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Video Links
- IR detection testing
- Shooting blanks
- Detecting bare skin
- Detecting humans through clothing
- Too damn effective
- BullyBot gets a taste for human blood
By now I've built a few different robots, and they've had it pretty good so far. They get to spend their entire life going about their business, drumming on things or chasing light, with nobody to bother them. I think it's time that changed. They need to learn what it's like in the real world.
To that end, I've started building what I'm tentatively calling the BullyBot. It's going to be a tank-tread-based robot with an AirSoft machine gun mounted on top, and it will find the other robots in the room and shoot at them. It builds character.
Initial construction. I bought a cheap, electric-powered Airsoft gun, took it apart, and figured out how it works. It's pretty simple -- the trigger operates a simple switch which closes the circuit between the 4 AA batteries and the electric motor that drives the mechanism. I cut off all the parts of the gun that the robot won't need (the handle, shoulder stock, etc), removed the trigger mechanism, and soldered my own wires to the motor. I then wired up a simple circuit to let the Arduino fire the gun by means of a relay. Works great, aside from the fact that there's no good way to fire a single shot. No big loss, I can just shoot 2 or 3 at a time.
Next I bought two torquey servos and set about building a 2-axis mount for the gun, to let the robot turn the gun left and right and aim it up and down, like a tank. I also started working on the main body of the robot (it'll be plywood-based, just like Little Drum Machine).
Extending the axles
Useless parts removed
Removed parts
Up/Down servo mounted
The robot's base (those axles will need some support)
Mounted on the second servo for left/right aiming
View from the other side
It might be a good idea to add a second up/down servo on the right, just to add some support so it's not hanging in space like that.
Over the last few days I've been working on the mobile base of the robot. I've got it basically all put together -- I guess the next step is to mount the gun turret servo on the base, breadboard up all the circuits, and then start working on the IR detection. I'm still not sure exactly what will be required to detect other robots, so obviously I don't want to solder anything together yet. I just received my Digikey order containing a bunch of Panasonic PNA4612's, which are IR detectors originally designed for use in electronics appliances like VCRs for detecting the remote control signal from across the room. The specified max range is "minimum 11m, typical 18m". I hope that those will do what I want -- all I'll have to do is modulate the IR LED on the other robots at 38 kHz so this sensor can detect them. I'll post them as a component once I've gotten familiar with them.
I'm already pretty clear on what the circuitry for the motors, servos, and gun firing will be, so I might go ahead and solder that up on one perfboard (sort of a 'motors control module'), and then just build a second circuit board for the IR circuits once that's finalized.
Lotsa holes drilled in the base
The lower half of the base assembled
The bottom of the base
Preparing to install the upper half of the base. Leftover aluminum tubing from Little Drum Machine's drumsticks make for pretty good DIY standoffs, except that if you overtighten the screws, the aluminum starts to crumple.
The assembled base.
Space between the platforms to mount the Arduino and all the other circuit boards. I plan to mount the batteries on top, to make them easy to remove for charging.
I soldered up an 'output module' as I described earlier -- a PCB containing the circuitry for the Pololu Low Voltage Dual Serial Motor Controller, the relay and transtor for the gun firing circuit, and the header pins for the two aiming servos. Once I finalize the IR detection, I'll have a separate board for that circuitry.
With everything assembled (but with no input at all), I coded up a simple program to have him aim the gun around at random and shoot wildly into the air. I quickly noticed that the recoil affects his aim pretty significantly. Every time he fires, the gun moves up and to the left. I might have to modify the 'shoot()' routine to move the servos down and to the right while he's shooting, to try and balance that effect. We'll see how that goes.
I also did some work on the IR detection. Building the detector circuit was simple -- the sensors I ordered output a voltage that's high when no 38 kHz signal is detected, and low when it detects a signal. So for now, I just ran it through an LED -- later, I'll sample the output with a digital input. I tested it with a remote control, and the sensor picks it up with no problems, even when I'm 15' away on the other side of the room, around the corner, and pointing the remote AWAY from the sensor. Range isn't going to be a problem -- I think the real struggle will actually be LIMITING the sensor's sensitivity to make it more directional so I can actually use it to find WHERE the other robots are. But it's interesting to know that the communication is so reliable at such a distance -- these sensors were only about $1, so this might represent a good way for two robots to talk to each other (indoors) for less money than the EasyRadio modules.
With the detector circuit built and working in 2 minutes, I was optimistic about the IR emitter circuit that will be mounted on each of the other robots. I shouldn't have been. I've never used the 555 timer chip before, and I struggled for hours, researching and trying various combinations of resistors, capacitors, and wiring, before finally coming up with something that the detector could see. Man, I'd love to have an oscilloscope.
So finally I've got both parts of the circuit working, and as I suspected, it's way too sensitive. I epoxied on a length of aluminum tube to the front of the sensor to try and give it 'tunnel vision', and it did seem to help, but I think there's still a lot of leakage through the gaps in the sides of the metal case. I'll have to look into covering it with opaque paint or something. But I'm hopeful.
Now to the pictures!
The completed 'output module'. I'm pretty happy with how compact and orderly it turned out. Inputs from the Arduino are on the top, power connections are on the left, and outputs to the motors are on the bottom (along with the servo connections in the top left). The green PCB is the Pololu motor controller -- it fits perfectly and sits flush on top of the relay (pictured below). I worried about the magnetic field in the relay's coils affecting the operation of the motor controller, but I haven't noticed a problem so far.
Pololu controller removed from its socket, showing the rest of the components.
Underside, showing all the junctions. Maybe it's time to start looking into PCBs.
Everything wired up for testing, and working perfectly.
555-based 38kHz IR emitter circuit. The digicam actually sees the infrared light emitted by the LED, though in real life it's invisible.
Detector circuit -- much simpler.
All assembled.
Stick 'em up!!
Thought I'd give a little update. I've been having trouble getting BullyBot to move. The Pololu Low Voltage Motor Controller and Tamiya gearbox worked in testing, but when I assembled the whole robot, it wouldn't move. So I took it all apart again for troubleshooting, and I think I might have been overloading the batteries or something. But I think it doesn't matter, because it looks like I might have killed the low voltage motor controller while troubleshooting. Oops :) Fortunately, I have a spare Micro Dual Serial Motor Controller left over from LDM. The uDSMC can't run the toy motors in the Tamiya gearbox, as we learned in this thread, but as Ben from Pololu suggested in that same thread, you can replace the FA-130 motors with Solarbotics RM3's, which the uDSMC can control. So I ordered a bunch of those RM3s, and now I just need to desolder the capacitors and motor leads from the current motors and solder up the new ones in their place. I'm hoping that will take care of that problem, and then I can get back to troubleshooting the IR robot targeting.
It's alive! Switching to the uDSMC and RM3 motors didn't solve the problem, and so more months passed as I neglected the project. I hate when I'm stuck and can't figure out how to get past a problem. But finally I came back to the poor disassembled BullyBot and tackled the troubleshooting again. I tried a bunch of different combinations of motor controllers and motors to try and identify what was causing the problem. The Low Voltage Motor Controller wasn't dead as I had feared, so I tried LVMC with FA-130s, LVMC with RM3s in the Tamiya gearbox, LVMC with a Solarbotics GM3 (which I believe also comes with RM3s), and all of those motors with the uDSMC as well. In both cases, a voltmeter showed that they were outputting the right voltage, but as soon as I connected it to the motor itself, it would pulse for a fraction of a secondand then stop.
The crazy thing is that when I tried the uDSMC with an RM3 (with a .1uF capacitor across the leads), or the uDSMC with a GM3, it wouldn't work. But when I dragged over Little Drum Machine and touched wires from the uDSMC in BullyBot to LDM's GM3 (which should be identical to the loose one I tested with earlier, complete with its own 0.1uF capacitor across the leads), it worked!
Based on that test, I guessed that noise must still be an issue, so I added two more 0.1uF capacitors to each motor, as Pololu suggests. Finally, that solved the problem, and BullyBot can now drive around again, using the Low Voltage Motor Controller and RM3's in the Tamiya Gearbox. Phew. The motors now look like something that's been growing in Xen, but at least the robot can move again :)
Of course, now that it can finally drive around, I found that when it tries to turn, the cheap Tamiya tank treads tend to fall off of the hubs. Great. I guess I'll have to use something else. I might use the Pololu tracks like YDM/LDM, but they're so expensive. Plus, since this robot is more... offensive... I'd like the tracks to look more aggressive and tank-like. Suggestions are appreciated.
So now I guess it's time to get back to the IR detection circuits that have been taking up two of my breadboards for months. I'm happy to be making progress again.
I kept having trouble narrowing down the field of view of my IR receiver. I coated the housing in white caulk, but still somehow the IR manages to make its way into the sensor -- maybe white caulk isn't opaque to IR light.
Gearing up for a separate project, I glanced back at the TPA81 8-pixel thermopile sensor I've been lusting after forever, and found that they'd dropped the price from $150 or so to $99. Still expensive, but that's only like 2-1/2 SRF05's... Or so I justified it to myself :) So I ordered it for that other project. Then Frits convinced me that the TPA81 isn't the best sensor to use on the other one, and mentioned offhand that I should use it on BullyBot...
By golly, he's right. I'm tired of messing with the IR thing. Plus, if BullyBot has a TPA81, then the other robots don't have to have the complex 38khz IR emitter circuits -- I just have to put something hot or warm on them. I figure something like a simple low-ohm 1W resistor mounted somewhere on the robot should get warm enough to be visible to the TPA81. It'll take some experimentation to find a combination that provides enough heat to be visible without wasting all of the robots' battery power (and burning people who venture too close). But I think it'll be a lot simpler (and feel less like cheating) than replicating the IR emitter circuit for every single robot. Plus, this way I can program BullyBot to track humans if I feel sadistic :) (Or is that masochistic?)
I also had a small laser and mounting bracket that I'd bought from SparkFun months ago with no specific project in mind -- I decided that laser sights would be fun as well. So today I rigged up a way to mount both the laser and the TPA81 on the gun in a way that's adjustable and aimable, and I wrestled through the I2C specification to figure out how to get the Arduino to talk to the sensor. It works pretty well -- my hand at about 3-4 feet shows up as a few degrees warmer than the ambient room, but so does my laptop and my computer monitor. I'll probably want to set its threshold a little higher than that. When I point it at an entire human body, it stands out a clear ~10 degrees warmer than ambient, even from farther away, so I'll probably stick to a threshold like 7-8 deg C above ambient.
Here's some pictures of the build process for the 'targeting package'.
Dremels are nice, but some jobs work so much better on a bandsaw :)
Clearing a flat surface on which to mount the 'targeting package'
Adapter plate for TPA81 made from aluminum sheet
Modifying the laser mounting bracket
Tapping the rear holes to provide the ability to aim up or down by screwing the screws in or out
The complete 'targeting package' (red laser and TPA81)
He's got mirrored sunglasses like a cop
Rear view
Targeting package mounted on gun. The rear screws work nicely as a way of leveling the laser/sensor
Roommates beware :)
I soldered up another small circuit board for the connections for the targeting package. I had to stick it under the other circuit board for a multi-story PCB to make it all fit, which became too tall to fit between the two wood panels, so I had to use washers to raise the upper panel. Even so, it barely fits, and the servo wires are crammed against the wood in a way I don't like. I guess the other option is to move some of the circuitry to the upper deck, but I like having that clear. We'll see.
With the robot reassembled, I started working on code for the scanning routine. I came up with something that works fairly well. It needs a little work, but it's good enough at finding me that it's a little creepy :) I coded it so that he turns on the laser pointer when he finds a target, so he has a way to say "Bang, you're dead" without having to actually shoot you. That is a welcome change, since the only person in the room most of the time is me.
I discovered something interesting while I was testing and working on the code. I left him sitting on the table next to me, scanning for targets, and over and over again he'd find me sitting next to him and shine the laser in my face and half blind me. Man. I just built a robotic version of an annoying kid with a laser pointer.
I put up a few videos above showing BullyBot tracking me like an animal. Here's a few more pictures.
The new circuit board for the TPA81 and laser module. The TPA81 communicates over I2C, which requires pull-up resistors on both lines.
All the wires connected. I've tried to keep things as intelligible as possible by color-coding wires, bundling related wires together with wire ties, etc. It helps, but it's definitely a mess in there.
Just a small update. I finally had a houseguest who was willing to let BullyBot do what God put him on this earth to do -- shoot people in the face. Naturally, there's video. Now that BullyBot has a taste for human blood, he's never going to be content with the store-bought meat I've been feeding him...
This is SO WICKED!!
Cool, I really like it.Maybe
Cool, I really like it.
Maybe not adding another servo for support, but just an axle (steel pin). So it still can rotate and gets supported. How are you going to do the finding of the other robots part? By adding a camera, and do blob recognition? I'd love to see someone getting a relatively cheap webcam to work with a microcontroller. I need to figure out soon how they work.
Salvaging camera chips from optical mice
Hi Dan,
This looks like a really awesome project! ...and how typically american to incorporate guns in robot building ;-).
I have seen one guy do a home-made camera for his robot using a camera chip from an optical mouse and mounting a lens in front of it. I guess that solution wouldn't be too expensive but of course it will only give you something like a 30x30 image in greyscale. Unfortunately the guy didn't document anything other than the chip being an ADNS-3060 and that he found a suitable lense at www.optics-online.com.
indeed, do you think it
Hmm I haven't got a clue as
Hmm I haven't got a clue as how to hack a webcam :-). I think maybe you have to do a whole lot of coding to get the USB stack implemented - although I have no experience with that.
It would be a nice project to do since it will be much more affordable for everyone to just grab a webcam for their uC instead buying something like the CMUCam. I wish you luck!
On USB Webcams
I'd guess there are only two commands: on and off. I'd also hazard a gues that the USB interface is identical for most major brands. I've used 5 or 6 different ones and the Logitech QuickCam driver works for them all.
Question: take a VGA Webcam, stream the data to a PIC. That's 640x480x24 = 900Kbytes of data. That's a whole lot of ones and zeroes. Not sure what other cams do, but it would be great if you could reduce the resolution, so it only sees a 5x5 array of colours. I'd be stunned (and pleased) if it were possible.
How does the Lego one work? Does it simply have a reduced resolution?
The Lego one? Is that the
The Lego one? Is that the one that comes with the Robolab package? If so I think that it is just a standard Logitech QuickCam that requires a PC. It doesn't connect to the RCX or anything.
A typical webcam has a little more functionality than just on and off :-), but I reckon those are the main ones of interest.


