression 10s won't be a walk in the park in Cata, either, for anyone.
3) Guild Size and Roster
10-strict guilds have a small raiding roster of (usually) 13 to 14 players. This allows for about 2 extra players available per party to sub in for fights based on raid composition or simply absences: a ratio seen in 25-mans as well, where 35 raiders is a common roster size. Dualspecs allow coverage of tanking and healing roles. The raiders will need to be rotated through the week to allow all players a chance at the limited content, however.
14 is, plain and simple, an easier group to manage than 35. With a little under half the players to be wrangled, this is the draw that 10-strict players have in WotLK to run in this format. It is less stressful from an officer stand point, all players can be more involved in the guild and be heard, and it is easier to get to know all of the players and watch for mistakes. Loot distribution is far, far easier: a simple, quick discussion usually settles it, sometimes a roll, though items tend to be disenchanted at a far higher rate for lack of a present player who wants them.
If you're looking for an active community, however, you need to look to 25-man guilds: most 10-man guilds are going to be rather quiet on off-nights, especially if they don't have a large number of casual friends and family hanging out with them. Personality and your ability to get along with your fellow guildies is also a big deal, given the smaller guild size: these are the few you have to help you, and the few who will be asking for YOUR help on heroics, side raids, achievements, and random farming or PvP sprees.
This won't change with Cataclysm, except in cases where a large guild decides to host 2 or more 10-man raiding teams in place of running 25-mans. At that point, you could conceivably have a community-guild feel with a ten-man raid style. However, with that comes the added difficulty of internal competition, as players on the less-progressed team may feel envious of the more-progressed team, and shared guild materials may be fought over as well; it will take careful community management to prevent the two groups from splitting the guild. Pros and cons!
4) Time Commitment
Most 25-man guilds felt pressured to run both 25s and tens to maximize their badges and pick up a few minor upgrades where they were either missed in the previous tier's 25man or due to the discrepancy between the loot tables (more on that, later). Many of these guilds raided 5, 6, or even 7 nights a week; some required offnight 10-man raids, even if they didn't advertise it in their raid schedule.
A few ten-man guilds require a similar time commitment as they spend the entire week working on a certain boss or achievement. Some follow a more casual schedule of 2 or 3 nights, allowing their raiders some freetime each week for alts, farming, or just being off the game to tend to other activities such as martial arts, sports, evening jobs, or family activities. Some 10-man guilds decide to pug 25s or create guild alliances to raid 25s (though these guilds were not technically "strict"), and used those to fill the time.
Thus, for any given raider in a progression-driven guild with a pressure to perform their best, the overall time commitment to raiding for 10-man guilds is a bit less than those in 25s. Dailies may still be expected and farming for consumable/enchant materials is a given, but actual raiding hours are (in most cases) less intensive for the ten-man raids, just because they do not require 25-mans as well (a few rare exceptions exist). This helps to avoid burnout, which makes the format further attractive to those raiders who would otherwise have just quit the game.
The devs do not want 10s to be required by 25-man guilds to maximize badges, leading to both the shared lockout and the cap on cataclysm's badge/point system. It is unknown at this point what that will mean for players who use tens to fill their week: whether there will be content available for them (and that doesn't count the pre-farmed instances they've grown bored of) or whether they'll have to spend more time with alts, or whether they'll be encouraged by randomized loading screen messages to get up and spend an evening out doing community service or sports (or partying).
Ten-man guilds who pug 25s or run them in a guild-alliance will also loose that weekly activity, leaving them in the same boat. 10-strict is probably the only raiding format that will not be heavily impacted by the shared lockout.
5) Leadership
In a more intimate 10m raiding size, there is still a need for some leadership, but it is less rigid and demanding than in 25-mans. There is certainly still work to be done, everything from rule-enforcement to recruitment to drama-referee to decision-making (be it dictator or just prompting votes), even to enforcing consumables and proper spec/gear/enchants, but it is more manageable than with a 25-man guild because there are fewer cats to herd.
Overall (and this has been supported by those in the comments), 10man guilds have a more transparent leadership and decision-making system. The whole guild can more easily be involved in all decisions; at the least, having the members understand why rules or decisions are made--and that their opinions were heard--makes for a more happy membership. People want to be heard, and a smaller guild makes it much easier for leaders to listen to everyone. This results in less drama, rumor-mongering, and misunderstandings, though it does not make them immune.
Thus far, nothing will change that. Again, the only exception may be the guilds hosting two or more ten-man raids, which will have the added bureaucracy of trying to keep the different raid teams from going at each others' throats.
6) The Raiding Experience
The "epic feel" of a 25-man raid, where you're a part of an army taking down colossal monsters, is a big contrast to the more intimate 10m raid. Each has its pros and cons: 25 mans are more likely to have all of the available class and spec combinations, all available buffs, etc. This makes it far easier to theorycraft caps on stats like hit, haste, etc, as the raider can assume they'll always have the buffs that boost them. Each individual player compounds the likelihood of a mistake, which is especially problematic in cases where that mistake may wipe the raid. The spell effects and additional players make it more taxing on a computer system, as well, though it does add to the grand feeling of the larger assault raid. 25s are also more capable of carrying a weaker player (be it skill, experience, or gear) than a strict-10 can support into a progression fight, provided that player's death or disconnect (DC) doesn't automatically wipe the rest of the raid.
10s, however, have a less chaotic feel, as if they're a small, surgical strike squad. Ventrilo conversations can be held more easily as there are fewer voices fighting for attention, and the raid leader is less likely to be missed or spoken over (my 40-man guild used to play music in vent during raids just to keep people quieter). Fewer spell effects and fewer player models can make it easier to see boss effects like void zones. The raid composition itself must be more fluid, dynamic, and flexible, with raiders shifting specs and gear to meet optimized raid compositions, buffs (including resistance buffs, tank cooldowns, and healing niches), or stat caps. This in turn puts a higher demand on individual player skill, as they must often be able to perform in different specs or roles. Each death also has a greater impact on the raid than in a 25: you are 10% of the raid in a 10man, as opposed to 4% of the raid in a 25-man.
I'm not expecting a change to the overall feel of the "grand assault" 25-man army and the "intimate" 10-man strike-team. These will probably be the biggest deciding factors for players in which format they choose.
I do, however, expect the buff situation to change: the homogenization of buffs (including cleanses) and the smudging of healer niches planned for Cataclysm are for the purpose of 10-man raid balance. While I regret (seriously, I do regret) the homogenization of these buffs and skills that make many classes/specs unique, it will make organizing tens' raid composition much easier.
7) Gear
You don't join a ten-man guild in WotLK if you care about having the best gear in the game. Ten-man players usually care about their gear, but the gear is not why they are playing the game: they have placed their priorities on the experience rather than having the best loot. 25s, meanwhile, are run by a mix of those who just prefer the larger format, by those that feel obligated to run them because their close friends all want the larger format, or by those who simply want the best gear in the game.
This doesn't mean ten-man players are all lax on enchants, gems, or finding upgrades where available. This doesn't mean that some are not jealous of the better gear. This doesn't mean it won't hurt their ego or feelings when others laugh at their lower gear or brush off their achievements, when they know that they probably have more skill and experience than the one who is laughing at them (those that laugh are often those that were carried by their 25-man guilds: interwebs bully covering for their own insecurities). All it means is that they valued the experience of seeing the content--without the drama of a 25-man guild--over getting the best gear.
Loot Tables:
Unfortunately, WotLK had separate loot tables for 10s and 25s. While 25s could slip into an "easy" 10 to farm some gear, 25-man pugs are generally more difficult to organize and run than 10-man pugs due to the number of random players involved, and the "strict" 10-man guilds couldn't even allow it for risk of falling off the ranking sites. Ranking sites are important not only for some players' ego or need for accomplishment (e-peen), but also as a recruitment tool to help advertise themselves to the scarce players who are trying to find a ten-strict home.
Item drops that were usually found in 25s and not in tens include decent trinkets and healing offhand items (excluding shields), and legendary weapons. Sometimes a certain gear slot (belt, boots, wrists) itemized for a certain spec or role could only be found by crafting, or even as an Auction House purchase as a BoE 25-man drop. Itemization of drops in terms of a spec's needed stats was not always met, especially in terms of ArP, spirit, or haste. 10m loot tables were truly tested and experimented on throughout the expansion. As these items (especially trinkets and legendaries) made such a huge difference in DPS or healing, it further widened the gear gap and relative difficulty of instances for 10man guilds vs 25s.
Loot Systems:
Things like DKP aren't really needed for 10man, because it is much easier to track who needs an item, who has more recently gotten gear, and who it is a bigger upgrade for. A quick and painless discussion, maybe mediated by a /roll, is all that is necessary. This saves a lot of time and headache: trust me, I've helped run DKP databases AND loot councils before!
Cheating: *
There are also some ten-strict guilds who would "cheat" the GuildOx ranking system, allowing a small handful of their raiders to continue to run 25s after joining the guild to maximize their gear and pick up the exceptional upgrades that are found in the 277 gear levels--and things like trinkets and legendaries--all in an effort to overcome the content and progression rankings more quickly. While this is not in the spirit of 10-strict, GuildOx's buffers against recruitment of 25-man geared raiders had the downside of allowing this to happen. Most guilds did not do this, but a handful did. There was, of course, some amount of drama on the progression threads stemming from this as every little piece of gear was brought into question, whether it could have been a legendary earned after joining the guild or even if it was a side-grade pair of boots earned before joining the guild. Personally, I frowned upon the blatant cheating, but I can't begrudge someone wearing gear they'd won in a previous guild before being recruited by the ten-strict guild.
* Let's call it "creative use of ranking loopholes."
With shared loot tables, itemization discrepancy will no longer be an issue. 25s will no longer feel compelled to slip into 10s (even though they will be unable to without locking themselves out of 25 for the week) for the sake of a certain drop, and 10s will no longer be in subpar gear sitting jealous of a trinket. The difference in gearing will be a matter of speed and the raid's skill: the devs have not yet said the exact planned drop rates, except to say that they want 25-mans to gear up overall faster than 10-mans, as the reward for their more difficult organization (which is mostly shouldered by only a few players in that large raid, anyway). This includes both drops and badge/points. They may change their minds about this, however, as the question of how to award those few who shoulder the burden of leadership without also awarding those who did no additional work continues to be considered.
8) Performance Expectations
Just as with 25-man guilds, there are 10-man guilds on each end of the friendship vs progression spectrum (otherwise known as the casual vs elitist jerks spectrum), and many all along the line in between. Some guilds are very "casual" and forgiving in how they raid: if someone is always standing in fires, they may moan and groan about it, but it's their buddy and they laugh and roll their eyes and try to just carry him/her along. Other guilds on the opposite end of the spectrum won't allow that player to step foot in their raids, even if they're married to a raider, unless it's farmed content they can easily 9-man. Some guilds will be forced to bench you if you seek to swap mains to a class they don't need; others will try to fit the new character in even if it hurts raid composition.
Similarly, some guilds may ignore that their friend is suddenly lagging behind in performance for unknown reasons, while another 10-man guild may bring the situation into question, seeking to help that player improve and fix whatever the problem is (be it a patch change they missed, a mechanic they don't understand, or that they're simply having a bad day) before bringing them to the next progression attempt that "stellar performance" is required at.
There is no difference in how a guild handles friendships vs performance between the two raid sizes: it is all a choice of the people who are playing in it, and how they want to play.
However, most ten-man guilds are built with a wish to play with like-minded players who are friends, people that they actually like. As a smaller community, there is more importance placed on getting along with each other, as a ten-man guild is usually too small to support separate cliques. Proper recruitment steps will, in most cases, prevent the need to remove a raider based on performance, should a guild decide to place performance over friendship in progression raiding. More often, a player will be replaced from attendance issues rather than performance.
There will be no change in this. Guilds can choose for themselves how demanding they are of their raiders' performance or class/spec, no matter what raid size they have.
Hopefully this will dispel some of the mystery or misconceptions about 10-man raiding. Fellow 10-man/10-strict raiders, please comment if you have more to add!
- Keeva at TBJ later posted a good explanation of why some players feel obligated to run 25s in WotLK even though they prefer 10s.
- Maestro at RDR makes several excellent points towards the equalization of 10 and 25-man gear, in regards to obligations vs rewards in WotLK.
Oh, a shout-out to some of my fellow 10-man bloggers who have commented on the Cata raiding changes:
- Keredria at Tree of Life
- Hana at Flash of Moonfire
- Zetters at I don't think the tree bends that way
- Lakini at Waiting on an Eclipse
- Rahana at Blueberry Totem
- Zing at Totemz
- Charles at Planet of the Hats
- Tsark at Mediocre Priest
- Vidyala at Pugging Pally


