text:
Zeitgeist Films // 2011 // 83 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Appellate Judge Daryl Loomis (Retired) // September 1st, 2012
Some debts can't be paid with money.
What is debt? The question may sound obvious, given the financial crash and the fact that essentially every single person, at least in the US, owes money to a multitude of creditors. It goes much deeper than that, though, which legendary author Margaret Atwood describes in her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, culled from a series of lectures she gave in 2008. In it, she shows just how wide the concept can be, and coming from many disparate angles, like language, religion, and justice, she reveals just how wide the concept of debt becomes.
Documentarian Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes) takes this concept and, in her own unique way, adapted these lectures into Payback, an interesting if not altogether successful film that tells four real life stories, none of which exist in the original work, that shed light on Atwood's brad concept of debt. An Albania blood feud; the plight of Florida tomato farm workers; the BP oil spill; and the penal system, explored through convicted Canadian publisher Conrad Black and a career small time crook. There doesn't appear, at first, to be much connection between the stories but, taken together, they cleanly show that at the center of all of them is the concept of owing somebody or something.
In her short essay in the accompanying booklet, Baichwal begins, "I feel like I am trying to do two things in varying degrees: (1) Intelligently translate one medium into another and (2) Explore a question or problem that does not have an easy answer." There is no doubt, in all of her films, she accomplishes this task, but she rarely spells out the details. Like Act of God, which I loved but does feel a bit obtuse, there isn't an overriding narrative to tie things together. That may work for the lectures and the book, where each subject can exist separately, but a film needs something to bind it together and Payback has nothing like that.
Instead, and it's not a bad thing necessarily, the stories are woven together fairly loosely, and I think a portion of viewers will push against it. Baichwal delivers, as she understands and intends, no simple answer to the problem and we're left with impressions of four extremely interesting stories, none of which are given enough time to really tell their tales. It's good exposure, but not deep enough on any level; to really understand the problem that Baichwal describes, it becomes imperative to read Atwood's work, and while it's well made and interesting, the film ultimately fails because of it.
Zeitgeist Films delivers a typically good, if sparse, DVD release for Payback. The anamorphic image looks great, at least for a documentary, with nice clarity and strong colors. The interview footage is essentially perfect and the outdoor, more expansive, scenes are consistent, if not quite as solid. The two sound mixes are basically identical, with little separation between channels. The dialog is quite clear, though, and a hugely dynamic soundscape is unnecessary for a documentary, so I'm not complaining. For extras, we have an extended Q&A session with Baichwal and Atwood, which gets into more specific details, and a few deleted scenes, all of which add a little, but might have muddled the finished film.
Payback may not have the power of some of her earlier documentaries, but Baichwal delivers an astute and informative look at one of the defining aspects of our time. Because it doesn't offer an answer, though, there will be those who push against it, but for those willing to make the connections, there is a lot of food for thought in the film.
Not guilty.
Review content copyright © 2012 Daryl Loomis; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2016 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 88
Perp Profile
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
* English (SDH)
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Release Year: 2011
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Deleted Scenes
* Interview
* Trailer
* IMDb
* Official Site


text:
Tree Surgeons
If you are thinking of carrying out work to a tree you may wish to use a qualified tree surgeon who will be able to advise you on how best to carry out the work needed. This will help to minimise extra costs, inconvenience and prevent further damage or problems with the tree.
The Arboricultural Association Tree Surgeons (Contractors)
The companies listed on the Arboricultural Association website have been approved by the Council of the Association as complying with, and practising to, the standard required by the Association.
The Arboricultural Association expects very high standards, which restrict the number of successful applicants. Because of the irrevocable nature of all operations concerning tree care these standards are carefully maintained by inspection of the recommended Contractors.
The Arboricultural Association Approved Contractors
Birmingham City Council cannot undertake the work itself, nor can it make any contribution towards the cost of such work, nor does it guarantee or in any way hold itself responsible for the work carried out. We advise you to obtain at least three quotations and to tell the contractors you approach that you will obtain more than one quote.
You should check that both you and any Tree Surgeon you select are adequately insured.
Last Updated :10th March 2014

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Final Fantasy Anniversary sale 50% off PS3/PSP/VITA starting for $4.99
Some items are playable on all 3 systems with just one purchase. Others are on just available on 2 systems with just one purchase.
So make sure it is compatible with your system before buying.
Final Fantasy Origins $4.99
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Edition $9.99
Final Fantasy V $4.99
Final Fantasy VI $4.99
Final Fantasy VII $4.99
Final Fantasy VIII $4.99
Final Fantasy IX $4.99
Final Fantasy Tactics $4.99
Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions $4.99
Final Fantasy Dissidia $9.99
Final Fantasy Dissidia Prologus $1.49
Final Fantasy Dissidia 012[duodecim] $9.99
22 Comments add a comment
OMG! Looks like my wallet will be busy on this sale..
When does it end?
Thanks for posting!
@joshobra: I believe it ends on the 11th or the 12th. My wallet also took a beating. I wish they had III and Crisis Core in this so I could complete the collection.
These prices really are amazing. This also means that now I don't have to run the risk of scratching my original discs when I want to play them!
@joshobra: It supposedly ends in 2 weeks so probably on the 20th of February. That is according to the Playstation website.
Wow, I'm as excited for this as that Steam/Origin sale!
@joshobra: I wish it was PC format and available on Steam
Opposite for me.. lol. My Macbook can't game on that at all. :(
Legitimately, FF7 for PC is at $5.99 on the square enix store right now.
@joshobra: One game and SO MUCH DRM!
Picked up FF 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and Tactics and paid just shy of $45. Don't feel that's terribly unreasonable for a stack of really great RPGs and an eternal rainy afternoon worth of nostalgia.
Edited to add: If you've got Playstation Plus, FF Tactics: War of the Lions may still be available to you free.
I wonder how big of a memory card I will need for my Vita. I only have an 8GB right now.....
@cranemachine: I don't know about the rest of them but VII, VIII, IX are between 1GB and 2GB each.
With the PS4 coming out possibly later this year, does anyone think these titles will be compatible with that when it gets released?
FF 3 is available, its just not in the sale and can only be bought on the PSP/Vita, and the thing is freakin $20
$4.99 for Final Fantasy VI (FFIII when it was released on SNES) is a steal for among the greatest games of all time. And while I hesitate to call it the greatest game ever made, I will go out on a limb and call Nobuo Oematsu's score the greatest game music of all time. It is probably the first game to fully embrace the Wagnerian concept of "leitmotif"—that is, a certain musical theme or cue indicating certain characters or events—and ran the gamut of genres and styles. In turn epic (Terra's theme), melodic (Celes's theme), mournful (coin song), beautiful (Gau's theme), peaceful (Kids Run Through The City), experimental (Dancing Mad), military (Troops March On), and playful (Spinach Rag, Johnny C. Bad), the score was as cinematic and timeless as ever a game attempted.
Also, a little trivia: when FFVI came out back in 1994, they charged $80 for it (and worth every penny; taking about 80 hours to complete, that's $1/hr). Adjusted for inflation, that's about $120 today!
@levi4884: They haven't released any information on it yet so anything you hear is just rumors. Maybe when they announce the thing on February 20th we will find out. Hopefully it will but seeing as how Sony tends to take features away from us (Backwards compatability, Linux) I doubt it will.
@mmistalski: Sorry, that is what I meant. I wish that it was in this sale. I would pay $10 for it but $20 seems kind of steep. I just don't know why it wasn't included in this sale.
@levi4884: While Sony will likely not offer backwards compatibility for PS3 titles on their next system, I suspect you'll be able to play any of these legacy titles on the PS4 assuming they can be played on the PS3 now. It's just guesswork on my part, though.
@levi4884: Nintendo's policy is Wii games aren't cross-compatible to Wii-U, but repurchasable at a steeply discounted rate. Who knows what Sony will do.
@jcbaggee: I think Tactics was available for Plus members up until last week. I know I downloaded it when it was on there but it isn't showing up in the list anymore. I wish these would have had a even bigger discount for Plus members.
@jeffisclassic: It is rumored that Sony will use an AMD CPU in the PS4. If true, that would mean a different processor architecture making backward compatibility with any prior PS console, including PSN games, only possible using emulation. The launch PS3 could play PS2 games because it had PS2 hardware in it. When they did a hardware refresh they removed the PS2 hardware (to reduce cost). They might do the same with the PS4.
@dupedyetagain: I agree completely! FFIV/3 is one of the best musically and playability. did you ever find yourself singing along to the opera? I think I still know the words desite only looking at the book the first time.
@hiddenmanna: Haha, I don't think I sang the words, but I still find myself humming the melody now and then. When I was a kid, I would run back and forth from the TV to the piano to try to replicate the songs. To this day, I still can play what my 9-year-old self transcribed of Terra's Theme.


text:
Matthew Shanline won the 8/9 boys with 14/25. Tayt Meyers was second with 12/25. Brooklyn Humble won the 8/9 girls division sinking 10/25. 11/12 boys and girls compete at SW Monday. All winners advance to the County Hoop Shoot to be held Jan. 5th at Skyline, 10 a.m
Location, ST | website.com


