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Obama's biggest donors: Obama campaign reveals biggest donors around Election Day
Although federal law places limits on the amount an individual can donate to political campaigns and groups, there are the bundlers: "volunteer fundraisers," as President Barack Obama's campaign calls them, who pull together individual donations to form the huge sums campaigns need.
The Obama campaign has voluntarily disclosed their bundlers, and new details out Saturday show some of their biggest volunteer fundraisers are big stars.
The list identifies almost 250 bundlers who raised more than $500,000 for Obama's re-election effort in the fourth quarter of 2012, a period including the weeks before Election Day. The list puts bundlers into several tiers starting with those who raised more than $50,000 and ending with the $500,000-plus bracket. But it does not specify how much an individual contributed.
Overall, Obama's re-election effort raised more than $1 billion.
Some of the most recognizable names topping the list are actress Eva Longoria, film mogul Tyler Perry, actor Will Smith, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, singer Gwen Stefani and producer Harvey Weinstein.
At least two - magazine editor Anna Wintour and Penny Pritzker, a business owner and hotel heiress - are understood to be on Obama's short list for spots in his administration.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe make the list, too. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker are each in the $200,000 to $500,000 range.
Among those rounding out the bundlers are CEOs, lawyers, members of the entertainment industry and Democratic fundraisers. Several hosted fundraisers for Obama's campaign.
Also on the list: Jon Corzine, the former New Jersey governor and senator who was CEO of the now-bankrupt MF Global where investigators say more than $1 billion in customer funds are missing.


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In Plants vs Zombies, are there strategies that make it more probable to have certain plants (for your Zen Garden)?
How does the game decide which plant is given?
In Plants vs Zombies, are there strategies that make it more probable to have certain plants (for your Zen Garden)?
How does the game decide which plant is given?
I'll assume you are talking about plants that you find for your zen garden (the only other option is the plants unlocked while playing the game's adventure mode, and those have a set order which never changes).
There is no way to increase the probability of receiving a certain kind of plant for your zen garden. The type of plant received is completely random.
Looking around the internet, it is said that while there is an equal chance to get all types of plants on Survival: Endless, other minigames have a higher tendency to produce plants you first unlock in the area where the minigame is played (night levels will produce more night-time plants, for example). This is not backed up by any hard evidence, however, and I can't really say I've noticed this during the countless hours my wife strived to acquire every possible plant for her garden.
I believe the game hints mention that certain types of plants only appear in certain types of boards or levels.
For aquatic plants, you need to be playing an aquatic level.
For plants for your fungus garden, you need to be playing a night level.
Based on the comment from Guillaume Coté, going to add a clear answer
Short answer: NO, you can't pick an specific plant. But there are someways to get a specific type of plant (aquatic, mushrooms ...)
I once read that: (lost link)
But the best way to get Zen Garden plants is to play Survival: Endless, as all plants can be obtained in it and it is the level with the greatest number of zombies.
According to the tips given by the Zen tree, yes playing certain areas increases your chances of getting certain plants. Play the pool levels to get the plants for the Zen garden aquarium plants. It increases your chances but is no guarantee you will still get the other Zen garden plants too.
as said before water plants are in pool levels and shrooms are in night levels.you get normal plants on your lawn.in i zombie levels(in the puzzle option) when you eat the brains it might give you a plant but it gives all kinds of plants also replay whack a zombie and bust up as many graves you can and at the end other than collecting the money bag destroy all graves,its also a good way to money too :)
After doing some testing, it seem to be quite random. Either random between all the plant (Survival endless) or random between a row (in the adventure).
What worked best was to play the adventure however and ever. In the level that correspond to row of the plant I am going, there is reasonable probability that I will have it after getting a few. Not sure, but improve the odd over playing survival endless.

subset: commoncrawl


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Members of the Pratt Wrestling Club, coached by Gene Swift, competed in the District IV sub-district tournament at Pratt last weekend. The top 4 placers in each division will advance to the District Finals in Dodge City this coming weekend.
25 members of Pratt Wrestling Club were in the top 4 of their divisions and will advance to compete in the District IV finals on Saturday.
Pratt Wrestling Club encompasses ages 5-16. Watch the Tribune in upcoming days for a photo of all the qualifying young wrestlers from Pratt
Location, ST | website.com


text: BMW R1200GS (Water Cooled) Rear Brake Fluid Reservoir Guard - Brake fluid is the life-blood of your motorcycle's braking system. Without it, nothing happens when you push on the brake lever coming into that hard right-hand corner. With the rear brake reservoir exposed on the BMW R1200GS, it is far too easy to tamper with or damage while riding. This easy to install guard from Touratech will keep your rear brake fluid reservoir safe from damage or curious hands, making sure your rear brake pedal is there when you need it.


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by Amanda Lanum
If you're looking for something to make for holiday parties or football-watching get-togethers, Charlene Patton is helping with a couple of ideas. Here are the recipes she shared for Crab and Artichoke Dip and Edamame Hummus on 13 News This Morning. Enjoy!
1 package (8 ounces) soy cream cheese, softened
½ cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup red onion, chopped
½ teaspoon seafood seasoning
1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can (6 ounces) crabmeat, drained
Combine in mixing bowl soy cream cheese, mayonnaise, red onion and seafood seasoning until well blended. Stir in artichoke hearts and crabmeat. Chill to blend flavors. Serve with fresh vegetables or crackers. Makes about 2 cups
2 cups edamame, shelled and cooked according to package directions
¼ cup soybean vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
Puree edamame in food processor. Add vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt and continue mixing; scraping sides; until mixture is almost smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with pita chips, crackers or raw vegetables.
Yield 2 ½ cups. Per 2 tablespoon serving: 60 calories, 5 g fat (0 g sat fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein (2 g soy protein), 1 g dietary fiber.


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7 Books We Lost to History That Would Have Changed the World
The vast majority of the knowledge humans have assembled over the centuries, has been lost. The world's geniuses either kept their revelations to themselves and then died, or else they put it down on paper which has long since rotted or burned or been used to line some parakeet's cage.
Obviously we'll never know what great books have been lost to time, but we have clues on some of them, and what those clues tell us is mind-boggling, and a little bit depressing. If you could make a library out of just books that didn't survive, you'd have a collection of some of the best freaking books ever written.
#7. The Gospel of Eve, by Unknown
What is it:
It is apparently a totally sexually perverse lost book of the Bible. It's not hard to see why it didn't survive--church officials back in the day said the book was inspiring all kinds of depravity, from "free love" to "coitus interruptus and eating semen as a religious act."
(Wait, what? HOLY SHIT!)
Why it's Awesome:
Ah ha! The truth comes out! A book like this could deliver a potentially fatal blow to all that 2,000 years' worth of celibacy Christians had to set their watch to. For all we know, The Gospel of Eve could have been that Good News mankind had been waiting for or, failing that, it could've been totally fucking hot.
Why You'll Never Read It:In the 4th Century church officials like Epiphanius lashed out at the book, apparently having nothing better to do than stop everyone from having sex and eating a little bit of semen. And he got away with it.
Heh heh heh.
Whatever copies that asshole Epiphanius didn't torch, the Pope probably has stashed under his mattress. And Pope, if you're reading this (who are we kidding "if"), we will pay good, hard American dollars for copies of that book.
But is the Gospel of Eve really "the Word" of the Lord? Alas, we won't know until the second coming, at which point it will definitely be #1 on Cracked's list of "7 Vital Questions To Ask Jesus."
#6. On Sphere-Making, by Archimedes
What is it:
Supposedly a how-to on the many steampunk wonders of Ancient Greece, such as orreries, astronomical clocks and whatever devices they invented to assist them with their buggery. It was authored by one of the greatest mechanical minds in history: the legendary Archimedes, who knew a thing or two about spheres right down to his dying words...
The next panel has the soldier going "Fuck your circles," and then he just goes nuts on Archimedes.
Why it's Awesome:
Remember that fancy Antikythera mechanism Cracked mused about way back? The ancient, intricate machine found near Greece that dates back to about 100 BC but that contains gears and structures that were not found in devices again for 1000 years?
Well, this book may hold the blueprints for building one yourself (as well as the time machine it was attached to).
[Artist's depiction.]
But even if such grand designs were not included, the simple fact that Archimedes was the Leonardo da Vinci of antiquity makes any of his undiscovered work invaluable. Even modern standards pale in comparison to how the Greeks mastered mechanics, and whatever secrets Archimedes had died when the Romans killed him.
Why You'll Never Read It:
Whatever copies exist are either buried in the middle of nowhere, or were destroyed when Rome torched the Library of Alexandria to prevent Greece from using time-travel against the Roman Empire again. Does this sound familiar yet? Jesus, Past, you really need to stop destroying all of our invaluable books.
"Don't fuck with the space-time continuum." - S.P.Q.R.
Unfortunately, it gets worse...
#5. The "Rare Books" Section at the House of Wisdom
What is it:
The rarest of the rare books from the East and West hemispheres housed in the Grand Library of Baghdad, the Library of Congress of its time. It was the single largest library in the world, and contained some of the oldest books ever written from three continents. It's also where the Persians likely kept the greatest hits from their history, including discoveries in science, medicine, astronomy and technology that made them the biggest swinging dick on the planet for several centuries.
A title now held by this man (minus the swinging).
Why it's Awesome:
The card catalog alone would be considered priceless. The library was like a rough draft of a university, it was where everyone went to learn. Not only could this create a checklist for countless works we know nothing about, but possibly subjects we could never know about, such as extinct animals or plant-life (the Romans supposedly had a plant that was such a good form of birth control they farmed it to extinction... imagine cloning that).
And since Baghdad was once the capital of the world for science and mathematics, books like Space Travel by Mohamed, How I Cured AIDS by Hippocrates or E.T. Episode I - They Came In Peace by Ezekiel would have likely been in their possession. Probably.
Why You'll Never Read It:
Goddamn Mongolians. The Mongols, fueled by their hatred for the cosmopolitan Chinese, tossed every book in the library into the Tigris when they captured the city. For those who survived the initial destruction, the river ran black with ink for six months. And thus was the present-day Middle East born.
#4. The Rest of the Epic Cycle, by Various
What is it:
The rest of the epic saga of Troy which Iliad and Odyssey are sandwiched between. It turns out the whole story of Troy's fall and Odysseus' journey home covered a total eight books, and the Greek poet Homer only authored two of them. The remaining six fleshed out all the gaping holes in its plot, such as the death of Achilles, the extent of Paris' douchebaggery, the Trojan Horse and the spellbinding conclusion to the vast saga. *SPOILERS* Odysseus dies at the end! *END SPOILERS*
Why it's Awesome:
Ever heard of that Coen Brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? What about James Joyce's Ulysses? Or Cold Mountain? Or 2001: A Space Odyssey? Or William Shakespeare or Bob Dylan? They were all influenced by The Iliad and The Odyssey, and we could easily go on. The impact these stories had on literature, movies and music is, for lack of a better word, epic. The Battle of Troy is probably the most famous non-religious story in history (unless science proves that Zeus is the real deal), and knowing that we've only heard part of the story is just the biggest cocktease ever.
Why You'll Never Read It:
All we have about the saga are bits and pieces of information, and we're lucky to have that. The only reason we know the books exist at all is that other books from the time reference them (including some Cliffs Notes-style summaries) but that's it. If some guy has copies in his basement, he isn't talking about it.
Maybe it's for the best. Iliad and Odyssey are pretty badass; we could have been stuck with the Hellenistic equivalent of Star Wars: Episode I.


