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With board games like "Monopoly", "Domino", "Checkers", or "Chess", can game developers make clones and sell them? Also, can I make a clone of ZX Spectrum games? Are there many parts of the game with which can do the same?
Lawyer here for a change. You can copy all of gameplay without any issues at all. That is not copyrightable or enforceable. The things that matter are assets - art, sound, music, video, etc. For example if you take ZX game and clone it with your own assets you will be perfectly fine doing that. But if you take some asset and use it in different kind of game all together, it could be enforceable. There are loads of examples of this in the industry, for example first Warcraft basically copied Dune 2 gameplay mechanics and the genre was totally new at the time. For a more recent example - check out Gameloft company, the developer for iphone. What they do is copy successful game ideas as close as possible to the original but without using any art assets from originals. That is their successful business model. They copied games like Halo, Starcraft, World of warcraft and so on with huge success in their field. It is even funny that if you check their wow clone you may see that animations of orcs and their looks are very close to the original.
TL;DR version: As long as you copy gameplay and don't copy any assets (art, music, animation) you are 100% fine.
I am not a lawyer.
You've got two separate sets of games.
Chess, checkers, dominoes, etc. are very old - literally thousands of years. They obviously have no copyrights. You can make a chess game and sell it with no problems.
ZX Spectrum games and Monopoly are copyrighted/patented; that is, the game belongs to someone. You would need to seek out the copyright holders (that is, the creator of the ZX Spectrum games or Hasbro, who own Monopoly) to make a version.
You could, however, make a game where you have to buy property and build on them. You could not use Monopoly's names, places, or rules, but something very similar.
I might also add that if you are sued and you do not have the resources (money, time) to defend yourself, it is 100% irrelevant whether you would win or not.
When I consider the legal ramifications of something, I often ask myself "what is the likelihood that I will get sued if I do this?" as opposed to "if I were sued because of this, would I win?"
Not a lawyer and you should check with one for assurance.
There should not a problem as long as you don't copy any specific names, things or text since you cannot trademark or copyright gameplay & rules.
This will obviously vary a lot from country to country, but the basic idea is that you can't make an exact clone, but you can make a knock-off version. Board games tend to be covered by two aspects: the copyright on the written rules of the game, the trademarks and copyrights on the visual elements to the game.
The underlying mechanics and gameplay tend not to be covered by any legal protection. However, and this is a damn big however, as certain countries (like the US) offer software patents it seems possible that a company could indeed patent the gameplay itself. However, for popular games the mechanics are usually so common as not likely to be granted such protection.
Mostly however companies protect their brand. If your game does not infringe on their brand you are probably safe. Be careful about copying rules (this also applies to video games) too closely. If you have a game that behaves nearly identical to another but with distinct artwork I think most people would consider it a derivative work, and thus infringing on the original.
So, feel free to replicate a basic gameplay mechanic, but never duplicate graphics and avoid duplicating level-structure.
Dominoes, checkers, and chess are all ancient games that you can do whatever you want with. Modern games like Monopoly are trickier and the legalities can vary. First off, never copy the names because that is copyrighted. Similarly, change all the graphics because images are protected.
It's usually fine to copy gameplay because that can't be copyrighted, but watch out for patents on hit games.


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Posted: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
EDIT: the release date has been moved to June, 9th
1618. The protestant nobles of Bohemia reject the election of the catholic Ferdinand of Styria as king and rise in open revolt against the Holy Roman Emperor. This seemingly local conflict is the spark which will ignite all of Europe, dooming it to three decades of warfare and sectarian violence: it is the Thirty Years' War!
Posted: Friday, May 20, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
1942, war rages as Germany and its allies continue the colossal invasion of the Soviet Union, which seems to be on the brink of collapse. An increasingly isolated Great Britain is the last bastion of resistance in Europe, and the armies of the Axis seem unstoppable. But the USA have entered the fight! The Allied High Command debates the opening of a new front: it's time to reverse the tide…
Posted: Thursday, May 19, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
From the 15th until the early 17th century, Japan's Shogunate was heavily contested by powerful lords from around the country. The rebellious local Daimyo had grown stronger and began to question and challenge the leadership of the nation. This period, called Sengoku Jidai or the Warring States Period, would become one of the most renowned civil wars of human history.
Posted: Friday, May 13, 2016 by Olivier Georges
Sengoku Jidai: Shadow of the Shogun's release date is approaching. The game will be released on the 19th of May and you'll finally be able to fully experience warfare in East Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries.
But we have a special treat for you: a Collector's Edition will be available, adding extra content to an already extremely rich game!
Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
As part of the Games Workshop Digital Assault event on the Apple Appstore, Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon and all its DLCs will be discounted by 50% from Thursday 12 May to Thursday 19 May.
We hope that this week long promotion will be a tremendous opportunity for all Warhammer fans to fill up their iOs devices with tons of great content.
Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
Posted: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
Since its initial release, Tigers on the Hunt has been able to capture the essence of old classic wargames. Employing hundreds of units and a vicious AI, Tigers on the Hunt has been further implemented by the community with tons of new content, including ASL-oriented mods and custom scenarios!
Today developer studio Siliconsoft Systems Inc.is very proud to announce their first update, bringing the game to version V18.104.22.168! This new version brings a lot of improvements, making the game more immersive than ever!
Posted: Monday, May 09, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
Posted: Friday, May 06, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
Ming Chinese armies were formed around the Wei-suo tradition where military service was an inherited profession. This ensured the availability of a standing army accessible by the Empire at all times, but as Chinese society embraced Confucian values that shunned wars, soldiers were seen as second class citizens. Training camps and military campaigns were run by civilian bureaucrats (scholars) instead of experienced generals. This led to mismanagement of military resources and low morale. Despite all this, the Ming army was still a viable fighting force and was active in quelling rebellions, protecting the borders and fighting pirates with varying degrees of success.
Posted: Friday, May 06, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
One of the best grand strategy games created by Ageod has reached a new milestone!
Wars of Napoleon is now available on Steam, and finally you'll be able to unleash the power of the Grand Armee on this platform!
Four historically accurate scenarios with different starting points will lead you into one of the most turbulent periods in Europe's history, covering over 10 years of military campaigns, from 1805 to 1815!
And if this wasn't enough, you could try to succeed where even Napoleon failed: with a what if scenario covering the French invasion of Great Britain!
Posted: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
Amazing news!
We are happy to announce that Matrix Games lands on Bundle Stars!
Starting from today a number of our games will be sold on the Bundle Stars store at a very special discount price!
Posted: Tuesday, May 03, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
We have just published a new video to show you gameplay footage one of the most interesting features of Sengoku Jidai: generals.
Generals influence the gameplay greatly by having an effect on all units under their command, they can be attached to units and even take part to personal combat against enemy commanders!
If you want to know more, just watch the video:
Posted: Monday, May 02, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
"Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me" — The Duke of Wellington
1815. Quatre Bras, a small village with no more than 4 houses located in Belgium. But this peaceful place will assume a key in determining the Europe's fate.
Here, the Armée du Nord commanded by Marshall Ney will face Wellington's Anglo-Allied Army. The goal of the French is clear: if they achieve to achieve control of the crossroads, they will prevent the Prussians from linking up with the British army and creating a force too large for even Napoleon to smash.
Posted: Friday, April 29, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
The titanic struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union is here!
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, one of the most acclaimed wargames available for the Eastern Front, comes to Steam with its full array of innovative features and new elements!
"Winner of Grogheads "Digital Wargame of the Year" award, liked by Rock Paper Shotgun and with a 'you need to play this game' advice from the Three Moves Ahead podcast, Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is not the usual turn-based wargame.
Posted: Friday, April 29, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
Sengoku Jidai: an AAR!
Greetings everyone and welcome to this AAR of Sengoku Jidai: Shadow of the Shogun, the new game in development by Byzantine Games and due to release on 19th May on PC.
Today we'll fight a Skirmish Defend field battle on a Woody terrain. Skirmish battles are fought on randomly generated maps between two different army lists which can be selected or randomized. The map generator in Skirmish mode is impressive: it creates realistic battlefields with geographical features which have to be exploited to gain tactical advantages.
Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 by Alberto Casulini
Sengoku Jidai: Shadow of the Shogun offers the opportunity to lead armies from very diverse regions and countries: Japan, Korea, China, Manchuria and Mongolia.
We'll cover each region in weekly previews, describing the available army lists, talking about their evolution and the weapons and tactics they employ.
Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
One of the best grand strategy game set in the Napoleonic era has received an important update, and it is very huge!
The Engine, the Diplomacy system and the Historical Events have been considerably improved, making the experience more immersive than ever!
The list of changes is truly impressive! Check it out here!
You can download the patch from here
Get more information about Wars of Napoleon from its product page
Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
"The wolves will eat well this winter" – Anonymous Finnish officer, during a battle in the area of Suomussalmi
Only a few years have passed since Finland gained its independence in 1917 and the events of the following Civil War have led to a country that is recovering from fresh wounds. But the trials for this young Nation are not ended. The Soviet Union, considering that the Finnish-Russian borders were too close to Leningrad, demanded them to be moved westward and for the dismantling of all the fortifications that the Finnish had built in the Karelian Isthmus.
Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
Are you ready, general?
Panzer Corps, the award winning and universally praised strategy game, gets a free weekend on Steam!
It will be possible to everyone to try the game and play for free on Steamfor the duration of the whole weekend, starting later today at 7PM CEST / 5PM UTC / 1PM EDT.
But there is more!
During that time there will be a 75% discount on the base game and a 50% discount on all the DLCs!
Posted: Wednesday, April 20, 2016 by Daniele Meneghini
Order of Battle: Pacific and its first expansion, Order of Battle: Morning Sun, will be sold on Steam at a discount price, starting at 7 pm CEST and lasting 48 hours.
Order of Battle: Morning Sun will be discounted by 34% while Order of Battle: Pacific will have a very special discount price of 50%!
The game, released in 2015, offers a fresh and intuitive easy to learn but hard to master gameplay. It features campaigns set in the Pacific theater in World War II with unit carry over between missions, army customization, hundreds of units, a very original supply system, an extremely challenging AI, dynamic 3D graphics, and more. It's this explosive formula which makes Order of Battle: Pacific one of the most original and approachable wargames out there, while still retaining all the depth of the genre.
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Last Days of Old Earth is a turn-based strategy game set in a far future world where the sun is dying. The remnants of humanity must migrate once a generation ...