text:
Peru Animal Rescue Center Receives Government Praise
The Peru Conservation project continues to go from strength to strength. Our animal rescue center, which forms a large part of the conservation work at the Taricaya Lodge, (our base in the Amazon jungle), has recently been recognized as the best and most effective animal rescue center in the country by the Peruvian government.
Following this recognition, later this month the conservation project will be receiving animals from the Wachipa Zoo in Lima which is the largest and best zoo in Peru. The government has decided that we shall receive some small and larger species of monkeys, small cats and some parrots that had made it from Puerto Maldonado to the capital for sale and so had been placed in the zoo for want of a better alternative.
Now they are coming to us for release back into the wild. Peru Conservation Director, Stuart Timson comments 'It is great to have our hard work rewarded like this and hopefully this precedent will pave the way for the future.'
Read more updates from Taricaya here.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- *Parkinson Programs
- Institute for Advanced Medicine
- Institute for Advanced Medicine Map & Directions
- Video - The Institute for Advanced Medicine
- Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Center
- Comprehensive Pain Care
- Memory Disorder Clinic
- HealthFit
- Comprehensive Bariatric Program
Specialized Programs for Parkinson Patients
If you are living with Parkinson Disease, Muscular Dystrophy or some other progressive neurological disorder, it can take more than medicine to stop it from taking over your life. It takes a strong dose of confidence and sustaining inner strength to face the disease head-on and take the initiative to continue living a rich, fulfilling life.
That's where Sarasota Memorial's Smart Moves and LSVT BIG programs for Parkinson patients can help. Both programs revolve around a simple but important concept: that attitude and exercise are essential to keep your body, mind and spirit up and moving.
Based on the principles behind a successful speech therapy for patients with Parkinson, LSVT BIG is now being used to minimize or slow progression of the disease's disabling physical effects.
The original LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) Loud program was founded 15 years ago to help participants strengthen sound and articulation by speaking at an exaggerated volume. Like LSVT Loud, LSVT Big also has one primary focus: amplitude. It asks those following the program to move "big," encouraging a vigorous range of movement and pushing participants to use all parts of the body, from the feet to the hands and fingers. In a Big session, the patient mimics or mirrors the therapist through a series of large stepping or rocking movements with their arms moving in various directions.
The therapy can be used in a walking, standing or sitting position, says Terri Mishos, an occupational therapist who works with patients in all stages of the disease at Sarasota Memorial's Institute for Advanced Medicine. "After just a few weeks, we see tremendous results in their ability to walk better, get in and out of a chair better and perform the simple acts of daily living easier."
To learn more about LSVT Big, call the Institute for Advanced Medicine at (941) 917-7000.
LSVT Loud
LSVT Loud is a program designed specifically for Parkinson's patients to address deficits of speech caused by the disease. Through personal sessions with our certified Speech Language Pathologists, it helps to transform slow, soft or monotone speech through an intensive four week vocal exercise program. LSVT Loud is designed to slow the progression of speech issues and restore normal, functional communication.
We look forward to helping you better manage your Parkinson's disease through our excellent rehabilitation programs offered at 3 convenient locations: Sarasota Memorial Health Care Center at Heritage Harbour, Sarasota Memorial HealthCare Center at North Port Medical Plaza and Sarasota Memorial Institute for Advanced Medicine.
Call us today (941) 917-5111 to learn more or to schedule your first appointment.
Smart Moves
Smart Moves is a new and unique integrative approach to health with activities that range from aquatic therapy, acupuncture and therapeutic massage to ballroom dancing, gentle yoga, tai chi and art therapy. Each activity offers scaled down and customized movements that empower people to overcome their physical limitations and help them stay ahead of their disease.
Developed in collaboration with internal medicine specialist Bernard Feinberg, MD, a Parkinson patient himself, and neurologist Dean Sutherland, MD, a Parkinson Disease specialist, each class or program is overseen by Sarasota Memorial's rehabilitation and HealthFit fitness professionals who work in concert with referring physicians and neurologists. A physician referral is not necessary to join the program. Activities are designed to provide a fun, safe environment for people to work on ambulation, range of motion and strengthening with an emphasis on posture, breathing, balance and rhythmic movement.
Each class offers the motivational support, personal attention and custom design to help you overcome problems with tremors, rigidity, balance, posture or other physical limitations.
Classes include:
- * Warm Water Therapy Pool Exercise Class * (Mon 11 am, Wed 11 am, Fri 1 pm)
- * Chair Yoga (Tue 1 pm)
- * Gentle Yoga (Thu 10 am)
- * Tai Chi (Mon 6:30 pm)
- * Aqua Tai Chi (Wed 6 pm)
- * Nutrition Education **
- * Therapeutic Massage **
- * Acupuncture ** (Tues – all day)
- * Art Therapy (Mon 1:30-4:30 pm)
- * Parkinson Wellness Club (3rd Wed of the month – 9:30-11 am)
- * Ballroom Dancing *
Classes designated by an asterisk (*) require a minimum number of participants. Services designated by a double asterisk (**) are individual appointments that require advance scheduling. Please call ahead to register for these classes and services.
Sarasota Memorial HealthFit Fitness Center
Smart Moves is an integrative care program developed by Sarasota Memorial's HealthFit Fitness Center, in conjunction with the Neuro Challenge Comprehensive Care Center, a nationally recognized program that provides access to a broad range of outpatient diagnostic, treatment and referral services and support for people affected by Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and other movement disorders. You do not need to be a member of HealthFit or have a physician referral to participate.
5880 Rand Blvd., Sarasota (half mile west of I-75 off Clark Road)
(941) 917- 7000
Site optimized for Chrome or Firefox | Copyright © 2015. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. All rights reserved.