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PHILADELPHIA -- "Punky Brewster" and the kids from "Saved by the Bell" are returning to the small screen through digital comic books. So, too, are "Knight Rider," ''Airwolf" and "Miami Vice."
The comics are set to be released later this year through iTunes, Amazon's Kindle Bookstore, Barnes & Nobles' Nook store and Kobo.
The NBC Universal-owned shows are the latest in a growing push that has seen other TV properties extend their stories in comics, most recently "The X-Files" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

subset: commoncrawl


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Pesticides and children
By Roger Gordon (guest opinion)
So, winter is finally over and spring has arrived. At least, that's the impression I get as I walk around my neighbourhood and see all the homeowners beginning to rake over their lawns. Then, the penny drops. It will soon be time for the lawn spraying companies to get into high gear. Letters in my mail box advising me that a neighbour will be having his or her lawn sprayed with a toxic concoction. Pickup trucks cruising around the streets, drums of pesticides on their flat beds. Vapours in the air that I do not appreciate.
There is no doubt the provincial government caved in to pressure from the industrialized pesticide lobby and left Islanders with one of the worst situations in the country regarding cosmetic pesticides. Only 2-4,D is banned. But not its chemical relatives Mecoprop or MCPA. Health Canada has approved what is being sprayed, so it must be OK. Right? Wrong.
I have a list as long as a yardarm of pesticides once approved by Health Canada that in the light of subsequent knowledge have now been banned. Also, Health Canada only certifies the active ingredient. What is sprayed on a person's lawn contains a whole slew of chemicals that magnify the toxic effects.
But, here's the good news. People can just say no to this lawn spraying nonsense. There is abundant evidence to link cosmetic pesticides with several serious human illnesses. In a recent (meta) analysis, published in a peer-reviewed international scientific journal, the authors examined 15 studies within the primary literature and determined that exposure to cosmetic pesticides either pre or post partum increased the chances of a child contracting childhood leukemia by 50 to 100 per cent.
In a broader examination of both cosmetic and agricultural pesticides, another group of scientists found that there was a positive correlation between pesticide exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 12 out of 14 investigations. Even more worrisome is the fact that children are far more susceptible to pesticide exposure than adults.
The naysayers will argue that the evidence against cosmetic pesticides is not iron clad. It's true that some studies have yielded inconclusive results, but that's to be expected. Much like the situation with tobacco smoking back in the 1950s, we have to rely upon after the fact information — sampling populations and examining medical records to look for cause and effect relationships.
Controlled experiments with humans are not possible for obvious ethical reasons. Thus, we rely on the thoroughness of the studies and the robustness of the statistical analyses used to eliminate factors (age, gender, lifestyle, etc.) that might otherwise interfere with the conclusions.
Unlike the tobacco analogy, however, cell and molecular biology is nowadays able to provide insight into what is going on: DNA damage, impairment of blood clotting, immune system suppression, etc. So, this is where common sense kicks in. If you were offered a beverage and told that there was evidence for and against it being a poison, would you drink it? Just say no to cosmetic pesticides.
Roger Gordon of Stratford is a retired biologist and former Dean of Science at UPEI. During his career at several universities he conducted research and published extensively on controlling insect pests using biological, environmentally sound strategies.