subset: commoncrawl


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A most gracious welcome greets your guests! Your family name and monogram makes this sophisticated doormat a family exclusive! A wonderful gift for friends and family members, front is 50-oz. urethane; back, 40-oz. urethane; 1⁄4" thick 18" x 26 5⁄8" W. Hand wash with soap and water; rinse with hose; do not use bleach.
Specify 1 initial for monogram and family name up to 18 characters, including "The" if desired.
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Slick career for Morris rider
The low point of 2012 for Coolbeth came on June 30 when his left leg was snapped in a freak accident during the first lap of a race in Lima, Ohio. A track marker that had been set on the racing surface at the Allen County Fairgrounds to keep riders away from a wet area accidentally got kicked up by a competitor ahead of him.
For Coolbeth, it wasn't like a street rider feeling the sting of catching a hard-shelled bug on the cheek. Flat-track racers compete at speeds of up to 130 miles per hour on straight-aways and 90 miles per hour in corners. The plastic stake smashed into Coolbeth's leg and instantly broke the tibia and fibula.
"I never even crashed," said Coolbeth, recalling that he immediately exited the oval and rode to the track's ambulance for transport to the hospital. His missed the next four events and didn't return to racing until mid-August.
"It was up and down every week when I came back," he said. He won in Knoxville, Iowa, in September, but finished 11th in Tucson is early October.
The season ended Oct. 13 in Pomona, Calif., and Coolbeth finished first again in the twins class aboard his orange and black V-twin Harley-Davidson XR750. He led from the start and his margin of victory in the 25-lap race was by more than eight seconds. Pause for a second, envision his speed, count slowly to eight and you'll have an idea of the gap that Coolbeth created between himself and the distant runner-up.
Over the New Year's holiday weekend, the NBC Sports Network replayed the Pomona event at least twice. RIDE-CT happened to tune in, noted Coolbeth's victory and, knowing he's a local guy, set out to track him down. On Thursday afternoon, RIDE-CT tagged along as Coolbeth worked out his single-cylinder Kawasaki KX 450F motocross bike on a frozen pond in Warren.
For the 35-year-old Coolbeth, there is no off-season. Training in winter, working out in the gym and riding on ice with studded tires is the routine.
"This is my life. This is what I do," he said before rolling the Kawasaki from the bed of his pickup. Chaplin Kawasaki is his sponsor in the singles class, while Harley backs him in twins. He's already looking ahead to the coming race season, which runs from mid-March to mid-October. "The last race (at Pomona) was good for us. It gave us confidence going into next year. We're going to be a contender for the championship," he vowed.
Coolbeth knows something about winning championships. He started racing as a pro in 1994 while still in high school and was named AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year. For three consecutive years, 2006 through 2008, he won the AMA Grand National Twins Championship title. He might have won again in 2009 had not a training accident resulted in a broken shoulder. He ranks as one of the greatest flat-track racers in history. In the past 59 years, only five others have won the title three years in a row.
"I've got a lot of metal in me," he said, referring to the many injuries he's sustained over the years. Broken bones is the price that's paid for the thrill of racing. What does strike him as risky is riding motorcycles on the street. He doesn't own a street bike and doesn't have an "M" endorsement on his driver's license.
"It's too dangerous," he said of street riding. "On the race track, you know what people are going to do." His advice to those of us who do ride the highways? "Always pay attention. Be safe. Pay attention," he said.
Coolbeth, who grew up in Warren and graduated from Wamogo Regional High School in 1996, began racing motorcycles at age 5. His parents, Kenny and Betty, who now live in Florida, encouraged him. His dad was a racer, too. "The big reason I'm so successful is because they were supportive," he said.
With his 36th birthday approaching in March, Coolbeth is on the downslope of his racing career. "I'm actually the oldest guy on the circuit," he said. Experience helps keep him competitive.
To the unenlightened, flat-track racing is not entirely what it seems. "If they don't know anything about dirt tracks, they say it looks easy. We don't just go in circles. It's way harder than it looks," Coolbeth said.
No doubt the same is true of riding on ice. After getting his Kawasaki off the truck and riding it to the edge of the ice, Coolbeth removed the sheaths that covered the tires, put on his riding gear, and proceeded to carve up the ice in a riding sessions that mixed practice and exercise with fun.
Another aspect of winter isn't as enjoyable. Unlike other higher-profile, better-funded sports, which are essentially underwritten by huge TV contracts, flat-track racing isn't. "I'm constantly on the phone trying to get sponsorships," he said.
Coolbeth admitted frustration over flat track's TV profile and its largely regional appeal in the Midwest and West. "We need new venues, new people exposed to our sport," he said.
One upside to flat track's relative obscurity in New England is that it enables Coolbeth to live in anonymity in the area where he grew up. "I'm just a quiet guy anyway. I just kind of keep a low profile," he said.
Don't bother to ask where that pond he rides is located.
Bud Wilkinson may be reached by email at budw@ ride-ct.com. He also writes about motorcycles daily at ride-ct.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/ridect.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former CIA Director David Petraeus has not been following the media firestorm that erupted in the wake of his resignation last week after admitting to having had an affair, a former aide said Wednesday.
"He wants to maintain a distance and focus on his family at this time," said retired Col. Peter Mansoor, who added that he had spoken earlier in the day with Petraeus. "He realizes it was a severe and morally reprehensible action, but he violated no laws," Mansoor said.
The affair between the married former military man and his married biographer, Paula Broadwell, ended about four months ago, Mansoor said, though the two remained in contact afterward. "Mostly in a professional capacity, where she's still trying to get her dissertation done and he was still trying to help her with that," he said.
Asked how Petraeus, 60, was holding up, Mansoor said, "He describes it as putting one foot in front of the other, and then repeating the process. So it's going to be a long, long road of healing for them. He understands that and he's focusing on it."
Mansoor's remarks came hours after President Barack Obama declined Wednesday to join congressional voices calling for an investigation into why the FBI did not notify the White House and other political leaders sooner about the investigation into the affair that led to Petraeus' resignation.
"I am withholding judgment with respect to how the entire process surrounding Gen. Petraeus came up," Obama told reporters at the White House. "We don't have all the information yet, but I want to say I have a lot of confidence generally in the FBI. So I'm going to wait and see."
Obama said he agreed with Petraeus' decision to resign after acknowledging an affair, but praised his service to the country.
"From my perspective, at least, he has provided this country an extraordinary service," Obama said.
He also said he had seen no evidence of any potentially damaging breach in national security stemming from the affair.
"I have no evidence at this point from what I've seen that classified information was disclosed that in any way would have had a negative impact on our national security," Obama said.
In Congress, lawmakers from both parties have complained about not having been notified sooner of the investigation that led to the resignation or about potential security breaches.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said he was increasingly concerned about the potential fallout from the affair and any national security implications, including possible links to the September 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans.
Graham has called for a special select committee to investigate the attack. FBI Director Robert Mueller joined Deputy Director Sean Joyce and acting CIA Director Mike Morell in briefing the lawmakers.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said Tuesday that she had "many questions about the nature of the FBI investigation, how it was instituted."
"And we'll be asking those questions," she said.
But the committee's ranking Republican member, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, said Wednesday the group would not look into questions about the FBI investigation and how congressional leaders learned about it until after the bureau concludes its work.
Petraeus has been scheduled to testify this week in private hearings on Capitol Hill about the Benghazi attack. Some Republicans have criticized the administration's response to the attack and have speculated that the timing of Petraeus' departure may have been linked to the congressional inquiry.
But Petraeus offered Wednesday through his chief of staff to testify on Benghazi, Mansoor said. "He did not like the conspiracies going around that somehow he had something to hide on Benghazi," he said. "I think his offer to testify crossed with the Congress' request to him to testify. But anyway, he looks forward to that."
Petraeus will testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Friday, a senior aide said. Feinstein said Tuesday that she hoped Petraeus would address her Senate panel as early as Friday.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Wednesday defended his request to withhold the nomination of Gen. John Allen to NATO commander pending an investigation into his contacts with Jill Kelley, whose complaints about anonymous, harassing e-mails led to the discovery of the affair between Petraeus, 60, and Broadwell, 40.
Broadwell's government security clearance has been suspended pending the outcome of investigations, two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the move told CNN Wednesday.
Defense officials announced Tuesday that the FBI had referred information to them indicating Allen may have exchanged potentially inappropriate e-mails with Kelley, who was a volunteer at MacDill Air Force Base.
Kelley's access to MacDill without an escort has been suspended, a Defense Department official said Wednesday. She had been given access to the base because of her position as a booster and promoter of programs to help U.S. troops, the official said. A U.S. official familiar with the e-mails Allen sent to Kelley described them as warranting the investigation.
"If they got out, John Allen would be very embarrassed by them," said the official, who added that there was no evidence of physical contact between the two.
The official said that the e-mails under investigation are from Allen.
But a senior official close to Allen told CNN on Tuesday that the e-mails contained nothing pointing to sex or anything of a romantic nature. Allen may have said, informally, "thanks sweetheart" in an e-mail, the official close to Allen said.
"Anyone who knows him knows his style; he has a habit of replying to every single e-mail (he is sent). Kelley would e-mail his business and personal accounts," the official said.
It will be up to the Defense Department's inspector general to decide if the e-mails' content represents conduct unbecoming an officer, said a third source, a senior U.S. official.
Allen has yet to be questioned by Defense Department inspector general staff, but that could be completed in days, a U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation said.
Allen, who was once stationed at the base, has denied wrongdoing, a senior defense official said. In a statement, Col. John Baker, the chief defense counsel of the Marine Corps, said Allen "fully intends to cooperate" with the inspector general's investigators.
Broadwell's anonymous e-mail to Allen was sent after May, perhaps in June, the official said. The e-mail, which had also been sent to a number of other officers, bore the handle "kelleypatrol -- or something similar," the official said.
He described the e-mail as "a warning that Kelley was a seductress or something along those lines" and said it was vaguely threatening, but above all weird.
"Allen did not know it was (from) Broadwell," the official said.
The official also said it was unclear when Kelley went to the FBI or whether Allen's warning to her was the trigger, but that Allen saw nothing in the e-mail's wording to warrant referral by him to the FBI.
Kelley's version differs from one offered by the senior official close to Allen, who said it was Allen who received an anonymous e-mail about Kelley, and tipped her off that someone was threatening her.
One of the sources familiar with Kelley said she first mentioned the alleged harassment in a casual conversation with an FBI agent whom she knew socially. She did not seek him out for action on the matter, but he was happy to help, the source said. The source added that Kelley did not know at first that the e-mails led to Petraeus.
A source familiar with Kelley's version of events said the anonymous e-mails traced to Broadwell began in June. It wasn't until two months later that the FBI told Kelley who had sent the e-mails, said the source, adding that Kelley does not know Broadwell.