text:
I am working on a program that has Multiple users, using it at the same time.
Loading and saving data is not the issue, my problem is how can each user have it's own unique data while they are online .... constantly reading - writing data from file is a huge resource hog.
Lets simplify things and say each person has:
Integer Health;
Double Money;
String Rank;
Integer Experience;


text:
It's been a long while since I watched the Matrix movies, but watching this 'speedrun' rendition by 1A4STUDIO brings it all back to me—including how silly and absurd some parts of the movies are.
Also—obviously, the bullet time in the movies is rather 'video gamey,' but this highlights that those aren't the only things that come off that way. But what really makes this is the bevy of small, cutesy details. I think I like this better than the film!
Speedrun: Matrix in 60 seconds [1A4STUDIO Via Laughing Squid]


text:
Find an affordable, well-run nursing home near you by talking with a trained advisor in your area, free of charge. Our expert advisors are standing by to help you find an ideal skilled nursing home for your loved one. Call us today to get started!
The decision to place your loved one under the care of a nursing facility can be a difficult one. You want to know everything you can about potential nursing homes as you proceed with your search, but the learning curve can be steep. If you find yourself navigating the world of senior care for the first time, browse through the helpful articles we've provided for people in your position.
You'll find an easy-to-read glossary of senior care terms, as well as articles about choosing the right level of care for your loved one, and information on state licensing standards for skilled nursing homes.
Taking the helm of a search for skilled nursing homes can be a daunting task. And when you're doing it for a family member, it can be even harder. How do you know when it's time to start looking? How do you broach the topic with your loved one? And how do you know the one you like is really the best one for her?
Our collection of helpful articles for family members was designed with you in mind. Learn the signs that your loved one needs skilled nursing help, find resources to help you manage her nursing home costs, and find out what to look for when you visit your list of top nursing homes.
When you're making a decision as important as this, you need to get all the information you can. Our elder care advisors have been serving families like yours for years. Their years of experience providing personalized help and resources in your area will help you find that one special place for your loved one so you can feel comfortable knowing he is safe and well cared for.
Start the conversation today by calling the toll-free number at the top of this page for nursing home referral. An elder care advisor is standing by to assist you—one on one.
If you're the type of person who likes to get the lay of the land before jumping on the phone, start by reading up on the specific area you're interested in. Nursing homes in Florida can offer a different lifestyle than, say, nursing homes in Manhattan. Ensure your loved one's well-being by carefully considering the pros and cons of retiring in different locations.
Being near to family is always important, but other issues such as taxes and accessibility should also play a role as you choose between skilled nursing homes. If the specific area you're looking for isn't here yet, please check back later. We're adding new states all the time and keeping our information current for you. And remember, you can always start your search for nursing homes directly by filling out the search box at the top of this page today!


text:
Series I and Series EE U.S. Savings Bonds
U.S. savings bonds can provide one of the simplest approaches to saving for college. Rather than setting up an account for your child under one of the many college savings plans (like a Section 529 Plans, Coverdell ESAs, or UTMA/UGMA Accounts), you can simply buy Series I and Series EE savings bonds. When you cash them in to pay for your child's college expenses, you will be able to do so without any earnings on those bonds being subject taxes.
Buying Bonds
Both Series I and Series EE bonds can be bought directly from the U.S. Treasury at TreasuryDirect.gov. Series EE bonds are purchased for half the monetary value they will be worth at the end of their maturity period. Series I bonds are bought in specific denominations, ranging from $50 to $10,000. Their value grows according to current interest rates. For both types of bonds, the annual rate of return is typically between four and six percent.
Bonds are a particularly safe investment. They offer a lower rate of return than other college savings options, but they are less risky. While there is a chance that the investments in a Section 529 plan could lose value, U.S. savings bonds are secure.
Furthermore, you can buy bonds for as little as $25. If your income varies or you are not in a position to make regular contributions to an educational savings account, purchasing bonds can be a practical option. You can make a purchase any time you choose, which can make saving for your child's education more convenient. Your earnings on each bond grow tax-deferred until you're ready to cash it in. There is an upper limit to the amount of bonds you can buy in any given year (you can purchase $30,000 worth of each Series I and Series EE savings bonds each year). The upper limit is high enough that it isn't a concern for most people; however, spouses can each purchase separately if they so choose.
Using Bonds for College Expenses
The interest earned on Series I and Series EE is fully exempt from both federal and state income taxes when you use it for qualified college expenses for your child, yourself, or your spouse, assuming that you qualify. Qualification is phased out for higher-income tax brackets: if you are single, your income must be under $78,100. If you are married, you and your spouse's combined earnings must be less than $124,700.
In order to cash bonds in for college expenses, you must apply your earnings from that bond to tuition. Unfortunately, the regulations setting out the qualified educational expenses for Series I and Series EE bonds are stricter than for other college saving vehicles.
As long as you own Series I and Series EE savings bonds, rather than your child, the bonds will have limited affect on your child's ability to qualify for financial aid. If, however, the bonds are also in your child's name, they will be considered student assets which can limit the amount of financial aid your child may be eligible for. Furthermore, the savings bonds cannot be solely in your child's name. They must be held in a parent's name in order to qualify for the exemption.
There are a few other rules that govern using savings bonds to pay for your child's tuition, although they are generally not an issue for most parents. You, as the purchaser, must be over the age of 24 when you purchase the bond. You must also hold the bond for at least six months between purchasing it and cashing it in. In comparison to other options for saving money for your child's college expenses, savings bonds are simple to cash in and use.
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


text:
Bird People
Bird People – Constellations
From Vienna, Austria hails Ulrich Rois' majestic Bird People project. Sometimes its just Ulrich and sometimes its a full band. For "Constellations" its a trio of Ulrich, Roy Culbertson III and Lucas Henao Serna. This time the drone harvest is one with a rich vein of Indian classical drone via the anticipation of Austrian spring. Ulrich, Roy and Lucas on this album use lap steel, singing bowls, mountain dulcimer, shruti box, bass, esraj, banjo, singing bowls, gong, accordion and electric organ to take you away to imaginary mountain retreats and impossible landscapes.
Easily the deepest, most blissed-out release yet to grace our spools. This one is a limited edition of 75 and comes on fluorescent green tapes with beautiful cover artwork by Sarah Coppen.
Out mid to late August, pre ordering now from HERE
Various Artists – Mistletoe & Cold Winter Skies
Not quite the Was Ist Das? Christmas album, this is none the less, a mid-Winter themed compilation which can include Christmas…and for some of the songs, it does.
Side A
1.The Lamp – intro
just a brief scene-setter with the voice of Stuart Davison and some synth
2.Magpahi – Winter Solstice Night
Magpahi is the solo project of Alison Cooper [Samandtheplants, N.Racker] who has recorded for such fine labels as Twisted Nerve, Bird Records and Library Tapes. She has contributed a beautiful instrumental piece which makes me want to go to an Elizabethan frost fair.
3.Sophie Cooper – Rack Up The Bintang, it's Christmas Day sleigh bells by Dale Cornish
The Queen of Stoke has played many a fine gig for us and this year raised the bar very high with her spell-binding album "Our Aquarius". For us, she's gone all wild and anti-folk and deviously catchy.
4.Bewilderness – The Muffled King
Bewilderness is a new collaboration between Jeff Stonehouse and Sanja Ivkov. Crawley resident Jeff started out making experimental music in Organs of Battle but went on to make techno in the 90s under the name Spiralhead. Since then he has made deep pastoral ambience as Listening Mirror (Hibernate Recordings) and more experimental electronics as jffstnhs. His recent collaborations include Le Moors with Wil Bolton and Snoqualmie Falls with Alicia Merz (aka Birds Of Passage). Sanja Ivkov is a singer, painter & tattoo artist from Sombor, Serbia. She is the lead singer in Mesta and was previously in Syphil.
5.Nick Hudson – A Dogbed's View of Christmas
L'enfant terrible of the Brighton music scene, Nick's beautiful voice and arrangements at first sound like they are crying out for prominent playlisting on daytime Radio 2 and 6 until you actually stop and listen to the lyrics. Witty but exceedingly dark it is no surprise he has earnt high praise from David Tibet and a cold shoulder from Broadcasting House but its their loss. His Christmas song is every bit as lovely, funny and horrifying as you would expect.
Side B
1.The Psychogeographical Commission – Antenociticus Awakens
Antenociticus, spelt wrongly on the tape sleeve just like the band are, is a mysterious Roman god who seems to have only been worshipped up by Hadrian's Wall. The remains of his temple are now found on a housing estate in Tyne and Wear. This powerful and mysterious music really does suggest him awakening and being a very bad neighbour. I know many things about The Psychogeographical Commission but if I told you, I'd have to kill you. All of you.
2.Jake Blanchard – Erithacus Rubecula
Jake Blanchard first made his name with his remarkable illustration work and his label Tor Press (you MUST check out their Menagerie compilations which are all amazing). However, in recent years he has been releasing a steady stream of exotic drone releases, each one completely unlike the previous ones. Here, he lays on some extraordinary electronics in honour of our Winter friend, the Robin.
3.Gena Netherwood – Life Is A Bug You Step On
Although she has collaborated with Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound, Current 93), this is Gena's first ever official solo release. Its actually over ten years old and has been shared around the internet. She's picked it up, given it a digital dusting off and kindly donated it to this compilation. Thanks
4.Bird People – The Holly King and The Oak King
Bird People is the musical project of Mr.Feathered Coyote himself, Vienna's leading light Ulrich Rois. This epic ritualistic psychedelic folk track will make you want to dance in the snowy woods wearing nothing but berries. Please don't, though, as this is illegal except in Sweden.
5.The Lamp – outro
the end.
A very limited edition of 50 on yellow tapes and, for the first time, comes with a download. Cover picture by me. Tape is sold out but download only for pay what you can from https://wasistdas.bandcamp.com/album/mistletoe-cold-winter-skies
Recent Posts
- One Eleven Heavy – Live At Jam Castle
- Suzuki Junzo – The Magus / Live Phantasmagoria Vol.1
- David Colohan – Prosperpolder
- David Colohan – Arc of a Snowfall
- Stuart Chalmers – The Shadow
- Josh Doss – Don't Let Your Time Pass You By
- Ciarán MacAoidh – A Palm To Rest My Cheek Upon
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Polygondwanaland
- Noel Meek – Southern Bleach
- Günter Schlienz – Collage Tristes
- La Danza Del Agua
- This Is WAS29
- Delphine Dora & Sophie Cooper – Think Away
- Lo Imp – Nosferatu
- Orange Car Crash – Simple Music
- Hush Arbors – Albion Way
- Nihilist Spasm Band / Metabolismus – split album
- Stuart Chalmers – In The Heart of the Wilderness
- Worship My Panther – This Is Scaldhouse
- These Feathers Have Plumes / Isnaj Dui