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Co-ed Ranger School: My thoughtsMay 23, 2012 | Captain Hannah He
Just a few days ago marked the 69th anniversary of women serving in the US Army. About the same time, the Army Chief of Staff General Odierno announced that a plan is in place to permit females to attend Ranger school.
The opinion storm that followed that announcement kind of depressed me. There are accusations that Ranger School in general is going to be "feminized", as in, made easier, either for the females or for everyone. Some say that Ranger School's mission of creating combat leaders will be compromised if they have to admit women who aren't in the Infantry. Others are just upset that the tradition of having only male Rangers will fade away.
In my opinion, the Army needs to move forward and needs to take a stronger stance on telling all these people that they can have their opinion, but it's messed up and unfair. Will females make Ranger School easier? I don't know about easier, but Ranger School adjusts it's course regularly to address current conflicts. And how do you explain the progression in the passing rate moving from below to 40% prior to 1980, to the current avergae of about 50%? Maybe Ranger School already is easier.
If the purpose of going through Ranger School is to create better small-unit leaders in combat, with the definition of combat changing all the time and the front lines virtually non-existent, shouldn't this opportunity be open to everyone, not just Infantry officers? In 2005 Ranger School was opened to every MOS not affected by the combat exclusion policy. That means there are already Signal and Quartermaster officers with a Ranger tab. Once the combat exclusion policy is lifted from females, permitting them to be in every combat unit if not combat MOSs, there is no reason to also exclude them from Ranger School.
Tradition is a great thing, and part of the reason I love being in the Army. But progress and the current mission need to be more important than keeping tradition. This was another argument that was used when Congress first considered admitting women to the service academies. Old Grads said that West Point was for creating combat leaders, but 15% of West Point grads had never served in the combat arms. They said the presence of females would change the dynamic, and maybe it has, but I can't imagine that a shifting dynamic away from an all-male environment is all that bad, but rather, prepares men to work with women on a regular basis, which a majority do in the Army. When I meet guys that are generally crude and disrespectful to women, they say things like, "sorry, I'm not used to having a female around." Well, in that case, maybe having a female around would make them a better person.
So, in my opinion, it's time to let women have the opportunity to succeed at Ranger School. I don't support any lowering of standards or extra special treatment, but I hope everything is fair. And that everyone who feels that training women to be a combat leader is the end of the world wakes up and realizes that maybe combat is a little different than they think.


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Goodyear, Ariz. -- To manager Terry Francona and GM Chris Antonetti, utility man Ryan Raburn was an early target of interest. That's early as in real early.
"The day I got the job, Chris and I were talking," said Francona. "I said if this guy [Raburn] ever comes off the Tigers' roster, he's a guy I like. Chris said he liked him, too. So we targeted him early."
The early interest has turned into early dividends.
Raburn hit two homers, both two-run shots, Saturday to lead the Indians to a 13-10 Cactus League victory over Cincinnati at Goodyear Ballpark. Raburn has three at-bats this spring and has hit three homers, accounting for five RBI.
"That was fun to watch," said Francona after the game.
See a Plain Dealer big picture gallery of Terry Francona in his first spring training as manager of the Cleveland Indians.
Last spring training Raburn hit six homers and drove in 19 runs to win Detroit's second base job. When the regular season started, he hit .171 (35-for-205) with one homer and 12 RBI in 66 games. The Tigers released him in November.
The Indians are looking at Raburn to play second, third, left and right field.
"The unfortunate year he had, may have helped us," said Francona. "He had a tough year. If he would have had a good year, we wouldn't have had a chance to get him. The Tigers felt he could be their starting second baseman, so there's something there."
Before last season, Raburn had three straight seasons for the Tigers in which he hit between 14 and 16 homers.
No problem: The Indians desperately need more innings from their top three starters. Not only will it protect the young starters in the fourth and fifth spots, but it will keep the bullpen from being overworked.
Brett Myers, who along with Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez form that trio, thinks they can do it.
"Our whole motto is to pound the strike zone," said Myers. "When you're talking about Masterson and Ubaldo, they have overpowering stuff. Teams don't want to face those guys when they're around the plate because they throw hard with a lot of movement. I've heard that from other guys around the league from playing with the White Sox last year."
Myers made his Indians' debut Saturday against the Reds. He pitched two innings and gave up two runs.
He threw only fastballs and change-ups, hitting a batter and forcing home a run in the first.
Last year, Myers made 70 relief appearances with Houston and the White Sox, but he's been a starter most of his career. He still doesn't know why the Astros moved him to the pen last spring, especially since he pitched 439 2/3 innings as a starter the previous two years.
"You'd have to call them," he said.
If Myers can give the Indians another 200-inning season, they'll be happy and so will he because it would vest his $8 million option for 2014 as long as he passes a physical at the end of this season.
"I always want to save the bullpen," said Myers. "Those guys work every day. Anytime I can make it so they're not out there is good for the team because it means they're fresh for the next day."
No problem II: Myers hit Cincinnati's left fielder Donald Lutz in the first inning. It looked as if Myers and Lutz exchanged words.
"I didn't say anything to Lutz," said Myers. "I was talking to the umpire. I said, 'Isn't he supposed to try and get out of the way of that? He didn't even move.' "
Testing, testing: Rule 5 pick Chris McGuiness will play some left and right field this spring to try and increase his versatility. McGuiness, normally a first baseman, must make the Tribe's 25-man opening day roster or be offered back to Texas for half of his $50,000 purchase price.


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The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announce the 2nd Research Center Proposer's Conference to be held on July 9-10, 2012 in Skolkovo, Moscow Region, Russia. The conference provides a forum to learn about and plan for research center proposals in response to an important collaboration opportunity.
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a new private graduate university located in Moscow Region, Russia. Skoltech was established in 2011 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Skoltech aims to advance education, scholarship and economic development in the Russian Federation and beyond by educating leading graduate students and conducting research programs that address key challenges in science, technology and innovation.
In support of this mission, Skoltech has announced three rounds of Call for Proposals for Skoltech Research Centers (web.mit.edu/SkTech/rc-call/). This program funds collaborative, inter-disciplinary and international research teams using innovative approaches in science and technology with high potential impact. Particular emphasis is placed in and across the fields of Biomedical Science and Technology, Energy Science and Technology, Information Science and Technology, Nuclear Science and Technology, and Space Science and Technology.
In the first round call for research center white papers, which ended March 13, 2012, Skoltech received 129 submissions from over 360 universities and research institutions representing Russia and over 20 countries. The proposing teams had many outstanding scientists, including six Nobel Laureates, one Fields Medal winner and numerous national academy members as well as many outstanding young researchers. Upon completion of this first competition, the first three research centers will be established.
The second round call for research center proposal white papers is now beginning. In support of this round, the 2nd Skoltech Research Center Proposers Conference on July 9-10, 2012 will provide participants a platform to discuss issues related to practical approaches in creation of joint research centers, as well as opportunities for integrated support of international collaborative research and other innovative initiatives.
The program of the two-day event will be composed of presentations performed by Skoltech, MIT and the invited speakers and will include the following topics:
The conference program will also include presentation sessions where researchers will be able to present their current activities and proposals for future cooperation within the Skoltech program, to help identify new partnering opportunities with other participants.
Potential university and institute research proposers, as well as experts, government officials, and senior leaders of the research institutes from Russia, Europe, Asia, the USA, and other countries are invited to participate in this event. Keynote speakers will the President of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, the Skoltech/MIT Initiative Faculty Lead from MIT, and prominent representatives of the Russian Federation and Skolkovo Foundation.
Persons/organizations interested in participating in the conference are welcomed to register online and can find more details about the event from the conference link at the Skoltech website (www.skolkovotech.ru). Registration for the event will be open from April 28 until June 17, 2012. Upon registration for the conference, the applicant will be sent a preliminary agenda and, if relevant, presentation details.
Contact information
For program/participation related issues:
Sergey Temeev
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
E-mail: email@example.com
tel: (7-495) 280 1481 (3212)
fax: (7-495) 280 1482
For general matters / logistical / visa / accomodation support issues:
Olga Shetkova
Unifest Travel
E-mail: email@example.com
Tel +7-495-234 65 55 ext.359
Fax +7-495-234 65 56 ext.23


text:
A St. Charles Parish school bus completing a "mock run" to get ready for the school year was destroyed after it caught fire Tuesday morning in St. Rose.
There were no children on the bus at the time and the driver was not injured, authorities said. Students in St. Charles Parish return to school on Thursday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
"What happens, before the beginning of the school year, drivers do a mock run. They go through their entire route before school starts to work out any kinks, such as delays due to road construction," said Regina McMillan, a St. Charles school system spokeswoman.
Bus driver Betty Leblanc had just left the school district's transportation building and was on the first street of her route, Oaklawn Ridge Drive in St. Rose, when she noticed smoke coming from the rear driver's side tire of the bus, McMillan said.
Leblanc pulled over and called for assistance, McMillan said, and the St. Rose Volunteer Fire Department and paramedics responded.
Paul Hymel, St. Rose Volunteer Fire Department chief, said his department got the call at 10:04 a.m.
"When they got on the scene the bus was fully involved already," he said.
Hymel said the fire was brought under control at 10:23 a.m. with help from the East St. Charles Volunteer Fire Department, with a total of nine firefighters fighting the blaze.
"They gave us a hand because of the heat," he said.
The bus, No. 10, will be replaced with bus No. 90 for students heading back to class on Thursday.
Hymel said LeBlanc reported to firefighters that she had accidentally left the parking brake on when she left the transportation building in Luling until the time of the fire in St. Rose.
McMillan said the bus has been taken back to the transportation building, where the school district's transportation department is conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Jennifer Boquet can be reached at email@example.com or 985.652.0952.