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perfect combination.
Main Content
This makes me giggle!
It looks like the cow is headed to the bar for a drink after a hard day in the fields...
The Burgh
This looks like the beginning of a bad joke. "A cow walks into a bar..." ;)
was so surprised to bump over a pic done in Romania on Nat geo=d that`s definetly the common evening in a romanian village
The cow , bicycle and the bar have nothing common in an ideal world. But this photo rocks!
What a great picture Guy! A cow, a bike and a bar, three things you don't really associate with each other. Right place at right time for a odd picture. I love it! :)
I do not really know about the art of photography but I think this photo, very artistic placement of the camera with a very precise moment that could take a picture when the animals running in front of a building that contained the bike, plus another with a very classic color that makes people like me who do not really know the art of photography could capture the artistic value of the photo.
those who make this picture, I am very proud of you.
The window is a little strange for me. anyway, I like to focus on every part of this picture and enjoy every details.
So, did you hear the one about a cow that walks into a bar?
Nice photo visually and technically (B&W). !
i like it as usual.thank u great shot.thx national geo
Very good pic. It shows the some of the village life in a foreign country.
thank you very much!!! would like to invite you to my FB page to see more:
I love this shot! Especially how the cow is in alignment with the bike!
Great shot.........
Beautiful ! And this is a young nice cow. I'm curious in what village was taken this photo....I'm from Romania, maybe i know that place...
Perfect timing ! Excellent.
@Gerry Cunningham thank you!
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Short links for March 2nd, 2010
Some interesting things I found recently:
# cl516: ProLoop iPhone App by Trapcode
Calvin Cardioid on ProLoop for iPhone:
I've been searching a long time for something like this. It's not on OSX, and it's not an audiounit plugin. It's called ProLoop and I got it for $5 on the iTunes store. It's a very hands-on loop player capable of handling 6 loops at a time. My usual audio clips didn't feel like it was fully explaining what's going on, so be sure to check out the video above for a slightly more in-depth look.
# Fractions of a Second: An Olympic Musical – Interactive Graphic
NYTimes has a cool auralization of crossing the Olympic finish line:
At the Olympics, the blink of an eye can be all that separates the gold medalist from the 10th-place finisher. In some events, this is obvious. But in others, with athletes racing one by one, the closeness of the race is harder to perceive.
# TheBlackBox: Release v2.0 – Propeller HSS FX/Sequencer with Digital Audio SPDIF output
The Propeller BlackBox Audio Sequencer is a device for audio waveform creation and a 32 step sequencer.
BlackBox Audio Sequencer features
- Live fx mode to allow direct output of the current waveform set by 12 different potentiometers.
- The sequencer allows the fx to be loaded into any one of 32 steps in the sequencer.
- SPDIF audio output or analog output via a switch (not both at the same time).
- analog output to a monitor(at the same time as spdif/analog output above (headphones or studio speakers) to allow auditioning before outputting live.
- 3 encoders that allow – BPM, main volume, and BPM jumps(1/3, 1/2, 1/4, 3/4, 2/3) and a switch for jump direction. (main volume and bpm jump programming not complete yet).
- BlackBox to BlackBox CLOCK sync, input rca, output rca.(serial @ 150Kbps, works over 1 foot rca cable) (this is so many of these devices can be connected to one main BEAT CLOCK MASTER.).
- 32 LEDS are used as sequencer step indication, ALONG with using the 32 LEDS as buttons to load waveform.
- 2 leds that start/stop the sequencer and live fx waveform.
- fully open source that uses the HSS code to generate the audio.
Ryan releases another batch of cool drum loops.
Another 1st of the month brings us another set of Gruss Loops. Volume X features four different loop sets with over 25 different groove and fill variations in each style and tempo. A mix of world, funk, latin and r&b loops, Volume X is a must-have for any well-rounded loop collection.
# Exclusive Free Soundtrack: Osmos, Featuring Gas, Julien Neto, Loscil, High Skies
Peter Kirn at Create Digital Music writes:
The independent game Osmos won our hearts in 2009, with transcendent, meditative gameplay built on simulated particle physics, starting as a floating wonderland and ending with some deliciously punishing difficulty. But it's the soundtrack that sealed the deal: ambient-tinged work by artists like Gas 0095, Julien Neto, Loscil, and High Skies helped us imagine an unseen, microscopic (or perhaps macroscopic) world. Their sonic craft is a great example of what digital music can be. Now, I'm pleased to offer a lot of that music for your listening pleasure, for free. It's one of the rare game soundtracks you'd want to hear even after having heard it on repeat while solving some of the title's trickier puzzles. A huge thanks to the artists, whose generosity made this compilation possible – check out their work if you haven't already.