text:
Fellow blogger Courtney Barnes recently mentioned a website called The Story of the Beautiful, which chronicles the remarkable and revealing history of the Peacock Room in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
As The Story of the Beautiful describes, the Peacock Room was originally constructed by architect Thomas Jeckyll for the London house of shipowner Charles Leyland in the mid 1870s, as a cabinet to display blue and white Chinese porcelain. Then the artist James McNeill Whistler spectacularly redecorated the room, transforming it into a three-dimensional work of art.
After Leyland's death the room was purchased by American industrialist and collector Charles Lang Freer in 1904 and shipped to his house in Detroit. Freer had a different taste in ceramics, preferring subtle glaze effects and collecting wares from across the whole of Asia.
After being moved from Detroit to the public art gallery Freer had initiated and funded in Washington, the Peacock Room was initially displayed with blue and white porcelain, as it had been in London. Now, following the cleaning and conservation of the painted decoration, Freer's choice of ceramics has been reinstated.
Apart from having a model website, this project also demonstrates brilliantly how objects are changed by their physical context. It simultaneously proves how the context is changed when the objects within it are changed. And on top of that it illustrates how a historic interior can have more than one valid appearance – quite an achievement for a single room, but then this is not just any old room.


text:
Black is the new green, at least when it comes to healthy foods. Research has shown that the darker the vegetable or fruit, the better it is for you. It seems that the same holds true for other foods as well.
We're all aware of the antioxidant effects of blueberries, but blackberries are even better. The polyphenols founds in them may help reduce cognitive decline as we age. They are also rich in fiber and low in calories, packing only about 60 calories per cup.
Brown rice has become a staple in many American's diets, but black rice, has significantly higher levels of vitamin E, which boosts the immune system and protects our cells from free radical damage.
We constantly hear about the virtues of drinking green tea, but traditional black tea has its merits as well. It contains an antioxidant called theaflavins, which help us recover from soreness after exercise, and lower the risk of heart attacks.
Beans are a great way to get "non-animal" protein. While all of them are good for you, black beans are packed with a nutrient called bioflavonoids, which research has shown could protect us from cancer.
If you are looking to up the antioxidant quota in your diet, try adding darker hued foods to the menu.
photo: Glasshouse Images


text:
DemmiDee video. All videos (5)DemmiDee webcam
DemmiDee webcam
Hi stranger! I am Demmi, but friends call me Dee - I am that type of girl next door you've been dreaming all day and guess what - I am here to guide you towards delightful moments of pure passion. Any second guess? I am thrilled when it comes to devouring thoughts - let me consume your mind and I will lead you down the path of joy!


text:
The MSM works itself into a frenzy celebrating a "bipartisan" (but strangely Leftist) political cartoonist
I found myself in the unfortunate position last night of having to watch HBO's hagiography . . . oh, sorry — documentary about Herbert Block, who was a political cartoonist for the Washington Post for several decades. Although the show's ostensible premise was that Block (known professionally as Herblock) was a bipartisan scourge of all presidents, one wouldn't have known that from watching the show.
Block himself admitted that he was a "liberal," a statement that, when run through the HBO to English translator, comes out as pretty darn hard Left. To the extent Block criticized Democrat presidents, it was because they weren't Left enough for him as is the case with the cartoon above, which came out under Carter's presidency. Incidentally, Block admired Carter, which tells you everything you need to know about the man and his world view. It's patently clear that Block emerged from the Roosevelt era (yes, he started working back then) as a solid-Left Progressive.
My problems with the show began instantly when I didn't get his cartoons. (I didn't get them when I was a youngster/Democrat either.) They were neither funny nor clever nor astute nor well-drafted. They were just illustrations consistent with the same points being made in that day's Pravda. If you want witty, brilliant, clever cartoons, you need to check out Michael Ramirez (who's also a better draftsman than Block ever was).
All that is bad enough — hard-core Leftist praised as "centrist," pedestrian drawings with Leftist themes — but what made the whole thing nightmarish was the parade of talking heads who repeated over and over again that Block was incredibly brilliant and bipartisan. Yes siree, his views were middle of the road, you betcha.
These assurances that Block was as 1950s American as apple pie came from a laundry list of the Leftist media's Who's Who. The WaPo, in its rave review about this HBO hagiography . . . sorry, there I go again. Reset: The WaPo, in its rave review about the documentary (because Block's "brilliant" humor was bipartisan), also provides a useful list of all the rapturous media Lefties agreeing that Block was brilliant and, yes, bipartisan:
There's Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Jim Hoagland, Ken Auletta, Don Graham, Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Clarence Page, Hendrik Hertzberg, David Brooks, Bob Schieffer, Eugene Robinson, Thomas Friedman, Michael Beschloss; from the cartooning world, there's Jules Feiffer, New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff and former Philadelphia Inquirer cartoonist Tony Auth; and from "The Daily Show," there's Jon Stewart and Lewis Black. To name a few.
Funnily enough, the show's creators didn't talk to Charles Krauthammer, or George Will, or even Michael Ramirez to learn more about Block's brilliant bipartisanship.
Having watched the documentary last night, and then having spent today being bombarded with MSM hagiographies . . . er, obituaries about the "brilliant" Pete Seeger (the man who never met a communist madman/dictator he didn't admire), I'm not sanguine about America's future. As long as the media continues to act as intermediary and interpreter for Americans viewing the world around them, things are only going to get worse at home and abroad, not better.
It turns out that Lincoln misspoke when he said that you can't fool all of the people all of the time. If you're America's 21st century media machine, you actually can.


text:
At the firs of the dozen newly confirmed gigs, SCOTT KELLY AND THE ROAD HOME will perform this Thursday, February 28th on NEUROSIS' native soil in Oakland, alongside Eugene Robinson (Oxbow) as well as a screening of the DIY record industry film Blood, Sweat & Vinyl. Performances in Santa Cruz, Freson, Santa Ana, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Boise, Spokane, Bellingham, Vancouver, Seattle and Portland will follow.
Dissimilar to his previous solo outings, KELLY sought out additional musicians to help create his latest musical vision, recruiting good friends Greg Dale and Noah Landis (Neurosis), forming SCOTT KELLY AND THE ROAD HOME. The first album by this trio, The Forgiven Ghost In Me, flows with over forty minutes of foreboding Americana showcasing the ever-evolving artist brandishing some of his most expressive hymns of pain, reflection and redemption to date also features guest contributions from Jason Roeder (Neurosis, Sleep) and Josh Graham (A Storm Of Light, ex-Neurosis).
Stream the title track to The Forgiven Ghost In Me via Decibel RIGHT HERE, and watch the official and video for the album's somber "The Sun Is Dreaming In The Soul" and more AT THIS LOCATION.
SCOTT KELLY AND THE ROAD HOME West Coast Winter Tour:
- 2/28/2013 1-2-3-4 Go Records - Oakland, CA w/ Eugene Robinson, Blood, Sweat & Vinyl screening [info]
- 3/01/2013 Metavinyl - Santa Cruz, CA [info]
- 3/02/2013 Audies Olympic - Fresno, CA (happy hour show, 6pm)
- 3/03/2013 Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA [info]
- 3/04/2013 Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ [info]
- 3/05/2013 *house show - Salt Lake City, UT
- 3/06/2013 Visual Arts Collective - Boise, ID [info]
- 3/07/2013 Mootsys - Spokane, WA [info]
- 3/08/2013 The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA
- 3/09/2013 Railway Club - Vancouver, BC [info]
- 3/10/2013 The Highline - Seattle, WA [info]
- 3/11/2013 White Owl Social Club - Portland, OR
"The trio keeps the vibe slow, stark and intimate throughout, with Kelly's acoustic guitar and weathered voice front and center. He wields the latter like a favorite stiletto... 8/10" - Decibel
"With raw, organic production letting you feel that Kelly and co-conspirators Noah Landis and Greg Dale are in the same room as you - if not actually taking residence somewhere inside your head - the is something achingly frank and grittily real about every note... 9/10" - Outburn
"Kelly's solo work is no less ominous or atmospheric than his regular gig. He sounds like an apocalyptic troubadour playing in a dusty cowboy bar at the end of the world." - The Onion's A.V. Club
"The Forgiven Ghost in Me does well to move beyond some of the Townes van Zandt-ery of Kelly's prior solo work – especially that one where, you know, he covered those Townes van Zandt songs – and somehow it makes sense that with the input of the others who appear here, Kelly should wind up with his most human and individualized outing yet." - The Obelisk
Review copies of The Forgiven Ghost In Me and interviews with SCOTT KELLY are available via phone or in-person. In North America contact firstname.lastname@example.com, and elsewhere contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
10706 E Point Twenty-Two Blvd
Suite 104
Mesa, Arizona
Monday :9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday :9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday :9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday :9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday :9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday :10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday :10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Holidays :10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Welcome to Our Store
The first Pet Planet store opened in 1996 and was founded on the principle of total pet health wellness through education. Through passion and innovation we have grown from one retail location to various locations across North America.
From our family to yours… you can trust Pet Planet to help you make the right decisions for your pet. Because every decision you make really does matter.
Connect with us
What's Available
The Guardianship Movement
Next time you visit our store, remember to sign our Guardianship petition. United, we can make an official change to the way animals are treated in our society.