text:
Christmas dining: Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa
Venue: 101 Siloso Road, Sentosa
The Mega Christmas Eve Buffet at Dine On 3 fetes guests with more than 100 dishes in the Christmas Eve buffet. Highlights include traditional roasts, turkey, ham, seafood and grills, plus an array of desserts. On Christmas Day and New Year's Day respectively, Atmosphere by the sea presents Christmas Garden Party and New Year Garden Party spreads by the waterfront, with fresh seafood, juicy grills, carved roasts at live stations, gourmet French cheeses and festive desserts. Activities like magic shows and balloon sculpting will keep the kids occupied. Come New Year's Eve, Dine On 3's Rasa Wonderland buffet dinner encompasses specialities from across the world, with such dishes as Pan-Seared Foie Gras; Duck Terrine; Whole Roast Australian Prime Rib of Beef; Prawns Braised in Chinese Wine; Suckling Pig; Tandoori Turkey; Moroccan Chermoula Yellowtail Kingfish; Whole Roast Lamb in Moroccan Spices; and desserts such as Pistachio Financier and Cinnamon Apple Compote Cheesecake.
MRT: HarbourFront
When: Dine On 3 Christmas Eve buffet, 6 - 10pm, $118++ (adults) & $38++ (children); Atmosphere by the sea Christmas Garden Party, Dec 25, noon - 3pm, $148++ (adults) & $38++ (children); Rasa Wonderland New Year's Eve buffet dinner, 6 - 10pm, $118++ (adults) & $38++ (children); New Year Garden Party, Jan 1, noon - 3pm, $148++ (adults) & $38++ (children)
Tel: 6371-1966/6371-1008
Info: www.shangri-la.com/singapore/rasasentosaresort/
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text:
How to Improve Your Academic Writing: Interactive Workshop
Oct 23, 2012, 3pm-4pm
Presented by York English Professor Priscila Uppal, this talk will focus on demystifying the writing process (and grading process) for the production of effective academic writing assignments at the undergraduate university level.
Uppal will discuss the assumptions and expectations of learning in undergraduate university courses and how students can best prepare themselves to meet the challenges of critical reading, thinking and writing. The interactive lecture is intended to be relevant to students from a variety of disciplines and will offer students an adaptable model for the writing process from the beginning to the end of an assignment. The interactive approach is intended to encourage questions and discussion of academic writing student concerns.
Uppal is a Toronto poet and fiction writer. Among her publications are eight collections of poetry, most recently, Ontological Necessities (2006), shortlisted for the $50,000 Griffin Poetry Prize; Traumatology (2010); Successful Tragedies: Poems 1998-2010 (Bloodaxe Books, UK); and Winter Sport: Poems. She is also author of the critcally-acclaimed novels: The Divine Economy of Salvation (2002) and To Whom It May Concern (2009); as well as the study We Are What We Mourn: The Contemporary English-Canadian Elegy (2009).
Her work has been published internationally and translated into Croatian, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Korean and Latvian. She was the first-ever poet-in-residence for Canadian Athletes Now during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as the Roger's Cup Tennis Tournament in 2011. She resumed her position for the 2012 London Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Time Out London recently dubbed her "Canada's coolest poet." For more information visit, Priscila Uppal's website.
|The Renaissance Room, 001 Vanier College
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|Vanier College
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text:
Originally published at: http://www.howtogeek.com/173347/beginner-geek-everything-you-need-to-know-about-disabling-startup-programs-on-windows/
Programs that automatically start with Windows can slow down your computer's boot time, making you wait to get a useful desktop while icon after icon loads into your system tray. Fortunately, it's possible to prevent these programs from automatically starting.
I have always used this program, Startup Control Panel
it is a very handy tool and has a program that can be used along side, Startup Monitor.
Startup Monitor runs in the background and any time a program tries to insert itself into your startup routine it flashes a warning giving you the option to enable or disable the program in question.
A number of programs and softwares will add themselves to the Start Menu during the installation process - and will do so silently and without informing you during the installation.
For the past ten years, my experience has been that the best third-party program to help monitor, disable, and - most importantly - prevent a program from installing itself as a startup - is WinPatrol - which also includes a "Delayed Startup" option which allows you to place a program "on hold" for a minute or two during the system boot and startup.
There are two versions of WinPatrol - Free and a "Pro" version which is a one-time fee which comes with lifetime updates.
The developer of WinPatrol is a Microsoft MSVP, and you can read about and download the program directly from his website.
IMO, the "delayed start" feature is more harm less use. Startup means programs initializing, programs initializing means programs using more CPU, HDD and RAM. Programs using more CPU, HDD and RAM mean a slower overall system. If you have an Ivy Bridge i5 or above, it's useless. If you have anything below that, it's harmful.
Oh dear, another HTG article I disagree with...
I have 31 icons in my system tray - some are normal Windows programs (firewall, anti-virus, network) but most are programs I run from my startup folder.
I use "Tech-Pro Utilities" Startup Manager to start them one by one, instead of letting them all fight it out for CPU time and using up unnecessary amounts of CPU time context-switching. I usually make a cup of coffee while my PC is starting. (It also does backups at that time).
Everything works as it should, none of the processes causes a problem with any others, and they all work happily in my 4GB of RAM.
Those things aren't so much CPU bound as they're disk bound. A hard drive seeking to a ton of different places is nowhere near as fast as a SSD would do. If anything, having a SSD for boot would allow the CPU to be used more effectively. These days applications just aren't nearly as CPU bound as they used to be.
IMHO, even a ye olde i3 (read: first gen) will be significantly faster with a SSD as a boot drive compared to a Haswell i7 on spinning media.
Sysinternals Autoruns: "This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them."
Ah, then, I see my problem. My laptop uses a 5400 rpm HDD. I'd switch to an SSD, but the cost of a 120 GB one would be pretty high, and I really don't have too many HDD bays.
My laptop came with a 5400 rpm drive too. Its a Samsung 7 series I bought last summer - admittedly with an i7 and 8GB of RAM. BUT, even with very aggressive disabling of start-up programs, the boot time was just abysmal. I literally had the bare minimum on startup - Dropbox was the only third party application on boot.
So I bought a HDD caddy and swapped out my optical drive for a shiny new Samsung 840 Pro, and never looked back. My boot times went from upwards of 1 minute with the bare minimum to under 10 seconds with all the startup programs intact. I never use an optical drive anyway, so it was the perfect upgrade. Besides, downloading from the internet is significantly faster than reading the same file off a disk...
Problem is... I do use the optical drive, so I can't swap it out. And as I said, SSD = way too much cost for me.
Do yourself a favour and try and save up $95.00 and get yourself an SSD. It will be the best investment you will ever make
@Archie88 I know. Believe me, I know. But when you're stuck with a phone that does nothing other than vibrating (even the screen doesn't turn on), your priorities are different. If the phone hadn't stopped working suddenly, I'd be using an SSD right now. But, no. The phone has to reboot endlessly just when I want to save money for the drive. Well, right now the $100 I have will be used for a phone, not an SSD. No SSD for NSD.
Was that a rant?
Revo Uninstaller works well for me, helped me disable a really annoying unidentifiable startup program on my machine that was annoying me for months.
You can also do this via file explorer1. Copy and paste into your address bar "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Administrative Tools"2. Open "System Configuration"3. Click the "Startup" tabThere will be a list of programs that run at startupEnjoy!EDIT:This only works on Windows 7
Why did you leave out he most basic tool of all? MSConfig
You have to run it manually (there's no Start menu icon for it), but it's the one tool that comes in pretty much all Windows installations.
click Start, select Run, then type "msconfig" and click Ok. (On Windows 7, just click Start and type "msconfig".)
you can also get Administrative Tools by right-clicking on the task bar and turning on the link.
Right-Click Task Bar -> Properties -> Start Menu -> Customize
Scroll down to System Administrative Tools (3rd option from the bottom. Just jam the scroll bar all the way down) and select either "Display on the all programs menu" or "Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu"
I use 3rd party program to manage startups. silly move, huh?
I use WinPatrol to monitor the programs that automatically launch when you start Windows. It reports new programs that are added as well as normally added ones that are removed.