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ok, I've read tons of bits and pieces on the subject of loading dynamic content (from the web) into a UITableView and the problem with calculating cell height upfront. I've tried different simple implementations but the problem persists...
Assuming I need to read a JSON file from the web, parse it into 'item' objects, each with variable size image and various text labels, here is what I believe would be the right approach to avoid long hang time of the app while everything is loading:
- on app load read JSON file and parse into items array
- provide only small part of the items array to the tableview (about 10 items) - since I need to load the images associated with each item to calculate cell height - I don't want the view to go through the whole items list and load all images - this hangs the app until every image is loaded
- display the tableview with the available cells (assuming I load a few 'spare' ones, user can even scroll to more items)
- in the background using Grand Central Dispatch download images for all/some of the remaining items and then reload the tableview with the new data (repeat step 4 if item list is very long)
Step 2 above is necessary since I have no way to calculate the cell height without loading the images first, and since tableview first calculates height of all cells it may take a very long time to download all images for all items.
Would you say this is the right approach? am I missing something?


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What's On Your Heart Today?
By Rebecca Teti
Tuesday: Open Forum
(Join each day's Coffee Talk discussion: Mon: Parenting; Tues: Open Forum; Wed: NFP; Thu: Marriage; Fri: Education; Sat/Sun: Changing Roles)
This is the Open Forum Coffee Talk. That means ... anything goes. Ask a question, make a suggestion, share a story, offer some advice -- the floor is yours!
On my heart today? Well..my husband's grandparents who are in their late 80s had a burglary on Sunday while they were out to dinner. We are so thankful they were not home but so disheartening. They live in a nice suburb in OH, they have the same routine every day. 2 computers & their phone were stolen, door was also broken. It's Christmas, their kind elderly folks who don't have luxury items....why would they be targeted? Someone had to have been watching & know their routine--so is it a neighbor? We just need to pray to not be angry & feel grateful. Gratefult that they were not harmed & are well.
On a happier note this Friday I am attending an ordination of Deacon Marty Flynn to become a Priest, in Marquette, MI. I have never been nor do I know what to expect. I'm very excited to be attending such a momentous occasion. Are gifts given/expected?
Hi everyone. I'm looking for some good advice. I have a 6 month old who is not the best sleeper. I am breastfeeding him, and he sleeps in a crib in our room because he is the youngest of six, and we have nowhere else for him until he sleeps thru the night. He usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8. Then he wakes up sometime before midnight, around 1-2 am, around 4 am, and then sometimes again at 6. So that is 3-4 times every night. I know he doesnt need to nurse, but i feed him each time because otherwise i just lay there awake, and if i feed him he goes right back to sleep. I am pooped. I stay at home but still need to get up by 6:30 to help older kids get ready for school. Our older kids went in their own room by this age so I didn't hear every little noise but we have no more room for this little guy:)
Avk - When a friend of mine was ordained, he mentioned that A LOT of people gave him religious items--crosses, Bibles, prayer books, etc.--which he found odd, because as a seminarian (and now priest) he already had a lot of that stuff. If you know him well, I would choose a gift that you might give for any other celebratory occasion and not worry if it's religiously themed. If not, I'm sure a gift card to Amazon or Target or something would be much appreciated. And, of course, you can't go wrong with having a Mass said! Having said all of that, though, I don't think a gift is necessary. It really depends on how well you know him.
Avk- I re-read your question and think I may have jumped the gun on my response! Many people will give gifts (especially if they know the new priest well), but I don't think they're expected. At the reception there will probably be a gift table (like at a wedding reception), in case you choose to give something. If you don't give a gift, I think a card with a personal note or letter would be perfectly appropriate.
to Avk--I have attended many ordinations. No--no gift is "expected", but yes, as MR said, there will probably be a gift table. We have been on both ends of this. For priests who were merely aquaintances, we usually just gave a card, maybe a spiritual bouquet. For those we have known well, believe it or not, many now have "registries" at local Catholic gift/book stores. We found that helpful, and did get one good friend a specific Latin missal that he had requested along with the card/spiritual bouquet. On a side note, if you are able to attend his "First Mass", which is usually the next day--you can receive a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions--confession, prayers for the Pope). That's an added blessing!
Thank you very much MR and Mary Therese. I never thought about getting a non-religious gift but that makes a lot of sense that they would receive so many in seminary. Thats actually kind of a funny though then...:) A mass said in his honor, Amazon gift card within a personal card sounds like a perfect idea. That way if he wants another bible or needs a pair of mittens he can chose. Thank you again.
Sarah, is there ANY way you can rearrange rooms so that the little one can be out of your room?? Even it's for a couple nights or your older kids go to a sleepover or even sleep in the same room (make it a fun "camping" adventure in their room) Pack n play in the dining room or living room with a baby monitor set up? You need sleep! It will make you happy, baby happy, family/home happy. Hang in there...although you have other kiddos so I don't need to tell you it will get better because you have done this before & know firsthand. :)
@Sarah, I know it's not for everyone, but could you just put baby in bed with you (with a railing or something so he doesn't fall out)? That has worked well for me since I'll half wake up to start feeding baby, but fall back asleep before he's done. Way less taxing for me!
Sarah: I am going to assume that co-sleeping isn't something you are interested in (I figure by baby #6, you know what works and what doesn't for your family:). It doesn't work well for us, either. I think if you are looking to eliminate any and all night feeding, try moving some kids out of their bedroom for a week or so. Let them camp out in your room (or wherever works for you) and put the baby in there. If you just want to cut down on the number of feedings, could you sleep on the couch for a few nights? You could come up and feed when needed, husband could calm baby down (or baby cries) when it isn't feeding time. This would be especially good if you are now feeding the baby when he starts making noises that you might otherwise ignore if he was in another room (and would have fallen back asleep on his own). Also, look at his whole sleep schedule. Babies tend to sleep better at night if they are also napping well during the day. If your baby tends to snatch naps in the car or just get them when you happen to be home (understandable being the sixth child) try focusing on getting him good naps for a week or so and see if that improves things.
Sarah, We had friends in a simliar situation. They had a very large walking in closet in their bedroom. They set their portal crib up in the closet and baby slept in there with the door closed. This way they didn't hear all the noises but still heard the baby when he was truly hungry. I like the others ideas of letting your kids camp out for a week. Christmas break is coming so perhaps that would be a good time to try it
Thanks for the suggestions. We have an unusual sleep setup here with 3 small bedrooms and 6 kids. We have always liked the baby to have own room because usually we end up waking less this way. So right now we have oldest 4(2 boys and 2 girls) in 2 sets of bunk beds in one room and 2.5 year old in crib in her own room with baby in our room in crib. This way 2.5 year old can go to bed earlier and sleep in later. We always planned to just switch the 2 youngest and move baby in his own room for awhile. We tried this one night and baby almost acted "scared". He woke up same amount and was really crying so I still had to get up and feed him. Plus the 2.5 year old got up earlier too. I do suspect some of this could get better with more regular daytime sleep. Right now he basically naps when nothing else will make him happy. So some days he may have morning, afternoon, and evening naps and then some days one long afternoon nap. He also usually sleeps in till 9 or so which is probably bad too but I cherish quiet morning time since kids usually stay up as long as I do at night.