text:
5 's
Check out now. Fast, Easy, Secure Checkout.
Color: Grey
Star Wars
Items arrived quick! My daughter LOVED her polar bear soap! Even received something extra! Great seller and will order from again :) Thank you
You are treasured and LUVed by God (YAHweh).
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
While you were away our TOU was updated,
read the terms of use here.
*No action is required on your part.


text:
Orioles - 302 121 000 - 9 13 1 Red Sox - 425 000 70x - 18 20 3NESN and WEEI calls) (he scored with ease, standing up (video)) and Conor Jackson ending the scoring in the frame with a grand slam over the Wall as the Red Sox offense exploded against eight Baltimore pitchers.
Boston's 18 runs tied a season-high (first done only six days ago, on September 13). The 20 hits also tied a season-high (May 25 and September 6). ... Runs scored in September's five wins: 12, 14, 18, 4, 18. ... And amid that firepower, there have been 14 losses. It's been a strange and annoying month.
After Lackey (the less said about him, the better; 4.1-11-8-2-3, 105) put the Sox in a 3-0 hole in the first inning, Boston responded with four runs against Matusz (1.2-6-6-2-0, 49), with Jed Lowrie capping the inning with a two-out, three-run bomb.
Both Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia reached base in all five of their plate appearances. ... Jackson, Lowrie, and Pedroia each had four RBI. ... Lowrie, Ellsbury, and Marco Scutaro each scored three runs.
The Red Sox are 5 GB in the East and 2 GA in the Wild Card. With eight games remaining, their WC magic number is eight.
Brian Matusz / John Lackey
Game 2 of today's day-night doubleheader:
Ellsbury, CFBoston is now 4-14 in September and only 1.5 GA of the Rays for the wild card. Those 14 losses are more than the team had in any of the previous four months: May (10), June (9), July (6), or August (12). Boston lost 15 games in April. ... The Yankees beat the Twins 6-4, pushing the Red Sox 5.5 GB in the East.
Scutaro, SS
Gonzalez, 1B
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Lowrie, 3B
Jackson, LF
Varitek, C
McDonald, RF
Silver Lining Dept.: Matusz - 9.84 ERA and 2.023 WHIP in 10 starts (43 innings) - makes Lackey looks like Verlander.
Game thread.


text:
(Pocket-lint) - The 12 megapixel, 1/2-inch triple action Super CCD EXR sporting F300EXR from Fujifilm is a handsome beast. Remarkably so, as it shoehorns a class leading 15x optical zoom into a chassis that will slip as easily into trouser pocket as handbag. Cloaked in serious looking matte black the F300EXR weighs a manageable 215g with optional SD or SDHC card plus battery inserted and has proportions of 103.5 x 59.2 x 32.6mm, or 22.9mm at its thinnest point. The lens is tucked away within its housing when not in use.
Its broad focal range, equivalent to a wide angle 24-360mm in 35mm film terms - an all-encompassing reach that will take in landscapes, group portraits and candid close ups - pitches it into direct competition with Canon's less self-consciously styled PowerShot SX210 IS. The cost of both cameras is roughly the same, with the Fuji retailing for a suggested £329.99 in the UK. This places it at the top end of the "travel zoom" price scale, although we found it on sale for a more enticing £280.
The proposition is that it's an ideal camera for those on the go who want creative control, a large zoom range and decent image quality. We also get 1280 x 720 HD movie clips, with usefully a dedicated video mode button on the backplate that falls readily under the thumb. There's mini HDMI output alongside regular AV and USB output at one side, so all connectivity bases are covered.
The F300EXR is only slightly broader than your average 3x zoom compact, and the metal elements of its construction ensure it feels reassuringly solid gripped in the palm, even if there is not much in the way of an actual grip. A slender rubber pad to the front and sextet of raised nodules to the back provide minimal purchase for the fingers. The zoom itself is supported by CCD shift image stabilisation, built-in gyro sensors purportedly detecting any external wobble and making compensatory adjustment. It works just as well as the same system does in rival cameras. It's not infallible then, but you'll get a higher proportion of usable results than without. The zoom takes 2 or 3 seconds to work its way through its range and is quite noisy with it. We were surprised then to find it accessible when recording video. The microphone does however pick up some operational and wind noise.
Switch the camera on and it powers up from cold in 2 seconds. The on/off switch glows with a cool blue light, which reminded us of the nigh identical feature seen on Samsung's compact range. Two other things then become apparent. The built-in flash, previously sunk into the top plate, pops up and stays there getting in the way of your thumb, while the shooting mode dial over at the right hand edge appears to be in the process of melting away from the top plate. While the former is rather irritating, the latter is practical, says Fujifilm, the sloping design providing quicker access than had it been vertically placed on the backplate, as per usual. In practice we didn't notice a great deal of difference either way.
In the absence of an optical viewfinder images are composed with the aid of the 3-inch, higher than average 460k-dot resolution wide view rear LCD which swallows up two-thirds of the backplate. The clarity of this screen provides the optical illusion that your images are actually sharper than they appear on your desktop once downloaded.
This model isn't just about good looks however, but innovation too. First off there's that Super CCD EXR sensor at its core, now in its second generation. This is uniquely "switchable" according to Fujifilm, and can be utilised in one of three ways: at full 12MP resolution in High Resolution (HR) mode, in wide Dynamic Range (DR) mode to achieve optimal balance between shadows and highlights, or in Low Noise (SN) mode for shooting in low light without flash conditions.
If you can't decide which is best suited to your purpose, then there's the default option of scene-detecting EXR Automatic Mode. Here the camera compares a given scene with its preset parameters governing landscapes, portraits, macro, night-time, night portrait and backlit portrait settings.
The second talking point here concerns Fujifilm's introduction of phase detection auto focus on the F300EXR. This it says allows for a DSLR-like near instantaneous capture speed, officially given as 0.158 seconds, or the blink of an eye to you and me. Other more fun new features include a new 360° motion panorama mode that will have you spinning on the spot to capture literally the world around you as a single elongated image, the ubiquitous face detection/recognition (now extending to dogs and cats), tracking auto focus, the DSLR-like background blurring Pro Focus mode seen on other EXR compacts and a Pro Low Light mode for less noisy images without the flash (but with the aid of a tripod or steady surface).
Since it doesn't stop there, we soon get the impression that the F300EXR is packing in a lot for the money - if you go by street price rather than SRP. Film simulation modes as a nod to Fujifilm's past make a re-appearance. Thus enthusiasts get a choice of the well-saturated colours of Velvia mode, the default natural-looking setting of Provia, or the soft and gentle Astia, a rather wishy-washy look that recalls 1970s album covers with Timotei-d hair. Plus, in playback mode, there's a chance to sort through images faster with a new Photobook feature, as well as rate your favourites by allocating stars to them, as if you were some sort of critic.
Likely to get more use by those with fiddly young children is an auto release mode that fires the shutter when the camera detects the subject is looking directly at the lens.
Though the F300EXR gives a very impressive first impression, the disappointment comes when a critical eye is turned on the actual images it produces. They're a mixed bag and we still struggle to see pronounced benefits from the EXR sensor. The F300EXR struggled with brighter conditions, with burnt out highlights and pixel fringing evidenced between areas of high contrast. Colour wise, we felt the images were a little flat straight out of the camera. Selecting Velvia mode, which matches the warmer results most point and shoot competitors provide on default standard settings, put this right to an extent, but Fuji gets a "could do better" from us.
All said and done though, the creative capability offered by a larger than average zoom in a smaller than average chassis cannot be underestimated. If you're prepared to put up with or work around its shortcomings, then the F300EXR is still well worth checking out.