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Modeling Tips and Tricks
This is the thread for the actual tutorials and tips and such! I hope to use this as a hub to put everything thats posted in the discussion thread that is an actual tip.
Originally Posted by Me
Well, this has been something I've [sort of] waited a long time to do, mainly to hone my own modeling skill into something better than what I left you with. And I believe that at this point in time, I can bestow some new knowledge that not everyone may know. I'd like to make note that my section relies entirely on 3ds Max 2011. Some people may have a newer or older version, or using GMax or, in the case of the rare few, using some other programs. But the theory and in some cases the methods are essentially the same.
First off is the basics. My sections assumes you know how to basically model something, I'm here to optimize this:
Model with a reference picture. The human mind is surprisingly bad at visualizing something. Let someone else do that visualization for you, pick out a reference picture. If you look around at websites, I'm sure you'll find a design that piques your interest. But don't pick something that is a bit more than you can chew.
Maintain a budget. For TSL and KOTOR, I started out with budgets of 1000 polys, which translates to ~2000 triangles. Its OK to go over, but don't go overboard on your game model.
Choose your sides properly while using cylinders. 8 sides is a good, decent-looking bare-minimum, while 12 sides is good and decent looking while sacrificing quite a bit more polys in your budget. Try to keep the sides to a nice, even number. Odd numbers can be a problem later on in my guide here.
Don't go overboard with your modeling, add the bare minimum you need; a basic shape. After that, you can add the detail that you can't/don't texture on. We'll discuss faking details in a later section.
Maintain a good work flow. If your model's wireframe looks somewhat clean and you can safely adjust it, you have a good poly flow.
Optimize. If you can weld 2 vertices together without taking away from needed detail, then do it. That removes 2 verts and some triangles. In older engines like these, every poly and triangle count.
If you intend to follow my tips to the letter, I suggest that after you model your game model, you make a copy of that and hide one of them. You will be making something for that game model. For sake of convenience, give one of your models the suffix _L or _LP for Low Poly, and the other _H or _HP for High Poly.
For the rest of this tutorial, I will be using a lightsaber model I quickly whipped up, for this purpose. It's called Hydra. I deliberately made some modeling errors I would have made long ago, to show how to fix for what I'm to show you. Also, if you modeled in "Editable Mesh", once your done, convert it to "Editable Poly" (just right click like you did when you had just your standard primitive, go to "Convert To" and then select "Editable Poly"). Some parts can only be done in Editable Poly (to my knowledge).
I'm sure you are asking yourself what an N-Gon is. If you modeled using T7's lightsaber modeling tutorial, you should have a faint idea. N-Gon is a term referring to a shape with a specified amount of sides, typically above 4, where n is the number of sides. Why does this matter, you ask? Normally, it doesn't matter and you can simply export your model right after you finish everything. But, as I've quickly learned, N-Gons make smoothing out a high-poly model a pain. My tutorial will dip into a simple-yet-effective high-poly modeling technique, in order to provide a useful starting point for a texture with shadows and such mapped already for you. To start you off on what an N-Gon looks like before and after (render) the TurboSmooth modifier, without editing the n-gon.
This just looks ugly. I'm sorry I subjected you all to that. How would one fix that? Heres how; you use the cut function. The easiest way to do this without much guesswork is to use the cut function while under the vertex subgrouping. You'll want to match up the vertices so that each line between them looks like it cuts the n-gon in half. Have a visual reference. It's not the perfect visual reference, but that's the idea. All you do is you press the Cut button (as indicated earlier), select the vertex, then select the vertex on it's opposite side, where it would make the half.
Now, how would would know if there was an N-Gon somewhere in their model? Well, one good way to know is if you have vertices, but no completely looping edge to go with it! The red circle shows the "floating" vertices, while the blue line shows the cut that should be made. Yes, this can be a tedious process but it's worth it in the end.
Some engines, even today, do not render or shade n-gon's properly. IIRC, TSL and KOTOR automatically cuts everything up into triangles for you, regardless of the shape or amount of sides. And believe it or not, these extra few lines will help us a bit in our next section..
High Poly Modeling!
There are multiple ways to model in the high poly, ranging from sculpting with a program (Autodesk Mudbox and ZBrush are 2 that come to mind) to manually making the model high poly. Some methods take longer than other methods, and I will demonstrate a somewhat shorter method perfect for making the details you need for a high poly model and the bake for the low poly game model.
Now, you may have noticed that I mentioned Turbosmooth in my above section on N-Gons. Turbosmooth is a modifier that subdivides polys into nice, smoother polys. It does not deal with N-Gons well, which is another reason why dividing up those n-gons is a good idea. Turbosmooth divides up based on edges. Which is why you'll want Supporting edges! Not everything will need a supporting edge, but if you want a fairly crisp edge in your high-poly model, you'll want them. For example, lets look at this part of Hydra. Say I wanted the groove areas to be smoothed and rounded, but I want the edges prior to the grooves to be crisp. I would put connecting edges close to the edge of that area. If I'm not explaining this correctly, I apologize, but pictures speak a million words. (Smoothed + Supporting Edges | Smoothed + No Supporting Edges | Not Smoothed + Supporting Edges)
While connecting, consider that the Pinch and Slide values are proportional to the length, and are based on a percentage (100% to -100%. Anything more or at that value is just placing that edge on top of it's parent[s] or, in the case of adding 2+ edges, on top of it's sibling[s])
After all my NGons had been taken care of, and after all the supporting edges have been added, its safe to add your turbosmooth modifier. Head over to your modification toolbar off to the right, open up your modification list, and select turbosmooth (the list is in alphabetical order). The number of iterations you choose is mainly up to the speed of your computer. My computer can handle a model of up to about 240,000 polys before it start to lag and stutter; in my model's case, it is at the third iteration. If you notice any strange errors, such as "folding" in your model, add some supporting edges. This is a high poly model, go crazy on your polycount! Here is the final result for Hydra.
You thought you were done with your low poly? Nope. This tutorial also assumes you know how to do your own UV Map. Theres just two little things that I did until I learned I shouldn't do them. For the next section, on a cool lighting technique that will introduce shading onto your texture, you will need to have absolutely no overlapping faces in the UVW Map. An easy way to check this is with the "Select Overlapping Faces" feature. Another thing you should make sure to do is make sure objects with separate smoothing groups are on their own "UV Island", and make sure they are detached. All the green lines in my previous picture shows all the areas that are separated from the others. On the areas such as the lower grip and the lower boxes on the pommel, where all the faces are on different smoothing groups, in the UV Map they all detached from one another. First you must select the face on the Map you wish to detach. Then you can either go to Tools->Detach Edge Verts in the UV Editor window. Or you can use the default hotkey, where you first press D, and then use Ctrl+D.
Ambient Occlusion Pass (AO Bake)
Ambient Occlusion, also known as "a really cool and interesting technique i will use forever", is a simple process to accomplish, with a few steps. The first step is to open up your Material Editor window (Default hotkey M), and create a new standard material. In 3ds Max 2011, the editor window is different than it has been in years past, and I'm personally not used to it. Definitely unique, however. When you open up a new Standard material, open it up (double click the top blue bar in 2011), and set the colors to pure white. Apply the material to your high poly model. This won't have any affect on the actual AO bake, but its to get an idea on where the shadows will be. The next step is to drop a skylight into the scene; anywhere will do, as skylight will simulate light coming from all directions and cast shadows depending on your geometry. Next, make sure your skylight is casting pure white light. Select your skylight and make sure the color is pure white. Unless the RGB and Value values are at 255 and the Sat value is at 0, its not pure white. However, there is a problem; skylight makes a solid color using Max's standard scanline renderer! What do we do now? everything is ruined!
Stop crying now and open up Render Setup. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the window that pops up and expand the "Assign Renderer" section in the "Common" tab. Some new lines appear. What you want to do is press the "..." button next to the "Production" line. By default, Max wants to use it's standard scanline renderer. We will want to use mentalray. If it wasn't obvious, select that. If you dare, press render again, and you will get this. Much better and it shows the shadows we want. But we have some tweaking to do. Much of this next part of this section is reliant on how much time you want to spend rendering, or how fast/slow your computer is.
Go back to the Render Setup window (F10), and enter the "Renderer" tab. Look to the "Sampling Quality" section, and increase the Minimum and Maximum sampling quality. The higher the number, the better the quality will be, but the rendering time will be increased. As you can see, I set my min/max to 256, and the rendering time escalated from a few seconds to a few minutes. The result is here, the difference is minor but there.
When the render window opens up, there will be an added window below it, for extra settings. You will want to play with these settings in order to find a way to get AO the way you want. You will also want to play with the Final Gather points slider in order to get a better render. My ideal settings are a Final Gather precision of "High" and with sampling min of 16 and max of 64.
However, this technique is completely useless for the game model bake. Yes, I deceived you into learning something. This is a technique artists use to add definition to their models in post production. For example, creating your scene of a dragon in its textured state, then creating the AO Pass, placing the AO Render on top of the textured layer adds some definition. Some artists use the AO pass with cartoon-style renders (cel-shading) to define mass. If the hit hat-based simulator Team Fortress 2 didn't use AO passes in it's textures for many things (and Specular and Normal maps), it would just be a cartoon-y game with the most basic definition. Now its a cartoon-y game with good definition! In textures, the AO pass allows you to fake a shadow in the texture. Don't worry, I'll show you.
(The Real) AO Bake
It is important that you have your UVW Map done for your low poly model. Unhide everything you plan to use now. Lowpoly and Highpoly need to be here. Select your low poly model and Collapse All. Don't worry, your Map is still there. If you don't have your lowpoly selected anymore, select it again. Press 0 (or alternatively, open the "Rendering" dropdown menu from the toolbar and select "Render to Texture").
This will open an overwhelming window for Rendering to Texture. Don't worry, most of this stuff is useless for our needs. Change your path at the top if needed, and we will just dive right in to changing the options. Look for Padding options and change it to a 4 (default is 2). Next, enable Projection Mapping. Next, press the "Pick.." button on that same line, and select your high poly model. This will automatically create the Projection modifier on your model, and it will automatically f*** it up. Here is Hydra's f'ed up Projection. The blue lines show the Projection, while the yellow half-circle represents that Skylight we put in earlier (if you don't have this, put one in). Change your projection mapping to Vertex mode and press the Reset button to make your projection tight alongside your model. What you want to do with the projection cage is that you want to push and tweak it so that the cage covers the entirety of your high poly model. This will require quite a lot of tweaking. After you tweak the cage to cover your high poly, return to the Render to Texture window. Make sure to have the option for "Use Existing Channel" and then we are ready for the fun part.
Press the Add button and add the "Complete Map" option. Complete Map is meant to add all your silly little maps (Normal, Spec, Diffuse, the whole 9 yards) into one nifty little texture, but for our use, we will be using it to generate our AO bake. Change the texture size and name in the same section if you desire (I dump all my 3ds max generated textures into one folder, so I name each one specially. I also use 1024x1024 for everything, and if I need to, I will resize it down. I never use 2048x2048 for anything commercially anymore). Grab a drink, depending on if you wanted extra maps (a normals map, which you could combine with your texture into the complete map later if you so desired; I'm not going into detail on that, can make the process take twice as long as normal) or not, this will take a while. When its done, you will find a preview of your finished product and you can access your AO Bake in the folder you dumped it in. Open it up and you may have some issues. Thats alright, you can touch it up in photoshop or GIMP or whatever you use.
Now, what exactly is the AO Bake? It transfers some type of faked "shading" onto your texture map. After tweaking, my AO Bake looked like this. Its still a mess, and I'm still personally figuring out how to perfect the whole render to texture thing. Now, what can you do with this?
Using the AO Bake
Open up your AO Bake file in whatever program you use. It helps to have your UV Map open in another file as well (multitude of methods for this, not going into details about it here. Use whatever you think is best). Open a third file at the same size/size you want. Put your UV map on top and make it so that you only see the lines in the map (with my method, all I have to do is apply the "Screen" overlay type in Photoshop). Under that layer, put your AO Bake. Make sure you have it lined up perfectly, especially if you saved it initially as a PNG as that saves transparency and doesn't keep the same size as it does in it's parent file. Give that layer with the AO Bake the "Multiply" overlay type. This will transfer the shadows and anything that isn't pure white onto the layer(s) beneath it. That means you can give shading and some definition to a solid color, if you so wish. For example, a light gray and a dark gray for metal and grip underneath the AO layer gives this effect
This entire post just described a fancy texturing method, and taught you a little bit about some modeling techniques that are in use by the community for new-ish engines. Hope this helped somebody.
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Please use for reference only.
Julia Draznin Maltzman, MD
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: August 1, 2004
Ever since the first chemotherapy was delivered to a lymphoma patient, nausea was, and has remained, a concerning side effect of cancer therapy. Nausea can be a debilitating symptom that may significantly interfere with the quality of a patients' life. Fortunately, we have learned a great deal about preventing and treating nausea and this has made a significant impact on improving cancer treatment.
What causes nausea?
Nausea can be caused by a great many contributing factors and needs be addressed individually in each patient. It may be caused by cancer treatments or by the tumor itself. Nausea is often the result of the medications that we instruct our patients to take -- separate from chemotherapy. For example, pain medications such as narcotics can evoke nausea. Some antibiotics, when taken alone may cause low-grade nausea, but in combination with the other medications, may cause severe nausea and vomiting. Radiation therapy may cause nausea if directed at the abdomen or head. The amount of nausea radiotherapy induces depends on the amount of radiation delivered, the fraction size, and the location of the body involved in the treatment. Metabolic abnormalities that result due to the cancer or the treatment may cause patients to be nauseated. For example, kidney failure and liver failure promote nausea. A high calcium level that often results from some squamous cell cancers can cause nausea. In fact, any electrolyte abnormality has the potential to cause nausea. Older patients, or those very sensitive to any body imbalances, may perceive nausea when constipated or even in pain. Finally, certainly anatomic problems would cause patients a great degree of nausea problems such as a bowel obstruction. Some cancer patients may experience nausea if they have tumors in certain locations of the body such as the liver or the brain. These two locations tend to promote more nausea than cancer in other sites such as the lung for example.
Which chemotherapy agents are considered the worst offenders?
Chemotherapy is certainly one of the most well known causes of nausea in cancer patients. Although each person is different, and doses have much to do with the level of nausea, there are three chemotherapy drugs/classes that may cause a great deal of nausea. These are Platinums (Cisplatin in particular), Cyclophosphamide , and the Anthracyclin family ( Adriamycin). Cisplatin is used for a variety of cancers including lung cancer, head and neck cancer, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, and some of the gastrointestinal cancers. Cyclophosphamide is often used both orally and intravenously for breast cancer, lymphoma, sarcoma, bladder cancers and leukemia. It is also used in very high doses in stem cell transplants where it causes some of the worst nausea. The Anthracyclines are a class of drugs that have a wide variety of applications. They are used for breast cancer, some gastric cancers, sarcomas, lymphomas, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Not all patients who receive these chemotherapy drugs will get nauseated. Nausea is often a factor of the dose of drug given, the number of cycles administered, the route of administration (i.e. intravenous versus oral therapy), schedule of therapy (every week versus every three weeks) and, of course, the patient.
Patient factors that predispose to nausea
There are a few characteristics that doctors may use to predict whether or not a patient will experience nausea with the chemotherapy. Women tend to get more nauseated than men --especially those women who experienced much nausea with pregnancy. Younger patients usually are more nauseated than adults; however, older patients who are already taking many other medications for pre-existing conditions and have other diseases that compromise their performance status, are very likely to get nauseated. People prone to motion sickness are more likely to get sick. Surprisingly, it was noted that patients with a history of heavy alcohol use are less likely to experience nausea compared to those who do not drink alcohol. The mechanism for this is unclear.
How do we feel nauseated?
There is an area of the brainstem that has been identified to control nausea and vomiting. This " Vomiting Center" receives information from the rest of the body and coordinates the process. The nerves that signal the Vomiting Center come from a number of places: 1. From the vagal and splanchnic nerves (these nerves sense damage, obstruction, or damage to the bowel). This is why we sense nausea after radiation to the abdomen, constipation, severe diarrhea, infections, or abdominal pain. 2. Some information comes from the brain itself which senses smell and taste and from the inner ear transmitting information about movement and balance. This is why we often get nauseated when we smell or taste something unpleasant or when we sense motion. 3. The pharynx (back of the throat) also sends information to the Vomiting Center when it senses obstruction or damage. This is why we sense gag when we get a throat culture. In addition, the Vomiting Center also gets input from another part of the brain called the Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone, (CTZ). The CTZ sits in an area of the brain called the Postrema. Its sole function is to sense emetogenic or nausea causing chemicals in the blood. The CTZ is able to do so because the Postrema sits in the back part of the brainstem that is weakly protected by the blood brain barrier and therefore allows it to sense blood born toxins.
All the signals are transmitted to the Vomiting Center by way of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters, function much like hormones in that they are small molecules excreted by one place and act on another far away location with in the body. The type of neurotransmitters involved in relaying the messages of nausea and vomiting have been fairly well studied and those that have been implicated include: serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and histamine. The Vomiting Center also has GABA and opioid receptors on its surface and can gather information via these signaling pathways as well.
Nausea Syndromes
Oncologists tend to divide nausea in three separate syndromes: anticipatory, acute, and delayed.
Some people, who have experienced much nausea with previous treatments, can begin to feel nauseous up to 24 hours before actually getting the next dose of chemotherapy. This is conditioned response that developed after multiple treatments. This is called "Anticipatory Nausea". It does not happen to everyone. Those who do experience this type of nausea often claim that they feel queasy when they set foot in the Oncologists office. Others report feeling sick when they "smell" the chemo suite.
"Acute Nausea" is a clear reaction to chemotherapy and occurs anytime from the minute of infusion up to 24 hours after treatment. The usual peak time is 2-6 hours after infusion. Time of onset may vary somewhat for example, some people receiving a nitrogen mustard may note nausea as soon as the needle is inserted into the vein. Other patients receiving Carboplatinum or Cyclophosphamide may have Acute Nausea peak at 8-10 hours post infusion.
"Delayed Nausea" is typically seen 24-96 hours after treatments. This type of nausea is not thought to be serotonin mediated and the severity and duration clearly correlated with the drug and the dose used. If a patient has Acute Nausea, they are more likely to experience Delayed Nausea.
The treatment of nausea in the field of Oncology is a necessary and integral part of cancer therapy. The standard of care is to pre-medicate the patient with anti-nausea medications prior to chemotherapy, give continuous coverage for a minimum of three days following chemotherapy infusion, and provide "breakthrough" coverage for the days immediately following treatment. Oncologists use medications that block the pathways of the involved neurotransmitters. For example, the most widely used class of antiemetics (anti-nausea) is the serotonin antagonists. These drugs include agents such as ondansetron (zofran), granisetron (kytril), and now palonosetron (aloxi). These agents are given in the office prior to therapy and are usually prescribed for continuous coverage for three days following treatment.
Steroids seem to increase the results of the serotonin antagonists and are often given in combination prior to treatment. Although a variety of steroids have been used in clinical trials, Dexamethasone has the most use. Although the best dose has not yet been worked out, it has great activity against acute nausea and should not be omitted.
The dompaine antagonists such as compazine and inapsine have great activity in delayed nausea. These agents are usually prescribed as "breakthrough" antiemetics to be taken after chemotherapy. They are not as effective as the serotonin antagonists and may cause sedation and movement side effects. In addition, in a few elderly patients, this class of drugs, may cause low blood pressure so they must be administered with caution.
A drug called metoclopramide (Reglan) has two mechanisms of action and is often used to fight nausea. It acts centrally on the CTZ to decrease the noxious stimuli sensed by the center, and acts peripherally by stimulating gastric and small bowel motility. This is a great drug to use in combination with other anti-nausea drugs although by itself it is a rather weak agent.
Benzodiazapimes are wonderful medications to use for patients suffering from anticipatory nausea. They have an amnesia and anti-anxiety effect that helps in this condition. These medications are metabolized by the liver and often have interactions with other medications so they must be administered with care.
Other possible nausea fighting medications include antihistamines such as Phenergan, Dramamine, Antivert, or even Benadryl. These interfere with the histamine neurotransmitters known to be involved in causing nausea. Antacids may sometimes be helpful as they block other histamine receptors. A scopolamine patch may be helpful for patients who have increased secretions and have their nausea mediated by the acetylcholine neurotransmitters.
The new drug on the block is a drug called aprepitant, (Emend). It has a unique mechanism of action in that it blocks substance P from transmitting nausea signals via the receptor called NK-1. This new agent was discovered quite serendipitously. It was initially intended to be a pain fighting medication when it was noted that substance P induces vomiting in animals. This medication is an oral drug that is indicated for Delayed Nausea.
Finally, a variety of complementary therapy methods also have a role to play in the fight against nausea. They are extremely effective when combined with conventional medication. These methods include guided imagery, relaxation training, and biofeedback.