I just need some support. Maybe I should wait until NFP day tomorrow, but I've been waiting long enough to have these forums back! We use Creighton, I have PCOS and loooong cycles, and we use yellow stamps, but they only seem to buy us an extra couple of days at either end of my cycle. In the middle, there are weeks and weeks of fertile mucus, and abstaining is just getting so unsustainable. It feels like we're being punished for trying to do the right thing. If we were using contraception, we could have a relationship like normal people! Last month, we decided maybe we weren't that serious about avoiding, and decided to just go for it . . . 2 days later, my husband lost his job, so now we're back to being serious. I would LOVE to be in a position to stop avoiding right now, but we're going to be burning through our savings as it is. (And of course, the flip side of PCOS is that it may well make it difficult to conceive as well, I can't help but worry that when the time comes, we'll just be trading one difficulty for another.) It just seems like God can't actually want us to be practically celibate, but our only other option is risking conceiving a child we absolutely cannot afford.
What is PCOS?
I think you should set your mind at ease by maybe talking with your priest? We spoke openly with our family friend & Priest & prayed hard about it. We made what feel was in our best interest....and what we feel God is supportive of as his presence is so prominent in our lives.
Maybe try Marquette? Since you already use Creighton, I'll guess that you know about metformin and such for PCOS and that hasn't helped with the odd cycles. Or would using a temp cross-check help? I know people who use Creighton, but who add in the temps as their mucus sign was so hard to interpret. Prayers for you as you carry your cross!
Sorry, mine was for Kathleen. I miss the "reply" button! @Avk, PCOS = polycystic ovary syndrome
My kids are getting older and no longer always want to do the traditional crafts, baking, decorating, performances etc. that i always plan for our homeschooling family. This is sad in a way since I see their childhood slipping away quickly but to be very honest, I am getting older too and it's kind of exhausting to have to have to do all these activities (not just Christmas but other holidays and feast days) all the time.. I kind of look forward to clearing out all the toys and crafts which clog every inch of our small home but then I worry I will be sorry later if I don't prolong it as long as possible. What about you ladies? Is all the activity fun for you or do you secretly look forward to the end of it and relaxing a bit.
Kathleen- hugs! Waiting is always frustrating. We started Creighton ttc, and found ourselves back in the abstain a cycle to learn... then later wait through an entire cycle (just our luck-a nice looong one) to see if medication could be properly timed. My husband asked where something was and I told him "in the panty" instead of "in the pantry." Something about abstaining just puts sex on your mind all the time- argh! On a more practical (and possibly anecdotal) note, after starting a paleo/primal type diet (avoid processed food, artifical sweeteners/flavorings, grains, sugar, potatoes, corn, soy, and beans- eat meat, seafood, nuts, veggies and fruit), my pcos wonky cycles became much more regular (the past 6 cycles fit on one line in the chart-yay!) I had awful diarrhea on metformin (although I've heard good things from the folks who try the extended release.) I am a "continuous mucus producer", and rarely have a non 10 type days. I saw a fertility care practitioner who said he could treat the cervical ectropion that is probably the cause of all the mucus, but I chose not to. You may want to look into that. If I knew how much trouble we would have ttc (9 years of "trying" with only one child), I would have told my younger self to stop worrying about trying to avoid, but there have been lessons learned and windows opened with the path we took. Prayers for your husband to find employment and for you both to make it through the waiting!
@ Sarah: wow, your little one sounds like SUCH a "normal" baby! I can't imagine waking up less often with a 6 month old. I am amazed & impressed if you have worked things differently with your older kids!! My son who "only" gets me out of bed four times per night (and he's 13 months now!) is my "easy" one!! I don't mean to be discouraging. But maybe you have been blessed with really easy kids up till now?? I just figure in 18 months of severe sleep deprivation after each birth. I had no idea it could be different...
Sarah, most babies at 6 months still need to wake up twice to nurse. Can you put a pack in play or move the crib into the living room?
Jen- that's kind of funny you say that because it seems everyone I talk to has their babies sleeping through the night right away. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. My last 2 kids went through this same kind of thing at this age( I think it has something to do with teeth:) but they were in different rooms so I didn't wake up to every little noise. Last night he only woke up at 11 and 4 so I am keeping my fingers crossed:)
@ Monica, I've never been a crafty mom and I loathe mess and disorder. That with piercing screams, general mayhem, flour disasters, all of that would have sent me to the bottle. I basically shut down all arts and crafts in my house at a certain point. That's what school is for. So to answer your question, I have never looked back and wished we could do more arts and crafts together at all. Now we love going on road trips and traveling. No mess, no glue, no glitter stuck to walls. I'm in heaven.
Hi Monica! I don't know if you'll see this, since you posted a day ago and there's no email notification of follow-up comments. But I'll respond just in case. Like Jennifer, I don't do as many crafts with my son as I used to before he started preschool. And even before preschool, the majority of our crafts were done outside the home (like at Story Hour, the Community Center, etc). So in my situation, crafts at home are at a manageable level. We also don't do a huge amount of baking, due to my son's allergies. So that's at a manageable level, too. I do anticipate being very sad when he outgrows these activities. Which is not to say that the hassle factor of these activities escapes me, because it does get on my nerves to an extent. But the for me, the fun of the activities outweighs the hassle, probably because we don't overdo it.
Jennifer I am glad to know it isn't just me because I almost feel guilty about wanting to move on. Claire, Preschool has plenty of crafts so it's nice to leave it all there. I thought the fun outweighed the hassle for a long time but I guess now it just seems like stuff I have to do. Probably part of that is there isn't much enthusiasm from the kids and that rubs off on me and part of it is I am just slowing down. I'll be curious to hear how things change (or stay the same) as your son gets older.
I'm scaling back as each year goes by. No more crafts/baking/busy-work for me either...and I'm thrilled. I don't even think I'm going to send Christmas cards this year. I skipped a year about 4 years ago and no one even remembers, so why did I do all that hand-writing, card & stamp buying? It just doesn't interest me any more and that matters, or, at least, it should. Did you ever notice that when something is pestering your mind to do, try or accomplish something, the default thought is: is the Lord is prompting me? Well, I finally realized that disinterest or even a outright rejection of something can be the very same God asking you to let some things go. My kids are older; they're all getting a couple small things in their stocking and a check. This makes everybody happy. Peaceful, calmer, more rested, more collected...yeah, I'm going in the right direction.
Hi Monica, yes it will be interesting to see if I feel differently in a few years. I suspect that seeing my son lose enthusiasm for these things probably will play a role (I'll probably be sad about that because he's the type of kid who gets excited about things really easily, and I love that about him). But I also think that with me, another factor is that I only have one child. If I had two or more kids, or if I homeschooled and had to do more crafts and baking than I do right now, maybe I would tire of it quicker. So, we'll see how I feel in a few more years!


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Let $X$ be a compact complex manifold and $L\to X$ a holomorphic line bundle (without any a priori assumption on its positivity).
Suppose that for each $x,y\in X$, with $x\ne y$, there exists a $k_0\in\mathbb N$ which depends on $x$ and $y$, such that for all $k\in\mathbb N$, $k\ge k_0$ there exists a global holomorphic section $\sigma_k\in H^0(X,L^{\otimes k})$ such that $\sigma_k(x)=0$ and $\sigma_k(y)\ne 0$.
Is it then true that this property is uniform with respect to couples of distinct points of $X$?
In other words, is it then true that there exists a $k_1\in\mathbb N$ such that for all $k\in\mathbb N$, $k\ge k_1$, and for all $x,y\in X$, with $x\ne y$, one can find a global holomorphic section $\tau_k\in H^0(X,L^{\otimes k})$ such that $\tau_k(x)=0$ and $\tau_k(y)\ne 0$?
Thanks in advance!