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Book your room at Atlantis Beach Tower, Autograph Collection
Get an overview of this hotelCasual tower near beach at Atlantis, Paradise Island
Miles of sand
Part of the water-park and marine-life Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, which connects by bridge to Nassau, this 423-room tower at the tranquil east end of the resort lies close to 3 miles of beach.
Day/night family fun
The Atlantis include more than 20 swimming areas, water slides, a saltwater sports lagoon, a health spa, a 24-hour casino, multiple restaurants/bars, a children's club (surcharge), and 140 acres of waterscape.
Full balconies
Tropical-decor guestrooms contain two-chair dining sets, shower/tub combinations, televisions with U.S. cable channels and pay movies, free WiFi, and include full balconies with chairs and cocktail tables.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
Atlantis Beach Tower, Autograph CollectionOne Casino Drive Paradise Island New Providence
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Fourteen exhibit lagoons are on site (lighted at night) covering 140 acres with 50,000 fish and sea creatures (200 species). Dolphin Cay contains nearly seven million gallons of sea water within three lagoons surrounded by a white sand beach.
In Coral Towers, a two-story library offers computers that provide 15 minutes of complimentary Internet access, daily. Free WiFi is available, as well as a shuttle between all resort towers.
The following amenities are available (surcharges may apply): Full-service health spa with treatments for men, women, and couples, sauna, health club, limo or town car services, hair salon and beauty services, dry cleaning service, arcade/game room, babysitting, supervised childcare/activities, and guest parking.
Ground transportation:
Shuttle vans and private cars of varying prices are available. They can be reserved during the process of booking a reservation for this hotel, via this Web site, and added to the total trip cost.
- 24-hour front desk
- Airport transportation
- Arcade/game room
- ATM/banking
- Babysitting or childcare
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Bar/lounge
- Beach sun loungers
- Beach towels
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Business center
- Casino
- Children's club
- Children's club (surcharge)
- Children's pool
- Coffee shop or café
- Concierge services
- Conference center
- Conference space
- Conference space size (feet) - 200000
- Conference space size (meters) - 18580
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-out
- Fitness facilities
- Free WiFi
- Full-service spa
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Hair salon
- Lazy river
- Library
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Marina on site
- Meeting rooms 37
- Multilingual staff
- Nightclub
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Number of floors - 9
- Number of meeting rooms - 37
- Number of outdoor pools - 11
- Number of restaurants - 20
- On private beach
- Outdoor tennis courts - 6
- Pool sun loungers
- Poolside bar
- Porter/bellhop
- Sauna
- Shopping on site
- Smoke-free property
- Spa services on site
- Spa tub
- Supervised childcare/activities
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Total number of rooms - 423
- Valet parking (surcharge)
- Free water park access
- Waterslide
- Wedding services
Family Friendly Amenities
- Arcade/game room
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Children's pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- Lazy river
- Outdoor pools
- On private beach
- Outdoor tennis courts
- Water park access (complimentary)
- Waterslide
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Valet parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Cable TV service
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free toiletries
- Daily housekeeping
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- Hair dryer
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- In-room safe
- Iron/ironing board
- Pay movies
- Phone
- Premium TV channels
- Private bathroom
- Room service (24 hours)
- Shower/tub combination
- Turndown service
Where to Eat
Please note: Children age 6 and older are welcome at Casa D'Angelo and Café Martinique.
Dinner reservations are required for Café Martinique, Bahamian Club, Casa D'Angelo, and Chop Stix; reservations are required at Carmine's only if a party includes 6 or more persons. To avoid the $50.00 per person "no show" fee, reservations must be cancelled at least 24 hours prior to actual dining time.
High chairs and booster seats are not available at Casa D'Angelo or Café Martinique.
The following restaurants are located in Beach Tower:
Plato's - Just off the Royal Towers lobby, this patisserie offers quick bites for breakfast, dinner or a late night snack. Sports events are shown in flat-screen TVs or unwind with live nightly entertainment.
The Cave Bar and Grill - Open-air lunch spot featuring underwater views of marine life. Burgers, hot dogs, salads, ice cream.
The Cave Bar and Grill - Open-air lunch spot featuring underwater views of marine life. Burgers, hot dogs, salads, ice cream.
Voyagers - Coffee drinks, bagels, pastries, panini sandwiches, and fruit mid-day. Cocktails day and evening.
Notable restaurants elsewhere in the resort:
Poseidon's Table - Offers a breakfast buffet, as well as international dinner specialties including sushi and freshly carved meat.
Nobu - In Atlantis Casino. Outpost of acclaimed Nobu Restaurant. Japanese cuisine served. Menu includes new-style sashimi and yellowtail with jalapeno. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Bimini Road - In Marina Village. Caribbean fare served. Outdoor bar. Grand open kitchen with conch station (Bahamian conch prepared to order). Menu selections include tamarind-glazed pork chop, grilled mahi mahi, and mojo-marinated chicken. Pineapple bread pudding, tropical sorbets, cookie-bash pie. Live entertainment; tropical libations. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Atlas Bar & Grill - Located in casino overlooking marina with indoor/outdoor seating. Sports, news, movies on TVs. Lunch/dinner choices such as ribs, pasta, burgers, sandwiches.
Lagoon Bar & Grill - Open-air lunch spot located next to saltwater lagoon. Roof shaped like giant seashell. Sandwiches, salads, pizza, light meals, and tropical drinks.
Shark Bites - Open-air lunch spot across lagoon from Lagoon Bar & Grill. Live Bahamian music. Lighter fare including sandwiches, salads, steak, seafood. Takeout counter.
Starbucks - In Marina village. Coffee drinks served.
Olives - Renowned chef Todd English features his signature open kitchen and Mediterranean cuisine.
Carmines - Located in Marina Village. Offers dining experience of famous New York landmark restaurant. Family-style dining. Classic Italian recipes include Chicken Scarpariello, Shrimp Scampi, Fried Calimari, and Veal Saltimbocca. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Seafire Steakhouse - Located in Marina Village. Modern steakhouse atmosphere. Menu includes classic shrimp cocktails; Pressed Coriander Crusted Beef Carpaccio; Lemon-pepper Tuna, Sweet Bahamian Lobster Tail, and fine cuts of prime beef. Signature martinis; fine wines. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Casa d'Angelo - In Coral Tower. Fine-dining dinner restaurant. Northern Italian cuisine. Frescoed ceiling. Etched glass. Marble bar. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Chopstix - Intimate fine-dining dinner restaurant with dark-wood ceiling, banquettes. Chinese cuisine such as five-spice duck, lobster tail, Singapore noodles. Reservations required during peak dining hours.
Bahamian Club - In Coral Tower. Steakhouse. Green walls, green ceilings, dark-wood trim. Sepia Bahamian family photos on walls. Steaks, prime rib, lamb, salmon. Dinner only. Reservation required.
Murray's Delicatessen - Traditional New York/Miami deli featuring 1950s Art Deco decor. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Takeout counter. Located on marina waterfront.
The Village Burger Shack - Located in Marina Village, it offers guests a casual, family-friendly dining experience with indoor and alfresco dining. The menu features a selection of gourmet burgers, fresh fish, vegetarian dishes, salads, an extensive list of sides, and unique shake combinations and beverage selections.
Marine Habitat - Fourteen exhibit lagoons (lighted at night) covering 140 acres with 50,000 fish and sea creatures (200 species). Special exhibits for turtles, seahorses, jellyfish, lobsters, crabs, lionfish, piranhas, moray eels. Children's touch-tank filled with sealife.
Atlantis Casino - Open 24 hours. 60,000-square-foot space displaying four large Dale Chihuly glass sculptures. 1,000 slot and video-poker machines and 100 casino tables, including baccarat, roulette, craps, blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, three-card poker, Let It Ride. Race-and-sports book. High-limit area.
Dragons Nightclub - Adjacent to casino. Black-granite bar, video wall, immense sculptures of dragon pairs.
Atlantis Theater - Located in Convention Center Rotunda. Recent Hollywood hit movies featured.
Atlantis Kids Camp - Supervised sessions (fee) offered half-day, full-day, and in the evening for children ages 4-12. Beach olympics, daily themes, and outdoor activities. Science lab housing snakes, fish, sharks' jawbones, microscopes for analyzing discoveries during field trips, and telescopes for stargazing. Educational computer programs. Website-creation lessons. Digital cameras for field trips.
Aura NightClub - This 9,000-square-foot Jeffrey Beers-designed nightclub is operated by PURE Management Group. Aura is raised off the casino floor, accessed by a staircase. The nightclub features DJs spinning, a glass dance floor surrounded by banquette seating, 2 bars, 2 VIP sections, and a private VIP parlor. Dress code: Upscale casual attire. Guests must be 18 or older with valid ID.
The Dig - Visit a fanciful interpretation of mythical lost continent of Atlantis within a maze of corridors and rooms. Also viewable from within The Dig or the lower level of the Great Hall of Waters, the Ruins Lagoon is filled with ancient Atlantis artifacts and home to over 20,000 deep-reef and pelagic fish. These open-water fish include a variety of tuna, jacks, snappers, and spiny lobster. The 2.7 million gallon exhibits allow for the display of certain species of fish that are usually impossible or very difficult to view without getting wet.
Earth & Pottery Studio - Paint and fire your own pottery creations (surcharges).
Jokers Wild Comedy Club - Stand-up comedians keep attandants laughing (Cover charge; minimum age 17).
Nearby Things to Do
Atlantis recreational facilities feature:
More than 20 swimming areas, including family pools, children's pools, Goombay Water Slide & Baths, and lazy river for tube rides.
Paradise Lagoon, a 7-acre saltwater swimming and water-sports area with snorkeling gear, kayaks, and pedal boats available for rent.
Three miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches flanking the entrance to Paradise Lagoon.
Five waterslides built into a 6-story Mayan Temple include The Leap of Faith, a 60-foot, nearly vertical plunge through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon; a 48-foot corkscrew slide transporting tube riders through the Temple's dark core; and shorter, gentler children's slides connecting cascading pools.
Sports center with 6 lighted clay and hard-surface tennis courts (surcharges); 27-yard, 4-lane lap pool; fitness facility (surcharges) with free weights, cardio and weight machines, steam rooms, and workout studio for aerobics, spinning, kickboxing, yoga, and Pilates (surcharges).
Dolphin Cay Atlantis, a 14-acre dolphin habitat, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Guests can share in the dolphins' playful shallow water antics or experience their speed and agility first-hand in the deeper waters.
Aquaventure, a 63-acre waterscape, contains over 20 million gallons of water and features water slides, a mile-long river ride with rapids and wave surges, and special effects. Guests in inner tubes are propelled along by water escalators, waves, and water surges. Unlike traditional water slides that require the participant to leave the water and climb back to the start, Aquaventure guests never have to leave the water, as they are propelled back up the slide tower via water conveyors.
Also available, the private Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole championship Ocean Club Golf Course 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the resort at the east end of Paradise Island. Complimentary shuttle service to the course is available.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the resort; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Kayaking nearby
- Sailing nearby
- Scuba diving nearby
- Water skiing nearby
- Windsurfing nearby
- Scooter/moped rentals nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Golf lessons available nearby
- Fitness classes on site
- Basketball on site
- Pilates classes on site
- Snorkeling on site
- Tennis lessons on site
- Volleyball on site
- Yoga classes/instruction on site
Spa Services
Mandara Spa Atlantis brings together ancient Balinese healing touches, traditional European therapies, and natural elements indigenous to The Bahamas. Taking of the Waters offers warm and cold plunge pools, as well as steam and sauna rooms in both the women's and men's private lounge areas. Additionally, couples can enjoy the couple's spa suite. The women's area includes a relaxing aromatherapy room; men can indulge in "Time for Men" barber services or watch the flat-panel TV in their lounge room.
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body wraps
- Body scrubs
- Sauna in spa
- Massages
- Body treatments
- Facial treatments
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
- Pets not allowed (service dogs only)
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Only service dogs are allowed
No rollaway/extra beds available
No cribs (infant beds) available
- Resort fee
- Fitness center access
- Internet access
- Phone calls
- In-room coffee
- In-room bottled water
- Additional inclusions
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: between USD 10 and USD 30 per person (approximately)
- Valet parking fee: USD 16 per day
Hotel Name
- Atlantis Beach
- Atlantis Beach Tower
- Atlantis Beach Tower Hotel
- Atlantis Beach Tower Hotel Paradise Island
- Atlantis Beach Tower Paradise Island
- Atlantis Tower
- Beach Atlantis
- Beach Tower
- Beach Tower Atlantis
- Atlantis Beach Tower Autograph Collection Hotel Paradise Island
- Atlantis Beach Tower Autograph Collection Hotel
- Atlantis Beach Tower Autograph Collection Paradise Island
- Atlantis Beach Tower Autograph Collection
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport. Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the resort prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. A resort fee is included in the total price displayed. Up to 2 children 11 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