text:
DashCon, which is a convention in Schaumburg, Illinois that "aims to be the largest gathering of Tumblr users to date" is taking place this weekend. It is a first year convention, so people expected things to be a bit rough. It is also, however, apparently turning into a "complete disaster".
The main complaint seems to be that the convention suddenly claimed on the first night (11 July 2014) that they needed to raise an additional $17,000 by 10 PM CST that night in order to continue on with the weekend, as the hotel was charging them last minute unexpected fees. DashCon organizers claimed that the convention would be kicked out of the hotel if the money was not raised and paid in short order. Many people suspected this to be a scam, for various reasons, including the fact that when others contacted the Renaissance Hotel, management claimed they were doing no such thing. The money was successfully raised, but there has been no confirmation that it went to the hotel, or anywhere except the organizer's pockets.
Update: This post previously linked to what is now confirmed to be a parody site that claimed DashCon's raised $17,000 was going towards the 2015 convention. This was not accurate. Of note, DashCon's official website, Facebook page, Tumblr page, and Twitter feed all do not address the controversy. One of the organizer's personal blogs (linked to from the DashCon website) does quote the now deleted DashCon Tumblr post begging for the additional $17,000.
Other items of note include the main guests of honor, Welcome to Night Vale, cancelling their appearance because the organizers of the convention failed to pay them. Guests who bought reserved seating for this event were offered a free raffle ticket and "an extra hour in the ball pit". This was the ball pit:
Other guests were also not paid as agreed, causing several to withdraw from the convention. The lack of payment to the guests was particularly outrageous after the last minute fundraiser of $17,000 from attendees.
This being a convention aimed at Tumblr users, who are by nature avid bloggers, unhappy attendees are taking their complaints and using their followers to spread their message of discontent far and wide. Even people who did not attend are spreading the message that this is a convention to be avoided. People who were involved in the planning stage are writing long manifestos about how this was a disaster that could have easily been foreseen, due to awful planning and sketchy details.
Some cooler heads are reminding readers that first year conventions are always a gamble, but that if a first year convention is a disaster of this magnitude, it is probably not worth going back in subsequent years.
In the end, though, DashCon is going to be most memorable for how quickly news of a fandom disaster can spread. Though DashCon expected 3,000-7,000 attendees, reports from on the ground estimate only about 500-1,000 people showed up. Yet look how quickly news of poor planning, possible fundraising scams, and inept staff have spread. When your audience is avid internet users, the margin for error is low. The three-day convention is not even over, and it's already notorious in the Tumblr circles it hopes to draw from for attendees in future years.
As one Tumblr user put it,
what's funny is this is the first time I have ever felt this united with the entirety of tumblr
for once, finally, we all agree on something: that dashcon sucks ass.
Good luck next year, guys.


text:
Natural Tea for Your Health
Pure Puer Tea is among the highest quality puer teas in the world. It is hand picked from old and ancient large-leaf tea trees that grow high in the remote misty mountains of Yunnan, China, and aged in the famed Russian River vineyards of Sonoma County, CA. Our puer tea, also known as puerh, pu-erh, pu-er, and pu-eh tea, is sun dried and naturally aged to produce a healthy tea with a smooth, mellow, earthy taste. Learn moreLearn more


text:
7 Ways to Own Your Personal Power
3 Powerful Methods Anyone Can Use to Create Real Results and Succeed Faster
11 Principles About Success From The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale
7 Underrated Qualities Of Successful People
Turn Adversity Into Your Advantage
Women Trailblazers: The Most Successful Female Founder in Every Country
3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Business Uncertainty
5 Basketball Lessons That Taught Me How To Close Consistent Sales
6 Simple but Important Ways for Entrepreneurs to Avoid Burnout
My Company Went Vegan to Change Our Workplace and the World
8 Things You Can Do Right Now to Get Your Motivation Back
Why Isn't Anyone Talking About These 4 Motivation-Boosting Techniques?
5 Reasons Why Self-Motivation Can Prove to Be Your Strongest Armor to Stress
11 Success-Boosting Motivational Tips You Need to Hear
6 Lessons From Some of the Greats to Keep Your Mindset Strong
How to Launch Your Startup in 7 Easy Steps
3 Questions Your Startup Needs to Answer in Order to Maintain Focus
3 Startup Workplace Trends You Need to Carefully Consider
How Your Startup Can Effectively Collaborate With Influencers
12 Things That Will Help Build Your Brand Reputation for Your Startup
10 Life Changing Quotes That Helped Me Create A Meaningful Life
28 Inspirational Movie Quotes That Will Teach You the Most Valuable Life Lessons
25 Quotes About Resilience to Help You Bounce Back in Tough Times
50 Quotes From the Best Leadership Books of All Time
29 Quotes That Will Inspire You to Write More
The Best Advice I Have to Give: Be Intentional With the Tension
To All Young People, Now is the Best Time to Change Your World
Here's How You Can Immediately Stop That Inner Critic in Its Tracks
5 Ways to Avoid Being Just an Average Joe
It's Time to Stop Abdicating and Own Your Amazement
8 Powerful Ways To Show Up In Dating & Relationships – Apollonia Ponti
The Mindset Of A Multiple 7 Figure Entrepreneur – Michael Michalowicz
Top 12 Addicted2Success Podcast Episodes for You to Listen To
4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear
How To Relentlessly Live In Your Potential – Ben Kelly
3 Prince EA Videos To Change Humanities Path To Greatness
(Video) What Is Success? An Entrepreneurial Story To Inspire You
(Inspirational Video) What If Today You Knew You Were Going To Take Your Last Breath?
How To Make Enough Money From A Blog To Quit Your Job – Kate McKibbin
How Finding Your Passion And Becoming An Entrepreneur Can Lead To Happiness – Chiquita Searle
Lots of my people who read my stuff email me with their struggles. They're hoping that I will be blown away by how hard they've had...


text:
|The Zign Premium Villa, a masterpiece of a "de-sign art hotel, is
thrived in the modern transformation of Arts throughout the time. The
sights and sounds of the exotic destination will bring you an unforgettable
holiday created by the perfect combination of a modern lifestyle and
tropical paradise.
With a small road partitioning the two parts of The Zign Premium Villa, the villas are set amidst a stunning tropical atmosphere with an adjacent swimming pool as a frontier, the buildings simply put others in town on a different horizon. All types of accommodation fit with arty-crafty interiors and divided into art zones, each having its own prestige, specialty, and all equipped with modern amenities. The Zign also features an exclusive lounge, spa, fitness centre, meeting and event facilities, and dining venues to serve your preferences.
|This property boasts tropical villas of which are 14-storey twins. While the main buildings offer a la mode rooms and suites in various artist's inspirations in accordance with each room type's name, the villas present those based on boutique genres providing you the ultimate resort experience.
Terra Villa (Garden View)
Room Size : 44 sq.m. | 1 Double Bed+ 1 Single Bed | Garden viewSee the world in the grains of sand. The stunning interiors of Terra are made out of finest textures of modern canvasses of art using clay, bricks and bright colors. Let the smoothness of terrazzo and gentle roughness of clayish interiors, drift you towards calmness.
Flint Villa (Garden View)
Room Size : 44 sq.m. | 1 Double Bed+ 1 Single Bed | Garden viewWelcome to the modern Stone Age. Furbished with stone engravings, the beds, itself are attached in atone-brick layout wall. Flint Villa, takes you all the way back to the arts and crafts of Stone Age by filling your life with vibrant waves of Flint.
Flint Villa (Poolside View)
Room Size : 44 sq.m. | 1 Double Bed+ 1 Single Bed | Pool viewWelcome to the modern Stone Age. Furbished with stone engravings, the beds, itself are attached in atone-brick layout wall. Flint Villa, takes you all the way back to the arts and crafts of Stone Age by filling your life with vibrant waves of Flint.
Wicker Villa (Garden View)
Room Size : 48 sq.m. | 1 Double Bed+ 1 Single Bed | Garden viewWood doesn't lose its liveliness even after being carved as a new life is embedded through sculptures and designs. Wicker Villa is the rebirth of Wicker art into contemporary furnishing with soft wooden interiors in bright yellowish shade woven twigs. More and more pieces have been appropriately painted and upholstered in such a way that they're perfect for a sweet couple.
MOODS Restaurant
The Menu is full of mouth-watering, colorful dishes, the interiors are simply mind-blowing and the theme of the food is the one that our renowned Chef specializes in, Fusion! And that's what, Moods is all about. The art of Fusion Cooking evolves from the disire to make more diverse and delicious recipes based on Asian and European dishes with the help of fresh combinations of ingredients. Be pampered by the tropical outdoors or dine in the artistic indoor as moods will certainly blend with any of your Moods! As The Zign Premium Villa's signature restaurant, Moods offers a' la carte menu of funky Asian fusion. Its other inviting dishes embrace a variety of Thai and European recipes. The finest cuisine is made by the chef's choosy blending of the quality and combination of freshest ingredients. Be ready to indulge yourself with the colorful dishes catered for you both indoor and outdoor areas.
Service hours: 06:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
MOODS Bar
A perfect hideout for a chiled drink or fresh snacks is the Moods Bar. An exotic tropical atmosphere surrounds the Moods Bar as you exit the warm swimming pool waters. The signature cocktails will let your desires and instincts get the best out of you!
Service hours: 09:00 a.m. - 07:00 p.m.
|Located under the north Pattaya bay on the charming Wong Phra Chan
Beach in the north of Pattaya City, The Zign Premium Villa is only 5 minutes away
from the city centre, and at an approximate distance of an-hour ride
from Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and an-hour-and-a-half ride
from Bangkok.
Nearby natural and man-made tourist attractions and landmarks for all interests include the Sanctuary of Truth, Coral Island, Butterfly Garden, the Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm, Mini Siam, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Elephant Village, Star Dice Discotheque and cabaret shows.