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The Basic Postpartum Diet
In This Article:
Omega-6 fatty acids
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Omega-6 fats have a different structure from the omega-3s, and when they are incorporated into cell membranes, they subtly alter the membrane's structure and activity.
It is true that mother's milk is the best source of omega-3s for babies, but the amount of these EFAs in breast milk varies widely depending on the mother's diet. Inuit women, who eat fish and seal meat daily, have a ratio of omega-6 to long-chain omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) of about 4:1. At the same time, one study showed that the average American woman's milk contains these fats in a ratio of 175:1! If the omega-6/omega-3 ratio becomes skewed in this way, an imbalance of prostaglandin production results, increasing your vulnerability to allergies, autoimmune diseases, mood disorders, joint pain, and other problems. By cutting down on omega-6 fats in particular, linoleic acid from processed vegetable, nut, and seed oils and boosting your intake of omega-3s, you can supply your baby and yourself with a more ideal ratio of these fats.
Corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oil all contain plentiful amounts of linoleic acid (LA), one of the omega-6 fats. These oils are found in a great many processed foods, and it is the rare Westerner who does not get plenty of linoleic acid every day. Worse, these oils are usually hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated to make them solid instead of liquid. This process alters the molecular composition of the fatty acids so that they are inflexible. Over time, these inflexible fats are incorporated into cell membranes, compromising the cells' ability to bring in needed substances and flush out wastes. Hydrogenated fats also contribute to an increasing burden of "bad" prostaglandins. The fatty acids in hydrogenated oils are known as trans fats or trans-fatty acids, and they pass right into your breast milk and into your baby's body. Read labels carefully; if you see the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on a label, put the product back on the shelf. Be forewarned: You will find hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils in just about every type of processed food, including cookies, crackers, frozen foods, margarine, potato and corn chips, pies, pastries, salad dressings, and soups.
It is unlikely that your health will be improved if you add more foods containing linoleic acid to your diet. Supplemental black currant seed, borage, and evening primrose seed oils, however, contain a specific omega-6 fat, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), that is scarce in food. The most significant food source of GLA is oatmeal. This fat has been demonstrated to be helpful for relief from attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, depression, and mood swings. GLA can be transformed in the body into an anti-inflammatory, brain-supporting prostaglandin called prostaglandin E1 (PGE1).
More on: Postpartum
excerpted from:
From A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health by Dean Raffelock, Robert Rountree, and Virginia Hopkins with Melissa Block. Copyright © 2002 by Dr. Dean Raffelock. Used by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit www.penguin.com. Get a 15% discount with the coupon code FENPARENT.