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Microsoft's cross-platform gaming push gets real with Killer Instinct for Windows 10
Killer Instinct hits Windows 10 with cross-platform purchases, saves, and multiplayer.
Killer Instinct hits Windows 10 with cross-platform purchases, saves, and multiplayer.
Witness the intensity and skill of the ultimate Call of Duty: Black Ops III players at the Call of Duty World League Challenge Division ANZ presented by PlayStation 4, Crown Invitational.
PC support for PlayStation VR is a "possibility" given the two platforms' shared components, a Sony exec says.
Consoles have their advantages but, from cheap games to flexible hardware, PC gaming has won my heart.
Steam users are moving towards Microsoft's latest operating system in large numbers, but Windows 7 still reigns supreme.
Resurrecting a series as legendary as Homeworld? After twelve years? That's an unenviable task—but Blackbird Interactive pulled it off with Deserts of Kharak.
'An unlocked frame rate in Need for Speed is a massive priority for you,' says developer. 'Duh,' says community.
Alienware built its reputation over the years on building high performance gaming PCs.
Alienware continues its push into the mobile PC market the introduction of its Alienware 13 notebook.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has initiated Federal Court proceedings against online game disributor Valve for allegedly misleading Australian customers on their rights to a refund.
Roccat Ryos MK Pro carries over the design elements of the Isku FX and replaces the membrane with mechanical keys. The Isku FX stood out for its affordability, but the addition of mechanical keys to the Ryos MK Pro has essentially doubled the price. Mechanical keyboards typically come at a premium, so the questions becomes whether the Ryos MK Pro is worth the added cost.
The original Company of Heroes received a pair of expansion packs, so it was only a matter of time before the sequel got one as well. This time, however, the multiplayer experience and not the single player campaign has been extended.
It's been nearly a decade since the last Unreal Tournament. A decade.
After many months of speculation and hype, Respawn Entertainment's highly anticipated Titanfall is finally out. The multiplayer based shooter has a lot of expectations to live up to, as it is created by a team that contributed to the success of the Call of Duty series.
There are countless games dedicated to playing the sport of football (soccer, not handegg). However, they are mostly designed to let you live out the fantasy of being a player on the field. Sega's Football Manager, on the other hand, allows you to live out the fantasy of controlling a team from the sideline, and it's been doing that for almost a decade. Here's what we think of the latest version.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference is pleased to announce that Matt Swank, a sophomore from Sterling College majoring in Elementary Education, has been named a recipient of the KCAC Scholar-Athlete Award.
Swank, a 2011 Pratt High School graduate, was named to the award by virtue of maintaining at least a 3.33 GPA and earning a varsity letter in his sport—basketball.
There were only 30 athletes in KCAC men's basketball that qualified for the honor, so Swank finds himself in rather elite company.
Congratulations to Matt Swank, who carries on the Pratt High tradition of excellence at the next level.
Location, ST | website.com


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This blog is a companion to the book, Software Engineering with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System. This book is written for a software team that is considering running a software project using Visual Studio Team System (VSTS). This book is about the why, not the how. What are the guiding ideas behind VSTS? Why are certain ideas presented in certain ways? For example, why are so many things called work items? What does the metrics warehouse measure? Why would you use those particular reports?
In the blog, I plan to develop the ideas further and talk about their everyday application.


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Top Definition
A person who completely makes up statistic or fact to make a point in conversation, either on purpose or by mistake.
"Joey is such the embellishtician. He said that there are more grizzly bears in Montana than there are people."
od uživatele The Comma Cowboy 24. červen 2009
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expert advice MORE
Playground Cliques
Q: My nine-year-old daughter is being excluded from play cliques on the playground. She has a wonderful teacher who has tried to advise her but, nevertheless, Candace just can't seem to make any loyal friends. She is an only child, very sensitive and big for her age. She also gets top grades in school and enjoys that part of her school experience. She actually gets along quite well with the boys her age, but would much rather have female friends. She is very lonely and miserable, and I am considering taking her out of the school system for a couple of years and homeschooling her. Do you have any suggestions?
A: I think removing her from school because she hasn't made any loyal friends would probably be a mistake. She would know you would be taking her out of school not because she wasn't doing well but because she was having a miserable social life right now. This running away response wouldn't be a very good life lesson for her to learn in terms of her future responses to difficult situations. Also, at present, she's getting good feedback on who she is by how well she is doing in school.
It's not unusual for a 9 year-old who is oversize for her age and smart to be excluded from social cliques and this exclusion plays out dramatically on the playground. I would suggest investigating other experiences outside of school for her to establish a "new identity " in - religious youth organizations, scouting, 4-H, youth sports, youth theater, etc.. Talk to her about what appeals to her most and give them a try. Meanwhile, if there is anyone in her school that she thinks might accept an invitation to come over and play with her, discuss how she might extend that invitation.
You may also wish to meet with the teacher again to brainstorm how your daughter might be integrated more into the social world of her peers; if she is as supportive a teacher as you say, I bet she'll continue to find ways to help your girl. I know it must break your heart to see her so much in need of friends; I believe if she expands her present social world she'll have a much better chance at friendship. Good luck.
More on: Expert Advice
Carleton Kendrick has been in private practice as a family therapist and has worked as a consultant for more than 20 years. He has conducted parenting seminars on topics ranging from how to discipline toddlers to how to stay connected with teenagers. Kendrick has appeared as an expert on national broadcast media such as CBS, Fox Television Network, Cable News Network, CNBC, PBS, and National Public Radio. In addition, he's been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, USA Today, Reader's Digest, BusinessWeek, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and many other publications.


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We played Cargo Noir last night for the first time and we found that by the end of the game, half the cargos in the black market had been there from the start.
When you are at Macao, you can swap or pick a random cargo from the bag.
Since you need to have a cargo to swap for a cargo, players often chose to random pick out of the bag as it increases your cargo and still carries a chance of getting what you need.
This meant that people tended to ignore swaps and go for random in every stage of the game, and the market became stagnant.
Are there any suggestions on ways that increase the turn over of cargo on the market and freshen things up?


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I have noticed that a lot of people are having issues in using Git after the SSH upgrade done by bluehost.
I just though of posting my solution to this issue, so that someone might benefit from it.
Use the following commands to add these configuration parameters
On Linux
git config remote.origin.uploadpack '/home/<user name>/bin/git-upload-pack'
git config remote.origin.receivepack '/home/<user name>/bin/git-receive-pack'
On Windows
git config remote.origin.uploadpack 'libexec/git-core/git-upload-pack'
git config remote.origin.receivepack 'libexec/git-core/git-receive-pack'
After these configuration parameters have been entered, you should be able to use Git as before.


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Please enter a maximum of 5 recipients. Use ; to separate more than one email address.
| Billy Thinnes, Hydrocarbon Processing,
[Emerson Exchange]
[process management]
By Billy Thinnes
Technical Editor
GRAPEVINE, Texas -- The Emerson Exchange brought together over
3,000 attendees to revel in a technical program bursting at the
seams. This years event in Grapevine offered
more than 400 sessions and forums.
The technology exhibition featured more
square footage than ever before. Plus, Emerson Educational
Services offered 16 courses for those interested in certified
professional development.
Hydrocarbon Processing is happy to
offer a photographic look at the 2013 Emerson Exchange, which
runs through Friday. Lets call it a yearbook in progress,
if you will. Photos from the hallways of the Gaylord Texan to
the floor of the exhibition hall can be found below.
All comments are subject to editorial review.
All fields are compulsory.
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A searchable database of project activity in the global hydrocarbon processing industry
Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Is 2016 the peak for US gasoline demand?
Too soon to tell
July 2016