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Arlington firefighters get almost $109,000 from FEMA
SEATTLE — Arlington firefighters are among the recipients of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program that benefits local fire departments and organizations in the state of Washington.
Arlington has been awarded $108,969 from the total of $962,253 for the whole state in the most recent round of distributions announced March 6.
Arlington's grant will be used to upgrade the department's self-contained breathing apparatus, said Arlington Fire Chief Jim Rankin.
"Some of our stuff needs up grading," Rankin said. "We're just trying to stay ahead of the game."
Rankin said some of the old equipment that is still in serviceable condition might go to volunteer agencies, or if it's too old, will be disposed of.
Rankin said it takes his department about 10 hours to write a grant proposal since they got their first grant in 2005.
"We aren't applying for anything in 2009," he said.
Rankin explained that FEMA offers three grant programs, for staffing, equipment and safety.
North County Regional Fire Authority covering Bryant and Lake Goodwin received $38,000 from the fund in January.
AFG awards provide approximately $500 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country.
The acting assistant administrator of the U. S. Fire Administration, Dr. Denis Onieal said the AFG funds have a direct impact on the safety of both residents and firefighters throughout the nation since 2001.
"This week's round of AFG funding amounts to $56,796,250 nationwide," Onieal said.
The AFG program is an important component of the effort to strengthen the nation's overall level of preparedness for disasters of all kinds.
FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism and man-made disasters.
For information see the Web site.
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text: The VIC Fund (Victory in Crisis) came to life from the dream of one man with a passion for helping kids. It started in 2002 as the Long Blue Line Scholarship Fund to help kids go to college. The VIC Fund emerged with the same mission in response to the desperate need of our communities as a result of Hurricane Sandy. They are dedicated to the creed of Effort, Teamwork, and Commitment to kids.


text:
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Unit Investment Trusts, Face-Amount Certificate Offices, and Closed-End Management Investment Offices CA, United States
| New York Stock Exchange: PFO
The Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund ("PFO") is a closed-end, diversified investment company which invests primarily in preferred stocks. It commenced investment operations in February, 1992 through an initial public offering of common stock. The Fund also uses financial leverage as a strategy to achive its investment objective. At September 4, 2012 there were 12,180,500 common shares outstanding. PFO concentrates its investments in the utility industry and the financial services sector. Positions will vary from time to time, but normally utilities and financial services companies will each account for at least 25% of the Fund's portfolio. Naturally, the Fund will be significantly impacted by developments affecting these types of companies. The investment objective of the Fund is high current income for holders of its common stock consistent with preservation of capital. What makes the Fund unusual, however, is the use of strategies which are expected to result in the Fund's income increasing as long-term interest rates rise significantly, while being relatively resistant to declines in long-term interest rates.


text:
|[Trlog] Next release
|Tree <firstname.lastname@example.com>
|Mon, 6 Oct 2003 11:05:11 -0500
Work is wrapping up on 6.75. Lots of good news for those who have had problems with radio communication issues with the recent versions. I believe the need for the legacy mode added in 6.74 is no longer there, and it is removed. If you would like to try a beta version before the release, I have one available. I am making progress with the Orion, and am optimistic that it will be sorted out in time for the CQ WW SSB contest. TR is currently controlling the radio just fine, but for some reason, it is not able to read the mode or frequency from the radio yet. Many thanks to John, W4AU, who has tried about 30 different beta test versions in the past week. I will be making this release as soon as the Orion problem gets sorted out. Tree _______________________________________________ Trlog mailing list email@example.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/trlog
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text:
Lacrosse 14 Kickstarter Entering Final Push
Click here to visit the Kickstarter page and view videos and information on the project
|Game Screenshot via Crosse Studios
With about 12 hours remaining in its kickstarter fundraising project, Lacrosse 14 is into six figures, but needs a big final push to make it to the goal mark of 210,000 for funding the next generation of lacrosse video game for both platforms and PC.
As of 11:30 this morning, the project had 1,100 backers pledging financial support, to the tune of $116,864. An impressive number, no doubt, but still short of the number needed to trigger funding unless a substantial late push happens before the midnight deadline tonight.
"The response from the community has been awesome," says Crosse Studios founder Carlo Sunseri, who has previously produced the College Lacrosse, NLL Lacrosse and Lacrosse Dodge games for Xbox and mobile platforms but hopes to expand to PlayStation and PC with this next release. "I had no idea what to expect when we first launched and have been completely blown away."
The breakdown in pledges has been widespread, with options as low as a $5 pledge that would earn an exclusive download of a background for your computer (43 at this level) all the way up to $1,800 – which five have backed, earning themselves a DI team with a high rating customized with logos and likenesses. There is also a $10,000 option for sponsorship which would include logos on the stadiums as well as all the previous levels. Thus far none have opted for that option (though Carlo – ever the salesman – tried to get me to see if US Lacrosse wanted in... no dice so far though).
Success in the Kickstarter appeared off to a good start at the outset, as fans took to social media to goad their pals into chipping in as well and thousands of dollars of pledges rolled in. Sunseri was active from the start, posting video discussing potential add-ons for the game and modes as they were visualized for production, and screenshots of development sketches.
"The entire campaign has been a great learning experience, he said. "For me personally, marketing, promotion, and public relations are undeniably one of the most difficult parts of running a business. It's a full time job that takes a lot of time and energy.
"I would rather be focusing on building the video game, but that's part of being an entrepreneur... You have to be able to accomplish everything that comes across your desk... I can tell you this, I'm trying my best and the majority of my energy is spent on thinking how to make better lacrosse video games."
Whether or not the goal is met by the deadline – with Kickstarter funding, pledges only kick in if the goal is met, in this case being slightly less than $100,000 away – Sunseri plans to continue making lacrosse games and hopes that Lacrosse 14 will become a reality as it is concepted.
"I won't ever stop making lacrosse video games. It's my passion and my life's work. One day there will be a lacrosse video game sitting next to NHL, FIFA, and Madden on the shelves ...That's my goal."


text:
Tom Hardy is stuck in reverse in 'Locke' teaser
Tom Hardy takes a very important call in the upcoming thriller "Locke" from writer-turned-director Steven Knight ("Dirty Pretty Things," "Closed Circuit").
The character-driven "Locke" is the most recent in a string of post-millennial films which take place primarily in the claustrophobic confines of a car. Hardy plays a man named Ivan Locke who take cares of business -- both personal and professional -- on his cell phone while driving cross-ountry through England. He also carries on an imaginary dialogue with his deceased father.
The action in the clip is mostly played back-to-front, countering the chilling words "Some choices you can't reverse." You can even hear a little bit of Hardy's "Dark Knight Rises" character Bane when he says, "I have made my decision..."
Watch the teaser here:
It also stars Tom Holland, Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott.
"Locke" opens April 18 in the U.K. and April 25 in the U.S.


text:
SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. - The Grand Valley State men's golf team had the low team round of the day at Hawkshead G.C. in the final round of the GLIAC Fall Event, using a 297 to surge to a third-place finish behind two eagles by the Lakers' top golfer.
To read the full recap, please visit GVSULakers.com.


text:
The Truro Bearcats downed the Pictou County Weeks Crushers 5-2 Saturday night in Truro.
Weeks Crushers
Brandon Bazinet led the Bearcats with 1 goal and 2 assists while Tyler Morrison added 2 goals.
Mitchell Shewfelt opened the scoring at 6:09 to give the Crushers a 1-0 lead. Morrison (power play) scored at 10:01 to tie the game at 1-1. Jeff Hanes scored at 15:48 to give the Bearcats a 2-1 lead after the first period.
JP Harvey scored at the 17:35 mark of the second to even the score at 2-2 after the second period.
Bazinet (game winner) scored at 6:31 to regain the lead for Truro at 3-2. Morrison (second goal of game) scored at 15:00 to extend the lead to 4-2. Philip Fife (empty net) rounded out the scoring at 19:57.
- Read more special articles:
- Crushers bench boss says series sweep by Bearcats wasn't expected
- MacLeod has no regrets as junior career ends
- Crushers must win Sunday night to continue season
- Crushers facing uphill climb in division final
Truro went 1 for 2 on the powerplay while Pictou County went 0 for 1.
Chris Festarini stopped 29 of 31 shots for the win while Brandon Thibeau stopped 33 of 37 shots in the loss.