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Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP)
The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) at Clarkson University is dedicated to developing Clarkson's research and educational programs in high-technology materials processing and is focused on industrial concerns and meeting industrial needs. CAMP's mandate is to develop innovations in advanced materials processing and to transfer this technology to business and industry. The Center is built on Clarkson's recognized expertise in colloid and surface science and fine particle technology. It receives support from the New York State Foundation for Science,Technology and Innovation for research and operating expenses as one of 15 Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs). In addition, CAMP-related work receives several million dollars each year from the federal government and private industry.
CAMP's vision is to be the best resource available to companies in NY State and elsewhere in Advanced Materials and their Processing.
CAMP's mission is to perform innovative research and conduct educational efforts on the synthesis and processing of advanced materials of value to industry.
Colloid and Surface Science
CAMP materials research efforts are centered on the production, modification and conversion of matter for which "small" particles, colloidal media and/or surfaces play an important role in the processing and/or properties of the final product.
Technology Transfer
CAMP facilitates materials-related research collaborations with industry and effective dissemination of the research results.
Education and Training
CAMP conducts focused materials educational activities, supports the training of materials research personnel, and interacts with the materials-related components.
CAMP's International Symposium on Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP)
August 7-10, 2016
Crowne Plaza Lake Placid
101 Olympic Drive
Lake Placid, New York


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Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy [Extended Edition] [15 Discs] [Blu-ray] - Blu-ray Disc for $39.99
Extended editions on Blu-Ray for $40. Need I say more?
23 Comments add a comment
Awesome. Btw, is this widescreen?
@f00l: It's in 2.4:1, which matches the original super 35 shooting of the film.
This edition is amazing. I both own the blu-ray set and saw this remastered version of each film back in the theatre during three one-day events. It's incredible to see a film on such a scale, both live action and effects, that has held up so well over time.
If you have the old SD Extended Edition and don't need the extra discs (which are just copies from the EE DVDs), Target right now has the BluRay Extended Edition 2-disc movie only versions for $10 each, saving you another $10 off this
What could they possibly put on 15 disks?
@mccoey01: Any links? I don't see that on Target.com, just the standard blu-ray releases. Have they actually released the extended versions individually? I hadn't thought so.
@dummy1212: Honestly, couldn't find it online either or I would have posted it. But it definitely exists, I bought all three last night. It was in one of those cardboard DVD/BluRay Pre-Black Friday sale setups in the store. This is what they looked like. I didn't see this until now,but apparently Walmart will have them even cheaper in 2 weeks:
This is a very good deal if you want the blu-ray extended version plus all the "extras". If you only want the extended version on DVDs without the extras, Walmart seems to have the best deal on pre-order. The Walmart deal is better than the Target one - the total cost is less plus you will receive "Movie Money Towards One Admission Ticket to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey".
See my complete post here:
@dummy1212: I did a search and saw all 3 - didn't look like the extended versions. But clicking them didn't take me to a page, but to an error message.
insane deal!!
great deal!
Great deal but their site is down :(
I'm waiting until the Silmarillion is done before I line PJ's pockets any more. They always release a new and improved uber upgrade right after I buy an edition.
@giantmarmot: 3 DVDs plus shipping on pre-order is only $10 cheaper than this. The only saving grace is the movie bux on that deal, otherwise it's not as good a deal by a large margin.
15 disks?????
I really don't have the time, at that point I would just read the books.
@mccoey01: Those are dvd's, not Blue Rays.
@j5: If you read my post carefully, I start by stating that this is indeed a very good deal if you want blu-ray and you want the extras (in fact, it is the best deal I have come across that includes the extras) but there are some of us that are only interested in the movie and never get round to watching the extras. At $11.50 less (taking into account shipping because SiteToStore is not available for pre-orders), the Walmart DVD deal is, to the best of my knowledge, the cheapest way to own the extended version trilogy - for those who don't insist on blu-ray or don't have blu-ray. The movie money for 3 is an added bonus, of course.
@dmmutti: I have absolutely no intention of looking at anything past the main movies. In fact, I'd be all over that Wally deal if it had been Blu-ray.
@giantmarmot: $11.50 to upgrade to Blu is way worth it (again, movie bux is a pretty big deal if you plan to go see Hobbit, making those essentially free.) If you don't have Blu, just get a buddy to rip them for you. Totally legal. :)
@dummy1212 @havoc1999: looks like its in store for this sale. But they definitely have it. Here's my best proof
@dummy1212: yes the extended are released individually... go for this deal, as individually (at walmart) they are $24.96 each
@mccoey01: I just did that myself
I won't close this quite yet even thought the sale is over because it's still available at $49.99. Still an incredible value. Enjoy!
Was 49.99 for quite a while at Best Buy, but I just checked again and it's down again to 39.99, and it's sold out online, but available for pickup at the 9 stores closest to me.
Edit: I tried to add it to my cart and it says: "Sorry, there was a problem adding the item to your cart. Please try again." So, maybe it's a fluke.
This deal is live again. Add to Cart works. It's also available for the same price at amazon.com - http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/d0a66eee-83f6-4951-b778-343a788b6bc8/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-extended-15-disc-blu-ray#0


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District 2 school board member Louis Melton presented the original idea of changing the school at the March 19 committee meeting. In order for the school to change a cost analysis of transportation as well as staffing must be acquired. The concept for the school is that all students grades pre-k through ninth who reside in the East Morehouse Parish District are eligible to attend. Each year, a school grade would be added until twelfth grade. For students residing outside that school district but wanting to attend, they would have to have a 2.0 GPA, satisfactory disciplinary reports, and be willing to have student and parental participation.
The objective is for the school to offer a curriculum including fine and performing arts such as band, drama, journalism, choir, art and foreign languages. There are also classes slated in home economics, personal finance and entrepreneurship.
An interest survey was given out to all East Morehouse Parish stakeholders and the results of the survey were overwhelming for changing the school.
The matter will be brought back before the board at the May meeting.
MPSB Superintendent Dr. George Noflin addressed the board regarding the possibility of making the East Side Elementary school building into a sixth grade academy, removing those students from Morehouse Jr. High. He intends to create a structured school for those students with the initial monies received from a tax which is on the May 5 ballot.
"There are some obstacles that must be addressed, with the property as well as staffing, but I truly believe it would help those students who are thrust into a situation from being the 'big dog' to being a 'small pup,'" Noflin said. "It would be a better transition for them."
Other items on the agenda included recognizing high attendance for faculty and staff, with Oak Hill having the highest at 99.65 and high attendance for students, with the Bastrop Learning Academy having the highest at 96.76. Dr. Noflin also recognized Morehouse Magnet School student Ashten Morgan, who had a piece of his artwork displayed at the Louisiana School Board Association's home office in Baton Rouge.
The Employee of the Month honor went to bus driver Sandra Hughes and new employees William Johnson and Larrisa Bonnett were recognized.
Kathleen Blakeney, instructional technology specialist, Joni Echols, curriculum facilitator at Morehouse Magnet, Evelyn Laforge, bus driver and Dolly Martin, assistant principal, were all granted retirement.
Location, ST | website.com