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News about Profanity, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Highlights From the Archives
Supreme Court Upholds F.C.C.'s Shift to a Harder Line on Indecency on the Air
Broadcasters that allow foul language on live programs may be punished even if the vulgarities were unscripted and isolated, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in a 5-to-4 decision.April 29, 2009 usNews
Mumbai Police Ask for Video Mocking Celebrities to Be Deleted
After receiving complaints from politicians, officers said they had asked Facebook and YouTube to remove a video mocking a cricket star and a Bollywood singer.
June 1, 2016, Wednesday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Bhat, Tanmay (1987- ) , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Mangeshkar, Lata (1929- ) , Tendulkar, Sachin , Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming , Mumbai (India) , Social Media , Snapchat Inc
Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker, Round 2
The retired wrestler who won $140 million from the site over a sex tape is suing over a video transcript in which he is quoted as using racial slurs.
May 3, 2016, Tuesday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Hogan, Hulk , Gawker.com , Privacy , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Blacks , Suits and Litigation (Civil) , Race and Ethnicity , Daulerio, A J , Denton, Nick , World Wrestling Entertainment Inc
Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw Is Suspended for Anti-Gay Slur
Shaw, who leads Chicago in points during the playoffs, will miss Game 5 against St. Louis, after he shouted the slur while in the penalty box Tuesday.
April 21, 2016, Thursday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Hockey, Ice , Shaw, Andrew (1991- ) , National Hockey League , St Louis Blues , Playoff Games , Chicago Blackhawks , Discrimination , Homosexuality and Bisexuality , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity
Good, Bad and Mad: Andrew Rosenthal on the News
The Times's editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, on racism in the Republican Party, John Kasich, profanity and John Oliver.
March 2, 2016, Wednesday
A Ski Trip, but Work
Also, racial interaction tips; the book on colleague swearing; and clues to handling disappointments.
February 28, 2016, Sunday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Customs, Etiquette and Manners , Skiing , Race and Ethnicity , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Colleges and Universities
Fired for Cursing on the Job, Testing the Limits of Labor Law
A waitress at Hooters who was fired for swearing at the winner of a contest she believed to be rigged won her case before the National Labor Relations Board.
February 14, 2016, Sunday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Workplace Hazards and Violations , Labor and Jobs , Hooters , National Labor Relations Board , Workplace Environment
With a Slur for Ted Cruz, Donald Trump Further Splits Voters
Mr. Trump's opponents hope his latest provocation may be too much for well-mannered voters in heavily evangelical Christian South Carolina to bear.
February 13, 2016, Saturday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Presidential Election of 2016 , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Trump, Donald J , Cruz, Ted , Primaries and Caucuses , Republican Party , South Carolina
Foul-Mouthed and Proud of It on the '16 Campaign Trail
Seemingly taking a cue from Donald J. Trump, the Republican field is cursing in public at a rate unheard of in modern presidential politics.
November 28, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Presidential Election of 2016 , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Trump, Donald J , Bush, Jeb , Paul, Rand
The Prosecution Resets in a 1964 Obscenity Case
After 51 years, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney has apologized to Jonas Mekas, whom he convicted for screening the film "Flaming Creatures" in Manhattan.
November 1, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON PROFANITY AND: Movies , Mekas, Jonas , Freedom of Speech and Expression , Indecency, Obscenity and Profanity , Apologies , Archives and Records , District Attorneys , Flaming Creatures (Movie)
Two Pop Culture Wars: First Over Comics, Then Over Music
In the 1950s, a "moral panic" over comic books led to a strict code. In the 1980s, two powerful Washington women took on the music business.
October 26, 2015, Monday
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At any point in history was "Why cannot...?" used as frequently as "Why can't...?" Is it even grammatically correct to say "Why cannot you do this?" I know it can be rearranged to be "Why can you not do this?," but I always presumed the contraction and the contracted phrase could be used equivalently, without changing the sentence structure. I think this pattern holds true with the other question words (e.g. how, when, etc.); however, I also know it is common to say "Who cannot do this?" In general, are there rules pertaining to the uses of contractions in questions?
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The transition point was about a century ago
Note that if we substitute a pronoun (I, he, they) for "why", the transition point comes much later (1980 for "I") - or hasn't even happened yet (all other pronouns). I can't explain why that is, except by pointing out that this very sentence is an increasingly typical usage. Maybe we all tend to be a bit less formal when introducing our own selves into the text.
It's only my opinion, but I think can't (similarly, let's) are examples of grammaticalisation. The contracted form has effectively taken on a "life of its own" leading to a situation where OP is prepared to accept that there may be contexts where can't is "grammatical", but "cannot" (or the equivalent "can not") wouldn't be valid.
Using cannot / can not might be a bit stilted in many contexts now we're so used to seeing the contracted form, but I don't think it's ever ungrammatical.
Arnold M. Zwicky and Geoffrey K. Pullum have shown that -n't is not just a contraction of not. The two American linguists pointed out that you can say why don't you... but not *why do not you... because you can place one and only one auxiliary before the subject in an interrogative phrase. Don't is a single word while do not are two words. -n't is not a clitic but a negative inflectional suffix.
Cannot is the only negative form that contains not rather than -n't. Theoretically, since it is a single word, you can say why cannot you... without a problem. My theory is that modern English speakers don't want to put cannot before the subject because it contains not and sounds like can not. You definitely cannot say why can not you... with a separate not. On the contrary can't remains a single word, which is why they use it more and more often.


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Computer Manufacturers' Contact Information
Start here
OEM is an industry acronym for Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEMs are computer manufacturers that install software on their computer systems. Common computer OEMs are Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Toshiba.
Microsoft OEM products are Microsoft products which were supplied with a computer or in the case of software, installed on computer by a computer manufacturer. This can include your operating system (such as Windows 7) and Office (such as Office 2010) products.
How did you obtain your product? Was your Microsoft product preinstalled (in the case of software), distributed with your computer, or obtained as an upgrade directly from your computer manufacturer? If the answer is yes, it is likely that you have an OEM product. For customers with an OEM product, the primary source for support is the personal computer manufacturer who provided the Microsoft product.
Not Sure?
As your computer manufacturer has configured your computer hardware and software they would be the primary resource to contact for any technical support that might be needed. You may be entitled to free warranty support from your OEM. Click here for a list of computer manufactures with contact information.
What if I don't want to contact my computer manufacturer or my warranty has expired?
A vendor is a company that sells or provides hardware, software or a service. For hardware, this may include a video card, a motherboard or external hard drive. For software, this may include compression software, photo editing software or modeling software. For services, this may include email or a hosted application.
OEM and vendor index
Please contact your computer manufacturer or vendor directly to determine what level of support is available for your product.
The following is a contact list of computer manufacturers and vendors. The third-party contact information included is provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
List of computer manufacturer's and vendors contact information:


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With IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment*, you get the performance and reliability you are used to from IBM—but at a price that's easy on your budget.
From servers and storage from IBM to PCs and peripherals from IBM and other manufacturers, there's no better way to save than with IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment™. Get IT equipment that's refurbished, tested, certified and guaranteed by IBM.
Refurbished, tested, certified and guaranteed
Every piece of IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment is refurbished, tested and certified using rigorous processes and original manufacturing standards.
We stand behind every piece of IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment™ that we sell. When you buy or rent IBM remanufactured products from IBM or via an authorised IBM Business Partner you have reassurance of quality.
90 day quality satisfaction
It's true. When you buy refurbished IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment, you know in advance that your satisfaction is assured. The 90 Day Quality Satisfaction Programme.
- All IBM Certified Pre-owned Equipment is shipped as new with all essential items.
- Installation pricing is available on request.
- It's covered by our 90 Day Quality Satisfaction Programme.
- If you are buying it as part of a wider IBM solution, you can select an IBM maintenance plan to cover both the new and remanufactured elements.
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Is it true that Subgroup of a Cyclic Normal subgroup of a Group is again Normal ? If so any hints for the proof?
Sure. It follows from a more general fact: a characteristic subgroup of a normal subgroup of $G$ is also a normal subgroup of $G$. It's even easier to think about the question in these general terms.
If $H<N\lhd G$ and $N$ is cyclic, then $H$ is a characteristic subgroup of $N$, i.e. it is left invariant by all automorphism of $N$, thus including those outer automorphisms of $N$ that are actually inner automorhisms of $G$, i.e. $H$ is conjugation invariant.
Yes. This is one of the several cases when normality is transitive. If
$$N\triangleleft C\triangleleft G\,\,\,,\,\,C=\text{cyclic, then}\;\; C=\langle c\rangle\Longrightarrow N=\langle c^k\rangle\Longrightarrow$$
$$\Longrightarrow \,\,\forall g\in G\,\,,\,\,x^{-1}c^{rk}x=(x^{-1}c^kx)^r\in N\,....$$


text:
News Releases
(COLUMBIA, Mo.) - Columbia College recently announced three new hires in its marketing department. Brian Heying will fulfill the role of digital marketing specialist, Leanne Casey will work as a marketing analyst and Brenda Myers will serve as the director of marketing strategy.
"We are pleased to have Brian, Leanne and Brenda join our team," said Lana Poole, executive director of marketing at Columbia College. "They all have unique professional backgrounds that will complement each other and our department as a whole."
Heying graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and previously worked as a creative marketing specialist for TimeLine Recruiting, also in Columbia. Heying's duties as the digital marketing specialist include maintaining all online paid advertisements and creating and implementing e-mail blasts and digital video and audio files. He also assists with the search engine optimization of the www.ccis.edu Web site.
Casey attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she received bachelor's degrees in psychology and business management. She later earned an MBA with an emphasis in marketing. Casey's responsibilities include data preparation, dashboard creation, report generation, customer and competition analysis, trend research and tracking.
Myers comes to the director of marketing strategy position with previous management, implementation and communication experience. Most recently, Myers worked for the Special Learning Center in Jefferson City and also has provided consultation to a number of clients in central Missouri through her business, Myers Communications. In her position as director of marketing strategy, Brenda will work with campus marketing teams and oversee planning and implementation of marketing strategies in all Columbia College markets.
Columbia College, a private, nonprofit institution founded in 1851 in Columbia, Mo., educates more than 29,000 students each year and has more than 67,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit www.ccis.edu.