text:
Rx Workshop: Event Processing
- Posted: Jun 29, 2011 at 8:45AM
- 65,165 views
- 13 comments
Loading user information from Channel 9
Something went wrong getting user information from Channel 9
Loading user information from MSDN
Something went wrong getting user information from MSDN
Loading Visual Studio Achievements
Something went wrong getting the Visual Studio Achievements
Right click "Save as…"
Learn how to use LINQ operators to filter, aggregate, and group data in observable sequences to produce desired results.
Oops, something didn't work.
This should be a great series. Finally a reason I can push more people at work to learn Linq.
I attended SoCal Code Camp in San Diego last weekend. There was a session on real world Rx and Rx Koans. This gave me a great start on Rx. The Koans looks like a great way to help learn Rx. just wanted everyone to know about this codeplex project. The idea of using koans come from the Ruby community and are an effective way to learn.
"Koans - Zen Buddhist riddle: a Zen Buddhist riddle used to focus the mind during meditation and to develop intuitive thinking"
This is the second video (after the introduction video) of the series, right? but I get the feeling that you're talking about things that I haven't seen in the first video (like when you said "if you did the last challenge you'll know where did that 'stock ticks' come from".) Maybe there's a problem with the ordering of the episodes.
Thanks for the great series anyway
@AbdouMoumen: This is actually the 3rd part.
@Charles:OK, thanks. The ordering of the videos in the series' page is a little confusing what's even more confusing is that near the end of the video, when opening the solution for the challenge, the folder says "Challenge 5: Complex Event Processing"
@AbdouMoumen: Yeah, we messed this up It's the right challenge, though. I'll circle back with Wes and Bart to ensure we have this all right...
@Charles:OK, I've already downloaded the whole series though, so, I'll try to figure it out
@AbdouMoumen: This is actually the 3rd part.
I went through all the videos, and it this one appears to be the last one. So skip to the 3rd one in the list of videos, and come back to this one at the end.
I just noticed that the Challenge files have the correct numbers (so this is actually the 5th episode) stick to them and you'll be fine
By the way, aren't there two more episodes? ( "Reactive Coincidence" and "Programming the Cloud")
I think I got it!
Great video, where can I download the code (Chanlleng)
All links to the challenges are giving 404 error. Could someone fix it please?
This, I believe, the answer for same task, but taking non-stocking days into account.
return from window in
(from quote in quotes
group quote by quote.Symbol
into company
from window in company.Buffer(2, 1)
from stock in this.WithNonStockingDays(window)
where stock.Symbol == "MSFT"
select stock).Buffer(5, 4)
select new {
AverageHigh = window.Average(q => q.High),
AverageLow = window.Average(q => q.Low)
private IEnumerable<StockQuote> WithNonStockingDays(IList<StockQuote> window) {
var left = window.First();
var right = window.Last();
yield return left;
while (right.Date - left.Date > TimeSpan.FromDays(1)) {
left = new StockQuote {
Close = left.Close,
Date = left.Date.AddDays(1),
High = left.High,
Low = left.Low,
Open = left.Open,
Symbol = left.Symbol,
Volume = left.Volume
yield return left;
yield return right;
But how do I insert code snippets?
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


text:
Is there some database with official information about medical centers, schools, POI's and their geo coordinates for all countries in the world? It doesn't have to be free, but I need the GEO coordinates as well, because I need to connect them to my products!
I think your best chance is OpenStreetMap, e.g.
For a list of options for the amenity tag, check http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Category:En:Key:amenity
I don't know what commercial POI databases are out there, but I doubt that one would cover all countries and topics you're looking for world-wide.
"Points of interest" is a very subjective thing, it depends on the domain of your interest. Also, I doubt you'll find anything "official".
The closest thing would be OpenStreetMap, but you should be aware of certain things:
August 1, 2011 blog posting:
"SimpleGeo's CC0 Places data set is now available for download at no cost. If you'd like to get your hands on 21M+ POIs that cover 63 countries, we're ready to hand that over to you in one file. The file is about 2GB in .ZIP format, and remember, with the CC0 license, this data becomes yours – free and clear – to do whatever you want. We hope you do awesome things with it!"
The very easy way to get this is with the Mapquest XAPI API: http://developer.mapquest.com/web/products/open/xapi You supply a query, a bounding box, and get back very simple XML. Tags look like:
Learn more on the OpenStreetMap Wiki. Or seek out CloudMade where you can click and drag to make a custom map, then click to select which points of interest (e.g. schools, hospitals) you'd like shown also.


text:
MARZULLO, Rebecca "Becky," 53, of Weirton, died Saturday, November 3, 2012.
Born July 10, 1959, in Chicago, IL, the daughter of the late Thomas and Mary (Planting) Johnson.
Besides her parents, her husband, Anthony Marzullo and a brother, Jeffrey England preceded her in death.
Surviving are two daughters, Michele Jeffreys and Mariane Marzullo, both of Weirton; two sons, Anthony Marzullo and Adam Marzullo, both of Weirton; four grandchildren; a brother, Michael Bartkus of South Carolina and two sisters, Dianne Lockhart and Mary Cole both of Indiana and five grandchildren, Austin, Adam Jr., Shane, Adrianna and Vanessa.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 11, 2012, at 2 p.m. at the Nixon Funeral Home in New Cumberland, WV.


text:
New to Friday Night Fights? It's easy to get involved!
Each week, a bunch of us Dtoiders get together to play video games online! It's a 100% community-run event, so feel free to join in or even host something yourself!
The planning for FNF starts here in the forums, where community members volunteer to host matches and post their pertinent details (game, time, Gamertag, etc.). Then, every Friday, reminder posts go up in the cblogs followed by a recap post on the front page for last-minute planning.
To join in, simply send a friend request to the match host! (Don't forget to say you're from Dtoid!) If you'd rather host something yourself, just post your details below in the following format:
Game Name
Host: Dtoid Username
Gamertag: Xbox Live Gamertag
Time: Time and Time Zone
We hope to see you online!
Here's this week's schedule...
Game: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Host: GarethxxGod
Gamertag: Garethxxgod
Time: 5 Pacific | 8 Eastern
Game: Super Street Fighter IV (Arcade Edition Optional)
Host: SuperMonk4Ever
Gamertag: SuperMonk4Ever
Time: 7 Pacific | 10 Eastern
Game: Battlefield 3 (Aftermath Maps)
Host: Scield
Gamertag: Scield
Time: 7:30 Pacific | 10:30 Eastern (Maybe a little earlier. Depends on when I get home from work but 10:30 should be good.)
Game: Gears of War 3
Host: Epic KxDtoid
Gamertag: Epic KxLive
Time: 11 Pacific | 2 AM Eastern


text:
I have a backpack with rip-stop material that is quite beaten up from scrambling over granite boulders. What are some good materials for patching the holes, what kind of thread should I use, and how should I sew the patches to the holes? I am looking for solutions that make the patched areas at least as sturdy as the rest of the pack, if not more sturdy. I have come across some pretty general tutorials online for how to patch backpacks, but I am more interested in tried and true methods from avid outdoorsmen/women.
I believe that the best material is the same as you backpack is made of, though you may want something tougher if you are planning more scrambling over granite boulders.
There is a plenty of Cordura varieties which will meet your requirements. Make sure to choose waterproof Cordura (with a waterproof glistening film on one side, which will be the inner side of your patch).
Keep in mind, that when it comes to applying force (not friction), the least sturdy part counts, so technically you can't make it more sturdy than original material. To make it equally strong as it was before, you should
The patch should obviously be bigger than the hole and maybe you'll want to overstitch the edges of both the hole and the patch to prevent them from raveling out.
Oh, and please use a thimble to push the needle and prepare some pliers to pull it out, if you are sewing manually: cordura is really hard.