text:
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the PHANTOM of the TEMPLE
created by: Emma
black tea overflowing with luxurious pomegranate, with hints of currant and earthy sesame, dusted with cornflowers. a drink that evokes the rich, mad genius of the second Dove as well as a somber reminder of his mortality.
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blended with black tea, toasted mate, raspberry leaves, natural pomegranate flavor, raspberries, natural currant flavor
teas: currant, pomegranate, toasted mate
accented with cornflowers
L.S. Baird's debut novel, Evensong's Heir, has holy music at its core. Divine song comes from the golden throats of exalted castrati. These young men live inside a temple where they are awash with tribute and praise. Three hundred years before Willim, another man held the title of Dove. A musical genius, Eothan was passionate about his craft and his duty as the avatar of Saint Alveron. Sadly, his term was rife with misfortune, and he died while still in his colors. Superstition tarnishes his memory, and his ghost is said to haunt the Temple, his soul searching for one last song.
steep at 200° for 3 mins
This tea contains a high level of caffeine
this tea is part of the EVENSONG'S HEIR fandom
Love the PHANTOM of the TEMPLE? This is just one of 14 teas in this fandom. Check out the whole series.
13 additional blends by Emma
the DOVE of VALNON
by Emma
rooibos peach, honeybush, rooibos jasmine
the STREET SNIPE
by Emma
spiced mate, honeybush hazelnut, chocolate
the SELL-SWORD
by Emma
ceylon sonata, dewy cherry, toasted mate
the WING of the TEMPLE
by Emma
wild strawberry, honeybush chocolate, wild strawberry
the HAWK'S EYE
by Emma
earl grey bravo, rooibos lemon cloud, cream
the QUEEN of VALNON
by Emma
snowbud, green rooibos, chamomile


text:
Dishing With: Inside the kitchen with area chefs
The House at Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, 201 Tallapoosa St., in downtown Montgomery, 334-481-5000, www.renaissancemontgomery.com
What Sets This Restaurant Apart From Others? Having banquet operations (catering) in the same building (as the restaurant) allows us to bring in a lot of different products to also use in the restaurant.
How Long Has The Restaurant Been Open? Since Feb. 4.
How Long Have You Worked There? I started in November 2007; before that, I worked 10 years with Marriott in Bethesda, Md., Arlington, Va., and New Orleans.
Honors: In the last hotel where I worked in New Orleans, even post-Katrina we were named Marriott's Top Operations Hotel of the Year.
What's New? We have added a Sunday brunch that began on Easter.
Job You'd Have If Not A Chef: I would be an architectural engineer for Donald Trump.
What Inspired Your Love For Cooking? My stomach. I love to eat.
Your Mentor: Klaus Keckeisen, a chef I worked with in Virginia for four years. He showed me all aspects of being a chef, not just cooking but organization, production, planning, finance.
Best Advice You Were Ever Given: Never allow yourself to become stagnant in your job; the more you see and experience, the better culinarian you will become.
Your First Cooking Memory: Working at Meyers Family Restaurant in Quakertown, Penn. I started as a dishwasher, through high school, moved my way up in the organization.
Your Worst Cooking Disaster: I once prepared a meal for about 800 guests and had everything cooked and plated. Then, as the group arrived, I found out that they had an additional 300 people -- all expecting to eat.
Restaurant-Related Thing You're Proudest Of: Reopening my restaurant (at the Marriott) in New Orleans after Katrina.
Favorite Food To Prepare: I love duck confit, simple pan-seared duck breast with a fruit compote, preferably with cherry or blueberry.
Favorite Food To Eat: Italian pastas.
What Would You Choose For Your Final Meal? My mother's spaghetti and meatballs.
Favorite Food-Related Web Site: www.foodtv.com
Favorite Restaurant Other Than Where You Work: Emeril's New Orleans.
Chef You Most Admire: Mark Beaupre, executive chef at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes (in Orlando); the restaurant has great charisma and leadership that he portrays every day. I admire, too, the loyal followers that he has.
Favorite Spice: Salt. I love salty food.
Favorite Herb: Rosemary.
Do You Cook At Home? Only on my days off, then I cook multiple meals to cover a few days.
Kitchen Gadget You Couldn't Work Without: A chef's knife.
Food/Restaurant-Related Pet Peeve: Cleanliness, especially floors.
Advice For Someone Outfitting A Kitchen: Plan on having a gas range and ovens and a hood system that takes the exhaust outside and doesn't just circulate the air. Whenever possible, have stainless steel. Don't have tile counter tops -- they are terrible to clean -- and do not have wood floors in the kitchen.
Worst Mistake Most Cooks Make: They don't taste the food as they are cooking.
Advice For Pulling Off A Last-Minute Meal: Think it out first; planning is the key to success.
Your Best Cooking Tip: Always try new foods and methods of cooking; avoid getting into a rut; open your eyes to new ingredients.
Where Will You Be In 10 Years? I love being a chef; I would not do anything else as a profession. I would probably be located somewhere in the South at a large convention hotel.
Have a chef or cook to suggest? E-mail Lynn Grisard Fullman at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Baton Rouge - LSU is less than two weeks from its opening game and between NCAA issues and a bar fight there are plenty of distractions.
Jefferson among Tigers summoned by police (Jim Kleinpeter, Times Picayune)
Les Miles video (Times Picayune)
Alleva issues statement (Times Picayune)
Miles fighting mad (Chris Low, ESPN.com)
Miles promises discipline (Glenn Guilbeau, Gannett)
Chris Faulk a smiling assassin (Kleinpeter)
LSU notebook (Luke Johnson, Times Picayune)
Karma for Tigers? (Rabalais)
Tigers No. 4 in AP poll (Scott Hotard, The Advocate)


text:
Rebecca Brisson says she's "the son my dad never had."
Growing up in Michigan as the daughter of a high-school football coach, Brisson was the ballgirl while her mom kept stats. With only flag football to satisfy her block-and-tackle jones, Brisson played volleyball, basketball and track through high school, and was on the soccer team at Eastern Michigan University.
Then in 2002, when she was in Oregon working for Nike, she heard about a local football tryout for women. Now at age 30, the 5-foot-2-inch, 135-pound Brisson is co-owner of—and cornerback for—the Portland Shockwave of the Independent Women's Football League.
Last Saturday at Lincoln High School, Brisson, an associate product line manager at Nike, played in the Shockwave's first-ever playoff game. Yes, playoffs, as in league championships. The IWFL started in 2000 and has 31 teams around the country; Brisson has played in all five of the Shockwave's years.
"This is the first game I've ever been really nervous about," she said before the game, which ended with the Shockwave losing 37-27 to the Sacramento Sirens.
About 200 fans attended the game, which finished the Shockwave's season. If you walked past the field, you might think the players were slow high-school boys. What you would have missed from that distance is the family, friends and partners vibe that runs through the scene.
Co-owner Rebecca Dawson and two former players started the Shockwave because they wanted to play. Head coach Brian Allinger got involved because his wife was on the team. The woman singing the national anthem is a player's partner; ditto for the game-day coordinator. The PA guy always wanted an announcing gig and won this one in tryouts. The head referee just enjoys being a ref. The chain gang is from the Eugene Edge, a rival team that Portland beat the week before.
And at the heart of it: 35 women, ages 20 to 43, who always wanted to play real football and finally have a place to do it.
"They're out here because they want to learn a new sport," says Allinger, who also coaches the freshmen boys at Battle Ground High in Washington. "For almost all of them, this is the first time they've played. The doors have been closed for a lot of years to women playing football, and they come out because they have a competitive itch that they need to scratch."
Twice-a-week practices start in late January for a regular season that runs from April through June. The 2006 team went 7-1 before being knocked out of the playoffs by the three-time defending national champ Sirens. Shockwave players and volunteers (nobody but the refs and team doctor get paid) raise money through karaoke contests and a "win a date with a player" auction.
And yes, many of those dates will be with other women. But this is not a strictly lesbian scene. Husbands and kids are running around. Other than the occasional ponytail sticking out from under a helmet and a call of "Way to be the woman!" from the stands, it's just football; one Portland player even went out there with a broken arm.
The rules, coaches say, are basically the same as in the NFL, except for a strict ban on blocking below the waist because women are more prone to knee injuries. And the official ball is slightly smaller and red, white and blue like an old ABA basketball.
Anthony Newman, a former Oregon Duck and NFL player, has a dozen of the Shockwave players coach in his annual youth football camp. On hand to show support as the game's ceremonial coin-tosser, Newman said he started including girls from grades 4 through 7 in his camp several years ago, and that women make great coaches for both genders.
"They aren't big and fast like the boys," he says, "so they actually teach the technical stuff better. There's no glamour, and there's no 'I'm gonna get a scholarship' for these girls. There's just 'I want to play football.'"
Tryouts for the 2007 Shockwave season will begin in December; for more information, see the team website at www.portlandshockwave.com.