text:
Institute of Cognition and Culture
Founded by the Queen's University, Belfast in September 2004, as part of the School of History and Anthropology, the Institute of Cognition and Culture (ICC) is one of the world's first centres for research in cognition and culture. This is a burgeoning interdisciplinary field in which scholars seek to explain patterns of cultural stability and variation utilizing theories and methods of the cognitive and evolutionary sciences (see also the International Cognition and Culture Institute, a blog on issues relevant to the field). Our postgraduate programmes enable students to acquire an advanced understanding of the theoretical traditions related to the study of cognition and culture and to develop groundbreaking research in the field (see Prospective Students). A lot of bright minds have passed through the ICC. We are proud of the research they did while they stayed here and of what they have accomplished since then (see Alumni). Check our news and some interesting posts related to our research interests by following us on Facebook.


text:
« PreviousContinue »
as Venus entered on the solar disc, the sweep of light round the dark disc of Venus would enable a very precise observation to be made. The Transit of Venus in 1874, in which the present writer assisted, overthrew this delusion. In 1877 Sir David Gill used Lord Crawford's heliometer at the Island of Ascension to measure the parallax of Mars in opposition, and found the sun's distance 93,08o,ooo miles. He considered that, while the superiority of the heliometer had been proved, the results would be still better with the points of light shown by minor planets rather than with the disc of Mars. In 1888–9, at the Cape, he observed the minor planets Iris, Victoria, and Sappho, and secured the co-operation of four other heliometers. His final result was 92,870, ooo miles, the parallax being 8",802 (Cape Obs., Vol. VI.). So delicate were these measures that Gill detected a minute periodic error of theory of twenty-seven days, owing to a periodically erroneous position of the centre of gravity of the earth and moon to which the position of the observer was referred. This led him to correct the mass of the moon, and to fix its ratio to the earth's mass = o.o.1 2240. Another method of getting the distance from the sun is to measure the velocity of the earth's orbital motion, giving the circumference traversed in a year, and so the radius of the orbit. o This has been done by comparing observation and experiment. The aberration of light is an angle 2 o'' 48, giving the ratio of the earth's velocity to the velocity of light. The velocity of light is 186, ooo miles a second; whence the distance to the sun is 92,78o, ooo miles. There seems, however, to be some uncertainty about the true value of the aberration, any determination of which is subject to irregularities due to the "seasonal errors." The velocity of light was experimentally found, in 1862, by Fizeau and Foucault, each using an independent method. These methods have been developed, and new values found, by Cornu, Michaelson, Newcomb, and the present writer. Quite lately Halm, at the Cape of Good Hope, measured spectroscopically the velocity of the earth to and from a star by observations taken six months apart. Thence he obtained an accurate value of the sun's distance." But the remarkably erratic minor planet, Eros, discovered by Witte in 1898, approaches the earth within 15, ooo, ooo miles at rare intervals, and, with the aid of photography, will certainly give us the best result. A large number of observatories combined to observe the opposi
tion of 1900. Their results are not yet completely reduced, but the best value deduced so far for the parallax' is 8".807 to".oo28."
II. HISTORY OF THE TELEscoPE
Accounts of wonderful optical experiments by Roger Bacon (who died in 1292), and in the sixteenth century by Digges, Baptista Porta, and Antonio de Dominis (Grant, Hist. Ph. Ast.), have led some to suppose that they invented the telescope. The writer considers that it is more likely that these notes refer to a kind of camera obscura, in which a lens throws an inverted image of a landscape on the wall. The first telescopes were made in Holland, the originator being either Henry Lipperhey," Zacharias Jansen, or James Metius, and the date 1608 or earlier. In 1609 Galileo, being in Venice, heard of the invention, went home and worked out the theory, and made a similar telescope. These telescopes were all made with a convex object-glass and a concave eye-lens, and this type is spoken of as the Galilean telescope. Its defects are that it * The parallax of the sun is the angle subtended by the earth's radius at the sun's distance. * A. R. Hinks, R.A.S.; Monthly Notices, June, 1909. * In the Encyclopædia Britannica, article " Tele
scope," and in Grant's Physical Astronomy, good reasons are given for awarding the honour to Lipperhey. has no real focus where cross-wires can be placed, and that the field of view is very small. Kepler suggested the convex eye-lens in 1611, and Scheiner claimed to have used one in 1617. But it was Huyghens who really introduced them. In the seventeenth century telescopes were made of great length, going up to 3oo feet. Huyghens also invented the compound eye-piece that bears his name, made of two convex lenses to diminish spherical aberration. But the defects of colour remained, although their cause was unknown until Newton carried out his experiments on dispersion and the solar spectrum. To overcome the spherical aberration James Gregory," of Aberdeen and Edinburgh, in 1663, in his Optica Promota, proposed a reflecting speculum of parabolic form. But it was Newton, about 1666, who first made a reflecting telescope; and he did it with the object of avoiding colour dispersion. * Will the indulgent reader excuse an anecdote which may encourage some workers who may have found their mathematics defective through want of use? James Gregory's nephew David had a heap of MS. notes by Newton. These descended to a Miss Gregory, of Edinburgh, who handed them to the present writer, when an undergraduate at Cambridge, to examine. After perusal, he lent them to his kindest of friends, J. C. Adams (the discoverer of Neptune), for his opinion. Adams's final verdict was: "I fear they are of no value. It is pretty evident that, when Some time elapsed before reflectors were much used. Pound and Bradley used one presented . to the Royal Society by Hadley in 1723. Hawksbee, Bradley, and Molyneaux made some. But James Short, of Edinburgh, made many excellent Gregorian reflectors from 1732 till his death in 1768.
Newton's trouble with refractors, chromatic aberration, remained insurmountable until John Dollond (born 1706, died 1761), after many experiments, found out how to make an achromatic lens out of two lenses — one of crown glass, the other of flint glass — to destroy the colour, in a way originally suggested by Euler. He soon acquired a great reputation for his telescopes of moderate size; but there was a difficulty in making flint-glass lenses of large size. The first actual inventor and constructor of an achromatic telescope was Chester Moor Hall, who was not in trade, and did not patent it. Towards the close of the eighteenth century a Swiss named Guinand at last succeeded in producing larger flint-glass discs free from striae. Frauenhofer, of Munich, took him up in 1805, and soon produced, among others, Struve's Dorpat refractor of 9.9 inches diameter and 13.5 feet focal length, and another, of 12 inches diameter and 18 feet focal length, for Lamont of Munich.
In the nineteenth century gigantic reflectors


text:
|Baby Time
Event Type: Early and Family Literacy
Age Group(s): Babies and their parents/carers
Date: 22/10/2019
Start Time: 10:30 AM
End Time: 11:00 AM
Spark a love of learning with songs, rhymes and stories. Tailored for babies under 12 months and their parents/carers. No bookings required.Venue: Logan West Library Where Are We?
Location: Junior Area
Contact: Logan West Library
Contact Number: 3412 4160
Presenter: Staff


text:
You are here
S5 SECURE REMOTE ACCESS – ION Priisms
S5 SECURE REMOTE ACCESS – ION Priisms
ION is the most trusted name in remote device management and secure access technology.
ION appliances, and software, enable service providers, equipment manufacturers, government and military agencies, and corporations to remotely manage, monitor, and secure critical voice and data networks.
More than half of the world's top telecommunications firms rely on ION technology to ensure quality service for their customers. With over 60,000 devices deployed worldwide, ION products are currently in use on six continents.
ION Networks, now part of API Technologies Corp., was founded in 1982 as MicroFrame, Inc. and quickly developed a strong reputation for pioneering work in multi-factor authentication and dial-up access control for voice and data networks.
ION has deep roots in the delivery of security and connectivity solutions to the telecommunications industry. This experience, along with the capability to continually anticipate, identify, and adjust to market demands and security requirements has helped ION maintain a leadership position in the technology industry for nearly three decades.
The hallmark of the ION product line is its ability to provide unparalleled security without hindering service delivery. For that reason, ION products are ideal for use by Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and the enterprises that work with them.
ION's suite of products, including secure appliances, secure modems and the software, helps service providers, equipment vendors, and enterprise customers remotely access, manage, and monitor voice, VoIP, and IT systems, while providing an unmatched level of security.