text:
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Unscheduled Hiatus
As you have probably noticed, there was an unscheduled hiatus in my posting here. I was pretty ill, so my research had to be put on hold for the moment. I am feeling better now, even though my health isn't where it's supposed to be yet. However, I am taking a holiday first, to the beautiful city Rome. Regular posting will begin again next week when I'll be back!
6 comments:
Have a wonderful time in Rome! I hope your health continues to improve. Relax, and take care of yourself.ReplyDelete
Sorry to hear you have been ill; I just assumed that it was "summer doldrums"! Have a great time in Rome!ReplyDelete
Sorry to hear of your illness, but thrilled about the Rome trip! Have a great time and we'll see you when you get back.ReplyDelete
Have a great time in Rome and I hope your health continues to improve.ReplyDelete
Sounds like Rome is just what the doctor ordered. Feel better, and enjoy your time away.ReplyDelete
Thank you all for your comments. I greatly enjoyed my time in Rome, even though my body is not so happy with me now. Ah well, my tan got better, so I got something out of it anyway!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
YES! Bandits are going to destroy the next league, Sunderland really got their hands full with two idiots.
YES! Bandits are going to destroy the next league, Sunderland really got their hands full with two idiots.
Pretty much as I predicted...though I expected a bit more movement in the spring transfer window. Looks like Hay was the only Bandit to leave...and Anderson (DC) didn't keep the starlett DCs out of the team that often...how many appearances did he end up with?
Next season...Bandits to run away with the title again, Sherriffs close on their heels. I think the Sherriffs will get their revenge in the first matchup between the two...but the Bandits will sweep the rest of the heads-up matches!
Hope to see some transfer activity...see how the managers handle incoming talent...and maybe some decent youths will show up through their academies!
Man I really hope the Idiots CA will rise this time around. Elsewise i hope that when all the starlets have left the Bandits we Sheriffs will crush them with our superior transfer system skills. One can hope right?
Yeah! We have cruised the league as expected. Strike force is way over the scope of the level we are at so I am guessing another roller coasting this season. Let's keep the win streak over Sheriffs and I'll be more than happy!
Fantastic updates Kip.
ONly thing I'd mention is that the screenshots seem quite small? Any way you can make them bigger going forward, or is it just me?
Also, do all the starlets have 20 for aggression? That seems quite odd. Finally, you've classed Newcastle as underachieving in the league roundup, but they finished 7th. Seems like a pretty good season for them.
But yeah, great season for The Bandits. My prediction that The Sherrifs would fair slightly better in the first season was clearly incorrect. And poor Sunderland, my real life favourite club. Having 2 idiots really didn't do them any favours. I'm hoping they bounce straight back up.
Can't wait for the transfer window roundup now to see who goes where. Will The Bandits have any starlets left next year?
Great update, really enjoyed reading that with my morning coffee
Brilliant stuff.
I must say, I'm really hooked to this, having followed all three editions. Great job kip.
Brilliant update! I am honestly surprised at the number of players with caps though. Though they are clearly talented, with such low reputations in such low leagues, how is it that they have been noticed by their international teams but not by larger teams within the country? Even from a League 1 or 2 side? I did notice in the screen shots however that a fair few players are now wanted by other clubs.
It will be interesting to see how many of those hang around and how many depart for pastures new.
Looking forward to the next update already!
Surprised about Scotland. I assume they were without their captain darren fletcher as well. Impressive.
With regards to the images, you can use Steam's screenshot service to take screenshots. By default the key is F12 - these can then be accessed using the Steam menu (View > Screenshots). You can then upload them onto the Steam Cloud. To get the image link view the image in your online library and click on View full size - you then get the URL for the picture by right clicking and selecting Copy Page URL. Insert this link into IMG tags and you have the picture (it's a good service, not sure why people don't use it, maybe they just don't know about it.)
Made my day to see you started this again Kip!
Will be interesting to see if the Bandits' inevitable success keeps their crap manager in the job, or if their smart chairman will upgrade ASAP. Also keen to see how the starlets nationality affects where they move to.
Only started reading this now but its a great experiment, at some stage I will have to go back and read the last two.
My predictions are as follows:
I did think the Bandits were going to pip the sheriffs in the league, but I didn't expect the sheriffs to drop the points they did.
Future predictions are controversial but I'll put them out there:
1. Sheriffs will shift quite a few faces in the transfer window and sign a few gems.
2. Bandits wont spend money, maybe buy one or two but keep the core of their team.
3. Sheriffs will buy their way up through the leagues and Bandits will use their talent as long as they can keep them.
4. Ultimately I think the Bandits might beat the sheriffs to league titles in the lower leagues but once they hit the football league I think the Sheriffs might pull ahead due to their ruthless attitude and pressure from the fans.
I am interested to see how long the starlets stay at the club though but I think the sheriffs sloths will dissolve sooner rather than later and will be replaced with players that will have a much better attitude and ultimately lead them to more success.
European Championship 2012 - Preview
Hosts: Poland/Ukraine
Holders: Spain
Group A: Croatia, Greece, Scotland, Ukraine
Group B: Germany, Poland, Portugal, Sweden
Group C: Denmark, England, Holland, Slovakia
Group D: France, Italy, Slovenia, Spain
Scotland, now ranked 11th in the world, may fancy their chances of getting out of Group A, while co-hosts Poland have a tough challenge in Group B, with three difficult opponents. England's group could be worse, and they will look to accompany the Dutch into the knockout stages, but Group D is the painful one, where holders Spain face France and Italy as well as the unenviable Slovenia.
Notable absentees: Norway (16th in world), Russia (17th)
Highest ranked absentee: Norway (16th)
World stars
Ronaldo (Portugal)
Just the single world star in Ronaldo, with all the starlets too young and raw to feature.
The idiots also have high aggression, but crucially, their dirtiness stat is 20, and they have the PPMs of diving into tackles and arguing with referees. These three factors, combined with their sheer insanity, ensure that they spend a good few matches suspended.
European Championship 2012 – Report
Group A:
Co-hosts Ukraine got off to a poor start in Group A, losing 2-1 to Croatia, while Scotland's increased world ranking failed to help them as they went down 1-0 to Greece. A 2-0 defeat to Croatia days later put the Scots on the brink of elimination, while Ukraine were also struggling in their home tournament, drawing 1-1 with Greece.
With Croatia already assured of a place in the knockout rounds, they eased up, losing 1-0 to the Greeks and rendering the result of Ukraine-Scotland meaningless. The match finished 1-1, and Scotland ended the campaign rooted to the bottom.
Group B:
The tournament's other co-hosts, Poland, had the daunting task of facing Portugal in their opening game, and like Ukraine, they lost, going down 1-0 to a Ronaldo strike. Perhaps surprisingly, Germany and Sweden played out a 1-1 draw in the other game.
Any hopes that Poland would bounce back were quickly dashed, Sweden beating them 2-1, and another 1-1 draw for Germany, this time against Portugal, left them needing a victory to qualify. And a victory they got, beating Poland 1-0 to leave the co-hosts without a single point, while Portugal crushed Sweden 4-0 to top the group.
Group C:
Group C started with a crunch clash between Holland and England, and when Van Persie put the Dutch ahead early, it looked bad. But Lennon equalised, before Rooney slammed home the winner six minutes into Fergie, er, I mean added time. Denmark cruised to a 2-0 win over Slovakia in the other game.
England and Holland then made short work of their next opponents, England dispatching Slovakia 4-1 and Holland defeating Denmark 2-0 to make them strong favourites to qualify together. Even though Denmark held England to a goalless draw in the final game, they still won the group, with Holland finishing runners up after thumping hapless Slovakia 4-0.
Group D:
And so to the proverbial Group of Death. Any assumption that Slovenia would roll over were eradicated when they drew 0-0 with Italy, while Spain were opening the defence of their crown with a 2-1 win over France thanks to a Llorente goal two minutes from time.
France bounced back well days later to thump Slovenia 3-0 and put themselves back in contention, while Spain confirmed their qualification with a 2-1 win over Italy. As with Croatia in Group A though, Spain then slipped up, suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Slovenia, which meant France v Italy was a straight shootout for second place. Italy won it in style – 3-0, and France suffered the ignimony of finishing bottom.
France crash out, but otherwise it is a very strong quarter final lineup.
Quarter Finals: (group winners on the left):
1. Greece v Germany
2. Portugal v Croatia
3. England v Italy
4. Spain v Holland
Semi Finals:
5. Winner of 1 v Winner of 4
6. Winner of 2 v Winner of 3
7. Winner of 5 v Winner of 6
A couple of enormous clashes in there – England v Italy and Spain v Holland are mouthwatering. Predictions?
Hope Greece can do it like its 2004
Those are some pretty tasty quarter final matches.
Hopefully England can beat Italy and then get revenge on Portugal.
IRL England would lose to Italy on pens, but in FM I fancy them to sneak through to face Portugal. Greece to surprise Germany and Spain to beat the Dutch.
Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain are my predictions. Spain to win it all though.
European Championship 2012 – Quarter Final
Remaining starlets:
Remaining idiots
Remaining world stars
Ronaldo (Portugal)
Greece v Germany
Not an awful lot to say about this one – Germany cruised to a 2-0 win and were barely threatened by Greece, who came into the match as the team who had won their group. Germany will take some stopping.
Portugal v Croatia
Croatia played well for half an hour without ever really threatening, and when Portugal scored after 35 minutes the result looked inevitable. Danny added his second of the game with 17 minutes to go, and Ronaldo added the icing on the cake at the end.
England v Italy
Italy came flying out of the blocks and could have scored twice in the opening three minutes, before Rooney caught them with a sucker punch in the fourth. But Italy didn't waver, and Balotelli levelled six minutes later, and deservedly so.
But after 15 minutes, England were ahead again through Ferdinand, and despite constant pressure from Italy, they couldn't find a second equaliser, and England were through.
Spain v Holland
On paper, this was the tie of the round, with the World Cup Final of 2010 getting a second airing. Any hopes that the game would be less feisty were dashed when the first yellow card was handed out after five minutes. But then game settled down, before Huntelaar put the Dutch ahead on 66 minutes.
Then the game turned sour, with five more yellow cards before the dying moments of the game, when David Villa equalised for the holders. Into extra time, and Holland lost the plot, picking up another four yellows to rack up a total of eight in the game, and their mood was hardly helped when Negredo scored the winner for Spain five minutes from the shoot out.
Oh boi! England vs Portugal & Germany vs Spain in the semis! I sense some penalty shoot outs!
Rooney red card after "kicking" Ronaldo.
European Championship 2012 – Semi Final
Remaining starlets:
Remaining idiots
Remaining world stars
Ronaldo (Portugal)
Germany v Spain
After their quarter final thrill ride, Spain came into the first semi-final looking jaded, and Germany took full advantage, racing into a three goal lead before half time. Iniesta pulled one back after the break, but it wasn't to be enough, and the holders were out.
Portugal v England
With Portugal a bogey side for England, the first half was incredibly cagey, with neither keeper particularly tested. In the second half, disaster struck for England when Ferdinand put through his own net, and despite their best efforts, they couldn't equalise, and Portugal had once again dumped them out of a major tournament.
Portugal eliminating England? What a surprise hah. KUTGW Kip, I'm so glad this is back. And here's to hoping that Porugal get thrashed in the final! Haha.
Wow, Spain surprised me! This is proving to be an interesting tournament!
Got a feeling that the Germans will win this. Efficient vs Ronaldo. Could be close. England so close yet so far
Just out of curiosity is it the default Germany squad, or the fixed Germany squad?
European Championship 2012 – Final
Remaining starlets:
Remaining idiots
Remaining world stars
Ronaldo (Portugal)
Germany v Portugal
Germany went into the final as strong favourites, but their plans were thrown out of the window in the eighth minute when Kevin Fink was sent off for an awful two footed challenge. On the stroke of half time, Postiga made them pay, and with Portugal showing greater fitness in the second half, they scored the second in the 89th minute through Moutinho.
Portugal are the champions, and fittingly Ronaldo, their best player and the sole world star at the tournament, picked up the Best Player award.
Pfft, Winker Ronaldo.
</bitter Spurs fan>
European Championship ends, transfer windows opens, excitement heightens
Season report – 2012/13 – Summer Transfer Window
With a stunning 2011/12 season under their belts, the Bandits looked forward to their new life in the seventh tier of English football, or more specifically the Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division (oh the glamour). Joining them were the Sheriffs, who definitely came out second best last season but will be looking to make amends.
The first priority was to keep hold of their star players, but for the Bandits, the summer started badly in that regard. Highly rated youngster Stuart Cox (PA 176) was the first to go, Tranmere snapping him up for a paltry £18k, before Centre Back 1 was attracted to the European game, signing for Basle for £425k.
Right Back 1 made the switch to the Premiership, signing for Wigan for £950k, and the club's two best strikers were to follow, Striker 1 joining Sheff Utd to £575k and Striker 3 linking up with Wolves for a club record £1.3m.
And that wasn't it – Bristol City and Blackpool picked up Attacking Mid 1 and Centre Back 3 respectively, both for £850k, and finally Left Back 1 joined Norwich for £825k. In all, seven starlets left the club, leaving just four of the group who started with 100 CA, although all eleven of the backup starlets stuck around. Fifteen starlets are surely enough to succeed in the non-league game, but their strength in depth is certainly weaker than before. A shame to lose Cox too – he was a talent.
And what of the Sheriffs? With ambition and antagonism in their dressing room, it was widely predicted that they would lose more of their stars than the Bandits, but in reality this wasn't the case. The only idiot of the remaining six to leave with Driven Idiot GK, who flew to Italy to join Cesena. The Sheriffs' only other disappointment was losing young Thomas Holloway, whose 170 PA was something to be nurtured. He moved to Chesterfield for £24k.
So the Sheriffs are left with all four lazy idiots, plus Driven Idiot Str. They should be fine.
They certainly started well – after a series of big wins in pre-season against non-league opposition, they opened their campaign with 3-0 wins away at Brackley and Weston-super-Mare. These were quickly followed up by 6-1 and 6-0 wins over St. Albans and Basingstoke respectively, as they ended the transfer window with a perfect record.
As for the Bandits, they had the regional pre-season curtain raiser to play, as they faced the champions of the Southern Premier, the league the Bandits were now in, in a tie that I honestly don't understand the importance of. In any case, the Bandits raced to a 6-0 win to signal serious intent, made all the more impressive by the fact that Banbury, their opponents, had been promoted to the Blue Square North, one rung above them.
And they took that form into the league season, following up a 5-0 opening day win with a trio of 8-0 destructions, of Hemel Hempstead, Stourbridge and Barwell. This, of course, denied the Sheriffs top spot as August turned to September, the Bandits claiming that position on goal difference.
Here we go again.
Squad Analysis – Bandits (Sep 1 2012)
Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)
Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA (change)
Goalkeeper 1, 18, GK, 127-200 (+24)
Left Mid 1, 18, LM/LW, 125-200 (+20)
Defensive Mid 1, 18, DM/CM, 121-200 (+18)
Right Mid 1, 18, RM/RW, 120-200 (+19)
Centre Back 2, 18, SW/DC, 111-200 (+27)
Centre Back 4, 18, SW/DC, 110-200 (+28)
Defensive Mid 2, 18, DM/CM, 109-200 (+28)
Left Mid 2, 18, LM/LW, 109-200 – new entry in top 20
Striker 2, 18, ST, 108-200 – new entry in top 20
Striker 4, 18, ST, 107-200 – new entry in top 20
Attacking Mid 2, 18, CM/AM, 105-200 (+24)
Anderson, 29, DC, 105-115 (-6)
Right Back 2, 18, RB/RWB, 104-200 – new entry in top 20
Goalkeeper 2, 18, GK, 103-200 – new entry in top 20
Left Back 2, 18, LB/LWB, 101-200 (-3)
Right Mid 2, 18, RM/RW, 100-200 – new entry in top 20
Ramsey, 20, AM C, 81-162 – youth product
Cargill, 18, DC, 75-140 – youth product
Hemming, 17, GK, 74-139 – youth product
Williams, 18, DM, 71-141 – youth product
Players from last season's top 20 who have left the club:
Hay, 27, M RL, 112-115
Centre Back 1, 17, SW/DC, 105-200
Centre Back 3, 17, SW/DC, 105-200
Attacking Mid 1, 17, CM/AM, 104-200
Left Back 1, 17, LB/LWB, 104-200
Right Back 1, 17, RB/RWB, 104-200
Striker 1, 17, ST, 104-200
Striker 3, 17, ST, 104-200
Cox, 17, ML, 89-176
Hawkins, 17, M LC, 89-173
Yildirim, 24, AMC, 82-115
Players from last season's top 20 who have dropped out:
Notable others:
Not as strong as last year, in terms of depth, but some fantastic rises in ability from the committed starlets makes them far too good for this league.
CA of X or above (excluding starlets and idiots):
190 : 00, 00
180 : 00, 00
170 : 00, 00
160 : 00, 00
150 : 00, 00
140 : 00, 00
130 : 00, 00
120 : 00, 00
110 : 02, 00
100 : 02, 01
90 : 02, 01
80 : 06, 02
70 : 08, 05
60 : 11, 11
Quite telling stats – at the beginning of last season, the Bandits had six players (non starlets) with a CA of 80+, but this season, there are only two. Of course, the starlets should drag them along, but it is a concern for when they leave.
Squad Analysis – Sheriffs (Sep 1 2012)
Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)
Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA (change)