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Poet, writer on æsthetics, and literary historian, the "Messias" of the Romantic School, b. at Hanover, 10 March, 1772; d. at Dresden, 12 January, 1829. Of the two brothers Schlegel, who are regarded as the real founders of the Romantic School, Friedrich the younger is the more important. The outward life of the "Messias" of the Romantic School, as Rahel named him, in its variety, is typical of the Romanticists. Destined at first for commercial life, he turned to higher studies in his sixteenth year, proceeded after a rapid preparation to the University of Gottingen, and there studied first jurisprudence and then philology. At Leipzig he devoted himself to the study of art and the history of ancient literature. After a short residence in Dresden, where he visited the art collections, he settled with his brother in Jena, but later moved to Berlin, where he formed a friendship with his later wife, Dorothea Veit (nee Mendelssohn), according to the principles which he had laid down in his notorious "Luzinde" (Berlin, 1799). In 1800 he returned to Jena to qualify as tutor, but in 1802 proceeded to Dresden and thence to Paris, where he delivered lectures on philosophy and edited the journal "Europa". In 1804 he married Dorothea, who had separated from her husband and embraced Protestantism ; both became Catholics in 1808 at Cologne, and henceforth begins for the restless and poverty-stricken Schlegel a period of peace. Recommended from Cologne, he secured a position as secretary in the court and state chancellery at Vienna, and in 1809 accompanied Archduke Charles to war, issuing fiery proclamations against Napoleon and editing the army newspaper. In 1811 while at Vienna he began his lectures — on modern history. He was full of bitterness against Napoleon and enthusiastically in favour of the medieval imperial idea. In the following year he delivered his famous lectures on the history of ancient and modern literature.
From 1815 to 1818 Schlegel resided at Frankfort as counsellor of the Austrian legation to the federal diet. He then accompanied Metternich to Italy, visiting Rome at the request of his wife. On his return to Vienna, he edited the journal "Concordia" (1820-3), wherein he championed the idea of a Christian state. After preparing the edition of all his works (10 vols., 1822-5), he again delivered lectures on the philosophy of life and the philosophy of history, continuing at Dresden in 1828 on the philosophy of speech and words. Here a stroke of apoplexy brought him to an early death. Schlegel essayed all three branches of poetry, but without much success. In 1805-6 he published a "Poetisches Tagebuch", which in addition to small lyrical pieces contains the epic "Roland". Three years later appeared his "Gedichte" (Berlin, 1809), which are models of metrical art and noble language, but sacrifice freshness to artificiality. The romance "Luzinde" he later condemned. His tragedy "Alarkos" possesses no enduring worth, although Goethe had it produced at Weimar. Schlegel's importance lies in his numerous literary-critical writings, and in his successful efforts to unite similarly minded friends (Tieck, Novalis, Schleiermacher) into an association, the "School of Romanticism" (1798). To establish and spread the principles of the new school, Schlegel founded with his brother August Wilhelm the journal "Athenaum" (1798); this was given up after years, but not until it had attained its object. It proclaimed the programme for the many-sided strivings of Romanticism.
Of the works of Schlegel two still maintain their high importance: "Ueber die Sprache und Weisheit der Inder" (Heidelberg, 1808; tr. into French, Paris, 1837), and "Die Geschichte der alten and neuen Literatur" (Vienna, 1815, tr. into French, Parish, 1829). While these two works may be surpassed in many particulars, they yet contain in embryo the modern achievements in both domains. P. Baumgartner, the latest author of a universal literature, thus regarded Friedrich von Schlegel as his guide and master, to whom he believed he owed his chief inspiration. The following works have been translated into English: "Philosophy of History" (London, 1869); "Lectures on modern History" (London, 1849); "Æsthetic and Miscellaneous Works" (London, 1875).
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SALEM — A flood watch has been issued for Salem County now through late Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rain is expected to fall through the night and into Wednesday, leaving between 1.5 and 2 inches of new precipitation.
Some areas could even see more than 2 inches of rain, the Weather Service says.
The flood watch means there is a likelihood that creek and smaller river flooding could take place..
Effects from potential flooding could persist into Thursday morning, the Weather Service said.


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By Polly Keary, Editor National Night Out Against Crime is all about public safety, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. In between demonstrations of fire safety and police procedures, t [...]Read More
Monthly Archives: July 2013
Focus on Seniors: Snohomish County Council on Aging call for citizen members
By Holly Glen Gearhart, Contributing Writer The Snohomish Council on Aging is looking for new members for an advisory committee that will convene in January. The advisory board is to be made up of cit [...]Read More
Father gets memorial signs for son killed on US 2
Six years after his son, Thomas C. Turner, died at 17 in a crash on U.S. 2, Tom Cock was finally able to see a memorial sign bearing his son's name, urging drivers to drive safely, posted on U.S [...]Read More
City: Monroe ponders parking problem, considers merit-based raises for city staff
By Chris Hendrickson, Monitor The Monroe City Council discussed the possibility of painting the curbs red in areas where they are located directly in front of mailbox clusters, to indicate that parkin [...]Read More
Election 2013: Former councilman Balk running unopposed for VGH board
By Polly Keary, Editor Tony Balk served on the Monroe City Council for 12 years before deciding in 2011 not to run for a fourth term. Prior to that, he'd been a fire commissioner. So he might be [...]Read More
Fire safety in the home
By Polly Keary, Editor, and Elana Pigeon, Intern Blazes in recent months have damaged or destroyed homes near Cherry Valley, on High Rock Road and in Monroe. After each fire, investigators work to det [...]Read More
Cheap improvements to boost home value
By Polly Keary, Editor With housing prices rising, some homeowners are wondering if it's time to sell. If you are trying to sell, local real estate experts agree that it doesn't take a big [...]Read More
Summer foods to beat the heat
By Holly Glen Gearhart Why heat up your kitchen if you can enjoy foods that take little or no stove time? Foods from a variety of countries that have tailored their menus to their months of extreme he [...]Read More
From the Front Desk: Why be bored?
By Kathie Savelesky It was a lovely night in Monroe. Behind us, Lake Tye shone gold with the setting sun, also illuminating the beer garden that welcomed us with its white picket fence. In front of us [...]Read More
Drift racing draws big crowds to speedway for relatively new sport
By Chris Hendrickson, Monitor There is nothing quite like a summer day at the racetrack. Engines so loud you can feel the rumble in your chest, the smell of burning rubber, the sound of squeali [...]Read More


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CONCORD, North Carolina -- The season was already shot. So while the elite NASCAR drivers were fighting for a championship, Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team were simply in experimental mode.
The 2012 NASCAR season brought wholesale changes within the team's operation and that impacted how decisions were made.
"When you bring in so many new people, everyone has good ideas," McMurray said. "It takes a while to go through those ideas. A lot of ideas don't have to work. You have to weed through those.
"The last 10 races," McMurray continued, "were not good for the result. But we spend those 10 races doing everybody's ideas, seeing what were going to be needle-movers and what weren't."
While the storyline of preseason 2012 was upheaval at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, for preseason 2013 it's stability.
As co-owner Felix Sabates said Wednesday morning at the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour stop, "I've been in this business a long time and they're all good years if everybody comes back ... which is a miracle in this business today."
"I would say last year the changes were a wholesale paint job," Ganassi said. "This year, the changes are more like the work of an artist as opposed to a painter. (They're) fine-tuning type of adjustments ... much smaller, more refined."
It's been two winless seasons for Earnhardt Ganassi, which held a splashy media tour event at an airplane hanger, in which an enormous curtain was suddenly dropped to reveal a Cessna Citation X jet, signifying the team's new partnership with the aircraft company.
Juan Pablo Montoya has but one Sprint Cup win, at Watkins Glen in August 2010.
McMurray has three wins, including the 2010 Daytona 500 that gave Ganassi a victory in NASCAR's signature event to go along with four Indianapolis 500 victories.
However, McMurray hasn't won since the fall of 2010, a 77-race winless streak.
Ganassi had his struggles a half-dozen years ago in IndyCar "and that made us better," he said.
"The most important thing is to have the courage to stay on path," he said. "This business ... is very, very humbling at all levels."
Sometimes last season, trying to get things turned around, "we were taking too big a swing and trying to make everything better with one change instead of doing what you normally do and fine-tuning what you have," McMurray said.
"For us, the strong suit (this season) is we haven't had any changes. It's the same group of people working together. We spent last year getting everyone's idea out on what they wanted to try. Now everyone is on the same page and pulling the rope in the same direction."


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Warners, NY -- Three ambulances and the sheriff's Air One helicopter were called to a one-vehicle crash on the eastbound Thruway near Warners, state police said.
Five people were reported injured, with one one unconscious, after the 4:51 p.m. crash, said Sgt. David Malone. Three were taken to Upstate University Hospital -- including one by helicopter -- and two to Crouse Hospital after the crash, dispatchers said.
The crash was reported off the right shoulder of mile marker 294.5, about five miles west of the Interstate 690 interchange.
The eastbound highway was closed completely as the Onondaga County sheriff's helicopter landed around 5:20 p.m., troopers said. The left shoulder was reopened around 5:40 p.m. to allow a tow truck to remove the vehicle.
The Pontiac vehicle, either a smaller SUV or a minivan, came to rest on the right shoulder, Malone said. No other vehicles were involved, though the Pontiac apparently struck a guardrail. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Check back to Syracuse.com for more information as it becomes available.