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FOLLANSBEE - Officials with Severstal say they "remain available for further discussion" after employees at their Mountain State Carbon operation overwhelmingly rejected a four-year deal this week.
Workers voted 181-7 to reject the proposed contract, the result of more than a year at the bargaining table.
"Hopefully, we'll go back to negotiations and they will actually negotiate with us," said Don Hubbard, a member of the United Steelworkers Union bargaining team negotiating on behalf of the workers. "Before, the company basically handed us their version of the contract - we did get them to make a few changes in things, but not many. Basically, it was a take-it-or-leave-it operation."
Asked for comment, Severstal Public Relations and Communications Director Katya Pruett released a brief statement indicating only that, "We respect the decision of our employees, and we remain available for further discussion."
Hubbard, though, said it's apparent by the more than 96 percent margin of defeat that "the workers aren't happy with" the company's offer,
"We weren't asking for the world," he added. "This is my livelihood, too. We all have to work for a living, this is our livelihood. We just want to be treated fairly."
He insists the worker demands are basic.
"Really, we're not going for anything exotic," he said, pointing out the company had offered hourly workers just two weeks of vacation time while salaried personnel "(have had) their five weeks' vacation" restored.
"Most people, at the time (former owner) RG Steel filed bankruptcy, had five weeks vacation - we told them we'd accept four weeks for this contract, and we told them we'd take just a small raise every year, 3 percent, which basically just keeps up with inflation," Hubbard said.
He said they also wanted some semblance of a guaranteed work week, ensuring that if production was interrupted for any length of time the hourly workers would get at least a part of their wages paid by the company.
"They've never done that, I want to make that clear," he said. "It's never happened here, but the possibility is there and it's in the back of everybody's mind. If there's a possibility that they could do it and they won't agree not to do it, then there's a possibility that at some point they might do it."
Hubbard said the company had offered to maintain wages in years one and two, with modest 2 percent increases in 2016 and 2017.
Hubbard said the vast majority of the roughly 225 hourly workers at the plant are age 60-plus.
(Harris can be contacted at email@example.com)


text:
Author: Robert Palmer
If you wish to obtain the best results from the online business make certain you reflect on search marketing and web design together for your subsequent venture. Website design styles that incorporate optimization ideas will get the most excellent results as well as yet look the way you wish your site to look.
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Websites that have considered optimization in a design procedure get much enhanced online results and yet manage to look good. There are lots of changes in style during the current few years and it is essential to keep up with existing trends. Design style as well as site architecture are different from the older websites and if your website is around for a while then perhaps it is the time to get an entire new style of appearance for the online business and magnetize more search traffic. An original design might be just right to draw new clients and emphasize new services that your association provides.
With both the professional design and best search results, a website could attain a target audience as well as magnetize high volume search traffic. Receiving this mix correct is where the search marketing agency is required. Experience of marketing and design in your target segment could be bonuses, however in particular a few professional design style instances with top search results must assist choose which organization to work with. Acquire the accurate keywords and ensure that your selection of design style matches for best targeting.
A few of the significant SEO web site design factors that are part of on- page SEO optimization and assist boost site's visibility on web are:
To use keyword rich URLs whilst designing the web site.
Overusing graphics / multimedia is not great in terms of search engine optimized websites as flash and media files are not clear content for the search engines.
Use appropriate titles, header tags and Meta descriptions for all pages to evidently define what a page is all about.
Add appropriate alt tags for the images in order that the search engines identify what an image is about and relate it with content of web page.
Generate a detailed HTML site map to assist search engines crawl the website in its entirety and quickly.


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You limited your search to:
Country: Philippines
Collection: Congressional Research Service Reports
Abu Sayyaf: Target of Philippine-U.S. Anti-Terrorism Cooperation
Date: January 25, 2002
Creator: Niksch, Larry A.
Description: This report provides an overview and policy analysis of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines and the recently announced Philippine-U.S. program of military cooperation against it. It examines the origins and operations of Abu Sayyaf, the efforts of the Philippine government and military to eliminate it, and the implications of a greater U.S. military role in attempts to suppress it. The report will be updated periodically.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department


text:
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The account of creation mentions the serpent being wise among all beasts. After the temptation God curses the serpent.
"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,...upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:" (Genesis 3:14).
Does this denote that the snake had a different form, limbs perhaps, unlike we see it today? And is it rational to depict the time of temptation in a picture of snake (already crawling on its belly) talking to Eve?


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Parking is available at multi-storey and outdoor car parks with direct access to the terminals, and also underneath SkyCity. For long-term parking, a car park further away from the terminals offers lower rates and is served by free shuttle buses.
Car hire
Companies at the airport include Avis and Sixt. A shuttle bus service runs between the terminals and the car hire area (on request after hours).


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I wanna use medialets ad in my android app. I have faced some issues which are listed below,
Got an sample with downloaded sdk, banner ads are not working in the sample itself, can anyone got this issue, whats wrong with the banner ads?
And Interstitial ads are working fine with the normal activity which extends AdActivity. If I load the following lines in oncreate then its getting crashed.
InterstitialAdView view = new InterstitialAdView(AdDemo.this); view.setSlotName("ViewTwoFull"); view.prepare();
If I give that inside onclick() then its working fine.
Actually I want to load the interstitial ads when an item clicked in the list, my list activity is there with in the tab activity, in this case interstitial ad also not coming.
Can anyone worked with medialets, how to solve these issues.
Thanks in advance.


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I've a function taking quite a long time to perform and I'm trying to change the cursor to an hour glass during the time the function is executed. But it only works the very first time the function is called. I'm doing this (it's in an on_click event handler of a button):
from gi.repository import Gtk, Gdk, GObject
import time
def on_grabbtn_clicked(self, button):
# Change the cursor to hour Glass
cursor = Gdk.Cursor.new(Gdk.CursorType.WATCH)
# lenghty process here
# Set the cursor to normal Arrow
cursor = Gdk.Cursor.new(Gdk.CursorType.ARROW)
window is a window build with Glade/GtkBuilder and named...window.
I get a handle on it in the
__init__() of the window class like this:
self.window = self.builder.get_object('window')
As I said, the hour glass appears only the first time I click on the button. The second time it doesn't work anymore. So I'm doing it wrong. But what Am I doing wrong ?


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WLDSS20KG Superstart Dried Distill (Distillers Yeast)
Active dry yeast for use in fuel ethanol and beverage fermentations. Adequate for neutral spirits but primarily designed for biofuel. It contains a selected strain of saccharomyces cerevisiae distillers yeast in a highly concentrated and stable form. 20 kilogram package.
Feedback and experiences from previous customers. Want to leave a review of your own?
Looks like there aren't any reviews for this strain. Feel free to leave one here.
Optimum Ferment Temp.NA
Alcohol ToleranceNA


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Pasting the output of
df -h for the
/mtd_rwarea partition:
$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mmcblk0p16 150.0M 138.5M 11.5M 92% /mtd_rwarea
But there is nothing in the directory. Directory
/mtd_rwarea is empty.
The output of
ls -la from that partition:
ls -la
drwxr-xr-x 1 root 0 2 Jan 1 00:01 .
drwxrwxrwx 26 root 0 693 Aug 16 2012 ..
Could anyone please help in understanding what could be the reason here?


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Hi all webmasters, i just want to grab your experience about "Is there is any difference in process of SEO done in US and SEO done in India?" Everyone's experience will be most welcomed !!!
US Seo and SEO in India?
I accept shabbir's point of view. SEO will be same no matter from where you do it.
There is no any difference, it will give you same results whether you do seo in India or outside it.
There is no any difference, it will give you same results whether you do seo in India or outside it.
Originally Posted by Ken PetersonYou are opening Google from US and someone is opening Google in India they both get different results because Google gives different results for different countries. If the person who is using internet from India make use of any software for changing his Ip address of US Google shows the same results as you are getting. So from Indian person the same work can be done now that you are doing from US. Thus there is no difference if you are doing SEO from US or from India or from anywhere in the world.
It is the best answer to your query. There is no difference in SEO whether you do it from US or India. Yes, IP address is an issue but there are many solution to overcome from that. Many tools and software are available in the market which help you to get the IP address of anywhere in the world.


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Every time I launch a program, say firefox, it starts maximized, how can I keep this from happening. Its so ridiculous that they have this as the default.
Just to flag up that the auto-maximize percentage is now configurable in 11.10 in
But on 11.10:
To fix this with Unity 2d, do this on the command line:
Or, launch gconf-editor and change that key to false.
This annoyed the heck out of me, too. :( The fix is different for unity 2d than for 3d unity,
Unity was designed to auto-maximize windows if they take up a certain amount of screen space. To my knowledge not every single window does this, but most of them will. Currently there is no way to disable this in Unity 2D, but you can disable grid in ccsm, or you can edit the values to your liking, to avoid this maximization.
Basically, you can disable the top edge (set it to none) to avoid windows auto maximizing.
Found this in this thread, tested it, and it seems to be true.
Also, according to the same thread, this behavior can only be changed by editing unity source and recompiling. Not the answer we'd like to hear...
Install "Advanced Desktop Effect Settings" (ccsm) through the software center and launch it.
Scroll down to "Window Management" and deselect "Snapping Windows" and "Grid". This will disable snapping to the edges of the screen and maximize when you reach the corners.
Further you can decide whether to start windows centered, smart-positioned or if they should always be maximized etc. in "Place Windows" which is also under "Window Management"


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I have been wondering about this, since every time I hand in a 作文 in a Japanese class, I'm corrected on conjunctions. It seems to me that whenever I use a てform as a conjunction, a response comes back that it has a cause-and-effect feel. I thought that it was just neutral, since there are so many different ways to express cause and effect, but it seems that might not actually be the case. That being said, I thought that stem forms and なく might be the actually neutral way to join two clauses. I just wanted to know if I'm correct.
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te-form is similar to the English participial construction, and has the following restrictions as opposed to using the stem.
1) It implies temporal order
2) Volitionality of what is connected must match
Note that this second restriction is reminiscent of, if not exactly the same as, prohibition against dangling participle in English.
These two restrictions together may indirectly lead to the impression that there is a cause-and-effect feel for te-form.