Lazy Idiot GK, 18, GK, 150-200 (-)
Lazy Idiot Def, 18, SW/DC/LB/LWB/RB/RWB, 150-200 (-)
Lazy Idiot Mid, 18, DM/MC/AM/LM/LW/RM/RW, 150-200 (-)
Lazy Idiot Str, 18, ST, 148-200 (-2)
Driven Idiot Str, 18, ST, 125-200 (-)
Hamilton, 28, AMC, 109-115 (+1)
Oakes, 16, DC/DM, 91-167 – youth product
Daley, 29, GK, 89-115 (-20)
Nelthorpe, 16, ST, 85-158 – youth product
Hajji, 17, D RLC, 84-156 (+9)
Horlock, 18, ST, 81-152 (+5)
Jones, 18, ST, 80-134 (+20)
Pickup, 17, DL, 73-128 – youth product
Whittaker, 18, ST, 69-135 (+13)
Seavill, 17, GK, 61-115 – youth product
Martin, 16, DC/DM, 59-129 – youth product
Tyler, 21, DL, 55-115 – new entry in top 20
Hopkins, 17, DC, 54-106 – youth product
Howard, 18, DC, 53-101 – youth product
Laws, 17, M RL, 51-112 – youth product
Players from last season's top 20 who have left the club:
Driven Idiot GK, 17, GK, 125-200
Driven Idiot Def, 17, SW/DC/LB/LWB/RB/RWB, 125-200
Driven Idiot Mid, 17, DM/MC/AM/LM/LW/RM/RW, 125-200
Zabek, 27, D LC, 103-115
Holloway, 16, AM LC, 87-170
Mogg, 16, DM, 70-146
Mansell, 17, M LC, 66-125
Casey, 22, AM LC, 63-109
Gape, 17, DR, 61-122
Players from last season's top 20 who have dropped out:
Notable others:
A squad driven as much by the youth academy as anything – they continue to have a decent squad and some of the kids are ready to play immediately.
CA of X or above (excluding starlets and idiots):
190 : 00, 00
180 : 00, 00
170 : 00, 00
160 : 00, 00
150 : 00, 00
140 : 00, 00
130 : 00, 00
120 : 00, 00
110 : 00, 00
100 : 03, 01
90 : 03, 02
80 : 04, 07
70 : 07, 08
60 : 11, 10
The Sheriffs have less cream at the top, with only one player (non-idiot) in the 100 CA bracket, but they have far more at 80+ than before.
Keep the updates coming and I might forgive you
Slightly disappointing transfer window with only players going out. Were there any news items for either club indicating they were trying to sign players?
Fantastic update! I'm quite shocked that so many starlets left but so little players from the Sheriffs.
Sign players when you need to - at the moment they probably don't. The only counter-argument is that if the Sheriffs signed some players, they might emerge from the shadow of the Bandits.
Top starlets leave as expected, I'm intrigued to see how the second wave get on.
The Sheriffs look pretty strong this season and I think they will be closer, but The Bandits will have too much for them and will win the league again.
Haha Striker 2 (Paraguay) will come to the fore now. Any idea who scored most of the goals so far. How is my striker doing
Both clubs have done a lot better than in the last experiment at keeping hold of their players. Should have enough in the tank to storm the next few divisions. Great stuff!
It's a shame that their squads are weaker this season, which means less chance for surprising FA cup runs. Can't wait till they reach league football.
Some nice progression on the CAs of the starletts...and nice additions via the youth academies too
Managing to keep players for as long as they have, they should make it to the conference divisions with a few starlets left. I expect those who left to achieve fame a lot quicker. Expect some more international call ups but less starting time at club level.
Cant wait for the next update!
Would that make the Idiot a Starliot? Or perhaps an Idilet?
or perhaps the negativity could work the other way and turn the starlet in to an idiot, especially as he is surrounded by a dressing room full off them at the Sheriffs... But that could be an interesting concept should it ever occur. *hints at another addition to any future experiments *
Pretty sure that if it happened it would be at a third team---if I recall correctly, the players all hate the opposing team, so unlikely they would ever sign for them. One of each ending up at some Premiership team in the next couple seasons is not beyond possibility however!
Didn't that happen in the first experiment? I think I remember an idiot and starlets playing for Chelsea...
Just read all this cracking read and am a Sheriffs suporter from the start ;]
They'll destroy the Bandits this season
Don't get me wrong but I find this tendency of becoming a fan of Sheriffs just like the teenagers these days loving Barca and disregarding Real. Both clubs have written history before, especially Real was something special during the original Galacticos era. So, don't get your hopes high on the Sheriffs being the next Barca
The Bandits are officially my second club. The Sheriffs are what I imagine it would be like if John Terry captained Spurs. Ugh.
It's been a very good read, but I'm worried that you have changed too many variables to find out much about the mechanics of the game.
I've tried (as in past experiments) to have reasons for each change. In this one:
- The starlets are designed to see how far extreme players with extreme loyalties can go.
- Their placement in the non league tests their loyalty.
- Their nationality tests how one player can make a difference to an otherwise struggling nation, both in the short and long term.
- The idiots test the effect of extreme ability with idiocy, on two different levels.
- Their placement alongside each other in the non league tests their ability to co-exists, and their superiority complexes.
- The Bandits are designed to see whether a financial superpower in the non league can rise up, particularly when their board members and manager are of average quality. Can financial muscle alone do it?
- The Sheriffs are designed with a similar purpose, but with impatience and fanaticism thrown in.
The report is designed to be very thorough, in that it examines each of these areas, to track the clubs, the players, their nations and the world as a whole in separate sections. As other stuff comes up, it is investigated. Some of the changes made to the database in this version were driven by findings from previous experiments.
Plus, it's fun
Kip changes a whole shedload of variables, and then everyone picks them apart to try to work out exactly what's happening by the scenes.
I guess he could change one variable at a time and make an analytical study of each variable's effects, but it wouldn't be half as fun.
I find that each iteration has actually expanded on the original allowing not just a lot of the original material to be analysed and compared to what it once was in FM07, but also following the new introductions and details to the game, such as the enhanced international experience or the ability to add or remove leagues (though no Bandits have fled to parts unknown where this is required yet). This can be seen in how large the reports and analysis has gotten since the first initial season.
All in all though, it is becoming more inspiring that this kind of dedication can carry on after so long, with such a big following, and enhance the experience of FM when we play it ourselves. I know that I now look at in game features and events with a different light now due to the many years I have followed Kip's experiments!
Some of the findings are enough to write a research paper on.
People moaning about variables......... Get a grip! Kip is the sole reason there's an experiment forum! He was a pioneer to this angle of playing the game
Season report – 2012/13 – August-December
With the first meeting of the season between the Bandits and the Sheriffs looming at the end of the month, both sides wanted to ensure their form was sky high as the transfer window closed. The Bandits certainly started well, an 8-0 victory in the league being followed by a 7-0 triumph over Harrogate Railway as their quest to get back in the FA Cup began. And their form would only improve, with another couple of thumping league victories – 10-0 and 6-0 – laying down a marker for their rivals.
The Sheriffs may not have been scoring quite as freely, but they were showing some excellent form of their own. A 6-0 win in the league was followed by a 7-1 triumph in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup at South Park. Beefcake. Two more league wins – 4-0 and 4-1, ensured that they only trailed the Bandits by goal difference ahead of 'welcoming' them to the River Styx.
Both sides were up for the clash, and they traded chances in the opening period, both keepers pulling off terrific saves before the Sheriffs struck the first blow, Magalhaes scoring seven minutes before half time. They held on until half time, and the Bandits trudged off the field with the unusual feeling of being behind.
It didn't last. Within seconds of the second period beginning, Striker 4 equalised, and when Striker 2 put the Bandits ahead after 59 minutes, the feeling of inevitability set in. But they regained their composure and the game evened out again, both sets of fans feeling that their team could come out on top. But as the Sheriffs pushed on for an equaliser, the Bandits struck on the break, Striker 2 adding his second with five minutes remaining to secure a 3-1 win.
As the final whistle blew, the Bandits celebrated their sixth straight win over their rivals, and a crucial three point lead over the side set to be their major challengers. The Sheriffs sank to their knees, knowing that this one could have been theirs.
Days later, their defence went missing in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup, conceding a couple of goals to Ossett Town, but anger and determination drove them on, Lazy Idiot Mid scoring a brace and 18 year old Rory Horlock adding four in an impressive 6-2 win. The Bandits had no such worries, hammering Met Police 7-0.
The Bandits opened October by scoring 11 for the first time, defeating Frome 11-1, before punishing Bedford twice in a week, 5-1 in the league and 6-0 in the third qualifying round for the FA Cup. Gloucester were then swept aside 7-0, before the unthinkable happened – they dropped the first league points in their history, drawing 1-1 at home to Maidenhead in a sloppy display. Angry, they destroyed Lowestoft 10-0 in the final qualifying round for the FA Cup to set up a home tie with Preston in the first round, and finished the month with a 7-0 win at Aylesbury in the opening round of the Red Insure Cup, which they were defending.
Meanwhile, the Sheriffs were flying, with five comfortable victories in October, along with a 3-0 win over Havant & Waterlooville in the third round of the FA Cup. Two more 5-1 victories followed in the league, before they squeaked out a narrow 1-0 win at Salisbury in the final FA Cup qualifying round, earning them a trip to Exeter. Like the Bandits, they also finished the month with a 7-0 away win in the Red Insure Cup, Leighton their victims.
So the Bandits had looked dead certs for the league, with a three point lead and a huge goal difference advantage over the Sheriffs, who knew even a win in the return match might not be enough. But with the Bandits surprisingly dropping points for the first time, the gap was a single point and the season was really on.
November opened with the Bandits regaining their previous imperious form, strolling to 7-0 and 4-0 wins in the league, the perfect build up to their FA Cup tie at home to League One strugglers Preston, a match that was chosen for TV. It was to be perhaps the greatest victory in the club's history, outshooting their illustrious opponents 23-0 and winning the game 6-0. An extraordinary performance.
The Sheriffs had also opened December with a pair of wins – 2-0 and 4-0 – before their tie away to League Two Exeter. Despite dominating the game, they came up against a brick wall in the Exeter goal, and the game seemed destined for a frustrating replay. But with seven minutes to go, Lazy Idiot Str popped up with the only goal of the match, and the Sheriffs were through.
They would complete the month with three more victories – 7-0 in the first round of the Dorset Cup, 3-0 in the league and 5-0 in the Red Insure Cup. It had been a spectacular month.
The Bandits were also flying, winning the equivalent games 8-0, 3-0 and 7-0, to prove that they were back in top form, even if their lead at the top of the table remained a single point.
December began with the second round of the FA Cup, with the Bandits at home to Grimsby and the Sheriffs hosting Bury. The Sheriffs went first, their match being moved to a Friday night for TV, and they got off to the perfect start, Lazy Idiot Str scoring after five minutes. But four minutes later, Bury equalised, and the Sheriffs, despite continuing to dominate, began to lose their rag, picking up a total of five yellow cards.
With the game drawing to a conclusion, the Sheriffs continued to press for a winner, but Bury hit them with the counterpunch, scoring just eight minutes from time to go through 2-1, massively against the run of play. After a sterling run last season, this campaign was over disappointingly early.
The Bandits, meanwhile, were having no such problems, and blew a stunned Grimsby away in the first half, racing to a 4-0 lead before the opposition lost the plot and had a man sent off. In the mood they were in, the Bandits weren't going to let their opposition get away lightly, and ran out stuffing them by an incredible scoreline of 9-0. Sure, this was a Grimsby side who had fallen to the Conference and were struggling in mid table, but it was still an extraordinary result.
The Bandits continued to steamroller opposition until Christmas, winning 9-0, 8-0 and 5-0 in the league and destroying Gillingham Town 9-0 in the quarter finals of the Dorset Cup, leaving them with a Christmas record of 16-1-0.
The Sheriffs, largely because of a lack of international call ups, would have played three more league games than their rivals by the time Christmas rolled around, but they won the five they had between the FA Cup defeat and the festive period, although Frome held out until the 82nd minute before losing 1-0 in the closest of the games. Their loss to the Bandits remained their only dropped points, and their record stood at 19-0-1.
The Bandits continued to put pressure on their rivals, claiming two wins from their final pair of games in 2012, winning 3-0 and 6-0 to finish the calendar year with 55 points from 19 games, two from perfection. But the Sheriffs continued to battle, beating Brackley 2-1 and Bashley 3-0 to finish the year with 63 points from 22 games.
So the Bandits are eight points behind their rivals with three games in hand, and a meeting still to come. Unless the Bandits drop more points, they Sheriffs may have to beat them to claim top spot, but they are battling away, refusing to give an inch, while perhaps hoping that the January transfer window might take a few starlets away.
With only one automatic promotion spot up for grabs, it was set to go the distance.
Sorry this has been a long way in the coming, by the way. I'm changing jobs at the moment but actually overlapping them so very very busy until the middle of next week. Then it all calms down and I do one hell of a lot less commuting. Happy days.
Mid season statistics - Bandits
Most appearances – 20+ starts
Left Back 2 – 27 + 2
Goalkeeper 1 – 27
Striker 2 – 26
Striker 4 – 25 + 3
Left Mid 1 – 25
Right Back 2 – 25
Right Mid 1 – 24 + 3
Centre Back 4 – 23 + 3
Defensive Mid 1 – 22
Centre Back 2 – 21 + 4
No room for anyone outside the starlets this year – in fact no non-starlet has started even ten fames for the Bandits this season.
Goals – 5+
Striker 2 – 59 (26 games)
Striker 4 – 38 (25 + 3 games)
Right Mid 1 – 23 (24 + 3 games)
Left Mid 1 – 20 (25 games)
Attacking Mid 2 – 10 (16 + 3 games)
Defensive Mid 2 – 10 (19 + 1 games)
Mason (ST) – 6 (9+ 7 games)
Centre Back 4 – 5 (23 + 3 games)
That isn't a typo – Striker 2 really does have 59 goals, at more than a rate of two per game. Wow.
Assists – 10+
Left Mid 1 – 27 (25 games)
Striker 2 – 26 (26 games)
Striker 4 – 23 (25 + 3 games)
Right Mid 1 – 23 (24 + 3 games)
Mason (ST) – 13 (9 + 7 games)
Defensive Mid 1 – 12 (22 games)
As if 59 goals wasn't enough, Striker 2 also has 26 assists. Mason is chipping in nicely for an occasional player.
Top Ratings, Min 10 starts, 8.00 Rating
Striker 2 – 9.13 (26 games)
Striker 4 – 8.88 (25 + 3 games)
Left Mid 1 - 8.81 (25 games)
Right Mid 1 – 8.60 (24 + 3 games)
Defensive Mid 1 – 8.44 (22 games)
Left Back 2 – 8.34 (27 + 2 games)
Right Back 2 – 8.34 (25 games)
Defensive Mid 2 – 8.32 (19 + 1 games)
Centre Back 4 – 8.32 (23 + 3 games)
Centre Back 2 – 8.24 (21 + 4)
Attacking Mid 2 – 8.23 (16 + 3 games)
Strikers and wingers, blowing the league apart.
Mid season statistics - Sheriffs
Most appearances – 20+ starts
Lazy Idiot GK – 30 + 1
Hamilton (AMC) – 28 + 1
Driven Idiot Str – 26 + 2
Pickup (DL) – 25 + 2
Lazy Idiot Mid – 25
McClean (ML) – 24
Tyler (DL) – 22 + 4
Lazy Idiot Def – 22
Martin (DM) – 20 + 3
Strange to see two left backs in there – at least one is being played out of position. Lazy Idiot Str only starts 18 games.
Goals – 5+
Driven Idiot Str – 31 (26 + 2 games)
Horlock (ST) – 24 (16 + 10 games)
Lazy Idiot Str – 11 (18 games)
Hamilton (AMC) – 8 (28 + 1 games)
McClean (ML) – 8 (24 games)
Lazy Idiot Mid – 6 (25 games)
Laws (ML) – 5 (10 + 5 games)
A great record from Driven Idiot Str, and a brilliant season so far from teenage striker Rory Horlock.
Assists – 10+
Lazy Idiot Mid – 21 (25 games)
Driven Idiot Str – 15 (26 + 2 games)
McClean (ML) – 12 (24 games)
Only three on the list this year, but all three can claim to be having excellent seasons.
Top Ratings, Min 10 starts, 8.00 Rating
The only player whose average rating is eight or above is centre back Mike Anderson, whose 8.04 rating has come from nine games. The best regular is actually Rory Horlock, the 18 year old striker with an average rating of 7.97, likely to have been harmed by ten substitute appearances. Behind him come Driven Idiot Str and James McClean, both with 7.95
Thrilling first half! Gutted to drop the first league points even though we are hammering Sheriffs regularly. Here's hoping a cup run, coupled with international call ups won't hamper us before hosting them. It should be a win to make it 7 in a row and two successive league crowns!
Great update yet again Kip. Has the FA Cup 3rd round draw been made or are you saving the Bandits next opponents from us deliberately?
Surely a couple more starlets will leave in January, coupled with an end of season fixture pile up, giving the Sheriffs a chance to nick the league title?
James McClean isnt the James McClean currently playing for Sunderland is he?
They won't beat Colchester.
Up the U's !
Very compelling updates kip.
Look forward to more.
Things are getting exciting. Looking very much forward to see how this plays out.
Amazing run by the Bandits....14...15? months before they dropped their first league points? Still running strong---set to run away with the division again. Sheriffs will be a close 2nd -- but I suspect they'll drop another loss somewhere this season. Suspect that some Starletts will get snatched up...but also expect 2 of the Idiots to go too. Just hope the managers can bring in some strength to cover their losses.
Shocked that the Bandits got such a high level player to drop down the leagues that far, but should help the rise
Absolutely epic thread Kip, I was reading your never ending masterful first experiment; that was immense. Hopefully this one will match for quality.
Any previews for jan transfer
Great to see this back, Kip. Looking forward to watching the progress of the Starlet who has moved to the Super Blades as well!
The jan transfers should be pretty interesting. Will the Sherriffs become the stronger team or can the Bandits hold on to there starlets. Only time will (hopefully soon) tell.