text:
No More Goodie Bags: 12 Birthday Party Favors That Won't Get Thrown Away
10 of 13
Make Your Own
Here's how to kill two birds with one stone. If one of your party activities is an arts and crafts project, the kids can take home their own work as the favor. Choose from any of our dozens of arts and crafts ideas for an unforgettable party activity.
Next: Themed Favors


text: Please tell me - should I put something into these two holes on the top of R-D16? Or do I only connect the R-D16 with the lower rotator of NN5 by one screw?? I can't find the information anywhere. I think it can twist without something connecting both parts more than one screw. In the original NN5 rotator there were 2 little screws that locked the rotator in only one position. Waiting for your help.


text:
I am wondering what I am doing wrong. I'm inside of PATH and I want to create a folder inside of PATH. I want to check if the folder already exists and, if not, create one. Getting the name of the folder from an input field with name of "dirname".
if (isset($_POST['createDir'])) {
//get value of inputfield
$dir = $_POST['dirname'];
//set the target path ??
$targetfilename = PATH . '/' . $dir;
if (!file_exists($dir)) {
mkdir($dir); //create the directory
chmod($targetfilename, 0777); //make it writable


text:
SHA-3, originally known as Keccak is a cryptographic hash function/algorithms designed by Guido Bertoni, Joan Daemen, Michaël Peeters, and Gilles Van Assche, building upon RadioGatún. SHA-3 uses the sponge construction in which message blocks are XORed into the initial bits of the state, which is ...
13k views
What is SHA-3 and why did we change it?
On the 2nd of October NIST decided that SHA-3 is the new standard hashing algorithm, does this mean we need to stop using SHA-2 as it is not secure? What is this SHA-3 anyway?


text:
New technologies could accelerate DSL
If you're a customer of AT&T's U-verse service or have plain-old DSL Internet access, you may feel like you're stuck in the slow lane -- especially compared to your friends and neighbors who have cable Internet access.
Soon, however, you may get a speed boost.
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FREEPRESS wrote on Apr 21, 2013 5:46 AM:
" Yeah, I'm stuck with "slow DSL" (no U-verse in my neighborhood). If AT&T doesn't do something soon, I'll be switching to cable internet the first chance I get - might as well since I have to subscribe to cable TV: Thanks to the Democrats in congress I can no longer get analog TV over the air waves and digital TV via antenna totally sucks in my area. "
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text:
Share This Event
Honor Flight
Promoted by Suick Family Theatres
Sunday, March 17 3:30PM - 5:22PM
Conway Theatres - Sturgeon Bay Cinema 6
1820 Alabama St, Sturgeon Bay, WI, US, 54235, US (map)
$10.00 General - $7.00 Seniors
The Event Program
- Introduction
There will be a brief introduction prior to the film.
- Movie presentation of Honor Flight
Honor Flight is a heartwarming documentary about four living World War II veterans and a Midwest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime. Volunteers race against the clock to fly thousands of WWII veterans to Washington, DC to see the memorial constructed for them in 2005, nearly 60 years after their epic struggle. The trips are called "Honor Flights" and for the veterans, who are in their late 80s and early 90s, it's often the first time they've been thanked and the last trip of their lives. The 24-hour journey is full of surprises that deeply move all who are involved. It's uncommon for World War II veterans to talk about the War, but the Honor Flight experience brings their stories out. Many veterans say, with the exception of their wedding day and the birth of their children, the trip is the best day of their life.
- Post-Film Q&A
There will be a Q&A / Discussion following the film.
Event Info
Join audiences across the country for this special screening of "Honor Flight." Invite your friends to participate in this award winning documentary following four World War II vetereans as they travel to Washington DC to remember and are celebrated as "The Greatest Generation."


text:
Add tests for df3_two_variable class.
Clean up dlist.
Opss should not be commented out.
Use memset for initialize array.
Opps forgot to include option_match tests.
Changes to option_match+ watch out for null in argv+ code cleanups.
Add test for scalefactor.
Add scalefactor and tests.
Add more tests for DF_FILE class.
Add tests for df_file.
Add df_file tests.
Include -f 'fast' for opt mode in admb script
Fix zip and clean targets.
Add atan2 for df1b2variables for testing.
Add atan2 for df1b2variableshttp://lists.admb-project.org/pipermail/users/2013-November/002465.htmlunit tests.
Add more unit tests for dlist and ad_comm
Move adstring_array test to gtests.
Move atan2 tests to gtests.
Add gtests.
Opps forgot test.
Update tests
Rename test directory to tests.
Copied revision 1006 from shibi to nceas. Old version control will now be only read only. This will be the primary version control.


text:
WHEELING - Local members of Congress say they won't support any legislation infringing on the right of eligible Americans to own a gun.
They responded to proposals announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama aimed at curbing gun violence across the nation.
"I, along with every other American, agree that what occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School is a human tragedy," said Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, Ohio. "I support efforts that will improve the identification, diagnosis and treatment of individuals who face serious mental health challenges. I will not support any legislation or executive action that seeks to limit the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens."
Rep. David B. McKinley, R-Wheeling, has joined House colleagues in a letter to Obama expressing their opposition to any legislation prohibiting gun rights.
"Limiting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens will not change the behavior of those determined to use firearms to commit horrific crimes," said McKinley.
He said the president chooses to ignore this while abusing executive power and avoiding the legislative process.
"There are no easy solutions to gun violence, and we should not respond rashly or try to politicize any tragedy. ... We need to enforce the gun laws already in place and review existing laws, change how government and society deal with mental illness and address violence in popular culture," he added.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., plans to introduce legislation next week to study the impact of violent video games and video programming on children, his office said Wednesday.
"In West Virginia, we have a proud tradition of hunting and understand the importance of the Second Amendment," Rockefeller said. "We can protect those traditions and rights as we look at ways to prevent senseless acts of violence."
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-Charleston, added West Virginians want leaders in Washington to work together to reduce gun violence across America.
"That's why I am disappointed that President Obama issued an executive order today instead of showing willingness to work with Congress and state leaders to address this serious issue," she said. "Whether appointing czars to run car companies, using the EPA to regulate where it can legislate or using executive orders to circumvent Congress on gun control, the president has displayed a worrisome willingness to use the White House to advance ideological agendas."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, said he is still weighing the recommendations made by Obama.
"However, I am disappointed that the president did not recommend the creation of the national commission on mass violence that I have proposed," he said. "A national commission can build the consensus we need for real action backed not only by gun control advocates, mental health experts and entertainment industry executives but also by law-abiding gun owners who fully understand the history and heritage of firearms in America."


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Low-Calorie, One-Skillet Dinner Recipes (Slide 11)
(Slide 11 of 14) Start at the beginning | View recipes as list
View as: Thumbnails List
Garlic Chicken
Whole garlic cloves are mild when simmered with chicken in a simple white wine-mustard sauce in this…View slide
Seared Salmon with Green Pe…
A simple sauce of piquant green peppercorns, lemon juice and butter top this seared salmon recipe. G…View slide
Quick Coq au Vin
Here's a quick version of Coq au Vin, a red wine-braised chicken-and-vegetable stew that usually t…View slide
Vegetarian Quinoa & Squash …
An aromatic mixture of garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice and cayenne flavors this vegetari…View slide
Hilary's Heavenly Eggs
This unusual combination of eggs braised in tomato sauce served on crusty bread is out of this world…View slide
Tilapia with Tomato-Olive S…
Top tilapia fillets with a savory tomato-olive sauce that comes together in just 5 minutes. Look for…View slide
Chicken Sausage with Potato…
Here's our weeknight version of choucroute garni, "dressed sauerkraut," made with chicken saus…View slide
Thyme, Pork Chop & Pineappl…
Thyme adds bright, woodsy flavor to pork and pineapple in this simple one-skillet supper. Serve with…View slide
Quick Chicken Cacciatore
This version of the classic Italian recipe, chicken cacciatore, is done in half the time of most tra…View slide
Florentine Hash Skillet
Here's a super-quick all-in-one-skillet breakfast to start your day, loaded with hash browns, spin…View slide
Quick Paella with Shrimp & …
Our quick take on paella is studded with mussels and shrimp. Traditional paella made with short-grai…View slide
Skillet Gnocchi with Chard …
In this one-skillet supper, we toss dark leafy greens, diced tomatoes and white beans with gnocchi a…View slide
Poached Cod & Green Beans w…
Using just one skillet, this easy fish recipe cooks cod right on top of fresh green beans and uses t…View slide