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Gluten-Free Goodness From Around the WorldTM
Gluten-Free Trading Company Your Celiac-Owned Source for Gluten-Free Food Products
Use the box below to search our product catalog.
Spicetec is a division of ConAgra, one of the world's largest food companies.
Arrow root starch has many culinary and baking applications. For example it makes clear, shimmering fruit gels. It can also be used as a thickener for acidic foods, such as Asian sweet and sour sauce. It is invaluable in cooking when you wish to have a clear, thickened sauce (such as a fruit sauce) because it will not make the sauce go cloudy (as many other starches and flours do).
Arrowroot is generally used in combination with other starches and flours in gluten-free baking.
In corn-free diets arrowroot can be used as a substitute for cornstarch. Its properties are slightly different: it thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch. In addition it is not weakened by acidic ingredients such as vinegar or lemon juice. It has neutral taste, and is not affected by freezing. Arrowroot doesn't mix well with dairy products.
When using arrowroot as a thickener, it is recommended to mix the arrowroot powder with a cool liquid before adding to a hot fluid. The mixture should be heated only until the mixture thickens and removed from the heat immediately, as overheating tends to break down arrowroot's thickening property.
Spicetec Arrow Root Powder is manufactured under strict GMP/HACCP practices that assure no corn or wheat is present in the finished product.
This is a special-order item. Allow approximately 10 days for delivery.
Ingredients: Arrowroot starch powder.


text:
Does a
Zone cast by a player disappear when the player goes unconscious/dying?, or only if they actually die?
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When they actually die
'Dying' is a different state than the moment the character actually 'dies'. Pg 260 of the Rules Compendium makes it clear:
However, as Oblivious Sage pointed out, zones that require an action to sustain them will fail to be sustained if the character is unconscious. Zones that last encounter long will continue until the encounter is over or the creator actually dies, whichever comes first.
Something to note is that if zones were deactivated by near-death experiences in this way, the wacky hijinks that revenants (and similar races that have weird death-saving conditions) can get up to would be rather limited.
Further evidence can be seen in the Shaman Level 22 Attack Power Life and Death Struggle.
If the zone winked out when the caster started making death saves, the power could not apply to the caster.


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Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone. Stress fractures are caused by the repetitive application of force, often by overuse — such as repeatedly jumping up and down or running long distances. Stress fractures can also arise from normal use of a bone that's been weakened by a condition such as osteoporosis.
Stress fractures are most common in the weight-bearing bones of the lower leg and foot. Track and field athletes are particularly susceptible to stress fractures, but anyone can experience a stress fracture. If you're starting a new exercise program, for example, you may be at risk if you do too much too soon.
At first, the pain associated with a stress fracture may be barely noticeable, but it tends to worsen with time. The tenderness usually originates from a specific spot and decreases during rest. You also might experience some swelling around the painful area.
Contact your doctor if your pain becomes severe or persists even at rest.
Stress fractures are caused by the repetitive application of a greater amount of force than the bones of your feet and lower legs normally bear. This force causes an imbalance between the resorption and growth of bone, both of which go on all the time. Repetitive force promotes the turnover of bone cells, but you add new bone cells when you're at rest.
If your bones are subjected to unaccustomed force without enough time for recovery, you'll resorb bone cells faster than you can replace them. As a result, you develop "bone fatigue." Continued, repetitive force causes tiny cracks in fatigued bones. These cracks progress to become stress fractures.
Factors that may increase your risk of stress fractures include:
Some stress fractures don't heal properly. This may lead to chronic pain. If underlying causes are not addressed, you may be at higher risk of additional stress fractures.
You're likely to first bring your concerns to the attention of your family doctor. If you are a competitive athlete, you might go directly to a doctor who specializes in musculoskeletal problems.
Before the appointment, you may want to write a list that answers the following questions:
Your doctor may ask some of the following questions:
While doctors can sometimes diagnose a stress fracture from the medical history and physical exam alone, imaging tests are often needed to confirm the diagnosis.
To reduce the bone's weight-bearing load until healing occurs, you may need to wear a walking boot or brace or use crutches. Although it's unusual, surgery is sometimes necessary to ensure complete healing of some types of stress fractures, especially those that occur in areas with a poor blood supply.
It's important to give the bone time to heal. This may take several months or even longer. In the meantime:
Simple steps can help you prevent stress fractures.
Original article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stress-fractures/basics/symptoms/CON-20029655
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Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.


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Published on Wed, Aug 12, 2009
Immediately after the Presidential election of 2008, it was quickly apparent through exit polling that Latino, Asian, and African-American voting had expanded dramatically compared to the 2004 election. Census Bureau data released late last month confirms the tremendous growth in voting among these groups. Today, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) releases a fact check, Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth, which shows how much the electoral power of racial and ethnic minorities increased in just four years.
Published in the SOA World Magazine


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Double down on your little cigar smoking experience with Double Diamond Brand Little Cigars. These are one of the most affordable little cigars that are currently on the market. Our customers can be assured though that quality of this premium quality tobacco is doubled down and will not disappoint any of our customers. For only $12.99 you receive a full 200 count of these little cigars, saving an average of $3.00 when compared to regular retail value.
Today is the day to double down on this one of a kind value. On top of its very economical price, this product comes in five great flavors: cherry, grape, menthol, mild, and full flavor. Take advantage of our special offer when you order this product and save $.50 on our clipper lighter! A single diamond is worth a fortune, a Double Diamond Little Cigar smoking experience is something that is truly priceless!
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Double Diamond Little Black Menthol
loved it
it's a good price and i like to stock up.
Double Diamond Little Grape 200ct
Grape candy anyone.
This starts out very much like the taste of grape candy which isn't a bad thing. After a few of these the candy thing goes away and you just start appreciating the cigar itself. Very nice aroma and relaxing while visiting friends or whatever you're doing. Awesome!
Double Diamond Little Black Cherry
Good product, good price
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Easy Healthy Vegan Recipes (Slide 20)
(Slide 20 of 26) Start at the beginning | View recipes as list
Recipe: Indian Mango Dal
View as: Thumbnails List
Spiced Eggplant-Lentil Sala…
Spiced eggplant, lentils and mangoes combine deliciously in this Indian-inspired vegetarian salad. C…View slide
Tofu & Broccoli Stir-Fry
We like broccoli best in this tofu stir-fry, but any mixture of vegetables you have on hand will wor…View slide
Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta
Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomat…View slide
Okra & Chickpea Tagine
This quick and easy okra and chickpea stew is full of Moroccan flavors. The name "tagine" refers…View slide
Savory Orange-Roasted Tofu …
If you've never had roasted tofu before, here's a great way to start. Toss tofu and asparagus in a t…View slide
Brown Rice & Tofu Maki
Maki is the Japanese name for the "sushi rolls" favored by many. Short-grain rice is full of amy…View slide
Black Bean Croquettes with …
Staples like canned black beans and frozen corn transform into spicy croquettes in mere minutes. Ser…View slide
Crispy Seitan Stir-Fry for Two
A flavorful sauce and lots of crunchy vegetables make this seitan stir-fry a quick and healthy choic…View slide
Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
Filled with bell peppers, pinto beans, mushrooms and onions, these colorful enchiladas can be mostly…View slide
Basque Vegetable Rice
Zucchini, onion, tomatoes and bell peppers stud this paella-inspired rice dish. You may add other ve…View slide
Stir-Fried Noodles with Gre…
Perfect for a hot summer's night, baked tofu, bell peppers and scallions are stir-fried with udon no…View slide
Quinoa & Smoked Tofu Salad
We took the tangy fresh flavors of tabbouleh and paired them with smoky tofu and quinoa to create a …View slide
Coconut-Crusted Tofu with P…
The crunchy-crisp tofu and our spicy-sweet salsa are inspired by that restaurant-chain classic, deep…View slide
Southwestern Corn & Black B…
Here's a great make-ahead dinner--and leftovers are welcome for lunch the next day. If you make it a…View slide
Warm Quinoa Salad with Edam…
Quinoa, a super food from South America, is packed with protein and fiber. Toasting it gives it a sl…View slide
Southwestern Rice & Pinto B…
The slightly chewy texture of ruddy-red Wehani rice makes it perfect for salads. Serve it mounded on…View slide
Grilled Tofu with a Mediter…
Mild-flavored tofu benefits from this intensely flavored lemon juice-and-garlic-based marinade. If y…View slide
Elise's Sesame Noodles
Whole-wheat pasta bolsters fiber and nutrients in this popular Asian noodle salad. The recipe is fro…View slide
Asian Slaw with Tofu & Shii…
A simple slaw is given an Asian twist with bok choy, napa cabbage and a soy-wasabi dressing. The vib…View slide
Indian Mango Dal
More than 60 different types of dal (or dhal) are made across India. The basic dish contains lentils…View slide
Braised Winter Vegetable Pasta
In this vegetable-studded vegan dish we braise cauliflower, butternut squash and pasta in white wine…View slide
Roasted Tofu & Peanut Noodl…
Top this vegetarian noodle salad recipe, which is tossed with loads of veggies and ample peanut sauc…View slide
Grilled Eggplant Dip
This grilled eggplant dip recipe is a lighter take on baba ganoush, with the smoky eggplant brighten…View slide
Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein
Skip takeout and make a healthier Chinese lo mein at home that's packed with vegetables. Make sure…View slide
Thai Peanut Curry Noodles
Thai curry paste delivers a spicy kick-in-the-pants in this healthy peanut noodle recipe. If you hav…View slide