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Do you agree or disagree? Join the conversation and leave your comments below!
For five years plan B --the emergency contraception drug has been available without a prescription to women 17 and older....The issue is should that be changed-- and the drug made available with no prescription to younger girls.
When the FDA looked at safety studies it said yes--but it was directly overruled by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Her denial stunned many public health proponents.
I remain flabbergasted.
Susan Wood a former FDA official says women need over the counter access--because Plan B prevents pregnancy only if taken quickly.
So having any kind of barrier means perhaps we wait a day, perhaps we wait a few days. And by then the product no longer can help prevent unintended pregnancy.
What made the denial so unusual was the level of public disagreement. Secretary Sebelius said that she was protecting teenage girls--some of whom reach childbearing age at 11 years--and the evidence did not show she said "that those who (might) use this medicine can understand the (warning) label."
FDA Comissioner Margaret Hamburg directly contradicted that-- citing studies--that "adolescent females understood the product was not for routine use".
At Grubbs Pharmacy in Washington pharmacist Yvette Fulgeras agreed the drug should not be available to younger teens --saying they need to know Plan B's side effects--starting with nausea.
I do believe it should be something you should consult with a health professional
But Plan B's approval has always been tinged with politics. Even though the drug prevents conception and is not an abortion drug--anti abortion rights group argue it does stop life.
White House officials say this was not a political decision --and President Obama has said medicine should be based on science--but this is a case where the scientists at FDA were reversed by their politically appointed boss.