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- Critical Care Associates
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USES: Azithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and skin infections.
HOW TO TAKE THIS MEDICATION: This medication is best taken on an empty stomach one hour before or 2 hours after meals. Avoid taking antacids with this since the absorption of this drug can be affected. Wait at least 2 hours after taking this medication before taking an antacid.
Antibiotics work best when the amount of medicine in your body is kept at a constant level. Do this by taking the medication at the same time of the day on each day of treatment. Continue to take this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished even if symptoms disappear after a few days. Stopping the medication too early may allow bacteria to continue to grow and may result in a relapse of the infection.
SIDE EFFECTS: This medication may cause stomach upset, loose stools, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or vaginal irritation. If these symptoms persist or become severe, inform your doctor.
Notify your doctor if you develop symptoms of jaundice such as dark urine, clay-colored stools or yellowing of eyes or skin.
In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, itching, swelling, dizziness or trouble breathing.
If you develop diarrhea while taking this medication, notify your doctor. Do not take any nonprescription medications to treat diarrhea without first consulting your doctor.
Use of this medication for prolonged or repeated periods may result in a secondary infection (e.g., oral, bladder or vaginal yeast infection)
PRECAUTIONS: Tell your doctor if you have other illnesses or any allergies, especially allergies to drugs.
If you have had liver disease, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) , history of colitis or stomach problems or kidney disease, tell your doctor before taking this drug.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before taking this medication. It is not known if azithromycin appears in breast milk. Consult with your doctor before breast-feeding.
DRUG INTERACTIONS: Do not take aluminum- and magnesium-containing antacids simultaneously with azithromycin.
Tell your doctor of all over-the-counter and prescription medications you are taking including theophylline, carbamazepine, warfarin, astemizole, terfenadine, digoxin, triazolam, ergotamine, cyclosporine, birth control pills and dihydroergotamine.
This drug may interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills. Discuss using other methods of birth control with your doctor.


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The exhibit at the Taube Museum and Gallery through March features artwork from the Rolla Arts Council, primarily chalk pastels.
"It was a new medium for us a couple of years ago," said Velma Raasaaka, secretary of the group. "I had been working in oils at the time, but along with the others I just tried it and we all liked it.
"We have Vern Skaug -- you know, the artist from Minot -- come out once a month to teach us," she added. "We've been working in pastels for about two years now."
Article Photos
Terry J. Aman/MDN - - "Sakakawea" by Velma Raasaaka is part of the Rolla Arts Council's pastel display at the Taube.
Terry J. Aman/MDN - - "King of the Wire" by Wynn Haberstroh is part of the Rolla Arts Council's pastel display at the Taube.
The Rolla Arts Council has been in existence for about 20 years, and Raasaaka has been a member for about half that.
"Each of the active members has sent over seven to eight works," she said. "We have a variety of styles, with still lifes, animals and landscapes. For instance, one of mine is a ballerina."
Another artist, Alfred Juntunen, sent along watercolors.
"One of them is a lake with a two-story structure, and another is entitled 'A Chinaman's Hat,' which is a scene in Hawaii," he said. "We were on vacation there, and we were on one island and saw the other -- Chinaman's Hat is the name of it -- sticking out of the ocean."
The artist reception is today from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.


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Fifty years ago today, the then 22-year-old Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, defeated world heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston to take that title and begin his reign as arguable the greatest professional boxer of all time.
However, records newly obtained by The Washington Times, show that the FBI suspected that that fight had been fixed, and that a Las Vegas gambler who walked away with $1 million after the bout was behind it.According to the story, an FBI memo dated May 24, 1966 and addressed directly to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, detailed an interview with Barnett Magids, a Houston gambler who told agents he was urged by Las Vegas gambler Ash Resnick to bet against Liston in the fight.
Liston quit the fight after the seventh round.
The report also revealed that "people in the know" said that Resnick and Liston both reportedly made more than $1 million betting against Liston in that fight.
Liston said he quit the fight because of a shoulder injury. He died in 1971. The official cause of death listed as a heroin overdose. The Times asked Ali for a comment, the story said, be he did not respond.
The fight took place on Feb. 25, 1964, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
For the full story, see The Washington Times.


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Support women in busines by hiring from Work-at-Home Moms!
Looking for or sell a product? Then check out the Mom-preneur Shops ~ links to websites, blogs, or Etsy shops.
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To qualify to add a link to your service, you must be a woman your services should be family-friendly. You don't have to be a "mom" to participate ~ all women are welcome. {pinky promise} Tip Junkie reserves the right to delete inappropriate listings or those that do not follow these guidelines.
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This page is for General Questions and they are listed below. FAQs for specific sections are on their own page, and those links are provided below as well.
Business Property Statement Questions
Homeowners' Exemption Questions
Boat/Watercraft Property Tax Questions
What do I do if I believe that my assessed value should be reduced or that my property taxes are too high?My lender has notified me that my payment is being increased and/or they require an estimated tax bill to reduce my payment, will the Assessor's office correct this or provide an estimated tax bill?What is a Notice of Supplemental Assessment?Are there special programs available for Senior Citizens?If I give property to my children, will it be reassessed?I am over 55 and wish to move to a smaller home. Will my taxes go up?If I have an addition to my home, will you reappraise the entire property?If I do the work myself, will I only be assessed on the cost of the materials?If I add my spouse on the deed to my property , will it be reappraised?Is property assessed at the price paid?
Q: I am over 55 and wish to move to a smaller home. Will my taxes go up?
A: Legislation was passed in 1986 allowing those 55 and over to transfer the assessed value of their principal residence to a replacement residence in the same county if the value of the new residence is equal to or less than that of the original residence when sold. A claim form must be timely filed with the Assessor's Office to qualify. San Joaquin County does not accept transfers from other counties. For additional information regarding this exclusion, contact our office at 209-468-2658. This form is available online. Click here for the form.


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Few can justify their sense of entitlement like Apple. The protagonist of "Gimme Shelter" is a pregnant 16-year-old, played by Vanessa Hudgens, who has been shuttled in and out of mental hospitals and foster homes. She has a cruel junkie mother and faces abuse everywhere she turns. She believes she deserves help, a handout, something, and struggles to articulate her needs. But when people offer her kindness, it's so foreign to her, she doesn't know how to respond except with suspicion and abrasive confrontation.
Writer/director Ron Krauss creates a portrait of terrible desperation in the film's opening scenes. Everyone defines Apple as a problem, not a person. June (Rosario Dawson) sees her daughter as a means to keep the welfare checks coming. So Apple runs away to the father she never met, Tom (Brendan Fraser), a Wall Street banker with a mansion and a family in New Jersey. His initial instinct is to give her the wad of cash in his pocket and make her go away. This hurts her more than he knows, for she carries around a tattered letter from him. It's the only communication he ever had with his daughter, and the one shred of hope she clings to amidst her misery.
Tom and his judgmental wife (Stephanie Szostak) give her one option: abort the child, or get out of the house. She bolts. She can't handle autonomy, and ends up sleeping in unlocked cars and scarfing food from trash bins. This leads to the film's best scene, in which June, during one of her rare lucid moments, says she did the same thing 16 years prior – fight for her baby's life. It's a nasty manipulation on June's part, but for Apple, it's a cold shower. She sees a possible future in this awful truth.
Krauss subsequently fails to build on this key moment. He begins offering simplistic resolutions to Apple's myriad problems, like a great and benevolent screenwriter god. In fact, one of the solutions presented is God himself, introduced via Frank (James Earl Jones), a chaplain with her best interests at heart. They have a brief ecclesiastical debate before she eventually, wearily, succumbs to his gentle decency. He brings her to a shelter for pregnant teens, which is where the story dovetails with Krauss' real-life encounter with an ambitious and resourceful woman who started a non-profit group home, with the help of Mother Teresa.
That's where the "based on a true story" subtitle comes from. But as Krauss' narrative moves to Apple's shelter life, it ironically becomes less convincing. He foregoes the grit and detail of the film's first half and quests for tidy resolution with increasing vagueness and the employment of cliches. It's as if he senses a ballooning run time at his heels. Apple has less to say. Characters who need spiritual recompense or changes of heart get what they deserve.
Although "Gimme Shelter" is well-intentioned, it's artificial and undermines Hudgens' worthy, heartfelt performance. Driven by a need for emotional release, Krauss shifts from hard-edged docudrama to mush, missing opportunities to provide commentary on broken social-welfare institutions or the psychology of abuse. It all gets glossed over when Apple looks deeply into a baby's eyes, and just magically becomes a new person.
John Serba is film critic and entertainment reporter for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at email@example.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.