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Can someone please explain to me what tone pots are, and how they affect the sound of a guitar? Thanks very much :)
A potentiometer is basically a variable resistor. When it's turned all the way one way, it has no resistance, and when it's turned all the way in the other direction, it has its maximum resistance.
A pot has three soldering points: its input, its output, and ground. So when the output of your pickups is wired to the input of the pot, the pot splits the signal in two directions, one of which leads to the output jack of your guitar and the other of which leads to ground. The signal from the pickups wants to go to ground, but if the pot is turned to its maximum resistance, it acts as a block to the signal, which then has to go to the output of the guitar instead. As you turn the pot, its resistance weakens, so more and more of the signal escapes to ground instead of going out the guitar's output, and so you perceive this as lower volume. So the pot acts as the volume knob.
Same thing with the tone knob. If you combine a pot and a capacitor with the capacitor going to ground, you get a low-pass filter, meaning a circuit that allows low frequencies to pass through but blocks high frequencies. The combination of the values of the capacitor and the resistor determines the frequencies which the filter sees as "high" and those it sees as "low". As you turn the pot, the filter sees more and more frequencies as high, and so it allows fewer of them to pass through. Hence, the guitar's output signal contains fewer and fewer high frequencies, and boom: tone knob. Here's a simple circuit diagram, and it's exactly what's in my guitar---except for not showing the volume and pickup switch, it's not oversimplified at all:
The (very) basic jist of a capacitor is that it can "store" current, but it takes some time to charge up and down. When it's charged down, a capacitor acts more-or-less like a wire, and current passes through it with no problem. Once it's charged up, though, it won't let any current through (it's at "capacity", if you will); in that state, it's like a broken wire. High frequencies alternate so rapidly that they don't give the capacitor a chance to charge up, so they pass right through it; low frequencies, however, charge up the capacitor before they get through it, and so they're blocked.
So as you can see from the diagram, if the pot's resistance is low enough to allow the signal to head towards ground, the high frequencies will pass through the capacitor and escape, while the low frequencies still can't get by the cap and have to go to the guitar's output. And so you hear the low frequencies but don't hear the high ones. Of course, if the pot's resistance is all the way up, then none of the signal goes towards ground and all of it goes to the output.
You can easily tweak your tone controls by replacing the capacitors with different ones with different values. It's a simple soldering job, capacitors are dirt cheap (like $0.10 cheap) and it's much easier than replacing the pots.
The tone pots are literally the knobs on the front of your guitar that you adjust the tone and volume of your pick ups with.
Edit: Cant explain in any great technical detail; aside from to say that they allow you to control the low power analogue signal of your pickups.
In the case of the Tone pots these allow you to control output from specific pick-ups with the volume pot controlling overall volume.
The toggle switch allows you to choose individual/combinations of pickups; with the tone pots acting upon those selected.
Depending on the type/configuration of the guitar you have, you may have a tone pot for each pickup (this gives you most tone control); or you may have one tone pot which controls the overall tone of whatever configuration is selected via he toggle switch.


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Australia GFS Snow Level +144 hour Chart
About GFS
Global Forecast System. The operational numerical weather forecasting model run by NCEP. The GFS superceded the AVN and MRF models, on which it is largely based. Forecast data from the GFS is available out to 180 hours at full resolution and 16 days at a reduced resolution.
Weather News
Adelaide weather: Houses damaged by wild winds, Seaford train services cancelled
High winds described by the State Emergency Service as a "storm cell" have ripped through Somerton Park in Adelaide, damaging roofs and bringing down trees.
Melbourne cold front brings rain, high winds, Bureau of Meteorology says
A "fairly active" cold front has caused problems on the road during Melbourne's evening peak hour, as high winds and rain hit the city.
Rare 'morning glory' roll cloud sighting in outback Queensland
A rare cloud formation, often called the morning glory, has rolled across outback Queensland delighting locals.


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Just had an excellent Customer Service experience. Have you had any recently?
This Home Depot deal, was posted 10/27. I registered as a "PRO" (don't ask!), received/printed out the coupon.
Didn't go to HD until yesterday (Sat. 11/17). Went to the Service Desk instead of regular check-out: thought I'd have a better chance of applying the coupon there. The clerk looked at it & asked what I was buying. Gave her my purchases, she scanned them, then scanned the coupon. "Oh, this coupon expired on the 12th."
Me: :-/ Kicking self for not going in sooner. Then, the Service Desk ANGEL said she was going to check w/the manager. Left, came back & told me she couldn't apply the coupon, BUT was taking $50 off the bill!! I was floored! THIS is why I like Home Depot. Astounding customer service w/a smile.
What about you? Have you had someone go beyond the norm to give you a good deal or take care of a pesky problem?
12 Answers answer
Nope. But I have had a really crappy one. Several hours on hold with TWC, before they finally escalated the issue. Grrrr.
::snicker:: The "Have you had any lately?" is referring to good Customer Service. NOT....you know. ;-)
Anyway, I seem to run into really pathetic CS. This was so startling and out of the norm. The coupon was expired. My fault. And yet, they gave me the full amount - $50 off. Amazing. As you can see, I just can't say enough good things about this experience. And Home Depot.
@okham: Sympathetic w/your TWC problem. Been there too many times. Though Brighthouse (TWC by another name) has improved & is semi-efficient now.
But that 'problem' is precisely what I'm talking about - Customer Service, too me, is a contradiction of terms. It's just bad - nearly always. When something good like my experience happens I'm practically euphoric.
Must admit, my jaw dropped. I was stunned. I probably looked like a doddering little old lady. Wanted to kiss the Service Desk rep. I was there w/my handyman; he wanted to do more than kiss her. But that's another story. ;-)
I use a Garmin 610 fitness GPS for running. When I moved I had to take several weeks off. I inadvertently let the unit run all the way down, to a completely flat battery. It wouldn't take a charge, so I called Garmin about it. The unit has a 1 year warranty: this was 13 months. They repaired the unit in warranty, and even did a cross ship exchange.
@gmwhit: actually, you reminded me that I have had a really good experience with Lifeproof recently. One of their folks helped me get a substantial discount on a multiple case order. Thanks for helping me remember the good ones, too. :)
@okham: Know what you mean with Time Warner. I had some issues with them earlier this month (they removed a promo from my account that expired in November 2013). It took several hours and several representatives to make them realize it is November 2012, not 2013.
This happened a few years ago but it's one of my CS stories.
My daughter was to be presented as part of Homecoming Court during a daytime pep rally and needed a special dress. We found a very cute one at a small store near our house, but it had spaghetti straps which were forbidden by the school. A saleslady suggested that a black bolero would cover the straps during the daytime and would really dress it up even more. She helped us scour the store but we couldn't find one. She asked us to wait a minute, then called her husband and had him find her own black bolero and deliver it to us at the store! We had never met this woman before, and she refused to accept anything for the loan of the item, so we made sure to bring flowers to her when we returned it a few days later. Wow!
Right on!
I unfortunately, have had horrendous customer service lately - from many different sources (never at HD.) But it's good to know that HD has been consistently good for you.
I think this is a good place to say that Woot has one of the best customer service (support) departments.
I had macbook pro with Apple care, and I sent my laptop in last Tuesday night, and they sent it back to me fixed Thursday morning. They replaced the logic board, battery, left speaker, the mic, and the top shell.
As for terrible experiences, Comcast takes the prize. There billing is like a box of chocolates, you have no idea what you are going to be charged for. I also have a Tivo, and it appears no one there knows what a cable card is. I do take a shot of whiskey every time I have to be transferred to the "correct" department, and this makes the time go a little more quickly.
I've struck out on both counts, but thanks for asking. :(
Yes. I always do pay by phone on my credit cards, and I have a Citi Thank You card that I recently called in to make a payment. Their system doesn't have a direct line to the pay by phone, and sometimes you get a rep. Usually I'm kicked back into the system, but this time the rep took the payment, and waived the fee for using a rep. When I asked why there isn't just a straight line in, and why I get a rep, they said the way it's set up is if the call volume is low, you get a live person. If it's moderately busy, they kick you back in the system. She did put a note on my account, and it made my day that I didn't have to get put back into the system.


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Pope vs. the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
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text:
Turner ready to make a 'Killing'
Not a subscriber? You can purchase a single-day subscription for only $0.75 to read this and access all of our content and our E-Edition. CLICK HERE purchase a single day subscription.
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Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has become one of the country's leading experts on buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons to adorn her made-to-order wedding gown.
But after the Button Box is ransacked and the actress murdered, Josie's cozy world is thrown into chaos-and a killer is out to keep Josie's lips buttoned up…permanently.