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PRESS RELEASE | All press releases
02 July 2012 12:00 GMT / Scania in the United Kingdom
Another new Scania Irizar Coach for Laguna Travel
Laguna Travel, Bournemouth, has added another new Scania Irizar coach to its fleet. Handed over recently in readiness for the summer season, this latest vehicle is an executive specification Century Club. Based on a Scania K360 EB4x2 chassis, the 12-metre overall length vehicle features a 360 horsepower Scania engine and the fully automated Scania Opticruise gear selection system.
According to Laguna Travel Partner Richard Gwynne, a prime reason for continuing to choose Scania is the aftersales care provided by Scania (Great Britain) Limited's Poole branch, which manages the repair and maintenance package included in the vehicle's purchase price. The coach will be used primarily for Laguna Hotel guest collection and local day excursions.
Originally starting in business as the operator of Bournemouth's Laguna Hotel, Laguna Travel diversified into coaching in the early 1990s in order to provide its customers with a door-to-door holiday experience. Over time, the company further developed the transport arm of its business and today operates a fleet of nine coaches, eight of which are Scania. In addition to its own programme of holiday packages, the company is also involved in private hire and schools' contracts.


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What's the maximum possible wealth bonus that a d20modern character can achieve by 10th level, excluding DM intervention? What is the max at 20th level? How rich would such a character be in real world dollars?
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The conditions required to get the maximum possible wealth bonus are very artificial, but for the sake of argument let's assume the following:
Such a character can start with a wealth bonus of +20 at 1st level (8 from the 2d4 roll, +6 for Dilettante, and +3 x2 from taking Windfall twice).
At level-up, there are three ways the wealth bonus might increase:
So we can figure out what the maximum theoretical wealth increase is for each level by tracking the things that give bonuses to the Profession roll (Wisdom, Windfall feats, and ranks in Profession), and comparing that to the current wealth rating (which is the DC for Profession checks when leveling up). We can then calculate the maximum bonus from the Profession roll, from new Windfall feats, and from the flat bonus from having ranks in Profession. That's summarised in the following table.
Table key:
As you can see, the wealth bonus quickly becomes so large that it becomes impossible to beat the DC on the Profession check even when rolling perfect 20s. (And note that 20 is not an automatic success, see p. 44 Skill Checks.) After 4th level, only the Windfall feats and the flat bonus matter.
So, the maximum wealth bonus at 10th level is +70 (wealth bonus starts at +64, plus the total increase of 6), and the maximum wealth bonus at 20th level is +135 (wealth bonus starts at +127, plus the total increase of +8).
As for how much that is in real-world dollars, according to the system there is no way to translate it into dollars:
So a character with +70 Wealth is rich enough that credit is easy enough to come by that they almost never need to worry about money. For comparison, the table on p. 38 calls +31 and higher "Very rich". The only purchase that could even be noticed by such a character (i.e., which would drop their wealth by any amount) would have to have a Purchase DC of 85, which means they could have as many mansions (Purchase DC 36), Learjets (Purchase DC 40), or M1A1 Abrams tanks (Purchase DC 47) as they wanted to own. The only way money would ever be an object would be if the GM set an exorbitant custom DC for, say, buying a very large rival company.
A character with +135 Wealth is so exceedingly rich that they don't ever have to even think about money—their wealth is so great that everyone knows they're good for it, and their vast network of accountants pays for everything out of the complex financial empire they own. They probably don't even know exactly how much they're worth, and considering how the stock markets work, their exact wealth is probably impossible to know until they tried to use every last penny of it, at which point there would probably be world-wide financial panic. They can probably buy entire countries, unofficially.
@SevenSidedDie has covered the first part of the question thoroughly. As for conversion to real world dollars, there is a table on page 145 of d20 Future (ISBN:0786934239):
The relationship between purchase DC and item cost is roughly exponential:
Note that this is the price of an individual item that a character might purchase - not his or her total net worth.
For example, a character with +64 wealth bonus would lose 1 point when purchasing an item valued between $500 and $650,000,000; 2 points for items between $900 million and $12 billion; 1d6+1 points for items between $15 billion and $50 billion; and 2d6+1 points for items costing more than $50 billion (provided that they succeed on their wealth check).
Regarding large starships:
d20 Future Tech (ISBN:0786939494) has some example starships and mecha, including a PL6 light freighter with Purchase DC 56 (+5 if purchased in PL5) and an orbital colony with Purchase DC 72.
Given that the Space Shuttle Endeavour cost approximately $1.7 billion (Purchase DC 67), that seems a little low. The International Space Station, believed to be the most expensive object ever constructed, cost between 35 and 150 billion dollars (Purchase DC 78 to 83).
If you manage to roll an 8, add 6 for the Dilettante Profession, and 6 more for Windfall x2, you'll start with 20.
If you're allowing cybernetics and have PL9, you can buy windfall as a cybernetic feat implant at DC 26. If you succeed 4 times, your wealth would be 22, 24, 26, 29. Once you are above 28, you can buy a Feat Plex (PL8) at dc 28, and fill it with 3 windfalls and a cybertaker feat.
You can repeat this as many times as you would like and have infinite wealth and every feat in the game at first level.


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Trojans Open Conference Play on Saturday against NewberryFebruary 7, 2014
ANDERSON, S.C. – After facing possibly its toughest challenge of the season last Sunday at Division I power Clemson, Anderson University men's tennis looks to open South Atlantic Conference play on a high note as it welcomes Newberry to the Upstate on Saturday. First serve from the Max Grubbs Memorial Courts is set for 2 p.m.
The Trojans
AU dropped to the Tigers, 5-0, but managed to record strong performances highlighted by sophomore Paul Michael Calhoun's effort at No. 4 singles where he was leading CU's Daniel Strawn before it was called due to the Tigers clinching the match. The youthful duo of Tomas Passalacqua and Inaki Iriberry also claimed four games on Clemson's tandem of Zachary Kennedy and Christian Harris at No. 3 doubles.
Prior to the season, the freshmen combination of Juan Carracedo and Mateo Rivas were named to the Preseason All-SAC second team for doubles after being ranked No. 4 regionally in the ITA Rankings. On Sunday, Carracedo and Rivas fell to Clemson's Alejandro Augusto and Fernando Sala 6-3 at the No. 1 position.
Anderson looks to pick up where it left off in conference play a season ago, as the Trojans claimed a co-regular season championship and the top seed in the SAC Tournament. AU finished the 2013 season with an 8-1 conference mark and a 10-6 record overall. Since joining the conference in 2011, the Trojans are 23-4 in the SAC during the regular season.
The Wolves
After its season-opening match against Spartanburg Methodist was washed away due to rain, Newberry has one result under its belt as the Wolves defeated Benedict 8-1 on Wednesday. The win marked the Wolves' second straight season opening win after Newberry knocked off Belmont Abbey 7-2 in its first match of the season in 2013.
Senior Vinicius Botelho headlines the NC roster as the Fortaleza, Brazil native was named to the first-team singles squad and joined Michael Saunders on the first-team doubles team. Botelho closed the 2013 season with an 18-5 singles record and a 15-7 doubles record playing alongside Saunders for the majority of the year. On Wednesday, Botelho posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over Justin Payton of Benedict for his first singles win of the spring.
Joining the duo with preseason conference honors was sophomore Fernando Espana who was named to the second-team singles squad. Espana, who played the majority of the 2013 year at No. 4 singles, tallied a 17-5 singles mark highlighted by a win over then-nationally-ranked North Georgia's Sam Gantt.
The Series
Last season, the Trojans captured a hard-fought 5-4 win over the Wolves in Newberry, as AU has yet to stumble to its in-state rival since joining the conference prior to the 2011 campaign.