text:
The 6 Greatest War Heroes Who Got Screwed Out of History
One thing's for sure -- we love us some war heroes. And we like to think that when our men and women on the front lines go the extra mile for their country, they'll get all the medals and accolades they deserve.
Unfortunately, due to bureaucracy, petty politics or just good old-fashioned racism, this is not always the case. Just look at ...
#6. The Free French Army
After the French government fell to Germany in World War II, the biggest problem for the French resistance was scraping together enough soldiers to build a halfway effective army. When it became clear that the actual French weren't interested in making too much of a fuss, Gen. de Gaulle decided to reach further afield, bringing in fighters from the French territories in Africa.
He loved two things in life: tiny mustaches and giant microphones.
These were some pretty hardcore colonial fighters who earned their stripes fighting various insurgencies throughout Africa, and with a mix of African, Arab, Tahitian and white French officers, the army was like a kill-happy United Colors of Beneton.
All you need is love. And Nazis to fight.
De Gaulle's new Free French Army kicked an epic scale of ass that you don't usually associate with the French. And that's really not so shocking when you consider that up to 65 percent of the French army were "French" only in so far as whatever African province they came from had been conquered by the French Empire. Even so, they laid down their lives for a chance to march straight into Paris and kick Hitler in the balls.
Sorry, ball.
How they got screwed:
The Free French Army fought victory after bloody victory right up to Paris' doorstep, and they were ready and willing to march in and liberate the capital, with a little help from their American and British allies. Unfortunately, their allies said, "Hell no. Not with all those darkies."
This was a time in history where blacks and whites were still segregated in the American military and forbidden from fighting together. The Allies had an image to uphold, after all -- better for the people to watch Paris liberated by square-jawed, chiseled Aryan superheroes than a ragtag bunch of African natives and Muslims. Before de Gaulle was granted permission by America to take back his own country, he had to scramble to find enough white people to replace anyone in his army who failed the melanin test.
Whoa now. Can't have this guy in battle-scarred Nazi-held Paris.
Of course, that had been de Gaulle's entire problem in the first place. His ultimate solution was to borrow a whole bunch of Spanish soldiers, dress them in berets and pencil mustaches and hope nobody would notice. In the meantime, the Africans were sent home without any of the glory, but at least they enjoyed the benefits of having served -- that is, until 1959, when the French inexplicably cut off their military pensions and tried to cover up their role in the war.
#5. Witold Pilecki
When mysterious "concentration camps" started appearing in Poland during World War II, one agent of the Polish resistance, Witold Pilecki, thought it would be wise to find out what the hell was going on. Despite the opinion of his superiors that he was "balls insane," Pilecki decided to investigate personally, by deliberately getting himself arrested by the Nazis. The camp he wanted to infiltrate was called "Auschwitz."
Yes, that Auschwitz.
They needed to set up an entire second camp for his balls.
For the next two and a half years, Pilecki smuggled intelligence out of the Germans' all-time most notorious death camp, stoically reporting on the horrors of Auschwitz like he was reporting the goddamn weather:
"We were slightly sprinkled by cold water. I got a blow in my jaw with a heavy rod. I spat out my two teeth. Bleeding began. From that moment we became mere numbers -- I wore the number 4859."
Pictures of Auschwitz don't really belong on a comedy site. Here's Teddy Roosevelt riding a moose instead.
After realizing that the Allies were just sitting on their hands about the whole Nazi death camp situation, Pilecki escaped the camp in 1943. But although infiltrating and escaping Auschwitz both individually qualified him as the most badass person in Europe, Pilecki went back to go another round with the Gestapo, fighting in the Warsaw Uprising, after which the Nazis threw him right back into another concentration camp.
How he got screwed:
Like many countries in Europe, Poland was so scarred and horrified by their run-in with fascism that it overcompensated after the war and went full communist. You'd think Pilecki would have earned major brownie points for the work he did fighting the Soviet Union's mortal nemesis, but the problem was that Pilecki was not a socialist sympathizer, suspecting that the only difference between Hitler and Stalin was mustache-width.
Marxism gives hair more body!
So he went right back to Poland to continue his hobby of infiltrating and researching horrific, murderous regimes. The Polish Soviet government decided that this was especially not cool, and they swiftly arrested their greatest war hero and gave him three death sentences, we imagine because they rightly suspected that killing him once would not be enough to stop Witold Pilecki.
Right up until the Soviet Union collapsed in the 90s, even mentioning the name of the guy who exposed the Nazis' villainy was enough to get you shot in Poland. They've recently repealed this policy and named a street after him, though we think they probably should go ahead and rename the whole country "Pileckiland."
#4. Richard Marcinko
Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko started his career just as badass as he left it. A Navy teletype operator in Italy, he made several requests to transfer to UDT (Underwater Demolitions Training) but was repeatedly denied. So he used the "Br'er Rabbit" method and simply punched someone in the face, for which he was naturally punished -- by being sent to UDT.
He looks like he could stop trains with his face.
During Marcinko's time with UDT and later as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam, he and his band of marauders became such a problem for the Vietcong in his area of operation that a 50,000 piaster reward was offered for his head. In a career that eerily resembles the Rambo franchise, he was highly decorated in Vietnam and then went looking for other conflicts to sort out in places like Cambodia. There is even a story about him body-surfing behind a military patrol boat while under enemy fire. Seriously, he really did that shit.
Kilgore was real.
Marcinko became so elite in the Navy SEALs that they started having to invent new, more elite teams just to find somewhere to put him. Eventually, he wound up commanding something called Red Cell -- his job was to fly around the world, attacking and infiltrating the U.S. military's own bases, in order to test their security and show how the military would cope if the enemy had somebody like Marcinko on its side.
How he got screwed:
Ironically, Red Cell was so good at what it was being paid to do that it embarrassed the shit out of a military that, as it turns out, couldn't cope at all against it. And Marcinko took his job dead seriously, kidnapping high-ranking personnel and even their families, "mildly torturing" them to get nuclear codes and wound up kidnapping one admiral twice.
Red Cell, moments before ambushing President Ronald Reagan on vacation in the Hamptons.
It wasn't long before a bunch of bruised, disgruntled commanders decided to have Marcinko railroaded out of the military, if only so they could sleep a full night again without him swinging through their windows like Batman.
Naval Investigative Services spent a reported $60 million on an investigation to find something -- anything -- to pin on him. Their investigation fell flat, making fools of them yet again, so even after Marcinko retired, they kept going after him in an effort to find anything that would stick. The FBI eventually did convict him on trumped-up charges and sentenced him to a year in some minimum-security prison, but he used that time to write a No. 1 bestselling autobiography, Rogue Warrior, which embarrassed the hell out of the military again.
Some (read: all) of you are probably more familiar with the Xbox adaptation.
Demo Dick is currently forbidden by law from writing any more about the military, so he now exclusively writes popular "fiction" about the adventures of an elite badass who is totally not him embarrassing a bunch of pussies who are totally not the U.S. Navy.


text:
I'm implementing a card game in C. There are lots of types of cards and each has a bunch of information, including some actions that will need to be individually scripted associated with it.
Given a struct like this (and I'm not certain I have the syntax right for the function pointer)
struct CARD {
int value;
int cost;
// This is a pointer to a function that carries out actions unique
// to this card
int (*do_actions) (struct GAME_STATE *state, int choice1, int choice2);
I would like to initialize a static array of these, one for each card. I'm guessing this would look something like this
int do_card0(struct GAME_STATE *state, int choice1, int choice2)
// Operate on state here
int do_card1(struct GAME_STATE *state, int choice1, int choice2)
// Operate on state here
extern static struct cardDefinitions[] = {
{0, 1, do_card0},
{1, 3, do_card1}
Will this work, and am I going about this the right way at all? I'm trying to avoid huge numbers of switch statements.
Do I need to define the 'do_cardN' functions ahead of time, or is there some way to define them inline in the initialization of the struct (something like a lambda function in python)?
I'll need read-only access to cardDefinitions from a different file - is 'extern static' correct for that?
I know this is a lot of questions rolled into one but I'm really a bit vague about how to go about this.
To be clear, my goal is to be able to do something like
int cost = cardDefinitions[cardNumber].cost;
int result = cardDefinitions[cardNumber].do_action(state, choice1, choice2);
Instead of using huge switch statements all over the place.


text:
Ride along the shores of three Great Lakes - Erie, Ontario and Huron. This loop lies within the province of Ontario, Canada. Several bridges and ferries at points along the way access the U.S.
Fort Erie-Owen Sound- Windsor-Fort Erie = 907.3 miles
Consists of 3 maps:
Undergroiund Railroad route section 5: Erie, PA to Owen Sound, ON (BC-5005)
Detroit Alternate #2: Sombra, ON to Owen Sound, ON (BC-5007)
Lake Erie Connector: Wolf Lake, MI to Fort Erie, Ontario (BC-1914)
There are currently no reviews for this product, be the first!


text:
For Instructors Spinning
Music selection is only part of it
06/21/2011 8:59 am
When I conduct orientations each weekend, I enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts on music. The consistent answers are: It motivates everyone Good music makes class exciting, and bad music makes it boring. It is primarily responsible for building your following. It has to have lyrics. I won't attend a class that has "bad" music. I'm not writing this post to dispute or reverse any of those feeling. In fact, I agree with most of them. The point I try to consistently make each week is that I don't want instructors leaving the orientation believing that they are DJs more than they are teachers. They have to master their craft first. That means riding with: proper form, within the cadence guidelines, using appropriate resistance, and watching the people in attendance. Teaching Spinning is not performance art. It's a series of skills that include the selection of "good" music. It does not begin, or end, with music alone.Share