text:
Mercedes Benz isn't known for unleashing their untamed offspring on the public, however in 1979, they did just that. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe450 SLC lightens its load by adding aluminum, but is it worth lightening your wallet?
Mercedes Benz has had a long and fruitful racing history, and some of their most rare and desirable cars are derived from those track stars. Today's 1979 450 SLC might look unassuming, maybe a little plebeian even by Mercedes' standards, but as a tramp stamp is potentially indicative of wild times ahead, so is the 5.0 badge on the ass-end of this SLC. When you are the subject of someone issuing the instruction to book 'em, Danno, that person's possession of a five-oh badge can be a bad thing. Affixed here, like on so many Ford Mustangs, it's a good thing, and indicates the only thing arresting will be the car's performance.
When Mercedes introduced the R107-based C107 in 1973, many felt that stylistically it wasn't the equal of competitors from Jaguar, BMW or even the baroque behemoths from Cadillac and Lincoln. Perhaps because of its somewhat uninspiring appearance, it never sold in the kind of numbers its pagoda-roofed sister enjoyed. Despite the lackluster sales, the SLC carried on, and carried the same mix of engines as the two seater, including Benz's straight six and a pair of iron block OHC V8s in 3.5- and 4.5-litre displacements.
That was the case until 1979 when the mad scientists at Mercedes discovered a little something called aluminum. Out of that magical metal they created a monster V8 that proved to be both lighter and more hairier-chested than its cast iron progenitors. Because it was so much lighter, they could make it bigger, and at 4,973ccs, the two-cam eight managed 240-DIN horsepower and 296 lb-ft of torque. Needing a place to homologate the monster so it could run in WRC they chose to drop it in the stiffer coupe over its two-top sibling, and matched the alloy motor with alloy panels replacing the hood and trunk lid for the lightest and most aluminumiest SLC ever.
The resultant 450 SLC 5.0 existed only for 1979 and in the miniscule quantity of only 1,470 - just enough to qualify for FIA rules. Of those, only 40 are reported to have officially been shipped stateside. This 113,000-mile example is probably not one of those 40, despite the fact it carries the bigger bumpers you'd expect of a U.S. car. The seller says it a former owner imported it from Germany through the gray market, and had it made kosher with the Feds. The car currently carries CA plates, so licensing pretty much anywhere shouldn't be a problem. Another indicator of it being an immigrant is what looks like a velour interior, which is uncommon in U.S. Cars, most of which got warm leatherette instead. Whatever its provenance, it's still rarer than bratwurst tartare, in fact, if the seller is being truthful about he VIN number, this was but the 220th 450 SLC 5.0 built.
This 5.0 has the aluminum panels, half-inch wider alloy wheels and rubber ducky aero-aides front and back that set it apart from its lessor siblings. Unlike the hardcore rally cars, this SLC does sport a sunroof and those massive battering ram bumpers. They wrap around the body like a the last stripper of the night around the pole, and awkwardly frame the Mercedes-appropriate silver paint and dachshund-like proportions. That topcoat is shiny and gives the car the appearance, in the pictures at least, as though it just drove off the production line. Inside, the velour upholstery looks to have faded on the back seat tops, but that my be just a trick of the light and to our dismay the seller doesn't give us any interior shots to confirm.
You may also be dismayed to find that the 5.0 is mated to Mercedes' robust but fully automatic three-speed gearbox. Before you claim that to be a deal breaker, keep in mind that this is how they all came from the factory as Benz didn't have a manual transmission at the time that would handle the torque of the 450 V8, much less the big aluminum block's twist.
Modern Benz's may outperform the 5.0 today, and those cars have enough technology on board to keep you out of trouble when you do go to grab some of that gusto. The 450 SLC lacks any kind of ABS, traction control, stability control or airbags, so instead of looking to it to help you through those kind of situations you'll more likely find it laughing manically and trying to push you over whatever razor's edge you are straddling. That's what we like to call, fun.
That Mercedes would use the 1,470 homologation cars as test beds for the new aluminum engine speaks to their bravado and confidence in the motor. Its success led to the development of the modern alloy V8s that the company employs today. It also ranks up there with the 300 SL as one of the top performing Mercedes cars of its era. That's a lot of relevance and history wrapped up in a package that maintains a modest level of decorum and gravitas. When new, everyone knew it was special and because of that, the 450 SLC 5.0 was one of the costliest ways to get behind a wheel with a three-pointed star on it. Today however, it'll take $10,000. There aren't that many 5.0s on the market right now in the U.S., and it's questionable how many of those are the real thing. There's lots of badge-switched 350s pretending to be 450s out there, and the price premium the 5.0 should carry makes it a prime candidate for such tomfoolery.
But if this one is the real deal, and if it's mechanically as sound as it appears in the pictures, what's your take on that $10,000 asking price? Is that fair for a Benz so rare? Or, does that price make this SLC, DOA?
You decide!
Los Angeles Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


text:
Story highlights
- "Obama Care" was printed on packages of heroin
- "It's just a branding so you can say if this brand is good or bad."
- Four people arrested Friday in Hatfield, Massachusetts
What do heroin and Obamacare have in common?
Nothing -- save for more than 1,200 packets of heroin that had the words "Obama Care" and "Kurt Cobain" printed in red on the packaging that Massachusetts State Police say they uncovered in a drug bust.
State police said the labels are nothing more than marketing ploys.
"It's a branding by the particular drug dealer so when the drug gets out to the population, you know what it is," said Police Lt. Daniel Richard. "It's just a branding so you can say if this brand is good or bad. It's like putting Pepsi or Coca-Cola on a bottle."
Trooper Joseph Petty stopped a vehicle with four people in the Town of Hatfield on Friday morning after noticing the vehicle was committing several traffic violations.
Tyler Robenstein and Ashley Beaulieu of Vermont and Marquese Jones and Sherod Green of New Jersey were taken into custody and face conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession charges.
The driver, Robenstein, was charged with speeding, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and failure to change lanes for an emergency vehicle, police said.
The Hampshire County Jail in Northampton said late Saturday afternoon that Robenstein and Beaulieu had been released on bond. Jones and Green were still being held.


text:
1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Copyright Page
4. Dedication Page
5. Table of Contents
Then I was like, "well, what now?" In my mind, I had always thought about how I wanted my book to be. It was crystal clear ... until I tried to put it on paper. My brain locked up and all I could think about was whether I had any new posts on Facebook, or maybe I got a new email that needed my immediate attention (at 10:00 at night).
I was even prepared for it taking a long time to get the whole thing put together (I'm not even close to filling in all the blanks for the people I want to include in this book). I knew I would be working on little bits at a time and filling in the information as I confirmed it. But come on, this is just an outline! Surely that would be the easiest part. HA!
I knew what I wanted my book to be, but I hadn't really given much thought as to HOW I was going to get it that way. Layout? Never even crossed my mind. Format? Nope. I guess I just thought that I would sit down at the computer and the story would magically go from my brain through my fingertips and onto the page.
This week's lesson: I need more wine. Maybe therapy.
Okay, the REAL lesson: One step at a time. Get the basics down before you move on to the advanced stuff (like an outline!)
I'm going to have to give some serious thought about how I'm going to lay out my book and roughly what each chapter will contain. I already know that I want it to be a sort of narrative - written mostly for my family or whoever wants to read it - but I also want to make sure it's properly sourced and has the appropriate historical background (in case a future genealogist gets hold of it). I probably should also give some thought as to whether I'm going to publish it as an ebook or in hard copy. That decision will likely determine the direction of the other decisions.
For now, I'm going to see if I can get any inspiration from Monday night's episode of Castle.


text:
Dr. Grumpy: "No."
Mr. Radic: "Good. I've seen 3 cardiologists for it, and they didn't think so, either."
A Blog detailing the insanity of my medical practice and the stupidity of everyday life.
No, but they may be coming from your brain. Does that work better for you?
Nice to know your opinion is respected in fields you may have not experienced since a Medical student.
If only all patients thought the same for your opinion in Neurology.
It's a case of 'the woman down the road told me to rub this leaf on me, so I've stopped your treatment and doing that' effect, where people seem to rather believe people with less experience over those with more.
Her internist, gastroenterologist and podiatrist didn't think so either. But if she keeps asking, someone will tell her it is a heart problem!
ah, the infamous case of mine is "what brings you here with Fluffy today?" "well, the last seven vets couldn't find out what's wrong with him but I've heard great things about you, doctor!" Of course there was nothing wrong with the dog. Psych consult!
Patients should learn the proper question: What do you think it is Doctor ?
Never go in saying Do you think it is ________?
Make them sweat.
We had a lady come in yesterday who claims that she's seen a whole slew of "quack doctors" who don't know what they're talking about...and after going through her records, they discovered that she had been seen here before by, like, three of our doctors. Well, guess what, lady? They didn't find anything wrong with you then and those quacks probably won't this time, either!
Oh, I don't know. I had one of those instances once. Had symptoms that had all the docs stumped. It just felt like it was coming from somewhere totally unrelated so I timidly asked if it could be... all heads in the room snapped to me with that "look" of STFU then several got the look of "well, maybe..." and voila I was right!! Sometimes I in my body know how it feels better than the symptoms dictate. Sometimes, not. haha.
What does her mechanic say? How about the pool guy?
wv: vetterns: fought for the South in the Civil War.
Little Calf Creamery. Delicious homemade ice cream and food in Thousand Oaks!