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TEMPLE (January 23, 2013)—A fire that broke out just before 10:30 p.m. at the Cargill Feed Mill at 251 Berger Road in Temple was accidental, fire officials said Wednesday.
The facility was evacuated safely after employees discovered the fire in a hammer mill machine.
Damage was limited to the machine.
Investigators determined that a malfunction caused the fire.


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According to this story, the Canadian government is going to pay pork producers $50 million dollars (read: my tax dollars) to kill 150 000 pigs in order to save the industry by artificially raising prices. Unbelievable. One of my objections to the meat industry is that it treats sentient animals like cogs in a machine, and values profit over humanity. This is exactly what we see here. On the other hand, I am glad to hear that the pork industry is on the brink of collapse.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Canada to Kill 150 000 Pigs
13 comments:
- Romina said...
I am appalled that my tax dollars are going down the drain like this. There are millions of people world who are starving, and we are wasting "food" (not that animals should be food, but if they're raised as food then wasted, I'm far more disgusted). Not only am I appalled that they would waste tax dollars to aid a dwindling economy, but that they were doing it for the wrong reasons. If the demand for pork is down, clearly people choose not to eat it, which is a good thing! Both for the health of Canadians and for the environment that is contaminated by the fecal waste of these animals. Driving by feed lots every weekend just further disgusts and horrifies me, and to know that it was all in vain is a clear indication that our government is out of touch with what Canadians want.
- April 15, 2008 at 11:03 PM
- Ron-Kat said...
This stuff makes me so sick. I just want to cry.
- April 16, 2008 at 2:29 AM
- Tracy said...
That's terrible. I resent that my tax dollars subsidize the slaughter of innocent pigs. Why not give incentives for farmers to switch to organic vegetable farming? That's a booming market. This is just sticking a band-aid on a bloody industry.
- April 16, 2008 at 6:11 AM
- Solitary Dancer said...
OMG this is just awful!
I just hope that this industry does collapse!
- April 16, 2008 at 6:18 AM
- Ron-Kat said...
I just watched an episode in season three of 'The West Wing' where they're worried about an outbreak of Mad Cow Disease and how it could wipe out the US beef 'industry'.
I had my fingers crossed. (I realise the consequences for the US economy for something like that to happen suddenly: it's just wishful thinking on my part.)
As Tracy said above, "Why not give incentives for farmers to switch to organic vegetable farming? "
- April 16, 2008 at 7:46 AM
- carrie said...
"25 per cent of it will be made available to Canadian food banks."
-This happens in the US as well, the government subsidizes these industries and then sends the leasty healthy, most fatty food to the schools to feed our children and to the shelters to feed our poor and sick.....go figure.
"To ensure that the animals are treated in a humane way, producers are being encouraged to ship their pigs to approved slaughter plants. Producers who live in areas without plants will be asked to ship their animals to a province with such a facility.
But there is nothing to prevent producers from killing the animals on their farms themselves."
-I love how they fool the general public into thinking these animals are slaughtered humanely.....slaughter does not equal humane no matter where or how it is carried out. Period.
"Producers are dealing with American companies that don't want to buy Canadian hogs or meat products after years of doing business because they aren't sure how consumers will respond to such labels. The situation is squeezing the hope out of the Canadian industry, which exports much of what it produces to the United States."
-Sounds like it's unfortunately going to lead to big business in the US pork industry. Bah.
"One of the food groups that food banks are always in need of is protein."
-What about beans, you can buy them for less than $1 per pound, and you get protein and fiber. Not to mention, no rotting animal flesh blocking up your system!!
The power that these industries have over government and our money (even here in the US), is horrendous.
- April 16, 2008 at 7:47 AM
- Happy Herbivore! said...
when we passed hog trucks (and slaughter houses) when driving across the US I had the urge to jump out of the car and set them free. or to at least slap the first worker/driver I saw.
- April 16, 2008 at 11:27 AM
- Farmers Friend said...
Wow I am appalled at all of your comments for the pig industry - do you all remember the saying "freedom to choose"!!! I work for Farmers - they are humans and need jobs just like of of you, and if their job is raising pigs, then that is their CHOICE!!! This world consists of all types of people and choices and when I read what you are saying about having the pig / beef indsrty fail - I say shame on you. Second of all if Canadians supported Canadian agriculure (both vegetable and animal) we would not need the government to step in. Most farmers are constantly struggling to make ends meet, and then they have to deal with people like you.....SHAME ON YOU!!!!
- April 16, 2008 at 1:48 PM
- Anonymous said...
- April 16, 2008 at 1:56 PM
- Anonymous said...
I have to say the above has been interesting reading but I tend to agree with farmers friend we need to support Canadian agriculture in all its forms
- April 16, 2008 at 7:13 PM
- Vegan Dad said...
Farmer's Friend and Anonymous,
If you want to support the pork industry by consuming their products, by all means do so. It is your choice. But when the government uses my tax dollars to support an industry I find ethically reprehensible and environmentally irresponsible, that takes away my choice. In fact, it undermines the ability to choose inherent in the free market by propping up a segment of the economy that has failed to remain competitive. If you truly believed in choice, you would not support this government intervention.
- April 16, 2008 at 7:57 PM
- Anonymous said...
In regards to the above - This could go way beyond the gov't using tax dollars for pork, the gov't makes bad choices all around. I like your recipes so I will still choose to view them.
- April 18, 2008 at 6:53 AM
- Anonymous said...
Pigs don't = humanity, that is why they are not called humans!
- April 29, 2008 at 9:12 AM


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Jessica Simpson accidentally reveals she's having a boy
Thanks to a slip of the tongue on Wednesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Jessica Simpson announced that she and fiancé Eric Johnson are expecting a baby boy.
"It's a total different pregnancy. I just feel awful ... I've been vomiting," Simpson said. "The crazy thing is, I never knew a wiener could actually make me nauseous."
After realizing what she said, the "Fashion Star" mentor clarified, "Well, I guess I just told the world I'm having a boy."
A stunned Kimmel assured viewers that the reveal was not planned, noting, "I didn't even know what was happening ... I thought maybe you were having a girl with a penis."
Perhaps in an attempt to take advantage of Simpson's "pregnancy brain," the host asked about reports that she's naming the baby Ace. However, she managed to move past the question without offering a straight answer.
Simpson, who will next appear on the second season premiere of "Fashion Star," which returns to NBC on Friday, joked that she and Johnson still have plans to wed, but she just keeps getting "knocked up."
"I can't believe that I'm pregnant again either," Simpson said. "It's like déjà vu."


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I have a tomato sauce recipe that calls for 1 can (28oz) of diced tomatoes (including the liquid). How can I replace the can with fresh tomatoes? I'm not sure if there is a particular type of tomato I should use or how many of them to use. Also, what can I do to replace the liquid?
If you are really set on doing this, just use the same amount by weight or volume, preferably peeling the tomatoes first. (Cut an x in the bottom, dip in boiling water for 10 seconds, pull off the peel). You'll have plenty of liquid coming out of the tomato, don't worry about that. But honestly, I don't recommend doing this. Fresh tomatoes that are any good are so good uncooked that it is a waste, and fresh tomatoes that aren't good won't get better by cooking them. Even Mario Batali says you should use canned tomatoes for cooked sauces.
Tomato Sauce made from fresh garden tomatoes can be very much more flavorful than canned tomatoes. If you have an abundance, it can certainly be a delicious improvement. I would follow the directions given in the previous answer for peeling the tomatoes, with the additional suggestion to plunge them in ice water immediately following the boiling water bath. They are much easier to handle that way. The recipe may call for reduction of the sauce, and this can be done with fresh as well as with canned tomatoes. I have also made tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes by cooking down the unpeeled tomatoes until they are soft, and then pressing them through a food mill. After that you can reduce the sauce with additional ingredients - olive oil, garlic, onions, herbs as desired.
Whenever you can, use mature fresh tomatoes for sauces. Try tomato concassé. That's the same method @Michael describes:
Measure the flesh from the tomatoes.
You can add a few tomato leafs for added flavor (according to McGee)


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Reviewer: Ryan Smith, MD
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: September 19, 2003
Authors: Fine, PG, Marcus M, De Boer AJ, Van der Oord B
Source: Pain, 45; 149-153, 1991
The vast majority of patients with advanced cancer experience pain as a symptom. Although a baseline level of analgesic medication can be given to reduce this pain, breakthrough pain is still likely to occur. The time to treatment of this pain is extremely important. OFTC has been developed since it has a very rapid onset. This study reports on the efficacy and safety of OFTC in patients with advanced cancer. It was shown that in their patient population, OFTC was efficacious and safe as demonstrated by the fact that no intervention as required for toxicity and no other analgesic medication was required for pain relief. While this is encouraging, it should be pointed out that this study was done in only 10 patients only over 2 days. Also, there was no comparison to other analgesic medication or even placebo. Therefore, the placebo effect cannot be estimated at all. However, in this patient population who may have been selected not to respond to narcotics, (as they were dissatisfied with their current regimen), the onset of analgesia was rapid and seemingly complete. Therefore, in this advanced cancer population where pain relief is a large concern, OFTC may be a very useful medication.


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Sure I am a Florida Gator fan, but a far bigger fan of Jesus! Whether you a Gator fan or not, it's hard not to be a fan of Gator quarterback Tim Tebow. There has been controversy surrounding the Super Bowl this year due to the Focus On The Family commercial featuring Tim Tebow's story. The commercial is very sweet, and certainly nothing controversial, in my opinion.
If you missed the video, here's a link to the Focus on the Family website so that you can see it, and a great follow-up video with Tim's parents.
I think that you'll love hearing Tim's miracle story, and how much of a difference you can make as a parent. I hope this encourages you today!
We would love to hear how you encourage your kids....
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